#so the processes used in science and the processes used in the film industry are very similar and in some cases exactly the same

[coral-skeleton]

Yep, this one can be enjoyed guilt free.

I'd just also like to point out that AI used for denoising is a very different thing from modern-day generative AI. Denoising AI is, more often than not, a closed system, guided machine learning process, meaning it is trained on a subset of the dataset it is being used on, it does not scrape the internet for training sets, it does not steal from artists, more often than not it can be run completely locally on any mildly decent computer (it might just take a while if you don't have a fancy computer with the latest high end cpu and gpu specs), it does not need those massive servers and computing centers that severly worsen global warming to work.

The type of AI used for denoising is much more similar to the AI that's being used to cure cancer and improve our capabilities to do astronomical and astrophysical research than large language models and other generative AI and tbh, it's still worlds away from the curing cancer AI. It's so different from chat gpt that the same word absolutely should not be used for both of them. I would put a metaphor for trying to compare the two here, but I genuinely can't think of two things in the same category that are this dissimilar from each other in any other context.

Anyway, this type of "AI" is actually very normal mathematics and computer algorithms, and not the evil type of AI

AI in Unification?

If you, like me, couldn't fully enjoy Unification because there was a horrible feeling in your gut the whole time of "is this AI? Did Shatner really let them use AI? That seems like a thing he'd do, because he's kind of awful" then you've come to the right place.

I did a deep dive of the technologies used for Unification and while this isn't a 100% comprehensive guide here's what I've learned:

According to Trekmovie.com's article about the film, the production team used a "team of artists and animators, who combined digital and physical prosthetics with live-action location photography, virtual production, and CG set extensions" and used "OTOY’s “Octane” rendering software and the “Render Network” decentralized GPU rendering platform. Characters and props were digitized using OTOY’s Academy-Award winning “LightStage” scanning system."

So what are all these proprietary names / jargon, and are any of them AI?

LightStage: A scanning tech that allows for digital capture of a human face (probably used to capture the stand-ins faces and superimpose older footage of Spock / Kirk like they would for a video game motion capture or something) = Not AI

OctaneRender: "Fastest unbiased, spectrally correct GPU render engine" (Probably used for sets based on the example I'm seeing on OTOY's website. It DOES use AI for "denoising and lighting" but this is a feature of the program and not the only thing the program does, so it is unclear if this is something they would have employed for the shot film. If they did, this would not be used for character work / deep fakes, and given what little information is written about this tech I'm almost curious if it is even a full AI system at all or just an automatic denoiser that they've dubbed as AI to look impressive. So I'd say results inconclusive here at best.)

The Render Network: "The network connects node operators looking to monetize their idle GPU compute power with artists looking to scale intensive 3D-rendering work and with machine learning developers looking to train and tune AI models. Through a decentralized peer-to-peer network, the Render Network achieves unprecedented levels of scale, speed, and economic efficiency. " (This basically means people can use the platform FOR AI but means nothing in the context of whether AI was used for this project.)

TL;DR: AI is an umbrella term for a lot of technology and it seems if anything, there may have been some AI used in the background rendering process but nothing generative AI / deep fakes. In my cynical opinion, if they HAD used AI in general for this, I feel like they'd be shouting it from the rooftops right now since people who love AI won't shut up about it. I'm tentatively saying this was 99% made with traditional CGI and artist work as is stated in the Trekmovie.com article, but I wouldn't be surprised if that opinion changes as the day goes on and more information is released.

[renthony]

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[accio-victuuri]

xiao zhan elle september issue cover story Q&A

ELLE: During this rest period, do you think about things that happened on the set?

Xiao Zhan: Of course, I remember a few days after the filming was finished, I had a dream that we were still filming, and the director and I were still discussing how to say that word? How to handle that scene?

ELLE: Do you actually miss the atmosphere on the set?

Xiao Zhan: I like it very much, because I like the feeling of everyone creating together and working together to get something done.

ELLE: When you first entered the entertainment industry and your popularity grew rapidly, you said that it felt a bit unreal and magical, but now you seem to be quite relaxed. How did this change happen?

Xiao Zhan: Rather than saying it’s unreal or magical, after so many years I feel that I haven’t had time to adapt to the fast pace at that time, so when I wake up from sleep, where am I today? What am I doing? I think it’s a process, just like when you first enter the workplace, everyone is very excited, "I’m here to work, please take good care of me", "I’m here, everyone get out of the way", "I can do it, I can do it". (Laughs) But after experiencing a lot of things, I feel that everything needs to be planned for the long term.

ELLE: In several interviews you mentioned that you like to play roles that "can convey energy". Why do you have such a preference?

Xiao Zhan: Because I think it is the life of the character. The kind of energy I am talking about is not just a single positive energy in the general sense. I mean the nutrition that can be subtle and silent. I believe that every character has a complete story line in his heart. This is what I like very much. As long as you dig deep, you can move people. I don’t like to call the villain a "villain", as if it is defined as a bad character from the beginning, but it is not. He may have his own difficulties.

ELLE: It sounds like “transmitting energy” is just a general term. Is it actually about understanding different people through performance?

Xiao Zhan: Yes, if we break it down to each character, they all convey different things. But if we say they are “good guys” or “bad guys”, I think that’s meaningless.

ELLE: So do you think acting is a form of communication?

Xiao Zhan: Yes, you can say that. I think it’s great to say that (acting) is a bridge to communicate with the audience. Just like when a play is broadcast, I will read some of the audience’s comments and impressions, and feel that they have a rich feeling about the work. When I see some comments that are exactly the same as my thoughts when filming, I feel very magical, as if this bridge is really connected. We don’t know each other in life, and we haven’t communicated, but he suddenly got my thoughts at the time, and I felt that, oh, acting is a very beautiful and magical thing.

ELLE: Do you watch some science fiction movies, TV shows, and literary works?

Xiao Zhan: Yes, I used to like watching "The Three-Body Problem". I have watched some science fiction movies recently, the American TV series "The Stars", and recently I am watching "The Replica". They are all about infinite flow and parallel time and space. Because I think there may really be parallel time and space. Every choice you make will split into a different parallel time and space.

ELLE: Do you imagine Xiao Zhan in a parallel universe?

Xiao Zhan: I really wonder, for example, is he still an actor? Maybe, is he still filming now? Is he still singing now? Or is he still a designer? Is he working for others or is he his own boss? (Laughs) Really, I really wonder.

ELLE: What do you think the future will be like?

Xiao Zhan: Wow, I think the world might return to its original state at that time, and the world might become a better place, and people would return to the most basic communication with each other.

ELLE: This is very interesting. Why do you think so?

Xiao Zhan: Anyway, at least now I am a little disgusted with the ubiquitous Internet. When we were young, when there were no mobile phones, we would chat while eating, and we would call our friends downstairs to play hide-and-seek and various games. I think that time was very precious.

ELLE: Will the profession of actor still exist by then?

Xiao Zhan: I think there will be. I believe that as long as life goes on, drama will continue. Because everyone needs an output, needs emotional resonance and sustenance, whether it is images or sounds. So I think that even if the world is destroyed, as long as there are still people, drama will definitely exist.

