Busy times!

Together with a bunch of crazy, wonderful people from Manchester, last week I survived a film making marathon, called Kabaret.

I made two short films in these intense 10 days. One of them will go up next week as a trailer (ish) of The Entity!! (what!? Really!!??? Yes, finally! ) There's a lot more happening with The Entity!! but it is all too exciting for this post :)

The other "kabaret" short film, I'll still be doing a little tweaking with the help of some of the wonderful people I met there. I'm especially excited about this one.

On the comic front, Calachurras is already in production and will go up in a couple of months on the Eskimo Effect site (what!? You don't know it, shame on you, go visit immediately!), right after the last episode of the current webcomic, Cristobal-98.

Calachurras is the most complex comic-book project my brother and me have worked so far. It's also weird, fun (if we've done our job right) and -we think- definitely different! I'm very happy with the results. Also, I must say it's a great opportunity for satisfying my natural inclination towards making up strange-sounding names (and a translation nightmare, but that's a different story!). Hope you are looking forward to seeing it. We certainly can't wait to start. For now, here's the first sneak peek.

Thanks for reading!

Clash of the Titans. Oh yes.

"Release the kraken!"

Awesome, hope you have seen it too. Although it wouldn't be fair to judge and epic film on just a fantastic onscreen moment, the whole thing is actually really funny and pointless for 106 painful yet delightful minutes.

Honestly, I wasn't expecting anything original, but apart from the lack of script, the obvious mix between pirates + mummy + starwars + transformers + lordoftherings + godknowswhatelse simply blew me away, too obvious not to notice. But wait. The ending WAS original. Andromeda and Perseus don't end up together. They just can't, since they don't bloody know each other. They've been busy doing... like... other stuff. What a load of... whatever this film tries to be.

Of course he's not singing opera. He is... releasing the kraken!

Now that I think about it, if you had NOT seen the film and think it can somehow be spoiled (ha!), you really shouldn't have read the above comments.

Incidentally, the original 1981 trailer IS awesome too, especially the motion graphics. Enjoy it here.

"Clash. Of the Titans"

Eskimo Effect is here!

For several thousand years now, my brother and myself have been meaning to get our web ready.

Excuses such as "Forget it, the current technology is not advanced enough" or "NO, that is not the perfect blue either!" would come one after the other endlessly until one day, for no apparent reason, there it was. Bizarre.

You can see the result here. Or HERE, if you hate lower case.

If you like it, rejoice silently/scream it to the world. Check out the films and the comics, play with the little eskimo (not in a bad way). If bored, visit every now and then too, we will be publishing new online comics every month, except those months in which we don't. Needless to say, it is also your chance to learn about eskimos: those fantastic, not quite human, nearly legendary creatures.

If you do not like it, don't panic. Just move on to something else that makes you happy.

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Weirdo.

Lately

These days, I feel like I'm closer to find my long-sought place in the universe.

...

That's it. That's the best line I have. The rest of the entry is pretty much padding.




Either that or I'm getting seriously affected by my lack of sleep. Seriously, it's all too exciting these days.


Months ago I decided I wanted to get in as much production trouble as I could possibly find, after quite a while off it. This irrational, inexplicable initiative has somehow taken me to be working hard on a couple of two independent feature films now. One of them, we start shooting in just a few days for about 2 weeks So you if you have been wondering what the $·%"& is going on with The Entity!! , you can blame Deadtime (in a nice way though, don't be mean) for generating so much work.

Needless to say, this leaves me very little time to keep up with all the necessary research needed for the feature film script I feel like I've been working on forever now. And of course for...


The Entity!! (yes, again!). Despite everything, I managed to apply for some funding recently. If the project got through the selection process, it would be a great opportunity to get the short film made earlier than I thought next year. If not...well, tough.

Also, I want to thank everybody for bringing more and more people to the Facebook group and spread the word (I'm glad that someone is doing something about the project, shame on me). Especially considering how increasingly hard it is to find your way around in Facebook these days. In any case, the community of fans of The Entity!! keeps growing (307 members now!), which in turn brings hope for the future of humankind. All the names of those who have invited other people or thrown some help at the project are being added to the "Collaborate" section of the website, and of course will be given a credit in the end roll of the film. They will also be loved immensely everywhere they go, for their hearts are pure.


