Re: John Aquino Salutations =^.^= 2005-04-19 - By ccoles_avengers
Back
Hi John,
Actually I checked out most of your site while I was there...cool
stuff. :)
I have to say that the QT clips did your movies more justice than the
MPEG-4 (See http://PEG-4.ora-code.com) ones because there was better clarity and image contrast with
the compression you were using with the Quicktime clips. If time or
web file space ever become a factor, you may want to consider just
using Quicktime files instead, since most people can either use the
Quicktime Player or the Media Player Classic (WIN) to view them.
RE: the NNX Leaving Space Dock, here are some of my comments that I
hope you find helpful...
Some things I really liked:
1) I did like the pacing of the shots with the music. Good DOP
(direction of photography) and editing overall. :) I also like your
use of sound effects, especially for the close-up shots. I did like
the compression that you used for the WMV file...it is definitely
clear (I was able to resize it to a 1024 x 768 and it still looked
fairly good).
2) I really like the detail inside the dock. The spaceship(s) were
also well done. Good job! :)
3) My favorite shot was the shuttle rounding the corner and going
into the dock...the only thing was that it was a bit too short, IMO.
:( I wanted to see more of it from that angle before you cut to the
next shot. I also like the shots of the ship leaving the dock.
Some places that I felt could be improved:
4) The all-female crew is a novelty, but I felt that for such a short
script, some of them could have been better rehearsed. They weren't
bad, they just could have been a bit tighter and more enthusiastic
with their deliveries. And the only comment I have about the attire
is that the crew member in the stripped shirt and jeans stood out too
much. Perhaps she was a last minute pick...I don't know. But if
there was some way to get her to dress more closely to the other cast,
that would have helped the overall feel. Otherwise, they all seemed
fine.
5) I felt that the dialogue levels, along with the nat (ambient room)
sound, could have been balanced just a tad better. But I was still
able to enjoy the piece without any real distractions. :)
6) The first live-action close-up shot of the captain's emblem seemed
a bit shaky. Zoom lenses do tend to wiggle more at full length, even
with a tripod. For an initial *establishing shot* like that, I think
that locking the tripod and using some type of remote zoom control (if
available) would be the best bet. Other than that, perhaps revise the
script and make that section a two-shot. Your establishing shots are
real critical so they need to be as smooth as you can possibly get
them (unless of course, there is a reson for a shaky-cam movement).
7) Also, I couldn't quite make out what the insignia was on the
Captain's shirt. At first glance, a few things crossed my mind, but I
would like to know if the insignia actually signifies anything in
particular. Does it?
8) I felt that the pan of the earth/planet shot from right to left at
0:07 makes the earth/planet look more like a "cylinder", rather than a
sphere (also, at 2:40, at the bottom-right, you can see that the earth
is not modeled with a sphere). I know you were trying to compress
time and speed things up here, but I think that if you had used some
sort of a "bulge" effect (either during the animation or in post), it
would have better shown off your earth/planet model more as a "sphere"
rather than a cylinder, which is the illusion it seems to depict
currently.
4) The lack of computer/video monitors facing the officers against the
*back* wall doing their checks (at 1:32) is a little distracting.
Usually in any form of a ship's bridge (real or fictional), the walls
are really never completely empty. I realize that you were not using
a blue screen at the time, but if there were some way of inserting
one or two large monitors along the back walls in post (possibly using
a chroma key matching the wall's chroma), that would help lend to the
"realism".
You do have, however, a front screen in at 3:15. Nice effect!
5) The coasters on the bottom of the chairs put a real smile on my
face! :) I could just see the crew engage warp drive and then, being
plastered to the back walls of the bridge with coasters in full spin!
:) But you obviously used what you had, so there's no sweat with this
one. It actually is quite humorous. If you do, however, get the
chance to find stationary-legged or full bottom chairs, I think that
would really help with your next version. :)
6) Starting at 2:50, I felt the ship extensions could have had a bit
more shader detail to them (other than just grey-bumped), but overall,
I liked the close-up shots and the sound effects that you used for
them. You also put in some wiggle when the pieces extended. Nice
attention to detail! :)
At about 3:03, when the jettison occurs, I felt that you should have
cut to the next shot a little earlier, before we get to see the
jettisoned pieces slow down and "stop" in mid-space (at 3:06). As you
know, the lack of friction would make the pieces continue to travel
outward into space, so cutting to the next shot *before* your
jettisoned animation ended, would have lended well to this illusion.
7) I like the way the NNX squeezes into warp drive at the end. :)
The only thing is that I miss the photon contrails. :( Any way of
doing that effect for your next version? Also, the stars could have
moved just a bit to show warp engagement, but not much is needed. A
"hint" of movement would do just fine.
Overall, John, I enjoyed the piece and do plan to show it to others.
It is a very good effort and you have a lot of good things to work
with if you plan to do a "Part 2".
Keep up the good work! :)
Claudia
"Selocic"
- 3D: when 'Flat' just isn't good enough! -
--- In Carrara@(protected), "John Aquino" <nyahkitty@(protected)> wrote:
>
> Evidently it was easier than I thought. Here's the link:
>
> http://www.hodgepodgestudios.com/PortfolioMain.html
>
> It's the file marked NNX Leaving Space Dock. The video should stream
> if you left click the tiny Windows icon. Otherwise, right click to save.
>
> Please let me know what you think.
>
> John Aquino
> =^.^=
>
>
>
> --- In Carrara@(protected), "John Aquino" <nyahkitty@(protected)> wrote:
> >
> > Well.... it seems there's a few people with the same name as me. That
> > one with the dragon would not be me.
> >
> > Now, ask me how to build that in Hash A:M and I'm just the man to go
> > to. ;-)
> >
> > Side note for everyone else: I'm figuring out how best to link up one
> > of my video's to demonstrate my work using Carrara Studio. The link
> > should be announced within the next week or so. Stay tuned!
> >
> > John Aquino
> > =^.^=
> >
> >
> > --- In Carrara@(protected), "rebrushcom" <tscherne@(protected)> wrote:
> > >
> > > Hi, i just did a quick search for your name, hope it's You. The
> > funny thing is, that you did a
> > > dragon, which is what i'm working on right now. Here's the
> > Progress:
> > >
> > > http://www.silo3d.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=3273
> > >
> > > Maybe You can gimme some advice on the Head?
> > >
> > > Cheers, Eric
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