-END.

source

[fatehbaz]

The link between warfare and technological innovation has been well documented [...]. World War II was a particularly intense crucible of technological change, and the repurposing of military technologies and industries in the forging of a new post-war consumer [economy] is crucial [...]. Processes of technological bricolage turned the machines of war onto the natural world as global powers competed to cement their economic and imperial hegemony. In Great Britain’s post-war “groundnut scheme” in its East African territories (1946-51), this collision of nature, military hardware, and technical expertise was part of efforts to both produce more fats for the British diet and to demonstrate to the world (most importantly the United States) that, through a newly energized science-led developmentalism, British colonialism still had a “progressive” role to play in the postwar world.

The aim was to produce millions of tons of peanuts across Tanganyika using the latest methods of advanced scientific agriculture. The environmental conditions in the north, where the scheme was to begin, were known to be especially trying, not least the dry climate [...]. But faith in the power of mechanized agriculture was such that any natural limits were thought to be readily surmountable.

The groundnut scheme was to be, as its Director put it in an interview with the Tanganyika Standard, a “war” with nature, and an “economic Battle of Alamein” waged over some three million acres by an army of colonial technicians - many recruited from military ranks - and local laborers, for many of whom the scheme represented their first entry into the wage labor market.

But it wasn’t just the rhetoric of war that was repurposed.

Lancaster bombers were kitted out to survey and discover “new country” in East Africa for agricultural development. [...] [T]ractors and bulldozers from military surplus stores in Egypt proved unable to tackle the hard ground and tough vegetation, so the planners turned to a novel solution: repurposing surplus Sherman M4A2 tanks. The Vickers-Armstrong factory in Newcastle-Upon-Tyne set about rearranging key elements of the tanks’ construction [...]. The tractors, christened “Shervicks” for their hybrid origins, were [...] thought to be particularly suited to large-scale earth-moving and to the kind of heavy duty “bush clearing” that was required in Tanganyika.

Officials sought to dismiss concerns that large-scale bush clearing would have wider environmental consequences, using the well-worn colonial trope that any observed changes in local climate or erosion patterns were due to the “primitive” agricultural practices of the locals, not to the earth-moving practices of the colonists.  [...] As the plants continued to wilt in the sun, [...] [t]he stakes were high. As [J.R.] of the Colonial Development Corporation put it in a letter: “Our standing as an Imperial power in Africa is to a substantial extent bound up with the future of this scheme. To abandon it would be a humiliating blow to our prestige everywhere.” The only option left was to try and bend the weather itself to the scheme’s will, by seeding the clouds for rain. [...] “Balloon bombs” (photographic film canisters tethered to weather balloons) and a repurposed Royal Navy flare gun were used to target individual clouds [...]. The scheme itself has survived as a cautionary tale of governmental hubris, but it is instructive too as a case study of how technologies of war have been turned against other foes.

---

All text above by: Martin Mahony. “The Enemy is Nature: Military Machines and Technological Bricolage in Britain’s ‘Great Agricultural Experiment.’“ Environment and Society Portal, Arcadia (Spring 2021), no. 11. Rachel Carson Center for Environment and Society. doi:10.5282/rcc/9191. [Bold emphasis and some paragraph breaks/contractions added by me. Images and their captions are shown unaltered as they originally appear in Mahony's article. Public Domain Mark 1.0 License for images: creativecommons dot org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/]

[dasinclair]

favorite sinclair headcanons 🎤

love hearing u talk ab ur special mad scientist

i literally could go on for years

fundamentally, sinclair thinks of himself as the means to an end. he's not religious (and thinks he's too smart for it) but he does believe that everyone has a purpose, even if that purpose is as a tool to be used. those who don't fulfill their purpose are useless, and that is something he refuses to be. clearly his purpose is to bring forth this new phase of mankind, to save humanity from itself, and he also believes he's the Only one who can do it. anything that doesn't serve this goal is unimportant and he tries to repress it

he really does treat himself like a machine, working constantly to fulfill a specific function, and tends to neglect things like eating or sleeping until he absolutely has to. this contributes to his bad attitude, but he doesn't care

sinclair's parents are both morticians, so d.a. was basically raised in the mortuary and became familiar with post-mortem processes at an early age. he was always fascinated by death, but still thought it was a bit unfair that Everyone had to grow old and die... young d.a. was witness to the grieving loved ones of innumerable strangers

d.a. has no living relatives aside from his parents, his aunt, and his cousin matt (the goth kid from s1, more headcanons about the two of them here). the sinclair parents are morbid and sentimental folks with a vast collection of urns and vintage photos on the walls

his birthday is january 1st. he pretends to not care but he does think this is a sign of some kind

you may think he's never had any "enhancements" of his own, but not so! he's got an artifical heart valve (not one he designed, but the kind regular medical doctors will give you) for a congenital condition. this is something that furthered his interest in medical technology AND made him very aware of his own mortality

he would actually like to have some of his own creations implanted in his body someday and is frustrated that he can't do it by himself

enjoys industrial music, as well as classical. he was forced to take piano lessons at some point and hated it. all he remembers how to play is the beetlejuice main titles

he pretends to be too intellectual to consume MINDLESS MEDIA DRIVEL but he does enjoy a tasteful horror film. the more medically accurate, the better

talks to the reanimen but also to lab animals. he considers them noble creatures for giving their lives to science, even if they don't have a choice. he would be very embarrassed if anyone found this out

sinclair largely ignores hero activity but he does experience paranoia about threats to humankind (and to him specifically) and can vividly imagine several hypothetical doomsday scenarios. as a self-proclaimed Rational Person, he finds this extra upsetting. also has frequent nightmares

incredibly lonely, but will never admit it

[rametarin]

Also, climate change activists are going to have problems in the future.

Human industry and activity was supposed to be something that became okay to punish businesses and governments over and attribute responsibility and guilt to them for the crimes of natural disasters, presumed partially the results of the wealthy.

However, it becomes increasingly more difficult to do that beyond principle and conceptual ideas, the better we get at mitigating pollution and the sources of particulates. We were never supposed to be able to be so successful at doing that.

More or less some people argued that certain people that take shits are responsible for intense rainstorms and are obligated to pay more in taxes for it than other people whom take shits. Shitting is supposed to be something a person, if alive, will just do. And then along comes science, developing ways for humans to shit and not cause natural disasters.

"Wait.. wait. No. You're not supposed to be able to shit and it be inert. You're supposed to be guilty as a course of being alive and functioning! You're supposed to owe labor and resources to the population and society, for the crime of being alive!!!"

Yeah well. Here comes science and industry, fucking up your recommendations that we live within an artificial means that claims we ration electricity and don't produce anything and stratify society so we all have to share and can't own anything. Here comes ways to cheaply turn dirt into clean, nigh permanent objects, resources and infrastructure that used to require specialized and wasteful, pollutive processes to do.

There will be a time when either due to pollutionless manufacturing methods or extremely efficient and efficarious sequestration, we do not pollute our environments with industrial byproducts or waste, none of it enters our water tables, the air or the sea, and the only form of pollution you could theoretically attribute to humans would be our bodyheat, the air we exhale, the urea and sweat, and the methane from our farts.

Even now, they rebuke, "Eco-fascists" of the past that were just leftists that took action in the name of the climate and the environment, and declared them to be right wing, white supremacist misanthroopes. Yeah, right. Like the fucking dingbats filming themselves crying about destroyed trees and chaining themselves to them to prevent logging in enormous performative histrionic displays were fucking TRUMP SUPPORTERS. And they declare the people that were talking about the third world polluters are just "white supremacist" to be eugenicist.

