Dulci's Perspective

Machinima Vs Anymation

2009-12-15T08:17:00.001-06:00

Actors

Information

Credits

Machinima Character
by Killian

Anymation Character
by The Biz

Machinima Versus Anymation is an on going series of spoofs directed at machinima and home animation in general. Conceived by M.D. McCallum (WarLord) and assisted by Dulci in screenwriting and production this series hopes to play on the good and bad of home animation and its sometimes fanatical filmmakers.

The producers of this short anymation are very pleased to have two very talented voice actors from the TMUnderground community to kick off this series and wish to extend their heartfelt thanks to Killian and The Biz for their fine efforts.

Special Thanks to Machinima Uber Filmmaker Tom Jantol for coining the term "Anymation"!

Producer and Casting
Dulci

Screenplay by
Dulci and WarLord

Music by
Masters of Mario

Animation, Editing and Direction
by WarLord

Visit the Machinima Vs Anymation website here.

It's December...you know what that means!

2009-12-04T15:55:00.007-06:00

It's time for my annual reading (7+ yrs now) of Frank Herbert's Dune series! It's something I look forward to every December.

As far as the Dune movies go, I gotta be honest - I was disappointed with the 1984 version (with Sting, who fortunately didn't play Paul). However, the Sci Fi channel miniseries is outstanding - both Dune & Children of Dune lived up to my expectations. There's far too much detail in the books themselves for any movie to capture every element.

Dune is Sci Fi writing at its best. It's engrossing, and Herbert doesn't talk down to his audience; he creates an entire universe for us to explore. And I for one enjoy exploring it again and and again and again...

This also means that I will be motivated to take another look at my Chani script, which is being crafted around the events of Dune viewed from Chani's perspective. I think she is a powerful feminine character and has a unique story waiting to be told.

She is oftentimes portrayed as a formidable force within the story, while at the same time facing challenges integral to women. I look forward to focusing on her role in this years reading, and hope to flush out my outline further.

But mostly - I intend to sit back, relax, and enjoy the story!!!

I love December.

Women In Machinima

2009-11-25T10:32:00.002-06:00

One of the highlights of the Machinima Expo for me was the Women in Machinima panel. Last year I felt the same way; although this year they took pity on me and allowed me in the panel rather than in the audience chomping at the bit with questions and comments. The panel this year focused less on women-specific issues related to machinima, and rather was more of a chance to get to know some of the female machinimators. It was a fantastic experience and I appreciated the opportunity to be involved. There really are more women in machinima than I think people realize on first flush.

However, having worked up some thoughts on what I would I say if the gender-related questions were asked, I feel the need to purge those ideas from my system – so lucky you, Reader, as you now get to wander through my rambling thoughts.

If you had asked me the question “Does gender matter in machinima?” at different points throughout my machinima career, you would have, over the years, received varying responses from me.

When I first began, it didn’t seem to matter at all. I started with The Movies from its beginning, and as a community we were all on what could be described as a level playing field. There was genuine enthusiasm from the beginning to be supportive of one another’s movies (the need for virtual credits to unlock certain items actually helped spur this on, but that’s a topic for another day). As we matured and the community got a bit more competitive, some of the gloves came off and biting comments were made here and there. I’ll focus on some directed at me that shaped my perspective on this specific topic.

1) If you think some people don’t watch your movies because you’re a girl and they are e-flirting with you, you are being naïve.

My initial response: Hot-headed anger.

Looking back: I hate admitting it, but I do believe this is on occasion true. Sometimes the internet is like a bizarre nightclub and you just never know who is looking for action! However, this happened more often in the TMO days. I haven’t picked up this vibe in a long time, so either I’m still naïve or this behavior has been purged from the community.

2) People watch & support your movies because they hope to have you voiceact for them, as voiceactresses are few & far between.

My initial response: Irritation. Realize, though, that one of the most obnoxious, insulting requests a voiceactress can receive is “I need a girl in my movie and I’m pretty sure you’re a girl. Can you do these lines for me?”. We’d rather be cast because the role fits us, not because we’re the only girl you can think of who voiceacts.

