Saturday 31 December 2016

Last update for 2016

Hello All,

News

Well what a year but first may I offer an apology to all my followers of Capmedia UK.


"I'm Sorry" 

I'm sorry for the lack of updates over the last few months, since October I stopped my online and digital work.  I moved into supporting my daughters school with her first show.  This took up far more time then I expected.



Those who have followed Capemedia over the years will have know that we lost a very special person at the end of 2015 and my daughter dedicated her first show to him, while raising money for a local charity.
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Projects

Currently I'm working on a film to review my daughters schools first year which ended with her amazing showcase "Performance for Peter".  This should be premiered in January 2017.

Last year I started work on "A Tale of Time" I suppose I ran out of steam while working on this and the live work I ended up doing was a welcomed relief from it.  However now as we move into a New Year I want to continue the work.  I've met new people over the last few months and many ideas have been added to the original, which will make this even better.



Something that will only benefit this project and bring that visual sparkle will be the new version of iClone 7, coming early in the year.  Brand new Camera system, native render engine, enhanced visuals should propel "A Tale of Time" forward to where it needs to be.

I need to upgrade my hardware with a new graphics card and this should be completed in January so I can really take of advantage of the new software.
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Review of 2016

January

I published an updated website including a tribute page - http://www.capemediauk.com/

Also the first mention of "A Tale of Time" was done on the 17th January.

February

We introduced my daughter new school to the Capemedia UK followers.



We also had a warning from in regards to one of my tribute videos "Be Water".  It took around 6 months for this to be lifted.  The damage was already done and we moved to Dailymotion.

March

The first draft storyboards were released for "A Tale of Time"

April

We released a number of Indigo RT renders of the characters from "A Tale of Time". Beautiful images but totally impracticable as it was taking 20 mins to produce 1 frame.



May

The first teaser for "A Tale of Time" was released.



Looking back this teaser will need to be replaced when the new Hardware and Software is used in 2017.

June & July

We upgraded our PC to the new Windows 10.  At first we were hesitant to do so but after using it for 6 months it wasn't as bad as first feared.


We also had a major hardware upgrade as my trusty Audio / Interface the Edirol FA101 died.  Due to this I had to make a purchase and went for the award winning Focusrite Scarlett 18i8

August & September

Quite an eventful period, from hardware failures, to getting back into the studio after a period out, to getting over 1200 likes on our Facebook page.


October to the end of the year

As explained in the first part of this Blog, I moved into show work for the last part of the year.
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New Year - 2017

As in every end of year post we all have so many plans for the coming year.  We all want things to be better than the previous year, we want the best for our families, friends, companies etc.  This time I'm not asking for anything, or setting any great expectation on myself.  I'm just going to enter the New Year with a smile on my face and see what it brings.


Thank you for reading, watching and supporting Capemedia UK over the last year and finally I wish you all a Happy New Year.

Take care

Colin Cooper (aka Capemedia)

Sunday 2 October 2016

Back to work for Autumn

Hello All,

News

So finally after a few months off for the summer and building work being done on my home I started back in the studio.  I had a few clients jobs to complete and then got back on my projects.

It's always hard when your business is only part time and your day time job eats up so much time.  But so many people go through these issues, but as you get older you don't always have the stamina you had.

After a very mixed up, difficult and challenging 2016, with setbacks, routine changes and new roles.  It will be nice to look forward to Christmas and new opportunities in 2017.




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Social Network

Another fantastic achievement that happened this month was my page on Facebook reached 1200 likes.

This an incredible amount of people to be engaging and it's wonderful to see this page grow. With more and more people being interested in what Capemedia UK is up to.  I try and keep updates on this page regular, sometimes daily mostly weekly.


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Projects

Another facebook update mentioned that we were back in the studio and working again on "A Tale of Time".

Over the past few weeks I have concentrated on getting the characters right.  I have designed and re-designed them as they are fundamental to the story.


Over the next couple of weeks I will refine my designs.  Due to the nature of the story my characters will need to be dressed for certain events in time, so I cannot create just one version, in some cases 3 or 4.

