Monkey Butler Ninja

The Visual Story by Bruce Block

The subjects covered in this book are CRITICAL to all artist, Photographers, Painters, Game Designers, and Videographers. We must have a good grasp of fundamental principles concerning visual structure.

The Visual Story by Bruce Block reads a lot like a textbook. Since I prefer a book to come across as if hearing some guru on the subject teach me, this is a con. That being said, it is an excellent textbook. In the early chapters it sets stages for fundamentals like Contrast/Affinity and Space for example. Then, throughout the book it constantly refers to these pillars of visual design giving real world examples.

Which brings me to my next point, the examples this book gives are superb. Bruce Block will cover a subject, like TONE, for an entire chapter and at the end he will bring the lesson full circle by giving you ‘films to watch.’ But wait! The films that Bruce recommends vary extensively! In the TONE chapter, ‘films to watch’ include the movies T-Men (1947) and Kill Bill (2003) [plus a handful more]. Using this layout, Bruce is able to convey that the subject matter for each chapter is TIMELESS! His example movies transcend not only time released, but also subject matter and themes.

This book really shines with its illustrations. An absolute ideal amount of visual aids are delightfully displayed throughout the book. Not too many, not too few. Even the graphs (which typically aren’t the most exciting graphical element) had a proper layout. I seem to remember running across somewhere that the first edition of this book was all black and white, wow. GREAT move going to full color, I can honestly say that this book would have not been nearly as impacting. I do have a problem with the cover art though, it’s a small gripe but I always use my hands to frame a picture in widescreen (thumbs to index fingers). That is very nitpicky but the cover to a book is pretty critical, and since it aced the illustrations in the book, I wanted to mention it.

Early in the book it can seem a bit drawn out and basic. I would encourage readers to not skip the beginning chapters as they are constantly referenced throughout the book. Even if you feel you have a fantastic grip on the subject matter, it never hurts to review.

The appendix is very detailed and honestly, it feels like these were sections of chapters pulled out to keep the pace up a little. Regardless, this section is full of info that needs to be read.

Chapter Nine is Story and Visual Structure. I have a post-it note sticking out of this with “fantastic chapter” written on it. Seriously, this graph filled chapter will change the way I look at all productions and will effect my planning and execution for the rest of my professional career.

I was going to give The Visual Story 4.5 out of 5 stars but realized the impact this book has on my future work and decided it deserves my highest recommendation. Full 5 stars for Bruce Block. It may feel a bit ‘text-booky’ but it has certainly changed my work process.

Bravo Bruce this Monkey feels more like a Ninja. Monkey Butler Ninja gives The Visual Story 5 out of 5 ninja stars and a banana tree! Go BUY IT!

Personally, I am a HUGE fan of a president using technology as a tool. This post was written while watching the first Online Town Hall meeting with President Obama. An experiment focused to ‘Opening the White House for Questions’ with the goal of explaining plans to the public.

Really liked what Obama had to say with the Educational plan. Reform + added funding. I was raised to love my country, and helping contribute to the educational system is ok with me. But if that country is working to improve education, it makes it easier to love a more competitive America.

So, now I’m watching the first online video submitted question, and thought, “So am I watching a streaming video of a guy watching a streaming video?”

Obama dodged and danced the shipping jobs overseas question. We (well maybe just I) want to hear you say, “NO MORE TAX CUTS for business sending jobs overseas!” I don’t care if a company does it. Hell, the government should NOT tell me how to run my business… but don’t reward them for shipping jobs out. In fact, why not flip that and offer incentives to keep the jobs here? Just my $.02.

Interesting topic on the Smart Grid. Really want to dive more into that.

Having talked to someone who experienced universal health care in Europe, with a pretty major surgery for her child, I am holding my views on it. Before that talk, I was 100% supportive of universal, now just leaning towards it. The woman I talked to was a republican so I imagine her views are in line with the party. She did say there were great doctors. Fantastic doctors. But the facility was garbage. In my opinion, our hospitals are great and doctors are as well, for those who can afford it. So how do we take the system that is in Europe and mix it with our system of hospital structures and systems already in place. Obama did not do it for me on this, and healthcare is a high topic for me.

In the umbrella subject of Education is Higher Education. I am extremely disappointed with our colleges. Obama told me about the situation, but did not really explain a plan to change it with the exception of ‘spending money.’ He did not use the word reform on his talking on Higher Education. However, in my finance college classes they explained there were only TWO kinds of ‘good debt’ one was on your house and the other is on education. Now, this was before the housing crisis but I still believe that those are two good reasons to go into debt. If that is how I believe, then maybe the government ‘investing’ into our education is ok by me.

