Meet the Studio: Blur Studio

#184

Yes, about the fur and hair. It would be interesting to know a bit about your methods :slight_smile:
Also, how do you face up motion blur(exporting always a velocity pass and doing it in postpro?)
Thx!

#185

Hi Tim, great suggestion you got here, I always render one time only and using indirect illumination, I never tried any compositing, could you give me some help on how you usually split your renders and how you composite them?

I’ve watched the Warhammer featurette and you guys show lots of different passes to achieve the final effect and it was pretty amazing, so well… once you render without indirect illumination what you do in order to give it an extra realism?
Do you render other layers and composite 'em with the no-indirect one?

I wish I could learn how to do it, makes me think its quite fast to change small things in compositing without having to render it all from the beginning

#186

Dave Wilson goes into some detail about this in this interview about Warhammer. His breakdown of how Warhammer was split up in passes is pretty common from project to project.

http://www.cgnetworks.com/story_custom.php?story_id=2538&page=1

We use max’s image motion blur. Its rendered in each pass and not composited. In some cases (usually for particle effects) we’ll use object motion blur.

Tim J

#187

Thank you!

For the records: The WH40K game so damn fun, took me back to the old Westwood’s C&Cs
Been awhile since I spent money for a game that was worth it!

#188

(The emperor commans tim miller and his space marines to make the winter assault cinematic now.)

lol sorry guys i just had to say that please make another warhammer 40k cinematic.
please
please
please

#189

Drooling at how cool would be having a squad of Space Marines break into a space hulk full of Tyranids, old-style stuff yo… made by Blur, would be awesome :bounce:

#190

Well I couldn’t resist after my friend sinaris posted…

Hi guys good job on all of your shorts (Warhammer 40K intro my fave)

Somebody (working in Blur) said earlier that: u" should put only your best work on your site"…I can understand that for a showreel, but a website is different… i think of it like a diary of images, showing your progress…what u learned how to make great images in one day?.. i think not, so why give the wrong impression? plus if talent is so obvious, then it will be apparent in all the little experimental doodles…if u are looking for work, then actively do so, don’t wait until somebody stumbles on your site… anyways

ANother thing: i think u can teach people to become better artists, raw talent needs guidance. If somebody helps u, u make great leaps in a short space of time, i’ve noticed it at work, there are these two great guys (they come from 2d fantasy art world). since I’ve met them my artwork has made leaps, I started noticing stuff i didn’t see before, i tried to maximize the impact of my images. my ego got bashed again and again. things i could get away with cos my friends couldn’t draw, now fall on my head. and we 're talking about small stuff like: “hmm, that shoulder is crap” or “bliah! that’s not a face” or “stick to 3d, hahaha”, but i like it, cos i’m pushing myself… so i’m now not only trying to be a better 3d artist, but i’m developing my forgotten 2d skills and i’ve started sculpting.
now they say: “leave 3d and continue with sculpting, no seriously”
what i’m trying to say is that some times u need a nudge towards the right direction and u guys out there don’t give up cos u think u don’t have “raw talent”, it may not be in 3d character faces, but u might be able to make the coolest armour ever and u should deffinetely try zbrush (all those dots and crude lines u sketched can now be easily palced on your 3d model and there is now stupid dispacement mapping involved, long live normal maps).

i still have a long way to go to becoming a great artist, but saying that people shouldn’t even try cos they don’t have raw talent is just “snobish” to me

plus i saw a (3d animated) movie called running away, that had some lame character models, but had action, a superb sence of directing and montage, great music, i watch it again and again and gets my hairs standing on end (more than the WoW cinematic from Blizzard and more than WH 40K)…

i wrote this cos i thought there is a bit of discouragement in the air…

now my questions are:

  1. do u have strict deadlines for shorts, or do u stop working on them if a big project comes in?

