The Assault on Encinal Canyon

This past week saw The Walshman grind out a total of 331 kilometres on his beloved Cramerotti road bicycle (referred to affectionately as his "Lil' Mule"). The highlight of the week was a 125 kilometre tour of Encinal Canyon in Malibu that featured an hour plus accent through dense fog and then a screaming descent back to the Pacific Coast Highway via the Mulholland Highway (and a new record top speed of 72.1 kilometres per hour no less!). Terrific stuff all around. As we climbed up from the ocean through the coastal fog, and emerged onto the winding ridge top back roads, a burning sun shone down revealing a tremendous view of the coastal Santa Monica range. The Mountains appeared like giant serpents lumbering through a strange sea of clouds. I reflected that my riding had come a long way since my arrival to Los Angeles in March. Back then, this ride would have done me in for certain. The climb was an agonizingly consistent killer that didn't show any signs of relenting until you had almost overcome it's height. That's one of the great things about riding I find. The simple feeling of accomplishment when you reach a goal. And it can be something so unannounced and spontaneous in our otherwise regimented lives. Somebody in the group just says "who feels like giving Encinal Canyon a go?" And you're off to see yourself up to the top. Just like that! This one was really worth and I imagine I will do it again prior to leaving Los Angeles this fall. Especially if it includes the essential "coffee and muffin stop" on the way home.

A Race At Two Speeds?

Read below an interesting, yet a bit deflating, article about doping in cycling. Thanks to Paul for sending it my way. Where "The Lance" is concerned, I guess I just am a sucker for the "why, as a cancer survivor and generally accepted hero of the people, would I risk throwing all that away?" theory... He can't be doping, he musn't be doping, because there is too much to lose? Right? No? Especially since he does have a "proven medical track record" of off the charts physiology. Perhaps I need to be more skeptical? Who knows...

A "race at two speeds?" Doping continues to haunt Tour
By Justin Davis
Agence France Presse
This report filed July 15, 2005


Following the expulsion of one rider and the arrest of another, talk of doping at the Tour de France has re-emerged as the doctor of one of France's top teams said the race is still being "contested on two levels."

For Gerard Guillaume, the doctor of the Francaise des Jeux team of Bradley McGee and Baden Cooke, his riders simply can't keep up with a peloton whose speeds have amazed everyone in the first 12 days of the race.

The Tour, which American Lance Armstrong is bidding to win for a seventh consecutive time, has so far been raced at a punishing pace, leaving some complaining they are not all racing on the same level.

Although that can partly be explained by the fact the peloton benefited from favorable wind conditions as they raced from west to east in the first 10 days, speeds on the race left many, otherwise good climbers
struggling to hang on in the tough Alpine cols.

"At the Dauphine Liberé I had no problems in following the best climbers. At the Tour, I just can't," said Frenchman David Moncoutie after he won the 12th stage Thursday - a medium-difficulty climbing day. "It's
like that every year, but all I can say is 'too bad.'"

For Guillaume, there's only one explanation.

"There's two Tours de France being raced at the moment. We're not in the same race as those who are at the front, that's for sure," he said in French daily L'Humanite Friday.

"Our best rider for the general classification, Sandy Casar, is already 15 minutes behind."

Cycling has been one of the sports to make the most progress in fighting doping since the 1998 Festina doping scandal almost brought the Tour to its knees.

After years of dubious performances, it was finally revealed that crafty, illicit methods were being used to administer the banned but very effective blood boosting hormone EPO (Erythropoietin).

EPO benefits athletes' by boosting the red blood cells, thus allowing more oxygen to be pumped into the muscles. The result is that riders can last for much longer and, more importantly on the Tour de France,
recuperate quicker.

Even before the 1998 scandal better controls have been introduced, including the UCI blood test to check riders' hematocrit (red blood cell) levels.

The average hematocrit level for normal healthy adult athletes is around 45. The UCI permits riders to compete with levels up to 50, before declaring them "unfit" to ride and requiring a two-week "rest" break.
Some people are born with abnormally high hematocrit levels and the UCI does allow cyclists to prove it with an extensive medical history.

But despite the progress in catching cheats, there are widespread suspicions that new, improved methods are being used to elude the drugs controllers.

EPO was once detectable for up to six days, but now it is suspected that athletes are using micro doses of the drug. It ultimately lets them slip through any drug controls.

"Detecting EPO used to be much easier - there was a five or six day window in which to act. But I think now because of different methods and micro-dosing the window of detection is only 24 hours," said Guillaume,
who also suggested that growth hormones - a test for which is supposedly being used on the Tour this year - could also be widespread.

"The cheats now have got more chance of not getting caught than getting caught," he added.

The first controversy of the race came a few days ago when Russian Yevgeny Petrov, of Lampre, was thrown off the race after his red blood cell count was over the permitted threshold of 50.

On Tuesday Fassa Bortolo rider Dario Frigo, who had been sacked by his team for doping in the past, was also thrown out.

His expulsion became automatic when he was questioned and held by police after his wife Susanna was caught by customs officers with banned substances in her car, believed to be vials of EPO.

French veteran Didier Rous has in the past admitted to using banned substances when he was with Festina. He suggested Wednesday that cheating on the Tour was evident - and called for it to stop.

"There has to come a time when you say, 'right that's enough'," said Rous, a former national champion who raced with Festina when the team was thrown off the Tour in 1998.

"One minute we're able to keep up with the best, then all of a sudden we're not. I can't hold my hands up and say what's going on at other teams. I've got no proof."

"Anyone, he said, can make a transforming robot..."

Click here for a Yahoo News article on the upcoming "Transformers" movie scheduled for release July 4th, 2007. Seeing as I got my start in computer graphics as an animator on "Beast Wars: Transformers" the television series, I have a sort of "looking back on the golden days" type of attitude towards this film... maybe I'll have to do a stint on this one!? Hardly likely, but it could be fun... what was great about the series is how solid the characters were. Sure, the stories were corny as hell, the characters were very well defined and that made for a fun project. That, and non-stop 80 hour weeks at Mainframe for 2 years straight... yeesh, what am I thinking?

The Stupid Venice Beach Drum Circle

So there is this thing in Venice Beach, California called "The Venice Beach Drum Circle." It is one of those things that people who have only ever lived in Los Angeles County (or the United States outside of San Francisco and New York) call "an amazing cultural experience." I can only describe it as the following: a bunch of people (including some with very questionable musical talent) arrive to the Venice Beach board walk with percussion instruments both traditional and otherwise, and proceed to pound, whack, and hit on them synchronously and asynchronously for hours on end making a hell of a racket for little or no apparent reason or artistic Merit. And this is "culture?" Well, of a kind I suppose. The people are of all walks of life, but frequently look like this guy who has shown up to wield that most sophisticated of percussion instruments - the cow bell! "Freaks upon freaks" as my friend Rob once said as we walked the board walk... It goes on and on, pounding away into the wee hours, and is miraculously tolerated by the locals. I suppose they might all be out there pounding on their own instruments of sonic torture. I admire the shear chaos of the event, the complete and total lack of organization, and refusal to submit to any sense of "marketing" that is so ever present in the United States. It is a real relief. Just a bunch of people doing something for the sole reason of doing it. However, that being said, I still can't get myself past the fact that the sum of the parts that is The Venice Beach Drum Circle... Is well, just kinda stupid. Then again, maybe I just need to assimilate!

Backstroke of the West!

Finally, Star Wars is explained!

Oliver Stone's 9/11 Movie

My word... Someone please shelve this project!!!

"Just when you thought the summer couldnÂ’t get worse for Hollywood, Paramount has announced that Oliver Stone will be directing the first major feature film about 9/11. The movie will star Nicolas Cage as Port Authority police sergeant, John McLoughlin. The sergeant and fellow officer William Jimeno were the last two men to be pulled alive from the rubble of the World Trade Center. The film will be released next year - thus guaranteeing another summer of bad box office returns. (Memo to Hollywood: Why not “The Passion II: The Afterlife”?)"

We all know that Nicolas Cage is clearly nutso, especially since dumping the lovely Patricia Arquette in favour of Elvis's lunatic daughter, but Oliver Stone at least has some measure of street credit for being a "challenging director." So, in this case, the "powers that be" will surely force this into some sort of American Imperialism propoganda vehicle. Truly embarassing. I guess you get what you deserve after making "Alexander."

More of the Good Stuff from Gorillaz

Click here to see some "wicked-awesome" in the form of a new Gorillaz music video... What's really impressive to me about the music videos for this group is the way in which animation pushes boundaries. The timing is odd, the look is deceptively simple, there is a kind of "multi-media approach" that I really love... Things like that! Just the sort of mad-cap way that the 2D animation is integrated with the 3D is a real pleasure to see because it is so loose and not overworked like so many things you see these days. It just "feels right" nonetheless. See it, dig it, love it!

The Greatest Music Video...

Ever in the history of the medium!!! Click here to see it! And wait for the flying fish!

Smart Parts

Click here to check out the promotional website for "Smart Parts" an independent feature film written and directed by Derek Franson. A friend of mine in the Vancouver visual effects industry, Mark Benard, is serving as VFX producer on the project and I thought I would shout-out a shameless plug! Actually, I think Mark is splitting his time between growing beets in the Comox Valley and forging ahead with his guerilla visual effects business otherwise known as Lost Boys Studios, but that's beside the point... Take a look at the promo on the website and you'll see that the work is right off the whizzle shnizzle!

Baby Nia and The Vangroovey!