So all good, apart from my lack of sleep, which makes me "go funny" and is meant to get even worse over the next few days.

Oh, and I'm thinking of kidnapping a celebrity. But that's not sure yet, will keep you posted.

Finally! Google's opt-out is here

I know some of you, not-yet-converted people, have your reservations about Google's technological improvements and its scary attempts to turn privacy into a blurry memory.

Well, here's the proof that Google can make YOU happy too. They truly think of everything:

Love Google.

Not again

Every now and then, I hear that statement again:

"Animation is for children"


And there I go, trying to explain again that animation is just a way of generating visuals rather than a genre in itself, or a ticket to a specific kind of audience. I'm usually too busy finding the statement unbelievable and going mental with it, though, as to be able to convey the idea convincingly. Or even intelligibly. So I thought I should just give a couple of examples here. If you have that look of "doh" in your face right now (meaning this too is a fundamental truth to you!), you don't need to keep reading. Go and see an animated film or something.


Hanna Montana -to use quite outrageous an example- clearly isn't an animated film, but despite being live-action we can hardly say it's for adults and children alike. The animated film The Incredibles, however, a film that I personally consider one of the best ever made, is NOT for children only. It is appealing to children, of course, but they won't be able to grasp the subtleties of a married couple arguing, or understand how frustration and nonrecognition may lead someone to become a very specific kind of person. They will probably just see a bad guy there.

It's simple: you can shoot actors with a camera, or take pictures, or render frames of computer-generated characters. Or use any other method, existing or to come. It doesn't really mind, they all need an script as badly. And it is this script (the storyline, the dialogue between the characters, the characters themselves, the tone!) that will determine how "adult" the film will eventually be.


I finish with what I think is a relevant video. The moments in one of the episodes of the wonderful excuse-me-not-only-for-children Justice League TV series in which Superman's colleagues react to his sudden death and one of his closest friends gives a speech during the funeral. It's as good and emotive as that of live action films such as the famous Four weddings and a funeral one. And just in case it counts, it may give you "adult" goosebumps too.




And then of course there is Harry bloody Potter. But I rather not go there right now. Maybe some other time.

Blake Snyder's "finale"

"I love writers" - Blake Snyder


Blake Snyder, enthusiastic screen writing guru, loving teacher and practical structure genius, died yesterday.

His seminars and his most popular book "Save the Cat" (and the only one I've read, by the way) are said to have inspired and enlightened both budding writers and established professionals. Personally, I learnt a great deal from his approach and found his words extremely useful: an excellent starting point and a light to follow when lost in the dark corridors of your own writing.


Snyder had a blind faith in writers, and an unnatural respect for an audience that, as we all should know, expects to enjoy the film they go to see. He wasn't as popular as Michael Jackson, however, so media coverage have been somewhat moderate. And so I felt I needed to do my bit by posting something here and updating wikipedia (and sobbing a little when no one was looking...). After all, he was in fact "a lot of people's Michael Jackson", and his work means a lot to quite a few of us.


I feel the best way of explaining who he was is to leave a few relevant lines directly extracted from the messages on his blog after his passing.


"We'll never know how many bad movies he saved us from"

"I am starting production this month on my feature film that wouldn’t be happening if not for Blake’s book"

"This is very sad. Blake was one of the good guys. Shared his knowledge with everyone and anyone. He’d actually email you back if you had a question"

"Blake was a great writing teacher and the first person who really got me to understand structure, but more importantly he was a really nice man and seemed genuinely interested in his students"

"Blake, you saved more than just a cat my friend. I will truly miss you"

"This reminds me that there is no tomorrow. Only today. Make the most of it"


Which takes me to the end of this post. Whatever and however small it may be, let our work on stories be the best ongoing tribute to his life we could possibly offer.

Damn, Blake, I miss you too, and I never even met you.

Bienvenido al Futuro III: Un Sistema Operativo para el futuro

En esta ocasión voy a dejar de hablar sobre The Entity!! por un momento (pero sólo un momento) para colgar una rápida entrada sobre lo que bien puede haber sido el más importante acontecimiento relacionado con la tecnología de hace unas semanas.

Google ha anunciado que está desarrollando un sistema operativo llamado Chrome OS. Tenia que ocurrir (de hecho, el primer sistema operativo creado por Google ya está funcionando en algunos teléfonos móviles), pero es genial VER cómo ocurre.

