Its half passed midnight and alls quiet in the house. I can hear a few cars passing by on 4th and voices in the distance. I am not in my own bed; I’m right back to where I began, on the couch. Only this time it is my couch, at least for another few hours. I have my own pillow, and comforter so it is not so strange. We are moving out, all of us. A year ago I was writing about the dresser I put on a skateboard for 25+ blocks. It was sold yesterday, time flies. I woke up this morning and headed to the old VFS campus for the last time, for a sound check on my film. It looks and sounds great, and I am excited to put it online shortly. The 8 animators present during the sound sessions lingered around the studio in disbelief. We looked on at each others work knowing that in 1 week it will not be from a distance nor on a small screen it’ll be on the big screen at grad.

It’s so funny how often people say the year’s fly by. They really do, especially the second half. As I look at my room for the last time from the couch I see my stuff all piled up. I’m trying to keep George Carlin happy and only keeping a little bit of ‘stuff’. It is ready to make a quick pit stop at Keyvins for 8 days and then back home. Home. What a word. I’ll talk about that later.

Pictures…Words wouldn’t suffice.

It’s been a busy one…
Preproduction:

YETI TURNS from Josh Adler on Vimeo.

CabinEXT from Josh Adler on Vimeo.

CabinINT from Josh Adler on Vimeo.

Animation:

Reaction_FIN from Josh Adler on Vimeo.

Modelling (meh):

SkullTurn from Josh Adler on Vimeo.

SteveCarrell from Josh Adler on Vimeo.

SelfPortrait from Josh Adler on Vimeo.

SelfPortrait_Retopo from Josh Adler on Vimeo.

Lighting:

FLYING. I find myself flying once more. However this time I am not eager to start a new adventure across the country. I am coming back down to earth after my grandmothers funeral. Bubbie Bella passes away Monday night surrounded by her loved ones. I was holding her hand. Her last few days were difficult, yet wonderful. I have learned so much in the past week, and have felt things I couldn’t imagine. A pulse fade, a last breath.

I was supposed to be flying Monday evening but plans change and my decision to stay with her and my family was the best decision I’ve made. Family is most important, everything else is secondary. Bubbie knew this all so well as it shows from the outpouring of love she received. That is her legacy. May we all strive to emulate such a life. Spending time with family and seeing all of the lives affected by bubbie once again demonstrates the importance of love. I personally had a magical young lady visit me and my family showing her love and support. All of this has opened my eyes to recognizing the important things. They are not school, work nor distance. They are not convenience over inconvenience. They are not Yeti’s for breakfast, not even sasquatch’s for lunch. They are family, love, and compassion, all of which Bubbie demonstrated throughout her 98 years. Goodnight Bubbie, you may keep your orange bookmark.

It’s raining. Term 2 has ended and the long anticipated winter break has arrived. To call the past few weeks busy would be an understatement, but it has all been worth it. Aside from the late nights/early mornings plugging away at school, I have flown to New York to celebrate my sister’s engagement with the Fam. Loved spending time with them even if it were only for forty hours. Duty free disregarded the 48hr limit… The following weekend someone special came to visit me out here, so everything’s great. At the end of term 2 we present a body of work as well as our final project ideas. Enjoy:

 

Exhale. End of Term one has arrived, and so has the rain. Tap tap clickity clack I hear as it hits the window. It is a calming, soft and subtle sound. A stark contrast to the past few days. The sleepless nights have taken their toll, and I welcome that much-needed deep breath. So, what keeps you going? Why do we do the things we do? What makes you work at school until 6am, bike home, sleep for 90 minutes and come back for a 9am class? Why you might ask? Well, I do this because I love this shit. Period. Sure, I’m taxed, tired, and have completely emptied the tank, but the funny thing is, I look forward to monday when it all starts again.

Here is some of my work thus far:

The Still Life:

Objects UV-ed:

Objects Textured:

Lenny the Lamp:

LennyLamp from Josh Adler on Vimeo.

Dub Dub Floursack:

Dub Dub Floursack from Josh Adler on Vimeo.

Airplane:

Airplane Layout:

Natural History Museum Lighting (set provided):

Bedroom Day Lighting (set provided):

Bedroom Night Lighting (set provided):

Design Project:

We were provided with a story concept, and had to deliver the visuals. I was project manager and environment designer. In Brief the story is about kids spotting an alien landing in rural BC. The house belongs to a boy named Geoffrey and he has a treehouse that resembles a spaceship (millenium falcon). Here are parts of the PDF as well as my credits:

All of the Enviro:

Treehouse and Background:

Top left, Middle, Bottom:

All of the Enviro, minus weeds, trees and the painted yard props:

Initial Enviro concept and design, minus coloured objects:

WIP treehouse 3D:

Concepts:

Concept Final:

Sleep:

