What a mess. Stay tuned while I get this site back to normal. Argh!

Maximum PC has an article about what happened.

Related articles

• WordPress getting hacked, need more security (ask.metafilter.com)
• Three Google Hacks directed at WordPress and Buddy Press (techwag.com)

Last year, Rob Long from the Smash or Trash  Indie Filmmaking Web site, shot 5 interviews with actors, producers, and filmmakers (including me) in the Maryland area. After some delays, the segments are finally posted for viewing. I think they turned out really well. Check them out below, or go to Rob’s post.

Smash or Trash TV Episode 1: Interview with Lee Doll

Click here to view the embedded video.

Smash or Trash TV: Episode 2- Louanna Lee & Victoria Lynn

Click here to view the embedded video.

Smash or Trash TV: Episode 3- Mitch Klein Interview

Click here to view the embedded video.

Smash or Trash TV: Episode 4 – Leanna Chamish and George Stover Interview

Click here to view the embedded video.

Smash or Trash TV Episode 5: Brian St. August and Alfred Guy Interview

Note: click on the above link to access episode 5. I couldn’t embed that one since it’s on Facebook.

Videomaker.com posted a few lists of helpful tips for those starting out shooting their own stuff. I’m happy to say I follow most of them. Below are a few of my favorites, with some commentary:

• [No] Headhunting–placing every subject in the center of your frame.
• [No] Backlighting–too much light falling on the background instead of on the subject.
• Use manual focus if your camcorder has it. [You really need a camcorder with manual focus, unless you're shooting a home movie.]
• Set white balance at every location. [Even if you're using presets.]
• Shoot to edit.
• Use an external microphone if you have one. [Period!]

Here’s the link to the article.

Image via Wikipedia

Now that Blender 2.57 has been released – a stable/production-worthy version completely re-written from the ground up — more people are considering it for their projects.

I have been tinkering with it for years, and am now using it for Crawler,  so I had planned to write an article about how I learned this amazing (and free) piece of software, but it looks like Blender Cookie beat me to it. They just posted the Blender Community Starters Guide, a comprehensive guide to the who, what, where, when, and why of learning Blender. Of course I recommend Blender Cookie itself as a good starting place for training. They have free streaming video tutorials covering most topics you need to get started, and plenty more for advanced users. They also have exclusive content for a modest fee. If after visiting their site, as well as the others on the list, you still don’t know what Blender’s all about, maybe you should consider another line of work (or hobby). 

Blender 2.5 Screenshot

Related articles

• Blender 2.57 Released (talesfromthecellar.com)
• Get a Daily dose of Blender Knowledge (dreamsgate.wordpress.com)
• Blender 2.5: Blend File Preview (mostly3d.wordpress.com)
• New version of Blender released, learning curve no longer a brick wall (thenextweb.com)

Don's favorite of his earlier films

I updated the Projects from the Cellar gallery to include some print work, a few DVD covers, posters, etc. Mostly for re-releases of Don Dohler and Timewarp films.

Related articles

• Posters and DVD Cover… (badmpibrahim.wordpress.com)

Image via Wikipedia

The Blender Foundation just released the first stable release in about 2 years. 2.57 is a complete re-design from the ground up, and addresses many of the issues that have kept mainstream CG artists away. There’s a whole new interface (the largest complaint in the past was how confusing and non-friendly the interface was), and nearly every feature has been greatly improved. There’s also additional features like volumetric rendering, approximate indirect lighting, and many others. There are still a few things missing from this version (like BMesh), but Ton Roosendaal stated that they’re going to try to release new versions every couple of months for the rest of the year. Good times!

The link to the latest version is here.

Related articles

• Rebranding Blender (talesfromthecellar.com)
• Sintel, 4k edition (and why it’s useful) (creativecommons.org)
• 2 new Blender Foundation Training DVDs (dreamsgate.wordpress.com)
• Blender 3D: Noob to Pro, free ebook (en.wikibooks.org)

Joe, Mitch, and Zig on the set of segment 3: Man's Best Friend

We just updated our Facebook page for Sealed Fates with a bunch of production photos–everything from auditions through shooting the three stories. I do wish more of the actors were represented, but at least we have some shots of all the leads. Take a look, and don’t forget to “like” the page. 

Related articles

• 5 Ways to Engage Your Facebook Fans (famousbloggers.net)
• 5 Things You Can Do To Spice Up Your Facebook Page (blonde2dot0.com)
• How To Manage Your Facebook Pages’ Profile Image & Photo Strip (searchenginepeople.com)

Rob Long at Smash or Trash Indie Filmmaking published a detailed article that documents the long journey that we at Timewarp Films have traveled in our quest to complete Don Dohler‘s last film. It’s been a tough road, but the end is in sight.

Image via Wikipedia

Word is spreading throughout the Blender community of a few companies (3DMagix, 3DMagixPro, IllusionMage) who are rebranding Blender and using copy-written material to sell “their” product.

Ton Roosendaal explains:

With the success of blender.org projects, and publishing all the exciting Blender releases, we’re now being challenged by third parties who like to ride the waves and do business with Blender.

There’s nothing wrong with that. In its very nature, GNU GPL is about freedom, the freedom not only to use and modify the sources, but also to distribute and resell our releases under another brand name.

Recently we received several concerned emails and forum postings from people who were worried about Blender resellers using especially Ebay to sell Blender.

…

On their web pages they intentionally hide that the products are distributions of GNU GPL licensed software, and that the software is freely downloadable as well. More-over, even after contacting them several times, they don’t remove copyrighted content from their websites.

Here’s a link to the full article on the Blender Foundation‘s  site: 3DMagix and IllusionMage, scam or open source leeches?

Related articles

• Ton Roosendaal, Sintel Producer and head of Blender Institute (creativecommons.org)
• Watch Sintel, a new open-source animated short from the Blender Institute (creativecommons.org)
• 10+ Amazing Short Films You’d Not Believe Were Made With Free Software (makeuseof.com)

Timewarp Films is pleased to announce that Brian Anderson, the owner and operator of ADF Studios, has joined the post-production effort for the long-anticipated Crawler.

Anderson brings a fresh perspective, and a much-needed dose of enthusiasm to a project that has been on the back burner for longer than I care to admit. But Brian is hitting the ground running, which allows me to shift focus to completing the final edit, sound design, and other post-production activities — confident that his VFX tasks will be completed.

On Sunday, we had our first production meeting. We watched the rough cut of the film in order to assess the scope of tasks involved. What immediately struck him while watching was how the film has an X-Files feel to it; something I never noticed. We brainstormed about the potential for additional scenes for the creature that will help round out the story. This was something Don and Joe had hoped for during pre-production.

After viewing, we discussed the workload. There’s a lot to do, but we agreed it’s well within our reach. We will start with an updated creature design. Much of the original concepts will remain, but given the improved technology, and Brian’s fresh take, I think we hashed out some great ideas. More on that in a future post.

I’m very excited to have Brian on board. He brings to the table an extensive resume of freelance work, including the visual effects for two feature films (Ninjas vs. Zombies and Ninjas vs. Vampires), as well as a reputation for speed and quality.

One additional piece of news. When we discovered several gaps in the musical score, Justin Timpane, who composed the original score, offered to add additional tracks and re-mix existing ones.