In my opinion he needs to hire Ross Perot, is he still alive? Get him to bring in some charts on the budget. Obama constantly referenced the route we were going in spending is a ‘fraction’ of what our deficit is. Here is some simple math for you. If you add up enough ‘fractions’ you eventually get a whole number. That whole number starts with a 1 and has 13 zeros behind it. Guess what, if you keep adding ‘fractions’ you can even go over that whole number. I’m pretty anal about numbers, so show me a chart of your projected ROI (Return On Investments). It makes it simple for people and will probably help get more people on board.

The question from the lady about defining terms like ‘charter schools’ was a good one. Also I am happy with the answer he gave. ‘Hey America, here is 1min definition of something you hear tossed around in Washington all the time.’

I had two phone calls and had to get the door so I did not get to cover the entire Town Hall meeting.

Mr. President, I appreciate you being realistic that the economy has a long road to go and it will get worse… but don’t stray too much from your campaign on hope. Infecting us with hope was a good thing.

You have plenty of critics and they don’t need you to say it will get worse. They need you to communicate the plans you have and explain them to us… work to get people to understand your plan… get the word out, like in an online town hall. This experiment was a fantastic idea and in my opinion a success.

Last year when I saw the preview for Iron Man had a release that was extremely entertaining. Watchmen, however was a step backward for comic book movies.

What did it do right?

The visual effects were fair. Wasn’t like prequel Star Wars movie where the special effects are replacing plot and dialog. However, I was more impressed by the special effects in the preview shown before the movie, Terminator Salvation.

Multiple characters were developed nicely.

Jackie Earle Haley as Rorschach was awesome. Period. I have a strong feeling we will see a lot of stellar performances from that guy in the future.

What did it do wrong?

Too many characters that I didn’t care about. It certainly appears as a superhero movie, yet only one had ‘superhero’ ability, and MAYBE another had some super speed/intelligence. The other 36 heroes were guys/gals in ridiculous outfits.

These ‘superheroes’ just kicked the $h*% out of everyday people. Wow… seriously? That is like training 101 for my Monkey Butler Ninja Army.

Way too long. 2hr 43min. I really was disappointed with the editing in this movie. I think it could have easily been trimmed to 2hrs and a skilled editor could have maybe brought it to 1hr 45min.

Excessive pointless plots. Without going into spoilers there were a couple story lines that were filler space in a movie that was already 2 dog years long.

Too many penises. Seriously, having a big blue wang on the screen is a bit distracting when I’m listening to a sub plot that I don’t care about.

The overall plot was a bit weak. At first I liked the twist, but now that I have thought about it, there were a ton of other solutions that could have been thought of.

Summary:

While movies like Iron Man and The Dark Knight propel comic book movies up the production food chain, this “C” movie set comic book / graphic novel movies back a couple steps. Bad editing, bad choice of music for scenes and not the greatest directing from Zack Snyder crippled this movie. I feel bad for those who were fans of the graphic novel as I am 110% sure that it was better by far.

Don’t watch Watchmen.

Monkey Butler Ninja gives Watchmen 2 ninja stars (but one isn’t really that sharp)

It was a ruff week, so having a Simpsons episode on the DVR was a delight. Episode 11 was easily one of the best episodes in a long time! Found myself laughing out loud quite a few times. The humor was on multiple levels as well, the usual slapstick stuff but also some poking fun at standardized tests and how the schools actually give them. In the end… A+

Also on a side note, I really dig the new intro.

Watch this episode below now!!

After Effects Expressions by Marcus Geduld

Let me start off by explaining where my skill levels are at. I consider myself a very decent Adobe After Effects user and a beginner/intermediate Adobe Flash user. The next step for me in Flash is earning my black belt in Flash’s programming language Action Script 3.0. Action Script 3.0 is based heavily on JavaScript… which turns out to be the exact language Adobe After Effect uses! Oohhh how I can feel that black belt already!

I’ve attempted not once but TWICE to wrap my primate brain around Action Script 3.0. I had zero experience with JavaScript and had never attempted that language. After Effects Expressions is literally the first time that I felt that ‘AH-HA!’ moment. The examples and analogies Marcus Geduld are fantastic. I honestly hope that he puts out a sequel to this book! After Effects Expressions, part 2 The Expert Manual… or something. By the way Marcus if you use that title I am way cool with it, just make sure you toss http://www.MonkeyButlerNinja.com a shout out!

Pros:

This book will hold your hand as you take those first scary steps into JavaScript.

It is a fast read and well written. You most likely will get through this book quickly (partially because of the illustrations, see below) while retain a lot of knowledge.

Cons:

While this book assumes you know nothing about JavaScript it also makes the assumption you know nothing about math. This is defiantly not a con if you indeed are horrible at math.

