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Acting in animation

Posted on November 12, 2006  | Leave a Comment
Filed under Animation

here is an extract from an article found on electric-escape.net today. It is a conversation between Cars director John Lasseter and Animation supervisor Doug Sweetland during a daily:

At one point, McQueen must make a decision during a race, and he slams to a halt. As Sweetland, one of two “Cars” supervising animators, reviewed the rough animation in a screening room, Lasseter took out his laser pointer and circled McQueen’s eyes, which, like all of the film”s anthropomorphic characters, are built into the windshield.

Sweetland thought McQueen was trying to figure out what to do next, and therefore needed to close his eyes and collect his thoughts, the way the scene was animated. “Isn’t it about McQueen’s trying to decide what he’s doing?” Sweetland asked.

“I hear what you are saying. I just don’t agree with you,” the director told Sweetland.

Lasseter believed the character knew precisely what he was about to do next, and was only settling himself before acting. A squint, Lasseter felt, would show McQueen’s resolve. Closed eyes, he believed, would read as indecision. Sweetland saw it differently, and was concerned that McQueen would come across as arrogant, rather than confident. “I don’t want him to be full of his own narcissism,” he said.

Lasseter wasn’t buying it. “I think we are over-thinking this,” said the director, whose last film was 1999’s “Toy Story 2.” “We want the audience to say, ‘What the hell is this guy doing?’ But McQueen knows what he is doing.” Sweetland still demurred. After a few minutes, the debate became, well, animated. Michael Stocker, one of the dozen or so other animators in the room, interjected that he could change the performance of McQueen”s mouth (part of the bumper), which might suggest that the character is sorting through his options.

“What if I just had him breathing?” Stocker wondered. Again, Lasseter considered the idea, and then — pleasantly but firmly — dismissed it. “That’s not the way the scene was conceived,” he said. Sweetland and Stocker finally conceded the point, and Lasseter came over to hug Sweetland. “Good discussion,” he said, patting him on the back.

my second Ebay experience

Posted on November 7, 2006  | Leave a Comment
Filed under Life hack

today I passed my second order through ebay. Technically it is the first one since the first time in only used Ebay to find an second hand Aeron reseller in London and I bought the item from the physical shop itself.

It took me a bit of time to realise it but Ebay is not just the auction house. Some people use it as a payment platform and sell stuff at a fixed price just like a normal shop. To find out you can just do a search and when you see mentionned “Buy now” then it is very likely that this is an Ebay shop. The normal caution applies, do a bit of research first. Does the price advertised seem extremely low? Does the seller have many good reviews? Do all the review come from the same country and written in the same language?

I am always very scared when buying from China but this time it looked right and my laptop definitely needs a new battery. The item is meant to be delivered in few days, stay tuned, fingers crossed the battery will be at my doorstep in few days.