It was exciting to get back on the showfloor for SIGGRAPH and get to see the latest in software innovation as well as burgeoning technologies. I was able to catch up with a few developers that we've showcased on our site before as well as check out a few new products that you will hopefully be able to take advantage of in the future.
SIGGRAPH 2012 is right around the corner and I'm prepping to go. Check back here Tuesday and Wednesday night for update on the products I am able to see.
As sites like Kickstarter and Indie Go-Go continue to grow in popularity, and more and more projects start knocking on the door for small donations, the importance of knowing how to properly use such sites becomes what will separate motivated, capable artists from the hordes of amateur wanna-be's whose projects won't ever make it off the ground, with or without your $10.
Everybody has dreams. The big question for me was why so few people ever fulfill them. This is really what the Luella project is about, defying the trend to actually fulfill our dream of making a feature film.
It all started on a dull day in early November 2011. It was the first time in over a decade my friend Ben Nash and I had seen each other. We had been close friends in primary school, but, as is often the way, had lost touch through the years. By some quirk of fate, we found we had both become aspiring young filmmakers. Clearly, we were meant to work together as by the end of that first meeting we had penned, or rather typed, the first draft of what would become the short film Luella.
One of the personalities I got a chance to know is just launched DarkestGoth Magazine editor, GV Pasclato. Recently, he and his team started working on a new way of using Kickstarter in the form of the mira nocta Bluegrass Goth Festival. I personally hadn't thought of using Kickstarter for an event, but had to admit it had lots of possibilities for Independent filmmakers who might want to do their own film festival or a multi-faceted exploration of a few film series with cult followings.
I liked what their ideas were enough that I was even willing to speak on camera to some of their readers, who have a lot of similarities to our filmmaking audience, and even to agree to show the Day 419 film with a Q&A if their event is funded.
With that said, here's a brief interview that GV was kind enough to give me about what they're doing:
Every year, the art of animation takes center stage at SIGGRAPH. Autodesk is inviting all 3D artists to submit their work for a chance to be included in this year's Animation Show Reel, which will be showcased at Autodesk's SIGGRAPH booth in Los Angeles, CA from August 7-9. The show reel will also be featured on the Autodesk YouTube Channel, the AREA community and the Autodesk website.