Archive for June, 2007
Server Move
Penguin June 29th, 2007
On Tuesday, the blog went down for a little. This was because our webhost was moving servers. Now, we’re on this massive RAID 10 system or something. Hopefully, everything is faster and smoother.
We haven’t been posting because when they moved the database, the NVP data got wiped. I think this was due to the corrupted tables. For fear of losing blog data, we refrained from posting until the move was complete.
For those who had posted to NVP, we’re deeply sorry that we lost your stuff. We lost our stuff in the move too. And I didn’t have the forsight to back up the database.
I will be throwing things back up this weekend, and things should be running again.
Sorry for the inconvenience.
-Penguin
Related postsLove Angle: The Script; in Flux
Penguin June 25th, 2007
In my last post, Love Angle: The Script, I let the world see one of my drafts for the movie. I took a lot of Zach’s advice and started trimming the fat from the script. I managed to cut about two pages. But there was still something about it that just wasn’t working.
Talking to Ninja last night, I realized that there were three fundamental flaws with the screenplay.
The external conflict is too weak. It’s not so much that the possiblility of failing physics sucks, rather, it’s the result of failing physics. Okay, she’ll have to go to summer school, big deal. This may just be my “grown-upness” speaking, but summer school just isn’t that bad. I remember we used to sneak INTO summer school because everyone was there.
You don’t know the characters until the end. This is probably the biggest of the problems. Romantic comedies hinge on the audience identifying with the main character. If this connection doesn’t happen, then they won’t care what happens to them. Thus, they won’t care what happens in the rest of the movie and will have turned off.
I feel like the characters are pretty strong at the end. The go through this arc and this change, but it’s a change from the boring. There’s nothing about them that’s endearing or engaging.
My dialogue sucks. There’s not much I can do about this one. My skills as a writer can only go so far. But I do see deficiencies that I can try and fix. One of the biggest problems with the dialogue right now is the use of “yeah”s and “what”s. Yes, this is the way people speak. But this isn’t what people want to hear. It may seem natural, but it ends up being boring and uninspired.
I remember watching a documentary with Kevin Smith. One of the audience members asked him how he wrote such good dialogue. His response was if he wrote the way people spoke, it would be boring and wouldn’t go anywhere. Instead, he wrote what he wanted his characters to say, what he wanted to hear from his characters.
It’s taken me four weeks to see how bad the screenplay is. As much as I want to start shooting, I can’t see how I can with the current state of the screenplay. I was all set to start shooting. I had created a shotlist that, but if I’m going to fix the script, I’m going to have to throw out a good portion of the shotlist.
Lessons learned.
-Penguin
Related postsWine + design
Ninja June 25th, 2007
I don’t get out all that much, but when I do, I tend to meet some very interesting characters. Like when I was backpacking through Italy and shared a hostel room with a 50-year-old teacher who slept in the nude. That was a tad awkward!
Well, 2-3 years ago, I went to visit Clinton Vineyards. After a long drive, I politely excused myself to the loo. There, hanging over the toilet was a signed Seymour Chwast! Huh, these folks have good taste!!!
Ben + Phyllis Feder are the two kind souls behind Clinton Vineyards. I later learned that Phyllis was once partners with Milton Glaser! And that Ben, her husband, was one of Milton’s competitors.
They make great dessert wines! I highly recommend the Cassis (pictured above, made from black currents + it’s the Gold Medal Winner in the LA International Wine Competition) and Romance (a port style wine made from seyval grapes). If you’re in NY, go take a trip, get some wine, and chat about design!
