Moho Forum

I used Maya (4.0 at the time) for The Boy Who Could Smell the Future. I rendered things out in layers where possible and composited it all in After Effects.

Hey 7feet, I just read your new reply. Thanks for the apology, and don't sweat it. I think if you read back through all of my messages on here you could pretty easily trace back when I was tired and cranky, and when I was in a good mood. I'm pretty sure my response was written when I wasn't in a great mood either (it was a bit snippier than I had intended).

As far as the $50 limit on Aliens, I used a web cam (there were some concessions towards using the computer like editing and sound work) I had before and the software for capturing that came with it (a nifty little Logitech 640x480 webcam). The set is actually all black and white/ grayscale so I didn't have to do anything with the color, and the compression from the camera gives it a kind of film like grain.

Do you have any of your stop motions and other animations on-line someplace? I'd love to take a look at what you did to get you into a film program so early!

I can't believe I forgot to tell you all. Three of my animations are playing with Spike and Mike's Sick and Twisted Animation Festival.

The Boy Who Could Smell the Future and Proper Urinal Etiquette will be playing in the travelling show and on their new DVD. Aliens Attack will be on their DVD.

If you happen to go to see the show, I'd love to know how the audience reacts.

If the show isn't playing near you, you can still check them out on my website at www.galaxy12.com

Hey, congratulations! That's really great - I think I've been going to Spike and Mike shows since the 80's. Too bad they don't come around where I live now.

Meant to congratulate you on your work and somehow missed doing so. I enjoyed your sort of 'Gumby-esque' Alien Attack vid and the Boy Who Smelled the Future. Music was very good and fit in well. Liked the animation. Three thumbs up -errrr two and a big toe. (Missed the urinal one and will go take a look during break).

"Missed the urinal"

Aim better next time...

Reindert.
www.nobudgetvideo.com

nobudget wrote:Aim better next time...

I try but my hispanic ancestry means I only measure in at 5'10" In this neighborhood I'm a minority and my gringo compadres generally are in the 6'5 to 6'8" range; as a result the urinal bowls are set at about chest height on me which makes it a tough shot to get just right.

Don't encourage me.

I simply love "Urinal Ettiquete", but I must say that it is very irresponseble of you. Imagine all the people that don't have an idea where to stand, so they watch this movie. But then you skip some of the most problematic dillemas!!! Was it too hard to figure out where to stand on the hardest ones, so you just skipped them and hoped no one would notice?!? Gosh, what happens if somebody thinks he knows all the solutions, and then suddendly comes somewhere where for exampel posistion 1, 2 and 3 are taken? What if this man goes to the wrong place? He'll be betracted like a complete looney! Do you want this mans social life on your conciense?

Well, now I saw it and laughed so hard I'm going to have to find a urinal -thankfully I am now fully informed on which one to use.

I simply love "Urinal Ettiquete"...Was it too hard to figure out where to stand on the hardest ones, so you just skipped them and hoped no one would notice?!? Gosh, what happens if somebody thinks he knows all the solutions, and then suddendly comes somewhere where for exampel posistion 1, 2 and 3 are taken?

Thanks for the compliments. Actually, I took great care to be sure to include all of the permutations of a 5 urinal setup where there is still a choice. I took advantage, when necessary to rely on the fact that the location of the door is unknown and that a mirror image of the urinals could easily be substituted in most situations. The answer to a 1, 2, 3 setup is that it's a mirror image of the 3, 4, 5 setup and where 1 would be the answer in the 3, 4, 5, you would swap it and go to 5. (It sounds better if you say it really fast ) In other words, I fudged it

Of course the most controversial of the choices, being 2, 3 choosing 4, when up until then choosing 5 seems to make more sense. This is where the film suffers from the editing. Originally I had a line that says to avoid urinal number 5, because "What do you have to hide?", implying that you shouldn't go out of the way to avoid everyone. But it was taking to long to get into the main joke of the film (I also cut some lines on talking and looking, but they've been done to death already). When I took that line out, everything else works fine except for the last solution. It's funny how many guys come up to me afterwards and ask about that one, saying they agree with everything else but would have choosen 5. Ah, well, a little controversy helps people remember your film. It gives them something to talk about.

Thanks for all of the compliments. I really appreciate them.

Well, actually theres is a door in real life, and you have to count it in to your calculations, so you're cheating anyway!

Below is a list of all the problems and solutions you've dealed with, and my comments on them.

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"None are occupied - Take 1,2,4 or 4 though not 5" - Why not 5 if there is no specific position for the door?