Looking back: This is actually a flattering reason for someone to watch my movies, and I have learned more effective ways to say no to voiceacting roles. If you think I am a lousy filmmaker but a decent voiceactress, I can certainly live with that summation!

3) You play the “girl card” to get people to watch your movies.

My initial response: Paranoid introspection. Huh? What’s the “girl card”? What am I doing that is giving the idea that I’m manipulating people into watching my flicks?

Looking back: Yes, I’m a girl. *gasp* I still don't know what exactly the "girl card" is, but I don't waste my time dissecting this statement anymore.

4) Girls tend to be self-depreciating

My initial response: Don’t lump me in with all the other girls! When I acknowledge my imperfections as a filmmaker, I’m not fishing for a compliment. I’m trying to be honest and I’m looking for ways to improve.

Looking back: If there’s a tendency for women to be self-depreciating, then I would say there’s just as strong a tendency for men to be cocky & self-praising. And if as a man that sentence annoyed you, then now you know how this stereotype makes me feel!

There has also been a general perception that women machinimators make mostly romance & drama movies. In my experience, not just with my own movies but with those I’ve watched, this perception is way off base. Actually, romantic movies by either gender are few & far between in machinima. I don’t know if that’s a product of the environment and software or a conscientious choice.

In my little segment of the machinima world, The Movies Online through to TMUnderground, I have seen an evolution of perception. Granted, some of the more negative elements have drifted away from the community, and I’m sure they are still out there somewhere convinced as they hunch over their keyboards that the reason their movies weren’t watched is because they don’t have girl bits & pieces.

I also feel that people have gotten more comfortable saying when they think one of my movies is bleh. Chivalry I think is just ingrained in many men (yes, I realize I just stated a stereotype) but as we have gotten to know each other over the years, constructive criticism is recognized as a kind, and not negative, gesture.

Do women machinimators have it rougher than their male counterparts? I’d say definitively no. Male or female, we approach our work as individuals and not as gender representatives.

iClone not allowed in 48 hour machinima event?

2009-11-15T08:12:00.003-06:00

Based on the first-hand experience of codewarrior, as outlined in this thread on Reallusion, the use of iClone was not allowed in the recent 48 hour machinima event.

Normally, I try to take a deep breath and remind myself that not everyone thinks iClone is machinima. It's like a mantra. Breathe in - breathe out - not everyone thinks - blah blah blah. However - there is a big difference this time, as MovieStorm WAS allowed in the event. Usually, when iClone isn't an accepted format, neither is MovieStorm.

Anyone who is familiar with both MovieStorm and iClone knows that the programs have some pretty solid similarities. Both are non-game platforms. Why would iClone be excluded from such a prestigious machinima event? I was enthusiastic about this event - I had even considered participating.

I know that we can't dictate to contest runners how to set up their rules and criteria, but I would really like to hear an explanation as to why iClone was summarily dismissed in the 48 hour machinima competition, and MovieStorm embraced to the point that one of the top-award winning movies was made with MovieStorm (a well-deserved win, I might add, lest some think I'm casting doubt as to the validity of that decision).

I find this very disheartening at a time when I was feeling confident and upbeat about the progress the machinima community has made in general at embracing the varying platform choices available.

In my opinion, excluding iClone isolates its users. I have enjoyed the cross-pollination of iC and MS users - on TMUnderground we see users of both programs assisting each other on projects, supporting each others work, and enjoying each others movies. The choice made by the organizers of the 48 hour project only serves to create a rift where there wasn't one. At least at past events, iCloners and MovieStormers could console each other when we were excluded from competitions.

It's absolutely mind-boggling to me and I am thoroughly disappointed with this decision.

It's all about shapes!

2009-11-10T15:14:00.004-06:00

I can't believe I never downloaded the free Google Sketchup program until today.

Sure, I've been browsing through the Google 3d Warehouse since I bought iClone last year, and importing many of those models into iClone via 3DXchange. However, I never gave serious thought to trying my hand at the program.

The primary reason being, I've never been talented at drawing. Without a ruler, I can't even draw a straight line. I actually hold pencils & scissors incorrectly (I hold them the way a left-handed person would but with my right hand. I don't know why!). I lumped Sketchup into the same category as my sad, sad past endeavors at creating art during my childhood.

