GeekSugar

Geeks We Love: Maia Kayser, Lead Animator at ILM

Kristy Korcz — Mon, 07 Mar 2011 15:02:44 PST

ILM lead animator, Maia Kayserr, sat down with me last week to give us an inside look at the making of Rango, and while it seems that this particular project was unique in the way it was made, the life of a feature film animator is one that requires a lot of skill, patience, and a good sense of humor.

Maia was first interested in studying medicine, but after seeing Jurassic Park, she was turned on to a career in animation: "I was really fascinated with the idea of making something look so real, basically giving it life on the screen." So she headed to school in Germany to study computer arts; 10 years and 14 films later, Maia got the chance to head up the animation team for the character Beans, and says that Rango has been the most fulfilling experience of her career thanks to the solid relationships that have developed between team members. Find out what she has to say about becoming an animator, "cartoons" for adults, and whether or not ILM will be working on more animated films in the future after the break.

5 Things You Didn't Know About the Making of Rango

Kristy Korcz — Fri, 04 Mar 2011 02:05:05 PST

I've been pretty excited to see Rango (which hits theaters today), not only because it stars Johnny Depp and Isla Fisher (who is so adorable), but because it was animated to perfection by the brilliant staff at George Lucas's ILM! I sat down with lead animator Maia Kayser this week to talk about her job, animating the character Beans, what it was like working with Gore Verbinski, and along the way learned a few interesting tidbits about the making of the movie. Find out what they are in this slideshow, and keep an eye out for the full interview with Maia coming up soon!

Photos courtesy of Paramount Pictures

Lucas and BioWare Announce Star Wars: The Old Republic

GeekSugar — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 02:00:30 PDT

If you can't get enough Lucas info (you know I can't!), then you should be pretty stoked about their latest release for your small screen. I got an early preview of Star Wars: The Old Republic at LucasArts studios yesterday afternoon, where we were given a sneak peek of the newest Lucas and BioWare title.

The latest game to come from the Star Wars franchise will have you playing online with thousands of others (a la World of Warcraft) and battle against evil...or even be evil and play as a Sith! The Old Republic will let you choose how your story plays out, sort of like a "Choose Your Own Adventure" book, but of course, in game form. Although the game isn't finished just yet, I did get to view some pre-production gameplay during the press event held at LucasArts and I gotta tell you - it's quite beautiful!

View 5 Photos ›

The folks from Lucas and BioWare were pretty tight lipped on specifics about when the game will be released, and on which consoles it will appear (other than the PC), but I did get a few tidbits from the Q&A session with the developers, writers, and artists. To find out what I learned, just read more. The Look:

Concept art for the game was completely hand painted, and then translated to the in-game effects.
The game is "Stylized Realism" - meaning they didn't want characters in The Old Republic to look like photographs, but didn't want them to be cartoonish either.
You'll be able to customize your character and distinguish yourself from other online players.

The Story:

The game takes place 3,600 years before the movies when there was an uneasy truce between the Republic and the Sith Empire.
There are several different "classes" in the game, and each class has a story, but none of the stories are the same - you will not see the same dialogue, battles, or concepts if you play different classes (i.e.: you can play as a Jedi and/or a Sith).

Gameplay:

If you aren't into playing in a group, you don't have to! You can play the game solo if you want to.
You will have companions that assist you in the game.
The story won't get in the way of the action. Usually story-based games have you performing mundane tasks to earn money or points. They assured us that bad-ass Darth Vader would not be taking a job in a desert planet somewhere to earn some coin!
Although they could not go into details, but I'm crossing my fingers for some racing!
There are lots of wardrobe changes as you progress in the game.

What do you think? Are you excited for a new Star Wars game?

Behind the Scenes at ILM: The Making of Indiana Jones

GeekSugar — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 06:00:40 PDT

It's been 19 years since we last saw Indiana Jones - who just so happens to be one of my favorite heroes in film - so I was stoked to see the latest installment to hit the big screen. However, I'm even more excited to take home my own copy of the film tonight to add to my collection. Not only to relive the adventure, but to see the extras that come with the DVD!

