AM Week 2: 1st E-Critique

Tonight I got home from Mosaic to find my mentor at Animation Mentor, Victor Navone, had finished my first e-critique for my STU pose. I was super excited...and super freaked out. I felt like I had put so much into this first week's homework, I really wanted good feedback (and a good grade to follow). He started with looking at my sketchbook page, saying he liked the variety of the poses and even said I was pretty "on model" with the STU character. He commented on my choice of pose and then went to look at my CG pose image. He said at the start that it wasn't the story he was thinking of, but that wasn't a problem. He also mentioned having changed the camera angle, but understood that could have been on account of STU's gianormous head. Then, Victor proceeded to draw some tweaks on top of my image to strengthen the pose.


I'll go back in and take his suggestions and make the pose even stronger. But for the first of many e-critiques, it all went along well. I also got a great grade on this one! :) You can see my post that goes into more detail about this weeks assignment here!

Next week...EXCITEMENT and the bouncing ball!!!

Until laterz!

Terra Nova 2008 (part 3)

This continues where my last posts left off, so if you are just joining us...check out Terra Nova 2008 (part 1) or Terra Nova 2008 (part 2)!

Okay...well, I know this is a little late in coming, but life happens. I wanted to make sure I got some more photos of my weekend posted so you guys can see all that happened. Now, it's been a month and a half since this weekend, so some details might get overlooked..but at least there are pictures!


Here are the MC's of the weekend; introducing the creative festival that is about to start!


One of the attendees at Terra Nova was a crotchity old puppet, who then had a change of personality after the weekend and was assisting in introducing the acts. Performances that ranged from vocal and instrumental...

Here a friend of mine, Jolene is belting out a song she and the guy playing guitar wrote over the weekend.


Mariah McManus shares her song with the group.



There were also short dramas, written and performed by the acting groups.


One of MY favorite parts was watching the dance teams from the three main Mosaic locations. I got a chance to get to know a few of these people. Many of them are young, but I loved the energy and creativity that they have in their craft!






The improvers showed what they had learned in a short improve sketch.


....and another one of the performances that left an impression on me were the spoken word performers. It was so powerful and amazing how these guys can really move you with there words. AMAZING! And I was drawn to the one guys leg that was tatooed. All I could think of was how the part on his shin HAD to hurt! OUCH!


As well as the performances, there was an "art gallery" from the fine art people. Some impressive stuff there too. After the performances all wrapped up, it was time for good bye. It was a great end for a FANTASTIC weekend. We still haven't gotten the short film we worked on finished yet, but I'm excited to see the finished product and will for sure let you know if I can get it uploaded for you guys to see. We loaded up the SUV and started the drive back to LA, stopping off for Rootbeer and food at A&W Rootbeer. These are the really good times and memories that I love to make. It was a great time to meet people and get to know old friends better. I have already booked my place for 2009 Terra Nova and can't wait to get back!

Until laterz!

What's going on outside my window??

Back in September, I was getting ready to go to bed after a late night of work in the early morning of Sept. 18th. I was starting to fall asleep and I saw the light of the Police helicopters coming in and out of my room. This is not uncommon, but it seemed like they were really focusing on something around my area. I don't think a ton of it, laughing it off. Then I see some flashing red lights through the curtains. I jump to the window to see what's going on. Outside of my window in the parking lot to the south of our house, I see a guy trying to stop the bleeding of another guy laying on the ground. A third guy is hysterically yelling at the guy on the ground.


At about that time, police cars, an ambulance and fire trucks arrive and someone else takes over for the guy that was attending to the injured guy. I grabbed my camera to document this. Keep in mind, I'm a kid from South Dakota. This kinda thing doesn't happen very often to me. My nephew told me I was becoming a budding "Peter Parker".


Soon the ambulance takes the victim away and the cops begin to get to work. It was CSI:LA right outside my house. Crime tape began going up and the victims friends were being questioned. I was the only one of the house awake (it was like 3am in the morning!!) and so I went downstairs to the porch and tried to figure out what had happened.


A group of USC students that live next door came under the police tape and talked with me on the porch. I found out the guy had been stabbed after a scuffle. We didn't have details that night, but the next day the news had more info. I felt weird "documenting" the incident, but I couldn't not do it.


Unfortunately the victim, a USC Cinema Arts grad student named Bryan Richard Frost, did not survive the the stabbing. As far as I know, they haven't found the attacker. But from what the news said, the incident was a rare thing for the area of the city. The guys in the house said they haven't ever had anything like that happen in this area before. So far...nothing more then late night parties and the occasional Indian (from India) dance party. All in all..one just stays in late at night in this area!!

Until laterz!

Animation Mentor BEGINS!!!

Monday, at 12:00 PST, I logged onto the Animation Mentor online campus for the first time as a new student in Class 1. I was biting at the bit, waiting for that clock to hit noon. Then when the site finally let me in, I was a kid in a candy shop! I had been to orientation and knew a little about the campus, but there were soo much more available to me now. I started checking out other students profiles and found my class, along with my Class 1 mentor....drum roll please....the one...the only...Pixar's own "Alien Song" creator....VICTOR NAVONE!!! (insert crowd roar here)

As I go through this journey, I'm planning on keeping all you loyal readers up to date as much as I can, both here on this blog and my other blog (dakotakidcorral.blogspot.com).

Well..I need to get going on homework!

Until laterz!