Lo and behold, Sketchup is blessedly user-friendly! Now, granted, some natural talent is needed to make anything truly astounding, and I strongly doubt that I'll ever be classified in that category. It is, though, gratifying to learn that I can use the program to make some simple props for myself.

Over the past few months working with iClone and soaking in the knowledge of my truly artistic co-host, Wolf, as well as other poweruser iCloners, I have noticed that I'm looking at props/sets/the real world a little differently. And, my friends, let me tell you - it's all about SHAPES! I know, it's taken me a ridiculously long time to come to this realization, but that simple statement speaks volumes. SHAPES. I discounted geometry when I was student as I never had a knack for it. I loved algebra but could not get a handle on geometry. I could not visualize the lines on the paper as a 3d object. Oh, how I wish I had a program like Sketchup back then! I've had eureka moments just making cubes & cylinders in Sketchup.

Because of working with materials in iClone, over the summer I found myself becoming more and more obsessed with textures. It was an entirely new method of observation. Now I've compounded that worldview with searching for the shapes in the composition of everyday objects; and while the person standing in line behind me at the grocery store might not find my fascination with the design of the cash register equally stimulating, I trust that some of you can relate to what I'm experiencing.

SHAPES!

You'll have to excuse me now, as I have just gotten distracted by the varying shapes making up my Blue Snowball microphone.....

Upcoming Mega Sci Fi Pack from Wolf

2009-10-29T09:10:00.005-05:00

Wolf provided some sneak peeks of his upcoming Sci Fi Mega Pack for iClone - and I gotta say, I'm very impressed. Ok, to be honest, I was expecting something great from him - but even with that expectation, I am still blown away. Further affirmation that I chose the right partner in crime for the weekly radio show.

Fore more info (and a better view of the images) you can see his post about it here.

Here's what he had to say about the images: "Aside from the weekly freebies, it's been a while since I released any content on a larger scale. The show and production of various projects has kept me busy. That being said, for those that do listen to the show, you heard us chatting about the upcoming sci fi mega pack. I know there's alot of folks looking forward to this pack. It's in its final stages of some stress testing of my own before I release i to the Reallusion and coolcreator store fronts. The pictures below will give a taste of the contents of the pack. It is not an exhaustive demo, but it shows a great deal of what the pack will contain. Everything you see in any of the photos (except the one character in the sickbay) will be included in the pack and then some. Once it's submitted, I'll update The CCD thread with videos of the prop sets in action. Thanks to all for the requests and guidance on what you'd like to see as it helped me immeasurably in the modeling of this pack."

I know several sci fi buffs who have been looking forward to this pack, so to them I say - woohoo! It's coming soon! I can't wait to see some great movies made with these props, sets, etc. I really am a sci-fi geek at heart!

Joseph's DreamCoat

2009-10-28T13:45:00.002-05:00

One of my first pieces exploring some of the exciting features in iClone4. In this I used video as the texture on the cloth, and also played with HDR lighting & facial animation.

May Flowers - Remembering a Role

2009-10-14T16:45:00.004-05:00

A friend of mine just reminded me of a role I did in 2007 in JosephKW's "May Flowers". I played the lead character, May. Joseph is a marvelous director to work with - acting for him always is a pleasure. May Flowers is a delightful character and it was truly an honor to bring her to life with my voice. AnotherNewDawn co-starred and everytime I act opposite him I feel I need to really bring "it" to the table.

The movie was the 1st Place Winner of the H. P. Lovecraft Film Festival Competition, 2007.

Escaping Soon: Mistress Arach

2009-09-30T20:04:00.002-05:00

I put together a short teaser for a series I've started working on in iClone, partially inspired by the beautiful costumes created by Animatechnica.

Complication

2009-09-19T22:05:00.002-05:00

My latest movie "Complication" was premiered at the TMU Theater last Sunday. The audience topped out at 27, and I sincerely appreciate everyone who took the time to join the viewing.

Complication from Dulci on Vimeo.

The movie features AnotherNewDawn acting opposite me and beautiful music by Rik Vargard, which inspired the opening sequence.