During my visit to the ILM studios, I was not only treated to some juicy behind the scenes info on the making of Iron Man, but also got the inside scoop on the making of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. We chatted with Visual Effects Supervisor Pablo Helman and Art Director Christian Alzmann here in San Francisco a few weeks ago, and talked about the challenges of movie making, and how visual effects really enhance film. To see what they offered up, just

Behind the Scenes at ILM: The Making of Iron Man

GeekSugar — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 02:00:52 PDT

When I took my tour of ILM studios a few weeks back, I was lucky enough to get some behind-the-scenes info on the special effects and animation that went into making Iron Man; straight from the guys who worked on it. Unfortunately for me that only made it harder to wait until I could own my very own copy of the Summer blockbuster!

A small group of us got a special Q&A session with Ben Snow (VFX Supervisor), Hal Hickel (Animation Supervisor), and Aaron McBride (Art Director, who by the way is pretty much John Krasinski's twin, but with longer hair - this made it very hard to pay attention), and got some fun details on the Iron Man suit, the flying sequences, and how cool it was to work with director John Favreau. To check out some geeky-but-fun facts from the film, just

Behind The Scenes at ILM

GeekSugar — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 02:00:21 PDT

Last week I was one of the lucky few to get a tour of ILM on the Presidio here in San Francisco. This is where all the magic happens folks! Not only does the 82,000 square foot facility house ILM, but it also is home to Lucasarts and Lucasfilm studios. I got a great tour of two of the buildings, and was in geek heaven checking out all of the old paraphernalia from some of my favorite films. Although I didn't get a close encounter with George himself, I did run into another iconic figure - and it kinda freaked me out. Check out the sights from ILM in my slideshow!

5 Places a Star Wars Fanatic Should Visit

Kristy Korcz — Mon, 08 Aug 2011 03:15:16 PDT

Summer vacation isn't over yet - if you consider yourself a Star Wars fanatic, there are a few places around the globe that you should check off your "must-see" list before settling into Fall, starting with a trip to Industrial Light and Magic in San Francisco, CA. ILM is where some of the LucasFilm magic happens, and it also is the home of the famous Yoda fountain. Geeks from all around the globe travel to San Francisco's Presidio (previously a militarized area) to sit and soak up the knowledge of the little green Jedi, and it's not far from Skywalker Ranch in Marin county, where George Lucas himself has an office.

Flip through the slideshow to learn about other famous Star Wars locations around the world!

Source: Flickr user DoNotLick

Savvy Links: How Much Should You Spend on Self-Improvement?

SavvySugar — Tue, 08 Mar 2011 00:15:33 PST

How much should you spend on self-improvement? - Get Rich Slowly
7 frugal lessons I learned from Charlie Sheen - Wise Bread
Do money books for women hurt women? - LearnVest
5 things to know about tax scams - Kiplinger
My ex employer owes me $21,000 in 401 (k) - Budgets Are Sexy
Dream job of the week goes to Maia Kayser, ILM lead animator - GeekSugar
Tips for buying clothes on clearance - Bundle
Can your ex trash your credit score? - WalletPop
How to make money in 6 easy steps - Inc. Magazine

Turning Johnny Depp Into a Lizard: Behind the Scenes of Rango

Kristy Korcz — Fri, 04 Mar 2011 11:37:13 PST

After talking with ILM lead animator Maia Kayser this week and hearing about how the cast of Rango was filmed acting out the script to give animators even more detail to work with, I wanted to see more. Thankfully, I was able to get my hands on some behind-the-scenes B-roll footage of Johnny Depp, Isla Fisher, Bill Nighy, and others doing their thing before any of the actual animation had been started.

Traditionally, actors voicing animated characters are sequestered to sound booths. But Gore Verbinski took a different route by gathering all of the actors together to act out the entire film on a sound stage, complete with props. It's really funny to watch, and it seems like the cast had a lot of fun. And while animations are traditionally aimed at children, Rango is definitely a film that adults will enjoy. Check out both clips after the jump.