Existen bastantes razones por las que este Chrome OS deberia ser una muy buena noticia. Es o debería ser:

• Un sistema que pone en peligro a Microsoft. La competencia en el mercado es buena. Microsoft y sus productos controlan el mercado porque no hay otra opción. Otros sistemas aún no son lo suficientemente fáciles de usar, baratos o populares, y gran parte de los compradores no los consideran. El logotipo de Google, sin embargo, puede que sea el más fácil de reconocer del mundo. La popularidad de Google les permite competir con la cuota de mercado de Microsoft.

• Un sistema de bajo costo: La mayoría de productos de Google son simplemente gratis. Otros no lo son, pero incluso estos están disponibles a precios asequibles. Sólo podemos esperar algo similar de su sistema operativo.

• Un sistema fácil de usar: Una de las principales características de los productos de Google es que son simples de usar. Incluso si uno todavía no sabe cómo usar las funciones complejas, casi cualquiera está listo para utilizar el producto en un par de minutos. Y sin ningún problema.

• Un sistema para el "ahora": Windows ha sido esencialmente el mismo sistema operativo a lo largo durante toda su historia. Algunas cosas cambian, se añaden otras nuevas, innecesarias características y funcionalidades para poder vender nuevas versiones, pero no hay cambios importantes. Microsoft es una empresa vieja, y por extensión reacia al cambio y la adaptación. Google practicamente nació con Internet. Tratan de diseñar el sistema del futuro. Una plataforma eficiente sin elementos innecesarios acumulados, diseñada para operar "en la nube" ("cloud computing" software y archivos en la red, en lugar de en el disco duro).

• Un sistema que funciona: Me sorprenderia mucho si aquellos que crearon orden a partir del caos en Internet no hicieran un buen trabajo en su nueva empresa. Cuando uno utiliza las hojas de cálculo de Google, no necesita guardar los cambios. E incluso si el equipo que estamos trabajando estalla, nuestros archivos seguirán estando seguros. Y esto no es una fantasía. Ya existe, ya está ahí, como testimonio de sus metodos. ¿Cuántas veces hemos perdido nuestro trabajo en Windows?

• Google quiere hacerlo bien. No muy a menudo nos encontramos con una empresa que no tiene necesidad de hacer nada para ganar dinero. Desde los tiempos en los que realmente lo pasaban mal para hacerse un nombre hasta una actualidad en la que no hay una acción más valiosa que las de Google, su motivación ha sido siempre el progreso. La mayoría de las empresas se preocupan por los beneficios de final del año. Pero Google simplemente se preocupara de crear un gran sistema operativo.
  

Yo no puedo esperar. Y tu? :-)

Bienvenido al futuro I: El viaje virtual

Como hace ya que no lo hago, he pensado en postear algo que me haga sonar inteligente, para así justificar al menos porque llevo aun estas gafas mías tan feisimas. Ademas ya hace que colgué este mismo post en inglés y tampoco cuesta tanto trabajo traducirlo al espanol, caramba.

Empresas como Google nos empujan hacia el futuro, causando o propiciando cambios que podrían no haber ocurrido de otro modo y cambiando nuestras vidas al mismo tiempo. A veces se trata de un cambio menor. Y a veces es tan importante que a penas podemos empezar a imaginar las consecuencias. Cuando meses atrás use Google Street View para mostrar a una compañera de trabajo las oficinas de nuestra empresa en los EE.UU., su reacción fue "Guau, esto da un poco de miedo". Supongo que sí que da miedo, pero ¿no es tambien genial el hecho de poder "caminar " por cualquier lugar del mundo sin dejar nuestra casa u oficina? (y el hecho de que esto era impensable hace 1 año).


Cobertura actual de Google street view



Y esto es solo el principio de la aventura. A medida que el viaje virtual siga evolucionando y más características sean incorporadas a la experiencia, ¿nos encontraremos algun dia en la situación de tener que decidir si realmente vale la pena viajar a físicamente?