  2. what is the make of the mo-cap system u use? (if u can’t specify, give some pointers:like is it wireless, for how many people etc)

  3. i’d like to repeat the question about the hair system (i was struglling with hairfx, mainly due to lack of experience. ended up compositting all the time)

  4. i read u use max 5 and your custom tools, do u find it more stable, or is the upgrade not worth it (i use max 7, but i would like to know the reason u still use max5)

  5. i’ve covered all my cloth simulation issues with cloth extensions, but i would like to know what u use…(by the way awesome cloth sims with cloth extensions, characters can handle clothing , i mean really handle it, my tests have left me blinking)

  6. and finally how many people work on a project (if it varies, just give me a range)

i don’t know if some of them have been answered, if they have don’t bother answering them, I re-reading the whole thread anyway (other questions have already been answered,concerning rendering and setups)

PS sorry for my spelling mistakes

#191

Hi all,

Let’s finish off this Q&A session. If you have any more questions, please ask them now. We’ll close this session at the end of 31 May.

Thanks,

Leonard

#192

Hello blur studios. thanx for taking time to answer questions here at cg talk.com

well i recently started to do a search for studios to apply for a job in my area. I attached samples of my work that i would send out to apply for a concept artist position. Just wanted some feed back from one of the studios in my area.

Also for the current concept artist working at blur what is the time frame and work amount required in a given period of time. To be honest just trying to find out if i have what it takes to become a conceptual artist. Thanx for taking a look at my work.

#193

Hi Blur, its an honor to have you guys come and answer our questions. Your one of my favorite studios. I have a few quick questions. Sorry if they were asked already.

  1. Is there ever going to be a time when you give out or sell the inhouse maxscripts you use in the studio?

  2. If not, do you plan on updating the BlurBeta site?

  3. Have you or will ever hired someone who hasn’t gone to College or had any real previous studio work?

  4. Do you plan to have any internships for College students as well as High School Students?

  5. Is College necessary to get into the industry?

  6. Can you check out my website(www.artbycg.com) and tell me what I could work on to make it Blur Worthy :)?

  7. Do any of you have a messenger tag that I can get to chat with you? You can PM me that if you dont want EVERYone to know it. Or you can add me.

THanks for taking the time to look over and answer my questions. Maybe in a couple of years, I can answer tsome questions as a Blur employee. :smiley:

#194

does gopher’s fur show up in refractions and reflections?

#195

You guys are the greatest! Love your work, used your too, love your work some more! :bounce:

My question is about your beta site! you mentioned earlier about reopeming it with more and updated plugins.Thanks alot for that coz it helps us save cash getting expensive ones.Just want to know if it includes raymarching, fluid simulations, hair and more of your fantastic shaders!?

Second question:You guys have the most wicked texturing i’ve ever seen! Is it possible to make a tutorial well more like a full project training of texturing one of you character(maybe one from hellgate london)?

3rd:Must all CG artists you employ have the knowledge of maxscript!?

Thank you verymuch for your time.You guys rock!:buttrock:

Had posted earlier but got it removed coz i forgot to read the rule,too busy learning CG!:wink:

#196

[b]http://academy.smc.edu/[/b]
What do you think about this school for animation?
I know you’d preferr CalArts Alumni, but I keep seeing people that teach at CalArts also teach at the Academy…You’re in Venice, the school is in Santa Monica…I was hoping you would have some insight.

Basically I’m just repeating myself, but I’ve been researching the people that teach there:
http://academy.smc.edu/people/faculty.html

If you’re not familiar with the school, are you familiar with the faculty?
Seems impressive to me…This is my last chance. Thought I’d give it one more shot.

Thanks!

