Leon Sooi's Stuff

Show Reel (Draft)

2011-02-02T23:46:00.000+08:00

My first show reel in two years. I am still in the process of adding in more work as I model them. For now, my main focus is on the presentation of the models (camera animation, lighting, wireframe rendering.) I'm also trying to fix some problems with anti-aliasing in Premiere (most obvious in the jaggedness of the wireframes.) I'm aiming to finalize my reel by early March, so that I would be in time to submit this to Pixar.

Any suggestions, comments, critique is welcome.

Color Schemes

2011-01-27T04:41:00.002+08:00

I'm trying to choose a good color scheme for my portfolio (which includes, flatbook, dvd cover, letterheads, etc.) I like the black and gold one because it really makes the model pop. Problem is that its going to use insane amounts of toner! Also, it wouldn't look good with a white border, so I'll have to find a printer that can bleed the image to the edge.

So I came up with a white version too. Save toner! But is it worth it?

Business Card Designs

2011-01-09T06:57:00.004+08:00

Business card designs to go with my portfolio:

I thought that this giraffe model was my only hope, since all my other models are not textured or rigged. Emotionless, static grey models are rather boring, so I had to resort to using this badly modeled giraffe (the topology is all messed up because I did it long before I learned anything about good edge flow.)

Then I tried to use some of my newer, well-modeled models. But the models in their default pose, untextured are really bland! So I decided to render the wireframe of the model in a graphical style, which I think also fits better with the typography.

I am so bad at color theory. I was surprised when I managed to color Scorpy fairly successfully. (Spending the winter copying Mary Blair and Frank Frazetta paintings might have paid off a little.) The colors in this Scorpy drawing is still rather amateurish, so I'm not sure whether its good enough to go into my portfolio...

Choosing an Icon to Represent My Art Portfolio

2011-01-06T10:51:00.005+08:00

I'm preparing my portfolio, resume, business cards, etc so that hopefully I can start applying for internships soon. First thing to tackle - design an icon or logo or something that represents my work (3D character modeling). Here are some of my options:

1. Status Quo

This character model is okay. It's simple in design, color and expression. But the wireframe topology is unacceptable, so I won't be able to display the detailed work in my portfolio.

2. Badly modeled giraffe

Probably too complicated to go on a 3.5 inch business card. Again, wireframe topology is terrible. (It was modeled in CMPA 110).

3. Creepy Self-Portrait
I expected this modeling project to be a glorious achievement. But unfortunately, it fails to resemble me. It is also quite creepy to have a floating head on a business card.

4. Janito

Janito is a simple character that should fit nicely on a business card. I have the model done but I still have texturing and rigging to go before it can be presentable :(

5. "Rarrw!!!! I'm a scary scorpion!!! Hire me or... rarrrrrw!!!"
Comments? Feedback? Suggestions?

Dinomation

2010-11-24T07:13:00.003+08:00

Some animation I did this quarter.

Scorpy Version 2

2010-11-24T04:50:00.009+08:00

After incorporating some suggestions offered by David Gallagher from the 3D Appeal Blog, I have completed my new somewhat-finalized Scorpy character model sheet! (Old model sheet for comparison).

And Scorpy has also been modeled in 3D:

(click to enlarge!)

I modeled Scorpy entirely in NURBS... which was good for cutting quick holes in the shells using the trim tool. But incredibly inefficient for the face. It took forever to stitch the patches together. Also, I'm not sure whether trimming is acceptable in a production environment. I intend to improve on this design and re-model Scorpy in polys soon.

Please give feedback on the design!

Janito in 3D

2010-11-07T00:12:00.006+08:00

The design looked quite appealing when I drew it in 2D. Now I'm thinking the shell looks too smooth and bland.

Scorpy

2010-11-06T23:58:00.002+08:00

I'm re-designing Scorpy based on the feedback I received from David Gallagher. So, the legs are moved down, fixed the tail, etc.

I wanted to keep the exo-skeleton-like shell, so that Scorpy still looks like a scorpion. But unfortunately, now he looks like a man in a scorpion costume. I think it's because the anatomy is too humanlike, especially in the shoulders and pelvis.

