New interview on the TALKING MOVIES podcast

Recently I was on a podcast talking about the previs and animation work that I have done on films here in Los Angeles. Topics covered include: The Avengers, Divergent, Godzilla (2014), Night at the Museum 3, Furious 7, and The Thief of Bagdad (1940).

Talking Pictures w/Paul Booth and Josh Lange, Previs for Divergent and Godzilla 11/03

Writeup about Proof, inc. in the Los Angeles Times this week/release dates for 2014

The Los Angeles Times has a nice writeup today of Proof, inc, the previsualization company where I am currently working on the upcoming film, Night of the Museum 3.:

Los Angeles Times: Previsualization firm Proof helps filmmakers plan for complex scenes

Be sure to look out for Night of the Museum 3 in theaters when it releases on December 19, 2014.

If you are interested to know where else you can see some of the fun projects I've worked on recently, here is a rundown for the release dates in 2014 (bold = available to see now):

300: RISE OF AN EMPIRE   In movie theaters NOW. Released March 9, 2014. (uncredited)

DIVERGENT   In movie theaters NOW. Released March 21, 2014.

DESPICABLE ME: MINION MAYHEM   theme park ride, in 3D. Open NOW at the Universal Studios theme parks in Los Angeles and Orlando, Florida.

GODZILLA   opens in theaters May 16, 2014.

X-MEN: DAYS OF FUTURE PAST   opens in theaters May 23, 2014.

TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES   opens in theaters August 8, 2014.

THE MAZE RUNNER   opens in theaters September 19, 2014.

NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM 3: SECRET OF THE TOMB   opens in theaters December 19, 2014

It's good to be busy. Be sure to check back to this blog for updates with details on what I worked on within each project. Keep in mind that, due to confidentiality agreements, I am not able to write about anything that is not already public knowledge. That said, please come back often and please leave comments when you do!

Divergent screening

Tonight the Divergent crew screening was held in Westwood Village. The movie was a fun ride, and I know it will give younger fans of the book what they're looking for. As one might would imagine, crew screenings have their own level of energy; maybe not as exuberant as a midnight showing full of superfans, but there's still lots of good cheer and sporadic bursts of applause throughout the credits. Even if you've been on a project a while, it's never a sure thing to get screen credit, and there's always a feeling of anticipation right up until you finally see the names for your company start scrolling up.

Note the other audience members holding up their phones at the bottom to photograph their names.

The sequences we worked on include: the Dauntless faction jumping off the train for the tests, Tris's mirror room test, Tris running/climping up to the platform/jumping onto the downtown train, the Dauntless rooftop jump off the train, the big Tris net jump, the zipline ride, the tightrope walk test, and Four's father test. They all ended up being extremely faithful to the previs, and as a result looked polished and well-planned (and in the case of the mirror room, very complicated to pull off).

Check out Divergent this weekend--and be sure to stay for the credits!

Final DIVERGENT trailer

The final trailer for Divergent is here. Part of my previs work seen in the trailer includes the mirror/dog, hole jump, train jump, and group punch sequences. Release date is March 21st, 2014.

DIVERGENT movie trailer and teaser

Divergent is an upcoming young adult novel adaptation about a post-apocalyptic alternate universe set in Chicago (wow, that's a mouthful). I worked as a previs artist on it earlier this year while at The Third Floor. Some of the parts I helped on were included in the teaser and trailer, including the train jumping, hole jumping, and the sequence with the "group punch" shot. It is set to come out 3/21/14.

Teaser:

Trailer 1: