It has been a rather depressing and painful few weeks. My neck and spinal problems do not seem to be improving at all, my physical therapy sessions are like traveling back to the Spanish Inquisition, my pit bull can’t get enough attention from me and my country is falling under the influence of the Dark Side. Add to that the fact that I can’t sit long enough to watch a full-length movie without first sucking down vicodin like a kid with a Slurpee. It has not been a good few weeks. I am not a happy camper. This teddy bear has gone grizzly. This… well, you get the idea.

So, when I turned on the tele today and flipped over to my Roku set top box and discovered there were new “channels,” I figured it would be an easy way to waste a few seconds. Lo and behold! There it was! Smilin’ back at me! Vimeo! A Vimeo channel! A friggin’ Vimeo channel! The clouds parted, the sun shone, my pit bull stopped nosing my crotch and all was right with the world… for a few seconds. Seriously, I am thrilled. I watch a lot of my favorite iClone, Moviestorm and other machinima films on Vimeo and now I can watch them on my television… in the comfort of my comfy chair. So what was my very first selection from Vimeo? What film blazed the path for all those to follow? Of all the films on Vimeo to debut on my television, what one was knighted by me to be my champion? “She Hasn’t Touched Her Soup” by Phil Rice. Why? I haven’t the foggiest idea. It just popped into my head and there I was bringing it up. That was quickly followed by “Male Restroom Etiquette,” “Clear Skies,” “The Nobbit” teaser, an episode of “Odyssey” and on and on and on.

I have a relatively small computer screen. 20″ measured diagonally. There honestly is not any room for a larger one since I have to use two monitors and they have to sit side by side. So, it was rather nice to see these films on a much larger screen. Very nice. And, since I am not permitted to lift or carry anything heavier than a can of beans, it was also easy and convenient. I like convenient… and easy.

Okay, so it was not a big news headline item or some genre breaking release. It was the highlight of my day. And after another trip to the Spanish Inquisition, I needed it. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I hear a vicodin calling my name. And then it is off to watch “Clear Skies 2″… again.

Yep, I was not aware of this. Between filling my social calendar with physician visits, laying in MRI machines (I now know how torpedoes must feel), legally indulging in drugs and otherwise becoming an amorphous blob, I missed the announcement and/or news that YouTube has increased the time limit of uploads from 10 minutes to 15 minutes. The upload file size limit is 2GB. Even though it is old news, I am posting this tidbit here just in case there are fellow hermits and blobs-in-waiting out there that may have missed it. Apparently, this went into effect July 30, 2010.

While many machinimas are under 10-minutes in length there are, in fact, many that are not. In fact, some of my favorite machinimas and animations ride pretty close to or go over the previous YouTube limit. That meant the producers were faced with several unappealing choices: 1) Edit the film further. 2) Cut the film into parts. 3) Forgo the YouTube upload. Both 1 and 2 usually means compromising the integrity of the work. Just splitting the film into parts can have an impact on how it is received by the audience. Cutting out more than originally desired can have the same effect. The third option is not one I would advise to any filmmaker wanting to reach as wide of an audience as possible. While it has faults and is filled with a gratuitous amount of garbage, YouTube immediately makes your work available to millions across the world. It can be an international film distributor for you.

So, while I am late with this knowledge it is, I believe, good news.

I wonder if anyone bothered to tell them about webcomix? Yes, the report is about the so-called “Mainstream” comics going digital and it seemed to focus mainly on devices such as the iPad and the iPhone and the Blackberry, but wouldn’t it be nice to give those who pioneered the idea of digital delivery, who helped pave the way just a bit of credit and/or recognition? Yeah, and ten years from now all we’ll hear is how people like James Patterson, Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble pioneered the ebook. In fact, they were latecomers… by decades. The only major name I can think of who embraced the idea of ebooks and tried to make it work many, many years ago is Stephen King. Oh, well. I’m starting to ramble again. I just hate it when I see the “big” guys come in and exclaim, “Look what we thought of!” as the pioneers get tossed into the drawer of history. SSDD I guess.

Moviestorm announced today a change to their free trial terms. The previous 30-day trial period has been cut to 7 days and instead of points, trial customers get a content pack completely free. The user keeps the pack regardless of whether they decide to subscribe after the 7-day trial day expires or not. This is effective as of today and will not affect the trial period of those who began their trial period before today.

