A few months back, Mike and I got together and shot a nonsensical short video with some random puppets I own. I finally finished editing the thing. You can witness the result at one of the following locations:
El Sangre Rojo on Revver
El Sangre Rojo on Veoh
El Sangre Rojo on YouTube
Here are a couple of other music videos I worked on earlier in the year.
These are work related. There are two more in the wings.
They should be online within the next two months.
Earlier this year I worked on a music video for a band called Winds of Plague. The song is called The Impaler. It was directed by Jacob Avignone and Tony Ushino. I composited the last half of the video. I think you’ll be able to tell where the stuff I worked on starts without me specifying the exact time-code. Watch The Impaler Video Here.
Today, JPOP teen girlie group Scandal was in the office. The band consists of four teen girls (although I think there may have been more than that in the office). They were dressed in Japanese School uniforms and accompanied by a videographer and a man I imagine must be their manager. Marco was showing them around the office and brought them to Media to view some music videos we have been working on. Rui, who is generally a shy otaku type, leapt into action. He was very eager to translate, explain our work procedures, and show examples. Multiple cute giggly school girls in uniform ignited his inner socialite. For me, the moment went from odd to surreal when they prepared to leave and turned to thank me. My desk is in a corner. I was surrounded by a wall of smiling exuberant school girls each staring me in the eye. In unison, they thanked me in Japanese and bowed. It was a moment from a perverse horror movie where a hackneyed male fantasy prepares to suddenly become a grotesque evisceration. Luckily, they left me intact and trotted off to their next destination.
Earlier this year, Luis introduced me to a stand-up guy that goes by the name of Monc. He’s an English musician with a lot of talent and passion. We worked together to turn one of his songs, “A Beautiful Life”, into a one-minute animation. It is my first After Effects/Flash hybrid love-child (generally I work in one or the other, not both together). I think it turned out fairly well and I hope everyone enjoys it.
It can be seen in the following places:
A Beautiful Life on Myspace
A Beautiful Life on YouTube
A Beautiful Life on Revver
A Beautiful Life on Newgrounds
A Beautiful Life on Vimeo
If you have quicktime and want to see it at the highest quality possible online:
A Beautiful Life on my website
I kept busy this weekend: three puppet shows with two workshops, a hike through Angeles Crest, and swimming this afternoon. Below are pictures of our hike through Angeles Crest to Switzer Falls. This is the third Extreme Things event Erika and I have attended and it was a good time. If you are in the L.A. area looking to do things outdoors, I recommend joining.
The last two weekends have been quite fun. Two Sundays ago, I spent 15 hours working on the TOKYOPOP Van Von Hunter videos at a small studio in Hollywood. That may not sound fun, but it was quite enjoyable, more-so than the other sets (few they may be) I have been on. The night ended with Tjalsma and I launching blood-drenched glitter into the air as the female lead pranced around in a red-assed monkey suit and the voice of the Prince of Persia stood amidst it all dressed in only boots, swords and a well-placed pop-up book. That’s good times, folks.
This past weekend I returned to the Altadena mine caves. I brought Al-Insan and Patrick along. On my prior trip, my claustrophobia forbid me enter one of the caves with a small constricting entrance. This time I defeated my fear and made my way inside the cave. As is often the case with irrational fears, after I did it, I found it wasn’t frightening at all.
Good times.
Tracy Yardley, the artist for Riding Shotgun contacted me by email today.
He had a lot of good things to say about the iManga I’ve been working on.
It’s by far the coolest email I’ve received in a while.
Little things like that make my job worthwhile and inspire me to do more.
Thanks, Tracy.
Episode 3 of the Riding Shotgun iManga I directed debuts today on Myspace TOKYOPOP TV.
The original comic is by Nathaniel Bowden and Tracy Yardley.
Today in L.A. came through our office a week or two ago to interview the CEO and do a short package on the company.
If you want to see me sitting at my computer and scope some clips of my Riding Shotgun work, watch this video.
You’ll also get to watch a short commercial for a random industry not available to those of you outside of Los Angeles.
If you’re really lucky, it’ll be the high-pitched mattress salesman. Fun stuff.