But anyway, I should start modeling this and see what it looks like in 3d.

"Scorpy" critiqued by David Gallagher!

2010-10-01T10:58:00.006+08:00

I made this Scorpy design for Professor Troy's character design class last year. I took up the challenge of trying to make a scary creature (scorpion) look appealing. I also experimented with manipulating proportions (moving the hip way up to the shoulders.) The final result... bleughh...I got a grade of 96% for this assignment though.

Today, Scorpy received a 3D Appeal Makeover by David Gallagher, a former character development supervisor at Blue Sky Studios!!! He has suggested some great ideas for improving the design, and Scorpy now looks so cartoony and appealing! Hooray!

I'll be revising a new character model sheet, and hopefully start modeling in Maya soon.

Back to the basics, again!

2010-09-22T09:29:00.002+08:00

Back to the bouncing balls again, this time in 3D. I wanted to keep the animation simple but accurate in timing. Yet I couldn't resist adding in some interaction between the two balls. Not sure whether this is working...

3D remake of Luca Giordano's "The Annunciation"

2010-08-27T22:46:00.005+08:00

I was looking for something challenging to model in Maya. So... here's my attempt at remaking (work-in-progress) Luca Giordano's "The Annunciation". Here's the original masterpiece at the Metropolitan Museum of Art: http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/works-of-art/1973.311.2

The cloth modeling was extremely tedious but I think the results look good :). For the hair, I'm thinking of experimenting with simulation... or maybe I'll just model it out too.

Visual Development (Blue Sketch & Character Designs)

2010-07-06T11:17:00.011+08:00

Visual development is probably the only place in the industry with room for artistic creativity and freedom. (Umm... according to my animation professor, everybody else - animators, TDs, etc - are machines that serves the director.) I took the visual development class to see if I could have a chance for a career in this field. Any hope?

Character designs...

Storyboards...

Blue sketch

Janito, the Janitor of Jeopardy!

2010-07-06T11:11:00.001+08:00

Final character animation assignment!!! My first attempt at bringing a character to life!!! (Well... not exactly the first attempt.... but the first successful attempt.) The story is about a freelance janitor (named Janito) who is hired to mop the floors of an Intersteller spaceship. He is mopping in the library, and sees an chunk of mushy, decomposing broccoli stain on the floor. Well... in this part of the galaxy, only one person eats broccoli - the pet monkey of the ship's captain. This monkey has been a total jerk to Janito, who is deeply pissed off, but has no choice but to scrub the floor clean. Janito just wants to finish his job and get out of this ship.

Stop-motion Animation

2010-07-06T10:54:00.004+08:00

My first attempt at stopmotion (group project with Ryan Davis). Didn't really have the necessary equipment and software, which resulted in some glaring mistakes (which could be considered funny, though they weren't intentional.)

And this is a stone sculpture I carved for the same class (well, actually its concrete, i think). The subtractive process is very daunting. Nevertheless, learning to think in the three-dimensional this way was a rewarding experience. I hope to get a chance to carve a real stone sometime in the future.

FIgure drawing (Winter 2010)

2010-07-06T10:38:00.006+08:00

A couple of my better figure drawings (pastel on Bristol) done in winter 2010. I was interested in breaking down the figure into planes to understand the 3-dimensional forms of the body. Each of these were done in less than 2 hours, so there wasn't much time to consider lighting and tones.

A couple of quick sketches (more like random doodling actually.) For me, gesture drawing is a lot like automatism, because there's no time to think about what I'm drawing. The subconscious takes over and sometimes I am surprised with the results.

Animation - Back to Basics (Spring 2010)

2010-06-11T21:48:00.011+08:00

After so many years of button pushing, I finally get to do real animation - based on the principles of timing, spacing, illusion of weight, etc.

Waving flag exercise - Working with follow-through and overlapping action is fun. It was challenging create the illusion of gravity pulling the fabric down while in motion.

A realistic walk cycle. Not the cartoonish-type like Richard Williams' or Preston Blair's. The Preston Blair walk cycle formula has great appeal because of its strong silhouettes in each extreme position. But in this exercise, I'm studying how a real person walks, observing subtleties such as the arcs of the elbows and knees, the slight overlapping action of the forearm, etc. This was my favourite assignment because it was only 12 drawings (though I used much more than that while doing redos.)

