Mindless Productions

A Short in Progress

2012-02-09T21:20:00.000-08:00

So there is some work to be done. The music and v.o. is scratch but you can get the idea. There will be changes but I am very open to critiques.

And a Little Elephant

2012-02-09T21:19:00.000-08:00

Just a little Elephant with a kite.

Two Snow Monsters

2012-02-09T21:18:00.001-08:00

Not sure why but I had an urge to draw snow monsters.

A few Christmas Images

2012-02-04T14:22:00.000-08:00

Did these guys for a local studio. Some story sketch ideas.

Some Logo Designs

2012-02-04T13:36:00.000-08:00

I was messing around with logo designs, then for fun put them on shirts.

My Fridge Ideas

2012-02-02T16:29:00.000-08:00

Some Hero poses I did for a client. Who knew it would be fun to draw kitchen appliances.

A robot

2012-02-02T16:28:00.001-08:00

A little robot sketch.

A test background

2012-02-01T12:32:00.000-08:00

Just trying to feel out the look of things for this short. This is one little test bg.

Some Sketches of a possible character

2012-01-31T18:33:00.001-08:00

So a critique would be nice. Trying to get this guy worked out.

A Concept

2012-01-24T17:54:00.001-08:00

Just fooling around on space ships.

A Test

2012-01-18T22:01:00.000-08:00

Just a small little test, missing sound fx but you get the idea.

A shot story in the work

2012-01-18T18:14:00.000-08:00

some concepts for a short story by a friend of mine.

Their Masks

2011-12-19T22:15:00.001-08:00

Same Characters masks

Some Characters for a film

2011-12-19T22:08:00.000-08:00

Tribute to one of my favorites

2011-12-19T22:05:00.000-08:00

A poster I made for my brother for Christmas.

Random Sketchery

2011-11-17T00:14:00.001-08:00

Just messing around.

More Space Bear

2011-11-12T18:24:00.001-08:00

Another style board.

Space Bear Style Board

2011-11-12T16:47:00.001-08:00

Space Bear style board.

Space Bear Rocket

2011-11-12T16:45:00.000-08:00

Just an idea.

More Space Bear

2011-11-08T19:36:00.001-08:00

Here's a rough turnaround and mouth shapes for Space Bear. Going to try this out in Flash, if not I'll be animating him in AE.

Space Bear

2011-11-03T18:35:00.000-07:00

A new story I'm working on for children.

Anna Storyboards

2011-10-13T02:30:00.000-07:00

And some More

Anna and the Beekeeper Storyboard

2011-10-12T01:11:00.000-07:00

So I'm redoing Anna based on Andrew's animatic. Going to get this going again. I don't want to take all the credit as Andrew roughed the whole thing out. I'm cleaning things up and possibly making some changes, we'll see. Here's a few more shots.

Demon Concept for Anna and the Beekeeper

2011-09-19T01:15:00.001-07:00

So here's one of the concepts for a demon on Anna and the Beekeeper. Not finalized but just an idea based on one of Andrew's sketches from the storyboard he was working on.

Two shots from Anna and the Beekeeper

2011-09-18T23:49:00.000-07:00

So just to prove I'm alive and kicking, here are two shots from Anna and the Beekeeper. Just some boarding.

Some storyboarding

2011-07-10T11:40:00.000-07:00

So it's been a while since I posted anything. Here are some random scenes from a storyboard I am working on. A friends live action horror film in no particular order.

All three united

2011-03-13T22:11:00.000-07:00

So here's the shots in sequence. I guess there's some stuff to correct but overall I'm pretty happy with the experiment.

LongShot Test

2011-03-13T18:11:00.001-07:00

So here is a test shot Martin and I were working on. I am currently exporting the revisited shot with camera push and some other stuff. Sorry for the low res, I'll update with a better version later.

Another Shot

2011-03-13T15:20:00.000-07:00

So I decided to post this in the works. Having trouble with the goggle reflections. Doesn't really look like reflections and the tracking isn't quite working. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Test Shot for Sleep

2011-03-13T15:17:00.000-07:00

So here is a test shot from "Sleep" I have two more shots in the works and might post them later.