Paul Hassett

#197

Hi

First off all, congrats with the great movies you’ve made and thanks for your plug-ins on the Blur Beta page. :slight_smile:

Most of my questions have been answered already, so I only have one question left.
How did you create the terrain in Rockfish/Warhammer? You know, the desert-like with rocks scattered everywhere. I’m especially interested in the modelling, although I’d like to know about the texturing too if that’s possible. :slight_smile:

#198

Hi guys,

First off, I love the work you guys put out! I just want to ask if you guys can talk a little bit about your texture/rendering process what do you guys use and how did you guys develop the “blur” style look? Also, last question How did you guys develop in Gpher Broke the dirt crumbling where it breaks apart under the gopher?

Thank You

John Beran

#199

Thanks Juan! When are you going to come and work for us? I hope Daniel hasn’t scared you away with the horror stories of how much HE works…he’s part of our over-worked FX group and I can’t stop him! You’d could work with our Scene Assembly guys and their jobs are SUPER easy…they usually only work 3 or 4 hours per day and take 3 hour lunches between massages. :rolleyes:

We’re ready for you to come on over now… :thumbsup:

#200

blitzze

[b]I love your shorts! (that came out wrong…)

My question is: How is the work distributed at Blur - do the artists specialize in one field and do only that sort of work (e.g. modeling, animation), or do they know a bit in each field and exercise all of their skills (e.g. rigger/animators, modeler/texturers)? Which way do you think is more productive?

Thanks.[/b]

HAHA! That’s pretty funny, blitzze. The work at Blur is distributed among artists that specialize. We’ve been moving in that direction for quite some time now. When I first started at Blur almost 5 years ago everyone was more of a generalist. But everyone eventually realized what they enjoyed doing best. Not to mention what they were the best at doing! Now, it certainly is a MAJOR plus to have a broad 3D background because it will help you work with others. For example, if you are a character modeler it would help to have some rigging experience for how to approach your modeling so that when the person who is going to rig it gets it they won’t have too many problems. You can take that example right down the pipeline. Riggers would do well to know animation, animators would benefit from knowing scene assembly, etc. The ultimate goal being the creation of a smooth pipeline with no hiccups. If we had our choice we’d prefer smaller teams with longer schedules. But we don’t always get that. (Warhammer 40k for example).

keithlango

[b]Your dog also looks alot better than you do, Flappy!

Just wanted to hassle you, heh. And yes, Wilson is a rail whore. I haven’t played quake since moving on. It’s just not the same without Miller screaming out “Taste it!”. Heh
I miss you all a bunch. Keep kicking arse. Good things are gonna roll out for you guys, I can feel it!

[/b]I thought I saw somebody in the bushes on my dog walk the other day. I thought it was just a fat-furry gopher! But it was the wild and wooly Keith Lango!

Thanks for the kind words, Keith. Well, some of them anyways. :wink:

jampoz

[b]Thank you!

For the records: The WH40K game so damn fun, took me back to the old Westwood’s C&Cs
Been awhile since I spent money for a game that was worth it![/b]

Jampoz, I couldn’t agree with you more. I had a blast playing that game. My only disappointment, other than not having a kick-ass end cinematic, was that they didn’t allow you to play the other races in the single player mode!

sinaris

[b](The emperor commans tim miller and his space marines to make the winter assault cinematic now.)

lol sorry guys i just had to say that please make another warhammer 40k cinematic.
please
please
please[/b]

Dude, Dave Wilson and I practically BEGGED the Relic booth to let us do a cinematic for the expansion. Keep your fingers and your eyes crossed
you never know. But even I am having my doubts. We even have a wicked story already! Grrrrrr!

jampoz

Drooling at how cool would be having a squad of Space Marines break into a space hulk full of Tyranids, old-style stuff yo… made by Blur, would be awesome

I’m drooling.

kotsos

[b]Well I couldn’t resist after my friend sinaris posted…

Hi guys good job on all of your shorts (Warhammer 40K intro my fave)