Back to basics

2010-03-29T10:21:00.003+08:00

After 6 years of animation experience, I am back to the basics again - the bouncing ball. I've relied on 3d software for most of my animation work, but do I really understand the fundamentals of timing and spacing?

Tennis Ball (first draft)

Bowling Ball (first draft)

Too many books; too little time.

2010-03-20T09:37:00.002+08:00

Decided to read some books during my one-week Spring break.

Successfully completed over the past week:

The Curious Incident of the Dog at Night time.

In Progress:

Fellowship of the Rings (75%)
Philosophy: the Basics (50%)
Expose 5 (not really reading - 70%)
CLEP Official Study Guide (10%)
The Art of Watching Films (5%)

To be completed by the end of this week:

The Two Towers
Return of the King
Philosophy: the Classics
A Brief History of Time
Film Art: an Introduction
Creating Characters with Personality
Cracking the CLEP
Layout and Design
Lateral Thinking
Barron's CLEP
The Art of the Storyboard

Better? Or weirder?

2010-02-11T15:37:00.004+08:00

Spent some time trying to fix the toothbrush in this painting, which is disjunct from the rest of the composition.

Finally, I got this:

Honestly, I'm not sure what I was doing. I have no idea exactly where the light is coming from. I just tried to repaint the toothbrush using a similar brushwork as the face's, and with less intense white. I also tried to put the brush at an angle so that it looks like it is entering the mouth.

Not sure if I am successful though...

I'm trying to resist the temptation of overworking this painting.

More variations and more decisions...

2010-02-09T06:19:00.004+08:00

This was an earlier version of my self portrait. It doesn't look like me at all, but it is much more successful in its painterly technique, used consistently throughout the composition.

I'm also considering cropping my new self-portrait into a close-up study of the eyes. The background and the toothbrush, which were dis-united in the composition, would be eliminated.

There's way too much negative space on the left of my still life drawing (made worse by the fact that I wrote some redundant words at the corner.) I'm trying to find an effective way to crop that out and balance the composition.

Suggestions, feedback & criticism are welcome.

Need to eliminate one work

2010-02-07T11:47:00.006+08:00

I have completed six drawing & design assignments at SCAD. Now, I need to choose my best five for the portfolio scholarship (or, eliminate one.) Feedback & comments welcome.

Still Life 1
First drawing done here at SCAD. It's the first time I spent more than 30 hours on a single drawing. The shadows on the right was done hastily as I was running out of time. I'm not sure if the composition is a little weird.
Homer
I think I managed to get a strong contrast and a good feeling of form here. But the composition is boring :(
Anderson Hall
I was quite successful at perspective here, but the composition is too busy with all those textures. The ground on the left foreground is randomly cross-hatched, because I was not sure what I was doing. I also accidentally dripped some ink in the sky :(
Self-Portrait
Probably spent the most time on this one. But my self-portraits never seem to look anything like me. And, there's definitely something wrong with the lighting.
Waking Figure: Suspended Knowledge
Fun project with destroying books. I wanted to created a dynamic Bernini-esque sculpture but failed. It still looks interesting from some viewing angles.
Stress Relief Pencil Sharpener
I think the modeling of the facial expressions is quite successful, though the hairdo at the back of the head is extremely weird (it looks like there is another face). The right fist is badly modeled, but I think it should be okay since its stylized. This pencil sharpener is not user-friendly - it keeps breaking the pencil lead, and its troublesome to remove the bottom, which doesn't fit properly :(

Gluttonous Pencil Sharpener

2010-02-06T09:54:00.005+08:00

This is my first project using Sculpey -- a pencil sharpener! I thought of one of the seven deadly sins - gluttony - and how it could be useful in an effective pencil sharpener:

This endoskeleton was built of wood and wire to support the sharpener inside.

Modeling

Baked!

This is not really a practical pencil sharpener... its actually quite cumbersome to use in real life.

The pencil shavings are released from the bottom, which can be removed (shown below). The phallus- shaped bottom was not originally intended in my design, but nevertheless, it can be interpreted with Freudian psychoanalysis.

