Archive for December, 2006 Page 3 of 3



objects of desire

all hail the mighty santa claus

‘Tis the season for general lusting of all things cool and shiny. Here’s my not-so-humble wish-list:

  • 17″ MacBook Pro
  • 30″ Apple Cinema Display
  • Leica M8
  • Nikon D80
  • Sigma 30mm f/1.4 lens
  • Voigtlander Bessa R3A with 40mm f/1.4 and 15mm f/4.5 lenses
  • Hasselblad 500CM with 50mm and 80mm lenses
  • Nintendo Wii
  • Xbox 360
  • A big-ass flat-panel TV

I’m not asking for much… ;)

amaze is hiring

I posted a few weeks back about job openings at Amaze, and I figured I’d highlight a couple of art-related positions:

Animator:

Amaze Entertainment is seeking experienced Animators to provide character and object animation for high profile DS, PSP, console and PC titles. The ideal candidate has strong familiarity with Maya.

Job responsibilities and requirements:

  • Rig and animate Maya characters and objects
  • Work closely with designers and gameplay coders to create great-looking animations for highly responsive player control
  • Exhibit a strong understanding of secondary action and traditional animation values
  • Actively seek review and input from team members
  • Provide schedule estimates for animation tasks
  • Organize your workflow to stay on schedule
  • Character modeling skills and / or cinematic experience a big plus

Broadcast Design and Motion Graphics Artist- Intermediate level:

Amaze Entertainment is seeking an intermediate level multimedia artist with broadcast design and motion Graphics experience to work on an innovative, high profile multi-player Xbox 360 game.

Responsibilities:
The artist will work closely with the art director, game play designers, UI artists, animators, and programmers, to develop an entertaining, innovative and dynamic visual gaming experience.

Requirements:

  • Demonstrate a strong understanding of graphic design, typography, color, motion and timing.
  • Ability to innovate, collaborate, meet deadlines, be detail-oriented and complete tasks independently.
  • Training and professional experience in conceptual thinking, media theory, storyboard visualization, graphic design, interactive design, visual effects, film and television.
  • Able to conceptualize, visualize, present and execute ideas within a tight schedule.
  • Strong artistic, verbal and written communication skills.
  • Strong interpersonal skills- ability to interact with team members of different disciplines.
  • Able to brainstorm, collaborate and follow through on target platform to create unique visual design solutions.
  • Relevant undergraduate degree and/or equivalent experience required.
  • Strong interest in games. PC or console game experience preferred, but not required.
  • Team player with positive attitude and outlook.

Tools/Software
2D design and multimedia compositing tools including Illustrator, After Effects, Premiere, Final Cut, Photoshop, Flash and Dreamweaver. Knowledge of 3D applications (Maya or 3DS Max) a plus.

You’ll find more info on these positions and others over at Gamasutra. If you want to expedite the application process, feel free to send me your information and websites/demo reels/portfolios. I can make sure the material gets passed around to and viewed by the right people.

pretty lights in bellevue

color overload

Bellevue Botanical Gardens is currently holding its Garden d’Lights festival featuring plants, flowers, and animals created with strings of Christmas lights. I stopped by there a couple of nights ago with Oi-Yan and Sunit, and, although it’s relatively small, it’s still quite an impressive presentation. Lots of pretty lights, and it makes for a nice evening stroll (assuming it’s not raining). The festival goes every night from 5:00 - 9:30 PM and runs until December 31.

flickrites in greenlake

wow

On Sunday, an off-shoot of the Seattle Flickr Meetup group did a photostroll around the Greenlake area of Seattle. I was worried that rain might make the stroll a bit uncomfortable, but, luckily, all we got was a bit of winter chill. The stroll lasted for a little over 2 hours after which we migrated to Tacos Guaymas for some booze and Mexican food. After dinner, David Lindes hosted a low-light photography session for those of us who were crazy enough to continue shooting. We did a ton of long exposures, light painting, and other fun night-time photo activities.

I had a blast during the whole day, but I paid for it Monday morning. I had been spending a bit too much time over the past few days going between the cold outdoors and extra warm indoors, and the constant switching of extreme temperatures messed up my body. Sunday’s photostroll tipped me over the edge, and I woke up Monday morning with an extreme fever. I’m all good though. 18 hours of sleep cured whatever it was that was ailing me.

Anyway, most of the photos from Sunday’s shoot are in my Flickr photostream. I’ll be adding more later tonight after work.