Somebody (working in Blur) said earlier that: u" should put only your best work on your site"…I can understand that for a showreel, but a website is different… i think of it like a diary of images, showing your progress…what u learned how to make great images in one day?.. i think not, so why give the wrong impression? plus if talent is so obvious, then it will be apparent in all the little experimental doodles…if u are looking for work, then actively do so, don’t wait until somebody stumbles on your site… anyways[/b]

You have a good point here kotsos. I’m only referring to people who are applying for work. If you want to have a diary webpage that’s cool. But don’t expect a BUSY studio owner to look past the 1st image if it doesn’t ROCK is world. He simply doesn’t have the time. He barely has time to look at Blur work between bigwig meetings with studio execs! See what I mean? [b]

ANother thing: i think u can teach people to become better artists, raw talent needs guidance. If somebody helps u, u make great leaps in a short space of time, i’ve noticed it at work, there are these two great guys (they come from 2d fantasy art world). since I’ve met them my artwork has made leaps, I started noticing stuff i didn’t see before, i tried to maximize the impact of my images. my ego got bashed again and again. things i could get away with cos my friends couldn’t draw, now fall on my head. and we 're talking about small stuff like: “hmm, that shoulder is crap” or “bliah! that’s not a face” or “stick to 3d, hahaha”, but i like it, cos i’m pushing myself… so i’m now not only trying to be a better 3d artist, but i’m developing my forgotten 2d skills and i’ve started sculpting.
now they say: “leave 3d and continue with sculpting, no seriously”
what i’m trying to say is that some times u need a nudge towards the right direction and u guys out there don’t give up cos u think u don’t have “raw talent”, it may not be in 3d character faces, but u might be able to make the coolest armour ever and u should deffinetely try zbrush (all those dots and crude lines u sketched can now be easily palced on your 3d model and there is now stupid dispacement mapping involved, long live normal maps).

i still have a long way to go to becoming a great artist, but saying that people shouldn’t even try cos they don’t have raw talent is just “snobish” to me[/b]

Again, I don’t think anyone at Blur is trying to come off as being snobbish. I’m just trying to give it to you straight, the way I see it at a real company that DOES hire people with great talent, both honed and in the raw. [b]

plus i saw a (3d animated) movie called running away, that had some lame character models, but had action, a superb sence of directing and montage, great music, i watch it again and again and gets my hairs standing on end (more than the WoW cinematic from Blizzard and more than WH 40K)…

i wrote this cos i thought there is a bit of discouragement in the air…

[/b]

I think it’s great you wrote this! We don’t want to discourage anyone. Far from that! Personally, I get inspired by a lot of different styles. And not all of it is 3D either
or even animation for that matter.

[b]
now my questions are:

  1. do u have strict deadlines for shorts, or do u stop working on them if a big project comes in?

[/b]

We use the Academy Award submission due date as our cut-off and goal. But we submit to a lot of festivals.[b]
2. what is the make of the mo-cap system u use? (if u can’t specify, give some pointers:like is it wireless, for how many people etc)

[/b]

I believe Wilson answered this question earlier.[b]
3. i’d like to repeat the question about the hair system (i was struglling with hairfx, mainly due to lack of experience. ended up compositting all the time)

[/b]

Sorry, not my area of expertise.

[b]
4. i read u use max 5 and your custom tools, do u find it more stable, or is the upgrade not worth it (i use max 7, but i would like to know the reason u still use max5)

[/b]

We are on max 7 now.

[b]
5. i’ve covered all my cloth simulation issues with cloth extensions, but i would like to know what u use…(by the way awesome cloth sims with cloth extensions, characters can handle clothing , i mean really handle it, my tests have left me blinking)

[/b]

Sorry, not my area of expertise.

[b]
6. and finally how many people work on a project (if it varies, just give me a range)

[/b]I think this was answered ealier.
i don’t know if some of them have been answered, if they have don’t bother answering them, I re-reading the whole thread anyway (other questions have already been answered,concerning rendering and setups)

Hey everyone, I just wanted to say that I had a great time here chatting with you guys. I lot of times we are so busy here at Blur we tend to forget that anyone actually sees what we do. So it’s really nice to hear all of the praise and even some of the bashing. You all had some great questions.

