Thursday, July 30, 2015

Getting animated about my past...

A lot is happening over here at Neverland Transit Authority's Grand Central Station. If you've been reading, lately, you know that we've become the victim of the Silicon Valley tech economy; losing our land and having to soon relocate.

However, that's not to say it's been all bad. In fact, the recent rummaging through old items has uncovered a rare gem from my own personal past; a few test animations from back in my old college days.



"The Captain" is a series of tests for a character that was supposed to be for a Goonie-esque game that would have combined puzzles and arcade style gaming about a sunken, and haunted, pirate ship. The whole concept grew out of an intro assignment in which we were supposed to animate a bouncing ball with a face and hair to illustrate secondary action and stretch and squash. I proposed a skull and was told it wouldn't work and I'd fail.

I got an "A", and my assignment was used as an example for another two years after.

Unfortunately the final piece, a complete walk in and assembly of the character, is now lost to time. All I have is this old set of pencil tests from twenty years ago; ripped from an old VHS tape.


"Robo-Stupid" was an attempt and a complex and layered animated short; the first in a series of short-shorts featuring a dog and cat doing battle in the vein of Foghorn Leghorn and Barnyard Dog, Tom and Jerry, and Wild E. Coyote and the Roadrunner. Precious the cat is our antagonist who seeks to end Rex, our hero, by any means possible and necessary. Here his battle mech cat was to be thwarted by an exploding remote control mouse.

Unlike The Captain, up there, this is as far as I ever got with this. However, both did land me A's in their respective classes. I don't know; hoping these might be enough to help land me a job in animation...

Tuesday, July 28, 2015

Station House Radio: Enjoy the Show!

Overture! Hit the lights! This is it! Tonight's the night! And oh what heights wie'll hit! On with the show, this is it!

That's your cue; grab your snacks from the concession stand, show the usher your ticket stubs, and go find your seats before they dim the lights. We have a show for you, and it's going to be a good one.

So, please; silence your phones, and remember to be courteous to others.

And now, on with the show...





ALL 'BOARD!

Playlist
Enter-lude by The Killers
No Cars Go by Arcade Fire
Infinite Arms by Band of Horses
July! July! by The Decemberists
Magic Gipsy by Eric Fernandez
Rachel's Song by Vangelis with Mary Hopkin
NuVogue by Thomas Dolby
Inigo Montoya by H2Awesome!
You by Steve Martin and the Steep Canyon Rangers
with The Dixie Chicks
Across the Dusty Plains by Forty Second Songs

*Mandatory Mashup*
Big Sun (Peter Gabriel versus Lamb) by Mad Mix Mustang

Alone gain, or by The Damned
Moorlough Shores by Caroline LaVelle
Livin' It Up by Jet Set Six
Mummer's Dance (remix) by Loreena McKennitt
What Makes a Good Man? by The Heavy
I'd Line for You (And That's the Truth) by Meatloaf
You are Never Alone by Socalled
Not too late by George Milton
Exit-lude by The Killers

Don't forget to take some time to patronize the sites of our musical guests, where available. Be careful disembarking from the train, and as always, thanks for your ridership!

Tuesday, July 21, 2015

Station House Radio: Little Light of Love

original image by Gary Kessler
Love is like the flame of a fire box; if she isn't the most precious thing, if you aren't stoking her and treating her right, then you've got no steam to get going on. And you're done.

But we here at Neverland Transit Authority's Station House Radio have nothing but love for the music, and we stoke those embers good and hot to bring you the tunes to keep you going. In fact, the tender is full, the valves are set, and we're ready for another long journey through the musical landscape. So get on, stow your luggage, find a seat, and sit down. This train's about to get going.







ALL 'BOARD!


Playlist

"Little Light of Love" by R.X.R.A.
"The Camera Behind the Camera Behind the Camera" by Elephone
"Dancin'" by Chris Isaak
"When My Brother had a Datsun: by The Baldwin Brothers
"22 Carat Tear Jerker" by Xploding Plastix
"When I get Home" by Jenny Kerr
"The Dust will Settle Down" by The Lovely Intangibles
"Def Con One" by Pop Will Eat Itself
"X-Ray" by See Colin Slash

*MANDATORY MASHUP*
"Metallica goes to Punjab" by WaxAudio

"Looking at the Black Clouds" by Serphonic
"Blood I Bleed" by The Staves
"Reminisce" by DJ Die
"Smack Dab in the Middle" by Richard Olsen and his Big Band
"Ditama" by Ekova
"Let's Go Down to the Woods" by The Screaming Blue Messiahs
"How Big, How Beautiful, How Blue" by Florence + the Machine
"Protect Life" by Eric Serra
"Little Light of Love(reprise)" by R.X.R.A.

