Durian: Reaction from the team
I can’t speak from experience, but I can only imagine that making a short movie in a few months time, with a small team, and with Ton as your boss can’t be easy. Add to that the sometimes harsh criticism from within the community, and it must at times be downright hard.
When you leave a comment on the internet it’s easy to forget that real people will be reading it, and that it may be interpreted far more negative than you intended – I’ve been there (peace, hx8? :-).
I’m not saying that you can’t leave proper feedback, just think about it a little before you post it.
And now, a word from the Durian team themselves!
The following video was taped a few days before the release of the Sintel trailer:
Asking the community for models or sharing the creation process every week, for me it is as revolutionary as the GPL licence was for exemple…so keep smile 99.9% of people respect and admire your Work….(Now part of the history of Art)!
Damned, again first to comment…!
People will always criticize on the net. The net is a very cold place. But you guys are doing a most incredible job. The trailer was breathtaking!! You’re all the BEST!! (That includes the community)
Inspiring quote:
“Criticism really used to hurt me. Most of these critics are usually frustrated artists, and they criticise other people’s art because they can’t do it themselves. It’s a really disgusting job. They must feel horrible inside.”
Rosanna Arquette
Try not to let the comments effect you. You guys are the cream of the crop, no one else in the community could do what you have done.
To the community:
“Criticism is an indirect form of self-boasting”
Emmet Fox
Try not to get bummed about the criticism. It is hard to throw stuff out there for everyone/anyone to snipe if they want.
You guys are doing a great job and you are pushing Blender forward, which is what really matters. Keep it up. We are behind you! :)
i thinkDaveC goes right,the trailer was breathtaking.what you have done guys is great work.
you´re all simply the best.
Besides I always try to give a positive constructive comment, if it wasn’t take this way: It does have some fundament: Our eye(s) automatic group similar stuff, second the absence of weight regarding the nosewing is ‘weird’ and this ‘hung’-property it probably why no one or max. a handful people will have this type of ‘nosebone’.
If offence was taken => no offence was given; Don’t let you own word-weighting-system stab you. ;)
Niels
Sad to see you people in a bad mood!
However, i hope your feelings have changed a bit after you released the trailer:
THE UNOFFICIAL PROJECT DURIAN TRAILER COMMENT COUNT:
(on blendernation and the durian blog)
Negative comments:
11
Positive comments:
195! 195! (of which, i guess, 70% had the word “awesome” in them)
In other words an approval rating of almost 95%
Additionally, 3 comments were so positive they could not be expressed in the english language
(two spanish, one french) and two comments wanted to nominate you for an oscar.
You are doing great work!
Trailer is great, YOU CAN DO IT! GO, DURIAN TEAM, GO!
Team Durian your work is brilliant, the trailer is awesome, excellent work.
Never take to heart any comment posted on your blog or in the forums, it so easy for people to make remarks from the safety and anonymity of their keyboard’s, while hiding behind computer screens. Most of your harshest critics would have never produced anything near to the quality of this production or even those screenshots.
As for the screen shots, they are from a single frame, 29 of these frames will scream past there eye’s per second, no one would ever notice the minor issues.
Who cares is the hair is a little thick or the eyebrows are the wrong colour(they are fine btw), Its insignificant. The end product will be brilliant in the eye of the general public, who will be so engrossed in the share brilliance of your movie to ever notice such minor CG issues.
You have to know some of the blender artist forum crowd are so pathetic now, that they badgered a 13yo boy for even daring to ask for a little free help. And this not the first time, its was almost criminal. http://blenderartists.org/forum/showthread.php?t=186573
If this is the type of person you wish to impress you might as well quit now, they will never be happy(unless they’re being paid).
Keep up the awesome work team, ignore the critics, keep having fun.
+1 for Tobias comment!
You guys should ENJOY all the positiveness, the fact that you made a video about the few negative critiques…even the constructive ones – shows that you’re a bit edgy, possibly tired from all the HARD WORK you’ve been trough.
If I where you – I’d remove that video, because it makes you look like you’re “whining” rather than the awesome group of artists that you guys REALLY are! Good luck, and I can’t wait to see the final thing :)
I suspect that many of the nit-pickers have never done very much involved animation, or long-form rendering. One cannot judge an animation still in the same way as a lone ‘end-product’ still can be judged. They are two completely different animals.
Please ignore the back-seat drivers.