Waking Figure: Suspended Knowledge

2010-01-26T05:46:00.003+08:00

I was walking to the art store to purchase wood for my 3D design project. On the way, I passed a library book-sale which was selling books at $1 each. I thought, "hmmm... this is cheaper than buying wood...".

I purchased about 20 books of different colors and sizes, and arranged them in a scale from cool, dark colors to intense, warm colors. Slots were cut in each book to connect the "building blocks" together.

Building a 3-D object in real life has really helped me appreciate Maya a lot more. In the digital/virtual world of Maya, it is easy to "drill holes", attach objects together and manipulate them in any way I can imagine. In the physical world, I've got to worry about clamping down the material before drilling, making sure the material doesn't tear into smithereens, finding space to store the finished product. Furthermore, there is no "Undo" button if I accidentally super-glued my finger to my artwork, no "Zoom" tool to examine the details more closely, no "Copy", "Paste" or "Duplicate" buttons either.

Of course, working with real tools and materials is a lot more fun than staring at a LCD screen in a dark room. Drilling holes in books is really good muscle training too. Also, working in the real world is free from the miseries of computer crashes, mysterious hangings and baseballs/blue-screens of Death.

Well, both mediums have their pros and cons... I'll have to learn to appreciate them and enjoy working in whichever tools I eventually use to make my art.

Roasted SCAD Bee

2009-11-13T04:11:00.004+08:00

Images provided by Prof Edward Kinney. Animated by Leon Sooi.

Recent design work

2009-10-24T09:52:00.005+08:00

Fruity Puffs is about to revolutionize the tobacco industry.
More delicious flavors coming soon! Yummy!

Brains & Pee - don't mix.

Career Paths

2009-10-17T03:25:00.003+08:00

I've been showing my demo reel to friends, professors and advisers at SCAD. Most people are impressed by the diversity of skills I possess (as a sophomore student.) But nobody, including myself, can be sure of what I should do next.

Possible Path 1 - Story Artist
I love to work with stories and design characters. However, I'm not very good at drawing and therefore my storyboards and character designs are probably not very impressive.

Example of an unimpressive storyboard page.

Possible Path 2 - Technical Director
I have some talent when it comes to software. (I have learned 3ds Max, Flash, Maya, Director, Photoshop, After Effects, Final Cut, Premiere, Illustrator, Blender, Visual Basic, etc. just using the F1 help button) However, I find this job quite unexciting, and sometimes frustrating when computers don't cooperate.

Possible Path 3 - Character Animator
There's tons of resources out there for character animators. I probably can be a good animator if I brush up on my fundamental principles and timing skills. However, it is unlikely that I can ever compete with genuinely talented animators.

The LucasFilm/ILM presentation on Oct 12, as well as some conversations with Prof Webber, Prof Maurer, and Stephen, raised the possibility of a Pre-visualization Animator as a career option. (A pre-visualization is basically a storyboard done with 3D.)

I have done numerous pre-visualizations for my previous projects. I enjoy making pre-visualizations because they help to develop the story. I'm quite good at it, because I have a wide variety of software skills. Finally, I don't get frustrated with technical software glitches, because visual perfection isn't necessary in a pre-visualisation.

Pre-visualization I did for "The Perfect Park", my high school senior project. I'm not sure if it makes sense without sound and verbal explanation.

The LucasFilm presenters mentioned that there is a growing demand for pre-vis animators, and this is a great way to get into the industry. Is this the Holy Grail I have been seeking?

Vote for The Perfect Park

2009-06-22T10:51:00.004+08:00

i'm not sure if anybody reads this blog... but anyway VOTE FOR THE PERFECT PARK (by 25/6)

thanks

Death of the Author

2009-04-03T19:25:00.005+08:00

I did this presentation on Roland Barthes' "Death of the Author" (1968) yesterday. Just uploaded the slides for the benefit of anyone who might be studying Barthes using a google search.

First projects at UNSW

2009-04-03T18:49:00.007+08:00

This is the second "musical" composition I have created in my life. (The first was created during Mr Job Tan's class in 2004... Zhu Chuan might still have the file.) This was meant to be a class "test", but thanks to the blackout on 31 March, we had extra time to work on it:) The sounds in the composition are restricted to a small pool of city noises (thus the title) - birds, footsteps, train sounds, vehicles, etc...