Last weekend featured a visit home to Vancouver and a trip to Victoria to meet my niece Nia for the first time! It really was quite incredible to "look the next generation square in the eye." A totally astounding experience. Seeing my sister and her "pal" Gord caring for an infant was a mind blower and they looked as impressed with themselves as they were with their little offspring Nia. I can only imagine what my mother and father must be feeling as the importance of the arrival of baby Nia will most definitely be exaggerated for them... Little Nia was just a true pleasure hangin' with the old folks and very well behaved! I'd have to say that she's just gonna be a little peach of a kid. Meg and I indeed had a lovely couple of days just hanging out with our now slightly expanded family! It even included picking fresh Tay Berries from my mom's backyard and eating them in a pie the very same day! How's that for down home treatment? Not so bad indeed!

As well, I can only say that it felt amazing to be back in Vancouver. I just love the place and I didn't want to leave! It feels so diverse and interesting compared to Los Angeles! Why did I ever leave? Just kidding, the past few years have been a wonderful, though stressful, experience. Lately I have really realized that for me, I do not need the "ego" of being in a place like Los Angeles, working at a big name studio or whatever... I mean, it is great and Rhythm and Hues has been wonderful exposure to a cool studio with an amazing vibe (as was ESC Ent. and The Moving Picture Company), but to me, if I am interested in what I am doing and struggling to do nice things at work, and I am with good people who respect each other, and there is a balance in my life... This is great and the most desirable thing. A lot of people who may be in London, or in Los Angeles, will never achieve this in my opinion... It is just impossible. These "centers" are incredible places to go to experience the pinnacle (if you are so lucky) of your field, but not places to call "home" necessarily. There are just too many demands and complications.

That being said, I don't think I could have gotten to this phase in my life/career without going far away to
work on these big projects, because I had to "go through it." This is a real personal truth as well. This knowledge comes after working at some big name studios. Also, what I have learned is that when I do get frustrated, or I feel the need for the "big time" Meg has the will to travel and we can do it. I am going to love being back in my home city eventually, and I feel very grateful that it is Vancouver, more than I ever have.

High Resolution "King Kong" Pictures

Click here to check out some really beautiful high resolution stills from the upcoming Peter Jackson's "King Kong." Apparently, Mr. Jackson has been "waiting a long time to remake this film in his own vision." Or, isn't that what they always say? Not so sure I believe the hype, but the story goes that Jackson had to agree to do a remake of "King Kong" to get the New Line Cinema people to buy off on the three part Lord of the Rings films. I guess that they didn't really have any idea what they were getting themselves into now did they? That, or pure rumour mill! I am pretty impressed by what I see here in these images, and although the backgrounds look quite "painted together" they do have a really cool "from another place or era" look and feel about them. You have to be excited about the potential for this film to make everything else at this Christmas 2005 Box Office humble in comparison!

Gettin' Getty Again!

Meg and I headed up to The Getty Museum for the second time since coming to Los Angeles to check out the current exhibit of Rembrant paintings. Such a beautiful location, I could just lounge there all day... we took some photos, had lunch, slept on the lawns near the garden. Really nice time... and such a deal. You pay $7.00 for parking, and the exhibits are all free. Positively European! I am always surprised by the simplicity of what people like to do. You give them a view worth a second or two, some sun and a terraza where you can have a beer, and suddenly, 90% of the folks are in a great mood. The Getty is like that - a lot of the people come up there to see the work on display, of course, but there is a greater portion of people who are there just to be in that environment, in that space. I just love the way that the very modern approach to architecture fuses with some very European and old ideas... down to the simplest details, the open spaces "just for sitting" and use of plants that reflect the traditions of terrazas all over Europe, etc. That is, quite apart from the fact that you always feel as though you are in a scene from an old Star Trek episode featuring some sort of utopia. I kept looking around for the doomed "mystery extra" on our tour of the galleries! Ha!

The art world's newfound appreciation for drawing!

Click here to read an article about the returning interest in drawing within the "Art World." Thank god. It is about time in my books! I have always been a great admirer of preparatory drawings, etching and engraving (that are effectively printed drawings), and all the other manifestations of drawing typically on view at major galleries. But, as this article points out this is the first time in quite a while that some of the major players in the current contemporary art world are drawing. And that the drawings are standing alone as completed works. What is strange to me though sitting from my chair in a film production studio where drawing is still such a core element (usually limited now to the preproduction, concept design, story boarding side of things) is that respect for drawings as an end in itself is such a nouveau thing! Haven't any of these art critics ever read a comic book? Surely, the continued popularity and increasing sophistication of comic book illustrations attests to drawing's vitality as a creative force? In fact, I think it is the simplicity and immediacy of drawing that is often the appeal to the current audience. In the age of Black Berries and Palm Pilots drawings somehow represent an uncluttered efficiency. A directness that is very appealing in an increasingly complicated world. Okay, enough pontificating, here's the shameless plug: if you are ever so fortune to see a show of work by Galan Akin or Ben Reeves advertised, don't miss out. Some tremendous scribblin' going on with these two!

"FRANKLY, MY DEAR, I DON'T GIVE A DAMN"

Click here to view the American Film Institute's "AFI's 100 Years... 100 Movie Quotes." This year's list of lists:

Each year, AFI's 100 Years . . . series has garnered considerable attention from movie lovers around the world. Previous programs within this series have included AFI 100 Years . . . 100 Movies (1998), . . . 100 Stars (1999), . . . 100 Laughs (2000), . . . 100 Thrills (2001), . . . 100 Passions (2002), . . . 100 Heroes & Villains (2003) and . . . 100 Songs (2004).

Kinda pointless, kinda fun. I was surprised how many I didn't really recall!

The Chronicles of Narnia Film Poster

Click here to see the first "official film poster" for "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe." I am currently working on the visual effects for this film, as a Lighting Technical Director, at Rhythm and Hues Studios in Los Angeles. The poster looks quite representative of the work completed thus far at the studio and I think is a fair take on what the film "feels like." There are some lovely, dreamy shots that really do feel like "another world, similar to our own..." Although, in this poster, the lion is obviously a retouched photograph and as I am sure the majority of readers who follow the visual effects business already know, the film will feature a fully computer generated lion. He has to talk and emote for goodness sake! Some of the final shots completed thus far have people saying that this work will be the first to challenge the level of achievement on the Gollum character that WETA Digital produced for "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy. In fact, a funny story from the work Rhythm and Hues did for the film trailer was that the production editor of the trailer (presumably a well qualified individual) asked the production visual effects supervisor "how'd you get the lion choreographed like that?" Har, har. We'll see how it all shakes down. There is still lots to be done before the Christmas release date! and Gollum put the bar pretty damned high on the shelf. Back to work for Donnie Walsho!

A Smoke Free World?

When I read articles like this one, I am made to recall a night in Madrid a little while back, when I had what can only be described as an "allergic attack" to a smoke filled taberna. Meg and I were out with Vicky and Pablo, our Uruguayan/New Yorker friends in Madrid and after having a lovely dinner, we sauntered over to a cafe adjacent to the restaurant (a very customary thing to do in Madrid... Share the wealth!) to have our desert and post dinner chat. When we swung open the door the place appeared as though there was a lit bonfire in the center of the room. It was incredible, I couldn't remember ever being in a cafe or restaurant in my life with that much smoke from cigarettes. I carried on pleasant conversation, and had a generally very agreeable time, aside from the fact that I kept looking around to check that the walls were not actually on fire! By the time I went home, my eyes felt like they were bleeding, and I couldn't breathe through my nose. The next day, I woke up blowing green chunks from my nose. I had such a strong "reaction" of whatever kind to that environment that I had picked up a nasal infection! I was shocked, and vowed to never enter that particular cafe ever again. Following several conversations about this incident with both foreigners and Spaniards, I struck upon an essential difference in the "logic of personal rights and freedoms" that exists between Canadians and Spaniards (for the most part). Most Canadians feel that they have "the right to clean air" and that legislation should reflect that stance. Someone else's behavior should not be "forced upon us" is the line of thinking. Whereas in Spain, people generally feel that legislating against smoking reflects an infringement on their personal rights and freedoms. They feel that a person's body is their own and they should be able to do with it as they wish. They inherently seem to be missing the entire point that when you smoke in an enclosed area, you are affecting those around you in addition to yourself and thus infringing on their personal rights and freedoms! It is a strange thing to encounter in this day and age of open acknowledgements about the harmful effects of smoking, even from the cigarette industry to find people defending their ability to slowly kill themselves and those around them! I was easily the first thing on a list of annoyances I encountered while living in Spain, short though the list may be!

What's the Weather Like?

Click here to see what the weather is like in Vancouver. The view is looking north from Spanish Banks in Point Grey towards the North Shore Mountains. The road you see is one I ride on when I am in Vancouver. Nice view from the bike huh? Maybe I am just a little homesick or something, but I found myself hitting the "refresh" button one too many times today! Yeesh...