When all that's left of human pollution is our bodyheat, waste from our lungs and our colons, will people scream about how Europeans and specifically ONLY the white westerners needs to curb how many babies they have to prevent overpopulation? Or will they step on that third rail and dare set themselves up to be rebuked as racist by the next generation version of themselves for suggestion parts of Africa, the Middle East and Asia take measure not to overpopulate?

I already know they're going to yell about how eliminating beef and pork would somehow prevent climate change, because of the methane of meat based digestive processes. Except, the methane produced from eating beef also fits into the natural carbon cycle of the planet. And chickens have a near inert effect of the climate and pollution of ANY kind, so all they'd be doing is strengthening the argument for raising chicken- And they DON'T want to do that, they want to eliminate the end-user ability to grow their own food.

Plus with the ways to virtually eliminate methane from farts by adding certain strains of sea algae to sheep, cow and goats diets, it doesn't matter how many head of cattle or sheep you have.

Once our electric motors lack rare earths and are as renewable and sustainable and universal as surface dirt, our textiles are biodegradable, our building materials are sustainable, our plastics can inertly break down harmlessly and the heavy sediments or chemical waste we make is minimized to nothing and managed to harmlessness, there won't BE anything humans individually or our civilizations do that negatively affect the climate.

There will only be climate change, irrespective of human developmental activities. And they won't be able to attribute "capitalism" to it, or demand redistribution of the wealth over it.

[secondaryartifacts]

In 1980, the release of The Empire Strikes Back, the highly anticipated sequel to Star Wars: A New Hope, marked a milestone in cinema, showcasing groundbreaking practical effects that continue to captivate audiences even in today’s digital age. Behind the scenes, the movie’s visual team faced challenges that would test their ingenuity and patience. In an era long before the sophisticated computer-generated graphics we know today, creating the opening crawl—the iconic text that rolls up into the stars—required painstaking precision and manual effort. Visual effects supervisor Ken Ralston and his team at Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) achieved the famous crawl effect using a physical model crafted specifically for this purpose. The crawl model itself was no small feat, measuring two feet wide and six feet long. The text was printed on this long strip, which was then carefully angled to create the illusion of depth. The camera moved slowly along the text, capturing each word as it appeared to drift into space. It may seem surprising today, but every nuance, every shift of the camera on the model, had to be executed with absolute accuracy, or else the entire sequence would have to be redone. Ralston described the process as “pure torture,” a blend of “fun” and overwhelming attention to detail that required numerous takes to get everything just right.

For The Empire Strikes Back, achieving this crawl effect wasn’t just about moving a camera along the model; it was about creating an experience that would draw viewers into the story from the very first frame. Ralston’s team placed the text on a dark background, with carefully controlled lighting to ensure each letter appeared crisp and clear. The slightest error—a wobble in the camera’s movement, a tiny flaw in the text layout—would become glaringly obvious on the screen. Every little bump and blemish had the potential to ruin the illusion, so the team worked meticulously, often repeating the process to eliminate even the smallest imperfection. The crawl was shot on a 70mm camera to capture the detail needed for the large cinematic screen, and each take involved a long, continuous shot that ran over 2,000 frames. This meticulous effort was necessary to avoid the post-production issues that would have been far more complex and costly to fix. The dedication and artistry involved in creating this seemingly simple opening crawl speak volumes about the level of craftsmanship behind The Empire Strikes Back. In an era without digital shortcuts, these effects were entirely practical, and the team’s determination to make it seamless left a lasting impact on audiences, setting a new standard for cinematic intros.

The commitment to practical effects extended beyond the opening crawl; The Empire Strikes Back was a masterpiece of inventive visual storytelling across the board. The film was celebrated for its groundbreaking special effects, particularly in scenes featuring large-scale models, matte paintings, and stop-motion animation. The iconic snow battle on the ice planet Hoth, featuring AT-AT walkers moving across the landscape, was a standout sequence that pushed the boundaries of stop-motion animation and miniature photography. The ILM team used miniature models, shooting at high frame rates to ensure that each movement appeared smooth and lifelike. The coordination required to move the models, shoot at precise angles, and synchronize with live-action footage was intense, requiring the same level of dedication seen in the crawl sequence. Additionally, scenes involving the Millennium Falcon’s flight through an asteroid field presented unique challenges. Without the aid of digital effects, the team relied on hand-crafted models and painted backdrops, using creative camera techniques to give the appearance of speed and danger. Each effect in The Empire Strikes Back was a testament to the team’s resourcefulness and dedication, merging art and science in a way that laid the foundation for future visual effects in cinema.

Despite the labor-intensive nature of these practical effects, the result was a level of authenticity that resonates with audiences to this day. The decision to use physical models, matte paintings, and miniatures brought a tangible quality to The Empire Strikes Back that is difficult to replicate even with today’s advanced CGI. Ken Ralston and his team at ILM took on a monumental task, creating a film that not only entertained but also immersed viewers in a galaxy far, far away. Their commitment to practical effects was an act of creative problem-solving that defined the look and feel of the Star Wars universe, inspiring generations of filmmakers. The painstakingly crafted crawl became one of the most memorable parts of the franchise, capturing the magic of cinema through sheer effort and skill. Ralston’s account of the process as “fun but pure torture” encapsulates the dual nature of film production at the time—a blend of joy and relentless dedication. The Empire Strikes Back’s practical effects may seem dated in comparison to CGI, but their impact endures, reminding audiences of an era when effects were achieved through physical craftsmanship, and every frame reflected the hard work of skilled artisans behind the scenes.

[itsawritblr]

Writer Beware: How a Book Really Becomes a Movie.

Writer Beware is an excellent site of information for those who are or want to become traditionally published. The official blog of Writer Beware® shines a bright light into the dark corners of the shadow-world of literary scams, schemes, and pitfalls. Also providing advice for writers, industry news, and commentary. Writer Beware® is sponsored by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association.

by Victoria Strauss, April 12

Book-to-film scams are extremely common these days. If the publishing industry is opaque and secretive, the movie biz is even more so, and scammers take full advantage.

From disreputable marketers claiming to take your book to pitch events, to fake agents offering to represent you to major production companies, to scammers impersonating those production companies themselves, hordes of fraudsters are soliciting writers by phone and email with tempting-sounding "offers" and "opportunities" that they promise will route your book directly to the silver screen.

In reality, of course, the fraudsters have no Hollywood connections. The sole aim of these solicitations is to trick you into paying large amounts of money for products or services--screenplays, pitch decks, "cinematic trailers", and more--that you don't need and that may not even be delivered.

How to defend yourself? As noted by Jeanne Veillette Bowerman, today's guest post author, the best way to avoid being scammed is to understand the process. The more you know about how things should work, the easier it will be to recognize questionable or dishonest practices when you encounter them.

In the article below, Jeanne offers a comprehensive overview, unpacking the multiple and often complicated paths by which a book really finds its way to the screen...which, as you'll see, bear no resemblance to the shortcuts and guarantees claimed by fraudsters.

*~*~*~*~*

How a Book Really Becomes a Movie

by

Jeanne Veillette Bowerman

Anyone passionate about their work, desperate to get published or have their book adapted to film, is a perfect target for a scam. Like this one.

First, if you’ve fallen for one of these too-good-to-be true solicitations, don’t beat yourself up. It’s easy to do. Writers tend to be solitary creatures, many without a support system. That's what makes us vulnerable to exploitation. But the best way to protect ourselves is to understand how the book-to-film process works.

Get comfortable. There’s nothing simple about Hollywood.