As always, don't forget to hit the links for the band or performer, where available.
From all of us here at Neverland Transit Authority and Station House Radio, thanks for your ridership!

Friday, July 17, 2015

Station House Radio: Diamond Mickey

“To all who come to this happy place: Welcome. Disneyland is your land. Here, age relives fond memories of the past, and here youth may savor the challenge and promise of the future. Disneyland is dedicated to the ideals, the dreams, and the hard facts that have created America, with the hope that it will be a source of joy and inspiration to all the world.”

Walt Disney
Opening dedication speech
Disneyland
July 17th, 1955 






ALL 'BOARD!


On this, the occasion of of Disneyland's sixtieth anniversary, myself and the station crew of Neverland Transit Authority would like to take this moment to recognize and thank each and every single person who has put hands to any piece of Disneyland over the past sixty years to make it the place it is, today; from the imagineers, to the mechanics, to the street sweepers, and beyond. We'd like to thank ever single one of you who has helped make ours, and every other kid - and kid at heart - light up for a day or weekend.

We'd like to, but there just isn't enough room here at the office. So, I think it's safe to say that, from all of us to all of you who makes it happen... thank you.

Monday, July 13, 2015

Station House Radio: The Robot Candidate

They already build our cars, clean our floors, and call us to sell us all kinds of schemes. But how long until they love, yearn, and seek to rule us all?

Well, we here at Station House Radio would like to take time to salute our new metal made mechanical overlords. So, this week it's all about the robots.






ALL 'BOARD
... which does not compute...




Playlist
"Robot High School" by My Robot Friend
"I am a Robot in Love" by Swedish Masturbation Unit
"Cyborg versus Robot" by Ludo
"Be Human" by Yoko Kano with Scott Matthew
"Android" by Savlonic
"Deeper Understanding" by Kate Bush
"Beautiful Machine" by Tense
"Mr. Roboto" by Styx
"Happy Machine Ankle" by Brother Machine
"Robotboy" by Robyn
"Andoid Love" by Scot Fisher & 1am Approach
"The Robots" by Kraftwerk
"One More Robot (Sympathy 3000)" by The Flaming Lips
"I am not a Robot" by Marina and the Diamonds
"The Robot Candidate" by Ben Krieger 

As always, be sure to visit the artist links, where available, and thank you for riding 
Neverland Transit Authority.

Saturday, July 11, 2015

That time is nearly now...


Well, it looks like we're getting closer and closer to the inevitable, doesn't it? 
Am I getting the world of tomorrow I've always dreamed of?
If so, then where the heck is my flying car?!

Monday, July 6, 2015

Station House Radio: Got You Covered

They say that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. True, or not, the cover song is the hallmark standard of the recording industry.  And while not all of these are worthy, they are all... sincere. Station House Radio salutes the cover song with the good, the bad, and the goofy.

As always, check the playlist for band links where available.

Let's hope this isn't a wreck.









Playlist

"Beautiful World" by Devo
covered by Tone Tripper

"Oops, I did it again" by Britney Spears
covered by The Wall

"Gin and Juice" by Snoop Dogg
covered by The Gourds

"White Wedding" by Billy Idol
covered by Abeny Park

"Land of Confusion" by Genesis
covered by Katzenjammer

"Hotel California" by The Eagles
covered by Alabama 3

Wicked Games by Chris Isaak
covered by Unwoman

"Ring of Fire" by Johnny Cash
covered by Dilana RobiChaux

"Goodbye Blue Sky" by Pink Floyd

"Killing an Arab" by The Cure
covered by The Cow Exchange

"Godzilla" by Blue Oyster Cult
covered by Riddle Me This

"I'm on Fire" by Bruce Springsteen
covered by Miracle Mule

"Do You think I'm Sexy" by Rod Stewart
covered  by The Revolting Cocks

"Gotta Get Drunk" by Willie Nelson
covered by Gas Huffer

"Careless Whispers" by George Michael
covered by Seether

"Head like a Hole" by Nine Inch Nails
covered by Eddiebangs

"Time after Time" by Cyndi Lauper
covered by The Gandharvas

"Take on Me" by A-ha
covered by ADD Music with The John Benjamin Band

"Friday" by Rebecca Black
covered by Crash City

"It's the End of the World as We know It (And I feel Fine)"
covered by Great Big Sea

Monday, June 29, 2015

Station House Radio: Off to the Races!

And we're off! 
New music Tuesday is upon us, and it's time once again from a grand tour around the beautiful musical landscape with Neverland Transit Authority's Station House Radio as your traveling sound track.

There will be fast straight aways and mellow turns as we make our way acrossthe gorgeous countryside of tunes, make our way to the tracks for an afternoon of fun, before heading back to the station.

So, won't you join us?




ALL 'BOOOOOOARD!



