April 17 VFX/PDX Meeting: David Jahns + Nuke 8 + Mocha

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Great meeting coming up for April 17 – mark your calendars and block out a Thursday night for some “must-see CG.”

jahns_vfxpdx

Headlining this one is David Jahns – we call him The Finisher* – at Wieden+Kennedy’s Joint Editorial.  Long time editor turned colorist/vfx artist, David’s discovered the “all under one roof” power of Autodesk Smoke on a Mac and has successfully integrated it into the Joint workflow.  The extra effects muscle in tandem with the editing tools is just what the doctor ordered over there, and David will show his bread and butter workflow – doing conform, color, vfx and delivery – all from within Smoke.

Also joining us, in from LA, will be Deke Kincaid from The Foundry with a concentrated dose of what’s new in Nuke 8.  Those of you who attended the inaugural VFX/PDX meeting a couple of years back know that Deke can bring it and as the regional Creative Specialist, he always takes care of us and maximizes signal to noise.  He’ll be fresh of NAB and will have a few nicely honed demos to show off the new features in interesting ways.  Nuke 8 was a great release and Deke will make sure we’re kept up to date on the latest tools and tech.

Last but not least, we have Mary Poplin flying in to show off Imagineer’s Mocha Pro and all of the acceleration it offers for planar tracking assisted roto, for which the Imagineer crew won a Sci-Tech Oscar in 2013.  Anyone who’s successfully used Mocha on a project knows what a huge time saver it can be.  It just sticks!  And when you’re talking about tracking software, that’s a very good thing!  Like Deke, Mary is a vfx artist in addition to being the West Coast Product Specialist for Imagineer.  Her recent work includes The Last Airbender, Gulliver’s Travels and Jackass 3D.

As this is our first meeting post-NAB, we’ll definitely open things up for discussion and block out a little time for shop talk about some of the new tech related to our industry.

One lucky winner will walk away with a license of Mocha Pro, valued at $1495, courtesy of Imagineer Systems.  We also have a notable prize from sponsor Artbeats:  $500 stock footage certificates.

Our venue for this meeting is in close proximity to Joint Editorial to help with the gear factor.  We’ll be in the Vestas Auditorium of the recently remodeled historic Meyer & Frank building at 14th and Everett.  Join us!

Thursday, April 17
6:30-8:30pm
Vestas’ Auditorium
1417 NW Everett St
Enter at the corner of 14th & Everett – the sign on the corner will read Vestas/Urban Airship

After hours drinks to catch up – we plan to take over the newly minted Tilt.  Just down the street from the meeting at 1355 NW Everett St.

 

*actually I just made that up but I hope it sticks.  Sticks like Mocha.  🙂

OMSI: After Dark

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This month’s OMSI: After Dark is all about Hollywood Tech!

 https://www.omsi.edu/afterdark

omsi_after_dark

Just in time for the Oscars, OMSI brings us the science at work both behind and in front of (and INSIDE of) the camera.  Anyone who’s ever been to an After Dark session knows that it’s always a guaranteed good time, with lots of “21 and over” treats and a lineup and experiments that never fail to impress.

This one has the makings of a special night.  While working with them on putting things together, I’ve heard so many names dropped and a whirlwind of attendees that I’m a little overwhelmed and not sure who is official or unofficial at this point, so I should probably just defer you over to the OMSI page for the latest details.  I believe Portlandia will be well represented, and Fred Ruff will be presenting Grimm, and rounding things out – I (J Bills) will be digging into my archives and fishing out some feature film tech and behind the scenes you’ll never see on any DVD extra!  Rounding out the list, we have word that Christina from Ravenous Studios will be showing off makeup & prosthetic skills that constantly elevate the horror movies and TV shows she works on to another level.  And like I said, that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

Be sure to check out OMSI’s new theater screen while you’re there.  The Empirical screen is 4 stories, dual 4k 3D projectors…  I’m drooling at the stats.  VFX Oscar-lock Gravity will be on the big screen – feel free to take it in one last time before it rolls off into the Blu-Ray sunset (it releases this week).

Come on out – everyone loves a sure thing!

Date: Wednesday, February 26, 2014
Cost: After Dark $13 Non-Members, $7 Members, FREE OAD Members
Time: 6-10pm
Access: 21+ Only, ID Required
1945 SE Water Ave

more info: https://www.omsi.edu/afterdark

Spark Conference Time Again!

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Here we are at the end of January already – is 2014 absolutely flying by for anyone else (?) – and it’s time once again for another Spark conference in semi-neighboring Vancouver BC.

Just like last year, the good Spark folks have assembled a killer lineup.  As if a daily dose of Tim Horton’s and shooting some runs at Whistler wouldn’t be enough…  I’m very excited to say we’ll all have the rare chance to see a John Knoll presentation, and that’s just the tip of the iceberg.  Jackpot!  Who says we don’t keep winter interesting here in the Pacific NW?

spark

From the Spark site –

“Leading the conference are presenters who have shaped and changed the industry with their work: notably, John Knoll, Chief Creative Officer of Industrial Light and Magic; Steve ‘Spaz’ Williams, Director, VFX Supervisor & ILM’s Chief Animator and Modeler on “The Abyss,” “Terminator 2: Judgment Day,” “Jurassic Park” and “The Mask”; Director, VFX Supervisor, Stefen Fangmeier (“Eragon,” “Saving Private Ryan,” “Terminator 2: Judgment Day,” “Jurassic Park”); Mark Dippé, Director, VFX Supervisor (“The Abyss,” “Terminator 2: Judgment Day,” “Jurassic Park”)

Also presenting at this year’s conference are: VFX Supervisor, Guy Williams (“The Lord of the Rings” trilogy, “Avatar”), Supervisor, researcher and ACM SIGGRAPH Vice President Paul Debevec (“Avatar,” “Ender’s Game”), Stereoscopic Supervisor Robert Neuman (“Wreck-It Ralph,” “Tangled”), Director James Stewart (“Cave of Forgotten Dreams,” commercial director for Samsung, Lexus), ZOIC Head of Pipeline Michael Romey.”

This all goes down February 6-8, again in lovely Vancouver BC.  Do get in touch if you make the trip, as I may organize a drinks event or lunch strictly for us Portland VFX’ers.

There will be per presentation tickets available, but for those considering taking in the whole shebang, tell ’em VFX/PDX sent ya!  Discount code VFXPDX-S2014 will shave 20% off of your conference badge or tickets to individual events.  Sign up here.

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