After about three months, we’ve finally gotten around to starting the actual filming of Project Firestorm. Production itself will take another couple of weeks, and then moving on to post-production.
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New Project: Project Firestorm
Now that Fishing Reel is out of the way (see here), I have started working on a new project of mine, which I’ve been planning for a few months now. I will update the new blog site regularly with all the latest news. I will also continue to post updates on Blendermotion.com for major updates.
So far I’ve finally completed the script, so I’m having a short break now, then getting into pre-production. For more info about the movie, check the blog 
.
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Fishing Reel: The Making Of
This making of Fishing Reel post should give you an idea of how I finally finished this two-year project. It’s as much for my benefit as anyone’s (so I have a record of it), but you should hopefully find a tip or two as well, especially if you’re interested in making your own short-film.
It all started about two-and-a-quarter years ago. I had an idea for another animated short-film, but I decided to do Fishing Reel first as a test, basically to improve my general Blender skills as well as my film-making skills. This was back when I was 14. I think my original deadline was for two months.
Deadlines are critically important, as well as difficult to judge. It’s taken me almost two years to start giving myself more accurate deadlines, and I still often misjudge them.
If you’ve got any questions about Fishing Reel and how I made it, I’d be glad to try and answer them for you .
The first thing I started off with was the script. This was originally written by my dad, and you can read the final version here.
Fishing Reel – A Short Film
So, after two years, many versions of Blender, and a lot of challenges and learning experiences, I am very happy to finally declare Fishing Reel finished!
Making-Of post: http://blendermotion.com/2012/11/27/fishing-reel-the-making-of/
Fishing Reel started as a test idea more than anything, as a way of improving both my Blender skills and film-making skills, but it’s grown from that to be a full short-film in it’s own right, and I’m glad I spent the time to try and bring it to life.
I originally started working on it when I was 14, as you can see from the earlier scenes like the office. This was my very first attempt to animate a character as well, which you can see from how my first attempts on the street (like the walk-cycle) improved dramatically on the bridge scenes (IMHO anyway ).
So, I hope you like it, and maybe get something out of it.
Posted in News, Personal Journal
Tagged animation, blender, Blender film, blendermotion studios, fishing reel, Short film
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Fishing Reel: Scene 5
After a surprisingly short time, I’ve finished the animation for scene 5, rendered it out, and added the soundtrack. I’m so stoked that the end of this two-year project is finally in sight! I’m not completely happy with the animation, but I think the soundtrack is awesome, so I’m not going to cry.
The complete final version of Fishing Reel will be finished in a week or two. The ONLY thing left to do is record and add the sound effects.
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Fishing Reel: Scene 5 Lighting
I’ve finally been able to get back into Blender again (yay), and I am in the middle of finishing the animation for scene 5! Once that’s finished (in a matter of days), all I have to do is edit it together with sound effects, add the soundtrack, and this two-year project will finally be complete!
I haven’t had the chance to upload the animations that I’ve completed so far, so instead I’ve put up a picture of scene 5 with the updated lighting for the evening. Changing the lighting was very simple, just a matter of changing the colour of the lights, re-angling them, and adding a sunset picture of the sky in the background.
3DS Max Short Film (Cert III project)
Instead of working on my short film, Fishing Reel, I’ve been madly working on a Certificate III course in animation that I’ve been trying to get finished ASAP. As part of the course, I have had to create a couple of short films. To clarify, all work in these clips have been created using 3ds Max. I would have preferred Blender, and I honestly favour the Blender user interface, but 3ds Max was the only software I could use for the course. Now that it’s finished: Blender, here I come!
Factory Production Line was created in the middle of the course, and was a result of the tutorials throughout the course. Futuristic Pod Race was created at the end of the course, and was mostly designed and created by myself.
Comments, questions, ask them below.
Posted in Personal Journal
Tagged 3ds max, blender, blendermotion, cert 3, cert III, certificate III, factory, pod race, production line
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Fishing Reel: Scene 2
Well, it’s taken a while, but scene 2 is now finished. Yay! It uses the bridge set, which is the most complicated, so it takes a while to render, but it’s not too bad. I’ve improved the walk cycle and general animation heaps, and it looks far more realistic in general now. The only scene left to do now is scene 5, then it’s off to post-production.
Anyway, here is scene 2. You be the judge as to whether it’s better than any previous scenes so far.
Fishing Reel: Built Bridge Set
Woohoo! The bridge set should be basically finished now! It’s by far the biggest set in the short film, at over 18,000,000 vertices (using instancing), and here it is…
It 
I learned so much from building this set, like how useful UV mapping is, and texture mapping, and baking (AO). This would definitely be my favourite artwork for now.
Check out the thread at blenderartists.com for more info.
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Fishing Reel: Second Street Scene
I’ve now basically finished the visuals for the second street scene (scene 3). I still need to touch up a couple of parts, but this is mostly it.
Now that all the shots that use the street scene are finished, the only thing left to do is build the bridge scene, animate and render all of that, and then move on to post-production. Yay! Considering that I originally planned to have finished this project in three months, and it’s now been two years, I think it’s time to wrap it up.
Posted in Personal Journal
Tagged animation, blendermotion studios, fishing lure, fishing reel, Scene 3, truck
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