A few people have asked how I created the floating rose petal, and I intend to discuss that technique on this Monday's Wolf & Dulci Hour.

As far as the meaning behind the movie or what I intended to "say", I don't believe the writer's interpretation is necessarily the correct one so I prefer to leave my viewpoint enigmatic. It has been interesting to read the varied comments on the movie - I'm never happier than when I release a movie and it stirs up conflicting opinions and viewpoints by those watching. Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to post a comment on the movie!

Complication - Live Premiere Sunday, September 13

2009-09-08T16:54:00.004-05:00

TMU Theater is a new way to premiere your movies to a live audience (connected via chat room). I've been to a few premieres over the last few weeks and have really enjoyed the experience. Hope to see you some of you there on Sunday!

Casting Call - Birth of the Black Widow

2009-09-03T21:27:00.001-05:00

I finally got my wish and have the perfect voiceactress cast in the crucial role of the Black Widow's mother. Your socks are gonna be knocked off by Anim8tor Cathy.

Which brings me to the next level (finally)....finalizing the script and getting the rest of the cast in place.

Naturally, I need some victims (these names are subject to change, and the sample lines aren't actually in the script). While the number of lines in each role is relatively small (1-5 lines or so), the roles are of course imperative to the plot. What would the Black Widow be without a trail of corpses behind her?

Timmy - This is the toughest one, as Timmy is around 17 years old. However, I need the actor who plays him to be at least 21 (this is due to my own paranoia, etc. etc. that I'm not going to bother going into).
Sample Line (inexperienced, young) - "I was nervous too."

Jerry (very sincere) - Early 20's. Sample Line - "I can't imagine anything better!"

Ricky (cocky) - Over 25. Sample Line - "Hey baby, come here often?"

Auditions can be sent to dulcineatmo@gmail.com. If you've been in one of my past movies, an audition isn't necessary - please just let me know via email that you are interested in participating, whether in one of these specific roles or as a misc. victim.

Never saw the original and have no idea that I'm talking about?

Roles, roles, and roles!

2009-08-25T19:30:00.004-05:00

It always seems to be the case - I do various voiceovers for people over a period of a few months, and no matter how I try to space them out, they all seem to be released around the same time. This past month has certainly validated my theory, as - prepare for Dulci overload - 5 of the movies I've acted in have recently been released....

The Only Alien on the Planet by Bella (me as Mrs. Tibbs)

Seventeen year old Virginia Christianson, aka Ginny, moves to a new home with her parents shortly after her older brother, Paul, moves out for college. It is there that she meets Caulder, her next door neighbor and classmate. Together they team up to solve the mystery of Smitty Tibbs. The boy who never speaks, never cries, never reacts to anyone. But soon Ginny realizes that the closer they get to Smitty, the more harm than good they seem to do to him.

Thy Neighbor by Overman (me as Girl)

A girl's tranquil evening is interrupted by her neighbor.

Darren by ChatNoir (me as Mom)

A surreal experience. This will be an entry for Filminute 2009 - a festival for one-minute movies of all kinds.

Donate Here by JosephKW (me as Miss Lifeless)

Another entry to the International Filminute (one-minute film) contest. And, interestingly enough, another surreal experience.

Odyssey Episode 5 by Killian (me as Commander Melissa Forbes)

"ECHOES OF YESTERDAY"
An expedition unearths Ancient ruins on the unexplored world of Calypso; Ryan meets an old flame, Frost has an unpleasant encounter with something unknown, and the Odyssey crew discovers the first inklings that something dangerous is lurking out amongst the stars…

Please support these excellent directors by letting them know what you think of their movies - I enjoyed working with each of them. Each has a unique style that made the experiences educational for me.

Aniboom's History Channel Competition - Rough Cuts submissions due Aug 31

2009-08-22T12:56:00.001-05:00

Submit your Rough Cut to Aniboom’s History Channel Competition and win $5,000. The first stage submissions period ends in less than two weeks—we are still looking for the top five "Rough Cuts" (early-stage works ranging anywhere from basic sketches, storyboards, animatics to partial or full animations), which you can synch up to the free audio provided exclusively at Aniboom.com/History.