Kotsos brings up a good point. If you do think you have what it takes to be a working artist – in whatever field - then go for it! And if someone tells you otherwise (including some punk-ass bitches at Blur). **** ‘em!!!

Good luck!

Paul

#201

Big thanks to all the guys from Blur for taking their time to answer all these questions. And thanks to cgtalk for the initiative as well. It’s really cool to have these Q&A sessions going on, I’ve learnt so much from it and it really inspires to actually hear straight from the Blur guys who worked on all the cool stuff.:thumbsup:

Thanks Ian for all the information regarding character work. It gave me a clearer idea of how you guys work and the kinda CG folks you guys are looking out for. :slight_smile: Thanks !!

#202

Thank you for your time Blurians!

(Just wanted to say it once more 'fore the closing)

#203

hey guys, Tim had trouble posting last night so here is his replies and answers

[b]BEGIN THE VOICE OF MILLER

[/b] [size=3][font=Times New Roman][/size][/font] [size=3][font=Times New Roman]Tim Miller here, I’m gonna try and pick up all the last questions I thought were left hangin’
…I apologize in advance if any of the answers seem short
.it’s late and I’m want to try and answer these before this thang shuts down. I’d like to thank ALL of you folks for your compliments on our work and your kind words! It’s EXTREMELY encouraging to know that folks out there have enjoyed the things we’ve done over the years—I know we’ve enjoyed doing them! [/size][/font]

[size=3][font=Times New Roman] [/size][/font]

[font=Times New Roman][size=3]And thanks to CG talk for hosting this—MUCH appreciated![/size][/font]

[size=3][font=Times New Roman] [/size][/font]

[ul]

[li][size=3][font=Times New Roman]as many wants to know, what are your future plans? is there any new masterpiece in making?[/size][/font] [/li][/ul] [size=3][font=Times New Roman] [/size][/font]

[font=Times New Roman][size=3]We’re just getting started! LOTS of stuff on the horizon for us
.too much to tell. More FMV’s, CG films, shorts, game cinematics, etc.[/size][/font]

[size=3][font=Times New Roman] [/size][/font]

[size=3][font=Times New Roman] [/size][/font]

[ul]

[li][size=3][font=Times New Roman]Is it possible that we will be seeing a “trend” of other studios, setting up their pipelines to create their own shorts. Given that it took you guys 3-4 weeks to complete the Warhammer cinematics. Maybe not a trend, but given the success of your shorts it has certainly made some people go “hey, we can do it too”.[/size][/font] [/li][/ul] [size=3][font=Times New Roman] [/size][/font]

[font=Times New Roman][size=3]Well, we certainly HOPE it creates a trend
.but I doubt it. Other studios have been doing shorts for years too. It’s just a great film format—all meat and no filling.

[/size][/font]

[ul]

[li][size=3][font=Times New Roman]I would like to know if you could give some pointers for someone trying to start an animation studio of their own… Maybe some of your experience, and things to look out for…[/size][/font] [/li][/ul] [size=3][font=Times New Roman] [/size][/font]

[size=3][font=Times New Roman]Wow
.I could write a book on that question. So many answers can only be understood in perspective
.and by that I mean by digging through a mountain of bullshit and coming out the other side. If I could go back in time and tell my YOUNGER self what I know now I doubt I’d want to hear my own advice. I guess I’d just say be CLEAR about why you’re doing it. And make sure you’re willing to PAY for it—both financially (I could have made a TON more money working for other people) Physically—I think I could reclaim large chunks of my life if I worked for others. Emotionally—Dealing with the shite of others—especially whiney little punks like Wilson—could try the nerves of a saint. And Spiritually—I’m pretty sure my karma was in better shape 10 years ago when I still had time to help old ladies across the street. But on the other hand there isn’t a man on earth I’d trade places with. J[/size][/font]

