Games
Dishonored – first impressions
Though I’ve barely played past the first proper mission, I feel compelled to write about Dishonored. Or Dishonoured, to spell it correctly.
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Filmmaking
Musings from the render farm
When I say ‘render farm’, I do of course mean my one and only computer. So while it valiantly chugs through the rendering of VFX shots for Arms Race I’m left unable to use it for much else.
So, here I am on my S3 finding out just how painful it is to type a blog post on my mobile phone. As it turns out, the combination of the S3’s absurdly massive screen and the stunning SwiftKey keyboard makes it rather pleasant and easy. This is the first time typing on a portable device hasn’t irritated me. It’s almost productive! (more…)
Personal
Joyce Percy, 1918 – 2012
My grandmother died while I was in Amsterdam at the IBC show. Her funeral was held on Friday in Kingsclere, where she had lived for many years. All the family were there, of course, and it was a wonderful service full of happy memories and some tears. I had the […]
Games
Spec Ops: The Line – making war interesting again
If you’ve been ignoring Spec Ops: The Line because of its lamely generic title, leave your prejudices at the door and read on.
Games
Mass Effect 3’s Extended Cut an unexpected success
I’ve written enthusiastically about both Mass Effect and Mass Effect 2. Despite flaws, they were both games that fired my imagination and lingered in memory long after the end credits rolled. (more…)
Professional
Hot Source, first impressions
I attended a local Norwich networking event for media/marketing types this evening called Hot Source. I’ve been attempting to go for about 6 months, ever since Ryan from Lambda Films told me about it but have always been pre-empted by other circumstances. And so the last Thursday of May rolled […]
Filmmaking
The Arms Race Escalation shoot
I’ve got this entire week off work, not for a holiday but for the biggest, most ambitious project It’s A Trap have ever attempted.
Back in 2010 we produced a short film called Arms Race. It began life as a few quick test shots to try out a cool gatling gun prop that Nigel Clegg had made and then rapidly expanded into a full short film. Here it is:
Filmmaking
VFX – CG crossbow bolt
Here’s another behind-the-scenes from Confrontation At Dawn: Gotta love so-subtle-you-don’t-know-it’s-there VFX.
Filmmaking
Demon face VFX breakdown
This morning I threw together a quick mini-tutorial on the demon face shot from Confrontation At Dawn. It’s quick and dirty, but shows just how simple such an effective shot can be:
Filmmaking
Confrontation At Dawn – Witcher-inspired short film
Here’s a short film we worked on recently that’s (very) loosely inspired by the Witcher games. Christopher wanted to try out some new fight choreography and get in the director’s chair, and this is the result. I wasn’t on set for this one and only came in at the end […]