The top five are awarded an automatic $5,000 so that they may be further developed into final animations. Those final animations then go on to compete for a $25,000 development deal and national television exposure.

This is a great opportunity for you to showcase your style, win cash prizes, and show off your animation to millions. It’s simple—just download 30 seconds of exclusive free audio and show us how you’d animate it— sketches, drawings, and storyboards are all fully welcome! But don’t wait to the last minute—our servers get a bit overloaded when everyone submits all at once!

With the first stage of this competition ending August 31^st, now is your time to win a cool $5,000 and get on the road to your big break!

Thanks,
The aniBoom team

Oil - my iClone tribute to famous movies

2009-08-20T15:05:00.000-05:00

My entry into the iClone Tribute to Famous Movies contest (deadline August 31st if you haven't entered yet)

Based on the movie Grease.

What I'm Looking Forward to the Most in iClone4

2009-08-18T21:50:00.002-05:00

There are multiple amazing, amazing features coming with iClone4, but the one I am looking forward to the most is the Real-Time 3D Facial Animation. Many of the other enhancements coming with Ver.4 are going to be exciting to play with (don't get me wrong, I WANT them ALL!!!), but I think this is the one I'll use the most often.

Real-Time 3D Facial Animation is going to deeply enhance my dialogue-driven storylines - not only will I be able to puppeteer a character as they are speaking, I will also be able to puppeteer the reactions of non-speaking characters.

I have spent so much time in CrazyTalk5 creating scripts to import into iClone3 to animate dialogue - but being able to do all of this right within iClone4 while I'm working on a scene is going to be such a pleasure and will bring the visible emotion of my characters to a higher level. Take a look:

Complication - Coming Soon

2009-08-14T13:23:00.002-05:00

Complication - Coming Soon
Featuring: AnotherNewDawn & Dulci
With music by: Rik Vargard

Every relationship has its ups and downs

A glimpse to tease you:

Back from Siggraph

2009-08-09T13:20:00.003-05:00

Details of the iClone4 preview I attended can be found here, and the demo videos provided by Reallusion thus far are as follows:

iClone4 - Drag & Drop Editing Video
iClone4 - Transition Curve Video
iClone4 - Video Texture as Image Layer Video
iClone4 - Motion Path with HDR Video

I had such an enjoyable time at Siggraph. What fun to meet my radio partner Wolf in the flesh (and relieved to discover that yes, he is a person and not a howling beast), along with Rainman of CoolClones, Lizard of TMUnderground, John Martin with Reallusion, James Martin with Reallusion (iClone training), Charles Chen with Reallusion (an incredibly gracious and welcoming host), and CloneBot Zack. I also had the opportunity to meet the talented Ricky Grove.

These kinds of experiences really make me feel that I'm part of a community of like-minded creative individuals who are enthused and energized to be delving into ever-changing technologies and seizing the seemingly endless advancements as opportunities to strengthen and give life to their imaginations. What an exciting time we live in!

One exhibit in particular stood out to me - iPi Soft is a markerless motion capture system that can work with your webcam. I downloaded the 30-day trial and now need to figure out how to work it - the interface looks fairly intuitive once you get the basics down. I think it's a 2-person operation so I'm waiting to grab a volunteer to push some buttons for me while I prance around my office. I'll let you know how it goes!

All in all, I'm feeling newly motivated to dive deeper into machinima / animation. I am spending the time between now and the release of iClone4 (hopefully sometime in September) creating sets and writing scripts. Stay tuned!

My first honest-to-goodness CloneCloth Creation

2009-07-31T11:18:00.003-05:00

This is not for the Reallusion costume contest - I was fiddling around with making a screenshot for another project and decided to experiment a bit with CloneCloth. I didn't try to do anything extensively fancy or difficult, but I'm pretty happy with the way it turned out.

Details on our Siggraph broadcast

2009-07-30T12:50:00.001-05:00

The Wolf & Dulci Hour will be broadcast live from Siggraph on Wednesday, August 5th, from 2pm-around 4pm CST. You will be able to hear us through www.tmoaradio.com, and we will also be participating in our usual live chat through the TMOA chat room.

We will be with Reallusion at the Marriot New Orleans Meeting Room.