As always, here is your playlist. Follow the links - where available -
to learn more about this week's musical guests. And,
as always, thanks for riding!

Playlist
"Where the Devil Don't Go" - Elle King
"Kingdom of Rust" - Doves
"Now's the Only Tim I Know" - Fever Ray
"Rockit" - The Gorillaz
"Tiny Japanese Girl" - Savlonic
"Little Lights" - The Punch Brothers
"The Hello Song" - Animaniacs
"Choke" - Hybrid
"Stranger" - Ben Caplan and the Casual Smokers
"Undone Lullaby (The Cure vs Korn)" - DJ Schmolli
"Good Luck" - Basement Jaxx featuring Lisa Kekaula
"Raindrops" - Kalli
"California" - Jay Farrar
"E=MC2" - Big Audio Dynamite
"The Way We Move" - Rise Robot Rise
"Dragons" - Caravan Palace
"Menilmontant" - Michel Saga
"Storm" - The Yoshida Brothers
"Shake it Out" - Florence + the Machine
"Beautiful Home" - Clothesline Revival

Tuesday, June 23, 2015

From the Conductor: Detailing my Scifi

No matter what we want to say we all have been influenced by, and continue to be influenced by, something from our childhood.

No, no... wait; I promise this isn't going to be anything like one of THOSE posts. Far from it; this is the confession of an old school nerd and his first real playset, the 1978 Millennium Falcon.


Actually, to be more specific, the detailing inside the old Falcon and the clever way they got around its interior, and all its control panels with simple, bright decals and cardboard flats. Despite all my learning over the past thirty seven years in hardware, controls, and how to render them, when it comes time create something, I tend to fall back to my days before double digit ages, when my gleeful child mind would adventure with Han Solo and Chewbaca aboard the old freighter bound for who only knew.

Let me show you what I mean. Here I am working on an upcoming page for Galactic Gun, and Justin needs to be punching some buttons onto an access panel to get into the hangar to get his ship out and underway.


Pretty simple, right? Just get out the old ruler and what not and pen one up. But, no; not for me and the inspirational rock that were my old Star Wars toys. Quick, into a new file and stack up some siple shapes!


The first step is fairly easy; providing you already have a basic idea in mind for what you're going to slap up there. In this case, a hangar access panel; which will need some buttons, maybe a camera lens, and a speaker. Why? Eh, don't try to suss it out, just go with what you think works. Once you get what you want in the right place, you need to add some details.


Here I've dropped in a few shadows and some highlights, and given the speaker a texture Doing so is actually really easy. Direct details go right on the object (You can use the grid lock to make sure you don't get any stray strokes, anywhere.), and secondary shadows can go on the shape underneath. After a few easy minutes and a few simple steps, you'll end up with something like this...

Pretty nifty, huh? Once you have this, saved as a PNG or a GIF, you can drop it right into your image, like so...


Here it is with some perspective added to make it fit just right. But how does it fit into the entire page at scale at a glance?


Ta-da!

Okay, okay, obviously this isn't for everyone. And there will be times this kind of short cut won't work. But, hey, it's a fun throwback to a innocent time, and something I enjoy as both a creative exercise of design, and a tribute to something that's inspired me a great deal.

Enjoy, and keep on creating!

Station House Radio: Meanwhile, on the Platform...

Well, as No.1 Run makes its first - and successful - rounds down the line, the next batch of goodies are waiting eagerly back on the station platform for the next arrival. They've packed with them good sounds, stories, and some merriment for your listening pleasure.

So, hop on board, find your seats, and get ready for a scenic journey through the rolling plains of the musical landscape. Your ride begins here...




All 'Board!


Playlist
"I Say Fever" by Ramona Falls
"Bald Onions" by Mango
"Meet Me in Warsaw" by The Tiger Club
"Underwear Goes Inside the Pants" by Lazyboy
"Mehnei Rachi" by Mumford and Sons with Laura Marling and Dharohar Project
"How can the Laboring Man (Find Time for some Culture?)" by Martini Ranch
"Morganna" by Yuki Kajiura
"A Bar in Amesterdam" by Katzenjammer
"I'm Pau" by Ape
*Mandatory Mashup*
"Baba O'Miley" (The Who versus Miley Cyrus) by Mr. Taylor
"The Devil's Address" by Marizane
"Hotline" by Jet Set Six
"Midnight Sun" by Hubert Kah
"Where has Everybody Gone?" by The Pretenders
"Step Up" by Da Hikk
"Your Protector" by Fleet Foxes
"Dynamite Bill" by Peter Mulvey
"Iron" by Woodkid
"Art of Love" by The Art of Noise

As always, please make sure to keep your arms and legs inside the train at all times. And hang onto your hats and glasses, 'cause this here's the wildest ride in the musical wilderness!