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August 8th, 2010
by Teri Rogers
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Is The 3D Animation Trend Floundering?

Movie Goers Wearing 3d Glasses

Is the 3D animation trend floundering? The stampede to make more 3D entertainment began after James Cameron’s Avatar brought in $2.7 billion. After Avatar, 3D animation was seen as a breakthrough in technology and a road to higher profits for the big screen.

Gizmodo had an interesting article recently, asking the question is 3D already dying?.

Since the high-water mark of Avatar, where 71% of the revenue came from 3D screenings, numbers for big-budget 3D movies have plummeted to less than 50%.

My take on 3D? If the technology of 3D animation adds to the story and adds to the experience of the movie, I’m all for it. But technology for the sake of technology will never work.

We are storytellers and the tools we use to spin our tales are important but never more important than the story.

Before using 3D animation, producers need to ask themselves if it adds to the movie-going experience. Otherwise, it’s a distraction.

January 31st, 2010
by Michael Ong
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I Want World Peace and Good Kerning.

One of my pet peeves:
Poorly kerned typography
Like ugly bad teeth

– Michael Ong

Footnote: Really. Is it really too much to ask? I know, one would argue: There are way more important issues in life than being bothered by the spacing between letters…perhaps like saving the earthquake victims of Haiti or winning the war in Afghanistan. Or how about important domestic news like Conan O’Brien, who has just gotten $45M richer, and Cosmopolitan, who is inviting the new Senator of Massachusetts, Sen. Scott Brown, to pose for yet another naked centerfold!? (Speaking of centerfold, didn’t anyone teach that graphic designer that one should never position anything crucial in the gutter between the spread? But I digress…)

Even though the typography guru of all times, Neville Brody, is English, I’m pretty sure he will agree with me, at least on the “poorly kerned typography” part. And speaking of typography, don’t even get me started on the title design of Avatar! Everyone knows that James Cameron went to the extent of hiring USC professor/linguistics specialist, Paul Frommer, to create a totally new language for the Na’vi in his movie, but when it comes to the title design, he settled for Papyrus. It’s excusable if it’s for Prince of Egypt or The Mummy 4. But there’s only four letters for one to design from scratch, if the title is all cap. Couldn’t have someone at least come up with something more original than the plain old Papyrus? I don’t even think that papyrus plant is indigenous to Pandora.

So, yes. Good kerning is equally as important as world peace. The similarity lies in the fact that we all share the same passion in making something we really care for BETTER. The same goes to orthodontists.