The source material is all online (no CD or DVD) and the organization online isn’t the best. I hit a hiccup on the chapter 2 files but was able to recreate the material that I needed.

There are WAY too many pictures. To illustrate motion the book sometimes has 6 half page pictures in a row!! Now, I am not going to penalize the book too harshly for this, after all, the problem with books on coding is that they are books on coding. Giving our eyes a break from constant formulas keeps you fresh. Overdone, but I see a purpose.

Conclusion:

This book has a specific topic of a specific software, and I absolutely love that. When I grab a book, 9 times out of 10 I could skip the first 150 pages because of all the basics of tool selection, what the move tool does, how to install the program… BLAH… this book skips that and goes right to the good stuff. If you use Adobe After Effects and never have used expressions or have used basic ones that you got off the web somewhere… GET THIS BOOK!

I rate it: 4 wiggling Ninja Stars.

Ok, time to switch pace and retreat from Oscar nominated movies.

Today I review the documentary movie Helvetica. This film is literally about a single typeface, a specific font family, Helvetica. Sound boring? You bet it is! This is of course assuming you are not a graphic designer of any kind. Assuming you have never flipped through 100 fonts trying to figure out which one gets your message across.

On the flipside, if you deal with graphics in any way, if you ever did a layout for a poster, if you value the appearance of what you produce. Then this movie is worth 80 minutes of your time.

Make no mistake about it; there are people who care passionately about typography. The interviewees are uber geeks that are certainly the offspring of mutant nerds and influential graphic designers. Throughout the film approximately a dozen typographers and designers speak on camera. This is not a job to these people; it literally is their life’s fascination.

Helvetica takes you on an interesting path. In the first act, the history is presented and quickly followed with huge praises. Helvetica was viewed, and still is by many, as the perfect font. To these experts Helvetica cannot be improved. The film takes a sharp turn in what would be act two and presents the opposing sides view. This group of elite designers has an intense hatred the font family Helvetica. Describing it as dull, boring and most of all, overused. Personally, I wish other documentaries were as decent in presenting two sides of an argument, albeit font is a little less sensitive than the war in Iraq (which the war is blamed on Helvetica in this movie, seriously).

The editing and production of Helvetica is pretty darn good. Use of B-roll, pacing, and overall presentation held my interest. I am a graphic artist and know one of my weaknesses is typography, after watching this film… I feel much more informed.

Monkey Butler Ninja gives Helvetica three ninja stars and if you are a graphic artist, put in couple chocolate covered bananas!

My wife and I are on our Valentine’s Day date, and we decide to go see a movie. It’s nearing Oscar time and honestly, a lot of films are nominated that we have not seen. Originally targeting The Wrestler (reviewed here) we had to make an adjustment as we were not willing to wait for the next screening.

An alternative choice was Slumdog Millionaire. I do not recall seeing a single preview for this movie but had heard TONS of buzz circulating around it in the Golden Globes (won: Best Director / Best Motion Picture / Best Original Score / Best Screenplay) and the Screen Actors Guild awards (Outstanding Peformance by a Cast in a Motion Picture).

Roll the dice, and every now and again, they come up 7.

What a pleasant surprise! Besides the entire buzz, my perception of this film’s storyline was about a boy that goes on a TV show to get a girl to fall in love with him, or a heavy documentary style/political movie. WRONG.

The story takes us on a three part journey in the protagonist’s life; childhood, adolescence, and the early stages of adulthood. Our protagonist is Jamal Malik, played by Dev Patel is a person who has had everything constantly stripped away from him in life. During this film, I found myself constantly thinking, how a human could endure such an impossible life. Passion push Jamal and his brother through life… fame, money, power, and love.

What would happen if you let some of those things control your life?

Through wonderful editing, this story keeps an excellent pace and gives you information as you need it. I would not be surprised in the least if this film took the Oscar.

For cinematography, this film absolutely deserves the nominations. Instantly, I was teleported into the slums of India. This feeling was maintained throughout the film, through the character’s aging and changes in location, I never left. However, my prediction is The Dark Knight taking best Cinematography

Congratulations to Danny Boyle and Loveleen Tandan for putting together a stellar film. The performances were able to extract from the entire cast is worth the nomination alone. It will give the other films a run for their money!

I highly recommend this film. I rate Slumdog Millionaire 4.5 out of 5 ninja stars!

The Wrestler, staring Oscar nominee Mickey Rourke

This movie is a drama based on Randy “The Ram” Robinson, a wrestler that is well past his prime and having to face that fact.

The Wrestler creates a world that I had not imagined. What happens to a ‘pro’ wrestler after the lights have cooled, after the crowds have gone home… after the adrenalin fades? When you chose a profession or a passion that abandons your family, destroys your body, and engulfs you with pain… your life will be hard… and short.