"3 is occupied - take 1" - Why not 5 if there is no specific position for the door?

"1 is occupied - take 3" - See next comment

"5 is occupied - take 1" - This is the same problem as the previous one, but mirrord, so why isn't the answer the same, but mirrord?

"1, 3 and 5 are occupied - use 2" - Why not four if there is no specified position of the door?

"2 and 4 are occupied - use 1" - Why not 5?

"2, 4 and 5 are occupied - use 1" - But this is the same problem as above, but mirrord, so why is the answer not the same?

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These were only some examples, but I think you've gor my point. Either you've got this all mixed up, or the door is to the left! So stop tring to get your self out of this! You've taken a great responsebility making this film, but you cant cheat yourself out of it! You can't give people uncomplete urinal-lessons, skipping the most problematic dilemmas! If somebody ran into these situations, and chose the wrong urinal, he would never be spoken to again! He would have to live the rest of his life as an complete stranger and have rumors spread about him all over the world, just because you cheated!

Of course the most controversial of the choices, being 2, 3 choosing 4, when up until then choosing 5 seems to make more sense.

No, I'd choose 4. If you take 5 your showing that your a bit afraid of joining the companionship the two other guys have created. Your a chicken if you step aside, and as you said your practicly saying "I've got something to hide". And by the way it's not as much of a misstake standing next to somebody if someone else there already has done the same misstake.

Well, actually theres is a door in real life, and you have to count it in to your calculations, so you're cheating anyway!

Well, ya caught me. The door was on the left while I was writing it. I cut some corners and I hope no one gets hurt as a result. All for the sake of entertainment. People like me make me sick.

There's many other factors as well. Who just got there, who looks like they're just about done, is somebody standing extra wide, does someone look sketchy, are two people already talking, is someone vomitting in one of them? The factors end up being an endless morass of complexity and an exercise in the chaos theory! Actually, I've thought of doing a sequel addressing these. I'm working on the script, but I'm not sure I have the Quantum Mathematics to pull it off (that and I'm real busy at the moment). Some day I'll finish it up....

No, I'd choose 4. If you take 5 your showing that your a bit afraid of joining the companionship the two other guys have created. Your a chicken if you step aside, and as you said your practicly saying "I've got something to hide".

I'm glad you agree. After finishing it, a number of people showed me a number of flash animations that have similar premises (seriously, I came up with this back in 1990, way before I even knew what the internet was). However, they all dealt pretty heavily in the homophobia aspect, encouraging people to just leave, even if there were urinals available! I tried to deal with the intensely private/homophobic situation, without ever saying, "Either you use the stall or you hold it." Come on, a man doesn't use the stall if there's a urinal available. I'm tired of guys peeing on the seats of the stalls because they're too afraid to pee standing next to another guy.


The biggest irony of this all is that I'm typically very outspoken against bathroom humor (I think it's typically pretty lazy). My most successful animation to date is all about the bathroom.

After finishing it, a number of people showed me a number of flash animations that have similar premises (seriously, I came up with this back in 1990, way before I even knew what the internet was). However, they all dealt pretty heavily in the homophobia aspect, encouraging people to just leave, even if there were urinals available! I tried to deal with the intensely private/homophobic situation, without ever saying, "Either you use the stall or you hold it." Come on, a man doesn't use the stall if there's a urinal available. I'm tired of guys peeing on the seats of the stalls because they're too afraid to pee standing next to another guy.

Well, there actually is a alternative solution to this. If you have no idea where to stand, then you pretend to tie your shoelace untill somebody leaves. Ofcourse, thats being a chicken, and that is also a great misstake when using the urinals, but it's better then standing in the wrong place, and definitly better then using the stall! What actually is needed is a great sence for timing, so you never come in where you don't want to stand, cause then it's completely impossible to get out with your honor in safe.

The biggest irony of this all is that I'm typically very outspoken against bathroom humor (I think it's typically pretty lazy).

As Adrian Edmondson, playing Baron Richtoffen, said in Blackadder goes forth, episode Privet Plane: "For us germans the toilet is nothing but a toilet, but for you englishmen it's the base for a whole culture!"

May Urinals forever be used correctly, and thank you for a great film!

As Adrian Edmondson, playing Baron Richtoffen, said in Blackadder goes forth, episode Privet Plane: "For us germans the toilet is nothing but a toilet, but for you englishmen it's the base for a whole culture!"

May Urinals forever be used correctly, and thank you for a great film!

That's excellent. And thank you again for the compliments. I'm glad you enjoyed it so much!