...'old junk'.
I've moved! Normally I'd try and keep this blog going but I'm looking for a clean break. The new equivalent blog is:
http://matthew-wood-vfx.blogspot.com/ (I had some paint left over from this one)
Still development but more focused on visual effects. Who knows, maybe I'll post Motion Graphic work to this blog in the future, but for now it's gonna be dead around here. Here's a copy and past job from my 'animation' blog that will let you know where to find me if you've only even known about this here development blog.
Online presence review:
The site that's on my business card: www.matthewood.co.uk
That's 'Matthew' and 'Wood' with some frugal overlap - unfortunately the internet saw me cutting corners and has justly punished me by forcing me to include the three 'w's for 'world', 'wide' and 'web' if I type it into and address bar. This is the least piggish of my internet presence piggy backing since I have my own URL, however I did it through google sites so I can't actually do much more than bully the design wizard until it cries and develops a twitch, by which I mean: lets me upload a header.
Blogs that site links to:
A new blog dedicated to Visual Effects (of the digital variety) as well as including any and all work I do in my third year at university.
A blog that will likely suffer from neglect and may well be stapled onto the end of the VFX blog (so thats 'neglect' and abuse really)
It's a little be more yellow than all the others, its called 'animation' but really it's full of pretty poor sketches and stuff (but you know that, you're sitting right on it)
The website site also links to my vimeo profile
So I'm spreading myself a little too thin and intend to try and include some sort of blog aggregation (even though I'm sure your blog aggregator is doing a fine job of feeding you bits and pieces as they float to the surface). I'll go and see if google sites can handle that.
Tuesday, 11 October 2011
Saturday, 21 May 2011
Sunshine, Rain and Spring Coming Again.
...But I don't have it in me.....Confidence that is.
Maya - Boatimation Tests from Matthew Wood on Vimeo.
....) [that may be my very first parenthesised video]
The second piece I missed was more experimentation of the dynamic variety. This time on my RCUK project.
Carl End-Orff-in Dynamics from Matthew Wood on Vimeo.
... applying this proved difficult, so I’m sticking with traditional 3d animation (as traditional as 3D ever gets). Hoping to be able to use it for some visual effects work, I already have too many ideas.
I did have a much longer video charting the failure of the Endorphin/3D character but 6 minutes of self-indulgent editing of different dramatic angles from the exact same scene seemed a bit much (even with Carl Orff's 'phat beatz' behind it).
Lessons have been learnt, expect a post detailing them.
EXPECT IT!!!!
....at least not when I’m presenting to a room full of people, apparently. As a result of nerves (or whatever the hell happened to me) I skipped a large portion of a recent presentation (thankfully it was mostly the jokes) so I’ll be uploading a bit here (minus the jokes) and in a future post explore how I can improve my presentation style.
‘i c (cockney text talk*)
After exploring what Realflow had to offer, by way of particle effects and simulations, I then moved to Maya to try and get some realistic movement. Mostly because I was more familiar and had dabbled in the dynamic liquid simulations on a previous project .
The best results were seen by using dynamic simulation mixed with key framing (and by 'best' i mean....
The best results were seen by using dynamic simulation mixed with key framing (and by 'best' i mean....
Maya - Boatimation Tests from Matthew Wood on Vimeo.
....) [that may be my very first parenthesised video]
Man fall down. Funny.
The second piece I missed was more experimentation of the dynamic variety. This time on my RCUK project.
The software Endorphin is used for dynamically driving collisions (and other things).
I had intend to use it for bridging the gap between animation and...the floor.
The simulation went well and mostly as anticipated (with a bit of effort)...
Carl End-Orff-in Dynamics from Matthew Wood on Vimeo.
... applying this proved difficult, so I’m sticking with traditional 3d animation (as traditional as 3D ever gets). Hoping to be able to use it for some visual effects work, I already have too many ideas.
I did have a much longer video charting the failure of the Endorphin/3D character but 6 minutes of self-indulgent editing of different dramatic angles from the exact same scene seemed a bit much (even with Carl Orff's 'phat beatz' behind it).