Troubles on the Visual Effects Horizon in the United Kingdom

All the while I was working in Soho, UK, there was all this background hub-bub about the "tax incentives" and "lease buy back program" that was (depending on who you listened to!) footing the entire bill for the expansion and growth of the Soho post-production houses, or merely a helping hand along for a ride that was largely merit driven. For example, the Soho studios were doing good work, and therefore getting more work as a result of that good work. Although it seems to be true that if you look at, for example, "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban" the shots completed in the United States (the Dementors at ILM) versus the shots completed in the UK (everything else at The Moving Picture Company, Double Negative, Framestore/CFC and Cinesite) there is hardly a recognizable "quality gap." Especially if considering the average cinema goers' eye for level of accomplishment. So, given this increase in level of accomplishment to match the high levels of achievement in US -based visual effects, or seeming parity amongst studios on both sides of the Atlantic, one can only really draw one conclusion... That the work was coming to the UK because the producers liked what they saw! In fact, and with the benefit of growing hindsight, these incentives were largely the motivating force behind the growth and expansion of the UK visual effects industry. Sadly, it has had little to do with the work (some of which I did!) aside from the fact that American producers knew that they "could get it done in the UK." As this recent news item points out, as the laws that allowed for the incentives come under review, the post-production work is already moving elsewhere. As always, you just have to follow the trail of money:

The uncertain future of Britain's entire film industry was triggered by a revision of Section 48 tax benefits for films with budgets of more than £15 million, which the Government found was being abused by some producers.

The situation has been worsened by the weakness of the dollar against the pound, which has meant that American film producers are finding it as much as 30 per cent more expensive to make movies at studios such as Pinewood than it was 18 months ago.

Industry executives expect a huge drop in film production because of the uncertainty. Pinewood suffered a hit this year when Paramount indefinitely postponed shooting its $120 million (£66 million) feature The Watchmen.

Concerns remain over whether the forthcoming Bond film, Casino Royale, and Harry Potter and The Order of the Phoenix will be shot in the studios. The producers of both are considering going to cheaper Eastern European cities, such as Prague and Budapest.

The Film Council, which represents the industry, is in talks with the Treasury to work out a framework for tax relief. It is expected within weeks to set down a timetable for rolling out a new tax regime that will allow for a fresh round of investment from Hollywood studios.

Topanga Canyon Road

My regular Saturday morning riding group veered dramatically away from the normal routine this weekend. Instead of the usual 80 kilometre "out and back" on the Pacific Coast Highway through Malibu, we ascended Topanga Canyon Road from the ocean up and over the Santa Monica Mountains to Encino in the Valley. It was probably the most challenging, but also the nicest, ride I have done yet in the Los Angeles area. The climb begins innocently enough, ascending on a gradual pace away from the ocean, and then suddenly a couple of miles into the climb you encounter the first of several "up and overs." About a half-mile of steep and winding grade with a sheer cliff on the side. Just as you begin to wonder why on earth you chose to spend your Saturday morning on this particular for of overzealousness, pretty views and the warm, dry smell of the canyon surround you, and you grind away! It is about this point that you really begin to feel that you have left the city behind as the canyon closes in around you. Although I am very much used to the drama and grandeur of the British Columbian forests, with their rich deep shadows cast by enormous trees, I am beginning to see the desert beauty in these dusty canyons north of Los Angeles. They have a kind of spare, minimal beauty. Like the coast of the Mediterranean Sea. The separation from the city alone is worth the effort. Lots of twists and turns, and ups and downs later we reached the summit of Old Topanga Canyon Road and a nice view out over the valley below. The return trip featured a rocket descent and then a clockwise lazy right hand turn through Encino on Wells Drive, and then back into Santa Monica via Sepulveda Boulevard. All in all, the best Socal ride yet.

Man, I Just Love Bongo Drums!

Yes, that's a sarcastic statement. This weekend, we had what I can only describe as a "harbinger of dark times to come." The summer bongo drum playing bozzos have arrived to our peaceful little corner of non-tourist oriented Santa Monica. They invaded our little public park across the road, home to plenty of vagabonds who do no-one any harm, like locusts to a fresh crop devouring every last morsel of the soundscape. Now, as rule, and as my close friends will attest, I am normally a very tolerant person. Dare I say, a touch liberal minded even. But if there is one thing I just can't get my head around and open up to, it is the incessant clamour of a bunch of dudes sitting in public and wanking on a piece of stretched hide. It is like the bongo drum was invented as a cruel joke on society at large by someone who wanted to give every talentless hack musician an excuse to become "a percussionist" by trade! I mean, what is with these people? I just don't get it. The same uninspired beat, over and over again, for something approximating a day! The words "monumental waste of energy" don't even seem to begin encompass the abject cultural poverty I see when I gaze upon some tighty whitey sloppily slapping a sheep's skin! Brutal! I am trying to think of some non-violent way I can protest to this noise polution... and I am having a hard time...

Dear Friends and Supporters of U.B.C. Rowing

As many of you know, the project to construct a new U.B.C. Rowing shell house is nearing completion. The formal name for the new site is the UBC John M S Lecky Boathouse. What once appeared an impossible dream, mired in red tape, complicated special interest groups and lack of real tangible support, will soon be a living, breathing, tangible reality taking up residence on a beautiful bend in the Fraser River, in Richmond, B.C. The completion of this near 10 year goal has been realised in large part to the singular will and determination of Head Coach Mike Pearce. Of course, there have been many other helpers along the way, namely the executive team of George Hungerford, Jane Hungerford, Roy MacIntosh, Martin Gifford, Doug Robinson and Rod Hoffmeister who have been instrumental in making this happen. But, I want to personally highlight that without Mike's dogged persistance, the will in others, who have been so crucial in the project moving forward, would never have been stirred into action. Congratulations Mike!

The site is truly remarkable and really prompts the question: why has this not happened before? The dyke in Richmond, complete with cycling path, provides a vantage point on rowing that I can not think any other site in Canada shares, save perhaps Welland Canal, and we all know how we feel about Welland Canal! With the North Shore moutains setting an inspiring backdrop one can not help but feel their enthusiasm for the sport of rowing that has given us all so much swell in anticipation of such an outstanding achievement: a brand new shell house!

Indeed, this letter is intended to encourage you to be a tangible supporter of this great venture. To share in some small way, through your donation, no matter of what size, the sense of accomplishment in the construction of this building. I believe whole heartedly that it is our time, as key alumni, to put our money where our hearts are and stir ourselves into action in support of the new U.B.C. Boathouse.

One of my good friends, and fellow supporter, Lawrence Varga put it simply that (I am paraphrasing) "we may not have had the best coaching, equipment, nor boathouse when we were at UBC, but it would be nice for other guys (and gals!) to have a better crack at things, wouldn't it!" We had what we had, and we did the best we could with it. But this is not about us, it is about the future of something that we all are a part of and that is the important tone to strike. This is about community and legacy. This is our chance to be a part of a future gift to rowers yet to be.

I know that some of you may be thinking: whatever I got from rowing, I got because I invested myself and my energies. That is most certainly true, rowing is largely a grass roots sport in Canada, and few of us had any support at all aside from the encouragememt of our great families and friends. And we all "put aside" our lives in some way in order to take part in something that held some intrinsic value for us. But you can never take away the fact that rowing provided us with a channel, a format, an arena through which we could inspire in yourselves the virtues that we personally felt when rowing. You choose to take away from your experiences as a rower what you will. However, I challenge us as a group, now, to have the presense of mind to recognise that this gift in some small way may enable another individual to take something away from rowing that will continue to inspire them in that indescribable way that only rowing can . In that way the sport has inspired you.

I ask you now, to take a moment to think of all the people you know today, who you count as your friends, your family, in fact your extended community, that you owe in whole or in part to U.B.C. Rowing. Many of whom, may have met elsewhere, but the path to that elsewhere was laid in U.B.C. Rowing stones. I ask you now, is this not a time in your life to ackowledge how much rowing has done for you?

Thank you sincerely for your time and consideration,
Shawn "Rupie" Walsh

p.s. more specific information and pledge for can be found on the following website:

http://www.ubcgoldforlife.com/

Mike Pearce can be reached by dialing 778-862-5654

Sand Animation?

Animation? Well, no not exactly. More like "live illustrations." Click here and then click on "sicaf_sand.wmv" to see what I am on about. Quite intriguing.

A Scanner Darkly

Oh my sweet heavens! Has everyone seen this trailer!? When Richard Linklater made "Waking Life" after a long period of gestation primarily caused by that always present "technological line in the sand," you just knew looking at that film that there were so many other stories that could be told with a unique sensibility in that strangely concocted potion of digital filming and post production "re-animation" that made "Waking Life" a visual, if not holistic treasure. A "Scanner Darkly" looks like it will be a treat and just the sort of story suited to the dream like quality of this style of animation production. From IMDB:

Based on famous science fiction writer Philip K. Dick's novel set in a future world where America has lost the war on drugs, undercover cop Fred (Keanu Reeves) is one of many agents hooked on the popular drug Substance D, which causes its users to develop split personalities. Fred, for instance, is also Bob, a notorious drug dealer. Along with his superior officers, Fred sets up an elaborate scheme to catch Bob and tear down his operation.

Click here for an official note about the film from the Philip K. Dick Trust. I'm excited about this one! It has some real potential to surprise...

John Gajdecki Interview

Click here to read a great, informative, and open interview with John Gajdecki, Visual Effects Supervisor. I am envious of two things primarily when I read through the interview:

1) my relative late arrival on the visual effects and animation scene in 1996. I should have stuck with my teenage dictionary flipbook animation masterpiece that much longer! I knew it!
2) the wealth of practical knowledge derived from on-set experience. I have been locked in computer monitor tunnel vision land for far too long and I think I would benefit from the "live" experience so much... definately a goal in future job opportunities.

Anyway, for those of you out there hoping to glean a few helpful hints for your own experiments in visual effects, or perhaps just looking for a some added insight into the behind the scenes world of visual effects shot production, check it out!

Running Of The Bulls

Last night as I sat with Meg on the Santa Monica 3rd Street Promenade, in a "fake English pub," eating "fake Mexican food," I was challenged by an honest to goodness real life Vallecano (a person born in the Madrid neighbourhood of Vallecas) named Raul Sanchez, that if I was ever in Spain with him, at a suitable time, that we should "become like brothers by running with the bulls." I am afraid that my fate may have been sealed.