Looking back at the movie… it is about a retired wrestler that is in love with a stripper, wants to reconnect with his abandoned daughter, and struggling to find life outside of the ring. Boring. Cliché in the strongest definition of the word.

Marisa Tomei plays the stripper and does a decent job… Oscar nomination worthy? No. Dynamite body? YES! Congrats on keeping in such great shape Mrs. Tomei!

Mickey Rourke playing Randy “the Ram” does derive an Oscar nomination however. I’ve never been a huge fan but respect his work in this film. Honestly, his performance is the only reason to RENT this movie.

Character’s relationships to each other were sub par at best. The development with his daughter seemed choppy and extremely unrealistic. Mickey made me believe his character was in love with Marisa’s character, but other than that, nothing worth mentioning.

If you are a fan of wrestling, maybe it’s for you… if you are thinking about becoming one… this movie is for you. However if you don’t fit either of those descriptions you can skip this movie.

I rate The Wrestler 1.5 out of 5 ninja stars!

First meeting of the Adobe User Group KCVideoCore went extremely well!

Overall size was a bit small, but I think that was due to the short notice on the official date and room. However, next month will be Feb 17th at JCCC. I’ll be posting that information next week at the KC Video Core web page.

It’s free to join and there are door prizes all the time! Not to mention the chance to win $2,100 worth of Adobe software! A big hint is: the more often you come/participate, the greater the chances of winning!

Last week at meeting 001 we the KC Video Core presented a couple new features. Of note the Mocha Tracking that comes built into After Effects CS4. Seriously, you can do this half asleep and you will look like a Monkey Ninja. Here is a link to a video demo: Clicky

Also discussed was some resource sites. Sites like the following:

• VideoCoPilot.net. Andrew Kramer constantly updates this site with outstanding tutorials for After Effects. Go to the website and click Tutorials, there you will find 82 to date. All free! He has some products to for purchase and honestly they are VERY useful. Personal note, I think this is a bit more towards intermediate/advanced stuff. So be sure to check out his After Effects Basic Training at videocopilot.net/basic/ There you will find 10 lessons that will get any basic user up to speed!
• Adobe.tv. Why wouldn’t this be a source of knowledge! Lots of good stuff here. Hardly any cons here; but if they had to improve one thing it would be the actual organization of data and layout. Also it being ran by Adobe, it might not utilize other software that maybe a different tutorial site might. These are small cons for the huge amount of content at this site.
• CreativeCow.net Another site thick with content for tutorials! They also have 9 different podcast, about half of which are video podcast. Also they have a magazine. The only real con here is organization of the videos, but a huge A+ in my book.
• StudioDaily.com The part of this I used was the printed magazine. I believe they are stopping the physical magazine (this month) and going purely digital. The last magazine had “Tips for Editing and Finishing RED Raw Files with Adobe CS4 Workflows”. Not primarily an Adobe software resource probably more of a main focus is hardware. From that site it has links to film&video and HDStudio.

I will be putting a list on the Adobe User Group page and will keep updating it as new sites come in.

JOIN NOW, Its FREE!
http://groups.adobe.com/groups/3d9345a0c5/summary

So, just ask me, and I’ll tell you… I don’t like paying for crappy television. Packages that don’t fit my preferences, and ones that get close change at random /shakes fist at Dish Network for bumping the NFL network up to the next tier.

Since I do not mind paying for a good internet connection, how do you save $50 – $100 and up a month? http://www.hulu.com HULU!!

It’s 100% legal! There are a couple ads that will play during your episode. We are talking about 3 breaks that have ONE commercial for either 15 seconds or 30 seconds each. So a total of less than 2minutes of commercials for a half hour episode. You can watch things in ‘HD’ if you have a decent connection. Not just TV though, there are movies also! The Professional, The Fifth Element, Requiem for a Dream, Gattaca, and Liar, Liar to name a very few. I highly urge you to check it out!

Here is why HULU works and will continue to work. You can watch past episodes of TV shows, I’m working my way through It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia. Now, had I recorded these episodes on my DVR or TiVo and watched them three years later, I would be seeing irrelevant ads, specials that are over, and political campaign commercials from two elections ago. The HULU model keeps ads fresh, so when I watch the first episode of He-Man Masters of the Universe (1983)the ads are relevant.

Hulu is a fantastic site and I encourage you to click the thumbs up or down during the short commercial breaks and maybe even visit a couple of the ads websites. Let’s help Hulu stay online for a long time to come!

I’m also experimenting with Adobe Media Player which so far is looking very promising!

Currently looking for something to stream live sports events (mainly football) and then it’s adios to cable and satellite!

Hulu gets 4.5 out of 5 ninja stars and a bucket of pop-corn