Simplemente imaginemos lo que podría ser el siguiente paso, combinando Street View (o Google Earth, en su "versión" en 3D) con el concepto de mundos virtuales (como Second life), donde también tenemos un avatar virtual 3D que es nuestra representacion en el entorno virtual. Ahora quedemos en París. Hoy mismo, ¿por qué esperar? Podemos charlar un rato antes de contemplar la Torre Eiffel a todas las horas del dia (por la mañana, el atardecer, iluminada de noche) en cuestión de segundos. Y ya que no estamos sujetos a limitaciones físicas, podemos salir volando (si, volando, como en un video-juego) o teleportarnos al Gran Cañón y pasar allí la noche.

Por supuesto que no es tan sencillo como suena. Se ha intentado hacer esto posible, pero aun no se ha conseguido hacerlo realidad. Los gráficos aún no son tan realistas. Nuestras pantallas siguen siendo en 2D. Los ordenadores aún no son lo suficientemente rápidos, y es molesto esperar a que Google Earth cargue todas las texturas y los edificios de Manhattan. Pero esto es AHORA. Los ordenadores evolucionan rápidamente.

Además, podemos ver y oir, pero no podemos tocar. A los que vivimos lejos de nuestros seres queridos nos encantan las aplicaciones como skype. Nos encanta hablar con la familia o los amigos sin barreras, o incluso mantener una conversación cara a cara. Pero claro, no es lo mismo que estar allí. a lo mejor ese dia necesitas un abrazo, y todos los avances tecnológicos no serán capaces de ayudarte. Pero -hablando de nuevo de cosas que dan miedo- no veo por qué esto no va a evolucionar tambien. Los guantes que lleva Tom Cruise en Minority report ya estan en el mercado, y los dispositivos de interaccion con la realidad virtual ya tienen bastantes años.





Vale, estos NO son los guantes que yo decia, pero ?a que molan igual? :-)



Llegara el dia, o eso creo yo, en que seamos capaces de dar un beso a alguien desde el otro lado del mundo. O simplemente darnos la mano y sentir la mano de esa otra persona. Ese día, las distancias habran desaparecido por completo, y todo habra cambiado.

Ademas, soy uno de esos soñadores ingenuos que creyeron que a estas alturas ya habria DeLoreans voladores después de ver Regreso al Futuro II. Es agradable mirar hacia el siempre misterioso manana con esperanzas fundamentadas de poder llegar a ese punto. Es emocionante estar viviendo esta época de cambio tecnológico.

Bienvenido al futuro.

Welcome to Future III: An OS for the future

I though I'd shut up for a minute about The Entity!! and post a quick entry on what might have been the most significant technology-related event last week.

Google announced that they are developing an operating system called Chrome OS. It was bound to happen (in fact the first OS created by Google is already running on some mobile phones), but it is great to actually SEE it happen.

There are quite a few reasons why this Chrome OS should be very good news:

• A system that endangers Microsoft. Market competition is good. Microsoft and its products control the market because there's no other choice. Other systems are not yet as user-friendly, cheap or popular, and so are not considered but a great many of the buyers. Google's logo, however, may be the most recogniseable ever. Google's popularity allows them to compete for Microsoft 's market share.

• An inexpensive system: Most of Google products are simply free. Others are not, but even these are available at affordable prices. We can only expect a good deal on their OS too.

• A system easier to use: One of the main characteristics of Google's products is that they are simple to use. Even if you don't yet know how to work out complex functionalities, you will find yourself using the product in a couple of minutes. And with no problems.

• A system for the current times: Windows has essentially been the same OS all along. A few things change, new pretty unnecessary features are added for the sake of additional versions to sell, but nothing major changes. Microsoft is old, and by extension reluctant to change and adaptation. Google was nearly born with the Internet. They are designing the system of the future. An efficient platform with no accumulated clutter, designed for cloud computing (files and software on the web, rather than in your hard drive).

• A system that works: I'd be very surprised if the guys who created order out of chaos on the Internet did a poor job on their new endeavour. When you use Google spreadsheets, you don't need to save changes. And even if the computer we are working on blows up, our file will still be safe. And this is no fantasy. It's already there, testimony of their ways. How many times have we lost our work in Windows?

• Google wants to do it well. Not very often do we find a company who doesn't need to do anything to make money. From the times in which they really struggled to move ahead to the current times when no share is more valuable than Google's, their drive has always been progress. Most companies worry about the profit at the end of the year. Google will just be making a great operating system.

I can't wait! You? :-)