Just more of what I’ve been up to.
Cinema 4D actually seems approachable to learn… which is sorta amazing if you ask me. A 6 month learning curve? Really? Oh yeah.. I mean I can see that.. but it’s really not a “this is going to take 6 months to get so I can create some great work” sorta situation. Killer work will no doubt take a lot longer then 6 months to achieve.. but..
About Cinema 4D and 3D
Ok.. maybe I should slow down here.. so as to speak to those who might not know what the hell I’m talking about. I’m talking about a program that goes by the name of Cinema 4D. If you’d like to check it out further.. you can find out more at the Maxon website. Cinema 4D is serious pro level 3D graphics.. It’s the kinda think they those 3D graphics type movies with.. The use it for special effects in TV and movies.. they use it in video games.. etc, etc..
Different programs of this class have different levels of penetration into different industries.. As I understand it, Cinema 4D is probably most penetrated into the world of Broadcast TV..
What I want to do… I don’t even know how realistic this really is.. But I want to create work where I’m integrating video and animated elements.. via chroma keying, and what not.. So I want to create 3D worlds.. and animations.. and do this whole sort of thing.
I’m interested in charting new territory in digital film making. Most of this is sorta too complex to go into in detail here.. But I will say that I have a number of ideas that have been gestating for well over 10 years here.
So taking on Cinema 4D…. Assuming I go the Cinema 4D route.. this will be my first serious 3D program. I’ve played with a number of 3D programs in the past, and I’ve gotten good with some of it.. but there’s a world of difference between what Cinema 4D is.. and my past experiences.. and yet, to a fairly significant degree, I feel as though those past experiences do serve me as I try an orientate myself to this exciting new world.
The Larger Challenge of Learning
Lately my fear has been that I’m simply taking on too much.. as far as all I’m trying to learn right now: Final Cut Studio, Digital Performer, Komplete 5, Kore 2, Adobe CS3 Web Premium, Ableton Live 7… and then to add to this a program like Cinema 4D which is supposed to take 6 months to learn.. and then you have stuff like… lets go learn photography.. lets go get a new high def video camera, lets learn compositing and lighting in video.. It’s just an intensely large world of stuff I’m trying to pack into my brain.. enough so that I’m going “Jesus, is this all really realistic?”
Flash
It’s funny.. I’m doing a Flash project with a friend of mine, or for a friend of mine.. one where I will actually get paid.. so I’m now thinking “I should really bone up on Flash.” Flash is a part of that Adobe CS3 package.. I’ve been using Flash for years.. but haven’t jumped into the latest version too much yet.. and haven’t yet explored it’s integration into the total suite.. But Flash, as a platform and even if this project doesn’t require it, is a hugely complex platform.
I have a whole lot thought out as far as what I want my web presence to look like.. or Mattsearles.com anyway… and Flash figures into all that prominently.
Where I want to be with Flash requires digging in deeply into into the Flash Platform, and the developer side of things, even if only to facilitate the design side. Most of my work with Flash has involved using Flash as a tool for web based animation.. even if I haven’t put my stuff on the web.. and indeed.. my web based animation has largely been designed for 56K dial up internet.. as a pose to the current broadband universe. Where I want to go is to a more sophisticated sort of user interface design.. script based animation.. a certain amount of what we might call web 2.o mash ups.. a few web application development projects.. and stuff of this nature.
To these ends I’ve taking a route deep into the bowls of OOP or Object Orientated Programing.. and design patterns. My skills in this department are not yet ready for prime time.. but they are getting there..
So this gives some indication of the challenge ahead… as far as all the stuff I’m trying wrap my head around.
Back to the Studio
As we speak it looks like my Kore issue is worked out.. I’ve installed Kore, and now Kore is examining my AU plugins… as a part of starting Digital Performer for the first time after installing Kore. This process seems to want to take in the vicinity of an hour to get through.. fun fun.
I’m still having trouble installing the Kontakt library.. it seems to have stalled after getting to second library disk… What a pain.
I’d really like to have Kontakt fully loaded for some of the sound projects I’m currently engaging myself with.. The most significant of which is scoring a video I’m working on.
A little latter:
Kore seems to be in hell… It doesn’t seem to want to work at all. Its probably a Leopard thing.. where it simply doesn’t work with the current OS. This is basically fine.. assuming we can get our free upgrade to Kore 2.. which ought to work with Leopard.. but still.. you’d like to have these things not be a hassle every time you try and move forward a step.
Back to Cinema 4D
It’s probably just the Pixel Corps that make it seem so approachable.. They have soo many tutorial videos on Cinema 4D, that take you from the basics into the advanced.. And as you watch these you get the feeling that the complexity of your adventure doesn’t have to overwhelm you in anyway.
Next day:
Perhaps I should just post this?