T-shirts embody far more than just blue dyes and cotton fibers. They are wrapped up in an unexplainable magic that transcends ordinary happiness. School. It’s been quite a ride so far, but the ride is really just beginning. The past two weeks have been the busiest yet full of late nights and lots of work. If they are any indication of what’s to come then I’ll be packing my awesome boots. Sure the days are long, the nights are longer, the weekends at school feel the longest, but it’s all part of the ride. An amazing ride. Though sometimes difficult, frustrating, and filled with ups and downs you strap yourself in and take another step forward. Step by step, putting one foot in front of the other is all we must do to walk, run, learn, succeed and love. A wise owl reassured me of that message one evening. We can have all the plans in the world, but if not grounded on solid foundations or meaningful goals they will crumble from under our own two feet. You won’t always have someone to catch you when you do, I did. Each step we take brings us closer to achieving those hopes and dreams and isn’t that why we take our next breath. Owls. Why are owls perceived as such wise creatures? Perhaps, it is because they effortlessly navigate the night sky like guardians silently ambushing their prey. Their large bright eyes, swivel heads, and furrowed brows look on as though they are almost always immersed in deep thought, however, quite contraire. They are not smart, actually, quite dumb, possibly only contemplating their next meal seeing it in those bright round eyes waiting to attack. Perhaps something we share in common. However, this owl appeared wiser than the others. They are perceived this way because Athena, Greek goddess of wisdom, was often depicted holding an owl. She is definitely a wise lady. Bringing people back down to earth when they need it most.

I will update shortly with more work.

Week 5 begins tomorrow…Today.

School has been pretty busy, very busy actually. Busy enough that I haven’t updated in a while and will get to updating you all shortly in word format. For now I’ll post some work..This is 2 classes out of 10ish… Modeling and Lighting

 

She’s mine. For the first time since being in Vancouver, I will lay my head on a bed to call my own.  A bittersweet feeling arises as a second bedroom takes shape, knowing that there is another you’ve left behind. But is it really left behind? Has it been lost? Perhaps, it has just transformed, re-emerged, or taken another form. Someone once told me that the essence, the heart, of a bedroom beats within the individual inhabitant, and not in physical shapes positioned within. I would tend to agree, as that beating heart is the same, only surrounded by a different set of walls.

The second week of school is set to begin, as the first one flew by quickly. I can feel the engine revving ready to take off. It has been wonderful getting to know a new group of people from all around the world and look forward to the days and nights ahead. Goldfish. Bought a super mega jumbo box. Due to the frame size bike one is up for sale, however, bike two literally arrived on my doorstep last night. She was even wearing a little bit of red. I love red, my hairs red (auburn, cough) so that’s when you know it’s right. We can plan, and search all we want, but sometimes what you’ve needed and wanted all along is right there, in front of your eyes. This one is a keeper.

Back at home I missed my sister’s engagement party. I have only heard wonderful things and am sure it was beautiful. Family means a lot, the most, and after being passed around on the phone to various relatives I really felt it.  A smile for happiness, a longing to be there, it was felt.

The bed is waiting, I have been procrastinating, but I am here. Goodnight 😉 The drape colours aren’t going to decide themselves…

A new dawn breaks, a new sun rises, and a new day begins. Today was the first day of many at VFS. We were greeted by another orientation, this time specific to the 3D Animation program. They gave us a brief overview of the production pipeline and streams of Modeling, Vfx, and Animation. We were given school supplies, backpacks, and even umbrellas. It’s ok though; I’m ready for the rain. The lead instructors are from the industry and are very approachable knowledgeable people. We toured through the halls, classrooms, labs, and the ant farm, which is a large dark lab where we will be spending our final three terms. Not much to say after day one as it is just the beginning. For now, I’m pretty sure I’m addicted to goldfish. Those bite size snacks are just so good. I type a few words and then grab another handful. I also had a really successful weekend as I picked up a bike, dresser, dumbbells, a book on space (RIP Neil), and glow in the dark stick-on-stars all off craigslist and garage sales. I have learned a lot since being here, even in such a short amount of time. I will divulge more about this in another more interesting and inspiring post but for now I will share but one.

“Sometimes I’d be sitting there in a room and become aware of how much effort it was to pay attention to just your own heartbeat for more than a minute or so. It’s almost as though your heartbeat wants to stay out of awareness like a rock star avoiding the limelight. But it’s there if you can double up and make yourself pay attention.” (David Foster Wallace- The Pale King)

Everyone has heard this before, myself included, but I’m sure it is only because it stands true. Wherever you may find yourself or whatever trails, tribulations and uncertainties life may throw your way, you must follow your heart. As difficult as it may be to hear it pounding quietly against the loud voices inside your head, it ultimately knows what’s best. It’s amazing how something so simple and automatic is often the hardest thing to become conscious of. So, Pay attention. Bring it into the light. It will thank you. When you finally discover your heart beating heavily, her pounding rhythms of euphoric solace are letting you know that you are where you want to be. Don’t let her go astray. You might even want to smile.