I think the trailer was very well done. I guess that I always associated the technical merits of the feature films to all the hard work that was done on the code base for the upcoming releases. I am always fascinated by the artwork from the organization and those who take the time to create it. For me, criticism is like the weather. It changes with the next gust of hot air.
Drive on guys, you are doing great.
As an artist, looking always for the next step in my creative world, you are an example.
Team work, youth, creativity, spirit of sharing with the community (that I’m proud to be part as a student), always improving your skills, and better the software.
You are doing the work of hundreds, and that is heroic.
You are in the front line of our community, and thanks to you, we can benefits of your hard work. Technical issues are things You will solve. Creativity, you have more than enough.
We are been educated in the process of your SINTEL; we fill that we are part of the process, because that is what a community of artist do.
You are the old Paris Cafe, where the artist got together to share about their discoveries, and advances in the new world of art.
Thanks!
ARDONart.com
@redbyte: “You guys are the cream of the crop, no one else in the community could do what you have done.” That’s called lying…
Beloved, righteous, wise and true critic is a very useful system of improvement. :)
I was less than impressed with the trailer, honestly, but I kept my comments to myself because I don’t think I could express my criticism in any way that was useful(ie: I could say “this is wrong, fix it”, but I couldn’t say “this is wrong, fix it IN THIS MANNER”).
So I just watched it hoping for the best, trusting in a studio that has come through in the past and the experience of a proven team of artists and developers.
But now, seeing this reaction from the team, it angers me a bit. They’re not in highschool(though some are very young), they’re getting paid(AFAIK, at least, their not investing their own money), and specially, they’re currently holding a spot that probably 99% of the blender community covets. Your work is on the spotlight and some people are bound to disapprove. I found the negative comments I read much, much more helpful than the 100 “ZOMG THIS IS AWESOME!” ones. They are there because they are the best, so people will expect the best. At least, something graphically comparable with ED and BBB.
I don’t know if there was a moment like this during the development of the previous movies. If there was, then you should already know how to deal with it more gracefully. If there wasn’t, then it is something to be acknowledged and dealt with, and not swept under the rug on such a basic excuse as “this is hard so you have to cut us some slack”.
The moment people start appreciating the BF work on a basis of merit rather than quality, it becomes pointless.
Criticism is part of the game I think and it’s bad for everybody to receive negative feedbacks, but as long as they are not intended to offend, they have to be accepted. Maybe the guy who is criticizing can be wrong, maybe not, or maybe it’s just a matter of personal taste. The higher we aim the bigger (and unfortunately much more nastier) the criticism becomes, however if on the other side we don’t have any constructive feedback we need to be smart enough to ignore it, just let it go.
I think so far you’ve been working really hard for a great goal and this is already a huge result. First of all for yourself (Durian people), then for Blender and for us (the community). Even if the final result were a huge disappointment (which of course is not gonna happen :) ) you tried and you aimed very high this time which is something that not so many people can do in this world. As they say, glory is only for brave people!
So far the work done is great, with its flaws of course even Pixar makes mistakes, so just keep it up and I’m sure that the final outcome will be outstanding!
I enjoyed seeing the trailer and was immediately excited about where the story is going.
My advice? Enjoy what you’re doing – if you guys enjoy it, we will.
Maybe you guys should think more deeply about what makes Pixar successful –
http://www.blendernation.com/inside-pixars-leadership/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Blendernation+%28BlenderNation%29
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k2h2lvhzMDc
I want to see a good story, and the way hair moves is not a key point. So forget about that, you are doing a great job (the trailer is awesome). But thats only my opinion.
Congratulations
Guys and Girls
you are doing a WONDERFUL work of art.
Nothing is never perfect and what they say? Computer Graphics projects never end, they are just “left there” at one poit…
But you are going to leave this project in a very excellent state!
And there will be a lot to learn from what you are producing.
If you were allowed infinite resources and infinite time maybe perfection would be there… But with your talent you are making the best of whatever time and resources you have. Great work!
I have shown the trailer in my computer graphics today… and you got a roaring approval! Go strong!
