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I’ve been seeing a lot more animation used these days for Government ads (example).

This one here is directed by Against All Odds via XYZ studios for Grey Melbourne. 

I’ve always loved the claymation style 3d animation, especially when it’s done this well.  I also appreciate the tilt-shift treatment. A short spot, but beautiful and leaving you wanting to see more.

Enjoy!

Thanks to Motionographer, as always, for the link!

Cghub blog

I came across an interesting set of viral videos and websites via Darkroastedblend.com that I thought I would share with all of you.

They had actually posted on the site that this was new and cool technology, obviously not knowing or looking too into the fact, that this was actually a viral ad for the new Iron Man movie and branding.  Honest mistake these days.

The site they lead me to was called "CORDCO"  and even at the top of the site you’ll see it says "Science serving people serving science"  "A subsidary of Stark Industries".  The video is pretty cool indeed.  When you watch it though, you tend to get this "he’s acting" feel from it.  Never the less, it is cool.

Above the loaded video you’ll also see tabs for two other viral ads – "FUJIKAWA" and "ACCUTECH"  All of which are highly entertaining and have their own web pages.

From that site I linked over to "Stark Expo 2010"

All of which takes time for some exploring, but well worth the viral digging as there is some beautiful concept work on there!

Enjoy.  …and if you find any hidden little jems, please feel free to share them with the rest of us comic movie lovers!

Cghub blog

CGHUB.com is partnering with our friends at ArtTalk.ru, a Russian CG website, to bring you an exciting new 2D and 3D challenge!  This event has been organized by Art Talk, which is primarily a Russian language site, and CGHUB.com will be handling English language entries from our community.  Final entries must be submitted to the Art Talk via email for final review and judging.  You are not required to create an account on Art Talk.ru, but you must mail them your final submission with details outlined here.  Below is the brief and guidelines from Art Talk.  If you have any questions please post them in the forum we have created on CGHUB.com just for this event.

If you are a CGHUB.com member who would like to participate, create a WIP thread in this forum: http://cghub.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=101

If your entry is 2D, preface your thread title with "2D" and if it’s a 3D entry, preface it with "3d" and then Ethnique 2010 and your entry name:

Example:  2D – Ethnique 2010 – <My Entry>

Click here to visit the challenge page at Art Talk.ru

Female beauty
An eternal theme that runs throughout all forms of art. Every year artists from all over the world create images portraying the fair, and the work they inspire is unstoppable.
         
The idea of this challenge is quite simple – to create a series of artworks united by one theme – female beauty as national or historic legend.  Woman’s beauty has many faces – you can find it in the Aztec goddess or Scandinavian Valkyrie, Chinese princess or English duchess. There is nothing better than their historical background and their ethnic environment to emphasize their characters, to frame their beauty. That’s the first reason why we’ve chosen such an "academic" theme. And the second – we just find it pretty interesting and useful for every artist to turn to historical roots for inspiration.  Every participant can choose for artistic presentation any dramatic female character of any culture from all over the world.  Best pieces of art will be chosen for an art book "Ethnique Women – Legends" a publication that we intend to do.

Goal
Creat an iconic image of famous female legends in their ethnic and historical environment. The only restriction is that the character should have a historical, mythical or legendary background and suitable ethnic environment.

The final image must be a self-sufficient artwork appropriate to the challenge theme and clear in its idea and background. The image can be 2d illustration or 3d render as much as any of the traditional art materials. It can be even a sculpt or a doll – if it is presented dramatically and interesting on the photo. Photo art itself is excluded because the subject of the image must be handmade.

Rules
1. Challenge starts on April 13,2010 and finishes on July 13, 2010.
2. To participate each challenger is required to create his own theme in WIP-section of ARTTalk.ru or any other convenient forum. There challenger should submit Work In Progress (WIP) images, from the initial concept sketch (for both 2D,3D and sculpture/dolls entries) to wire frame models, texturing in progress all the way to the final render (for 3D) and final colored piece (for 2D) or sculpture shot.

Note!

5. All forum submissions will be in JPG format, with the exception of the final image, which will be both JPG and a print-resolution uncompressed format (PNG or TIFF) 2000-3500 pixels.
6. Final image should be aesthetically acceptable, reflecting essence of character’s background. Nudity is accepted when it’s necessary for displaying character’s essence and environment. Aphrodite, Cleopatra or just native African –characters like these really require some nudity.

After the end of challenge all final images should be sent to admin@arttalk.ru during 5 days.

The form of message:
Author:
Email Address:
Website: http://
WIP theme (Work-In-Progress): http://
Image Title:
Copyrights Owner:
Software Used in Creation of Image:
Brief Description of Image: Tell us about the image – background info, inspiration – the more, the better!

Prizes
The best three dimension work (3D Art, Schulpture, Arts & Crafts)
- ZBrush license, which will be free upgradable to ZBrush 4
- Forum medal
- 15 skill points
– T-shirt with Autodesk logo

The best two dimension work(2D Art, Painting, Graphics)
ZBrush license, which will be free upgradable to ZBrush 4
- Forum medal
- 15 skill points
– T-shirt with Autodesk logo

Bonus
Challengers, whose artworks deserve to be printed in the art book but lack completeness, can finalize them after the deadline during the two weeks-long additional time. In this case they won’t be allowed to participate in the challenge results.

 Below are presented some examples for the styles of artworks. You can use them as guidelines or create something in your own style.

Cghub blog

This fantastic little animated student film comes from Sabrina Cotugno, a student at Cal Arts.  Animated in Flash, it is full of lovable little creatures and characters.  Simple and beautiful colours and designs.  Make sure you check out her first year film as well… it is likewise as entertaining and masterfully animated.

Enjoy!

Cghub blog

Scatterhead Volume 01 is an online sketchbook/art book created by the talented duo -

Adam Wesierski     &  Alan Blackwell  

oh wait… did I forget to mention that it’s FREE!?!?  Well, it is.  They would LOVE for you to donate of course, which I’m sure many of us will be willing to do.  Especially if it encourages them to create more!!

"SCATTERHEAD is based on ALCHEMY. A free (‘There’s that word again!) vector based sketching tool. It allows you to generate chaos and transform it into something concrete.  Place random shapes on top of each other and notice how you start to interpret the mess and see familiar structures.  As you go further the chaos vanishes and a rough sketch is born.
Scatterhead contains a number of chosen rough and chaotic pieces that show the potential to maybe become something more than that… Please enjoy our little artbook with the same joy we had putting it together for you guys.
We hope that it will inspire you as you go through it."

Enjoy indeed.

Download the book HERE.

Cghub blog

Fan films of this sort are rarely good.  Even rarer when they are done by Hollywood talent!  This fan film is made by Joey Ansah who is an actor, film maker and action choreographer.  You may have seen him as the character ‘Desh’ in the Bourne Ultimatum.  Fed up with the way Hollywood was treating adaptations of video games, he decided to make his own short film adapting Street Fighter.

He got together Top Gear director Owen Trevor, Anthony Wayne, who was the senior producer for the last eleven James Bond films, and VFX studio Prime Focus.

All in all, it’s still cheese, but at least it looks like some fine high quality expensive cheese.

Also, check out Joey Ansah’s official site for a couple of cool behind the scenes videos and other stuff.

Hadoooken.

Thanks to my buddy Dan from the Labyrinth Book store in Toronto for the heads up on this interesting little bit of visual fun.
Cghub blog