Project Review: Star Trek:The Original Series: Motion Graphics for DVD sets 2004

 Frame 001 of the DVD case from Season 2 for Star Trek that I built and animated in 3D for the Home Entertainment release back in 2004.

 Frame 45 into the animation as it turns slow to camera...

 Near the end it flips in 10 frame fast to reveal the embossed badge in the back of the case[ Boolean!]

 Frame 001 from Season three for the DVD set release from Paramount Home Entertainment back in 04'

 This one was a slow roll[ gimbal] so it had 320 frames to the animation.

 Here is the model itself front and back in an ambient shader.

 Here is a quad model view of the box I built for the MGFX move, a screen grab from 3DSmax.

Project Review

Star Trek:The Original Series Seasons 2, and 3

Motion Graphics for DVD sets

Client: Paramount Home Entertainment via The Cimarron Group.
Art Direction: Myself and the whole team.
Project Date: October 2004.

I did an occasional Home Entertainment job while at The Cimarron Group, usually as pick-up work, so for this project, Paramount designed these new molded plastic cases and wanted to do a camera move on them so I built them using the nPower Power Solids modeler to get the complex case built fast enough to use in the animation moved that I rendered for the job. I did season two, and three, in blue and red corresponding to the colors for the uniforms from the original TV show.

The delivery was 450 frames at DV rez and I alpha channeled all files so the Motion Graphics team could drop my 3D into he piece for finishing simple enough. 

Nice thing is they change the packaging every few years so the work is always there cycling through.

Cheers, THOM

Project Review: Black Hawk Down DVD Packaging 3D Illustrations 2002.

 Initial direction had the look of the X-Men Posters I did for them, but it was not a fit for the film, though we were directed to do a pass that felt clean glossy and superhero-ish.

 Here is the 3/4 polygon view showing that I exaggerated the depth for the 3D Illustration as a stylization technique.

 A explode view of the above model shot the various Allen bolts "O-rings" and plates that made up the first pass design.

 Here is the first pass at the military metal with rivets and rust, that was picked.

 Here you can see the three variations I did because I used procedural textures I merely changes a slider or two and hit render again, this is the power you will find in a procedural map on a short deadline like we get in Home Entertainment design projects.

Project Review:

Black Hawk Down

DVD Packaging 3D Illustrations 2002.

Client: Columbia Tri-Star Home Entertainment via BLT and Associates.
Art Director: John Cua.
Project Date:  August 2002.

While I was still in-house at BLT and Associates, one the the larger Theatrical Advertising houses in Los Angeles, I was put on the Home Entertainment divisions packaging for Black Hawk Down due to be released on DVD.I had worked with Matt Rice and his team on a few Key Art projects, but this was an inner sleeve concept we pitched to the client and it did finish.

They wanted to create artwork that would fit behind a clear plastic back-plate that holds the DVD disc, so I did a quick concept that had an X-men feel as directed; Super glossy chrome and brushed metals , but they thankfully changed to a more beat up rusted military look as seen in the film.

To achieve this I used Dark Tree's Simbiont max plug in and did the rust procedural. The main reason was this was to be a three disc set and I wanted each back plate to have a unique look to the rust without having to hand paint the textures[ no time!], and with a procedurals, you can change the 'seed' values and density to achieve 3 fully unique rust looks with a touch of a button and a hit render.

Cheers, THOM

Project Review: Blade Trininty - 3D Motion Graphics for Home Entertainment

 Here is the final date card for the DVD release of Blade Trinity the third in the series.

 This is frame 007 of the move as we start over the top of the scene looking down at the blood and bullets on the table. This model was all built as a high resolution model[ pre-quads]

 This style frame board shows the sequence for the boomerang wipe. I rendered it against an atmospheric light to get the right gradient.

 Here is the quad view of the 3D model I built for that shot above.

 I also did a 3D animated mini comic book that came with the DVD with a volumetric light effect coming from the "Bow"used in the film

  

Project Review: Blade Trinity

3D Motion Graphics for Home Entertainment

Client: via The Cimarron Group.
Art Direction: Myself, and their whole 5 person team.
Project Date: January 2005.

I worked on over 100 motion graphics projects during my 6 year stay at The Cimarron Group, and I had an occasional Home Entertainment project to work on , and I was put onto the project for Blade Trinity, for them.