Giovanni
Well, it’s almost impossible to make a film by committee, so any community criticism or ‘fanfaring’ for that matter, is functionally irrelevant, or nothing would ever get done. Comments are made out of context anyway, and are only of (limited) value, once something is completed, not right in the middle of production. The Durian team are ‘in the trench’ making the project happen, and only they know the issues they need to balance out. the last thing they need are back-seat drivers, so all in all, I think they were pretty tolerant.
hehe, I do feel for the Durian team, the communal nature of such a project being played out in the open is quite different from working with an agency and the client since those crits are controlled. As soon as you open them up to more eyeballs, your problems start right there.
I feel for your tight deadline, and hope you don’t get bogged down by people who probably feel as if they ‘reserve the right’ to be uber nit-picking.
Love the look, the direction and as an open source project it’s evolving beautifully.
well done guys, you should be proud of what your doing.
I agreed some critic went too far and should repay by releasing blender next year instead of in the summer. Make them pay!!! Come turn to the dark side. they all deserved to pay for unkind act.
Most of the picky critics come from spoiled amateurs who fail to understand the context of this project. MAINLY the authors of a piece do see things that could be improved, and they get frustrated enough for not being able to dedicate some time to those. Do these people really think that the Durian team did not see this or that bump map issue? ¬¬
The trailer is damn awesome. And I guess it helps these picky internet visitors to get a bigger picture of what is being baked. ;)
Cheers, Durian! :D
I don’t know how a mainstream production studio works, so I can’t be sure what deserves criticism and what does not. What I do know is the capability of the program, and that these projects are designed to push the limits of the program and develop new features. By that litmus alone, the project is a success. If along the way some level of artistic ‘perfection’ is exhibited, so be it.
And yes, add another one: awesome teaser. Make that 196 ‘awesomes’. It’s 30 seconds more than I’ve ever accomplished!
You can always learn from criticism, but I think it’s also important to know that you’re appreciated at the same time. I know I couldn’t do 50% of what you’re doing, and do it as well. So hang in there, buck up, complete what you can, and walk away proud. You’ve earned your keep and deserve every penny. Hopefully, along the way, you can glean some satisfaction, too. But thanks for doing it.
Please Don’t care any thing . You changing the world , the Future of smally company . Go on away friend
Hey,
Keep up the good/great/amazing work! You guys have done something that many others have not ever done and being pioneers in this is amazing. You have open the doors of the institute and with that comes the criticism. However like everything amazing their is always going to be obstacles along the way.
Stay strong my brothers!!
Eagerly anticipating the release.
First of all great job on the trailer, it gave me shivers!
Everyone needs to keep in mind these guys are the Guinea Pigs here, they’re working on the first huge project on basically Beta software. It takes some brave souls to go first.
Secondly I think there is such a thing as being TOO open. There is absolutely no need to make a reply to these critics, this gives them weight. Be confident in what you’ve achieved, take the constructive criticism for what it is.. and ignore the non constructive.
We’re all behind you, I can’t wait to see more of what you have in store.
Well for one I don’t think anybody was actually surprised to see criticisms – definitely not wanting to see criticisms and some are obviously completely unhelpful, but surprised? No, it’s to be expected. It’s great that the team knows how to view a criticism as just what it is, but I think for the open movie project the other worry is how the rest of the community will view the criticism. Will they join in? Will they flame the person (which isn’t any better, really)? Or will they just see it for what it is? It’s great for BlenderNation as a central news source to weigh in their own neutral comment in the post and let users try and empathise for themselves.
Agree with Differentsmoke. I think the Durian team have received A LOT of positive feedback, and it’s the audience’s right to criticise, out of frustration or not. So they’d better appreciate all the positive feedback, and accept (or ignore) the negative. Because it looks like they don’t quite believe in themselves as artists. But maybe it’s the stress of the deadline and the community pressure that has put them in this mood.
For the team : Remember that some people are mental ill and have big obssesion for detail , ignore they critics cause you will all get a bad mood cause of a nut crack with no brain!. Yes there are great artists and humans in general that professionaly are great but they are mental ill in the normal life so they have big problems with geting in relationships etc etc.
Keep that in mind when you read a comment , and for all the persons in general!
Expecting a full quality movie when a software it is developed and artists are not so avaiable and not in a nuber of 10-20 it is very hard to do in the timeline of 6 months.
Blender it comes more over the 3DS Max that use some proprietary plugins to do stuff that blender does natively.
Some obssesions are more to womens but when that obssesion is in a man goes to mania ….get things easy and with a more detached , so see more “Outside the box” and let the box “screeam to the window”.
All take it easy!