Lessons have been learnt, expect a post detailing them.
EXPECT IT!!!!
*[tip: they drop their ‘h’s and ‘c’ is phonetically the same a ‘sea’]
p.s - the lesson from this post is:
I like ending videos with musical blank screens.
p.s - the lesson from this post is:
I like ending videos with musical blank screens.
Monday, 4 April 2011
New World
The latest iteration of my BBC Natural World title sequence.
Natural World Titles 02 - Refined from Matthew Wood on Vimeo.
The animals are absent as there’s just not enough time to do them justice without rushing through the piece, and the titles of late have taken a more stylised approach; focusing on the wonder and importance of the small narratives that make up our natural world – a single drop of water or dandelion seeds in the wind.
Changes to be made:
Strengths:
Natural World Titles 02 - Refined from Matthew Wood on Vimeo.
The animals are absent as there’s just not enough time to do them justice without rushing through the piece, and the titles of late have taken a more stylised approach; focusing on the wonder and importance of the small narratives that make up our natural world – a single drop of water or dandelion seeds in the wind.
Changes to be made:
Have the text emerging from the depths (as if discovered) rather than fading in. Adding a sense of depth by including ‘bubble’ elements in the foreground.
Better colour for the earth.
Strengths:
The initial entrance into the drop, well timed and weighted with a nice effect.
Overall duration; short and sweet.
Bit of 'Web Presence' maintenance to conclude with.
If you're looking for a prettier url to point people too them www.matthewood.co.uk is now in a more presentable state. That's 'Matthew' and 'Wood' sharing the same 'w' (just like in my logo!...is the excuse I give because matthewwood and any variation thereof is already taken). I also am now in possession of 250 business cards (mine), if you'd like one then arrange for us to do business, business cards are for business (as well as being 'The business').
...business
Saturday, 2 April 2011
Au Naturel…World
My initial concept for the BBC’s Natural World titles.
A CG water droplet reflecting and refracting the earth makes its way to the ground. We travel into the heart of the drop (the earth) to discover the animals of the natural world.
Natural World Initial Concept Test from Matthew Wood on Vimeo.
(must say - looks much better in HD - click the link above if you have the time)
Rough and ready and all too fast but the concept works.
I like the immediate juxtaposition and change in scale from the usual ‘epic space shot of planet earth’ to the humble, yet essential, drop of water.
If given the go ahead I will likely suggest either lengthen the piece and creating a more abstracting interior for the drop (less of an underwater feel) or cutting the move into the water completely – simply reflecting the myriad of animals in the drop (falling in slow motion), showing that they are inside and part of the world. I would also like to enhance the final reveal of the titles, either a more interesting angle or have the water expose the text.
All of which would streamline the piece and give it more consistency.
Stay posted for more posting of posts.
A CG water droplet reflecting and refracting the earth makes its way to the ground. We travel into the heart of the drop (the earth) to discover the animals of the natural world.
Natural World Initial Concept Test from Matthew Wood on Vimeo.
(must say - looks much better in HD - click the link above if you have the time)
Rough and ready and all too fast but the concept works.
I like the immediate juxtaposition and change in scale from the usual ‘epic space shot of planet earth’ to the humble, yet essential, drop of water.
If given the go ahead I will likely suggest either lengthen the piece and creating a more abstracting interior for the drop (less of an underwater feel) or cutting the move into the water completely – simply reflecting the myriad of animals in the drop (falling in slow motion), showing that they are inside and part of the world. I would also like to enhance the final reveal of the titles, either a more interesting angle or have the water expose the text.
All of which would streamline the piece and give it more consistency.
Stay posted for more posting of posts.
Thursday, 24 March 2011
RCUK Animation update
Well I've won my first paid commission. An animation for The Resuscitation Council UK to help identify the signs of cardiac arrest.
Here's a clip from the pitch, the actual collapse will be more effective; staying with the sufferer as she falls backward, feeling the impact with her.
RCUK Fall from Matthew Wood on Vimeo.
