Learn from the best...

It's an exciting day for us here at tower 26 films!

Brigitte just finished her first draft of the new screenplay she has been working on. She has until December to refine it before she shows it to her writer's group.

Also, as some of you know, to add to our current filmmaking toolset and keep up with the constantly evolving industry, I have been taking classes in 3d animation (CG to put it another way). It started as a way to be able to hit somebody in the head with a tennis ball or pelt them with rocks and has grown into a fully animated short in the works as I write this.

This semester I have been learning how to texture, light, and render CG scenes. I have been able to springboard off of my still photography and cinematography background and am having a blast! I guess my excitement is showing in my work because my teacher recommended that I apply to Visual Effects Society's Training and Mentoring Program.

Well, I just received my invitation to participate.

For those of you who aren't familiar with the Visual Effects Society here is how they describe themselves:

The Visual Effects Society (VES) is the entertainment industry's only organization representing the full breadth of visual effects practitioners including artists, technologists, model makers, educators, studio leaders, supervisors, PR/marketing specialists and producers in all areas of entertainment from film, television and commercials to music videos and games. Comprised of a diverse group of more than 1,600 members in 17 countries, the VES strives to enrich and educate its own members and members of the entertainment community at large through a multitude of domestic and international events, screenings and programs.

They have invited 60 students from 8 schools and I was lucky enough to get a spot.

This is just the beginning of the process but if I make it through all 3 phases, I will be paired up with someone in the industry that specializes in my area of focus and they will be available for guidance and give the push that is sometimes needed to take your work to the next level.

Here are some pieces I have done this semester (click on an image to see it bigger):

On the last set we were supposed to light a daytime scene and a nighttime scene. I was working on it around Halloween so I thought I'd have a little morbid fun with it.

Well, that's all for now. We should have some more up soon so keep checking back and let us know what you think about the blog and what you would like to see and hear about in the comments below.

Cheers!

Daniel