Saw the trailer, it looked good. When things are put in the proper context you’ve done awesome, nay, spectacular. You’ve had limited time, man power, and resources all with the ‘pleasure’ of working with a developing UI which at times during it’s development/total overhaul has given schizophrenic results and behavior. It’s easy to sit on a mountain top and paint a scene of a battle taking place below, or even after it’s resolved, it’s something all together different to stand below, in the battle, and paint the battle while it’s taking place. It makes judging the ‘quality’ of the three afterword, or even comparing them, a bit of a stretch.
Outside ‘fanfare’ criticism is used in industry film making also, though it typically involves bringing in family and trusted friends or company artists working on other projects co-currently before the final cut is made. Having them sign confidential disclosure agreements and writing critiques of what they decide to show them. I am sure everyone here is well aware of this though and I don’t know if posts on boards can compare really, or if they’re even relevant or should be.
At the same time though given that most, a vast majority, of replies I see on most Art forums (Even in the cases where the people are seeking critique) or boards including the one’s for this film are majority positive, and sometimes borderline sycophantic. The flip of the coin is this, without any critique including hard to achieve in some cases objective in-house critiquing makes the difference between the original Star Wars and the incoherent train wreck that was the Prequels (unless $$ is all that matters). Art through adversity comes to mind, as long as the persons not using ad-hominids or character assassination to describe the pieces it’s all fair, though it might greatly constructive, concerning, or relevant given context, it’s fair they point it out nonetheless, caveat: so long as they don’t obsess over it. Then again, given that our default position as humans *is* to fool, over-rate, overlook, ourselves or something we initially see as awesome(read: Mistakes Were Made (But Not by Me)) it can be dangerous and ironically artistically self-limiting to shun critical commentary.
Often (I’d say majority of the time) the critic (at the local in-house or forum board level, except for trolls of course) is trying to help, and they may very well believe that what you’re doing is great and just never speak to that point, but a person who’s vested in what they’ve done may mislabel (remember there is no inflection on the internet in many cases Italicize isn’t even available) intent and take what they’re saying as an attack or the equivalent of malevolent ad-hominid. It all varies, and sometimes it’s the artist that needs to get a grip on their emotions and cutout the defense routine, approach it like a stoic and just look at things for what they are, there are many times when I’ve after being told some harsh criticism and I’ve written back letters back thanking the critique-r.
Because in the end: “It is not the critic who counts: not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes up short again and again, because there is no effort without error or shortcoming, but who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself for a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows, in the end, the triumph of high achievement, and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat.”
no please… you are awesome and I think all the people love the trailer…
GO GO GO!
Hi,
I’m a cg artist with ten years of experiences in film. I’m working with XSI or Maya but follow blender developpement and projects since two years. Really nice trailer with a free software in developpement and a limited team with limited time. With some work for compositing and lighting integration for some shot , more of motionblur and depth of field can improve this project a lot.Trailer of a film is always a “test” for improving the final project. I like the shot with the shaman , really nice ambiance ( add a bit of smoke with Blender 2.5 ? ). I really excited to see the final product and show it to some of my collegue at work. A lot of professional is sceptic about blender ( me the first a couples of years ago ) but when i show some artwork or project like yours , many of them are very impressed. Continue your nice work !
Congrulation !
@Joongle:
I’ll just repeat what I said on the blog: the video wasn’t posted by us. It’s part of the documentary being made by Ali (and I think everyone, both on the team and in the community, appreciates him posting these snippets).
I don’t think any of us would complain to the community about the critiques. We were answering interview questions, not speaking to the community.
Critiques are, of course, all part of the process. And we know to expect them. But we are human like everyone else, so of course they affect us. Even more-so when we lack sleep and are on edge. ;-)
Moreover, there are many other reasons for our stressed and drained looks in that video. Not just community critiques. :-)
@Tobias Dn:
Seriously, you just made my day. The overwhelmingly positive response to the trailer was, of course, extremely happy-making over here. But I hadn’t thought of it quite in those terms. Thanks. :-)
I think brevity is part of the problem: On the internet, people tend to cut to the chase. Plus, language and communication styles come into play. For example, you could have a person who things 98% of the work is positively stunning, that you have reached a level of excellence far greater than most of the commercial work out there, who is so excited that he wants to help by pointing out that one little thing that he thinks might put the final polish on the project, even though if you didn’t he’d still say it was an artistic victory. Now picture him sneaking a peak at the website at work, when he’s supposed to be working. He’s probably not going to express all of that to you. Instead, you’re likely to get something along the lines of, “Looks fantastic overall, but the eyebrows don’t look quite right to me. You should have done X instead ….” Now, add to that the artist’s tendency to overweight the negative, especially since he may have slaved over those damned eyebrows for two weeks …. and you can see how the true nature of the message can get mangled. The internet – with so much off-the-cuff, rapid-fire written communication – is a breeding ground for misinterpretation and misunderstanding. For all of the benefits it brings, it has never found a way to accurately capture the huge amount of communication that goes back and forth during in-person, face-to-face interactions.