The Lion, The Witch, And The Wardrobe: Film Trailer

A bunch of people have enquired with me about the estimated time of arrival of the first theatrical trailer for the film I am currently working on (coincidentally, I just saw the final cut of it at work!). As usual, there is a lot of interest in the "imagining" of a story that is so central to a lot of folks' memories of adolescent reading. Stylistic choices are the first point of interest when a story is so well known by its intended audience. Everyone can't wait to see what various worlds and characters look like. Remember all the hubbub about "I wonder what Gollum will look like" with the Lord of the Rings trilogy? Well, there seems to be a lot interest in whether a "talking larger than life Lion" will be achieveable or not. Well, judge for yourself. Here's the final scoop according to Disney publicity. The trailer will air at 9:22 PDT, this Saturday, May 7, 2005. It supposed to be on every major network and then some - they are calling it a "marketing black out" or something (sort of when for 90 seconds, no matter what channel you turn to the trailer with be playing). It will also be going out with the final installment in the Star Wars saga, so it should get some "mild exposure" there. I worked on just one short shot in the trailer that features a load of "fauns" cheering with their weapons raised in anticipation of the big battle. The remainder of my work on the film will revolve around digital cinematography of the main set piece battle sequence in the film. It is as you may expect; a grand sweeping cinematic sequence pitting good versus evil. It is going to be a lot of fun to contribute to it!

Added a Link to UBC Boathouse Project

Scroll down the side bar, or click here to go to the official web page for information on the new rowing shell house being built in Richmond, B.C. This project has been spear-headed by my great friend Mike "Fierce" Pearce, the current Head Coach for the U.B.C. Rowing program, virtually since Mike ended his own competitive career and began in earnest to pursue coaching. That's almost 10 years ago now! I think that Mike only went into coaching with the intention of pursuing this "entrepreneurial venture" in mind. Bringing a viable future for the program through the establishment of a new modern facility with room to grow in coming years has always been a goal from day one for Mike, and at long last, it appears that his dreams and intentions are going to become a reality. Mike and I spent many hours dreaming of the development of a truly outstanding rowing facility for U.B.C. rowers while we shared a basement suite together at 16th and Arbutus and rowed together at University. It is truly a thrilling moment to see things coming together for him like they are. As we used to say back in university "all we have to do is get a new boathouse built." Little did we know what that would mean.

Shane Acker

View some nice animation and design by Shane Acker here. A post went out at work recently pointing to this dude's work: "Shane was a winner of Rhythm & Hues’s 2001 Scholarship in Modeling, and received Honorable Mentions in the Animation and Cinematography categories. More recently, Rhythm & Hues made it possible for Shane’s short to be transferred to film." The fact that R&H helps out folks like this dude (whom I have not met) in order to get their work out there is truly amazing, and gives the studio such a great vibe. He has a short film that is touring around the world now.

Bike Nation Comes To Los Angeles

I just started to ride to work this week. I figured I was settled in enough; I knew my route well, I was set up at home and at work for showers, and all the necessary details were in place, etc. So, it was time to start. I have been really looking forward to it. Getting back into the routine of having a guaranteed hour of exercise built into your day is just a stunning way to live. So I headed off with no limit to my enthusiasm.

As luck would have it (and after Meg told me "be really careful, dude" at least a hundred times) I crashed on the way home! I have ridden various bikes, in various circumstances, for literally years without a crash. On road, or off road. On my first day of commuting yesterday, I had a full-on, "The Walshman Is Down!" road rash wipe out! And here's the kicker! Guess what caused it? I was trying to avoid a puddle! There's no water on the road anywhere for about 100 freaking miles and I find the one dumb-ass big puddle that I have to swerve around (so that I don't get my nicely cleaned bicicletta dirty, of course!) and that manouvre did something unexpected and BAM! I am on the ground. I am fine, of course, aside from some skin cells I can stand to lose. I managed to just shrug it off and get on the bike again this morning... One of the great myths about cycle commuting is that is it "more dangerous than driving your car to work." Total hogwash. I feel so much safer knowing that my commute is largely devoid of traffic than when I am pinned inside a steal box going 50 miles an hour on a crammed full interchange with a bunch of whackos just waiting to go into road range mode. Yeah, a lot safer. No thanks.

On the plus side, in Vancouver, I would ride to work in appalling conditions, down pours, black ice, you name it. So here it seems like a breeze - always so nice out. I have a great route to work - mostly on separated bike path - and at about 30 minutes, it actually counts as "exercise." Since I arrived in Los Angeles I have been putting in about 150kms per week "training", so the added kilometres are not all that crucial, but at a minimum of $50 a week savings on gasoline - there are more reasons than one to keep bicycle commuting.

Anyway, I am back at it in force and I feel so great about it: 1) morally 2) financially 3) health-wise. Now, if I can just stay upright for another couple of years...

A Film For Dates And A Wine For Cheapskates

If you're in the mood for a little light, romantic-comedy, date -type entertainment you might want to check out "A Lot Like Love." Directed by Nigel Cole, who previously steered the ingratiating British comedies "Calendar Girls" and "Saving Grace," and written by the actor Colin Patrick Lynch, "A Lot Like Love" tells the story of a would-be couple who fail to get it - and themselves - together time and again. Given that one half of this pairing is none other than Ashton "Dude, Where's My Car" Kutcher, best known for his off screen affair as boy-toy to The Demi Moore-bot, I was sensibly going to give this film a pass. However, having read a review in the New York Times over the weekend, written by Manohla Dargis, that was largely flattering, I decided to take Meg and check it out. Having seen the film, I agree with the lines that convinced me it was worth a try:

One of the best things about "A Lot Like Love" is that this is one of the few mainstream romantic comedies in memory in which innocence isn't a sucker's game. Part of what keeps Oliver and Emily in each other's orbit, despite the myriad complications, is that they never become captive to cynicism or morph into alien beings in some urban "lifestyle" fantasy. Seven years into this romance, Emily was still driving a wreck, Oliver was still struggling and, against all expectation, I was still happy to be along for the ride.

Kutcher is watchable in that quintessential "watch how the American hayseed matures" kind of way, and Amanda Peet is more than watchable and occasionally riveting in a performance that feels "just right." Not forced and mannered like a Jennifer Lopez is so often is in this kind of role. The film is also technically accomplished for this kind of 'straight' film, and there are very well shot scenes. Of particular note, established second unit stuff that is very stylish, without bowling you over.

Switching gears now. If you are looking for a little "vino tinto" for that "despues el cine" experience you have in mind and don't want to bust the budget in the wine department, give this one a go: Domaine Grand Veneur, "Les Champauvins," 2003, Cote Du Rhone Villages. This is a $12 US wine that aspires to a lot more - in fact, only a couple of kilometres separate this wine's origins from those of its posher northern neighbours. It is a GSM (grenache, syrah, mouvedre blend) from the south of France near Orange, and Chateau Neuf Du Pape, and definitely tastes like a lot higher than its price point. I had it with a beautiful "favada" Megcita and I prepared on the weekend (a kind of Castillian stew that features chorizo sausage, large white broad beans and a rich broth) and it fit perfectly. Not so rich and fruitful as it is dry and balanced, it is great sunday lunch wine, but also goes well with that "cheap date pizza!"

"Transformers" Preproduction Starts

Given my esteemed beginnings in computer graphics (my first ever credit was as an 'animator' on the all computer generated television series Beast Wars: Transformers) I thought this news deserved a post!

(From Dreamworks Fansite) Most film producers stay pretty aloof, one however not afraid to comment and let his feelings be known is Don Murphy. The man behind a slew of recent Alan Moore comic adaptations, he is now one of the guys responsible for the upcoming "Transformers" movie. Today, Dreamworks Fansite has assembled the man's collective thoughts on the film from dozens of posts that he has put together over recent weeks.

In the first draft of the script there were four main Transformers on each side but the plans are to expand that to five on each side in the next script revision. The characters of Optimus Prime, Jazz, Ratchet, Bumblebee and Arcee for the Autobots and Megatron, Soundwave and Starscream for the Decepticons. The remaining 2 Decepticons are yet to be determined.

The story is set in Southwest, USA and will be about Autobots who have been on Earth for a long time, (possibly as far back as biblical times) and are engaged in hidden war with other Transformers. It will told from human perspective. There are currently no plans for a second or third film but if the first film does well, two more are likely to follow.

The script is expected to be done by July 1st, preproduction begins September 1st and filming begins December 1st. A PG or PG-13 rating is expected, as is a November 17th, 2006 release date.

Quaffable But Far From Transcendant

Click here for a hilarious rant derived from the hubbub surrounding the film Sideways. "Quaffable, but far from transcendant" has got to be the best line in that film when it comes to ridiculous, verbose, nonsensical descriptions of wine. Yet, it does mean what it means. Hilarious. I have to admit that the film does grow on you like a fine wine. The first time I saw it I thought it was another "fine, well crafted, but far from transcendant" piece of film making from Alexander Payne. On a second viewing, however, I really thought that the film hit on some marvelous character definitions and a certain creeping banality that really roots the film. The reality of these couple of mid-life idiots is all too telling and a great slice of American life as it is for many in the middle classes today. These characters, so embedded in their banal lives, are struggling to accomplish things that are anything but banal - the fanatical appreciation of Pinot Noir, writing a novel, starting a vineyard, etc. Throw in that classic down beat sense of humour present in all of Payne's films and you have some compelling film making.