Reallusion's schedule that day is as follows:

9:30-10:00am - Welcome power users and guests
10:00-2:00 - iClone4 sneak peek preview/ live products demo / what's new / features
2:00-4:00 - Us!
4:00-5:00 - WidgetCast product demo

Siggraph Here We Come!

2009-07-27T12:41:00.001-05:00

It's official - Wolf & I we will be broadcasting The Wolf & Dulci Hour live on the scene from Siggraph in New Orleans, as we share some space with Reallusion (iClone). Will we get them to spill more beans than they intend to during our frivolity? Tune in August 5th to find out!

We've received a couple of fantastic submissions in response to our theme song request - naturally, we can't have too many of those, so if you've been working on something, there's still time to send it on it to us.More details will be forthcoming - such as the exact start time and where you can find us if you're going to be at the event.

On tonight's show we will be discussing this a bit more - if you're going to Siggraph this year or have been to past conventions, we'd love to hear from you!

Confidence, Cockiness, Enthuasiasm, Self-Promotion?

2009-07-18T12:53:00.003-05:00

In the recent podcast TheViewZ, episode 2, there was a discussion about confidence versus cockiness. The thought has been playing around in my mind since I listened to it.

Both extremes to me can be obnoxious and seem self-serving. There are people who are almost apologetic about their machinima work and there are people who seem to expect others to thank them for the honor of watching their movies. And all throughout the middle are multiple categories and styles and personalities.

The question is, do we really know how we are coming across? Is our enthusiasm for our own work coming across as obnoxious self-accolades? Is pointing out our technical flaws and creative failings being viewed as pleas for compliments? Are the methods we use for self-promotion actually pushing people away from our work?

Alas!

2009-07-17T14:35:00.002-05:00

I want to start working on the latest competition from Reallusion - the Costume Design Competition.

I bought the G3 CloneCloth for both men and women when they first came out, installed them, looked at them in iClone, and haven't fiddled with them since. Today when I went into iClone to see what I could figure out, the clothed avatars for G3 CloneCloth are there but the CloneCloth models have vanished. Vanished! I reinstalled the men's version, and now the CloneCloth models are there but unusable - invalid avatar file error.

Needless to say I'm aggravated. Not to the point where I'm going to start ranting and raving, but I was gearing up to learn something that's been a challenge for me. I haven't even got remedial CloneCloth skills down yet. Now I have to waste that brain energy to figure out how to get the content back in, and by the time I'm done doing that, I know I'm not going to want to work on any projects.

So, Alas!

The One Where We Let Loose Our Inner Geeks

2009-07-15T16:01:00.003-05:00

The July 13 Wolf & Dulci Hour is now available for download here.

This week we boldly go where no icloner has gone before. We use the force. And contemplate the ramifications of 1.21 gigawatts. You guessed it - it's our Wolf & Dulci Sci Fi Special!

And as the icing on the cake to this very special show, listeners & downloaders alike have to let their inner geeks out in order to get this week's freebie content - a nifty sci fi prop sure to make you drool for fantastical adventures.

Listen to Wolf explain to me the nuances of creating a realistic looking starfield. And was he stumped this week? One of our most exciting Stump The Wolf segments yet - I could practically hear our chatroom listeners scribbling away in their notebooks as he spoke.

If this has your tastebuds watering for some sci fi fun, check out these iClone flicks:

Robot Racers Promo by christy0 and mrjrm
The Lazarus 8 mini-series by Raven2Angel
Ghost in the Machine by Raven2Angel
The War of the Worlds by Chris62
Soulking by Peter Martin
Coming Home by Lizard3209
Stowaways by VectisEthaniel
Star Wars the iClone Version by animatechnica

Tonight on the Wolf &Dulci Hour....

2009-07-13T19:43:00.001-05:00

iClone and Space....space.....space (like my cool echo effect there?)

On tonight's show one of the many many many topics we will be discussing is iClone and Science Fiction. After my appearance on the Roger & Ken Show yesterday, I feel the need to ingratiate myself even further into the sci fi subsection here on TMU. So if you've been wondering what/why/how makes iClone cool for sci fi productions - tune in tonight!

Tune in here at 9PM CST to join in the fun.