And then there are those miserable people whose eyes fall upon a piece of art and only see the brush strokes instead of the painting, and those who revel in knocking the wind out of people’s sails. There is no other way to deal with them other than to ignore them.
Positive comments out-stripped negative comments by about 10:1! Take heart in that.
Trailers have the problem of trying to immerse you in a new world very suddenly, before a natural ‘suspension of disbelief’ sets in. And they can be played over and over and nit-picked.
oh yes … and i want to add this comment … ignore bad and non-constructive criticism. Some people just don’t know how many works is behind a projects like this. You have always people with negative comments even on big films with thounsand of artist and with millions of dollard budget.
“I can only imagine that making a short movie in a few months time, with a small team, and with Ton as your boss can’t be easy. ”
HAHA, Bart!
Anyway, the main mistake was to let hear that community can “influence” the style of the movie, theme etc…
I mean, you have set a team up – a great one moreover – for devel and art part. You should have make the point clear at the beginning.
The involvement of community should have been done only on a “executive” basis not for consultancy.
But hey, the result is quite good, so don’t feel ashamed or defeated!
Go Durian Team!
Nathan:
What is the status of blender 2.5’s animation system? Beyond the new features, everything from 2.49 has been implemented and are usable?
Someone told me some good advice when it comes to criticisms.
“Listen to the people that you respect. Thank everyone else for their critiques, but don’t pay attention to them.” Sounds harsh, I know, but it is true.
Really the more criticism people give out the more they care about the project and the more they want it to succeed.
There might be people who are finger pointing just to make themselves feel good but I definitely think that those are just a tiny minority.
A lot of people might be too eager / impatient to get to Hollywood/Pixar level even though deep down they know it will take a lot of effort and a lot of time to improve Blender and catch up to commercial solutions.
I think as long as we keep things in perspective and know that this is just a movie that is intended to test the tool to it’s limit and discover weakness to focus on later then we’ll be good.
Good work guys.
There is a small group of people out there who think everything should be done their way, and feel they need to be vocal about it, but in reality most people don’t give a rat’s a$$ about their opinion. I sit here and shake my head when I see these armchair director’s comments, personally I just don’t understand the need for it. Thankfully, the rest of us are just along for the great ride, and appreciate (and totally geek out over) the intimate glimpse into the process. Thanks for sharing it!
In the shot where Campbells talking, the anmation of his hair is way off and the texture on Colin’s shirt doesn’t look realistic at all. The particle hair on Nathan’s chin looked ok, but the alpha should fade off much sooner to give him that rugged “Hugh Jackman / Wolverine” look.
Oh, and give him three foot long unobtanium claws and let him loose on the commenters here. :D
I feel most of the criticism was as if they personally were making the movie. But here is the thing, lets see them produce a film, in this amount of short time frame…. with sound, music and voice acting. See if they can render and produce the level of quality the Sintel group has. I doubt they can. As for criticisms of the hair and her face. I think they look fine. 1) the Hair is a known issue.. but it dose not look garish by any means. It has a Blender Movie studio style to it. It looks fine. Her face, looks normal to me. I love the skin tone and texture, it has a real feel to it. People are to used to the smooth as glass skin Final fantasy and Pixar puked out over the many years. I honestly find those Japanese anime boring. They lack detail. Here the Blender movie team has given their characters texture and detail. Bravo! I love it.
I was really impressed with the foot steps appearing in the sand as she walked! Very nice guys and gals!
I am so excited to get my hands on a more complete blender 2.5. I hope a new release is due out soon!