The filmmaking industry baffles many—even those working in it. The reality is, there is no single way to get a film made. There are quite literally as many ways to break in as there are writers who’ve successfully done so, making scams harder to identify.

Sadly, when someone proactively reaches out to you, you have to assume it’s fake until you can prove otherwise. With scams abounding, the burden of proof has shifted. Due diligence has never been more important.

You do NOT need a screenplay to sell your book-to-film rights.

You do NOT need a sizzle reel or "cinematic trailer".

You do NOT need storyboards.

You do NOT need mood boards.

You should NOT have to pay any upfront fees.

You should NOT be required to buy anything.

Let’s go through the traditional paths first, then I’ll share an unusual story to demonstrate how varied this process can be.

Most common paths for book to film

What you need is a great story with cinematic elements that would attract a large audience. If it’s for TV, it should have compelling characters and a broader world that could translate to multiple episodes.

Your agent strives for one of three opportunities:

Sell the book-to-film rights directly to a studio or producer,

Option the book for a set dollar amount for a specific period of time, or

Sign a shopping agreement for a shorter period of time with no money being paid to the author.

1. Selling the Book

When you sell your book outright, that’s it. You’re done. You no longer have any claim to said material, nor the right to participate in the adaptation. You probably won’t be able to write a future sequel if the studio owns your intellectual property … which means they own your characters. There are exceptions though, depending on how the contract was negotiated. You definitely need a talented agent or attorney to assist … not a pitching or consulting “service” that solicits you via email.

The sale price typically will be 2-3% of the film's budget (that's money paid to you, not the other way around), but it depends. It always depends. Your agent should at least try to get you Executive Producer credit, or a consulting gig. But many producers want the author far, far away from the project. Your book is merely a blueprint for the film. A lot will change—subplots and characters will disappear—which can be difficult for the author to accept.

If you’re lucky, and have the proper experience and background, they’ll give you first crack at writing the script. But don’t expect it. Your payday is the sales of the rights plus more copies of your book being sold.

But … here’s the hard part … even if you sell your book, the movie may never get made. Yes, you read that correctly. It takes millions of dollars and hundreds of people to align to make a film. People often say it’s a miracle any film gets made. They’re right.

2. Option Agreement

An option by a showrunner or producer usually runs $1,000 to $30,000 for a set period of time (again, that's money paid to you), the standard being 12 to 18 months. This gives them time to “package” the project by attaching a director, actors, etc. and (hopefully) sell it. Note: It is illegal to not pay a writer for an option, hence why you’ll sometimes see an option happen for a penny or a single dollar—which is more common when optioning a screenplay, as opposed to a book.

The vast majority of options expire long before any movie deal can be struck, but they may be renewed for an additional fee. With each renewal, your agent will likely either ask for more money or less of a time commitment. I do know authors who have optioned the same novel multiple times—not a bad payday. But still, no film and no purchase of book-to-film rights ever happened in those cases. An option doesn’t guarantee you a sale.

3. Shopping Agreement

A shopping agreement is similar to an option, only the producer tries to shop it around town without paying the option fee. Since the author receives no money, the shopping agreement typically lasts only six to nine months. Renewable, just like options.

These are more common than traditional options because the producer gets exclusivity, albeit for a shorter period of time, without coughing up money. Authors might agree to this strategy simply because there’s some sense of hope that a deal will be made.

So, how do your book-to-film rights get sold?

Just like everything else in the industry, you need relationships with the right people. Agencies spend years fostering those relationships with production companies and will go directly to them to pitch the book, sometimes in person, sometimes with a phone call. They’ll set up meetings with producers, not junior execs. Junior execs are the ones who go to pitching events, not decisionmakers.

Usually, an agent only needs a logline or a one-sheet. A logline is a one- to two-sentence elevator pitch. A one-sheet is exactly what it sounds like—a single page that summarizes the book and gives details about the author. That’s it. What your agent will not do is spend money to hire a screenwriter or hire someone to create a sizzle reel, trailer, or story boards.

If a potential sale is on the table, your agent should negotiate development fees, as Hollywood famously tries to get writers to do development work for free. Get your agent to negotiate compensation for that. An agent might also ask for the title card on the film not to be buried and to also be able to use key art of the movie poster for the book cover.

Before any significant negotiations happen, they’ll want to know there is a clear chain of title, meaning must prove you own 100% of the property. This is where having a screenwriter adapt your book in advance muddies the waters. If you didn’t pay them to adapt it, and have it in writing that you own the script, you’ve now entered into a trickier situation where the producer might have to pay both you and the screenwriter.

Moviemaking is a business. As in any business, people want things clean and simple. So, say you fall for one of those scams where you split the cost of hiring a screenwriter, making a sizzle reel, and creating story boards. That scammer could potentially now own half of your work. No exec is going to touch that with a 10,000-foot pole.

The most popular word in Hollywood is “no.” Don’t make it easy for them to say it.

The author may, however, take a stab at writing the script themselves. I’ve had top producers at the New York Rights Fair tell me they actually prefer having an author’s rough draft for several reasons—it saves them development money, and they appreciate having the author slashing the story down themselves. Less room for arguments later.

Author Lee Matthew Goldberg has both adapted his own book as well as optioned another. “I've been told, with my Runaway Train project, with the actress attached, that my script is what gets the project in the door. And then ultimately, it's most likely not going to be my script [that gets produced] when it actually sells. But had I not had a script, and it just was the book, it might have been harder to sell … Hollywood doesn't like to read. It's easier for them to read a script than a book. So, I think it's in the best interest for an author to write the screenplay. Be open to the fact that their screenplay might just be the thing that gets them over the first hump.”

But brace yourself. Hollywood isn’t going to wrap their arms around you, as the screenwriter. You will get fired, and they will bring in a pro screenwriter. However, per WGA rules, if you’ve written that original draft, you’ll get a shot at the first rewrite … before they finally fire you. But you will be fired. Don’t be offended though. Every great A-list screenwriter has been fired. It’s how the business works.

What if you’re self-published and/or don’t have an agent?

Let’s say you’re self-publishing and query producers yourself, and they bite. That producer is not going to take your book to a pitching event (a common scammer claim). They have direct contacts with people in the industry and will set up a meeting.

Again, you could take a stab at writing the screenplay, enter it into contests (see below), pitch to actors' production companies, or query screenwriting managers.

If the script gets sold, they’ll still fire you. See above.

The case study: The Reincarnationist Papers

Buckle up … this is but one example of how long it takes to go from book to film … and how totally unpredictable the process can be.

In 2009, Eric Maikranz wrote and self-published The Reincarnationist Papers. On the first page of the book, he put a “bounty” on it, stating that whomever finds this book and can help get it sold to a major publisher or movie studio will get 10% of his take. Great marketing!

Years later, while on vacation in Katmandu, a producer, Rafi Crohn, finds the book on a shelf of a bathroom in a tea house—no idea how it made it all the way to Katmandu—reads the “bounty,” and that alone intrigues him enough to dive into the book. Loving it, he tracks down Eric and secures an option.

It’s now 2012. Rafi contacts Ian Shorr, a professional screenwriter who feels, “There’s something magical there … an element of Willy Wonka.” Ian then pitches his take on how to adapt the book to Imagine, Ron Howard’s production company. (Note: This is how open writing assignments work. Before paying a screenwriter, execs ask them to read the book and pitch their take.) In this case, they don't go for Ian’s vision. He pitched a Matrix version; they want a Harry Potter version. Imagine never finds a writer’s idea they can align with.

