My work for Central Christian Church in Las Vegas, NV continues! This video is a promo we produced for a message series called "The Benjamins" that ran in January of 2012. We completely shot this promo on a Sony FS100 with Zeiss lenses. There was very little post-production work on this piece compared to most of the other videos I've posted here. My post duties mostly consisted of video editing, color correction, and audio sweetening.

This video marks my first, official forray into 3d animation. And I'm quite happy with the results! The question box, confetti, and stars in this video were created using Cinema 4D, and rendered with it's built-in Sketch & Toon plugins.

Using these techniques, I was able to achieve effects I was never able to in After Effects. I'm definitely looking forward to expanding my 3d skills!

I'm not entirely sure how this movie avoided my radar, but this morning the trailer you see before you popped up in my Twitter feed. It's a new film produced by George Lucas called "Red Tails" about the Tuskegee airmen in World War II.

It looks absolutely stunning.

Must see it!

Just a little Public Service Announcement for you guys: Little Big Planet 2 is now available! Don't think about it, just go buy it . If you snag it soon from Amazon, you'll even get a $20 credit toward your next video game purchase! Huzzah!

While disappointing to some, Tron: Legacy certainly did not disappoint in one key area: visual effects. Digital Domain; the company behind visual powerhouses like The Fifth Element, Fight Club, and 2009's Star Trek; have been one of my favorite vfx houses for years.

Seriously.

Just take a gander at the video above. You'll see why they're among the best in the business.

Oh, and while you're at it, you should nab the Tron: Legacy Soundtrack by Daft Punk. So good!

I admit it. I'm obsessed.

The object of my obsession? Scott Pilgrim vs. the World.

The movie absolutely rocks my socks. It rocks them directly off of my feet. Yet somehow, the film has yet to break even and make back the money it took to create it. This is utterly baffling and depressing to me.

I knew very little of the story of Scott Pilgrim when I walked into the theatre on opening weekend. I knew it was based on a comic book series; I knew it was directed by the same man that brought us gems like Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz (the inimitable Edgar Wright); but beyond that, I wasn't sure what to expect.

What I got was a movie I define as a "game changer". Other examples of game changers are movies like The Matrix, Jurassic Park, and the Star Wars trilogy. Those are movies that fundamentally changed the way films that came after them were made. They are also movies that inspired future generations of filmmakers.

What Scott Pilgrim does so wonderfully well is that it playfully toys with reality. The main character, obviously named Scott Pilgrim, is a scrawny, pale, nerdy kid, but when he is challenged to a fight he punches, kicks and slashes like the best martial arts experts. When he defeats a foe, they inexplicably burst into coins. When someone utters an excessive swear word, their mouth is censored and characters in the scene notice it.

The film so brilliantly uses visual effects to convey the way in which Scott Pilgrim sees his world. Video game references pop into frame in the form of "Pee Bars" that deplete as Scott uses the bathroom, or 1-Ups when he needs to "get a life". Anime references are peppered throughout fight scenes in the form of streak lines and blurred fast-moving backgrounds.

It's this concept of "augmented reality" that I find so inspiring and appealing about Scott Pilgrim vs. the World. I, for one, don't go to the movies to see reality. I go to escape reality. And the undefined line between what's real and what isn't in Scott Pilgrim is one of the things I love about it. Who cares whether Scott can actually, physically fight? It's sure fun watching him do it anyway. Who cares whether or not love-interest Ramona Flowers can actually roller skate through Scott Pilgrims dreams? The metaphor still works (she's the girl of his dreams). All these questions and more are open to interpretation, and they ultimately aren't important to the story of the film.

It's this unliteral depiction of reality, ultimately, that I think will be the mark Scott Pilgrim leaves on modern cinema. Expect video game and anime references to continue to permeate movies as the years go by. And I would not be surprised if, in 20 years, we start hearing interviews with young filmmakers citing Scott Pilgrim vs. the World as their inspiration for getting into movies.

So, if you haven't seen Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, do yourself a favor and watch it. If you love it, buy it. Edgar Wright, et al, certainly could use a good pat on the back for this labor of love they have created.

And for now I leave you with one of my favorite things Guillermo Del Toro (fellow fan of Scott Pilgrim and personal friend of Edgar Wright's) said about video games and storytelling in a recent Q&A I attended in Los Angeles.

Here is an intonation-style motion graphics video I created for Central Christian Church's Easter services. The script was written and narrated by Justin Jackson, and he also added the sound effects. I did everything else. Enjoy!