Welcome to the AnimiVirtus.com film blog, writing up free web-based resources and showcasing cool, interesting or inspiring shorts in whatever free time I can muster as regularly as I can muster it. Enjoy, subscribe and tell your friends!
Jun 01 09
Showcase: Animated Shorts
These are two shorts I’ve had in my collection for a while now, but haven’t posted yet. Pretty simple as far as the 3D goes, but the story and mood work well for each piece, so they’re effective and entertaining short films in my opinion.
May 18 09
Showcase: The Guild & GTCMS
First of all, I’m shocked at myself for not showcasing this series earlier, especially with my parading Felicia Day around as a ‘web show extraordinaire’ in the past. Along with that, her co-producer has another web series I found recently and watched the first episode of, and it’s great fun as well.
May 14 09
Link Dump: Web Shows & Eclectic
Yes, my link dumps are almost all eclectic, but there’s more than just web show type stuff in this one, but nothing I could categorize under one name that fit it all nicely. Anyway… it’s a pretty light dump this week, but there’s some good stuff in here, I promise. I’ll dispense with the usual sell-you-on-my-post type stuff this time and simply get to it…
May 11 09
Showcase: The Hunt For Gollum
As I’m sure many of you have heard over the past week, The Hunt For Gollum premiered on the 3rd of this month, basically blowing away most fanfilms of the past in one swell blow. This is the essence of a fanfilm: a movie based on another movie (series), made by fans for the fans with no financial benefits attached to the completion of the film (apart from the potential for being recognized and careers begun, etc.).
May 07 09
Link Dump: Articles & Thoughts
This week’s link dump post is a bit more article-based, with little to no free stuff or tutorials in the mix. I know, a more heady load, but it’s good for ya! Get those gears workin’ and thinkin’ and maybe something sweet-ass and original will come out of ‘em. Anyway, it’s basically a roundup from the usual sources, a few announcements, some cool case studies, and some food for thought for those of you of the filmmaking persuasion but not in the ‘I-need-to-know-this-effect-now’ category, go ahead and read past the jump. You other lot, check back at a few previous posts an’ git yer learnin’ there. Otherwise, on we go…
May 04 09
Showcase: Space Lasers
Dastoli Digital has been a filmmking crew I’ve admired for years now, since back in early high school, and I’ve actually had the privilege of emailing back and forth with one of its key members for a while, talking about filmmaking and asking about their processes, projects, etc.
Apr 30 09
Link Dump: Eclectic Edition
Well, here’s the finale in those “tons-of-stuff” brags I’ve been making the last few posts. There’s a bit of a mix in here, but mostly the usual categories of free stuff and tutorials, with a few random ones thrown in at the end just for the sake of it. Enjoy, and see you next week!
Gimme the goodies…
Apr 27 09
Showcase: Signs
Today’s showcase item is something I found through Videomaker Magazine’s newsletter last week. It’s a pretty cool little short that shows pretty successfully the effectiveness of editing, a simple concept, and a good, short, human story. The coolest part I thought at first was identifying with the main (male) character of the story, and then being able to watch his life go on an upward curve from there. I suppose that’s what we most often find intriguing and lovable in the first place, when we find bits of ourselves in the characters whose lives end up being what we wish ours were. Or maybe it just gives hope. Anyway, on the low-budget side of things…
Apr 23 09
Link Dump: Tutorial Edition
As promised, here’s a pretty mondo list of tutorial and resource sites for your educational pleasure. I’ve organized the list, just like last week’s, into what made the most sense at the time. If you’ve got additions, suggestions, objections, or anything else, definitely feel free to comment on the post and let me know about more knowledge available for free on the ‘net. Yess…knowledge….
Apr 16 09
Link Dump: Free Stuff Edition
First off, welcome to the new blog! Yes, I know it’s awesome. I’m proud to say it’s my whole site collection hosted on one domain, inter-linked, organized and consolidated. Awesome. So now…on to the link dump.
I’ve got a massve…and I mean massive collection of links ready for ya. So massive, in fact, that I’m breaking it up into a multi-part series, because frankly, opening tons of links at once won’t be fun for you, and copying and pasting and reviewing what all of them are won’t be so fun for me. Not all at once, anyway. So next week, Link Dump: Tutorial Edition. But let’s get started with part 1.
Feb 08 09
Showcase: Games, Zombies and ‘Net Stars
Well, it’s been about three and a half months since my last post, and while I apologize for the wait, I haven’t completely neglected this blog. I’ve amassed a pretty massive collection of showcase and link dump material for the next while, and continue to receive newsletters and am on the prowl for tutorials and resources. Long story short, the final project’s finishing up, and there’s a vast pool of links about to come your way in the next few weeks. Starting now… Gimme the goodies…
Oct 16 08
Link DUMP #2
Alright guys…another pretty massive list of links for your researching and learning pleasure. That being said…I’ll get started. Gimme the goodies…
Oct 10 08
Link DUMP
Alrighty…sorry for the late post, but I think I’ll make up for it this time. I’ve got a whopper of a list tonight…tons of stuff I’ve been discovering over the past two weeks. So I’m not going to intro…here they are: Gimme the goodies…
Sep 25 08
Link Dump: Rigs
Alright, well I haven’t collected any links that are new to me, but I started digging through my collection I’ve amassed over the years doing research for the project, and came across a few things that will be helpful. We’re not actually building rigs for the shoot, but it was a thought in the beginning, so naturally I got excited about it. So, here’s what I’ve got to offer right now, feel free to leave additions and whatnot in the comments. Gimme the goodies…
Sep 22 08
Showcase: 10 Minutes
Alright, so this film clearly had at least the budget to transport crew to a foreign country, if not the budget to recreate an entire small town for the film. However, looking past that, the point I want to make is this: take a look at the amount of cuts in the film. The dramatic, realistic effect (not to mention huge technical respect from peers and knowledgeable audience members) that a fluid, long take gives a film is so great that you have to sit back in awe and admiration. Children of Men had the same effect on me in their climactic sequence where there’s an 8-to-10-minute shot with no cuts throughout. It’s a wonderful effect and something that only really takes planning at its most basic level, and anybody can do that, no matter their budget. It’s simple and practical in principle, painstaking in execution but pays off hugely in the end, plus I love the short film, so I figured I’d show it off and offer the little idea for you fellow filmmakers out there. Gimme the goodies…