Movie is dead.

Almost two years later, the rights are about to lapse again, so Rafi, who liked Ian’s take, approaches him to see if he’d be game to write the script on spec (which means without pay).

Why would a pro screenwriter write for no money? Ian explains, “For me, it was like the one that got away came back … I was still thinking about that book.”

Ian’s manager re-ups the rights.

Since Ian is writing this on spec, obviously, he is concurrently working on projects that actually pay him. Go figure. And The Reincarnationist Papers is a complicated one to adapt, taking Ian about three years to finalize the script.

The script and the rights to Eric’s book finally get purchased by Paramount.

Time to celebrate, right? Nope.

Immediately after the script gets sold, the president of Paramount leaves, and the new head sees the $200-million price tag and crosses it off their slate. The book was not a best seller, and the risk is too high.

As Ian puts it, “This movie died a million times before it lived.”

What brings it back to life: the director Antoine Fuqua, about to do a film for Paramount, is craving to do a Matrix-type project, but was brought on to direct something else. A producer slips Antoine the script Ian wrote, now called Infinite. Antoine loves it, and tells the studio this is the one he wants to make. Total fluke. The right champion at the right time. Finally.  

Again, relationships.

Ian writes more drafts for Antoine, they cast the movie, lose the star, get another star, shoot it in 2019, and it finally gets released in 2021. Just a short 12 years from book to film.

Ian sums it up, “I think a lot of writers don't understand that their work is going to change. They all want the adaptation for all those other reasons that Eric enjoyed—like book sales, publishing deals, sequels. But some writers definitely do struggle with the fact that there are changes. The second you get into bed with Hollywood, that's the first thing you have to be prepared for. Because the spec that I wrote was very different from the book that he wrote. And then my spec got rewritten by other writers, who changed what I wrote.”

There are thousands of stories similar to this … and also very different.

You can watch Ian discuss the adaptation process on Pipeline Artists here.

Oh, there are still more out-of-the-box options …

Have you heard of “The Book Whisperer”? Meet Lane Shefter Bishop. (You can find an in-depth one-on-one conversation I had with her on Pipeline Artists’ Symposium here.)

In short, Lane has relationships (there’s that word again) with literary agents and will often get a shopping agreement on the book prior to it ever being published. Her goal is to be able to mold the story, pre-publication, to help create a more cinematic experience, structured like a movie.

Frankly, it’s genius. Give the conversation a listen.

Pay-to-play versus true champions

Let’s go back to “What do I do if I don’t have an agent?”

There are more and more writing contests popping up that won’t lead you anywhere except a few dollars less in your pocket, but reputable ones absolutely exist. Full disclosure, I’m a Senior Executive at Pipeline Media Group, a company that discovers novelists, screenwriters, and filmmakers via contests. Trust me when I say I’ve heard all the arguments about contests being pay-to-play scams, but it’s not the case for most, so do your research on the top platforms.

I’m also a writer, and I’ve entered plenty of contests in my day. Some have propelled my career, others, despite being a finalist, did absolutely nothing for me. They didn’t even email me to inform me of my selection!

Just like with any opportunity that feels too good to be true, as mentioned, do your research.

Beyond reading a contests’ success stories, I always recommend doing a search for a contest’s past finalists. Follow them on social media and message them, asking what that contest actually did for them. Getting previous finalists’ feedback on their take will tell you everything you need to know.

Get more than one perspective though. Get as many as you can! Strike the most positive, and strike the most negative. Take the average, and you can be confident in the results. Writers will be honest with each other. And if they got screwed over, they’ll be more than happy to tell you!

Bottom line

Scams are everywhere. The best way to identify them is to know how the process actually works.

Hollywood loves adaptations for many reasons, but mostly because the bulk of the story development work is already done, and a dedicated fan base exists. So, cast out as many nets as possible, even if it means writing the script yourself.

Why not? No one knows your story as well as you do.

If you want outside help, please do your research. Check multiple references, not just one.  The Golden Ticket isn’t going to drop in your inbox. If it sounds too good to be true, it’s a scam.

Above all, trust your spidey senses.

I’ll leave you with Ian Shorr’s final advice: “Because writers are so passionate, and because we're so willing to work for free, and because it's such an aspirational, dream-based industry, it makes us a really easy target for scammers. Plus, the way that Hollywood operates is so opaque to people who don't work there. It's easy for someone to come along and say, oh, yeah, this is how you play the game. The reality is, if you write something that people love, they will come to you. And they will put their energy into it. Just remember, anybody who’s looking for you to pay them is a red flag."

Jeanne Veillette Bowerman is a Senior Executive at Pipeline Media Group and Book Pipeline, Editor-in-Chief of Pipeline Artists, co-host of the Pipeline Artists original podcast, "Reckless Creatives," former Editor-in-Chief of Script magazine and a former Senior Editor at Writer's Digest. Her Script column "Balls of Steel" was selected as recommended reading by Universal Writers Program. A compilation of her articles is now available—Balls of Steel: The Screenwriter's Mindset. She is also a partner at Fringe Press and Co-Founder and moderator of the weekly Twitter screenwriters’ chat, #Scriptchat. She wrote the narrative adaptation of the Pulitzer Prize-winning book, Slavery by Another Name: The Re-Enslavement of Black Americans from the Civil War to World War II, with its author, Douglas A. Blackmon, former senior national correspondent of The Wall Street Journal and has now ventured into writing historical fiction. Follow Jeanne on X: @jeannevb

[twistedtummies2]

Gathering of the Greatest Gumshoes - Number 28

Welcome to A Gathering of the Greatest Gumshoes! During this month-long event, I’ll be counting my Top 31 Favorite Fictional Detectives, from movies, television, literature, video games, and more!

SLEUTH-OF-THE-DAY’S QUOTE: “Change never comes without pain.”

Number 28 is…Adam Jensen, from Deus Ex.

A specific friend of mine introduced me to the Deus Ex games, via their two most recent releases: “Human Revolution” and “Mankind Divided,” both of which apparently act as prequels to the rest of the series. I know absolutely nothing about all the other games in the franchise, but as far as these two games go…I think they’re pretty interesting! The games are a sort of combo of sci-fi and film noir, taking place in a futuristic world where many human beings have “augmented” themselves with bionic materials, for various reasons. In each game, your main character is this guy: Adam Jensen, a frankly much better cyborganic sleuth than Inspector Gadget. Then again, I think a pencil would make a better cyborganic sleuth than Inspector Gadget, and it’s neither a cyborg NOR a sleuth, so…take that as you will.

Anyway: voiced by Elias Toufexis (who apparently is a big fan of noir and pulp style fiction, such as The Shadow), Jensen starts off in “Human Revolution” as a security investigator for a tech company called Sarif Industries. After being horribly wounded in an attack on the company, Jensen is augmented without his consent, and his girlfriend – Megan – is apparently killed. Despite his MANY reservations, Jensen goes out to try and discover exactly what happened, using his newfound augmentations to help him along the way. His investigations lead to him uncovering a vast conspiracy, with ties to the Illuminati, of all things. In “Mankind Divided,” Jensen has left Sarif Industries in favor of working for Interpol, acting as an agent for an elite anti-terrorist squad. He once again runs afoul of the Illuminati in the process of investigating a railway bombing, and once more goes on the hunt to find the perpetrators, using his special tools and skills to track down the criminals. Along the way, in both titles, Jensen also comes across various other cases and side missions, each of which show the different dark corners of the world he lives in.

