The Importance of Being Idle

The Traditional Time Of Reflection

Yep, here we are in the final week before my birthday. And we all know what that means, don't we? It means depressing reflections on how I'm wasting my life, before resolving not to waste it anymore and then a bit later on... wasting it some more. Yay for being stuck in a rut!
Duck is trying to get me to go on a retreat to a Buddhist monastery, and I have to admit it is sounding like a good idea. I'm a poor quality Buddhist at the best of times, and I reckon it might help give me some greater purpose or enthusiasm for life. Well, actually that's what she thinks, but I'm inclined to agree. I know I need something.
Do you know I haven't seen another human being to talk to since... I dunno, it was that Saturday a couple of weeks back when I hung out with Andrea. I'm getting isolated and weird, I know I am, and that's never a good thing. Still, what're you gonna do eh?
Mainly this weekend I've been playing games (Total Overdose and Burnout Revenge) and watching the extra's on the Matrix Trilogy DVDs. I bought the trilogy boxset last year when I still had money, and I hadn't really thought much of it since, but the other day I realised that I hadn't watched any of the extras and its a ten disc set, so we know there are a few of those... and I have to say "wow". I can't get over the HUGE amount of effort everybody put into making those movies. Now, I'm not here to bash them, I think they've had a lot of that, and overall I think they were pretty largely maligned for simply not fitting into the standard pattern of Hollywood blockbusters (I mean, the 'hero' doesn't destroy his enemies at all, he talks to them reaches a compromise and sacrifices his own life, the war doesn't end with outright victory, it ends with an uneasy peace... its so not Hollywood, is it?), and I like them as a whole. But what astounds me is the massive amounts of work that everybody put in, especially the effects guys, into making the film look as authentic as possible. I mean, by way of example, there's one part where they're doing the effects for the siege of Zion, and they're doing the live action shooting for Captain Mifune right? And they have this rig that is the 'cab' of the APU, and its on a motion control rig which is controlled by computer and mimics the animated moves precisely. There are rams in the back which mimic the guns firing and vibrate the rig exactly when they should, and a bank of lights surround the rig and flash on and off (also controlled by computer) to mimic the firing of the vehicles weapons in the prepared animations... And its all such a huge effort to be authentic and maintain an unbreakable fidelity, but as John Gaeta said, there must be an easier way, probably just going over there and shaking the damn thing. Like anyone would have noticed. I shouldn't say that of course, the work they've done there is mind-blowing and has yet to be surpassed, and to be honest won't be for a very long time, I can't see who'd have the time or money to dedicate to such an enterprise. Also, as an effects geek myself, I really love seeing both the finished sequences themselves, and how they were done.
See, I told you I'm getting weird, I'm totally wrapped up in the unreal at the moment... man I need to get out more. Scratch that, I need to get out AT ALL.

Help me, I'm melting...

posted by BadMonkey @ 8:38 PM