Mission Impossible:Ghost Protocol

You may already have know than Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol is already out. I for one, knew when it was released, but through my lack of TV watching, and that I read newspapers online, have in fact, seen no advertising for it. I saw the trailers when they were released online, as I read film related news sites.

Enough about that, I'll be writing more about it in the coming weeks. On to the movie!

Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol was directed by Brad Bird, who previously had only directed animated films. Most notable would be Iron Giant & The Incredibles, which is also one of my all time favorite films. To see him take a step into film making on a shorter time line is interesting. Granted large Pixar films and Mission Impossible have similar budget sizes, the step is also interesting as the upcoming John Carter of Mars film is also being directed by an animated film director straying into live action, Andrew Stanton.

Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol is an adventure. I mean that. Few action movies lately have strayed to so many locations for so much of the movie. The characters were very thought out, something which seemed to be lacking for several of the large summer films. The intertwining and layers of the script were refreshing as well. So many of the crop of action films are barely able to get two good twists or the character paths to mesh. Mission Impossible did this, and MORE. The script writing was a treat, with familiar echoes.

So, I should also say that I am not much of a fan of Tom Cruise. The director got me in to see the movie. That said, I will see this movie again with my wife, it was THAT good. If you had any doubts about whether or not to catch Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol, I would say you need to see it. The suspense is amazing.

Thanks,
Buckaroo
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What Is Animation

As many of you may know, I also write for Tiki Geeks. As a student and admirer of animation, this is something very dear to me. Please read, I hope you enjoy it as well.

The argument of animation versus motion capture, a Tiki Geek's perspective. 

There is an argument brooding over what animation is in Hollywood. Be it controlled by a single person, or more, who all have control over how a character is brought to life. There is no argument that the likes of Toy Story or The Princess and the Frog are animation, be they 3D or 2D. The conundrum arises in performance capture, motion capture, or MoCap. Such as Avatar or the soon to be released Tin Tin, where an actor or actress's performance is captured digitally for use in the film or short. Steven Spielberg (sp) has persuaded the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to get Tin Tin entered in the best Animated Film category. There are those who see this as a digression, or poor use of the term "animation", crowding a field of already numerous contenders. 

Let me explain some things very quickly here, to get you up to speed a bit on the technology behind this technical problem. Forgive me if you detect a side upon which I sit. 

Animation in its most simple term, is the illusion of life. Be it a mouse or lamp, the belief that it is living an anthropomorphic life of its own, is done using animation. The history of animation goes back more than 150 years, to the Zoetrope, device that allowed the viewer to see a sequence of photos or drawn images, in a loop, through small slits in the side of a spinning cylinder. Animation technology progressed faster once film came along, adding sound, improved the of the quality story telling, and the rest is as they say, history. 

There have been technological improvements to be sure. The Walt Disney studios with their multi-plane camera, which improved the depth of 2D images. The precision of the drawings improved among the various studios producing animation as they tried to outdo one another. With a big leap taking place in the photocopying or Xerox process that allowed final animation sheets to be copied by a machine on to cellulose sheets, a laborious process that had been done by hand. The painting of those cells continued to be done by had at the large studios until the advent of CAPS (Computer Aided Production System) designed by Pixar in conjunction with the Walt Disney Studios. The new technique was used to enhance the color palate available to the film's designers on the film Rescuers Down Under.  The next big leap being in Tarzan with the Deep Canvas tool which allowed the animators to take their 2D images into a 3D environment. Their characters were still being animated by hand, frame by frame, in order to tell the story. Sometimes even multiple people brought the same character to life throughout a single animated feature. Backgrounds became environments, and the integration of 2D animation with a computer for production reached a bit of a plateau.

Time for a step back again to, George Méliès's A Trip To The Moon from 1902.  A foray into film making that helped defined special effects for generations to follow. But one bit of this film is of note, the Moon, as characterized near the beginning of this film, is essentially a head, with a great deal of prothstetics to enhance the look of being the Moon. 

Let me just repeat that again. To enhance the look, of being something else. The actor is still there, right behind or under the prothstetics. 

Prothstetics have been used to various degrees, good or atrocious, to help an actor or actress appear to be someone, or something else. Take for example, Warwick Davis, who in the final two part installment of Harry Potter, was two characters. Those two characters exist under the prothstetics, with Warwick bringing them to life through his ability to move and manipulate the prothstetics, that he now has many years of working with. 