Sorry Andrew (redbyte) but I really don’t think you can compare yourself to the Blender team… I am thoroughly confused as to why the Blender team are receiving harsh comments about Sintel, but you, well, are trying to charge for very very subpar tutorials… capitalising on Blender essentially. Naturally this is going to rub a lot of people the wrong way. I have no problem spending money on Blender tuition, I have bought the latest BGE book and a DVD too. What you are doing, with the annoying mailing list thing and all, it just comes across as a scam, to be honest.
***
Props to the amazing team working on Sintel. I saw the teaser yesterday and was way more impressed than I thought I would be. When I first saw a screengrab of the untextured head of the main character, I thought she looked too ‘anime’, but lately I have been very impressed with the work shown on the blog. This teaser is no different. I believe it’s going to be at least as good as BBB, which was really really awesome. Keep up the good work guys! :)
im positive ;)
Thanks Andrew / Redbyte for your tutorials. I’ve watched the smoke one to better get my head around how the system works and it is making a difference here on Durian. Keep it up and all the best with ‘The Wow Factor’!
LOL at harsh critics!!
1). Team Durian is using Blender 2.5 which is in a development stage and bugs will appear. I am working exclusively with 2.52 and I have found that I either have to be patient for fixes or find temporary work arounds to get the results or near results to what I want. I know it will not be perfect but perfect will come.
2). Time is of the essence and sadly time will not always permit absolute perfection. Team Durian is on a tight schedule and the work they are doing is absolutly astounding in my estimation. I take note on what they have accomplished and marval at it. THUMBS UP TEAM DURIAN.
3). The stock I take in harsh critics is based on their own level of work. Quite frankly when I read harsh posts I usually try to find the level of their own work which most the time is IS NOT AVAILIBLE because they are too busy beating other work down rather then producing something of their own.
Enough said. Team Durian – keep up the great work. Harsh Critics – put your mouth where where your money is. If you got something to say offer your own work to show you know what your talking about or keep your insanity to yourself.
yea we all know hair aren’t perfect and skins looks like ruber ;)
but hell i LOVE this thriller now just wait 2 months ….
amazing team there ;)
It is in these times that I always go back to an awesome book called “Art and Fear.”
“Today artwork does not emerge from a secure common ground… Making art now means working in the face of uncertainty; it means living with doubt and contradiction… Making the work you want to make means setting aside these doubts so that you may see clearly what you have done, and thereby see where to go next. Making the work you want to make means finding nourishment within the work itself.”
I think Ton should spring for a copy of “Art and Fear” for every artist working on Durian. It can be a life-saver!
Wow Miffed, I can tell by your confidence that you must be a REALLY good artist! Can you please post a link to your portfolio, so that I can marvel at your skills?
Or just be an anon hater basement dweller who can’t back his shizz up…
Durian’s looking great, and I use the crap outta Andrew’s tutorials.
Before i even watch the video:
On Critics: There never needs to be one. But there always is.
Durian team: Fantastic work. It is revolutionary!!
Please keep up the great work, it means a lot to a lot of people.
I know where these guys are at. I had to work with software that wasn’t finished yet for a project where I work. And let me tell you this was one of the most frustrating experiences of my life. Not only is Blender 2.5 not finished yet but given enough time these guys would “fix” all the things that aren’t perfect yet. Tonight I will drink a cold one for you guys in the Durian team. Thanks for your efforts.
@Nathan Vegdalh,
Alright, I stand corrected, all I wanted – is for you guys to get the credit you deserve, and the positiveness from everyone should really overwhelm the few naysayers ;)
@ Oscar – Love your comment!!! It goes back to my post that people with the most to Critisize will have to least to offer to back up their words
@ Miffed – Im pretty “miffed” by your comments. If you have so much to say why dont you offer something more than your unsubstaniated words
Awesome! I’ll buy this movie! :D
I agree. Sometimes there are some feedbacks that sould not be posted. But also there is huge anonymity. Most of them would not say it in face to face conversation. Keep, it real! :) You are doing a good job.
Jan
I’m only sorry that I didn’t post my audience feedback because I thought it was useless and everybody would groupie around about this trailer. But it seems it was not the case.