While Moviestorm is not as complicated as some software, 7 days is a rather short time for someone to test drive a program with the capabilities of Moviestorm. Actually, 7 days is a short time to test drive any program. That is, of course, my opinion and I am sure many will disagree. The folks at Moviestorm obviously disagree. The reason I believe 7 days is too short is simple – the competition. When I can try a program such as Poser 8, Anime Studio Pro and iClone 4 Pro for a minimum of 30 days, I would think you would want to be as accommodating as your potential rivals. Yeah, there are some differences, some big differences between what these various programs are designed to do, but the fact remains that they are entry paths for people to enter into animation movie production. Why make it any more difficult than it already is? The points versus free pack issue is, to me, irrelevant. It is the time given for someone to run the program through its paces. The trade-off is, of course, you are subscribing to the program and not purchasing. After a month or two of $7.95 a pop, if you decide it is not what you want or need, all you have to do is simply cancel your subscription. You are not out the $199.95 for iClone 4 or Anime Studio Pro or the $249.99 for Poser 8. So, there are two sides to this discussion and I would definitely not advise letting the 7 day trial period prevent you from giving Moviestorm a test run. It will just have to be a faster and shorter test run.

By now, most designers have seen a little white figurine (white man) appear in illustrative media all around the Web. This little white man is used to demonstrate ideas in a simple and cute way; adding instant life to any graphic task.

Previously you could only find these white figurines through stock image libraries and you could only acquire them with fixed angles and poses, which provided little flexibility to the user.

But what if you could pose and animate your own 3D figurine? What if you could adjust your own lighting and camera angle? Well now you can, with Reallusion’s new and versatile Mr. Pose Theme pack!

I guess I must be way outta touch because I just have to wonder how much demand there is for a pack like this. The little fella is cute and all that, but unless he is extremely versatile in the morph department – and a quick look at the iClone page doesn’t give me much info… or hope – how long before clients start realizing their cute little “spokesperson” resembles a few other cute little “spokespersons”? Textures will, of course, go a long way to individuality, but easily applied morph channels go even further. The pack “… provides little white man with two different body types,… ” No mention of morph control capabilities and all the pictured examples pretty much look the same… with the exception of different textures and materials.

So, again, what is the demand for a pack like this? Am I simply not seeing the “business/promotional” demands and/or needs and simply looking at it from the perspective of someone primarily interested in the “entertainment” uses of iClone? Or, is it my childhood fear and nightmares of the Pillsbury Doughboy come to life? I don’t know. And, to be honest, someone like Phil “Overman” Rice or Mefune Akira could probably take Mr. Pose and create another machinima classic!

It seems I have developed one helluva pain in the back. Two years ago, I had back surgery and it seems I have developed many of the same issues that lead to that. So, over the course of the next few days between MRIs, other tests and wonderful meds, I might not be able to post as often as I would like. I haven’t fallen off the planet, just not getting around as quickly as I’d like. Be patient… please.

Screenrant.com reports that Disney/Pixar is currently converting their 2D animated hit “Ratatouille” to 3D for a future cinema re-release. The article makes some good points and does point out that the release of the 3D converted “Toy Story” and “Toy Story 2″ were only “modest” successes. It does also state, however, that “Ratatouille” with its “… impressive tracking shots that follow Remy (voice of comedian Patton Oswalt) throughout the Parisian plumbing and sewage system… ” might be the best candidate for 3D conversion of all of Pixar’s pre-”Up” films. Sandy Schaefer does point out that the 3D conversion “… might diminish the impeccable crispness and texture of Pixar’s original animation.” There are other references to things like the relative ease of doing the conversion, steps taken to keep any camera angle or scene changes to a minimum and so on. Basically, the entire article kept bringing a scene in “Jurassic Park” to mind. The scene where one character points out that everyone involved in the process of bringing back extinct dinosaurs have spent so much time discussing and questioning whether it can be done that they haven’t asked – “Should it be done?”

I love “Ratatouille.” I thought it was, perhaps, Pixar’s best nuanced film at the time. It had lovable characters, a wonderfully, romantically exotic setting and a crispness and depth to its animation that I believe is still Pixar’s best. Do we really need to fiddle with all of that just to see if we can squeeze a few extra bucks out of it?