A big part of both games – and, from what I understand, the Deus Ex franchise as a whole – is the theme of what makes a person truly human. In a world where people are replacing their limbs and organs en-masse with “superior,” artificial contraptions, how much can you do to the human body before it stops BEING a human body? What makes an individual different from the crowd, and what separates people from the machines we build? How much choice and free will does one really have in the world? These are themes integral to both science fiction AND noir-style detective stories, and both titles meld the two genres exquisitely. Jensen, his allies, and the foes he faces present different viewpoints on a world like this, and offer different perspectives on this fundamental question.

Jensen is a classic detective character of this sort; he’s like a cross between the aforementioned Cole Phelps and a superhero of some sort. He’s not unwilling to use violence and direct force on his enemies, and he has plenty of firepower to go around, but much of each game is really about him tracking leads, picking out clues, and asking questions as he tries to get to the bottom of the truth of each matter. These are a couple of those lovely video games where the choices the player makes throughout the story – from simply deciding whether to use stealth or full-faced aggressive tactics, to deciding what messages to share with the people of the world – effect the plot and other characters’ perception of the main protagonist. But even with that said, Jensen has several things that remain consistent: his dry, sarcastic sense of humor, his stonefaced demeanor, and his somewhat cynical outlook on his own life. Perhaps the most noteworthy element, however, is his sense of independence. It’s interesting and fitting that Adam’s journey effectively begins with him being forced into situations beyond his control, because from that point on, you could argue his entire mission in both stories is to find exactly that. Jensen prefers to work alone, as much as possible, and clearly resents being put in the position he is. How he comes to feel about his augmentations, and the concept of augmented people in general, can change depending on how the player handles things, but overall it’s fair to say that, for all the advantages they give him, he also knows they have clear disadvantages, too. As the story of each game grows more complex, so do the choices Jensen has to face. As a result, the player goes from having no choice in what happens to having incredible responsibility heaped onto their shoulders. It’s a unique progression for both the character and each game in general, and it’s part of what makes this sci-fi sleuth so memorable.

Tomorrow, the countdown continues with Number 27!

CLUE: “The world will look up and shout ‘Save us!’ And I’ll whisper, ‘No.’”

[architectuul]

P. Cournet & N. Sanaan Bensi: Datapolis

Datapolis, Exploring the Footprint of Data on Our Planet and Beyond by Paul Cournet & Negar Sanaan Bensi (ed.); nai 010 Publishers, Rotterdam 2023

Architecture is not only a few historical landmarks in our city centres, spectacular masterpieces from starchitects or engineering feats to build the highest tower ever in the desert. It has also always been about vernacularity, everyday life in anonymous places and favouring use towards aesthetics. (Just think of shopping malls or most of the airports you ever visited.) But if the Industrial revolution of the 19th century saw the birth of amazing train-cathedrals of steel and glass that are now listed as monuments, the 21st century has seen the development of the digital world to such an extent that the heavy industry has moved towards anonymous (and discreet) data centres, bitcoin mining facilities that requires satellites, computers and portable devices.

The book Datapolis is an in-depth research on a world where we cannot be offline more than a few hours anymore, where our smartphones contain our train ticket, bank payments, private images and favorite music, agenda and work, maps and recipes for the x-mas dinner. But all those 0 and 1, those bits, kilobits, megabits, gigabytes and terabytes of information are not in our machines anymore. We get our favourite songs and films from streaming companies, we store our entire lifestyle in so-called clouds, we work on shared documents. Basically we depend on infrastructure made of data centres, submarine cables and antennas, that stay out of sight for most of us.

This amazing publication is making the invisible (the infrastructure of clouds, the technical machines processing digital information) visible. It doesn’t only show those places, but also explains to us the environmental impact of digital objects. Not only we need resources from the ground (rare metal and so on), they also consume electricity to function on a daily basis — and this energy has to be, somehow, produced. 

The essays – who could be totally nerdy or impossible to understand for readers that are not familiar with the vocabulary of technology – are super accessible and makes the book an easy (but always inspiring and instructive) reading. Between the text pages, one finds amazing graphics, diagrams and photographs that reveal the reality behind the theory. One finds a lot of architecture here, but it’s not our next destination for cultural holidays.

We, of course, have all seen The Matrix (1999). A science-fiction film about the digitisation of every life till it blurs the boundaries between the virtual and real life. The book explores that world, not from a fictive way, but a real one – and this makes it a must read: because what it shows us is even crazier than the imagination of film-makers. Obviously, we already live in the future! But, like all good science fiction story, Datapolis makes us think about our world as it is now, and what we should do to save it from becoming a nightmare. I will not spoil the last double page of the book (will just say it’s about iPhones), but, just for that one, you need to get that publication in your hands.

-

Thibaut de Ruyter

[andrevasims]

Hi! I'm mesmerized by all your posts, you use almost no custom content but your neighborhood feels so unique and vibrant with ideas that I've never seen before!

I wanted to ask you where are you taking inspiration for the lots and sims you create. Are you going by what's in the game, like "I want to find a way to use this object or outfit", or are you referencing movies, comics or other medias? If you are taking inspiration or referencing something, could i ask you to elaborate on that and share your creative process? I hope this question doesn't bother you! 💗 Continue with your great inventiveness!

Each time it's a little different, the first lot I made that resulted in creating Rhyolite Valley was based on shacks in Fallout New Vegas. While replaying New Vegas I was thinking more & more about the experience of using the environments/buildings, especially in day-to-day living, which made me want to try putting it in TS2.

Gibson with her junkyard dogs are direct references to the New Vegas character Old Lady Gibson. I don't like making 1:1 copies of characters in TS2, so even though I used her name and environment the sim I made is still her own individual character. That makes it easier to add in my own other things, like my sim Gibson builds robotic stuff which the New Vegas one doesn't.

My original shack also became like the standard for all the lots I built afterwards, so Gibson's and Galilea's shacks are just variations of the same concept. And every Rhyolite Valley lot has an identical outhouse instead of an indoor bathroom, so it also set the standard for the way of living that the sims in the hood would have (ie inconvenient lol).

The saloon is another direct reference, except to the 1954 film Johnny Guitar - Though I still consider it a New Vegas reference since the film's theme song is in the game. The sims Vienna and Johnny Guitar are based on the actors in the film, and again it's not 1:1 so I didn't make them identical to the actors/characters, and the saloon is my own invention after googling "wild west saloon" and focusing on my other goal of keeping the lot(s) fairly small and bare bones.

When I made the lots/sims for Ophiel, Roswell, and Cascada, those were times where I'd come up with a sim or "situation" idea I wanted to see happen, and the result was based on trying to make it fit into the Rhyolite Valley environment with the "rules" I'd set out (no town infrastructure, self-sufficient, etc.).

I like vampires and ghosts, so imagining how to make vampires and ghosts fit into a desert resulted in the crypt thing - Which I didn't really look up any references for, it's shaped how it is because I wanted to sort of hide the building inside the hills and trying to do that made it end up longer than it is wide. The ghosts look how they do because I wanted to make it seem that the crypt had been there for a really long time, so the sims I made into ghosts had outfits/names that looked/sounded really old to me.