The Bear

2011-03-07T22:00:00.001-08:00

And here's the bear. I left myself in the picture not because I am vain but to give a size reference. She's pretty big.

2011-03-07T21:50:00.000-08:00

So here are some test renders for Sleep. This is the background for one of my shots, a sunset scene, green to red as it sets. The background will be computer generated then put together with a partial stop-motion set and characters. Hopefully it turns out.

My Reel

2011-02-04T10:08:00.000-08:00

So here's my reel. No "Sleep" stuff on it yet but soon.

Opening Establishing Shot - Animatic

2010-10-10T18:09:00.000-07:00

So Here's the opening shot. The other way was weak and per Andrew's advice here is a pan.

Character Mock-ups for "Sleep"

2010-09-13T10:24:00.000-07:00

Here are some pics of the mock-ups I did for "Sleep"

Color Schemes for "Sleep"

2010-09-13T10:21:00.000-07:00

So here are some paintings, basically taken from scenes in the animatic and painted as a style and color test.

drew

Rough Animatic for "Sleep"

2010-09-12T20:16:00.000-07:00

So here's a rough animatic for sleep. Feels rushed I know. As soon as I get the completed version of the song it will be longer and I'll be able to stretch it out a bit. It's still the basic idea, had to cut a bunch of scenes but I may bring them back depending on the final length of the song. As always, critiques welcome.

drew

Some Concept Design as well as Storyboards for "Sleep"

2010-09-03T02:43:00.000-07:00

So here is a concept design sketch as well as some storyboard images. I'l post some pictures of the clay versions I'm working on. I have to fix the bears ass-end and finish the rider. Let me know what you think.

Character sketches for "Sleep"

2010-08-02T21:47:00.000-07:00

So here are some character sketches for my latest endeavor. It's for a music video for a friend. Definitely looking for some critiques as I am in the early stages of character design. I like the more exaggerated characters, thanks Becky for the critique. She said to exaggerate them more from my original sketches and I like the new direction. Let me know what you think.

Drew

The Old Man and the Butterfly - Final Film

2010-06-19T00:50:00.000-07:00

So here is my first film, I like it and think it turned out nice. The animation is still rough but I'm learning what can I say. Hope you like it and as always, any critique is welcome.

Old Man Animatic

2010-05-30T03:04:00.000-07:00

So here's the animatic for the latest Old Man Short. I'm pretty sure this will be the final, I'm still working on the timing and the thumbnails are really rough, really rough. Just a note that last frame is the butterfly close up and then it flies around on screen while the titles come down. Yes, the old man commits suicide in the end. Yes, I know this is depressing but with the tone of the poem it seemed the most likely end. I hate to kill the old guy, I like him, but I'm afraid this is the way the story goes, not what I thought in the beginning but sometimes they write themselves. If it makes you feel any better the butterfly lives. By the way the voice talent is Joe Cronin and the poem is by Sean Stackhouse, music is Chopan, I can't remember the artist who performed it but the final version will be performed by Jason Kauffman and Myself.

The latest in the Old Man set

2010-05-26T01:25:00.001-07:00

So I'm remaking the prison set for this terms animation. It's still drying but here are the latest images. I have to add the prison door as well as his bed, mess with the lighting and start filming. I will post pictures of the old man soon, I did some changes on his body that I think turned out a lot better. First frame build with wood and drywall, then the walls framed in cage wire covered in burlap. Then there is a layer of plaster, clay built on top and sculpted. A layer of 2 part epoxy. Then I painted multiple layers and sprayed with matte finish. The floor is foam bolted down with plumbers mounts (metal banding with screw holes). The holes are filled with air dry foam clay. There are portions covered with the 2 part epoxy then painted black. Then I used the same paint to match the floor with the walls. All in all, a lot of work.

the Final Tidbit of The Old Man and the Butterfly - rough

2010-03-22T21:51:00.000-07:00

Here's the final I'm turning in tomorrow. It's still a little rough. Had a problem with the XTI moving with each frame, maybe the click of the camera, not sure. I had to use AfterEffects and with some help with motion tracking I got it to this. The music is me, simple and stupid along with the voice. I'll rerecord the vocals and music and clean it up some but I think that I may pursue this to completion for a portfolio piece. Let me know what you think.