[size=3][font=Times New Roman] [/size][/font]

[ul]

[li][size=3][font=Times New Roman]I’m particularly interested in how internships are handled through you guys. I guess I’m just assuming they’re offered, though I didn’t really see anything on it through your website. [/size][/font] [/li][/ul] [size=3][font=Times New Roman] [/size][/font]

[size=3][font=Times New Roman]We don’t offer internships at the moment—sorry.
[/size][/font]

[ul]

[li][size=3][font=Times New Roman]I am very interested in how you came together and initially started Blur. What’s the breakdown of your core staff, and how many projects do you generally work on at once? [/size][/font] [/li][/ul] [size=3][font=Times New Roman] [/size][/font]

[font=Times New Roman][size=3]I was working at Imageworks and didn’t much care for the corporate environment
.so myself and a few others—being much too stupid to know better—decided we could do better on our own. And so we started blur.[/size][/font]

[size=3][font=Times New Roman] [/size][/font]

[font=Times New Roman][size=3]75 people at the moment. 6 production folks, 3 IT folks, 1 HR accounting, 3 concept artists, 3 Graphic designers, the rest are 3d folk
…and me of course.[/size][/font]

[ul]

[li][size=3][font=Times New Roman]Also, I know this may be an unanswerable question for legal reasons, but any ideas a brewin as far as feature film goes? Anything you know you’re NOT going to do? Anything you might be willing to reveal about what kind of film you’d like to make? Animated cartoon? Science fiction?[/size][/font] [/li][/ul] [size=3][font=Times New Roman] [/size][/font]

[font=Times New Roman][size=3]There are SEVERAL different things on the horizon. All of them are approaching quickly
.too soon to tell which ones will arrive first. NONE of them are “My Little Pony” feature films
…[/size][/font]

[size=3][font=Times New Roman] [/size][/font]

[size=3][font=Times New Roman]One of the key things that’s different about blur from some of the other folks is that we want to make all KINDS of films—from warm light hearted stuff like Gopher Broke to the hardcore R rated Sci Fi Fantasy stuff. One of my PERSONAL goals is to make a totally KICK ASS comic book film. The Authority by Wildstorm would be my top choice. But really
.there’s so much COOL STUFF out there!![/size][/font]

[size=3][font=Times New Roman] [/size][/font]

[ul]

[li][size=3][font=Times New Roman]i wanted to ask what in the next short the studio is working on and if there was a url to check it out?? and also what is there to look out for in the future for blur??[/size][/font] [/li][/ul] [size=3][font=Times New Roman] [/size][/font]

[font=Times New Roman][size=3]It’s called “Gentlemans Duel” but that’s all you’ll get for now. Other than it’s going to be awesome![/size][/font]

[size=3]

[/size]

[ul]

[li][size=3][font=Times New Roman]The cinematics you guys and gals at Blur made are the kind of material that make me want to buy a game, most evidently with the Dawn of War cinematics. I’m not too keen on the idea of Warhammer (the original game), but the cinematics were done so well that I almost couldn’t not buy the game. Same goes with the Hellgate: London cinematics I saw the other day. And I’m sure I’m not the only one who appreciates how much a good cinematic adds to the potential of a game. However, we all aware that Blur aspires for greater things, such as feature films, but if such an endeavor doesn’t arrive as soon as the studio would like, are game cinematics and short films enough to sustain the (or any company, for that matter) company until the studio has enough corporate presence to create an I.P? What does it take for a studio to make the jump from short film to feature film, to fully independent production?[/size][/font] [/li][/ul] [size=3][font=Times New Roman] [/size][/font]

[size=3][font=Times New Roman]Well, we’ve managed for 10 years now without doing a feature
.so I’m sure we can last a LITTLE longer. J We still enjoy everything we do
.and I don’t expect we’ll stop what we’re doing NOW if and when we do features.[/size][/font]