Mandeville Canyon Road

Last weekend one of the dudes I was riding with out on PCH told me to check out Mandeville Canyon Road as a regular midweek "value ride." Value because of the fact that it is a comparatively secluded canyon road in the Hollywood Hills, thus having less traffic and better air quality, and it has a gradually increasing uphill grade for about 7 miles. Perfect for the 90:00 minute out and back before work. So, today I decided that Meg and I should check it out. Great idea. It was just as billed. A strangely secluded groove in the hills that allows the avid cyclist a little choice uphill canyon action (and downhill fun for that matter on the way back) super close to home if you live in the north west of the city. Lots of posh houses and hidden driveways no doubt housing garages full of vintage sports cars line the road and provide plenty of distracting eye candy. It is the regular haunt of the whole range of cyclismos in Los Angeles f from the 50kms per weeker all the way up to the 300kms per weeker. You get to see the full cross section of cycling society on this road. By the way, I am thinking of joining Velo Club La Grange while I am in Los Angeles. They run regular rides in my area and have a good following with competitive and non-competitive (that's me!) riders.

The Birthday Pie!

Yesterday I became "closer to 40 than 30." Yep, I crossed the 35 year threshold. I have firmly shut the door on "youth" and moved headlong into "the middle years." This birthday definately feels like a door is closing on a chapter. I am officially outside of the key fashion/sales/marketing demographic of 25-35 years of age. No longer a trend setter, etc. What will the world do without Donnie Walsho leading the charge? I am sure that the "Echo" kids will pick up the torch...

I woke up early to get on the bike and start the day off on the right note. A lovely little 90:00 minute jaunt taking in Santa Monica's beach front, and few of the "posh hills" as I have been calling them, and then a spin down to Marina Del Rey and back to the flat. Little did I know I would find my beautiful wife serving up a special turkey and chipotle chile spiced sausage breakfast on my return! Some toast and eggs, and diced cantalope on the side as well. Que fantastico! I definately had a spring in my step as I headed off to work.

When I arrived home after work I was greeted by a couple of big "Happy Birthday" signs and a beautiful sausage pasta dinner. What's more there was a magnificent blueberry birthday pie as well! Cojonudo hombre! "What great fortune do I have today!" I thought, gawdzukes! Sausage for breakfast and dinner with pie for desert! And in the immortal words of J.C. "Jack" Walkey "I think it was the best goddamned pie I have ever had!" Meggi presented me with a great little book about riding in the area around San Luis Obispo north of Los Angeles, and tickets for us to take in a couple of key shows at The Malibu Film Festival. The Aero theatre on Montana Avenue in Santa Monica was the spot and proved to be a great old refurbished independant cinema. There is kind of a "Cambie Street-esque" strip on Montana with a lot of posh shops. We saw Mad Hot Ballroom a documentary film about the New York Public School system's attempt to teach 10 and 11 year olds the finer points of dance and a short program that included an outstanding, offbeat, animated short from Disney called Lorenzo. When you see work like that from Disney Animation it is a wonder why they produce the dreck they do so often! Amazing! This film is what animation is all about, man. Accomplishing things that live action could never accomplish and in a style you've never imagined. Really impressive.

I feel great today. I love my wife, I love my family, I love my friends, I love my career, and I am as passionate or more passionate about these things as I have ever been. Life is good, and the glass is more than half full. Thanks to everyone who took the personal time and effort to recognise my birthday! Muchisimas gracias, un abrazo tan fuerte a todos!

Coming Out of Retirement on the Pacific Coast Highway

I went for my first "serious road ride" on Saturday morning and it was a very enjoyable, although severe, shock to the system. A fast seventy-five total kilometers from my front door north on the Pacific Coast Highway through Malibu to a little place called Trancas and back. The weather was lovely and sunny, but cool by the water. Perfect for cycling. I warmed my old bones up riding to Temescal Canyon Road on the beach path, and then as chance would have it a mixed men's and women's group road by. I thought "there's a good way to learn the ropes around here." So I decided to follow along. They had about a one minute lead on me because of the light at Temescal, and so it took me 16 minutes of pretty hard riding to catch them up. By this time I had realized that I was following a far too fast, far too fit group, and I was already tired from the sprint to catch up. This thought was confirmed when I started to chat with one of the dudes at the back of the group who casually dropped the following line "oh yeah, I have been to Spain too, when I road the Vuelta de San Sebastion." This is a notoriously difficult one-day early season professional race on Spain's north coast that features prominently in the book about Lance Armstrong. So I struggled along happily keeping up to these fit folks for the "out" portion of the journey, but they removed all pretentiousness of compatibility on the "back" portion where even the women (especially the women?) showed me the meaning of "I have another gear you only dream of having big boy." But, there were so many road riders out there I had no trouble hooking up with another couple of mid-thirties grey beards like myself for the better part of the return trip. All in all a fabulous introduction to what I am hoping will be a regular event here this year - La Vuelta de Malibu!

Neil Bruder's Photostream

If you ever have some time on your hands while at the computer (like, oh, say... waiting for a render or something...) check out Neil Bruder's Photostream! Neil is an amateur photographer I know in Vancouver. I had not checked it out recently until today and again I am amazed yet again by Neil's collection of photos. I think Neil has a very bright future as a photographer. I especially love this one of Vancouver in the winter. I think it really captures the essence of what it is like to plunk a city down in the middle of a rainforest. And the city looks so amazing when you get those raking breaks of pure sun through broken cloud. Rich.

Is Your Starsucks Getting You Down?

Don't get mad! Get Even! Check out this amazingly cool website called "Delocate" devoted to offering you, the cafe aficionado, a wealth of opportunities in the non-corporate, or mom and pop, or independent cafe world. Who doesn't love selection? Personal choice? Diversity? Don't settle for that homogeneous garbage coffee milkshake you call a "vente triple shot latte frappacino!" Get the real thing! Get originality! Get uniqueness! Get life! Well, at least get a proper cup of coffee and pay someone who deserves it! Come on!

Click here for a link to the Urth Caffe website, my current cafe of choice. It is just a couple of blocks away from the new flat and they make a proper cappucino. Meg has also been ordering what they call a Spanish Latte which is a beautiful after dinner treat! Urth specializes in only purely organic coffees and teas. From what I have experienced, it is working! The stuff tastes like black heaven! Also, there is some great, straight forward dope on why chosing organic coffee is important.

Niamh Marguerite Anne Is Born!

Meg and I are Aunt and Uncle for the first time! My sister Andrea gave birth to baby Nia yesterday at around five in the afternoon and both are happy and healthy! Congratulations to Andrea and Gord who have now written page one in their new chapter together. We wish them the very best of luck as parents. My very pleased and overwhelmed parents, now proudly grandparents, gave us the news last night. I have yet to speak with Andrea and Gord as they are still at the hospital I guess, but I can't wait to hear from them! The little baby girl's full name is Niamh (the Gaelic form of Neve) Marguerite (in tribute to Gord's Mom) Anne (in tribute to my Mom) and she will go by the shortened form, Nia. Incidentally, the Gaelic name Niamh means "bright and beautiful." Oh yeah, and she will share the Aries sign with yours truly! Making here an Aries along with Julie, my sister in law, my father in law Christian, and my grandpa Bud! The Aries are taking over the family!

We Have A New Home!

As you can see I have updated my contact information. Meg and I have managed to secure a nice flat overlooking the beach in Santa Monica. In fact, we are only five blocks back from the water, just off of Main Street, and there is a bit of a hill, so that our third floor balcony has a nice view! I believe the area is called Ocean Park and it is nicely sandwiched between Venice Beach and downtown Santa Monica. One of our biggest concerns in coming to Los Angeles was the dreaded "drive-a-holic" culture in the city. "Everybody drives everywhere" was something that friends told us about Los Angeles much in advance of arriving here. The "405 Parking Lot" was a familiar refrain as well. We are not really driving people, so images from Steve Martin's hilarious "LA Stories" where people get in their cars to drive four or five houses away were swirling around in my head. I have preferred for years to ride to work, and Meg and I adjusted very well to using the Metro, walking and cabbing around in Madrid and London. I think that if all public transit was as easy and cheap to use as the metro in Madrid we'd all be converts! We really have only used our car as "a recreational vehicle" over the years. So, all along the plan was to perhaps pay a little more, but be in a location that allowed us to maintain a somewhat "European existence" within the "freeway city." From our new location, I will be able to bicycle commute on "bikes only" paths for about 90% of my commute to work. We will be able to walk to most major amenities including the gym, a fresh vegetable market, cafes, restaurants and a public library! In fact, the cafe that is two blocks away called "Urth" makes great cappucino and is already becoming a favorite. All in all, it was a bit of a struggle to find something, but I think what we have found will work out nicely for the year.

Want to Live and Work in America?

Click here to read a great little article on "How to Be an Illegal Alien in the United States" by Mimi a New York Village Voice writer. Funny, and too real at the same time I think. Can you imagine working for "tips only" so as to remain unknown to the authorities? In comparison to her stories related here, Meg and I's woes are quite trivial, being well-educated Canadians who both qualify for temporary work visas in The United States under NAFTA. Aside from the rather cold, neurotic, machoistic and unwelcome reception that you seem to always receive from the border guards who process your visa, coming into The United States qualified to work is relatively painless for us. You just have to be patient and put up with the crap at the border. After that, it is pretty smooth. However, there are times that most definitely confirm in your own mind your status as "a foreigner" here.

