long time no write
Well well! I almost forgot about this journal :) I have to admit, I'm glad I started it. It's great to read the old writing and remember who I was when I wrote it. Alot of things have changed in the past 2 years. Lets see where should i start?
First off, I'm in another hemisphere. I have just spent the last 16 months in Sydney Australia. These has been the best time of my life. I feel like I am 4 years older instead of just a year and 4 months.
Long story short, I got contracted by Animal Logic to work on their new film "Happy Feet". I took the job because it was finally the break that I wanted, a chance to work in film! They flew me over, and it was my VERY first time on an airplane. It was a very exciting flight for me as I boarded the tiny aircraft that would take me to LA so that I could board a jetliner and fly across the pacific. I vividly remember seeing my hometown shrink away as I stared out the window and thought to myself.... i finally made it, well more like... I finally got my chance, I better not fuck it up! I had an XSI book with me because I was terrified of this job, I didnt know XSI! I had only used it for maybe 30 hours before.
In the span of the past 16 months I have grown up so much. Lets start with the work related stuff first.
I came in simply to weight characters, almost a monkeys job. The test that they had me do for training I did a fairly shit job on. But when training was over I worked my ass off and nailed the real one for the film. My Senior a guy named Adam Ryan was very impressed and said that it was as good as the best ones in the film (if i seem like im bragging, please rest assured that I'm just trying to be as honest to myself about what I think, since I expect to be the only one to ever read this). After rigging, there was an emergency at work, they had to do the rings simulation and hair simulation for lovelace, they gave me the job and It was the hardest thing I've ever had to do in my life. Incredibly slow, combursome and boring. It lasted about 4 months, with a big push at the very last 6 weeks. During those 6 weeks i slept on average 3 hours a night, and worked 21 hour days. Luckily I lived close to work. In that time, I finished the shots, with the great help of my brilliant coordinated Joanne McIntyre. And I gained the respect of the terrifying animation director Daniel Jeunnette and of my team. My title then changed to character FX technical director. Which means I just did the technical animation for the film. I was this films very first technical animator! We got others as the time went on...
In character FX i had a chance to do quite a bit for the film as the months past, doing tech fixes on shots that no one before had been able to fix, I created quick rigs for the animators so that they could push the facial expressions further (which they loved me for) and generally just felt very useful all the time. At the end of the film we had a big push for sc44 which was the elephant seal sequence, and there i was made sequence lead, and had a team of 4 help me. We nailed it and got it done, and was another great experience for me. Once happy feet finished I moved onto modeling for "Where the Wild Things Are" Directed by Spike Jonze. It was a hellish project, and I worked insane hours, including a 39 hour day. THe project didnt go very well due to political reasons between Animal and the other production company, but either way, I feel like I grew from the experience and am glad to have had it.
K thats the work side. Although I learned alot, and grew as a person and as a professional. I learned far more from my social life.
1. I fell in love, was ignored and had my heart broken... It had to happen. I spent 6 years of my life locked away, i was covered in zits, skinny, i spoke too fast and had no real sense of confidence (except for when it came to 3d). This girl who I have to admit was gorgeous and did it for me had no idea that I was a man. She didn't see me as one, and I don't blame her. I wasn't yet. I was just a very very driven kid who had alot of growing up to do (and god I still do, but ive made strides and am on a good path now). For this girl I changed myself, hoping that I could get her to notice me, I got on acne medication, I worked out like a madman at the gym, I started surfing so that I could be around her more, and I generally just tried to improve on my confidence. I studied what men were supposed to act like (at least what people expect) and I tried to notice my faults, so that I could improve on them... I came to realize that I was anything but sexy, I had attractive qualities, but I came off as too much of a little boy, when women want a man. I've changed since then, and am growing. These changes are for the better, as my general self-esteem now is much higher. The best thing I did was that I found the two most fashionable girls I knew, and asked them to take me shopping. It was the best thing I ever did, as I let them guide me to a proper wardrobe. And I have to admit that it has made a world of difference. The clothes as well as the changes I've made to myself physically and mentally have quadrupled the amount of attention I get from girls now. I can actually snag them now! And near the end of my stay here the girl I had the crush on came up to me one day while drunk and said "Enrique... I'm a bit embarrassed to tell you that you look really hot lately" It was what I had wanted to hear for almost a year. I knew that we would never be together because I wasn't really her type, and well... she isn't really mine. But it felt so good to hear it. Although I never got that girl, I can now get others, and the next time I develop a crush... or fall in love, this time I wont be overlooked. It was a good experience, I came out stronger on the other end. And god it hurt so much.
2. I made the best friends in the world here, everyone was so open and friendly. We were all from different parts of the world, living in australia and in need of a social circle. We bonded quickly and made strong bonds. These people are amazing. Beautiful, talented, mature and FUN!! I am in love with the people that I met here and feel incredibly lucky to have spent so much time with them. They are now off all around the world, and I will see them all again in other studios. I am sad that I probably will never see the entire group together again, as we made such a great group of friends. But god bless them I love them.
I am currently still sitting in the Spectrum building where we worked so hard for those many many months on happy feet. I am one of the last still here, and will be flying back home in 16 days to live with marcel and angel for a few months.
I am a very different person from the little boy that came here. I still have alot to learn, I need to become more confident, especially around women. I need to have more sex too! My score card is pathetic! But I am finally equiped to meet someone that I love, and actually get her... I realize how much I'm repeating myself, I'm mostly just brain-farting this onto the keyboard, so dont judge you're old self too harshly Enrique!
