Reel
I have experience making corporate video, news, commericals, music videos, short films, and animation for television and the web. This short reel highlights my most recent projects.
COSMOS: A SPACETIME ODYSSEY
Episode 6: Deeper, Deeper, Deeper Still
I was called into this project by the great filmmakers The Brownlee Brothers who were contracted to do two segments for this incredible television documentary series. This remains the highlight of my career, and of my life. I am honored to have been given a small part in the legacy of Dr. Sagan.
Responsibilities:
- Assisted Corran Brownlee with previsualization of his original concept for flying a camera into the side of Democritus' clay cup, down to a "hero" carbon atom, and then pulling out back to the macro world.
- Modelled atomic lattices for topaz, quartz, and kaolinite based on research of those structures.
- Discovered a way to represent the lattices in a way that was accurate enough to describe the rough atomic structure, but that we could fly a camera through.
- Performed all initial keyframing and model motion.
- Implemented Python module to accurately and procedurally represent atomic positions and bonds for the lattice structures of topaz, quartz, and kaolinite.
LIFE
A Very Sciencey Short
After working on Cosmos, I was inspired to create a short animation about Conway's "Game of Life" by a segment I watched on Into The Universe With Stephen Hawking. I was disappointed that whenever there is a visualization of Conway, it's always a boring old grid.
I decided to create a visualization of Conway that elevated the simulation from the world of the grid, and design cute, weird little cell-like creatures that non-scientists would pay attention to.
This short is entirely self-produced, with visuals generated in Python, Blender, After Effects, Sony Vegas, and Photoshop, and audio recorded in Garage Band.
You can watch "Life" on my Vimeo channel.
Capturing The Libertine
Documentary
The Libertine was an independent feature starring Johnny Depp, Samantha Morton, and John Malkovich. The film was shot in the UK during the tumultous period from 2004-2005 when the Inland Revenue Department, in its final year of operation, closed a tax loophole that sent the British film industry into a tailspin. This ill-conceived and disastrous move caused 22 film productions to grind to a halt overnight.
The production was saved by brilliant maneuvering on the part of the producers, and by the grace of former Cisco Systems executive Chase Bailey who stepped in to rescue the production and secure Depp's role.
I was called in to post-produce a documentary about these events by The Brownlee Brothers, who were doing storyboards and concepts. The three of us became the EPK unit. Capturing The Libertine:
Iker Who Lives Under Our Bed
Animated Short
This is a short compositing experiment. I wanted to use an iPhone 4S to shoot backplates, and see what challenges would arise when compositing an animated element on top. Iker was born from this experiment.
Skills & Confidences
"Years" indicate the total number of years during which I have used the skill, not the count of years since I learned it. For example, I acquired the After Effects skill 10 years ago, and I have used it during 6 of those years.
Sony Vegas (10 years) Final Cut Pro (8 years) Adobe AfterEffects (6 years) Adobe Photoshop (16 years) GarageBand (5 years) Blender (5 years) Maya (2 years) SoftImage (6 months)