George Maestri

Have you ever wanted to crumple a paper using 3D software? And this crumpling shot you want just can't be filmed? In my new Patreon tutorial, you’ll learn two approaches for crumpling a paper ball - one fast and another high-fidelity - and when to use each in Houdini. Full tutorial and project files on my Patreon: https://lnkd.in/eKVDhk3s

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((( NEW DEMOS ))) My trailer clients are always shocked to learn I do cartoons for kid shows. My kid show clients are always shocked to learn I do deep, dark reads for trailer. No one believes I voiced a Microsoft Excel E-Learning module. I figured it was time I put it all in one place. New demos. Fresh out of the oven. https://lnkd.in/gXnAeEjv

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With all the debate on AI, This is a great book I narrated on the first self aware Synthetic Intelligence. When that happens, I'd be happy to hear them narrate a book. Until then, listen to human narrators.

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Now that I've graduated from UCF's Experimental Animation track, I have time to share some of the projects I completed while I was a student there! - This stop motion film is by far the project I'm most proud of. In just 15 weeks, my team and I conceptualized, fabricated, animated, and edited a short film titled 'Disillusioned'. It displays the surreal journey of a troubled young girl trapped in a nightmare representing her repressed trauma. The story begins in a bedroom, detailed with intricate floral patterns and whimsical decor. Lit by the soft glow of moonlight, the room’s safe and innocent appearance symbolizes the comfort in familiarity, which in this case shows denial in the toxicity of a household. When the protagonist enters the long hallway, she is faced with painful reminders of her reality. She endures the horrors of her memories throughout the hallway, reliving scenarios involving her overbearing and neglectful mother. Reaching the door, the heroine believes she is ready to move past this cycle of abuse and exit this psychological prison. Woken up by the book falling out of her bookshelf once again, she is back in the illusion of safety in ignorance. The film ends ambiguously, posing the question of whether or not the door could actually be reached, or if the seemingly unending effects of childhood trauma are inescapable. - Each of us brought our own specialized strengths to different stages of the process, allowing us to take turns leading various aspects of the film. While my team fabricated the set dressing and puppet, I had the honor of creating the sets with a focus on making them modular, allowing us to film comfortably from any angle. I learned so much about myself through this project and am incredibly proud of the work my team and I produced. We poured our hearts and souls into this, I hope you enjoy it! https://lnkd.in/e6W8FcYc - #SetFabrication #FilmFabrication #StopMotion #StopMotionFilmmaking #FilmProduction #Animation #ModularDesign #CreativeProcess

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User feedback and user requests are very important! We are constantly improving the software for the artists who use the tool. Take a look at the latest developments of the video player. #vfx #assetmanagment #videoplayer #daselement

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In the voiceover industry, we face rejection on a regular basis. Most of the time the rejection is in the form of silence. We audition for a project and we never hear back. Sometimes we will get "shortlisted" for something and then hear "sorry, they went another way on this". While getting shortlisted is a win in itself, somehow these rejections are almost more emotionally painful ("ah, I was so close!"). I'd like to share something though that has helped me handle these so-called rejections immensely. There are SO MANY wonderfully talented voice actors out there! Wait, why does that make me feel better??? Because, it's made me realize that sometimes getting booked for something is simply luck of the draw. There is so much talent out there and so many of us can really deliver... so getting the actual job often comes down to simply the specific sound of a voice, a tiny nuance in a read, or even totally random things like the order with which the client listens to your audition or even (and this is true according to conversations with casting directors I've had) whether you share a name with the client's ex-girlfriend! The point is, I have learned not to take it personally or doubt my own abilities when I get a "no". I simply move on and go for the next one. Recently, someone posted a copy of a spot they voiced. I had auditioned for this too and oh boy, I REALLY wanted this one. But I was able to listen and say "she did a great job". Honestly, my audition had sounded very similar to the read that they went with but...her read was wonderful too. Good for her! I hope this realization helps others like it helped me. Getting a "no" is most often not a reflection of your talent. It's just not your turn. Cheer on others and keep going. You will get your "Yes" soon enough. #voicecasting #handlingrejection #voiceoverindustry

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🌊 A "Wet" Take on the Three-Body Problem in Real-Time Principal VFX Artist and JangaFX Evangelist Jason Key has unveiled a new experiment with LiquiGen, the team's node-based real-time fluid simulation software, offering a "wet" take on the three-body problem. Learn more: https://lnkd.in/dM2PqHMk #jangafx #liquigen #vfx #realtimevfx #3dsimulation #threebodyproblem #3dsim #realtime #gamedev #indiedev #techart #technicalart #visualeffects #liquidsimulation #physics #mechanics

