July 4, 2022 : Welcome Home, Genndy!

In a move that seems obvious for Cartoon Network and Warner Bros. Animation, Genndy Tartakovsky signed an exclusive multiyear agreement with the studio pair. The article also mentions the premiere of Primal’s second season.

Anytime Genndy is creating original material, it’s a good thing. I was unaware of his current project, Unicorn: Warriors Eternal, but I also want to see what else he’ll get to work on. The dude’s a workaholic.

Other fans have expressed hope he’ll resurrect his Popeye Animated movie or previously cancelled shows (specifically Sym-Bionic Titan). Whatever it is, sign me up!

posted by Pi Visuals at 12:08 am

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June 12, 2022 : Iron Giant LP Release and Fan Film

Always on the look out for all things Iron Giant, I saw the upcoming release of a 2-LP Vinyl release of the soundtrack (as well as a high res Digital Release):

Cool stuff indeed, but more interesting is a fan film I stumbled across. It takes place 40 years after the original movie:

It isn’t overly ambitious and has some decent CG elements. There could have been a little more audio mixing with Giant, in my opinion, as well as a few more nods and winks to the original movie; but overall it was a solid piece.

posted by Pi Visuals at 12:26 am

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May 14, 2022 : A New Dragon Ball Super Movie

There is a new Dragon Ball Super movie coming out this summer, which also happens to be Crunchyroll’s first global theatrical release. The trailer looks interesting for a few reasons:

First off, Red Ribbon Army (could be cool). Secondly, Gohan looks bad ass (he better). Thirdly, a lot of the animation sequences uses 3D – not just for the background and camera movements, but also the characters. This is the second Dragon Ball Super movie. The first was Dragon Ball Super: Broly (Battle of Gods and Resurrection F were considered DBZ), which I vaguely remember but didn’t watch.

Broly used 3D periodically, but it still predominantly kept with the 2D pipeline. I’m not sure if Super Hero is fully 3D, but it definitely uses significantly more. This could be a good thing or a bad thing, depending on the execution.

We’ll see, but I’m intrigued. Also, I need to watch Broly.

posted by Pi Visuals at 12:09 am

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April 23, 2022 : Zoom Blur Transition

I mentioned Match Cuts in a previous post. Another transition I’ve been trying to incorporate more is the Zoom Blur (note: turning these into Gif’s did degrade their quality).

While Match Cuts can be used in animation as well as live action, Zoom Blur is more intended for live footage; but I think they are powerful since there our multiple variations – it’s just a matter of being creative.

posted by Pi Visuals at 12:36 am

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April 2, 2022 : April Fools’ Flashback

I’m not one to partake in April Fools’ foolery, but here’s a post from back in the day talking about others who did. I still chuckle at the reaction Taco Bell got. It’s also crazy to think this post was from 13 years ago (?!).

In the event you want to feel mistreated during this time “Holiday”, here’s a clip of one of my least favorite commercials of all time… which happens to be by Taco Bell. It was so bad, I boycotted them at a time when I would actually eat there. This apparently was also a time when I had a bigger budget for Toilet Paper.

Awful… just awful.

posted by Pi Visuals at 12:37 am

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March 14, 2022 : Happy Pi Day!

Well if it isn’t that glorious time of year… where we get to celebrate the incredible mathematical symbol that is Pi. Plus, we also get to enjoy Illinois back in the Big Dance (I haven’t watched a game of theirs this year, but that’s on me). Rather than show a pic, I figured I would re-post a video I made a few years back in Cinema 4D – since I’ve been meaning to get more into C4D:

Unlike Pi, it’s not perfect; but I still like it! While you enjoy the day, feel free to reflect on where we’d be without this constant. If that doesn’t make you appreciate life, then I don’t know what will. Happy Pi Day!

posted by Pi Visuals at 8:57 am

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February 19, 2022 : Some General C4D Practice

Unsurprisingly, I haven’t been able to spend as much time in C4D as I’d like the last few months. Fortunately, a few weeks ago, I challenged myself to due a little work in it. I was asked to do a quick Visualization Test for a company’s logo, and I saw it as an opportunity to stretch some of those C4D muscles:

There are several things I would have improved, but overall I enjoyed the exercise of extruded splines, general animation, and twist deformers. At the very least, it reminded me of how much fun C4D can be – not to mention how powerful. Here’s hoping I get more time to dive into the software.

posted by Pi Visuals at 12:44 am

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January 27, 2022 : Scott Pilgrim The Anime?!

I was a fan of Scott Pilgrim (the film… I haven’t checked out the graphic novel yet). There was tons to like: the story, the cast, and of course the visuals. With its Japanese influences, I guess it’s not a shock I enjoyed it; and that’s also why I was stoked to hear Netflix is developing it into an Anime series.

While the creator’s involved, it’s worth noting there isn’t a series order yet so it’s not a sure thing. I suppose either way I should temper my expectations. After all… Bebop 🙁

posted by Pi Visuals at 3:51 pm

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December 30, 2021 : Akira Animator’s Secret Message

Akira’s attention to detail has been lauded by anime fans and movie critics alike – and was even the subject for a brief post here. However, it turns out that didn’t always go over well with the crew.

A Twitter user recently discovered a message around the 38 minute mark from one of the animators who didn’t seem to appreciate the work required to provide such detail:

In English, the text translates to: Why do we have to draw this far! Knock it off! Enough

The movie came out in 1988, which seems crazy that the internet took so long to find this gem of a jab. Bravo unknown animator… hats off to you!

posted by Pi Visuals at 11:22 pm

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December 10, 2021 : Tis’ the Season – For A Simple, Yet Quaint Holiday Card

In addition to the normal Holiday hubbub, I also took on a side project. Even with things being so hectic, I still made time to create this year’s Holiday card:

This marks the fifth straight year of making the card, which I’m proud of. Although, I must say this year was light on design. In fact, I had a more detailed background in earlier versions but pulled it back to the more simplified one seen above.

That said, I still like the overall aesthetic and its message. I suppose the people in the photos aren’t bad either.

posted by Pi Visuals at 11:54 pm

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