Links:
+ Order wine online
+ Directions
Today + tomorrow: MoCCA Art Festival
Ninja June 23rd, 2007
MoCCA Art Festival 2007
When: June 23-24, 2007 (11:00am – 6:00pm)
Where: Puck Building (293 Lafayette at Houston), New York City
What: Meet comic artists + like-minded souls! Buy sketches, prints, original artwork, + minicomics. Enjoy the crazy eye-candy! =)
Cost: $8 each day/$10 weekend pass (weekend pass is $5 for MoCCA members)
Links:
+ Festival Program
+ Exhibitors List
+ Bus + subway directions
20 Questions with photographer, Tony Yang
Ninja June 23rd, 2007
Good mornin’ everyone! Happy Saturday. =) I’d like to introduce y’all to my friend, Tony. He graciously let me interview him for my lil’ bloggie. Thanks, Tony!
Tony and I both went to Mason Gross. I have fond memories of watching him do his magic in Photoshop, eating dinosaur-shaped chicken nuggets in his kitchen, and watching his face light up when he bought some new crazy gadget. He’s sort of a myth and legend among our classmates. “Oh, Tony? Did you hear he’s shooting for FHM now?” “I heard he’s got a gig in Jamaica.” “I think he’s in Paris.” “I heard he’s booked 22 weekends in a row for weddings.”
Haha, Tony’s just “Tony Bologna” to me. He’s incredibly talented and just a tad shy. But I think that’s why his models feel so comfortable around him. I remember he used to draw these great nudes in his Figure Drawing class, and even the model’s boyfriend would be totally comfortable with Tony seeing his gal with nothing more than a smile on. But I digress…
1) First question is always the easy one: what’s your full name and age?
Tony Yang, 25.
2) Are you content/happy right now?
Yes, quite. Can’t ask for more.
3) What’s in your fridge?
Lunchables.
4) If you could have any superpower what would it be?
Flying of course.
5) What are your favorite movies or albums?
I never have favorite things, I just make them up to answer questions. The Story of Us.
6) And favorite artists?
None really. I don’t follow anyone.
7) What/who inspires you?
The Internet.
What’s the most beautiful thing you’ve ever seen?
God and his works.
9) Please describe your photographing process. Do you sketch out poses before hand/have a set of images in mind, or do you just sort of work it out during the photo shoot?
I come up with ideas/concepts during the shoot, based on what the model brings. Sometimes I will get ideas from browsing photos online before the shoot.
10) Do you make your bed in the morning?
Never.
11) What was your favorite childhood toy, and do you still have it?
Transformers of course. They’re all lost.
12) Do you daydream?
All the time.
13) Is there anything you’d change about yourself?
Not having such a monotone voice.
14) If you weren’t photographing, what would you be doing?
Driving.
15) Do you have any hobbies?
Driving.
16) Favorite Photoshop trick?
Nice try. Just kidding. I always like to desaturate, then color balance my images, and a little vignetting always helps.
17) Most memorable photo shoot?
On-location photoshoot in Orlando FL with the girl that got me started in this business.
18) What’s the worst pick-up line that somebody’s used on you?
I’ve never been picked up. Snif.
19) Are you who you thought you’d be when you were younger?
Not at all.
20) Any advice for budding photographers?
Don’t stop shooting. Not a single month has gone by in the last 4 years where I haven’t taken photos. If nothing comes to you, go find something. Learn the film process before jumping directly into digital and worry about post processing later.
Thanks again, Tony!!! =)
Here are Tony’s picks from the shots that he’s taken:
Links:
Love Angle: The Script
Penguin June 22nd, 2007
Here is the second installment into the forray of film. You can start at the beginning with Love Angle: My First� Movie.
I just about wrapped up the script. The first revision was a disaster. I had the unfortune to sit next to Ninja as she read and made faces at the script.
After the table read, both the cast and I felt that there were a lot of deficiencies in the script. Some of my actors weren’t happy with the direction I took their character. We spent a lot of time brainstorming and thinking of solutions to some of these.
During the week, I felt that the way we lead up to the ending was just such a huge contrivance. So, I ended up rewriting a good part of the script.
As we approach our shooting schedule, I’ve come to a point where I’m okay with the script. It could probably use the addition of one or two more scenes, but for the most part, the structure works.