Keeping this in mind, a film such as Jim Cameron's Avatar takes this in a different direction with technology. The world of Pandora exists in a 3D digital simulation, created by a crew of skilled individuals who understand the technology. The actors and actresses performed their characters on a stage, for many cameras. This is motion capture. Though we do not see those performances on the screen, rather, a digital prothstetic is placed over them, at which time they are inserted into the 3D digital world. Their performance is still there, no one else is bringing that character to life, it is the actor or actress's performance. 

This is the detail for me that leads me to believe that motion capture should be treated differently from animation. Prothstetic makeup is an effect, part of the technical side of film making. Animation is a technical thing to be sure, though a different style than live action. Motion capture brings live action into a 3D simulation, a complete world that is essentially a prothstetic. 

So an actor or actress providing their skills to bring a digital character to life, is for me, not quite the same as an animator using their hands and the tools available to them to bring a character to life. If an actor or actress is going to be in a movie that will be up for an Animation Oscar, and their performance will not be recognized in an acting category, they are being denied an opportunity that an actor or actress has if they are wearing traditional prothstetics. Likewise, an animator driving a character for an animated film is not up for a leading or supporting role for their portrayal of a character in the film.

These distinctions get blurred when a movie such as Tin Tin is up for an Animation Oscar. It does not quite fit into the frame of what most audiences expect it to be. Yes, most audiences will seen a computer graphic film, easily confused for an animated computer graphic film, but is actually better defined as a live action computer graphic film. 

So yes, I think a movie like Tin Tin should be treated not as an animated feature, but rather something else. For those who might argue about Tin Tin's dog Snowy, which IS animated, hold on a second. Okay, so one of the major characters is animated, that does not mean that the whole film should be in that category. If that were so, 1998's Lost In Space would see the character of Blarp being used as an excuse to get the whole live action film moved to a different category. The effects in Lost In Space were great, detailed and helped the story, but they were still effects driving a live action film. For me, this is also true of Tin Tin. 

I will get out and see Tin Tin, have no doubt. I grew up reading the stories alongside Asterix the Gaul, even as to took French as a second language, I would then read them in another language too. 

Thanks for reading,
Buckaroo

The Looming Regeneration Conundrum of The Doctor

The Conundrum of The Doctor's Last Regeneration.

I will pose my thoughts on how to get past this in a moment. First I would like to say that Russel T. Davies and Steven Moffat most likely have an idea or two on how to get past this problem, otherwise, it would have been difficult to get the show started again, knowing how long the first series ran, and if it was wildly successful again, it would run for some time more. The fans are a finicky bunch. Details are not lost in an age where revisiting episodes from your childhood are so easily accessed, something you simply could not do in the 1960s with out your own television broadcast network.

*I will call the run from 1963 a 1989, the first series, and the 2005 - present will be the second series.

So, I start this off by referencing a popular episode from the first series, the 25th anniversary special, The Five Doctors. Early on in this episode, the High Council of Gallifrey has convened, summoning The Master to inquire about what is happening in the Death Zone, and retrieve The Doctor in all of his regenerations. The Master's reward, a complete new life cycle, or twelve more regenerations.

This informs us that the Timelords have a great deal of control over the regeneration cycle. This was a story device from Patrick Troughton's The War Games from the first series. Where at the end of the story, a regeneration was forced upon him for his renegade 'crimes'.

In the episode The Deadly Assassin, from the first series,The Master is plotting to steal the Doctor's remaining regenerations, having used all of his up already.

In the episode Mawdryn Undead from the first series, a space ship on an eternal orbit of the sun, is carrying seven beings with rudimentary knowledge of the regeneration process. They ache for release from their mortal lives which have been extended well beyond their normal means. A mutation which effects Tegan and Nyssa, The Doctor's two female companions at the time. The Doctor's solution is to give up his remaining regenerations for Mawdryn and his fellow travelers. This is short circuited by two Brigadiers from different times meeting.

These two examples tells us that The Doctor's regenerations can be redistributed to others, either freely or in a conniving way.

Now, keeping in mind that when The Doctor resurfaced in 2005, he was a bit of a changed man, so-to-speak, for his home world of Gallifrey had been sucked into the time vortex with a large portion of the Dalek fleet that they had been fighting against. The exact reasons as to why The Doctor was not sucked in still remains a bit of a mystery. In doing battle with The Master in The End Of Time, parts one and two from the second series, we find that even though Gallifrey is in the void, it is not gone. With a startling revelation being that Rassilon, one of the most powerful and influential Timelords to have ever existed, had returned for the time war. The details of why and how, are also still a mystery.