I was first tasked with building out the knife boomerang that blade uses to catch the Vampires and they wanted to use it to wipe between cuts in the piece so I built it out, rigged the basic rotating model, and animated it through the scene.

It ended up finishing out as well as the the 3D move on the date card. I originally had silver bullets and blood in the comp, but the MPAA nixed them both.

Finally I animated and rendered out a mini comic book that came with the DVD for a quick end card. Used the same 3D volumetric lighting to cast rays from the pages at the book opened and closed.

Cheers, THOM

Project Review: Home Alone 4: Home Entertainment Key Art 3D Illustration 2003.

 Here is the only 3D logo I did for the project , it was a brass plate with mini screws in the design as this was mounted to a door for the comp design.

 Here is the 3D Illustration I did for a Night-Vision-Goggle setup that the main character uses, a re-use from S.W.A.T.

 

 Here is a 3/4 view showing the high rez mesh I built for the Night vision prop from Home Alone.

 A basic beige panel door, simple, but this is what was used. Sometimes 3D Illustration has no "glamor", but it is effective as a tool for these times over stock or custom photography on price and ease of use due the the Smart-3D nature of these assets.

 Here is the internal staircase I rebuild as a virtual set. It is not furnished due to most being covered with "big heads" as well as budget limitations on time.

 Here we see the finished DVD cover with that door I did.

Project Review

Home Alone 4

Home Entertainment Key Art 3D Illustration 2003.

Client:  ABC via BLT and Associates.
Direction: Matt Rice.
Project Date: April 2003

I did plenty of 3D Illustrations for the various teams in-house at BLT whwn I was running my one man show there, and I was put on the Home Alone 4 ,a direct to video project for Matt Rice in the Home Entertainment division back in 2003 almost a decade ago.

I did some simple 3D props, like the panel door you see above[ which is all that finished], as well as a highly complex prop of some night vision goggles that I modified and used for SWAT as well.

I also did the staircase interior and this was an early GI, Global Illumination project I did the first mothe I used the software[ so excuse the speclkeling artifacts  :o) ].

THe project did finish and I rendered it at 5000 pixels wide for the final[ typical size].

Cheers, THOM

Project Review:DVD Menu Design for The Cimarron Group Home Entertainment Reel 2008

 The first concept 3D design I did was this large single monitor CRT design, here it is rendered in ambient material with a dirt pass to exaggerate the cracks and design elements.

 Here is the textured color pass on the above first draft scene. A bunch of the 3D models they sell on TurboSquid are found in here[ Mic,Generator, etc.]

Here I clumped a bunch of various monitors together that would animate to create this menu. All types of video screens are found here.

Here is the above scene with a few monitors removed for the Blue RAY Menu.

 The final design, though not used was rendered at a full 1080p HD size for the final menus and intro aniamtions.

Project Review

DVD Menu Design for The Cimarron Group

Home Entertainment Division Reel 2008

Client: The Home Entertainment Division of The Cimarron Group.
Creative and Art Direction: George Anderson, and Brian Larson.
Project Date: June 2007- March 2008

While in-house as a 'One Man Army', running my little 3D department, I did a few projects for them, so they tasked me with the DVD Menus for the yearly reels we would send out to solicit business, and to highlight the accomplishments of the various teams.

I had in the past done quite a few DVD menu assets, animated and stills, for the Home Entertainment department, and an occasional 3D logo, so they had me design out theis menu screen with a Stempunk flair to it with a set of animated video monitors, and old TV's that would show off the companys work.

The project dragged out over they next year, and the assets as far as I know were never used, but as all design work is subject to the cutting room floor, that in no way discounts the great learning curve, and quite frankly the FUN I have doing the work.

I love steampunk, I did a lot of Jules Verne inspired designs since I was a kid as I grew up with Disney s 20,000 leagues Under the Sea, and that was the hot item growing up in the 70's for what is now called, "steampunk". Old TV's and all the hardware is fun to assemble along with the cast iron Victorian era-eaque' frames and wheels.

I learned early on, NOT to care if it finishes, enjoy the process the creation you made, as I know that the decision process in almost NEVER based on a good idea or art execution, but the temperment of the cilent that particular hour of the day, or even minute by minute[ just wait a minute they will change their mind again!].

Advertising is all about the clients EGO's, so for the young designers with wild eyes out there it is a wake up call, as to what they say in Design School, and as with all of life, some can deal with this sad truth, and some not.


Cheers, THOM