I initially wanted to create a musical peice that is Sublime - that speaks to the soul. But having no musical background, I just couldn't get it to sound like what I wanted... I ended up using "automatic clicking" and a "stream of consciousness" - just randomly throwing in the sounds - and that's the result.

For the same class, we had to do a group project, "Reconstructing the City". Again, all the sounds are self-recorded in Sydney. Thanks to Matt, Emy and Norris for being cooperative team members. We had to learn Pro-Tools and compose this in less than 3 weeks (unlike the year-long projects I used to do in HCI...)

This sound piece challenges our notion of "change". Often, "change" is assumed to be a "change for improvement". Here, the listener's expectations is subverted, as the composition starts off in an upbeat pace, and gradually degrades and athropies into despair... (though I don't think we succeeded at making it sound the way we wanted it to sound... most things are random.)

Showreel 2009

2009-02-26T09:01:00.009+08:00

I spent the past months re-working my showreel for submission to SCAD's Scholarship application. (I hope to get a scholarship that subsidizes my full tuition fees.) This 3 min reel contains my best work from 2004 to 2008 (from Battle for Carentan to The Perfect Park). Please view the left panel for links to the full videos on youtube.

For the DVD cover and label, I initially thought of a nondescript, plain blue cover with a box that says "Showreel". Thankfully, Jasmine Tan (AEP junior) agreed with me that the idea sucks, and urged me to think of something more dynamic. I couldn't think of anything for many hours. Finally, when I was looking at my showreel again, I realised that the UMovies logo and the Alien designs went pretty well together (in outer space). So, I dug through my archives for my UMovies max files and re-rendered some images. And here is the DVD design:

If I could improve on the design, I'll probably add a nice outer space background to it. Due to the lack of time (this was done one hour before I posted it), I quickly improvised by doing a Filter>Noise>Add Noise to get some stars in the background. (But they didn't appear in the printer anyway...)

I initially had a DVD-menu design that would be consistent with the DVD label - buttons arranged on the circular reel. But I soon realized that the DVD remote control would probably confuse the up-down-left-right buttons. So, I decided to keep it simple:

Comments & Criticism welcome.

The Perfect Park shortlisted for Animania

2009-01-15T14:30:00.004+08:00

Animania isn't exactly the most important animation festival in the world, but since my film has been shortlisted, I might as well and urge some people to vote. (Go to this page, click the banner on the bottom right, choose The Perfect Park, and vote.)

P.S. you may watch a better quality version of The Perfect Park on Youtube.

Character Animation Show Reel 2008

2008-12-22T17:58:00.008+08:00

Please view the complete films on the left panel ( <-- ). Enjoy!

Animation/ Motion Graphics Show Reel 2008

2008-12-22T16:47:00.014+08:00

The Inorganibles

2008-12-12T10:34:00.004+08:00

In this character design project, I attempted to create various characters out of banal school equipment. These characters had a role - to enforce law and order in the art studios. However, some have turned to the dark side.

Dello was one of the more well-explored characters.

Eric, The Polar Bear

2008-12-12T08:24:00.003+08:00

I am compiling a retrospective of all the work I have done over the past two years. The first project I did was "Eric, the Polar Bear", a sonnet I wrote for Lit assignment, and later expanded into AEP.

Included here is the first draft of the sonnet, detailed polar bear studies, as well as parodies of various policies in Singapore.

The Story of Sensorium Vale

2008-12-05T16:43:00.007+08:00

More early 3D works

2008-09-11T17:15:00.006+08:00

Just to confirm the fact that I had a crappy sense of design:

I used to be more concerned with software techniques, rather than aesthetics.

I'm still searching for one of my first 3D models, a gun, which I made for the Battle for Carentan project in 2004. Zhu Chuan commented that it was really crap (it really was.) I can't remember where I saved it...

Some early 3D models

2008-09-06T10:19:00.007+08:00

I've got nothing much to post these few months... So I decided to dig up some of the early 3D works I made many years ago.