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Here's a committee meeting from yesterday with the California State Assembly talking with people, artists, musicians, actors, music executives a professor of computer science, all addressing their experience with Generative AI and the impact it has had on their industries. There's so much good info in this, I implore you to watch the whole thing. I don't have much to say about the video. All the misconceptions people often have about AI, these politicians have those too, and it's cleared up quickly and eloquently by each of the speakers in easy to understand language. And speaking of politicians, it's pretty clear that no matter how much knowledge or lack of knowledge these politicians have about AI, they want to help their constituents, they want their constituents to help them see the issue clearly so they can help. We need regulations of course, but meetings like this are so important to achieve that goal. Politicians need to be educated too on things affecting communities. They are skilled at governing, not knowing every field of expertise under their jurisdiction. If we don't educate them, tech companies will. Also the Motion Picture Association was invited to attend to give their perspective on AI. They declined. In this meeting, democracy was at work and the MPA no matter how powerful, no matter how influential, would only have one voice in this meeting which could have been challenged by other speakers. So I get why they declined. *Full disclosure, I do know some of the speakers, but in my objective, non bias opinion, I think this meeting was excellent and informative :)*

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Check out these awesome monsters I rigged for motion capture! I'm currently in between client projects and I've got some free time to do some cool stuff. What do you think I should do with these? #virtualproduction #realtimerendering #3danimation #motioncapture #mocap Reallusion

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Lots of folks ask me for study materials to up their rigging game. I made this worksheet and sample plot as a response to those requests. If you complete it and send me a copy I'll let you know how you did! This worksheet assumes you have a decent working knowledge of rigging already, and is meant for skill development, not training. If you have any questions about it feel free to get in touch.

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The logline is a polished representation of the idea. Get the idea wrong, and the logline will always be bad. No tinkering with the wording or the format will save it. It's the idea that counts. Workshop it, test it out. Do what you have to do to get it right.

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The paragraph in a screenplay does three things very well. - Encapsulate a single visual shot. - Extend time. - Create emphasis. All are quite helpful for the emotional experience we're trying to evoke. 𝗘𝗻𝗰𝗮𝗽𝘀𝘂𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗮 𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗹𝗲 𝘃𝗶𝘀𝘂𝗮𝗹 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘁. A guideline I use: I can have a single shot go over many paragraphs, but I rarely have a single paragraph describe multiple shots. 𝗘𝘅𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝗧𝗶𝗺𝗲. This often maximizes the vertical flow because you use a new paragraph to speed up the read by making us flow down the page quicker but creating the illusion of more time passing. 𝗖𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗘𝗺𝗽𝗵𝗮𝘀𝗶𝘀 This one is obvious. This is a way to emphasize a sentence by giving it its own paragraph rather than burying it behind one or two other sentences. This last sentence gets a little lost. This sentence does not. The foundation of your #screenwriting is not the sentence. it is the paragraph. Make the paragraph your new best friend. ---- Want to read more about writing vertically and giving the reader the best experience? Go here: https://lnkd.in/g2hB8SSE

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Kyle Bailey is a great storyteller, sound designer, and musician who reminds me every day that we have to challenge ourselves to rethink the status quo. The audio design field, at its core, is a medium that has arguably changed slowly over the last few decades, but we can all agree that players will never cease to crave the next experience. That's why I love working with Kyle and my other teammates at Amazon Games. We're not afraid to take risks and try the unconventional approach first. Worst case scenario: we learn a valuable lesson and go back to our roots. Best case scenario: we unlock a new skill we can use to push the medium. https://lnkd.in/g_bz7maQ

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"Animate With Me" in Unreal Engine! 🎬 Follow along my live stream and learn how to key-frame animate inside of Unreal Engine 5 (FREE for ALL) YOUTUBE LIVE LINK: https://lnkd.in/gKKqh864 (Click on "Notify me" so you don't miss it) ----------------------------------------- 📅 Date: May 4th (Saturday) 🕗 Time: 8:00 PM to 10:00 PM IST ----------------------------------------- Linked In event: https://lnkd.in/gzFPm9ZN About this event: A "Quick Start Guide" to animating in Unreal Engine. Perfect for those eager to dive into key-frame animation in Unreal Engine 5, but are unsure where to begin. You are Expected to Have: - Basic familiarity with Unreal Engine (installation, navigation, UI) - Experience with animation in any 2D or 3D software - Access to Unreal Engine if you'd like to follow along and create a shot with me (Optional) What NOT to expect: - Not a beginner's guide to Unreal Engine basics—I won't be covering software navigation. - Not an advanced animation masterclass. - Not a fundamentals class for animation beginners.

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If your an X-Men or Wolverine fan you should enjoy this. I animated still images and then dubbed audio from the original cartoon series from the 1990's and made a short video. Decided to use Luma Labs Ai's new video generator. Very pleased with the results on the first few attempts. Tools used: Luma AI #adobeexpress #lumaai #adobeaudition #Wolverine #WolverineArt #Logan #XMen #MarvelComics #Comics #ComicArt #ComicBooks #ComicArtist #ComicStrip #AIArt #AIArtist #GenerativeArt #aiartwork #aivideo #videoai #aivideocreators #AIArtCommunity #CharacterDesign #CharacterArt #ConceptArt #CharacterIllustration #CharacterDevelopment #DigitalArt

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