Rodney

The verdict at this stage is that A:M and SVN is a great way to go. There are several 'tricks' to making everything work optimally. One is that the files need to be saved at least once in order for SVN and A:M to carry out the workflow properly. Saving directly to the commit folder from A:M accomplishes this and TortoiseSVN recognizes the file for subsequent commit/upload. I ran a few tests linking in files and such and am really pleased with the workflow. Looking very good from this angle.

Mark, Since most of the entire movie will be dark, lighting will be something of a challenge but I think you are on to something here. I like the way you think. Edit: The problem with a gel or similar screen over the camera is that it will tint everything in front of the camera. I have a feeling the lighting will have to be more dynamic than that. Now, if we are compositing characters over that tinted level/background that might work to some extent but then we still have the issue of lighting the foreground. It'll definitely take some testing to get the right look without making the film too dark. There will likely need to be considerable contrast to have important elements of each scene stand out.

Update: SVN in A:M is working a whole lot better than I anticipated. In fact... this is great stuff. That's what I get for doubting the power of A:M. The trick seems to be to get the local commit location to remain persistent. Without that persistence, A:M can't tell what has changed locally in order to be committed. Regarding the login... once logged into SVN and the community window the time to execute a commit/update is pared down to seconds. There are aspects of using SVN with A:M that still appear to require use of the operating system and that is when individually moving/changing files outside of A:M. It'll be interesting to test a better workflow that is wholy owned and operated from inside A:M. Stay tuned...

The good news is that Update/Commit via the Community window still works. A:M is a little stubborn in keeping the path to the local commit folder in place. It took a few times opening and closing A:M to get it to stay. At any rate. It works.

Connection to SVN internally in A:M is a bit limited. As such, most opt to use SVN externally. The only way I can see A:M and SVN being effectively useful together at this point would be through a Library file maintained within the repository. (However, that Library file would have to be maintained manually unless someone wrote a utility to automate it... that'd be hot!) There was some functionality in an earlier version of A:M that attempted to allow Right Clicks to commit files to the repository from the main windows/PWS in A:M,but from what I can tell that functionality had issues and was removed long ago. About the only internal aspect of SVN still in A:M that may be useful then appears to be in the Community window (TWO Movie tab) where we can Commit and Update files to the repository (my recent test didn't work because no files had recently changed in the repository... so I'll test again later to be sure it is still working). For most people it'll be easier to Right Click on the file or folder in the operating system and Commit/Check Out via Tortoise SVN or other similar program. Having said all of this, when collaborating with others online, use of SVN (or similar versioning program) is highly recommended. It's a long way from perfectly optimized for filmaking (such as with programs like Shotgun) but it works. Added: Average time to access Update/Commit in A:M: 5 minutes (if it works... still haven't confirmed yet) Average time to execute Update/Commit in operating system: Less than 1 minute (a few seconds if you know exactly where the folder/file are) Perhaps the primary user interface hindrance in using SVN within A:M is that access to internal commits/updates via SVN is from the Community window which requires it's own separate login. The multiple logins can considerably slow down the process whereas one click commits not tied to the Community window would be optimal. This might be otherwise if there was increased functionality or views of SVN data (or some other compelling reason to login to the Community window but outside of perhaps community chat there currently isn't.

Very Nice! Would love to hear more about your project. Only four days to animate??? Nicely done.

Congratulations!

The man, the myth and the legend all rolled up into one great guy. Happy Birthday Dhar! Hope it's the happiest until next year.

Don't give up until you cross the finish line... you never know when you might get a visit from someone with tons of spare cash. Pledge increased.

On this page it appears Alonso used 8 sections: http://www.hash.com/amtutes/Bootcamp/one.html

WOW! Very impressive Marcos! When I first read 'wood stove' I couldn't help but think... "Hey, I don't see any wood textures on that stove." Well, Duh! The wood goes into the stove dummy.

That tutorial was put together by Alonso Soriano who probably won't see your query here. If you can elaborate on the parts of the tutorial where you are confused others will be able to assist you though.

Yes perhaps... but I seem to recall that you put together what is now consider THE CLASSIC tutorial on using Layers with A:M. At least to a newbie like me it was inspirational.