As The Doctor travels now, his TARDIS is even more attached to him than it had previously been in the first series. Undergoing a couple of transformations itself. We have also learned how attached the TARDIS is to The Doctor in The Doctor's Wife, from the second series. Aside from being written by Neil Gamian, this wonderful story showed us for the first time just how alive the TARDIS actually is.

Now, to digress to the first series again. I need to point out that The Five Doctor's is not the first, nor was it the last time, The Doctor has had the opportunity to work with himself. The first time being The Three Doctors with Jon Pertwee as The Doctor. And again with Colin Baker for The Two Doctors. (Making Patrick Troughton the only actor to re-encounter himself three times as The Doctor.) Finally, in a surprise twist at the end of the Colin Baker episode, Trial of a Timelord, we discovered that the character of the Valyard was also The Doctor from his own future. Though I suspect this will be overlooked as the time for a final regeneration is upon us. As The Doctor was also on trial, his sentence would have been the loss of his remaining regenerations, showing us again that the Timelords have a great deal of control over how a fellow Timelord is able to use them.

Let us not forget Captain Jack Harkness, who in the second series, acquired the ability to live forever. Granted he does not do so in a continual time line, rather jumping back and forth through time, with The Doctor, on his own, or through other unknown ways. Captain Jack got this ability from Rose, the first companion of the second series. She inadvertently gave it to him when she looked into the heart of the TARDIS. That then tells us that the TARDIS has the ability to distribute life and /or life changing mutations to creatures.

So, with all of this floating around in your head now, let's take a quick look at a few of the possibilities that exist based on decades of Doctor Who lore.

1. A simple, yet rather boring way for The Doctor to get more regenerations is from the TARDIS. Its simplicity begs the question of, if it's that easy, why had The Master not done it with his TARDIS in the first series? Keep in mind The Master's TARDIS is not a Type 40, rather a type 45. If this is true at the moment... Hard to say, he has had several.

2. Rose, though in a separate universe, has some extraordinary properties that make her very different from the people around her. One might argue that the TARDIS has the ability to track down others that it has has it's internal power flow through. The two of them together can do great things, even to The Doctor. I say this is a bit far off, and too complex a variant from #1.

3. Rassilon pulls the Timelords out of the void through some amazing ability that he develops. The Timelords see all of the work that The Doctor has done in their absence, and reward him with more regeneration. To me, this is probable, but not "fun" enough for the clever Doctor Who writers.

4. As The Doctor continues to do battle with the forces that would run the universe as their own, he finds that he is in need of vast amounts of help. Either against the Daleks, the Silence(With more on them this season it would seem, season 7), or combinations of so many more that The Doctor has done battle with. In an effort to find the help he needs, he opens the time void, and finds a way to pull Gallifrey out. With Rassilon's help, the foe is defeated, and in return, the Timelords bestow a new regeneration cycle on The Doctor. I find this aspect a much more intriguing way to get more regenerations. I would like it even more if the writers hinted at a past relationship between The Doctor and Rassilon, putting The Doctor in a slightly different way with the universe/time/everything, also making him slightly different than the rest of the Timelords, even validating his 'renegade' lifestyle. (Granted, that lifestyle has been an excellent source of writing for the opportunities it allows for.)

5. This idea is only different from #4 insofar as other regenerations of The Doctor help. A multiple Doctor event. Using as many Doctors as possible, including Paul McGann from the Fox one off episode.

6. Harking back to The Doctor's time in the first series, the White and Black Guardians could resurface. For the Black Guardian holds a very hard grudge against The Doctor. With guidance from the White Guardian, The Doctor has been able to accomplish amazing tasks. In this context, pulling Gallifrey from the void could be one of those tasks.

These possibilities become more real as Neil Gaiman has chimed in this week on things he would love to do for the 50th anniversary of the show, now just over a year away. #5 would be an amazing thing to see, the technology exists to actually have each Doctor back, it would be costly and prohibitive on a tv budget. It would have to be a one off episode with it's own mini-movie budget, maybe, I am not in the know on BBC budgeting for tv movies. But, just recreating the missing actors would most likely eat up a very large chunk of change. And what would an adventure like the 50th anniversary be without more effects and sets.

So, I do look forward to what the writers do come up with, and hope that it is truly spectacular, and worthy of the fan base that has enjoyed the show for all these 50 years.

Thanks for reading!

Finding Motivation

Where to look, when one's motivation has left. The journey to fining it I imagine would begin with simply finding a functioning body. As I wear out the one I have, with few answers as to how to fix it, I find it hard to focus on anything else.
The act of concentrating on daily tasks an ever increasing effort. The ease of mentally doing the usual is more draining day by day. Just reading is a challenge, if something is longer that several paragraphs, my focus dwindles.