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Next steps

I have said this before, but I want to show my progress to my main and only project as it will take quite some time to complete.  There will be character, animation, music and other updates that need to be shared.

I hope that I can give more information away as the project progresses.

Thanks for visiting

Colin (aka Capemedia)

Sunday 4 September 2016

Summer always seems to end with good memories

Hello All,

News

So after last month's Blog of fun and relaxation, this pretty much continued throughout August.  However with the added issue that I was having building work on my house as I had my bathroom refurbished.

Two rooms that cause the biggest upheaval when being done are the kitchen and bathroom and the 3/4 weeks my bathroom was being completed was no different.  The main issue is my studio and bathroom are on the same floor and are at either ends of the same corridor.  Due to the amount of dirt and dust, I had to keep my visits limited so pretty much nothing was done for yet another month.



Added to this I took my wife on holiday for her birthday, I think in total I've had a far few weeks to rest, relax, recharge, reflect and plan.
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Windows 10 and future upgrades

So as I discussed last month I finally took the plunge and upgraded my main studio PC to Windows 10 and was worried how things would go.

Well after a few weeks of using it now it has worked out quite well and I'm pleased.

I am considering getting a couple of new pieces of equipment over the next few months.  The first will possibly be a new graphics card.  I've got the GTX960 but I really like the new range that has been released by NVIDIA.



The prices have been crazy recently but once they settle down I'll make my choice.

The second item I want to get is a Seaboard ROLI Rise


I went and had a play on one a few weeks back and love the way you can easily build expression into you playing.

I'll keep you updated on what I do.
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Projects

I think the time away from my projects have been good for me.  Why?  Because sometimes you feel that you need to complete something and maybe produce substandard work.  Taking time out allows you to readdress and rethink options in your projects and make improvements you may not have thought of before.

I began my journey with "A Tale of Time" in December 2015, I wrote the story and then the script.  Produced the storyboard and started to build the animation, releasing a teaser back in May.




The wonderful thing about this story is that it will be something that is not tied to any period in time.  It won't get old and hopefully people will be able to enjoy it in many years to come.

But to complete this project will take dedication on my part to see this through to the end.  I've decided to set a release date but don't want to publish this just yet until I'm in a good place.
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What's next?

As summer comes to an end, children return to school and college.  The nights begin to draw in and the countdown to Christmas starts.  I want to reassess "A Tale of Time" this has to be the best work I have ever created and there a good reasons for that (But that's for another day).  I want to make some VBlogs of the "making of" this film as there are so many facets, if I'm anything to go of, people will be interested.

So keep an eye on this Blog, my facebook page, Twitter, my website, my YouTube and Dailymotion channels.  I will keep updating things as they happen.

Thanks for passing by

Take care

Colin (aka Capemedia)

Monday 1 August 2016

Summer fun and relaxation

Hello All,

News

Summer is always hit and miss in the UK, where I live it generally rains most of the year but when we do get the sun we all make the most of it.  I have to say taking time out and spending time with your family gives me something I cannot buy or acquire, a sense of wellbeing.

So yes projects go on hold, yes things don't get done, but life is for living not working all the time and it's those special moments that we spend with our loved ones that truly define us.

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Upgrades

This last month I suppose my head has been turned with the impending final day of the free Windows 10 upgrade on the 29th July 2016.  I had tried Windows 10 on my everyday PC for around 6 months and after tweaking it I have become used to the operating system.

I was worried to upgrade my Studio PC but the week before the upgrade my trusty Audio / Interface the Edirol FA101 died.  Due to this I had to make a purchase and went for the award winning Focusrite Scarlett 18i8

So my concerns about old hardware were pretty much put to bed by these events and Windows 10 was installed.

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Projects

Not much happening over the last few weeks due to the much needed rest.  However I have been composing some music and creating some tracks.

Too early at this stage to release anything so please keep posted.