Shot 1 low res animation footage & one high

2010-03-21T00:50:00.000-07:00

And again.

Low Res animation footage and one frame of high 2res

2010-03-21T00:46:00.000-07:00

Again the same.

Low Res animation footage and one frame of high res

2010-03-21T00:42:00.000-07:00

So here is some more footage. Same deal as with the butterfly shot.

Butterfly Low Res Animation Footage & 1 high res frame

2010-03-21T00:37:00.000-07:00

So Here is some footage from my stop motion short. I posted the animation footage (low res) that I used to animate with and then a still from the high res camera. I had to use a Cannon XTI for the high res and since I can't run a live feed from that I had to set up another camera close to that with a fire wire feed. The animation footage is from the fire wire feed. I still have to composite the high res frames.

Lighting Test & Character Poses for The Old Man and the Butterfly

2010-03-16T23:15:00.001-07:00

Here are some poses and lighting tests for the stop-mo film.

Old Man and the Butterfly Short Test Animatic

2010-03-02T00:48:00.000-08:00

So this is an animatic for one part of my stop-motion short. This is just a small scene from the short. Let me know what you think.

Edric Expression Shot

2010-02-16T02:37:00.001-08:00

Here's just another picture of Edric in his default expression.

The old man and the butterfly - establishing shot

2010-02-16T02:33:00.001-08:00

Forgot to add this to the storyboard. Here's my establishing shot.

The Old man and the butterfly Storyboard

2010-02-16T02:28:00.000-08:00

So this is just a section of another short. It's just a trimmed down portion for a stop-motion class. There really isn't a plot in this part, just a fraction of the end of the film.

Edric from The Old man and the Butterfly

2010-01-24T21:42:00.000-08:00

This is Edric from my other short, The Old Man and the Butterfly.

New Improved Cliff Scene

2009-12-19T18:29:00.000-08:00

With Hong's Tweaks

My Toned Version

My Line Drawing

Here is my cliff scene. Again I included my line version, my toned and Hong's touch ups. I need to work on my clouds and trees. Besides that I am pretty pleased with this bg and think that it sets the tone of the film pretty well.

New Improved River Cross Background

2009-12-19T17:50:00.000-08:00

Hong's Tweaked Verison

My Toned Version

My Line Drawing

So here is the first of my cleaner backgrounds for "Ukia the Wolf." This was a learning experience for sure. Thanks to Hong Zhong and Yer Vue, teachers for an independent study on Background and Layout. I have included my lined version, my toned version and a version of mine that Hong tweaked in photoshop. Any critiques are greatly appreciated.

Another Animatic

2009-12-05T20:03:00.000-08:00

So here's the latest animatic, still rough. I'm trying to clean up some of the really rough ones to get it more clear. I need to do some fixing on the river crossing scene.

Really rough Animatic for "Ukia the Wolf"

2009-11-08T22:35:00.000-08:00

So Here's a really rough version of "Ukia the Wolf." Basically the last 5 scenes, 3 if you don't count the little running sequences. I put this one to music hoping to get a better idea of timing. I think it's going better. I just need to flush out some parts and redo the beginning scene. This starts on scene 2. Scene 1 needs some revising. I have to make the audience care about the mother before I kill her off. How do I get you to care about the mother in less then 40 seconds? There lies the challenge. Please feel free to comment. Special thanks to Walt Disney's Tarzan for the soundtrack.

Drew

WIP

2009-11-01T23:14:00.001-08:00

Scene 5 "Ukia is Adopted" Final Scene

2009-06-23T21:01:00.000-07:00

And here is the final scene. As I said before, I still have to fit them all together and time them out. Hopefully the whole thing doesn't run longer then 5 minutes but I think I'm pushing 7. We'll see.

