Three Components of Communication

7% ----- Oral (What we say, the words we use)
38% ---- Vocal (How we say, the tone we use)
55% ---- Visual (Body language, Facial Expression)

"Visual" is where character animation plays a big part! :D

For character animation, this can be a useful list of the possible meanings of body language:

BODY LANGUAGE
Rubbing chin
Body not facing the other person
Fiddling with pens, keys etc
Finger pointing
Hands in pockets
Scratching head/neck
Looking at the other person when speaking
Frowning
Looking around the place
Slouching
Eyes looking up when talking
Eyes looking down when talking

MEANING
Uncertainty, deciding, considering
Not interested
Nervous
Angry, accusing, authority
Depressed, insecure, feeling cold
Confused, puzzled, frustrated
Focused, attentive
Confused, disagree, unhappy
Not interested, bored, distracted
Not interested
Recalling, thinking
Thinking of a reason, likely an excuse

Hmm, if I have time, I intend to grow this list because it can come in useful when deciding on acting choices! :D

Excel in Customer Service

I attended a course about customer service excellence recently. This is not exactly a CG related article but I thought it might be useful to some. =) So, I'm here to share...

When dealing with challenging customers, first, Deal with your feelings.
We need to understand that we cannot control others' behaviour but we can always control ours. It's very common that we can get very irritated by our customers however we must not show it because it won't help the situation.

Listen to what they have to say, our customers want to be heard. Allow them to relay their concerns thoroughly without interruption and maintain eye contact through the process.

Empathise with your customer. We do not necessarily have to agree with their claims but we have to accept it and help them from there.

Clarify what problems the customer has faced and what they want eventually. Ask appropriate questions to get more information in order to help them.

It's time to Take action and before that, you have to be sure of policies and limitations of what solutions you (in your position) can offer. If it's beyond you, suggest alternatives or refer the customer to the proper authority, or else, try to agree on a solution and work on it.

If it's required that you Refer them to the proper authority, maintain the responsibility for solving the problem. Follow up with customers until their problem is solved.

Cheers!

Kyle Balda's 3D Animation Masterclass

Useful tips on how to approach a 3D character animation dialog shot (above)

I am working on a super short animation right now. It's a 2 person dialog.
I felt slightly lost in terms of my workflow and hence I went to flip through notes from Gobelin's Summer School! In particular, Kyle Balda's lessons is really helpful! Not only do I now have a clearer mind on how to approach my shot, I am totally inspired now! :D

Do take precious notes when attending masterclasses or courses! They are really useful!
Alright, I'm off to animate!

Oh, I found this clip of a demo he did for June 2009 issue of 3D World Magazine. This 10 minutes clip is a summary! :) Enjoy!

Studio

The studio is coming together, check it out! :D



Note: "Studio Shot" added to portfolio.

Making of Spideron

Breakdown of Spideron illustrating the different w.i.p stages and/or 3D model and lighting elements when creating this image.

Casio Digital Piano

Product shot of Casio Digital Piano PX-130

[Camera Settings]
Sutter Speed: 1/60
Aperture Value: f/5.6
ISO Speed Ratings: 1600
Focal Length: 70 mm

On a side note, this is a decent and affordable entry-level digital piano just for purely playing and practising. In my opinion, perfect for a beginner!

Happy 45th Birthday Singapore

Happy National Day to all Singaporeans!

I'll try to find time to make a little poster or banner for every big celebration day, and so this one is for Singapore's 45th Birthday!
In conjunction with this year's NDP 2010 Slogan "Live Our Dreams, Fly Our Flag", I came up with this poster!
This a clearly a Spiderman inspired design, haha, because he is my favourite superhero.

Time Taken: about 4 hours
Software: Maya
Singapore National Day: 9 August
How old is Singapore: 45 Years Old
Last year: Happy 44th Birthday Singapore

Facebook Share

Hey!

Yay, I've just added a Facebook Share button at the top right corner of each post.
This will allow you to share content right here from ronald-fong.com to your Facebook walls!
From the pop-up window, you may choose the thumbnails you want to display on your wall!

It's really easy!
I'm thinking of implementing this throughout the whole site but I'm trying it out first to make sure it works well.
Give it a try and please let me know of any glitches! :D

Pixar: 20 Years of Animation in Singapore

Hey there! :D

I've been to the Pixar: 20 Years of Animation recently!!
I went with a few of my friends, who are by no means related to the animation industry, in order to enjoy the exhibition in the perspective of the "general public" I'm actually surprised by their interest and curiosity.

Upon entering the exhibition hall, we were first greeted with the timeline of Pixar's feature films and awards. I took time to read the snippets of texts on the walls. I'm once again reminded that it's the same few geniuses behind all the fantastic filmography and technology we see today, namely George Lucas, John Lasseter, Ed Catmull and Steve Jobs.

I see that Pixar has this unspoken philosophy of making a technological breakthrough in every film. Like CG Fur in Monster, CG Water in Finding Nemo etc.

There were many Wonderful sculptures and character studies at the exhibition some of which I think are totally bizzare! :P One of my favourite exhibits is the Toy Story Zoetrope! It really feels as if all the toys came alive!

Overall, the exhibition could do with more animation. My friends say they like to see things move! Well, I guess it's more like a museum this time round.

I can see that Pixar has achieved a lot in the past two decades and will definitely crave to see more touching animated features from them. Keep up the good work Pixar!

Photography - Singapore Science Centre

Happy Meal | Eel | Hue | Ice | Reef | Tornado
Click to enlarge! :)