A new look

I thought it was about time to update the look of the site, so I’ve used a new theme for my blog. Thus far, everything looks good, but there’s always teething troubles with this sort of thing. I shall, soon, be updating the header image, and the main thing I’m noticing is that some things …

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Cream of the Crap

…as I look back on my catalogue of work over the past 6 months, it’s difficult to find many works that I would proudly show off.

What follows are the ones that made the cut.

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pageup and pagedown

Shortcut for After Effects

Yes, those really are cufflinks. It takes all sorts, I suppose, which is why I have them on preorder… Ahem. I discovered, by accidental fluke, a cool keyboard shortcut for After Effects, so I thought I’d share the info: Hold down ALT (PC) or OPTION (Mac) and press Page Up or Page Down to nudge …

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The Cake is Alive!

Seriously, Portal 2 is one of the most awesome releases of the year. Portal 2 is not a game for everyone, but it tries really hard to reward everyone for playing. In the first game, the dangling carrot was cake, and it turned out to be both a lie and the kind of meme that …

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3D Lens Flares

With a bit of spare time on my hands, I decided to play with something that’s always been on my mind, and that’s anaglyph 3D. I have the tools to (sort of) do it, and youtube has its 3D playback feature, so it was about time that I had a go.

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A new look Cream of the Crap Shortcut for After Effects The Cake is Alive! 3D Lens Flares

Aug
04
2011

A new look

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by Tom

I thought it was about time to update the look of the site, so I’ve used a new theme for my blog. Thus far, everything looks good, but there’s always teething troubles with this sort of thing. I shall, soon, be updating the header image, and the main thing I’m noticing is that some things can occasionally extend beyond the bounds of the main column from time to time. Some video embeds are doing this, which is a pity but I at least know how to avoid it in the future.

At any rate, the site still functions as usual, so keep an eye open for more updates.

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Jul
29
2011

Cream of the Crap

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by Tom

It’s been a while since I showed off any work on the site, which is slightly unusual, since I have generally been very busy. However, as my employer has been keen to let me know, their focus is more on churning out work than taking the extra time for quality. Therefore, as I look back on my catalogue of work over the past 6 months, it’s difficult to find many works that I would proudly show off.

What follows are the ones that made the cut. Read the rest of this entry »

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Jul
05
2011

Shortcut for After Effects

Categories:

by Tom

Yes, those really are cufflinks. It takes all sorts, I suppose, which is why I have them on preorder…

Ahem.

I discovered, by accidental fluke, a cool keyboard shortcut for After Effects, so I thought I’d share the info:

Hold down ALT (PC) or OPTION (Mac) and press Page Up or Page Down to nudge your layer on the timeline by one frame.

Man, I know how useful that would be. There are hundreds, or thousands, or dozens of times when this would have saved me a lot of fiddle-some frustration.

Actually, another one I’ve found really useful lately:

Shift + Middle Mouse wheel - scroll horizontally through the timeline

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Apr
28
2011

The Cake is Alive!

Categories:

by Tom

Seriously, Portal 2 is one of the most awesome releases of the year. Portal 2 is not a game for everyone, but it tries really hard to reward everyone for playing. In the first game, the dangling carrot was cake, and it turned out to be both a lie and the kind of meme that taught ignorant people to say “meme” far too often. Read the rest of this entry »

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Apr
11
2011

3D Lens Flares

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by Tom

With a bit of spare time on my hands, I decided to play with something that’s always been on my mind, and that’s anaglyph 3D. I have the tools to (sort of) do it, and youtube has its 3D playback feature, so it was about time that I had a go. Read the rest of this entry »

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Feb
16
2011

Best. Reel. EVER.

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by Tom

No sooner had I even mentioned the notion of what makes a good reel than I come across this amazing little gem:

dono demoreel 2011 from dono et frenchman on Vimeo.

Now, the genius of this is that it’s probably far more likely to get its author a job than the very best (non-humourless) reel ever would. Why? For starters, it’s funny, and it pokes fun at the industry, so whomever views it is most likely to get the joke. Humour always goes a long way. But, best of all, it demonstrates a clear knowledge of industry techniques. Cube or no, I’m left with the distinct impression that this guy knows about texturing (with UVs), rigging, compositing… Which then just feeds back into the humour.

I’ve always felt that the best way to get hired is to do something that stands out, that gets people talking, and gets them to spread the word via facebook, twitter, or their blog (as the case may be). Because being impressive is one thing, but inspiring emotion is what always attracts attention.

Were I in a position to hire, I would take him on the spot!

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Feb
14
2011

… With Mind Bullets! That’s Telekinesis, Kyle!

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by Tom

I thought I’d post up a link to some VFX work that I did gratis semi-gratis for sandwiches early this year, since I had been having some trouble finding work in the holiday period. First up, here’s the video:

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Feb
14
2011

How to find work anywhere (in this case, London)

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by Tom

I received a message recently in response to my finding work in London, asking what it’s like for a foreigner to get employment here. And I thought about it for a while and started drafting up a response in my mind, when I realised that there’s rather a lot to say on the subject. So consider my brain picked on the subject with Read the rest of this entry »

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Jan
03
2011

Knowing When The Client Is Bad

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by Tom

Director in Puffy Pants

Sometimes, you just get a bad feeling about someone that you could potentially work with / for. As such, I have decided to chronicle a recent exchange that discouraged me (to say the least) from someone who might otherwise have provided me some cash.

An excerpt:

While I waited for his call, I had a look at the website of his company, and was slightly underwhelmed. There were a few examples of graphics, and they weren’t excellent. You know, lower thirds made from default Motion templates, things like that. But that’s okay, because the graphics were not the focus, which presumably is why someone like myself was required. What did concern me, however, was that among other things, he produces wedding videos. Freaking wedding freaking videos!

Read the rest now!

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Nov
08
2010

(No Longer) Looking for work in London

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by Tom

UPDATE: I have, at present, found some work to keep me going for a little while, with some other prospects on the horizon. The start of January has been kind, with a modest amount of contact regarding graphics work being thrown my way. If you are visiting this site in the hopes of employing me, I still encourage you to visit the Employ Tom or Contact pages to get in touch — I may yet be available to help.

So I’m in jolly London town, and am looking for work. If, by some form of serendipity, coincidence, nepotism, or synchronicity, you are employing or know someone employing in this awesome field, and my services seem to be just the bally ticket, please contact me!

Incidentally, this is the awesomest preamble to a job ad I’ve ever seen:

Do you like to blow stuff up? Get off on laser blasts, flames and bolts of lightning? Enjoy creating water so realistic Jesus could walk on it? Well, we want to hear from you.

Here’s the link:

http://bit.ly/9M9Y6s

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