Scene 4 "The Cliff"

2009-06-23T20:57:00.000-07:00

So here's scene 4 "The Cliff" scene. Still rough form but I like where it is going.

Scene 3 Thumbnails

2009-06-21T11:04:00.000-07:00

these are the rough thumbnails for scene 3 "The River Crossing." They're really rough, I plan rework them all in TVP so I can run the animatic and have everything look like it belongs together. I have the other two scenes done and will hopefully post them later this week.

drew

Cleaned up shot of the river crossing 2

2009-06-12T23:03:00.001-07:00

So here's a cleaner version of the river crossing. I'm trying to do a digital hybrid of Andrew Wyeth and old Disney. Not pulling it off yet but I have gotten a hell of a lot better since the beginning of this term. I think I'm going to go back to all of them. Also I need to ad more atmosphere, it's like a really clear night, doesn't make it that scary.

Clean up shot of river crossing

2009-06-10T22:24:00.000-07:00

So here is a clean version of the river crossing. This is where I would like my final backgrounds to be. Maybe it's not Disney but I like it. The shot starts on the bottom of the river. Then it pans up, I think that's the right term, to the tree in the moon. This is where we see Mele crossing with Ukia.

Scene 2 somewhat timed

2009-06-06T15:20:00.000-07:00

So here is scene two, I think it is just about finished. I timed it out to see if the action is working but I think I'm going to have to step away from it for a day and come back to look again. I need a nap anyway. I think I like it. I'm not sure if I am giving the poses all they need, it's difficult to see what the characters are thinking. Maybe that will get better when I'm animating, I just don't want to start off on the wrong foot. Any advice, suggestions, criticism... Please!

Drew

scene 2 (in progress)

2009-06-03T23:54:00.000-07:00

So I'm a really slow storyboard artist. Here's what I have for scene 2 so far. I'm still working out the end with the fight and Mele's flee into the forest. Not to mention that she needs to say goodbye to her dead husband. Here it is in a quicktime file, 8 frames a second. Only good for scrolling

and more ruffs

2009-06-03T00:16:00.001-07:00

And here are some of the river crossing scene.

More ruffs

2009-06-03T00:15:00.001-07:00

Some ruffs of the wolf den.

some Ruffs

2009-06-03T00:13:00.000-07:00

Some ruffs of the huts.

Some BG thumbnails

2009-06-03T00:10:00.001-07:00

So here are a bunch of thumbnails. Some are just me exploring shots and others I'm just trying to figure out the space.

2009-05-19T23:03:00.000-07:00

So here are the ruff sketches for scene 3. I posted as a progression from thumbnail to color test. The idea is that it would start out on a medium shot of Mele walking out from the left side then open up into the long shot. This will hopefully make Mele look small and helpless, giving the audience a sense of hopelessness. If you look at the earlier posting you can see how small She will be by using Ukia's hiding spot (the weird tree) as a reference.

drew

Inspiration for Ukia's hiding spot

2009-05-18T00:17:00.000-07:00

So here are the inspirations for Ukia's hiding spot. I found both of these trees at my parents house in Scappoose, OR. I believe the large one was struck by lightening long ago. It's actually hollow inside. Cool tree.

Scene 3 (the fight) Ruff Start

2009-05-17T23:34:00.000-07:00

So here are some more ruff boards. This is the beginning of the 3rd scene, minus some shots between each scene showing her running. I'm not sure about the camera move establishing the cliff and I also just noticed there is a repeat (shot 6 & 12) angle over the shoulder of Mele. At least it's a start. Looks like 3 and 4 are jump shots, I think I may actually keep shot 3 cut to a close up reaction shot and truck out to an extreme long shot of the cliff. Then I would change 7a & 7b to just cuts. After Mele hides Ukia in the burned out tree then the wolf will show up. I've thumbnailed the fight scene on paper already, I just have to bring it into TVP.