It's a 3ds Max (I never know what to capitalize when I'm writing that; '3DS Max' I guess would be correct - 'aint pretty though) version of a playblast ... 'make preview' I believe, not quite as catchy. Keep watching my RCUK animation blog for updates. I intend to have a video gallery there soon but there's been some complications, incidentally anyone trying to reach me on my talktalk.net mail...can't, there's a fault so I'm waiting to get access to activation e-mails.
Looking forward to getting a full quality render on this sucker in the near future.
....tee he he, 'limp and heavy'.
 |
| clickety for the project site. |
Here's a clip from the pitch, the actual collapse will be more effective; staying with the sufferer as she falls backward, feeling the impact with her.
RCUK Fall from Matthew Wood on Vimeo.
It's a 3ds Max (I never know what to capitalize when I'm writing that; '3DS Max' I guess would be correct - 'aint pretty though) version of a playblast ... 'make preview' I believe, not quite as catchy. Keep watching my RCUK animation blog for updates. I intend to have a video gallery there soon but there's been some complications, incidentally anyone trying to reach me on my talktalk.net mail...can't, there's a fault so I'm waiting to get access to activation e-mails.
Looking forward to getting a full quality render on this sucker in the near future.
....tee he he, 'limp and heavy'.
Saturday, 19 March 2011
Title Sequences
A wonderful opportunity has presented itself. In preparation I made this (it's looped so remember to pause it and get on with your life):
Explosive Particles from Matthew Wood on Vimeo.
It was a wild stab in the dark (I hear tell that's a very painful place to get stabbed) since all I was going on was 'motion graphics' 'title sequence'. I wanted to simulate realistic lens effects with the particles blowing out (in both senses), almost there.Composed to allow for credits to roll on while stuff got 'sploded on the other side. Mostly just a test of my computer's ability to compute. It does not like particles and advanced blurring effects, whiny piece of junk!
It was slow for the after effects files, but it's completely crashing with the things I'm trying to get it to do in 3DS Max. Possible posts on that to come...though they relate more closely to the RCUK animation project I'm working on, so check there first. Is anyone else beginning to think this multiple blog thing is getting tricky to track? Especially since I'm considering setting up another for this latest project. I may try to create an aggregating blog, a Matthew Wood Mega Store of a blog, to solve this problem, half price on everything that guarantees the death of local businesses! (that's right, I got political on yo ass).
I have a sign off on my 'main' blog...seems rude not to have a definitive conclusion. Maybe I'll just embrace it and stop half way though my
Explosive Particles from Matthew Wood on Vimeo.
Bet you can't guess which British based broadcasting company it's for.
It was a wild stab in the dark (I hear tell that's a very painful place to get stabbed) since all I was going on was 'motion graphics' 'title sequence'. I wanted to simulate realistic lens effects with the particles blowing out (in both senses), almost there.Composed to allow for credits to roll on while stuff got 'sploded on the other side. Mostly just a test of my computer's ability to compute. It does not like particles and advanced blurring effects, whiny piece of junk!
It was slow for the after effects files, but it's completely crashing with the things I'm trying to get it to do in 3DS Max. Possible posts on that to come...though they relate more closely to the RCUK animation project I'm working on, so check there first. Is anyone else beginning to think this multiple blog thing is getting tricky to track?
I have a sign off on my 'main' blog...seems rude not to have a definitive conclusion. Maybe I'll just embrace it and stop half way though my
Friday, 11 March 2011
Found Footage Folly
I little test of a concept I’ve had in my head for a while; a sort of temporal Penrose staircase and I was going to apply it to wide landscapes but having found this I couldn’t resist testing the idea.
Grid Concept Test from Matthew Wood on Vimeo.
Would benefit from a little choreography on my part and if I was shooting it myself I’d have fewer people. There needs to be an obvious ‘she walked over it but he didn’t!’ and on a technical note I should have stabilised the footage... pretty apparent how far this could be taken.
Wish list: a green screen studio with treadmills and stairs. My mind is ablaze with potential, I might actually have to do some 2D animation to irrigate my singed synapses.
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