Here's a trick that worked for me... (However, please note I haven't thoroughly tested it out) For some reason A:M's motion blur tends to perform better blurring when dealing with imagery rather than geometry. What this requires then is for you to render the scene out without blur and then... ...bring that rendered sequence back into A:M as a Roto or patch image and then render again with Multipass and motion blur on. I use to have some examples laying around but they are long buried. However, it's pretty straightforward to test this out by rendering some simple geometry. A classic setup for this might be to have three objects (balls or cylinders) that start and stop at the same locations but animating their breakdowns positions (anticipation and slow in/slow) out differently which results in different motions for each playing out. When re-rendered with Motion Blur the faster movement should have more and more effective motion blur. To maximize motion blur effects it might pay to render out still objects in one pass and then composite the moving objects over that. The still objects wouldn't need to be re-rendered and blurred which would save over all rendering time and allow further (manual) manipulation of the blur effect.

This one is for the Mac users amongst us primarily those that use Final Cut Pro X, Motion 5, or Compressor 4. http://support.apple.com/kb/DL1396

Lloyd, Watch this movie with an eye not toward character design (which is considerable) but toward color: (Note: Most of what you want to see regarding color is near the end of the movie) [vimeo]56892177[/vimeo] We should be able to create the entire movie in grey tones (these tones will then in turn facilitate better color). The grayscale is important primarily for contrast. I have a technique (several actually) I'd like to share but we'll hold off on that for now. At this point in development the important thing is to think primarily in terms of black and white, concepts of On/Off, and of exploiting exaggeration and contrast. Note that I'm not suggesting no color be used in the early stages of making the movie. It's important to experiment with that. I'm more suggesting to create a workflow where FINAL color (and lighting) is a completely separate workflow track.

I thought as much. That's why it's useful to have a storyboard/animatic... so we don't have guys like me asking silly questions. Yes, but when last I checked the house itself was not very large. This room is as large as the original house. That's where I got my first image of what it might look like inside. The sound you hear is me adjusting. I hear you. Trust your impression. I'm in one of those odd positions of defending a vision that I didn't start out with. I recall campaigning for -slightly- larger house. Mild concern: This room suggests we are no longer in a house but a mansion. As far as isolation goes... is Latimer really isolated at this point? Or is he stiffled, cramped and forced to fit into the structure his parents have built? Don't get me wrong... it will play well to have them even more wealthy. They do have a butler so it'd be easy to assign them more staff. Even as I'm typing I feel like I'm not coming across correctly so that is why I'm over explaining myself. Whether big/small/otherwise doesn't particularly matter to me as much as pressing forward toward the mark. We'll adjust where necessary and everything will all work out. One concern I do have about this bigger house is how it will scale in comparison to the architecture we see later in the film. I can see where a comparison between his real house and Cleo's would signal unwanted architecture for Latimer. Or actually it might be an enticement to him because he's familiar with that large scale ritzy environment. (why live with Death, Edgar and Nora in squalor when he can stay in the big house!) With this line of thought, we could better contrast Latimer with Nora who is really poor, miserable and unwanted (contrasted with Latimer who thought he was). It is through Nora (and Death and Edgar) that Latimer then begins to better understand and appreciate the life that he once had. This also would play in well with Cleo's enticement of Latimer's parents. They are in a much smaller house in TLotD... but Cleo has promised them she will help move up, into a better place with neighbors that are much more of their type and social structure. Of note: Architecture is important to the story especially because it's a stated interest of Latimer's. This won't be as important in the short term to audiences but folks looking back at the movie many years from now will find that layering in of detail particularly fascinating. As the rough designs begin to go final, the relative scales will all work themselves out; Latimer's house, The Raven, Nora's Hideout, Old Widows House, Cleo's Castle, etc.are all set to be strikingly different environments.

Looking good! Is that white around the eyes undecaled area or is it a spill over effect from the white in the eyes? Edit: It almost looks like the SSS is reversing the color of the skin decal which I assume to be darker around the eyes. That's be an easy test. If you put some white color around the eyes on the decal does the final appear black? Also, a suggestion: I don't know the style of that day but it seems to me that Father's neck would more closely touch the collar of his shirt. You could get that by either tightening his collar or fattening his neck.

