More than I can chew?

So, in anticipation of my making a new comedy CD, I have decided to put myself in the public eye more by releasing a video short every Monday. Man, the idea was a lot more attractive before I was about six weeks into it like now.

The hardest part, is always having another "good" idea ready to shoot for the next week. I ended up sifting through the internet for video contests as a way to inspire myself to write. It actually helped and this weeks video is a direct result of one of those contests.

There was a challenge on the filmfights website that you should make a live action trailer of some animated thing. I, as you can see, chose Dragon's Lair.

Well, off to write the next thing...

Two Penguins: 24 hours of production

If you have't seen TWO PENGUINS already then please take a look and then I will answer most of the questions that I have been getting about it right here and now.

So how was this 24 hours of work? SPOILER AHEAD IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN IT.

Not quite in a row, but here is how it broke down.

HOURS 1 - 10

Since I had the basic story Idea i could get Laura started in Photoshop putting the elements together for the background while I finished the storyboards. My storyboards were extremely crude drawings but they were enough to get the point across.

Once I had finished the storyboards I moved on to doing the key frames for the animation. The plan was that Laura was going to finish the background and then move on to painting the frames. This is basically what happened, we were moving along at a good pace.

All the drawing and digital inking was completed in Adobe Flash.

I finished all of the key-framing for the entire piece then moved on to finishing the final altered bloody background.

At some point we used my Zoom H6N to Record Laura saying the titular "I'll miss you. " line.

At this point, Laura is super tired and she goes to sleep. I stay up and finish the rest of the inking and then follow in her footsteps.

HOURS 11 - 17

I assembled all the pieces in Apple motion. Since Motion accepts Photoshop layers with transparency and reads alpha channels from QuickTime files, I was able to easily drop thing in, size them up and get a good working idea of what shot looks like.

It took some time to create the aurora borealis effect in the sky, but once it was finished, it was an easy copy and paste to each shot.

HOURS 18 - 20

Once all the shots were exported, putting them together in Final Cut was pretty simple. I got some extra sounds from freesound.org (great resource by the way0 and then recorded the random penguin sounds which I generated with my mouth,

HOURS 20-24

I am not the greatest musician or the recording of the song in TWO PENGUINS would have gone a lot faster. What are you gonna do huh? I harmonized the best I knew how. Please berate me for my efforts.

Freaky Penguins

Yesterday, me and Laura had the great idea to try and finish an animation in a day. Not just a sketch,but fully inked and colored. Many hours and no sleep later, it appears that we have all the components finished. Now all we have to do is edit the stuff together.

Here is one of my favorite frames. It is full of the way I feel after 12 straight hours of drawing.

enjoy.

Re: Puppet Drama is Wrapped and Ready

So, THE TROUBLE WITH CHARLIE, the "puppet dram" that I conceived of a few weeks ago is finished! It was strange how quickly it came together.  A friend of mine had a production company and told me that they were doing nothing for a couple of weeks and if I had a briliant idea, they would shoot it for me.

Brilliant is subjective, but we did turn around a helluva shoot in very little time.  It has been a while since I had the chance to direct a narrative with a full crew so I was psyched.

New York City premiere coming up at The Iron Mule (ironmulenyc.com) film fest on February 4th at 8 pm 

If you are in town, you should definitely come see it.

Facebook Hoes

Every once in a while somebody creates an account and then tries to solicit people on Facebook. It is usually a woman in a foreign country trying to pretend to be a US Citizen and asking if you want to date the, Then they would ask you to meet them on line and live cam chat etc. etc...

It is incredibly unconvincing if you say you grew up in the US but type terrible broken English.

Here's the latest.