The table was one of my first 3D models that was not created by following a series of button-pushes (tutorials). The chair was created from a tutorial.

An attempt to reproduce my kitchen in 3ds Max. It was quite successful. But I gave up halfway because I got bored with the repetition of constructing cupboard doors, etc.

This teapot model was created for a speed modeling challenge. Modelled within one hour. I think I had a terrible sense of design and composition then...

New York!

2008-06-17T22:02:00.005+08:00

I collected some interesting stuff in New York and compiled them into my sketchbook. "Interesting stuff" includes museum/Broadway/subway tickets, shopping receipts, as well as soil and grass from Central Park.

Endless Column of Cups

2008-05-23T20:39:00.006+08:00

Somebody knocked down my previous sculpture, "The Man, The City and The Environment". So, I planned a new sculpture, inspired by Brancusi's Endless Column. Thanks Fang Kai for the nice photos and video.

Enjoy,

Leon

Animoto Exp.

2008-04-24T18:37:00.004+08:00

The above video was not created by me... it was created by a computer.

All I did was, randomly selected 17 photos, randomly selected a music, and clicked "ok". Animoto, a web-based application, did the rest. It analyzed the photos and the sound track, and takes care of everything - the pacing, the choice of camera angles, etc... (and does an even better job than humans)

Many "filmmakers" are going to face structural unemployment in the near future. If we want to survive as filmmakers, we'll have to focus on skills that artificial intelligence cannot possibly replace: creativity, innovativeness, entrepreneurship, etc...

Restoration of The Sharpener

2008-04-12T12:26:00.013+08:00

On Monday, I regrettably knocked over a pencil sharpener in the Resource Center. The Bob-Dog sharpener smashed unto the ground, causing the two "handles" to break off.

You can see the two broken red bits at the bottom left of the above photo. What a mess!!!

How are other AEP students going to use this sharpener? Without the handles, how are they going to insert the pencil into the sharpener?

Fortunately, there was a tube of super glue in Zhu Chuan's studio. I used it to glue the handles back onto its original position.

Phew... it looks fine. (At least, physically...)

But in terms of functionality, it was unusable. The super glue had seeped into the moving parts, and now it's all stuck!

I tried to force the handles to operate properly, which eventually broke off again. The permanent damage had already been done. The inner moving parts of the sharpener was completely stuck.

I then used my collar pin to break the glue bit by bit. (no photo)

In order to avoid the moving parts getting stuck again, I inserted a pencil, which held the moving parts away from the sides.

Then, I glued the handle again.

The handles got stuck again! Fortunately, it isn't so bad this time. After using a pen knife to cut the glue, the sharpener is back in working condition.

What a great learning experience!

Coursework Stuff pulled off

2008-03-19T11:58:00.002+08:00

SORRY, I've been asked to pull off all posts related to my coursework. I think it's to prevent students from other JCs from copying my work (just in case).

I shall re-upload the posts after the A levels marking is over, at the end of the year:)

Meanwhile, I'll think of other garbage to fill up this blog...

Gastropoda Tragoedia

2008-03-13T11:28:00.003+08:00

The quotidian snail crushing event. They're damage our greenery anyway..."

The Perfect Park

2008-03-05T16:02:00.005+08:00

Still trying to finalize the storyline for The Perfect Park... The above animatics was put together quickly in 3 days, just to help me visualize the flow of the story. It's very rough, mostly blocky movement and no sound no lights no effects no materials. Some, no many, things are still not in there yet.

Use your imagination to fill in the gaps.

New domain for my online portfolio

2008-01-18T23:10:00.000+08:00

At the beginning of the year, Hwa Chong replaced our school server, and my original domain was lost. Today, my computing classmates informed me that the old server still exists, but at a new domain! So, here the new address to my online portfolio.

Are canals in Singapore safe?

2007-12-14T21:13:00.000+08:00

This is the going to be the most interesting Sensorium Vale activity we have ever done - shooting a scene for Orientation Video 08, in the canal along Bukit Timah Road.

First, I found a way into the canal, (without getting hit by cars on the main road). I entered a drain outside Hwa Chong Institution, and crawled under the road. When I reached the end of the drain, I emerged in the canal. This was relatively easy as the drain was quite big and surprisingly clean.