[size=3][font=Times New Roman] [/size][/font]

[size=3][font=Times New Roman] [/size][/font]

[ul]

[li][size=3][font=Times New Roman]I was curious to know if Blur knows any good colleges where they would recommend me going. Also, does Blur set up tours of the studio? I live in Los Angeles and would love to come by and see how Blur operates. Thanks![/size][/font] [/li][/ul] [size=3][font=Times New Roman] [/size][/font]

[font=Times New Roman][size=3]I see good reels consistently from Ringling, Vancouver Film School, Otis and a few others. But no tours for you my friend
unless you come as part of a group. We do groups of school kids from time to time
…sorry![/size][/font]

[size=3][font=Times New Roman] [/size][/font]

[ul]

[li][size=3][font=Times New Roman]How is it at the beginning. I mean how did you know how to do things. I mean composting effects, knowing stuff about using proper resolutions and so. Everybody have to start and let’s say you finally got a client who want to do commercial with you how did you know at the begining how to work, what to do first, and how to do it?[/size][/font] [/li][/ul] [size=3][font=Times New Roman] [/size][/font]

[font=Times New Roman][size=3]Well usually people that start their own business have spent a good bit of time working for OTHER folks before stepping out on their own. I spent 5 years in post houses and at places like Imageworks to learn the ropes
.and the rest of the stuff you just pick up as you go along. Never be afraid to ask questions![/size][/font]

[size=3][font=Times New Roman] [/size][/font]

[size=3][font=Times New Roman] [/size][/font]

[ul]

[li][size=3][font=Times New Roman]hmmm first how much employee have you got and which is the number of [/li]French artists ? which is nationality the most represented ?[/size][/font]
[/ul] [size=3][font=Times New Roman] [/size][/font]

[size=3][font=Times New Roman]How many Frenchmen you ask? TOO many. J Not true—I love each and every one of them—I kiss them on the cheek in Euro-style greeting each morning. J Actually we have a really diverse group
mostly because I find a lot of guys on the internet from their websites. 4 Frenchmen, 3 Belgians, 3 Turks, 1 German, 2 Canadians, 1 Mexican, 2 Spaniard, 1 South African (no more of THEM please!), 1 Chinese, 1 Japanese, 3 Koreans, 3 Republicans and the rest are good ol’ Americans.

[/size][/font]

[size=3]

[/size]

[font=Times New Roman][size=3]12.[font=‘Times New Roman’] I saw both In the Rough and Gopher broke at the Animated Encounters festival in Bristol recently, and thoroughly enjoyed them both! The level of detail can really be appreciated at film size. Is there any reason that Gopher Broke was the only film nominated for an Oscar? I thought In the Rough was also an worthy-worthy film.[/font][/size][/font]

[size=3][font=Times New Roman] [/size][/font]

[size=3][font=Times New Roman]Thanks! We thought so too
.unfortunately the Academy didn’t! J[/size][/font]

[size=3]

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[li][size=3][font=Times New Roman]At the same festival I asked Jeffery Katzenburg whether he saw any point in creating short films at Dreamworks, and he basically replied that there was no economic reason for doing so. He could see the benefit to the artists but couldn’t justify the cost. If you do grow to feature size do you still think you will be able to produce shorts or do you think they will be side-lined gradually? [/size][/font] [/li][/ul] [size=3][font=Times New Roman] [/size][/font]

[size=3][font=Times New Roman]Well, I’d hate to contradict Mr. K, but we certainly PLAN on continuing to do shorts. In fact I’d think that doing full features might make it easier. But I’ll have to put on his shoes and walk a few miles to figure out if we can still do them. [/size][/font]

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[li][size=3][font=Times New Roman]If you are intending to grow to tackle feature-film work how are you planning to avoid the pitfalls of smaller studios growing beyond their capacity?[/size][/font] [/li][/ul] [size=3][font=Times New Roman] [/size][/font]