• Corin S Riggs

  • Hi

    How are you doing here huh, My Name is Selinah C.Robert, I do live in Center church Road stephens, Georgia, I am 28 of age and I was born and raise up in US and my parent but they are both late now may God bless them and put them in his hand. Well i'm currently in UK working as a sales Girl. We are selling Shoes, Bags and women make up. I am single lady with no kid and am also single because my ex boyfriend is not caring and he likes dating and sleeping around with other girls, he slept with many of my best friend that is why I broke up with him and all of all he likes beating me I don't know maybe because I have no parent oh, but I hope you are not same as him when am cool and well trained from a Good family. I am caring lady and honest with a good heart. I'll take very good care of you on bed and make you the best couple in this world, but I think you are single like me, well let give a try to see if we are match but if you are interested in me you may write me back and tell me when I will meet you online.
    
    Thanks.
    Selinah C. Robert

• 10 hours ago

  Corin S Riggs

  • Hi am here can i know you ?

• 6 minutes ago

  Corin S Riggs

  • Hey

  • How are you doing

• 2 minutes ago

  Victor Varnado

  • Fine. I have a girlfriend. Thanks. Good luck with uh... stuff.

Netflix Instant Treasures

Thing you should watch on Netflix Instant.

THE TAKE

I am an insatiable fan of London crime and Tom Hardy movies. This miniseries is an adaptation of a novel that seems to have been written with the most sociopathic character I have ever seen on screen. This includes American Psycho. Tom Hardy is playing Bane opposite Christian "American Psycho" Bale in the new batman movie. What a wonderful way to warm yourself up for that with this series.

LIFE IN A DAY

This movie turned out to be exactly what I thought it would be, but executed beyond my expectations... does that make any sense? Thousands of people all over the world on June 24th 2011 documented their day and then sent all the video in to one place. Then one tortured sole edited it all together into an amazing film. It has been a while sic i have seen a doc with no narration or even a particular protagonist that really entertains like this film does. check it out.

Can I come by your house and fart on you?

Shooting ends on The Trouble With Charlie

After three days of serious puppet drama, last night we finished the last shot for our epic puppet drama. It was been a while since I had the chance to stretch my legs on a narrative with an (almost) full crew.

After sticking to documentaries for the last couple of years, it was refreshing o know what was coming next and to shape things on set in ways that it is impossible to do in a non fiction format. More on the sleazy puppet as it surfaces.

Day One of Shooting: The Trouble with Charlie

The epic puppet drama began yesterday.

This marks the first time I have ever directed a puppeteer, I mean a real puppeteer.  James, Wojatal has worked for 20 years in the industry and knows that classic puppeting style started by the Henson company.  

Funny, I had a lot of people offer to puppet for me when I was trying to find a puppeteer.  Plenty of offers from people who would say things like.  "No, I've never done it, but come on... it's a puppet!"  

When a puppet is in the hands of a real puppet artist it comes to life and feels like you are talking to a tiny peppy person.

Charlie, the puppet, pictured here with puppet builder, Robert Eggers.

All my Woes Right Now Stem From one Place

A puppet.

This is the guy.  Charlie, currently being finished and about to be manipulated by a master puppeteer for my new short film, The Trouble With Charlie.  

As you know every film.  no matter how small, requires a crap-load of work to  get it done. Add in the fact that pre production is almost over and stuff still isn't done and  you can understand why I feel like I barely have the tie to type this.

Today's big task, finishing a third polish of the script before I send it out to everyone tomorrow.

Some serious puppet shit is about to go down.

Final Comic From LAURA

Laura sends us her final comic from out of town.   I think she is trying to say something about our  age difference.

Laura's sixth comic

We can all agree that she is deeply disturbed, right?

Laura just left town and this is her first comic from "on the road".  

Comic Number 5

Laura has stepped up her game this time with a horror comic loosely based on a bit I did around halloween. To see that bit, go here.

Laura's Fourth Comic

Laura finished yesterday's comic late last night.  Let's hope she gets a  head start on today's.  Only three more to  go before her commitment is fulfilled,.

Surreality is starting to settle in here.

Laura's third comic.

Qs the days go forward. Less and less work seems to be going into these comics.

Laura's second comic

This comic arrived in the middle of the night. Just over the note. It still counts thought be use she worked om it during Christmas eve and we all know how special that is for the Jews.