First off, if you need to email me. Here’s my address: Daniel@RedForty.com
If you wish to IM me, email me to get my handle. Can’t put it on the site (too dangerous).
This is the home of Daniel’s AnimationMentor.com exploits progress journal. Daniel is enrolled into this wonderful program with the goal of becoming the world’s greatest animator. Not seriously.
So, we’ll grab some popcorn and sit back and watch the miracles happen…
Right before our eyes…
Any moment now…
…
…
Seriously, it’s gonna be one heck of a show. Just watch.
Wait for it…
Wait for it…
Oh, while you’re waiting, you can check out my MoGraph reel on my core site: http://www.RedForty.com.
Right now, I’m employed at The Studio @ NewWave Entertainment. I’ve been here for 3 years now. I started as basically a tape-digitizer-on-demand-guy which left me with a bunch of free time in between rushes. So I picked up the After Effects (It’s what all these crazy people were using) and learned it inside-out. I ended up doing a TON of lower thirds and title cards for all those behind-the-scenes interviews and making-ofs and deleted-scenes. After that got boring, I picked up Maya (At the time, it was version 6.0). I can’t say I learned in inside-out (who the hell could), but I did get better than all the other 2d artists. So, I did the natural thing to do at that point in my life: I quit my job and backpacked through Europe for a month.
To tell the truth, I have to admit that I tried to quit, but my boss didn’t let me. I figured I’d grown too much for them and I needed to leave to expand my horizons, but lo-and-behold, the old digitize-the-tape job disappeared and they didn’t want to see me go, so they happily added onto their 3d department (which, at the time was only 2 guys big). I was thrilled! And I STILL WENT TO EUROPE for a month! It was a win/win/win/win/win situation!
So, ever since then (2 years ago), I’ve been growing into an integral part of the 3d team at The Studio. And now, I find myself at the peak of being a Maya Generalist. Sure, I could always learn more of the ‘whole picture’, but it’s high-time I found a niche and sharpened a skill. So, I’ve decided to go into Character Animation, which would probably me the MOST helpful and rewarding to my career me, personally. Animation so far certainly has been so very rewarding. It’s such a slow art, at first, you know? It takes days and days (or weeks or months, depending) of work to finally get that payoff. And when you finally see all of your work in that final-rendered glory, it’s one hell of a rush.
Eventually (don’t tell my boss this), I want to work for Blizzard Entertainment (Cinematics division and possibly on one of the many awesome games themselves). Or Pixar. Or both.
Either way, this is going to be one helluva ride, I promise.
Oh, and:
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