A.S.T.A.R.

After two years, the short film--A.S.T.A.R--that I have been Animation Directing and VFX Supervising on is now completed. This short film has been a side project for me and my involvement in its early stages two years ago when I was contacted by the director, Zac Stoltz, was limited to creating a few basic graphic overlays that would simulate traditional rotoscope. Over time, the film evolved and demanded more visual effects shots, on set vfx supervision, development of interface graphics, a computer generated character that plays an integral part of the film, crew and rig removal, and even a small team of artists to aid in the completion of over 100 shots of vfx and animation. This journey has brought a great deal of experience from working with a wonderful film crew (on and off set), to creating original artwork and leading a small team of artists comprised of students and professionals.

What makes this film particularly unique is that it was shot on the ARRI Alexa camera and is a student produced film from California State University, Northridge (CSUN)--my alma mater. The film's completion was not required in order for students to graduate, yet despite those circumstances, the crew remained dedicated and completed the film two years after the majority of the students had graduated and were already working in the industry. The hard work of the entire crew is evident and it is safe to say that A.S.T.A.R. is one of the better shorts to be produced by students at CSUN.

The film will be premiering on May 7th at the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences in North Hollywood, CA, and will continue onto various festivals. For more updates and information on A.S.T.A.R., you can "Like" and follow the film's official Facebook page here: https://www.facebook.com/astarfilm.

IMDb for A.S.T.A.R.

Plot Outline:

A.S.T.A.R. - Anthropomorphic Satellite Tracking Area Response.

Matthew Midas, a successful micro-chip inventor, arrives in Los Angeles to unveil the latest upgrade for the Star navigation system. He finds that his car is host to a faulty STAR system, Mega Star, who realizes Matthew is planning to upgrade her. Matthew engages in an escalating struggle with Mega Star, as it attempts to first make Matthew miss his meeting, and then attempts to sabotage him entirely. It's a fresh and funny case of man versus machine - creator and the creation battle to find out who is truly the most advanced.

Genre: Sci-Fi, Comedy

*A.S.T.A.R. formerly known as A Star is Scorned.

Best Little Art Show in Burbank!

Come check out the "Best Little Art Show in Burbank!" at the Eleu Organics Salon and Art Gallery. Five pieces of my photography work will be up on display, alongside 18 great artists. The framed prints in the gallery are currently selling for $20 each and everything in the gallery is priced at $100 or less (perfect for a holiday gift). Most of the framed prints in the gallery have sold and are still on display, but if you have a custom print request, please do not hesitate to contact me.

 Eleu Organics Salon and Art Gallery is located at 1725 West Burbank Blvd, Burbank, California 91506.

Ariel's Musical Surprise

Hey everyone, check out this cool new Disney application that I had the privilege of doing animation for--"Ariel's Musical Surprise"! I animated several characters, including Flounder, for the augmented reality application/game. You can download it free off of the Apple store here: https://itunes.apple.com/app/id646577715.

A Star is Scorned

I am currently Visual Effects Supervising on a short film titled "A Star is Scorned", Directed by Zac Stoltz and Produced by Max Kehs and Daniel Aspromonte. The film is being shot on the Arri Alexa camera and will require green screen replacement for the car windows to show exterior scenery as well as compositing GPS and cellphone displays. Here are some low-res pictures from last week's green screen shoot.

DreamWorks Animation "DreamCrit Art Gallery"

Two months ago, I was given the wonderful honor and opportunity of being able to present some of my animation to DreamWorks animator Dave Burgess for a critique! I am so very thankful! He had some great tips for improving my work and I have been revising my animation with the additional help of my professor, Mark Farquhar, at California State University, Northridge (CSUN). The revised version is now being exhibited at the inaugural "DreamCrit Art Gallery" from May 1-16th, 2012 at both DreamWorks Animation-Glendale and PDI/DreamWorks Animation--Redwood City.


I am very thankful for all of the continued support both DreamWorks and CSUN has give me in improving my animation.


More about the Animation:
This is a piece of character animation I did in Maya with a character rig that was given to me. I am trying to portray a person who works for a mob. This character is seen sitting at a bar and has had a drink with their friend (off-screen). Prior to the line of dialog, the friend states that their boss (the mob leader) wants to "give the two of them a chance to get their story clear," regarding their recent loss of a large sum of the mob's money. The dialog is the main character's response to his friend's statement. The dialog states: "Give us a chance to get clear, eh?...huhm...Remember what happened to Fitzsimmons..."

With this piece, I am trying to accomplish character animation with a solid lip-sync and subtle animation that displays character.

Sad Walk Cycle Using the Norman Rig

I have been experimenting with the Norman Character Rig in Maya and created the walk cycle of Norman looking sad that is posted below. I will post more animation exercises I did of Norman soon along with more of the video game asset animations I have been creating.

BURNED on BET

Hey everyone, the TV movie I had the pleasure of doing some animation work on will be airing this weekend. The animation goes by quickly and is meant to replicate an FPS video game that a woman is playing just before her friend turns the TV off. Tune in for the TV Premiere of BURNED on BET this Sunday, October 2nd at 11:00 p.m. EST or 8 p.m. PST! Directed and Produced by Phyllis Toben Bancroft. Introducing Bianca LaVerne Jones and guest starring Eric Roberts, Josef Cannon and Elijah Rock (and many more). Set your TV sets and/or your DVR's to BET on Sunday--the show might be listed as "Lens on Talent" on your program guide. Thanks for your support!

Check out the official trailer for the film here:

P.S. The shot I animated for the show is currently visible on my animation demo reel.