Meanwhile, Zhu Chuan was standing on the overhead bridge helping me to take these photos.

We decided that we could have a shot of a group of juniors climbing up the canal like this:

Later, Zhu Chuan gave me a challenge to jump over the little river in the middle (which doesn't seem very long). Unfortunately, I failed and ended up in a big splash with small wounds. Zhu Chuan attempted to take a video of my jump, but the camera failed (too).

We would probably get a group of actors to come here again next week (or week after) to act in this shot. (Only the climbing up part, no more jumping!!!)

One worry: is it safe to play in the canal like this? I wonder whether there is a possibility of a big, abrupt tsunami flushing out everything in the canals. That'd be dangerous...

Free Binoculars Model!

2007-06-03T11:32:00.000+08:00

Get a free binoculars model on sharecg.com! This binoculars was supposed to be used in Enflightenment, however, changes to the script later took it out of the scene.

Watch Enflightenment

2007-05-31T13:07:00.000+08:00

Watch Enflightenment on CGShare.com

HouseMaster: Explore & Conquer your House

2007-04-23T23:00:00.000+08:00

I just came up with a new game concept idea - its an original gameplay about doing household chores and destroying the evil in your house:

Imagine moving into a new mansion. Your mansion, unoccupied for decades, is in a total mess. Deep within the trash, lies the abundance of fantastical treasures that will add to your arsenal. Beyond the trash, there lies the woman of destruction, only accessible through the toilet bowl of terror. The woman of destruction is building a weapon with the destructive capabilities of demolishing the entire mansion.

How well you allocate resources, make use of treasures, seize opportunities determines whether you can save your mansion.

Eric - The Sonnet

2007-03-05T22:41:00.001+08:00

Eric

Malaysian Born, living in Singapore,

Doing stunts, jumping up and down all day.

Working for pacific salmon and more,

But national anthem don’t want to say.

Gates left wide open; enclosure empty,

Through the big wide oceans swim to Arctic.

Sing the national anthem happily,

Wonder in the cold desert friends to seek.

Seals freak out and escape into a pond,

Attract seal’s attention by doing stunts.

Knock head on a rock; all hope is now gone,

Iceberg break, want to go home also can’t.

From far away helicopter coming,

Towards the zookeeper Eric’s running.

Polar Bear Model

2007-03-05T22:09:00.000+08:00

Storyboarding - Prologue

2007-02-14T21:14:00.000+08:00

The zoo keeper places a crate and opens it.

Eric slides out.
He turns and walks back to the crate.
He reads whats on the create.

VOTE For A COUNTREE

2007-02-10T12:50:00.000+08:00

Hwa Chong Clock Tower on the Silver Screen

Do you want to stand to win a Canon digital camera ($569)?

Do you want the whole world to hear your schoolmate’s poem being narrated by Singapore’s most famous actor, Lim Kay Tong?

Do you want to see a 19^th century ship with your school’s logo appearing on national TV?

If your answer is “YES!” to any of the above questions, visit www.nemation.sg to vote for Hwa Chong’s very own animation production A COUNTREE.

A COUNTREE is among the top ten teams (out of 124 teams across the nation) to enter the final judging round of the prestigious NEmation competition. In this final round, 50% of the judging would be based on public voting. Therefore, your votes are crucial to our victory.

Reasons to vote for A COUNTREE:

It’s FREE: You may vote online (www.nemation.sg) from 15 to 28 February.
It’s FUN: Enjoy the latest animation production by Hwa Chong AEP students.
It’s FRUITFUL: Stand to win attractive lucky draw prizes.
It’s FANTASTIC: You’ll give A COUNTREE a shot at winning the top prize. This means that A COUNTREE would be screened in cinemas and national television!

Steps to vote for A COUNTREE

Simply log on to www.nemation.sg from 15 to 28 February.
Watch A COUNTREE.
Enjoy a minute of spectacular animation.
Select A COUNTREE as one of your three favourite animation clips.
Stand a chance to win attractive prizes!

We once again appeal to everyone to spare a few minutes during your Chinese New Year holidays to support Hwa Chong’s very own animation production.

Thank you.

