Monthly Archives: December 2015

Apple now owns this facial animation technology

Miscellaneous

“Faceshift studio is a facial motion capture software solution which revolutionizes facial animation, making it possible at every desk,” says the company, recently acquired by Apple. I have no idea what they’ll put the people or technology towards, but given that Apple also owns PrimeSense, the folks who created the brains behind the Kinect motion-sensing system, it’s fun to speculate.




[YouTube]

A rather charming father-son ad from Canon

Photography

Okay, yes, my inner cynic says that for-profit art schools churn out more “professional photographers” in a year than such jobs exist in the whole country, and that million-view videos online generally pay their creators just a couple of grand at best. Still, there’s more value in a visual education than just getting a job, and I like the spirit of this narrative (as would Max Fischer):

https://youtu.be/5_LFmQ6eH1I 


[YouTube] [Via Justin Oliver]

Bill Murray + Wu-Tang Clan vs. Martin Shkreli, animated

Illustration

I… I have no words for this. Having had their one-of-a-kind album purchased for $2M by the hated (and quite possibly felonious) Pharma Bro, Wu-Tang clan may be plotting a “heist or caper” to reclaim it:

Perhaps the zaniest detail to be revealed was an alleged clause in the contract that allows members of Wu-Tang Clan and/or Bill Murray to steal the album back from its owner.

“Take dead aim on the rich boys…”




Wow. [YouTube]

Let’s drop acid & animate Star Wars

Miscellaneous

Having loved everything from Tauntauns to the ED-209, I’ve long known Phil Tippett’s name, but until seeing this frank documentary, I knew little about the man himself. It’s an enlightening tour through both film history (from the cantina scene in Star Wars to the CGI revolution & beyond) and the story of a passionate, often suffering artist. Enjoy.




Bonus: Adam Savage visited with Phil about using photogrammetry & 3D printing in order to recreate the Millennium Falcon’s holochess board:

And—what the heck, it’s Christmas!—here’s Dennis Muren talking about how they created the Rancor monster. I remember Stu Maschwitz telling me about how the scene didn’t really work until the animators added a big chunk of spittle to the creature’s mouth. Its swinging really sold the animal’s scale.

[YouTube]