I’m going to try something, and post the current draft. If it works, take a gander and post in the comments. Otherwise, stay tuned for more updates.
-Penguin
Related postsCreative director, illustrator, type geek: Roberto de Vicq de Cumptich
Ninja June 22nd, 2007
My friend Pei is a Senior designer over at Randomhouse. She used to work with Roberto de Vicq de Cumptich and introduced me to his playful work years ago. I was immediately taken by his keen eye for design and passion for typography. Funnily enough, even before I knew who he was, I bought a book that he had designed (just because the cover was so well-designed).
Roberto de Vicq de Cumptich’s children’s book debut, Bembo’s Zoo, delights both young eyes + type nerds’ imaginations. This abecedary is illustrated using only Bembo’s letterforms and punctuation.
Background info:
Roberto was born in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil. In 1982, he received a painting scholarship from Pratt Institute, so he upped and moved to NY. He earned his MFA from Pratt and now works as a Senior Creative Direction/VP at Harper Collins. His client list that includes Adobe, Alfred A. Knopf, Columbia Records, and MTV.
Links:
+ check out deVicq’s website
+ words at play
+ buy Bembo’s Zoo
Daily Monster: Open Source Blot 11 Process
Ninja June 21st, 2007
This lil’ monster is a gift for my friend’s daughter, Sofia. She just turned 3 last month! =) I spent a whole Saturday afternoon with 13 or so of Sofia’s friends. There was a lot of chasing, hand-holding, and tissue-fetching. Her mum also armed me with both a viddy camera and digital camera, so I was trying my best to capture the whole birthday party while watching some of the kiddies. Gosh, it was so tiring! Thankfully, their parents were there too!!
Every once in a while, Sofia sends me collages and turkey hand prints (which I proudly display in my office cube). In the past, I’ve drawn her some crayon sketches, but I thought she’d might like a lil’ monster fun to add to her collection!
Ok, in Adobe Illustrator, start off drawing a simple head with the pen tool.
Next add some hair and a bow with the pen tool.
Draw in the rest of the features. In case you’re wondering, I didn’t actually draw the dress in—I was too lazy. 
Still using the pen tool, draw a line to represent the ball’s path. Then go to the Stroke palette (Window > Stroke or Apple + F10). Change the stroke weight to 3 pt, and check the “dashed line” box and type in 15 pts for the dash increment. Save this document and then close Illustrator.
Open the open source blot in Adobe Photoshop. Change the mode to Greyscale (Image > Mode > Greyscale).
Go back to the Mode palette and choose Duotone (Image > Mode > Duotone). Under the Duotone Option palette, select “Monotone” for the type and use 100% Magenta for the color.
Use the eye dropper tool and select the now Magenta blot. Select only the Magenta portion of the image by using Select > Color Range. Choose “Sampled Colors” under the “Select” option and slide the bar all the way to 200 for Fuzziness.
Some of the bits look kind of scraggly and thin. I beefed ‘em up a tad by going to Select > Modify > Expand. Don’t go too crazy. We still want to maintain the same feeling as the original ink blot, so expand the selection only by 1 pixel.
100% Magenta should still be chosen in your color palette. So go to Edit > Fill or Shift + F5 and this will get rid of that slightly translucent bit in the middle of the blot.
Now, open the Illustrator drawing in Photoshop. Since the blot is still selected, copy and paste him into your now-rasterized drawing. Flip him, rotate him, scale him.
Use the airbrush tool with a hard edge setting and draw the rest of the lil’ monster’s features.
After I did all this, I realized that the image should be flipped so the ball would bounce off the monster’s head and into Sofia’s hands. Also her legs were too far from the rest of her body, making her look like she was doing the Michael Jackson lean, so I shifted them to align with her torso. I also tilted her head down to make her look at the monster, instead of looking off into the distance. Then with the airbrush, I made her smile a wee wider (amazing what a few pixels will do). And there you have it!
Enjoy + happy drawing!
Cheers,
Ninja =)
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