I like the third lighting best as well. I have some suggested modifications but I it's really too early in the game for me to suggest them. Keep at it. A few thoughts that come to mind in considering what you have already. This set presents a situation where Latimer can see his Father already sitting at the table. This is quite different than how I saw the scene playing out in my head and it could be useful in seeing how uncomfortable Latimer is and (as we move over to Father) how stern and solid he he. That'd make for a nice contrast in characters and really help play up their relationship. The stairs seem a bit too grand in scale. It appear a bit rich for Latimer's parents (although I know they are wealthly). I like the sense of isolation the scale gives to Latimer but I think having the larger should be saved until later in the film; especially Cleo's palace etc. Unless there is really good reason for it I don't think you'll want to actually animate Latimer actually walking down these stairs. That seems like too much effort and unnecessary frames. It should be enough for Latimer to move past his Mother and then the camera cuts to him emerging from the stairs. Now... there is a way you could do this with the basic set you have in mind but I'll hold off on that until I see more of what you have in mind for the sequence. You've got some gold with which to make a fine jewel of a scene here. In thinking of how they might have built the house originally it might have been designed so that two people could pass as they were going up/down the stairs. I seem to recall you saying they've lived in this house for a long time and as Father became more successful he built on to it incrementally. If that is the case then I'd definitely go for the smaller scale. I have a thought regarding the cinematography of this scene that I'll try to put into imagery based on this set... I had envisioned a very tight/even cramped hallway emerging into a larger dining room. In the meantime here is a quick view of the widest I would make the stairs (note: There would be a wall at the right of the stairs and the railing on the wall side would be straight (as opposed to the other side which opens out into the room (one of the changes that Mother likely requested Father make when he had the stairs rebuilt): I am impressed with your level of productivity of late!

Thanks Jason!

The blue screen with the building. At the bottom click the button that opens the menu in a web browser and then click on the modeling link. It'll look like the attached. If you've gotten rid of this menu you'd have to reset A:M to get it back (or simply navigate directly to the video menu which is at http://www.hash.com/startup/).

There is a brand new patch modeling tutorial currently linked from the startup screen by the ever talented Fuchur.

We do want to maintain a community that isn't afraid to try new ideas. Paul is an excellent example of someone who might have bitten off a bit more than he could chew at the time but he's still here with us in the forum and in time I have no doubt he'll give a different project another try. My greater concern is for those who might bite off more than they can chew (that's everyone at one time or another) and then for any number of reasons fade into the shadows. Sometimes this is because they feel they've let others in the community down... sometimes they feel it was the community that let them down... etc. etc. We would like to avoid this in community projects. An important aspect of any community project is learning from the experience and we can't learn unless we share our experiences, both the good and the bad. Just be considerate of the other people who (like you) gave their best for the project when delivering the bad.

A new topic right here in the main A:M forum would work well. We can always move it to a more appropriate place later (if necessary).

You'll get a lot of different ideas on this. I'll offer one... or ten. I like the first phrasing. The head, eyes and mouth all seem to work well. At the word "Wow"... although this seems to be said sarcastically it still has an accented spike to it and that doesn't come across in his eyes/face. At the end I'd delay the initiation of the smile just a little bit more so that there is a revelation of Picard's emotions appearing on his face for the grand finale. As irony seems to be his intention a slight micro expression of anger/superiority might work well just before going into the final expression. (I'm thinking primarily of his brows furrowing slightly here) I would be tempted to have Picards arms go behind his body as well to get some shoulder motion into the scene. Added: The most important part of dialogue isn't lipsync but rather body orientation. Consider how Picard might be rocking back and forth on the heels of his feet while pontificating. My over all suggestion would be to play with the body more (put on your Milt Kahl cap here. Milt was a master of using all available screen real estate). Consider that Picard might be slightly turned or leaning one way at the beginning, then turn slightly away from camera and then finally press in for the final phrase back on camera. Over all that is a nice take!