I also like aliens, and again imagining a "logical" or "natural" environment that aliens would be in within a desert to me meant building a science facility. I just like supernaturals in general, so that also lead to adding the servo Gidget. I didn't use any references for that either, I just made some generically industrial-looking things (silos and garages) and decorated from there.

The Cascada family was more focused on the lot than the sims, where I was thinking of more ways that sims could live in an empty desert besides a shack. That resulted in the converted bus thing, which I did look up references for just to make the bus as "realistic" as I could.

Aestas & True, the sims living in the bus, are another sort of "logic" thing to me while imagining what type of person lives in a bus in the desert. In my head I have a group of associations with the desert, which is basically Fallout New Vegas and its related themes (wild west, casinos, post-apocalypse), Roswell/Area 51, and Burning Man. Since I'd sort covered the New Vegas and Area 51 stuff with other lots/sims, then these sims covered the music festival aspect.

Referencing details on something like the bus are the hardest part, since TS2 doesn't come with objects that work well for creating the dashboard/driving area of a bus. When that happens, I just think "I need this space to have this shape in it, in this color" and use trial & error with random objects until something fits as best as I think it can (hence the boat wheel).

For the university Pretersolaria Institute, all the lots are based around the same thing as Rhyolite Valley, where there's no infrastructure and everything is self-sufficient. Keeping with the "rules" of the desert hood, the dorm I made ended up having literally zero places for sims to study, build skills, or write term papers.

I didn't want to just build a library in the middle of the desert, so I needed "logical" places for sims to be building their required skills, resulting in using career rewards and creating lots that seemed like fitting environments for them (eg Hydroponic Garden in a greenhouse, speech podium and musical instruments on a performing stage, chocolate machine in a factory, etc.). That's also how I came up with the bookmobile, because again trying to "logic" out how sims would access books/computers in the middle of a desert with no infrastructure.

That's it basically, most of what I've made feels to me more like fitting puzzle pieces together than anything, and if I do use inspiration/references it's to help further an idea I already had.

[k00288318]

Animation Assignment Task 2

We were asked to research 3 non-obvious animation processes. Animation requires a lot of planning and detailed work, and is constantly developing, particularly with the current technological boom. I've tried to avoid the styles that I have grown up with, so it has been interesting finding how many ways animation can be developed.

Rotoscope

Example: A Scanner darkly. Based on a Philip K Dick novel, Richard Linklater directed this film about addiction and a dystopian future, the movie is a classic science fiction that uses rotoscoping to accentuate the narrative. Starring Keanu Reeves, Robert Downey Jr, Woody Harrelson, and Winona Ryder it is a masterpiece that defines this particular style. 

For in-depth analysis, I recommend viewing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=38FbE_njus4 by Siobhan Cavanagh.

The trailer for the movie can be seen here:

Clay animation

A sub set of stop-motion animation, should be considered in its own right. This method involves using clay and other malleable materials to create stop-motion animation. Examples: Wallace and Gromit, and Chicken Run. 

Wallace and Grommit from Aardman studios, started as TV shorts and has a number of movies that retain a quality, quirkiness and charm that is totally individual. The clay animation style is used to such good effect here that it makes the stories untranslatable.

Pixilation

Another sub-set of stop motion. This style of animation uses real actors as the subject of animation. The actors are photographed in a series of poses and the film is run at a high frame rate giving the illusion of movement. 

Example: Sledgehammer  (Peter Gabriel Video, directed Stephen R Johnson) 

Honorable mention

360 Animation

Pioneered by the gaming industry, this metaverse style of production may very well be the future. The Starry night exhibition that was in Dublin last year shows the possibilities and it is already starting to feature in films.

Example: Crow the legend based on an old Indian legend, John legend plays the lead in this 2016 short film. Directed by Eric Darnell for Baobab studios, this is a vr experience that is ahead of its time. Charming story, well told, it can be experienced as a VR world. Even though this is unnecessary in this movie, it does show the potential.

[appu143]

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Voice recognition, facial identification, autonomous navigation, and machine learning are just a few of the features that AI robots possess. These characteristics make them perfect for a variety of uses, including as home aides and customer service.

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To know more, click here.

[imageftblog]

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Online Fitness Instructor Courses Offer Flexible Learning The delivery of fitness education has been totally transformed by Fitness Instructor Courses Online. They give students a flexible way to learn from the comfort of their homes as an alternative to typical classroom settings. The learning process is made more thorough and interesting by the interactive modules, videos, and quizzes that are frequently included in online platforms. People with hectic schedules can follow their fitness enthusiasm without sacrificing their other obligations thanks to its accessibility. Aspiring teachers can obtain certificates from these courses, which provide access to a range of job options in the fitness sector. The Fundamentals of a Course for Gym Teachers A training for gym instructors gives anyone who wants to work in a gym setting the fundamental knowledge they need. Typically, these classes address subjects including customer interaction tactics, health and safety laws, and workout methods. The abilities graduates acquire enable them to help gym patrons reach their fitness objectives. Numerous gym instructor courses also include hands-on training opportunities, enabling students to put their skills to use in authentic situations. In a gym setting, this practical experience is crucial for boosting competence and confidence. Improve Your Knowledge with Irish Online Nutrition Courses Any fitness professional needs to understand nutrition. Aspiring trainers can use the information they learn from Online Nutrition Courses Ireland to help their customers choose healthier foods. These classes address important subjects like meal planning, macronutrients, and dietary concerns for various fitness objectives. Personal trainers that possess this knowledge are able to provide their customers with more thorough assistance, assisting them in reaching their best fitness and nutritional goals. Online Personal Trainer Course Benefits Online Personal Trainer Course provide a practical means of becoming certified while juggling other obligations. These classes usually blend academic understanding with hands-on evaluations, guaranteeing that graduates are ready for dealing with clients. Because online learning is so convenient, people may study at their own pace and go over difficult subjects again. Those wishing to enter the fitness sector while juggling their current obligations may find this flexibility particularly alluring.

In Ireland, focus on sports nutrition courses. Ireland offers top-notch Sports Nutrition Courses Ireland for trainers looking to advance their credentials. These professional courses focus on improving performance and recovery by delving into the nutritional necessities of athletes and active people. By taking a sports nutrition development, trainers can further solidify their occupational experience by offering customized nutritional recommendations that complement their clients' fitness purposes.

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In Ireland, Become a Pilates Instructor There is a growing need for specialized exercise instructors, such those who teach Pilates programs. People can effectively teach this well-liked workout technique by enrolling in a Pilates Instructor Course Ireland. Anatomy, movement concepts, and instructional strategies are frequently covered in courses to prepare graduates to teach in a safe and efficient manner. Given Pilates' increasing appeal as a fitness discipline, having this certification can greatly improve a trainer's chances of landing a job. Improve Your Knowledge with Irish Strength and Conditioning Courses Strength and Conditioning Courses in Ireland are vital for trainers who want to work through athletes or fitness fanatics. These classes concentrate on leading-edge training methods that increase sports performance and guard against injuries. By knowing the fundamentals of strength training, conditioning, and recuperation, trainers may create efficient programs that are customized for each client. In addition to expanding a trainer's skill set, this specialization makes them more appealing to customers looking for specific performance gains

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A Detailed Look at the Core Skills Students Will Develop in a Comprehensive Animation Course, from 2D to 3D Animation

Beginning from hand-drawn frames in the old days to the cutting-edge 3D masterpieces in modern films and video games, animation has come a long way. For students who dream of making a name for themselves in this dynamic field, an aptly designed animation course in Andheri can be the gateway to a fruitful career. You can use it to create beautiful 2D animations or master 3D digital environments; in either case, you're receiving the core skills required for you to shine within the industry.