One other thing that I have to mention is in regards to my major project "A Tale of Time".  I have to think that it will now slip into the autumn.  Lot's of reasons but the main being that taking time to rest was too important to me then not to.
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Work

Possibly a lot of huge things are happening in this space.  There could be opportunity to join another venture and become full time with my own offices.  Sometimes a door opens in your life that you have to consider if to walk through.
"Decision are the hurdles in life we all have to jump." 
So thanks until next time

Colin Cooper



Sunday 10 July 2016

A short rest and a possible book

Hello Everyone,

Personal Life

As it's the great british summer time I have been spending some time relaxing and holidaying with my family over the last 5 weeks.  With the amount of work that has come our way recently.  It possibly wasn't a good idea to take time out, but I believe that getting this balance right is just as important as working hard.

Getting your work / life balance right is crucial to success and stress release.


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Website

So there have been some new updates to my website - www.capemediauk.com

Mainly cosmetic but another client in my Work Section added and a couple of new images.

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Projects

So the main project I have been working on this year is "A Tale of Time".  This project grew out of a story I wrote at the end of 2015.  However as the year has moved forward and my direction has become clearer I think that the story is good enough to be made into a book.

Yes I will need to go back and re-write my story into book format, but what's really exciting is I now have a very talented artist on board who will be illustrating it.

Natalie Ciufo Green

I'll release examples of her work in future Blog updates.

Regarding the animated version of this story, there has a bit of work done on this but not a great deal as I've been away, but I would say we are around 28% finished.  Yes a very long time away from completion but these thing take time.  However as I write this I can still see this being completed this year and inside the time frame I set of summer, possibly late summer.

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Work

My client work is still coming in.  I have completed one project in the last 5 weeks, have another which we are currently in discussions about and a third which I should be getting to grips with in the next couple of months.

So we are very busy at the moment which is a positive and helps with my direction of where Capemedia UK is heading over the next couple of years


As always thanks for visiting and supporting us.  Leave a comment if you have any questions or just visit our website, Dailymotion or Facebook feeds for information.

Thanks again

Colin Cooper

Friday 3 June 2016

A change in the June air.

Hello Everyone,

NEWS

So in starting I just wanted to discuss briefly the last month.  There was a couple of highlights that happened.  Around the middle of May Reallusion release their long await clothing pack Professional Outfits.



An outstanding pack and one I added to my large arsenal of assets.
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Another interesting piece of news was that Amazon were starting a video on demand service, similar to YouTube where you can get paid for you content.

I am currently checking with them regarding the signup but if this works for me then I will be closing my account down on YouTube.  But not just yet!
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I have also been offered the opportunity to join a beta test for my animation software of choice.  I'm not to mention too much but I will taking this new version for a test drive in the next couple of weeks.
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WORK

Typically work turns up like buses.  You have long periods sometimes where you have time to complete projects and then suddenly out of the blue a number of jobs drop in your lap all at the same time and needing to be completed within the same time frame.  Possibly for the first time I have had to push my personal projects back, reschedule my current client commitments and the worst being I have had to turn down work as I just cannot fit everything in.  I currently have a full time day time job and Capemedia UK is still on a part time basis.

As discussed in the past I hope that one day I can do this full time but I need a few things to fall into place first.  Any rich productions companies out there who would like to take Capemedia UK under you wing then don't hesitate to contact us.
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PROJECTS

So this month I released the teaser to "A Tale of Time" exclusively on Dailymotion.



I'm really proud of how this teaser has been received with lots of very promising comments and view on Dailymotion.  130 views to date is pretty good for something not on YouTube.

There is a "Easter Egg" in the video which nobody has mentioned or noticed but I'll give a big clue away here - It appears around the 1:02 minute mark.  This is a crucial clue to the story of "A Tale of Time.

More will be released over the next couple of weeks.


Current progress is sitting at around 27%

Release Date - TBA
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MUSIC

So based on the fact "A Tale of Time" will have no dialogue in the final film, music will be essential to how it works.  I have begun to make the music, we will be using a cover for one of the songs as sometimes a song fits better than anything you could writer.  There is another song which will be an original and the supporting music will be emotively based.
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WEBSITE

I will be making some new updates to my website today on the back of this Blog so please feel free to check it out:-



Thanks for reading and following my art.