This make me sad and frustrated.
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Back To Work

I return to my job yet again, knowing that it wears me out. Destroying my body, one move at a time.

I need a new occupation. Yet like so many others, I have not worked in my field of study, with no experience for the things I may be passionate for, it is difficult to get hired.

I could re school, but for a lack of funds to pay for it AND keep my house. If I did re school, what I would do remains a disconnected mystery.

So, here I ache again.

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Chasing a Mcguffin

The title of this pst may seem odd, but I encourage you to follow the link in the title, to it's definition on Wikipedia.

As life staggers by, and one feels absently lost with purpose, one, as it were, would be chasing a Mcguffin.

This is a startling bit of knowledge. Now. What to do with it?

Think is Fleeting

Right, before you comment on the title of today's post. I would like to say it was very purposefully worded. The delivery and impact of "think" was intentional. I shall leave that alone now.

I had been quite silent here on my blog for many months. I am trying to get that back on track and do a bit more writing. I do like to, but as with my drawing, I am frequently unmotivated. Finding a desire to do so after a day at work has become increasingly difficult. So, here I am writing before work.

Work, no surprise right now, is into the silly season, where the next hint of some quiet time will be the second week of January. Getting many of the new recruits up to speed is always a challenge. With a 'sink or swim' mentality in place to train them, I fear for the ones who may well burn out before the holidays even arrive. I saunter on....

I am trying to get myself writing more for that simple task of finishing the book I started in 2009. I would very much like to finish it, write a second, and see if I can keep up with the writing so that I can can get many of the worlds I have created in my head, out and for sharing. Not as easy a task as it has been in the past. Focus. Determination. And a little bit of Time. Every little bit will add up. All I have to do is diminish the distractions I find for myself. I know how, I just have to do it.

There are many places to snag some wi-fi now, and do quick posts. This is something I should have been doing much more, having been distracted by the lazy nature of social networking.

Don't misunderstand me, I like social networks, I have been able to keep up with my friends from a far much more easily. There have also been instances of why I stopped talking to some people, or more awkwardly for me, why they stopped talking to me.

My childhood wasn't deplorable, others certainly had it more rough than I. There were times though, I just didn't get along or fit in. Those who were around then are long gone as people I might have got along with, the echos of things deeply unsettling to me. The friends I have made along the way since then, don't need social networks to keep in touch with. I like it that way.

Interestingly, I still don't quite fit in, or get along with the more socially savy people I work with. I'm fine with this, having realized who I am a long time ago. Watching them try to fit who I am into their perception of being social, can be fun to watch, even amusing at times.

That said, I'm going to check on Google+....

Oh, and as much as I was thinking about it, I am not participating in NaNoWriMo this year, I still need to finish the book from 2009.

Smile,

Buckaroo

Random Thoughts

Piece. Fish.

Tiger.

Flat.

Vase.

Grain.

Booth.

Cola.

Pliers.

This now completes my random thoughts for the moment.

Thanks,

Buckaroo

Haunted house

So I had the opportunity to photograph an amazing Halloween display last night. Wow, what a blast! I've got the photos processed and posted over at Flickr (Click the title of this post for the link).

There are duplicates of a few of the photos as I experimented with some black and white post processing and HDR. All of the pictures were taken on a tripod due to the low light conditions using my Nikon D90.

Please feel free to comment on any of the photos, I enjoy the feedback!

Mahalo,

Buckaroo

Flickr

Okay, so I've been getting a lot of my photos up onto Flickr. I've had a few fun shoots, a wedding, and a trip to Alaska in there. I think I have captured some amazing and fun things along the way.

So check me out, photos by Buckaroo,
www.flickr.com/photos/bybuckaroo

I'm about to upload a few photos from a visit to a very decorated house. It is almost Halloween you know!

Smile
-Buckaroo

Time Lapse of the Parking Lot

I set up this time lapse to shoot a frame every 20 seconds over the course of about 3.5 hours. I find the information that it gathers about the ebb and flow of people interesting.

Gallup, NM

It's the rail version of route 66.

Grants, NM. Storm front blowing in.

Albuquerque.

Note to self, don't turn left here.

Still getting used to the new view.

The new car is already becoming quite comfortable. I find it very easy to get cozy in.

Brian "Buckaroo" Ballinger
Smile!

Aaaaaaah, a Black Cow!

Brian "Buckaroo" Ballinger
Smile!

Chicken, peppers & onions!

With brown rice.
Brian "Buckaroo" Ballinger
Smile!