God knows when I'll write again. Probably not for another 2 years? Who knows. But I'm glad to have this journal to look back on.
First off, I'm in another hemisphere. I have just spent the last 16 months in Sydney Australia. These has been the best time of my life. I feel like I am 4 years older instead of just a year and 4 months.
Long story short, I got contracted by Animal Logic to work on their new film "Happy Feet". I took the job because it was finally the break that I wanted, a chance to work in film! They flew me over, and it was my VERY first time on an airplane. It was a very exciting flight for me as I boarded the tiny aircraft that would take me to LA so that I could board a jetliner and fly across the pacific. I vividly remember seeing my hometown shrink away as I stared out the window and thought to myself.... i finally made it, well more like... I finally got my chance, I better not fuck it up! I had an XSI book with me because I was terrified of this job, I didnt know XSI! I had only used it for maybe 30 hours before.
In the span of the past 16 months I have grown up so much. Lets start with the work related stuff first.
I came in simply to weight characters, almost a monkeys job. The test that they had me do for training I did a fairly shit job on. But when training was over I worked my ass off and nailed the real one for the film. My Senior a guy named Adam Ryan was very impressed and said that it was as good as the best ones in the film (if i seem like im bragging, please rest assured that I'm just trying to be as honest to myself about what I think, since I expect to be the only one to ever read this). After rigging, there was an emergency at work, they had to do the rings simulation and hair simulation for lovelace, they gave me the job and It was the hardest thing I've ever had to do in my life. Incredibly slow, combursome and boring. It lasted about 4 months, with a big push at the very last 6 weeks. During those 6 weeks i slept on average 3 hours a night, and worked 21 hour days. Luckily I lived close to work. In that time, I finished the shots, with the great help of my brilliant coordinated Joanne McIntyre. And I gained the respect of the terrifying animation director Daniel Jeunnette and of my team. My title then changed to character FX technical director. Which means I just did the technical animation for the film. I was this films very first technical animator! We got others as the time went on...
In character FX i had a chance to do quite a bit for the film as the months past, doing tech fixes on shots that no one before had been able to fix, I created quick rigs for the animators so that they could push the facial expressions further (which they loved me for) and generally just felt very useful all the time. At the end of the film we had a big push for sc44 which was the elephant seal sequence, and there i was made sequence lead, and had a team of 4 help me. We nailed it and got it done, and was another great experience for me. Once happy feet finished I moved onto modeling for "Where the Wild Things Are" Directed by Spike Jonze. It was a hellish project, and I worked insane hours, including a 39 hour day. THe project didnt go very well due to political reasons between Animal and the other production company, but either way, I feel like I grew from the experience and am glad to have had it.
K thats the work side. Although I learned alot, and grew as a person and as a professional. I learned far more from my social life.
1. I fell in love, was ignored and had my heart broken... It had to happen. I spent 6 years of my life locked away, i was covered in zits, skinny, i spoke too fast and had no real sense of confidence (except for when it came to 3d). This girl who I have to admit was gorgeous and did it for me had no idea that I was a man. She didn't see me as one, and I don't blame her. I wasn't yet. I was just a very very driven kid who had alot of growing up to do (and god I still do, but ive made strides and am on a good path now). For this girl I changed myself, hoping that I could get her to notice me, I got on acne medication, I worked out like a madman at the gym, I started surfing so that I could be around her more, and I generally just tried to improve on my confidence. I studied what men were supposed to act like (at least what people expect) and I tried to notice my faults, so that I could improve on them... I came to realize that I was anything but sexy, I had attractive qualities, but I came off as too much of a little boy, when women want a man. I've changed since then, and am growing. These changes are for the better, as my general self-esteem now is much higher. The best thing I did was that I found the two most fashionable girls I knew, and asked them to take me shopping. It was the best thing I ever did, as I let them guide me to a proper wardrobe. And I have to admit that it has made a world of difference. The clothes as well as the changes I've made to myself physically and mentally have quadrupled the amount of attention I get from girls now. I can actually snag them now! And near the end of my stay here the girl I had the crush on came up to me one day while drunk and said "Enrique... I'm a bit embarrassed to tell you that you look really hot lately" It was what I had wanted to hear for almost a year. I knew that we would never be together because I wasn't really her type, and well... she isn't really mine. But it felt so good to hear it. Although I never got that girl, I can now get others, and the next time I develop a crush... or fall in love, this time I wont be overlooked. It was a good experience, I came out stronger on the other end. And god it hurt so much.
2. I made the best friends in the world here, everyone was so open and friendly. We were all from different parts of the world, living in australia and in need of a social circle. We bonded quickly and made strong bonds. These people are amazing. Beautiful, talented, mature and FUN!! I am in love with the people that I met here and feel incredibly lucky to have spent so much time with them. They are now off all around the world, and I will see them all again in other studios. I am sad that I probably will never see the entire group together again, as we made such a great group of friends. But god bless them I love them.
I am currently still sitting in the Spectrum building where we worked so hard for those many many months on happy feet. I am one of the last still here, and will be flying back home in 16 days to live with marcel and angel for a few months.
I am a very different person from the little boy that came here. I still have alot to learn, I need to become more confident, especially around women. I need to have more sex too! My score card is pathetic! But I am finally equiped to meet someone that I love, and actually get her... I realize how much I'm repeating myself, I'm mostly just brain-farting this onto the keyboard, so dont judge you're old self too harshly Enrique!
God knows when I'll write again. Probably not for another 2 years? Who knows. But I'm glad to have this journal to look back on.