Take Care

Colin / Cape / Capemedia

Sunday 1 May 2016

May the renders be with you!

Hello All,

So we are fast approaching the middle of the year and over the last month I had been doing research.  Related to this years project but mainly the alternatives to my current animation pipeline.
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Rendering


With iClone being a real time 3D animation tool, the native render engine is very, very fast. Even with everything on max you can still preview.  Only when you have a busy scene with multiple lights and characters does it begin to lose FPS (Frames per second).  However I generally only use this as a preview to check the look before rendering out.

As any animatic project it works incredible and I'm sure with so many facilities like video within iClone, many people can produce some breathtaking stuff.  However when it come to broadcast / professional animation it falls short.

I have used the native render engine and will need to continue with it until the technology catches up and allows me to produce the quality I want.

Website
So here are some indigo RT renders of the quality I would like to animate at.




I might still be able to do something at this quality but it will not be the main animation piece.

There are a number of other render engines that I have heard might work with iClone.  One can only hope that enough people want to have a professional render engine option.  I however would like either of these.

Website

Website
Only time will tell if we get these options, improvements to the existing issues or something completely different.

I hope that I'm not forced down a road I don't want to go down as I might be able to switch to Maya this year, we will see? 
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Music

As well as producing the animation for "A Tale of Time" the second biggest part of this project is the music.  Mainly because there is no dialogue in the piece and that the music will play an even more important part.  With the normal score, I'm going to need emotion filled music as well as melodic songs to tell the tale.  Any songs will be in "English" but will be used only appropriately not to spoil any language barriers.

Check out my music on Soundcloud.
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New Animation Logo

So this year I've come up with a new animation logo design.


"A Tale of Time" will feature this for the first time.
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"A Tale of Time" Teaser

So I'm pleased to announce that the release date for the first teaser will be the weekend of the 15th May 2016.

I hope you all are looking for your first tease for this project.
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"A Tale of Time" Production Update


Project is currently on target with a 23% ready.  I should make some big movements to this over the next couple of weeks as I get the teaser ready for release.
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So that it for this month, keep an regular eye on Facebook and Twitter.

Until next, thanks for passing by and seeing what we're up to.

Take Care

Colin (aka Capemedia)


Friday 1 April 2016

After Easter and April fools, do I stylze or not.

Hello All,

The year is flying

Well this year is really motoring, with Easter having gone as well as today being April fools day.  Soon be Christmas....noooo!!!

So as always a lot happens over a month but last month I was looking at moving my films over to Dailymotion as I was unhappy with Youtube.  After thinking about this I'm going to use Dailymotion to premiere new content but then use Youtube as well.

I need to use Youtube to help me grow and no matter how I feel, sadly that is the place to be.


You can view the first uploaded short film here now:-





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I released some storyboard art I had been working on since the beginning of the year now that I had completed this phase of the project.

These are taken from Scene 3




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There have been some amazing developments in iClone this year with new tools and amazing add ons.  Due to this I've started to rethink the way I want "A Tale of Time" to look and feel.

One of my main decision has come from using Character Creator and a number of morph packs, some from the talented Toko Motion.

So I have made the decision to use more stylized characters in this project:-

This is Albert before, with just the older version of him stylized:-


Then after a bit of thought, design and implementation here is the new Albert Thomas:-


Here is another character:-


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The biggest decision that I've had to turn down is the render engine.  The above images are all rendered out of iClone and take around a few seconds on the highest settings.  They look good and will fulfill my needs, but Indigo RT doesn't half look beautiful.

The same images but rendered in Indigo RT - Girl 20 minutes, Albert 15 minutes:-



Now considering that this project will be around 10 - 12 minutes, that's 720 seconds, which is around 17,280 frames.  To render this project in Indigo RT without the setup times would take 95 hours.....very painful!

Sadly, I think I'll use this mainly for PR.
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So that's the end of this month's Blog.  Please use the Facebook page for more regular updates.

Until next time, take care and thanks for visiting.

Regards

Capemedia (aka Colin Cooper)