Over the past few days Meg and I have struggled to secure accommodations in Los Angeles. This has largely been due to two things: a) higher cost than we anticipated and b) complications with the "status" of our American credit. Although I have worked in The United States legally before, and I have a United States Social Security Number, a bank account, and legal employer now, I don't yet have an American credit card. So the long and short of it is that because I don't have a track record of established debt shouldering ability people are very hesitant to rent you an apartment. They think that you either won't be able to pay regularly or are a risk in that you might take off home at any time. I got Rhythm and Hues to write a letter confirming my work status and wrote up a work history and that eventually got us approved for a place, but we had to pay what I would call a "prejudiced deposit." It not that we have bad credit, we just don't have any, and they flatly refused to look at our Canadian credit history. It was touch and go for a while there, but it looks like we're in the clear now.

Spending any amount of time living and working as a foreigner, not just passing through on holiday where you don't have to deal with the realities of life, really expands your tolerance for immigrants I think. If you're never forced to see things as the foreigner, you never will. Still, our experience in the prosperous north pales in comparison to the experience of our supposed "partners in NAFTA" the Mexicans who have to deal with whackos like this: click here!

Ben Reeves at Oakville Galleries

Click here for details of Ben Reeves' new show at Oakville Galleries. There is similar work here to the work I mentioned was on show at Equinox in Vancouver, but there is additional information about the work via a curatorial piece that is worth a read if you are interested in decifering the dense layers of meaning in Ben's work. You could also just marvel at his drawings and make up your own mind what he's on about!

The Parastone Mouseion Collection

It seems like ages ago that Neil sent me this great link to a collection of models and figurines derived from famous works of art. I have just gotten around to it today as I wait for my first shot on The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe to arrive. Waiting for animation... What else is new!? I think that the Jheronimus Bosch and Pieter Breugel The Elder collections are of particular interest. I always thought it would be amazing to try to faithfully interpret the paintings of Mr. Bosch into 3D animations... A long time "personal project" idea that I have never found the time for... Ah yes, the illusive personal project time. Mysterious and nebulous as a cloud. I remember reading a couple of art books about Bosch and Breugel on the bus in Vancouver as I traveled back and forth to The Vancouver Film School, and that was back in 1996! When I was just learning 3D animation. Personal projects. My own personal fantasma.

California Wild Flowers

Click here to see some amazing photos of California Wild Flowers. Also, here's a link to the California government's website for the area known as the Antelope Valley Poppy Reserve. This year there has been so much rain in Southern California it is either the most, or second most, rainfall on record in the Los Angeles area. As a result, abnormally large numbers of poppy seeds were washed to the surface. Now that spring is arriving in Southern California they're bringing on a big show! Meg and I are going to try to head out there this weekend to snap some photos.

My First California Earthquake!

This afternoon I was sitting at work trying to wrap my head around the rendering pipeline when I could have sworn a rhinosaurus walked by just outside the door. Little did I know I had just experienced my first California earthquake!

I've Been Hasselhoffed! For Real!

Yesterday, Megcita and I went for our first "beach ride" on the bikes. We road out north from Marina Del Rey through Santa Monica and hooked up with the paved beach riding path that goes all along the beach which was packed with folks out skate boarding, roller blading and riding bikes of all sorts. We battled a wicked (and apparently rare) head wind for 15 kms north and a little hill ride up one of the canyons leading to Sunset Blvd. It was nice, although a bit of a "couch ride" do to all the "moving targets" on the path.

As we made our way back to the Marina I noticed a couple of dudes on bikes standing and chatting to a rather tall swarthy bloke. Being tall myself, I tend to notice other tall people in a crowd. I am not sure why, maybe it is just that I am used to always "looking down on folks" that I notice when I am not. Anyway, as I road by... I look over my shoulder and right at the Bay Watch champion himself: David Hasselhoff! I was hilarious! I had to turn back and ride by again, just to be sure, and there he was just crackin' bull with a couple of dudes on the beach. I nodded and said, "hey Dave, wassup?" as I went by and he pointed at me and said, no kidding, "yo, buddy, how're yah doin?"

Add to this the fact that Meg and I had a coffee sitting next to Jean-Claude Van Damme, walked past Don Cheedle and Chris Penn, and I guess you could say we have had a real Hollywood first week in Los Angeles. Although the debate about the ills of Hollywood rages on...

My first week at Rhythm and Hues

Well, it is only my first week at Rhythm & Hues, but I thought that I would jot down a first impression. The studio seems amazing... Much better than I was thinking it would be! I think I forgot what these California studios are like! The is an absolutely obvious "positive vibe" amongst the people working here. You can just feel it in the way people walk around the place. Lots of smiles and happy faces. Maybe I missed the goofball buffet and acid punch, but it all seems very sincere as well. There seems to be a lot of depth here. A huge knowledge base that allows things to "just go well." The pipeline really feels like it has evolved on an ongoing basis each and every week. I get the feeling that once you learn the tools, you can do some great work here.

What I didn't realize when I applied here is that R&H is a nearly completely proprietary studio. They have their own software written on the premises for nearly everything, with the notable exception that Massive crowd simulation software is being used in house, and that 90% of the modeling tasks are completed in Maya. But everything else in the pipeline, including the main 3D software, the renderer, the compositing software, and tons of the usual "widgets" that production requires are all written in house. This is a direct result of the company being founded by software developers from the early days of computer graphics when you "had to" build the software yourself. Thus, I have two weeks of classroom style training that will get me up to speed. It is actually a pretty cool process, because although the basic flow of work is very similar to what I have seen elsewhere, things appear fresh and interesting as a result of seeing "similar problems solved in a way that is unique to the studio." We are literally walking through the entire production process picking up a first look at the tools everyone uses along the way. I am totally impressed as this is the first studio I have ever worked at that has had such a thorough and well run orientation.

However, I have to say that the most interesting thing I have seen yet at R&H is that the head of the studio, a fellow named John Hughes, has his huge personal collection of art work hanging in the halls! It is an unbelievable assortment of production art, paintings, prints, original cels and animation sheets, etc. A really nice environment is created by just being surrounded by this work that is there just to inspire and breed creativity. Usually, you only have work from the show you are working on - concept designs, and story boards, and so forth. But this is something completely different. It is a way of overtly saying our work in feature film visual effects is part of the greater art community and the processes are not so different. I love it!

And last but not least, the food. Every day there is a catered lunch of healthy food. I am totally impressed. The salads are free and the chocolate bars are behind glass and cost you! Just like it should be! Not only that, but there is s "serve yourself" espresso machine! I am in heaven! Need I even mention how cool some of the shots are looking so far?

I am wearing green underpants!

From one pseudo-Irishman to the world: Happy Saint Patrick's Day people! I learned a while ago that the Gaelic spelling of Walsh is actually (strange though it may seem) Breathnach or Brannagh. In Gaelic, this means "Irish Foreigner" or "Welsh Irishman." I guess this is why the majority of the Walshes in Ireland are from the south - places like Millstreet, near Macroom, where my family originated. The south was the place that the Welsh came ashore to trade and what not and the folks attempting an invasion of jolly ole England staged their plans. I believe there were Spanish sailors who became permanent Irishmen when they were washed ashore at some point. I read How The Irish Saved Civilization by Thomas Cahill and I highly recommend it, though it seems I can't remember much now! Yeesh! Walsh is something like the fourth most popular last name in Ireland. The Smith or Brown of Ireland. Click here for a nice big picture of the Walsh family crest! Cheers, and drink up lads!

Getting Settled? Not really...

Hey guess what? It is like 20 degrees here today! It is so weird to get up in the morning and it feels like early summer in Vancouver and we are still in March. Meg and I are trying to get settled into life here in La Ciudad De Los Angeles (so far I have refused to pronounce the "G" without a Spanish "JEH" accent!) So much to do... finding a nice two bedroom apartment pretty close to the studio and in a nice neighbourhood is going to be difficult and more expensive than I thought! Meg and I have seen a couple that are great - in the "Miami Vice" style circa 1983! But as I said, expensive. It seems that whomever promised me that LA prices were cheaper than SF was not really in possession of all the information because as far as I can tell right now things are much the same here as there. Okay, maybe a few percentage points less, but overall, not too much different. Especially seeing as we will probably not venture out of the Santa Monica and Venice Beach areas. I don't doubt that we will find something nice, I just think it will cost us a few hundred bucks a month more than we thought! We are actually waiting to hear about a flat. It is a largely "perfect" place. If we get it, which depends on a secondary credit check because we are Canadians, it will be equidistant between Santa Monica and Venice Beach in a neighbourhood called Ocean Park. There is tons of shopping and amenities nearby in walking distance and I will be almost exactly 10kms away from the studio (less than 30mins by bike). I can ride almost the entire way on bikes only path. The apartment is in an older building that is heritage and has been redone - we will have new bathroom and kitchen! With a view of the ocean! Pretty ideal! Anyway, wish us luck -- we should know by today or tomorrow. Meg has made some in-roads into teaching opportunities and with some patience and luck I think there will be tons of opportunity for her, and she is happy about that! although not looking forward "having her hands tied" with respect to getting through the credentialing process. She has seen some posts for summer classes in Spanish at a posh school in Santa Monica even! Now, in the meantime, she is looking for sub/short term which apparently doesn't take much to get going... she will have to spend some serious study time as the exams she needs to pass are kinda tough. Personally, I can't imagine having to pass grade 12 algebra again!

The Ultimate Grudge Match: Walshman Versus Renderman!

Well, the Pixar interview went pretty well I think, and the feedback seemed to be all positive. There were some tense moments afterwards waiting to hear if they were going to offer me a job straight away. When they called later in the day as they said they would, it turned out they were not prepared to make an immediate offer, which I completely understand. The whole interview arrangement was pretty rushed. I don't imagine that Pixar hurries into anything, let alone a contract with Donnie Walsho! So, I said thanks for the interview, and that I looked forward to the next step in the process. That is a face to face interview apparently. They said they would like to set that up for later in the year! So, understandably I am excited about that!

Sunday, the day before the interview, I headed to The Kino Cafe just to collect my thoughts. I just needed some time to myself to let a little stream of consciousness run out. At times I find this really helps and this case was no exception! I wrote something like ten pages of long hand notes on my thoughts about my work, film in general, also as it applies to lighting in particular, computer graphics, why I do what I do, why working at Pixar would appeal to me... all the things that randomly popped into my head when contemplating probably the biggest interview of my career. I felt a lot better after that, a lot more together and calm, and I hope that came across in the interview.

The interview was really interesting and engaging as one would expect. What I didn't expect was how much interest they showed in my pre-film work experience. So many questions relating to doing things on a smaller scale, without support of a major pipeline. How had I progressed to the stage of my career that I am at now, why had I succeeded in certain situations, etc. That really threw me off guard. I was expecting that they would be much more interested in my recent higher profile work.

What was amazing was listening to two lead lighters talk about what they expected from the lighting team at Pixar and how creative the job can be. They are trying more and more to remove the technical hurdles and really just get lighters to focus on the art. Something that live action lighters have been doing for years.

Overall, I left the interview feeling like I really had a great goal to shoot for and had passed the first crucial test on the way to "one of those jobs people talk about." What a blast. Here's hoping I hear from them later in the year!

Stop The Presses!

Last Friday was the craziest day I have had in recent memory. In the morning, I woke early to head out and coach the The University of British Columbia Novice Men's Rowing Crew. I rushed back home to meet the moving company people who were arriving to prepare all our stuff for the trip south of the border. That was hectic, but fine and went according to plan. So in the afternoon Meg and I went out to see the accountant (again) and the car insurance people and generally run some errands that we had to tie up before leaving for California. When I got back in the late afternoon, I was expecting an email from Rhythm and Hues about the hotel arrangements. What I found was a request for and interview from Pixar Animation Studios!

Meg says I let out some sort of primordial scream and then I just sat there staring at the screen. What did this mean? What kind of flukey timing is this? I was stunned! and I didn't really know what to do. I had thought that my application was "borderline at best," as I guess all those applying to Pixar for the first time do, and that I would for sure need to reapply again after more work "before I was good enough." I guess not. My joy at receiving a request for interview with arguably the greatest animation studio in history, which I think I rightly regard as an accomplishment in itself, was completely overcome by what I would describe as professional dread about the fact that I had sincerely verbally agreed to start at Rhythm and Hues in just a week's time and had in fact just received my TN Visa application that afternoon! That feeling of "oh man, these people will hate me, even though it was not my fault" was all consuming. I felt an immediate professional obligation to let them know I might not be showing up to work on monday, but I was handcuffed by the weekend and the fact that I didn't have an offer from Pixar yet!

Well, eventually I collected my thoughts and said well I had better call Pixar and see what's up! I was thinking it could be just a pre-interview, or an opportunity they had coming up in future. But no, when I got on the phone, sure enough the opportunity was immediate and they wanted to interview on monday. I was dumbfounded, but got my act together and told them I could interview immediately on monday morning. I hung up the phone and said to Meg, "god, I need to get drunk!" and went out to The Kino Cafe! It surely was a crazy day. Well, we'll see how it goes!

Ben Reeves at The Equinox

Click here to see some of Ben Reeves' recent work shown at the Equinox gallery in Vancouver. Meg and I stopped in recently to check out some of Ben's painterly affairs, and as usual, we were blown away by his tremendous creativity and determination to produce inspiring works of art. He has pulled off yet another stunner. When you walk into the gallery you see what appear to be faint abstract grey fields on white backgrounds. But as you approach the works you realize that you are looking at relief drawings of... Paintings. Thus the title of the show : Drawing Painting. Ben has literally drafted in accurate relief each and every brush stroke as though the painting that he was drawing was in fact a still life. He has with graphite and charcoal described in the drawings the complex patterning of brush strokes that effectively build the paintings up from the blank canvas. The works are at once abstract and respresentational and it is this curious dialogue that I think Ben is interested in. If all paintings are in fact "built by brush strokes" which taken on their own, one by one, are completely abstract, then at what point is any work more abstract than representational? Or vice versa? It takes some time of viewing to make any sense of this dialogue, but your patience is certainly rewarded. I really liked the show, but that's not saying much, as Ben is definitely preaching to the converted with me! I whole heartedly encourage you to go see the show! If anything, you will simply marvel at Ben's mental fortitude to have stuck with a project that must have required some painstaking hours of near meditative concentration.

Coach Walsh

This week I have been helping The University of British Columbia Men's Rowing Coach, Mike "Fierce" Pearce drill the current crop of top University athletes in the program. Actually, I was trying to give the Novice Men's Crew a helping hand just prior to the spring racing season. I really enjoyed the three mornings I was on the water this week and experienced a healthy dose of nostalgia for the old days when I was super-keen and super-fit! Such fun to see a new crop of dudes out there training like mad and trying to get going fast. It was however, a classic novice rowing shmazzle! The first practice the guys showed up with only 7 rowers, not the requisite 8. What this means is that the boat is always lop sided and difficult to row. So, as a result we sent the remainder of the practice doing "drills." Really annoying if you are new to rowing and just want to get going and pull hard man! The next practice we had a full crew, but before we could get going we managed to knock the fin off (the rudder on a crew shell) and bust a rigger (the thing that holds the oar in place) during some sloppy rowing. So what did that mean? More drills. The guys were learning an essential lesson: show up with all the dudes and don't break the boat, otherwise rowing can really suck! Finally friday rolled around and we had a great "pre-race" practice. The dudes went out there and did their level best to make like Mercury motors and haul ass. All the effort had little to no effect on hull speed, but hey, that never stopped The Walshman! Thanks to Mike for letting me get involved and "give a little back" to the program. With the prospect of the new U.B.C. crew shell house being built this year, it has certainly given me pause to think about all I gained in body and mind from my formative years on the crew. It is a relationship based on pure love of the sport that brought me so much and I hope to continue it for some time to come!

Going Wild At The Kino Cafe!

Last night we had a great outing at the Kino Cafe on Cambie Street in Vancouver. Meg and I had invited a random group of friends to come to meet us at the cafe for some "bebidas, musica y charla." The Kino Cafe is a special spot in the context of Vancouver I think because in my experience it is a rare room with all the atmosphere of a great cafe in Madrid, Barcelona, or any little Spanish town for that matter! Just transported half way around the world! Its simple low stage offers live music, it has a casual tapas menu, and drinks or coffee, dinner or desert attitude. I love the place, and especially on "Flamenco Nights" when it is packed with poeple and local purveyors of the craft take to the little stage. Last night was exceptional. A solo male vocalist, a single guitar and a single stunning and talented female dancer. They lit up the room with three impassioned sets of songs and some seriously heart warming stomping. Some of the folks who had not been there before went nuts for it and it was great to see. It was just amazing to see a sampling of people for all corners of our lives meeting together and having an amazing, fun and casual time. Although at one point, as my buddy Jeremy Mesana craftily pointed out "it looks like freakin' high school in here man! All the hot chick teachers are sitting together chatting while us chump computer nerds are stuck in the corner talking about work!" After that, he slide over to the "girl's side" and said in a sly voice "I try to pretend I am interested in what these nerds are talking about, but I am actually bored out of my mind..." What a jerk! Buckley showed up sick and left drunk and before he realised one of the hot chick teachers had the hots for him! You snooze, you lose Bucko! Miko stayed out far past his "father of two" bedtime and looked none the worse for it! Bucket (et entourage) showed up, thus completely dashing all hopes that THE G would grace us with his presense. Those two are like oil and vinegar. Bucket and Mesana insisted that we should close the place down, but after a couple of shots Bucket was slurring his words and mumbling "I gotta go home man, look at me, I am old! I should be in bed!" We had no choice but to agree! Thanks to everybody who showed up and made the night enjoyable! Here's hoping we do it again sometime soon!

Walshman V.5.1 Released

Just a note to say that The Walshman has released a new version. This one is a slight upgrade from the last version and includes parameters for advanced realization of lions, witches and wardrobes as well as the possibility of large scale mythic warfare! So version up people!

VFX SOUP Website

A special "gracias amigo" goes out to THE SUPER G for hooking me up for a chat with local Vancouver visual effects celebrity Mark Breakspear, who is currently toiling as a Visual Effects Supervisor at Rainmaker. Mark put me onto his website called VFX SOUP where he hosts an informal forum all about our ridiculous obsession! There are some excellent resources there and I encourage you to drop in and take a look! Okay, okay, I am a total geek... come on! It's OSCAR night! Gimme a break!