[font=Times New Roman][size=3]Clean living and good intentions![/size][/font]

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[li][size=3][font=Times New Roman]Why BLUR? I hope we all know what a Blur is, but why did you pick that? [/size][/font] [/li][/ul] [size=3][font=Times New Roman] [/size][/font]

[size=3][font=Times New Roman]We just sat down at a table and threw out names
…and what we ended up with was “Spiral Blur” believe it or not. When I told my wife she said, WOW that’s super LAME—it should be just BLUR. So being the dutiful husband I am
and wanting to continue getting laid
.blur it was.[/size][/font]

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[font=Times New Roman][size=3]Know about Exile-Films? They pretty much failed but you guys could produce an outstanding WH40K movie, why don’t you ask Games Workshop?[/size][/font]

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[font=Times New Roman][size=3]We did of course! And now I’m trying to convince Hollywood folk WHY it would be cool![/size][/font]

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[li][size=3][font=Times New Roman]Uh yeah, forgetting about the Blur Beta page full of cool Max plug-ins, what happened? Will you ever work again on that?[/size][/font] [/li][/ul] [size=3][font=Times New Roman] [/size][/font]

[font=Times New Roman][size=3]Yeah
.we feel bad that it’s been down for so long. We’ve now got a new UBER programmer on staff though and it’s on his agenda to get it back on its feet.

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[li][size=3][font=Times New Roman]What was the “breakthrough project” for your studio? I don’t mean the one that got you the most accolades, but the one early project that you are most proud of and maybe represents the first project that shows best what you are all capable of?[/size][/font] [/li][/ul] [size=3][font=Times New Roman] [/size][/font]

[font=Times New Roman][size=3]Nobody will remember
.but it was a bunch of stuff we did for a Jonny Quest animated TV show. It was our biggest and hardest project to date AND our coolest—for me it felt like we crossed a threshold
.although looking at it now I say YUCK! But then
…[/size][/font]

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[li][size=3][font=Times New Roman]What was the biggest hurdle in starting up your studio?[/size][/font] [/li][/ul] [size=3][font=Times New Roman] [/size][/font]

[size=3][font=Times New Roman]Getting those first few jobs is always tuff
.later on there are many OTHER hurdles. J[/size][/font]

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[li][size=3][font=Times New Roman]Is there anything in production or day to day business that you wish you could go back to and take another shot at?[/size][/font] [/li][/ul] [size=3][font=Times New Roman] [/size][/font]

[size=3][font=Times New Roman]There have been a few of course. VERY occasionally thing have to go out of the shop looking LESS good than they should. It’s almost ALWAYS deadline issues because we won’t let it go if it’s JUST money. But sometimes you run out of time. Or occasionally you have a sucky client. J[/size][/font]

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[li][size=3][font=Times New Roman]Have there been any clients that you’ve worked with in the past (no names or anything) that you would never work for again? If so, why? (again, no names or specifics) [/size][/font] [/li][/ul] [size=3][font=Times New Roman] [/size][/font]

[size=3][font=Times New Roman]Lots. Some because they just prove to not know what the **** they’re doing
…some because they’re more interested in personal power and control than making the project good
.some because they aren’t NICE
…some because they’re simply difficult to manage.[/size][/font]

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[li][size=3][font=Times New Roman]in this highly competitive and expensive industry, its hard to keep your head above the water, let alone do things you really love or believe in, and not just work for the money. you guys, seem to be going by your goal in great persistance and success. how do you manage to do it ? [/size][/font] [/li][/ul] [size=3][font=Times New Roman] [/size][/font]

[font=Times New Roman][size=3]That’s a tough question—lots of factors… The simple answer is because we really really WANT to and we’re willing to sacrifice to make it happen. Most people SAY that—but we really put our money where our mouth is.[/size][/font]