“Ratatouille” was not planned as a 3D film. It was planned as a 2D CG animated film. The script was written with that as the plan, the pre-production storyboards were created with that as the plan, the entire film was envisioned with that as the plan. The film was rendered as planned… and it was a smash hit. People of all ages loved it. Why must we tamper with those memories? Why can’t we move on to new stories, new characters and new films that begin with 3D as the plan? For that matter, why must everything be in 3D? 3D is a tool, a possible tool, in the filmmakers inventory of tools. Like all tools it should be used when appropriate. Like many tools, the use of 3D should be used only when its use is well-planned… in advance. As with many of the recent live-action flicks released in 3D, that has not been the case with this upcoming flood of animation conversions. The results will be, I am afraid, disappointing and will reduce the acceptance and respect of 3D as an effective method for filmmakers to tell their stories.

James Cameron’s “Avatar” returns to the trough next month for a special re-release. The re-release, for IMAX and digital 3-D cinemas only, commences August 27th and will contain an additional 8 minutes of material according to distributor 20th Century Fox. So, if you don’t believe you have contributed enough to the Dark Side (Fox), here comes your chance to do so for the benefit of seeing an 8 additional minutes of material… material previously deemed unnecessary and/or unworthy for release.

This is, of course, in preparation for the second DVD release of “Avatar” for the Christmas holiday which will include the additional footage and extras not included in the first DVD release. This is, of course, in preparation for the third DVD release of “Avatar” sometime in the Spring or early Summer of 2011 which will be in 3-D. No, I am not joking. Does this marketing/release pattern sound familiar? Hmmm? Well, how many different versions of “Star Wars” do you own? I swore I would never fill a director’s trough more than once for a film except under the most extraordinary circumstances – such as the newly restored release of Fritz Lang’s “Metropolis” – and when such a film comes via the Dark Side (Fox) it makes it even easier to stand by that decision.

“Avatar” is a beautiful film, but I will not keep filling Rupert Murdoch’s treasury for added crumbs frames. No, I did not purchase the first DVD release. Nor do I intend to. As I stated, “Avatar” is a beautiful film. It is a wonderful film. I will not detract from it or the work of the artists who helped make it. But I cannot and will not allow my appreciation of that film to be used as fundraiser bait for the likes of Rupert Murdoch and FOX. “Avatar” has made nearly $3 billion. It is estimated by some in the industry that Murdoch and his FOX’s share of that is nearly $1.2 billion. $1.2 billion. Enough is enough. There are times when admiration for the beauty of a work of art is not enough to overcome the immorality of directly or indirectly aiding its wicked benefactors. This is one of those times… for me.

This is to wish everyone, or at least those understanding the meaning of, a happy and safe Independence Day. To the rest of you, enjoy what I hope will be a wonderful weekend. I will be taking something of a long weekend myself. It is likely I will not be posting anything again until Tuesday, July 6th. I want to just relax and play a bit, watch a few vids, etc., etc. Nothing work related at all. For me, that means not touching a computer at all. If anything groundbreaking occurs, I might stumble outta the cave… but, I doubt it.

Tubefilter News has an interesting article that begins with a discussion of the recent hit “Assassin’s Creed: Lineage,” continues on with references to “Dead Rising 2″ and goes from there to discuss what is referred to as a possible domination of the web series market by video game publishers. What I found interesting is how they managed to discuss all this without ever once using a certain word. From their article:

It’s also comparatively easy for video game publishers to create peripheral or companion entertainment products for their titles. When all the artwork, backstory, and characters have already been established for the video game, it’s just a matter of repurposing those elements to craft a compelling story.

Perhaps. And many times you will find the word MACHINIMA used to describe the resulting production. I did get a kick out of how it is inferred that all you have to do is “repurpose” “elements” and you’re able to “craft a compelling story.” Wow. No writing talent is needed. No storytelling capabilities needed at all. No compelling characterizations. Just “repurpose” an “element” here and there and you’ve got yourself a “compelling story.” Wow. Yeah, I am being facetious. I think. I guess it always seems easier when you’re not the one having to develop the story, the characters, the dialogue, etc., etc. Facetiousness, be damned.