In this blog, we'd explore the essential skills developed by students after completing a full-fledged animation course. We'd clearly differentiate between 2D and 3D animation techniques. By the end of this blog, you would get a complete idea of how these courses prepare the future animators for real-life projects, and how the animation course in Andheri can open up exciting career opportunities.

Well, before jumping into the actual content of the blog, let's get an overview of what an animation course is all about.

 1. Overview of a Comprehensive Animation Course in Andheri

Animation courses in today's context are fashioned to transform the raw creativeness of the student into a technical proficiency. Courses start with the basics of 2D and 3D animation, and then move on to specific techniques in increasing stages of specificity and intensity.

At the heart of these programs is the understanding that animation is both an art and a science. Whether you want to create hand-drawn animations or 3D characters jumping off the screen, an animation course in Andheri teaches the right kind of balance between artistic freedom and technical know-how. A structured curriculum ensures that students learn not only how to animate but also gain deep insight into the animation process from beginning to end.

Moreover, considering it is located in Andheri, a bustling creative city of Mumbai, students get the extra advantages of networking, experience of internships, and finally jobs in one of the many production houses, gaming studios, and advertisement agencies of the city. This makes an animation course in Andheri very practically valuable for aspiring animators.

2. Skills Acquired in a 2D Animation Course

2.1 Knowledge of Basic Animation

Every all-inclusive course in Andheri starts off with the basics of animation, and 2D animation is a main feature in this learning curve. There's introduction to 12 principles of animation like squash and stretch, anticipation, timing and exaggeration. These concepts come to enable the student to add life to something static so that movements are fluid and believable.

The mastery of the fundamental skills is always crucial for any animator because it gives students a base upon which to build animations with weight, balance, and natural flow. These concepts apply both in 2D and 3D work.

2.2 Character Design and Development

Certainly, animation deals with characters. It is therefore in the design and development of characters from scratch that one gets interested in 2D animation. Instruction is about conceptualizing, sketching out a character, and getting it out with the story or need for a project in mind.

While working on 2D animation at an Andheri institution, students reveal the character's personality through motion, facial expression, and body language. On completion of the course, students can draw the most beautiful 2D characters that could emotionally deliver some picture.

2.3 Digital Illustration and Software Mastery

No 2D animation course would be complete without hands-on experience with the software that drives modern animation. Some of the top tools include Adobe Animate, Toon Boom Harmony, and Clip Studio Paint.

It can further equip them with the software needed to master fluid animations, designing storyboards, and even the production of digital illustrations. Thus, mastering these software programs is key for the very survival of those working in the industry, either for television shows and web series or even developing mobile applications.

3. Transitioning from 2D to 3D Animation in Andheri's Animation Courses

Usually, when students have attained a good level of proficiency in 2D animation, they will usually begin to transition into 3D. Learning new techniques is what changes from 2D to 3D animation, but most of the core principles are the same. Whether it's 2D or 3D, the basic fundamentals include a solid grasp of movement, timing, and storytelling.

An animation course in Andheri is meant to ease this transition for the student. From a richly built base of 2D animation, students now find themselves venturing into 3D spaces, character rigging, and intricate environments. Learning to make both 2D and 3D animations can be an excellent career switch from film or television to gaming and virtual reality.

4. Basic Skills in an Andheri 3D Animation Course

4.1 3D Modeling and Texturing

Moving into a world of 3D animation requires some elementary training in the building and editing of 3D models. As a part of this training, students develop the ability to use commercial software, which currently is Autodesk Maya, Blender, or 3ds Max.

3D animation defining modeling as the process of generating three-dimensional structure types that will subsequently be the basis of characters, props, and environments. Now that the model is created, students start texturing to learn how to apply colors, patterns, or materials, which completes appearance in their chosen way-realistic or stylized, depending on the need of the project.

The 3D modeling skills acquired from an animation course in Andheri prove to be valuable in video game, film-based, architectural visualization, and product design businesses among others.

4.2 Rigging and Animation

Rigging: creating an outfit of skeleton for a 3D model in order to enable it to move realistically. The student learns the art of rigging as an intricate process in their course, which allows them to animate their characters that walk, run, or even do something as complex as a cartwheel.

In an animation course in Andheri, animation follows rigging, where the students bring the rigged model to life by applying keyframes or motion capture or hand-keyed animation to bring it smooth movement that looks believable. Full mastering of rigging and animation means that students are masters of control over the character's performance, with slight facial expressions or action scenes of energy.

4.3 Lighting, Rendering, and Compositing

Lighting plays a very crucial role in setting the mood and atmosphere in 3D animation. The students learn how to work in 3D space with the light source, from which they will be able to adjust the color, the intensity, and positioning of lights to achieve the right visual effect.

Rendering now proceeds after lighting: where the 3D scene is processed and turned into a final image or video sequence. Students also get into compositing where many layers rendered are combined in order to achieve a complete final product. These skills are essential for any professional animator, especially those aiming to work in the film, television, or advertising industries.

5. Creative and Soft Skills Gained During an Animation Course in Andheri

5.1 Storytelling and Narrative Development

Story is essentially the lifeblood of any good animation. The foremost soft skills learned by any animation course at Andheri is storytelling. The students are taught how to create a cohesive narrative that captures the audience's imagination and conjures emotion.

This skill is essential not only in creating animated movies but also in advertisements, games, and in web series where storytelling sparks engagement.

5.2 Teamwork and Communication

Majority of the time, teams collaborate on projects where teams of animators, designers, and developers help bring their projects to life. Animation students learn how to work effectively in teams and communicate ideas clearly. The students learn to team up with their peers to achieve a common goal.

Work in teams also makes the student understand the significance of constructive feedback and how it enhances their work quality.

5.3 Time Management and Problem Solving

Animation projects are mostly deadline-driven projects, and students learn how to manage their time to ensure they complete the project within the timelines assigned. Animation also incorporates problem-solving-the task may be fixing a rig that is not functioning correctly or brainstorming ways of reducing the rendering times.

By the end of the course, students are equipped with time management and critical thinking skills so that they can address workplace problems.

6. Career Scope after Animation Courses in Andheri

The animation course in Andheri equips the graduates to enter a plethora of career opportunities. The need for skilled animators is increasing day by day, and the field offers chances in:

- Film and Television Animation: 3D animators can do from feature films to animating series.

- Video Game Design: Much needed animators who create characters and environments in video games.

- Advertising and Marketing: Animation is very much used in television commercials, web content, and promotional videos.

- Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality: With the advancement of VR and AR technologies, the demand for 3D animators to create an immersive experience is increasing.

This encompasses creating special effects for movies, television, and even web series.

It is along these lines that an institution offering a course in Andheri does more than equipping a student with technical skills, but also sets him up with a professional network that would get him going in his career.

Conclusion

All said, a full-time academic course in Andheri should be the take-off point for anyone wishing to leave a mark in the world of animation. Then, from mastering 2D animation techniques to the learning of advanced 3D modeling and animation, the students develop versatile skills that will unlock a wide world of career opportunities. In fact, this is probably one of the best times to pursue your passion and build a successful career in the industry as there is growing demand for skilled animators across industries.

So, if you are willing to give body to your creative ideas, then join an animation course in Andheri and start exploring today!