Fluffy Chicken & Bouncing Pig

2007-01-31T21:38:00.000+08:00

These are 2 characters I have been working on since 2002. I still can't come up with a decent story for them. I shall try:

Character Background

Fluffy Chicken (FC) is perfectionist and fears death (esp. electrocution)

Bouncing Pig (BP) is clumsy and simpleton.

Both FC and BP are pets of the same owner. When the owner is away, they go for an adventure.

Story

Act 1: FC and BP are in a room, playing a Xbox game. They are almost going to complete a level. Just as BP was about to destroy the boss, the Xbox suddenly turned off. FC was very angry with BP. BP pointed out that it is actually a blackout, clumsily knocking the plug of the Xbox. The plug falls out of its socket. FC tells BP that they have to go to the basement to turn on the electricity.

Act 2a: FC and BP travel down the staircase. Along the way, BP keeps causing trouble and FC loses trust in BP. Finally, they arrived at the basement. FC wants to turn on the electricity himself; however, he is afraid of electrocution, however, he cannot trust BP to do such an important task either.

Act 2b: BP, determined to prove himself, climbs up towards the switch and turns the power back on. The red indicator light lights up. Both BP and FC rejoice. They begin to make their way back to the Xbox. Shortly after, electrical appliances started exploding. Obviously something went wrong.

Act 3: FC is shocked as he fears the destruction of the Xbox. BP tries to explain something but FC does not listen. When they reached the room, FC realized that nothing can be done to save the Xbox, and stares blankly. Surprisingly, nothing happens to the Xbox. BP points out that his clumsy actions earlier had knocked the plug out of its socket, thus saving the Xbox from the power surge. FC and BP inserts the plug back into socket together. The Xbox turns on and they continue playing their game.

Any comments?

The Fisherman

2007-01-31T21:37:00.000+08:00

Character Background

Ali, the fisherman was born in Nairu in 1971. At the age of 12, he left home to Kai-ru to study at the Royal Fishing Academy. After 12 years of fishing training, Ali becomes an elite fisherman. He settles down with his family in Kai-ru. On 26 Dec 2004, the tsunami struck Kai-ru. Ali lost everything except his little fishing sampan and his starving family.

The Story

Act 1: Ali is in his little sampan in the middle of the sea. He draws his net. All he caught was a little fish. Disappointed, Ali looks back at the shore. He imagines his starving family at the dining table, he places a small fish on the plate. Ali is very frustrated and throws the little fish back in the sea. Just at the spot the fish dropped, there was a glow from under the waters.

Act 2a: Ali casts his net at the glowing spot. As he draws his net, he realizes that there are gold coins. As he pours the gold coins on the deck, he imagines his small sampan becoming larger and more luxurious.

Act 2b: Ali does not forget his family. He grabs a handful of gold and returns home. He waves happily as he enters the house, where his family members were waiting. However, his family members were all frowning. A sudden roar of thunder returns Ali back to the real world, where he was still in his little sampan with a heap of gold, in the middle of a storm.

Act 3: Ali quickly paddles back to shore. The sampan rocks wildly, the heap of gold spills of the deck back into the sea. Finally, a large wave capsizes the sampan. Under the water surface, many other skeletons of dead people who died from the same flaw of greed are seen floating. The last scene shows Ali’s family at the shore waiting for Ali to return.

Any comments?

The Alien

2007-01-31T21:35:00.000+08:00

Character Background

The Alien is very poor; He cannot afford a toilet in his (very badly maintained) spaceship.

Story

Act 1: The Alien lands his spaceship in a rush. He charges out of the spaceship and looks around.

Act 2a: He sees a notice “No Peeing”. He is at his wits ends. After looking around, he decided that since nobody is looking, it is okay to pee there.

Act 2b: After peeing, the Alien feels much better. Shortly after, the sirens go off. The Alien panic and rush back to his spaceship. He pulls the door too hard, causing the whole door to fall out. He tries to close the door by smacking it repeatedly. The smacking causes the entire spaceship to collapse.

Act 3: A cop issues the alien a ticket. Shaking his head, he points behind the alien. When alien turns behind, he sees a toilet that was behind his spaceship.

Any comments?