This is pretty cool...

One Minute Soundsculpture from Daniel Franke on Vimeo.

My Work Life as a Skit

Okay, so this skit is basically my work life to an alarming degree of accuracy. In fact, it is so accurate I can't even come up with a quick-witted humorous comment of my own to up the anti! As the point man for client negotiations at a visual effects vendor I have simply lost count of the number of times I have had someone boldly say in one way or another "you are going to do this for free for me and I couldn't care less if your company doesn't exist tomorrow as a result." My personal favorite is line: "Let's do this!" Thank the heavens for all the wonderful clients who truly embrace the phrase "you get what you pay for!!!"

New District 9 Poster

Here's a new "District 9" poster! This fella is looking pretty brawny - for a prawn! I think the PR folks actually used one of Image Engine's renders of the mother ship back there! Looks like it anyway... Cool!

Le Tour Visual Overview

I know it is still two months away, but with the not so subtle hints of summer everywhere you look these days (and the certain knowledge that I will be up at ungodly hours all summer with a new born!) I am drawn to check in on this year's Grand Tour. Last year's tour was some amazing cycling and outstanding entertainment. Especially when you're up so early you can catch all of it live before work! With this year's tour dipping briefly into Spain I am keen to see the race unfold as still one of the most stunning athletic achievements and an amazing television spectacle!

District 9 Teaser Trailer!

In late January of 2008, I got a call from Neill Blomkamp's assistant Victoria Burkhart about bidding on the visual effects for Neill's directorial debut. At that time it was a loose story entitled "Project X" that really only existed as a treatment and a whole lot of concept designs executed for the most part at Weta Workshop. Neill and I had crossed paths many times having been in the Vancouver post-production scene for some time, but didn't know each other really at all. We hit it off, and together with Peter Muyzers we managed to wrangle the project into shape during the following three months with many, many, many discussions about how to achieve the visual effects in the time and budget we were to be allowed. We jumped in with both feet as they say and I happy to say the results are pretty satisfying. We built on our already amazing crew at the studio and assembled a really kick-ass group of artists for the production more than doubling the facility's size. With the release of this teaser trailer - the world is getting a glimpse of all our hard work at Image Engine! Cudos to all the folks who've been slaving away on this puppy for a year!

Chad Vangaalen - Clinically Dead

So, I was in one of my local "video rental stores" recently (that statement probably dates me, but who cares... God, I did College Radio back in the day, and Chuck's are still cool, but I digress...) and immediately as I walked in heard some amazing, sophisticated, lo-fi recording. I know that sounds like a contradiction in terms. Lo-fi is not supposed to be sophisticated. But, I don't know, there was something nuanced and spectacular about the music. I asked the video clerk what they were playing. Chad Vangaalen. I am now a fan. Oh, and the dude animates. Too cool for his own good!

Someone to Cheer for...

“It was by far the most content I’ve ever been,” he said. “My bike was a piece of junk. I had nowhere to go, no place to be. Didn’t have anyone telling me what to do. If I felt like lying on the side of the road, I did.”

Click here to read more about our man en Le Tour this year.