The commotion of lunch, and the people eating theirs, with a backdrop of nature, in a state of tranquility.

Brian "Buckaroo" Ballinger
Smile!

Apple soda!

Brian "Buckaroo" Ballinger
Smile!

Tiki Geeks

Greetings!

I would like to let those of you who are regular readers of this blog know about a new audio podcast I'm involved in.

Tiki Geeks!

If you follow the link over at the right, it will take you over to the newly christened site! As a geek, and tikiphile, this is a natural progression of what I do. This way, I get to share the fun I have with others who are interested in many of the same things.

Tiki Drinks - Check.

Gadget news - Check.

Gaming news - Check.

Where to get good Tiki drinks - Check.

People who make games - Check.

The list goes on....

So, if you have any interest in these things, follow the link. Even if you don't, you an hear me do silly things in the name of a podcast.

Mahalo!

One way to improve fuel economy in just about any vehicle.

Brian "Buckaroo" Ballinger
Smile!

Palm Readings

I sit here typing away, waiting for several files to upload to Deviant Art. While I wait, I listen to the sounds of the Mighty Wurlitzer, a beast of an instrument from another time. I find this both comforting and slightly unnerving.

Let me start with why this is unnerving. The Mighty Wurlitzer has existed for many decades now, longer than I have to be sure. It's name blurred into history by more modern names like Moog & Yamaha. Yes, they are much more familiar with the sensation of music coming from a keyboard. But the Mighty Wurlitzer has a name that few have forgotten, it persists on the quality of its name. Not to be ground down by time, it plays on.

The comfort is in that is has NOT been ground down, finding it's place in our consciousness. It keeps at what it does best, the Mighty Wurlitzer IS still there.

These thoughts are struggling with themselves in my mind lately. Managing to exist, and not be forgotten. Being known to exist while also accomplishing what you set out to do. My mind is weighed down by what I have not done. I have found a stride for my life, an easy walk, but not the one I set out to take. I am able to do what crosses my path much of the time, but am left feeling empty because these are not the chores I set out to do. While I walk this path, I look around, over my shoulders sometimes, but mainly just trying to get a glimpse of the other walk, the one I had intended to take. I wish I was there instead, yet find myself a bit afraid that I might actually suddenly get there. For I no longer have the confidence in doing the tasks associated with that particular walk. I peer in other directions, seeing more walks I could be taking too. Those walks are just about as intimidating, for I will need different skills, in which I find my mind ever more stubborn to acquire. That alone is a frighting thought, that my mind has given up on me, seeking a less cumbersome walk. I have walked a trail with little to keep me engaged to thinking. I do not like my stubborn mind, accustomed to lethargy, it was not my way of doing things even a few short years ago.

So I find myself thinking of things that I have let happen. Not liking the choices that have got me here, nor enjoying the ones that lay ahead.

With this now out of my head, maybe I can go and get some sleep.

Seems to be one of those days.

Brian "Buckaroo" Ballinger
Smile!

New Stores of the Mom & Pop Variety

I was wandering through Downers Grove today, and two new stores got my attention.

First, a model train shop called Timberline Train Shop, which sells N & HO scale trains. A wonderful selection of structures to assemble as well as the detail accessories to add to your train layout. The usual collection of magazines and how-to books are also present. It turns out I know the owner after chatting a bit, having modeled with my father in the same groups through the years. It was great to catch up! Thanks Keith.

The second is a board game shop called Fair Game. This fine establishment is ready to help out with the games you are interested in. My pitch was for "Zombies", big surprise, I know[I've got to get back and pick it up! Anyone interested in getting it for me?]. They gave a myriad of events every month for serious gamers and family nights too! Eric was eager to answer my questions, and is also a regular at Gen-Con in Indianapolis every year. I'll be heading back very soon!

So, check these two stores out, either in person, on Main ST south of the tracks in Downers Grove, or on the web by following the links in their respective names here in the blog!

My dessert has eyes on me... Waitaminute!

Brian "Buckaroo" Ballinger
Smile!

Art For Your Home, Office & Other Amazing Walls

I would like to take a moment to direct you to my Deviant Art page, where at this very moment, new images are being uploaded for your enjoyment. They have been painstakingly manipulated for the optimum viewing experience.* If you click on the this link, you will be taken directly to the source, that you may purchase these items of ultimate visual value. Below is an example of the wonders that wait your roving eye.

*Viewing experiences may vary by the very nature of human perception filters, not fully understood by science, within the human brain. However, you will still be happy.

The word 'Tiki' peaked my interest.

Brian "Buckaroo" Ballinger
Smile!