2009-05-15T01:04:00.000-07:00

So this is an idea of what Mele Looks like. I obviously don't have her figured out all the way. Character design hasn't been one of my strong points.

2009-05-14T23:48:00.000-07:00

So here are some more ruff backgrounds. Thumbnails and such. I may be using them for ideas on different running shots and such.

drew

UKIA scene 1 version 3

2009-05-14T23:34:00.000-07:00

So here is the latest version of Scene 1. I'm sure there are going to be more changes but I'm definitely getting behind. It's taken me almost 6 weeks to get the storyboards that are posted on this site together. In order for me to stay on schedule I have to finish the whole storyboard in 5 more weeks. I'm screwed. I do feel like this portion was really just overcoming a learning curve. I'm not exactly the most experienced board artist in the world. Hopefully by the time I get done with this I will be a hell of a lot better. It's somewhat timed, goes a little fast at the end but I can fix that. Also, if it is decided that this is good then I would like to go back and clean it all up, not to pretty board status but a lot better then the chicken scratch I have going on so far. Wish me luck.

Drew

2009-05-14T01:01:00.000-07:00

So Here are some ruff background sketches for Ukia the Wolf. The top sketch is an interior shot of the hut they live in. The bottom shot is an idea sketch for the establishing shot. I'll be tweaking both of them so they work better for the film. The establishing shot needs a lot of work because the camera will be trucking through some trees following a bird and then open up to a clearer version of the above shot. That's it for now. Super tired. I'll hopefully be posting a newer version of the first scene tomorrow.

Anna & The Beekeeper - Animatic (Version 1) ...finally!

2009-05-12T22:35:00.001-07:00

The Beat Board

2009-05-06T00:04:00.000-07:00

So Here is my horribly ruff beat board. I think you should be noticing a trend. Everything I do is rough. Anyway, here are all of the important moments if I had to limit everything down to just a few boards. The angles and camera placement isn't right but the actions are at least expressed.

Ukia Scene 1 version 2

2009-05-02T12:33:00.000-07:00

So Here's another attempt at scene 1. I think I'll keep hitting this scene until it is finished and I can clean it up. I do plan on kicking out a beat board just so I know where I'm going and whether it is working, thanks again Brian. Storyboarding is not my strength but I feel like I'm getting better with each board. Maybe by the end of this whole thing I'll be somewhat tolerable.

Beginning Rough Storyboard (1st try)

2009-05-02T12:15:00.000-07:00

So Here is an even more rough thumbnail / storyboard. Like you thought it could get any more rough. I nailed this out in TV Paint, probably the best 2-d animation program known to man. this video isn't timed but I figured it would be easy enough to scroll through, It's like 500 plus images so posting them wasn't really an option.

Rough Cliff Scene Storyboard

2009-05-02T12:07:00.000-07:00

Here is a really rough thumbnail storyboard of the final scene, really rough. I figure it will be easier to watch as a movie then scrolling through a bunch of pictures.

The Setting

2009-05-02T11:37:00.000-07:00

So Here are some pics of my setting, I'm taking a background and layout class right now, hope it helps.

Here's the starting point for our story. The fields then moving up through the lowlands, the creek, the highlands, to finally ending at the cliff and Ukia's hiding spot.

The current Script

2009-05-02T11:27:00.000-07:00

So here's the latest script in a written form. It keeps changing as I storyboard, the nature of the beast I guess.

