- is the line that kept going through my head yesterday when I was watching The Artist. It's really quite a fantastic film, I must agree with the critics. I think it's the first wide release silent film since Mel Brooks' Silent Movie came out over thirty years ago. It had a simple enough story - a famous silent film actor struggling in a world with developing sound in film -  but it worked to its advantage, as you could enjoy the style of the film without trying to follow a complicated plot. I could spend some time going on about the film, but I'm not going to bother and waste everyone's time writing what other people have written, but better.  I was watching it, though, thinking of how much I could learn from silent films working in animated shorts. After all, both use music primarily to tell the story, and to express character emotions. Barely a word is intertitled throughout and only when it was necessary. The plot was totally coherent and you know exactly what each character was like and what they were thinking just through their actions and the music. It got me thinking how much I could learn when doing shorts like Once a Thief. It actually makes me think if there are going to be any more films like this; other directors riding its popularity, or if it will stand out as being one of a kind (in this decade, at least).

Speaking of that, and of the blog title, I probably could scream right now, just because at how much there seems to be left to do, and how little time we have to do it all. I've spent half a week trying miserably to fix the third character (whose name changes between Rose and Marie, depending on who I'm working with at the time)'s body to look more stylised but failing terribly and making everything look worse. Still, no failure without trying. We'll get there eventually. Hopefully.

More positive Once a Thief news is this great video featuring Flambeau - now fully rigged and operational. Check it out:



Flambeau Rig Tryout from Andras Daniel Ormos on Vimeo.

It's great! András has done a great job rigging it, so at least in that area it's not going to be a disaster. If I can only finish this one character then we'll be sailing (still be two more security guards but they shouldn't be too difficult).

There's not much more to show. A few more character models without textures, some scenery but nothing I'm not gonna show later and looking much better.

Classes start again soon. Maybe that'll be the productive push I need. I don't know, it's just not feeling like it's gonna be a very productive week this week, but hey, I'll try. I'm really grateful I have two teammates, actually, so if one person ever falls behind, his teammate's stuff is usually the push he needs to get back into it.

So, to start off a new year, here's Spike Jones and his City Slickers singing about their New Year's Resolutions. What are yours? (Mine is to watch 200 films I haven't yet seen. Because at least I know that one's doable)










-----------------