OFFICE HOURS: graveyard exterior location update

Some updated images from the graveyad location.
First two images show the graveyard on an overcast day and night-time. The lighting is temporary and needs lots of tweaking and adjustments. The same goes for the textures which are not quite right yet.
The bottom image shows the 3D layout of the scene with sky dome.
More to come!

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OFFICE HOURS: exterior location test

Test render fo exterior graveyard location from 3D animated film OFFICE HOURS. Gravestones in images are currently just basic cube shapes used as layout for proper modelled headstones. The grass is made up of about 30,000 particle strands.
More images to follow.

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OFFICE HOURS: streetcar model

Some images of the streetcar model from Office Hours. Top image is a rough render while the bottom image shows the model's polygon count.

Email DWARFED FILMS here

OFFICE HOURS: another character

"Not another 3D character from that film Office Hours", I hear you say?
Well this one is slightly different. Why?, you ask. Well it's because this character will only be seen from the back or with his face obscured. (That explains why he has no eyeballs or eyebrows!)
Seeing as he won't be seen properly in the finished film we thought he should have his moment of glory here. The images are open GL shaded screen grabs from the modelling process. Enjoy!

Contact Dwarfed Films here

TO SHOOT A RURF: blog update

The TO SHOOT A RURF website has been updated with some all new images.

Office Hours has been taking up most of our time lately and we haven't had a chance to do much with the site until now.

Well what are you waiting for? Get over there now!

TO SHOOT A RURF blog

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THE DARKSIDE: on Directors Notes website

On our internet travels we came across a piece on "The Darkside" on the Directors Notes website.
The piece originally appeared in Showreel Magazine (issue 6 - Winter, 2004) and was written by Marvin Belle who now runs the Directors Notes independent filmmaking site.

"The Darkside", directed by Shane Sheils and co-produced along with Paula Sheils, was a very 'interesting' film to make: robbery, homelessness, bizarre accidents, murder (well, ok, maybe not murder!) all needed to be dealt with during and after shooting. We're very proud of "The Darkside" - particularily the visuals and audio. In fact the film features some of our most subtle visual FX work: all scenes featuring grafitti during the film are totally CGI.

The film is pretty much summed up with these choice words from Marvin Belle:

"Marrying his dislike of the corporate office job to an Invasion of the Body Snatchers theme, The Darkside is a classic tale of a free spirit hunted down by a steadily growing body of mindless, conformist drones."

You can view the Directors Notes feature here

You can also check out "The Darkside" on IMDB (internet Movie Database) here

As always you can get in touch with Dwarfed Films here

To Shoot A Rurf: Directors Notes podcast & film screening

To Shoot A Rurf is now available to watch on Directors Notes, the independent filmmaking website. You can also listen to an interview with co-director Shane Sheils discussing the making of the film with Marvin Belle.
Here's a brief synopsis to give you a flavour for the film:

“To Shoot a Rurf” is a surreal 3D computer animated short produced by Dwarfed Films. This atmospheric dark-comedy tells the tale of a drunken man’s attempts to sober up after bingeing on mind-altering drink ‘rurf’. To achieve this he must literally go inside his own head and seek the source of his headaches! The film is written and directed by Shane Sheils and Paula Sheils.

Watch To Shoot A Rurf at the Directors Notes website now!
Click here to listen to the interview, view production stills, early animation tests and lots more!

Contact Dwarfed Films here

OfficeHours: female walk animation tests

Here is a video grab made using Cam Studio ( a free open source video grabbing program) of the beginning stages of animating a female walk cycle in Blender 3D. Whoah, that was a mouthful!
Cam Studio has been added to the Essential Freeware list.

Contact Dwarfed Films here

Office Hours: city location

Heres a low angle view of the deserted city street from the film Office Hours.
Obviously it's a work in progress undergoing constant revisions and improvements.

We've also started working on the music and in particular composing the theme music for the movie. Having the music in mind at this early stage helps with the animation/modelling/rigging processes as we can focus on creating a consistent mood throughout the film rather than waiting until the editing stage to piece everything together. Of course lots of the musical ideas will not make it into the final film but will certainly contribute to the final score.

Contact Dwarfed Films here

Best movies about filmmaking?

One of the best ways to get inspiration and also motivation is by watching a movie set around the production of a movie.
There are quite a few good ones such as "Day for Night" by Francois Truffaut and "Living in Oblivion" but by far the best and most accurate depiction of the filmmaking process (in our opinion) is "Dangerous Game" by Abel Ferrara. If you haven't seen it you should certainly check it out as it gives the most honest and true vision of the making a live action film.

Are there any films out there relating to the making of a 3D animated film?