Ukia the Wolf

3rd Draft

fade in:

shot of paleolithic style wall paintings. pans up to reveal drawing of boy with tail and ears.

title screen: Ukia the wolf

camera moves on to reveal painting of village being attacked by wolves. people are dead on ground wolves standing over them. All in very primitive style. Camera pans on and stops on Utik, a tall strong man with a spear and mele, his beautiful wife and mother to their son Ukia wrapped in her arms. The cave walls dissolve into background and the characters change to more finalized character as they start to actually move, running from the VILLAGE

The are overtaken by a large gray wolf. Utik turns to fight but is knocked to the ground by a wolf, his spear flies in the air and comes to rest at Meles side. Mele grabs the spear and runs with her baby into the woods. The wolf kills Utik then chases after Mele and Ukia.

cut to:

Mele running with ukia away from the village. she makes her way from the clearing to the forest. she runs up a hill dodging between branches and jumping fallen trees.

cut to:

the gray wolf is fast on her heals we see him jump the same fallen trees getting ever so much closer.

cut to

Mele has come to a stream, she gracefully jumps from rock to rock across the stream. She runs up the embankment and hides in the brush and watches.

cut to :

the gray wolf has reach to stream he stops on the other side, sniffs the air, pauses then starts across the stream.

cut to.

shot of mele high on the EMBANKMENT the wolf is below, he stops and looks up just as mele lets the spear go. The wolf lets out a howl as the spear stabs into his side and he sprawls into the water.

cut to:

Mele watches.

cut to:

the wolf gets up from the water and pulls the spear out with his teeth. he looks up where mele was but she is gone.

cut to:

Mele running with her brother further up hill.

cut to:

the wolf limps up the embankment. he stops at the top and licks his wound. he lets out a snarl and runs after Mele.

cut to:

mele is out of breath she stops next to a tree. She lays her son down next to a fern and digs a hole. She then puts ukia in the hole, pauses and whispers something inaudible in his ear. There is a quiet moment then she kisses him on his head. Mele covers him with branches, hiding ukia from the wolf. Then she stands, looks where the wolf is coming from and runs further up the hill.

cut to:

the wolf is limping up the hill driven by anger he pushes on.

cut to:

mele comes to a small clearing and looks down towards where she left her ukia.

cut to:

The wolf has entered the area. He stops his PURSUIT and sniffs around. He has caught the scent of ukia.

cut to:

close up of mele. she is concerned she pulls out a stone knife and presses it hard into her arm. Blood drips fast onto the ground.

cut to:

the wolf sniffs the air and pauses. He can smell mele's blood. He licks his lips and bolts toward Mele.

cut to:

mele is standing ready. Her knife in her hand and her back close against some brush. She looks determined.

cut to:

over the shoulder shot on Mele's back. We watch with her as the wolf slowly emerges from the brush. He paces back and forth licking his lips and growling.

cut to:

side shot of both of them in attack stance. The contrast is inspiring with the gigantic wolf bearing over the small frame of mele. The wolf growls and likewise mele curls her nose. Mele faints a step backward, like she is faltering and lures the wolf to attack. The wolf springs just as Mele jumps back through the brush.

cut to:

long shot of a cliff wall as mele and the wolf tumble over the side their bodies embraced in death.

fade to:

inside a cave we see a mother wolf with her pups. Ukia lets out a cry in the distance and catches their attention. One pup runs out of the cave to investigate, the mother and others follow.

cut to:

The mother and puppies come to Ukia's hiding place. The mother pushes his CAMOUFLAGE and comes nose to nose with Ukia. They lock in a stare. suddenly Ukia reaches out, grabs the mothers nose and lets out a laugh. She recoils in shock and then smiles. She licks Ukias face

cut to:

the mother leads the procession of puppies back to the cave with Ukia dangling by his swaddling clothes from her mouth. Ukia has been adopted.

fade to:

cave wall. There are various paintings of Ukia interacting with the wolves in a pack like setting.

Credits roll

The End

So as of now the whole Mele cutting herself isn't going to happen. The tree that she hides Ukia in will actually be located on the top of the cliff (thanks Brian) adding to the drama. Also, the film needs to start with a more establishing shot giving the audience a better understanding of where we are.

2 problems:

1) How do I give Mele time to reach the mountain? How do I slow the wolf down?

2) Wolves hunt in packs, why is there only one wolf attacking the village?

2009-05-02T10:35:00.000-07:00

Currently I am in the pre-production phase of my first film. This site will act as a production diary, showing what I have accomplished as well as what I am working on today. I hope to update this site every week but who knows.