Los Brasilenos Versus Les Quebecois

Last night I met some of my old friends from my days at Mainframe Entertainment. Animation directors Andrew "The Monkey" Duncan and George Samilski, production designer Casey Kwan, and Uber Technical Director Steve "Grapes" Sauers. The occasion was that Mr. Sauers was visiting Vancouver from San Francisco (where he does some dodgey work for some dude named Lucas) and George thought that it might be a good idea to meet at this Brasilian place called "Samba." I knew something was up with the place when I arrived ahead of the other guys and took a seat at the bar. I was greeted by three gorgeous women with over-the-top carnival outfits featuring all the feathers and what not. Let's just say that there was a whole lot of shaking going on!!! They were accompanied by this cheesey DJ with a thin felt marker mustache and eye-liner. He was saying things like "here's one for all you beach mommas ready to strut your stuff!!!" And then he played this crazy samba music so loud you could hear it on the moon! When the boys showed up we dug into the salad bar and all-you-can-eat Brasilian meat barbeque. Basically what happens is the waiters come around with huge skewers with all manner of grilled meats. Organic beef, ostrich, lamb, venison, etc. You name it, they had it! I kept wondering what my Brasilian friends Andre "El Camaro" De Souza and Roberto "The Hunk 'O Burnin' Love" Hradec would think of the place. I decided they'd love it! how could they not! So we proceeded to geek out talking all about "the good old days" at Mainframe, and pig out on Brasilian barbeque! When we left I couldn't help yelling "falou tchau!" at the tops of my lungs! Later on, I met up with Megcita and her friends Carmen and Silvana at a Quebecois Cafe called La Zidanie where they were soaking up a little live music and Maudite. In fact, by the time I got there they were looking like they'd had a healthy sampling of all manner of the fine Quebecois ales that they have available at the cafe. Not to mention a helping of "poutine!" Fortunately for me, I didn't arrive too late for the desert! Tarte du sucre and crepes avec le sirop d'erable and coffee. Amazing! I was thinking that this was what I should have mentioned as an answer to that frequent question while I was in Europe: but, what is Canadian food anyway? Adding to the amazing atmosphere were a couple of crazy Quebecois improvisational musicians who were playing some great tunes on an acoustic guitar and totally rocking the house! As we left I thought to myself that this kind of night was a great example of what is so amazing about Vancouver. Where else in the world can you pig out on Brasilian barbeque and follow up with tarte du sucre?

Los Angeles Bound

So looks like we are going to have to brush up on our Californian! Watz crackin yo? We ain't kickin like dat no mo! Pho sho!

We are off to Los Angeles and I am going to work at Rhythm and Hues. I picked up a lighting technical director gig on "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe." I am really excited since it is a nice project (one of the big three Christmas films for 2005 along with the fourth Harry Potter film and Peter Jackson's take on King Kong), and it will take me through to the end of October at least. The people at R+H told me that they would be busy right the way through to May 2006. So, it looks like a grand opportunity to take advantage of all that Los Angeles has to offer. With luck, we will score a pad somewhat near the beach and within bicycle commuting distance to and from work. Pretty cool, given the "drive-a-holic" culture down there.

I was really hoping that we'd land in San Francisco this year, but it looks as though we will have to delay that for a little while. I just think that Meg and I are more San Francisco type people (to say nothing of the fact that we are very Vancouver type people!). I am much more enamorate of the hippie-geek style of San Francisco than the Hollywood-smaltz of Los Angeles. That being said, I know that we will find the best of what Los Angeles has to offer. I am still pretty disappointed that I got not so much as a whisper in the wind from the San Francisco studios. I sincerely hope that this will change with the ILM move getting settled, even though it may mean less jobs, perhaps they will be more stable ones. Perhaps 2004/5 will go down in the visual effects industry in San Francisco as "the malaise before the move."

Meg is excited too. Especially about somehow getting herself some quality exposure to the Latino community in some way - teaching English, continuing to work doing translations, or even perhaps teaching Spanish in the school system. She has been talking about wanting to watch "Stand and Deliver." I am sure we will both enjoy the weather, and the lifestyle for a while, but I am sure we will miss the north in a year's time and move when opportunity strikes! Not too mention our friends and family in Vancouver and Victoria. At least we will only be a few hours away by plane! Anyone interested in a visit and some time on the beach?

The Night of the Egg Shaped Latrines

There was one night in particular during my last few weeks in Soho that was absolutely surrealistic. Well, it didn't begin that way, but it certainly ended that way! It was a the "Leaving Do" for Christoph Mattheisen my friend and fellow computer graphics world traveller from Germany who was leaving The Moving Picture Company for some down time in Germany and parts unknown after that. Anyway, it began as most leaving do's do with the consumption of alcoholic beverages and much chatter at a pub called "The Market Place" near Oxford Circus. Things were fairly normal there -- the French were snobbishly frowning on the food, the English were slobberingly smashed, the Italians were sitting in a corner by themselves gawking at a hot waitress until she figured out they, like her, were Italian and came over and said something in Italian that made them all go white, and the Spanish were wondering why their Italian cousins were such mama's boys... Normal pub stuff, you know the deal, until... Andre "El Camaro" De Souza and his devilish little Swedish/Chinese buddy Jafe showed up with two Japanese clients from Glassworks Studio. Then things got a little whacko... By this time, the place was shutting down, mi hermanita Eli was getting a little tipsy and becoming beligerant by spontaneously yelling things like "those phackin' Italian ffffaggots!" and Andre was having some strange Indian dude threaten him for absolutely no reason whatsoever, and the Italians were beconing distraught about the next day's football match in the park and so I thought "right, time for the bus..." when at this exact moment Andre (having extricated himself from the weird little Indian guy who was now threatening the gigantic bouncers on the door with physical violence) says to me "Walshman, we're goin' ta posh it up mate. Come on." What ensued was a delightfully disorganized drunken stumble to a posh Regent Street after hours club. What none of us realised at the time was that we were following the crazy Japonese guys! Don't ask me how, but somehow they managed to not only get us into this posh after hours club but straight to the back of the club and directly into a UFO-shaped VIP room. The kind of clientel in this room ranged from a Lenny Kravitz look-alike to a woman who insisted on showing the whole room her ass while asking in a thick accent "it's good isn't it?" Meanwhile, I remember seeing Andre attempting to buy a drink from a midget waiter in this sunken bar while a weird "skater boy" rubbed shoulders with him. I decided to take a back seat to the festivities and found myself having a decidedly "Lost in Translation" Bill Murray-esque moment with one of the Japonese dudes. An then, Eli walks over and starts speaking fluent Japonese to the guy! I couldn't believe it! The next moment Andre was being accused of "not being Brasilian" by some egregiously tall black woman from Brixton - he is from Sao Paulo and just stood there staring up at her with a blank expression on his face. Sooner or later the place started to shut down while some booze-hound yelled at the midget waiter "I must have more booze!" As we headed out of the club I decided to take a leek and followed the directions to the loo only to find myself in a room full of human-sized glowing eggs. It took me a minute to figure out that these were the washrooms! Thankfully the night ended with a nice walk through Soho to Bar Italia on Frith Street and there we found ourselves in an abundance of fine cafes and panini after Andre produced a 20 quid note and proclaimed "this here is some faggot quids I got for my smile." Apparently, the skater boy had taken a shine to him and slipped him a bill. We all agreed the goodies at Bar Italia were worth it.

Lo Siento Gente Estaba Incomunicado!

Sorry for not posting anything too relevant or interesting recently. Not to say that ever happens here, but... My life has been blowing by like a gail force wind these days. I have bearly been aware of the relevance of time. Which in and of itself is both a good and a bad thing. I am back in Vancouver after 6 final frantic few weeks in London finishing up my work for The Moving Picture Company on Sir Ridley Scott's "Kingdom of Heaven." It feels great to be back in Vancouver largely because the weather has been so stunning. Perfect February weather! Cold at night, down to minus 5 degrees at times, and warm and sunny in the day, up to 12 degrees. I have been out for a road ride nearly every day since coming home. This is what can be so great about Vancouver. I realise now that the past 6 weeks was a tough time emotionally for me since I was away from Megcita for much longer than we had planned, and it was not at all an ideal end to our time in Europe - with her here in Vancouver and me stuck at a desk in Soho. But, I was enthusiastic about going back to Soho to finsh the project and in the long run I think I will be glad that I did. I had a great time seeing some of my work finalised (well, sort of, a couple of my shots were still in compositing when I left!), and I had some fun times outside of work. I suppose I was lucky in that the time went by very quickly due to being so busy, and it did give me a chance to say a proper farewell to friends and colleagues that I did not have before Christmas (including a Gilliam-esque short film lampoon of my working life at MPC which was a hoot to do!). A highlight had to be the last two weeks spent living in Brixton with Jordi and Eli, my Spanish friends from Barcelona who were so gracious and kind for putting up "pobrecito yo!" It was quite hilarious to learn that my aquaintence from Madrid Luisma Lavin (who is coinsidentally also a friend of Jordi and Eli) was also visiting for a few days while he applied for work in London. This lead to some very fun times with Eli, Luisma, and also Pablo El Tufarisimo who was back from Argentina to work at The Peerless Camera Company, and of course his chica bonita Noe. There was a couple of very fun nights "charlando sobre Noe's bebidas fuertes!" at Bradley's Spanish Bar. All in all I am very gald to be back home of the west coast of Canada, and getting in touch with friends and family here. Not to mention my lovely wife who seems a bit of a stranger given recent events. Time to put an end to that! I am sure I will miss Soho in some funny ways, and of course I instantly miss all of the people who made living and working there worth it!

F/X GODS?

Here's a link to a pretty interesting survey on www.wired.com on the leaders in the visual effects for feature film industry. I like the fact that it includes the old guard, like Dennis Muren, but also highlights some of the up and coming folks about town, including smaller vendors like The Orphanage. The obvious fact that there are more and more visual effects in feature film, most of them being so called "invisable effects" that no one even notices, and that the budgets for such work have steadily risen gives me some hope that the industry will continue to trundle along at a good clip for some time yet. Yahoo!