So here it is a little later and since some time has passed I can only be more objective in my critics to the trailer, Here:
It gave gave me the SHIVERS, there’s great potential in the themes we perceive in the trailer which appeals to me more than Big Buck Bunny! Yes I’m one of those who actually loved Elephants dream, and usually enjoy artistically mature scripts. No matter what people say, it will find some resonance in the long run (Elephants Dream still has not been recognized for its proper value yet.) . Big Buck Bunny was technically perfect, but just light and funny. I think putting some soul into the whole doesn’t hurt. From what I saw, you guys obviously did it, so the critics must be even more so hurtful. I guess now you won’t be reading that much of the comments and you’ll be right because you still have more important things to do ! so you probably won’t get to this one. It’s not altogether a bad thing that you have questioned yourselves thus. As Colin said “Point is taken” which is really all that matters. Now whatever you do, do it for yourselves first, and it will only come out glorified!
Especially Ton, in this moment trust yourself and your decisions, you’re an artist too, you’ve shown it before!
As a side note I should add that I invested a little money in funding the project like so many people with the DVD pre sale, and I can say that the result already stands up to my expectations!
Man, I think you guys are doing great! You work well together! It must be like being on Apollo 13 when it hits the fan and eveyone tries to be cool! ha! You guys are a bigger man than me! hee hee
I believe harsh criticism is absolutely necessary, provided it is based in reality. Unfounded criticism generated for the sake of just insulting people is the real problem.
@Durian Team: Amazing trailer! I know it’s hard receiving bad comments and that it must be even harder separating out the true critiques, but I’m sure most people mean well. You’re doing an awesome job on this project so far and I have a feeling it will only get better.
@Miffed: I don’t think I’ve ever heard Andrew compare himself to the Blender/ Durian Team. Aside from that, I think he makes excellent tutorials, pretty much at the same level as Blendercookie does. If you don’t like it, don’t watch it.
i usually don’t like criticizing for fearing of hurting others
if people need my critics they will ask for it then it will rather be a discussion than criticizing
of course i will criticize wthout other asking if i see people going right into a wall…so that they will stop in time
i had some bad experience with people who wanted me to do some graphic work for them and when the work was done all i heard it was…”well…this is not our style!!!”
once a friend who was writing a novel…wanted my help for ideas and inspiration…i helped him…he wrote his novel using ideas of me…
once he had it published he brought a copy and wanted me to read it and then tell him what i was thinking of it…
as soon as i started reading it i noticed there wasn’t a single word mentionning people who helped him…
i could not carry on with the reading because it was so upsetting…
on the internet the freedom of speech goes sometimes far beyond limits…and thus becomes useless…
carry on with doing what you do…do it first…the way you feel it…
then bad criticism will come too late!
g.lucas seldom exposed his works for criticisme…!
@ Oscar
I don’t remember saying I was a better artist than anybody (not that I’m saying I’m not)…maybe actually read my post next time ;) The Durian team have done an amazing job, I did say that in my post.
@ Papahans
What would you like me to offer? If I feel I could do it better than it has already been done, I would do it.
Dear Blender Team.
We truly admire your work.
Ton and the team have provided tools for the next generations of producers of animation. Thank you.
You Blender team are equivalent to the teams that work on blockbuster movies, it’s a question of scale.
A word to critics.
Why just say “this or that is not good”. Instead provide full working precise detail, code, what ever it takes on how to fix it, better still give of yourself, donate, join the team and fix it your self.
In the history of criticism not one, ever, volunteered time and effort let alone skill.
A wise man (Harold Klemp), said something like -Fault finding is simply looking in a mirror and seeing reflection of things to be fixed within in one’self.
To start a job and keep it moving there has to be a fire in the Soul.
The rocks and pitfalls along the road dampen enthusiasm. It is always at this very point that the critics pounce, driving enthusiasm lower.
This is the job of a critic.
Seeing themselves on the high moral ground, driving daggers into ambition, throwing water on the fire while claiming to be doing good yet offering nothing.
May I suggest simply moving aside, rushing past, so their pounce falls in the self created mud.
Thank you for all you do.
Roger
Hmm…. I guess I should have commented. I felt that the team has done a very good job.
Yes I saw things that may have been “wrong” but I felt that the team would address them.
What has been done is very good. I have been impressed at every turn. I would like to say good job guys.
Thanks.
After ED i say wow, after BBB again wow. But now i say ….. (here you place an answer below)
Project looks very good but for me it’s too much similar to game trailer (especially scene on the street). I expected something more mysterious in feel, but after few seconds of watching i imagine that i can take an controll and start playing game, is it intentional? if answer is yes then i say triple wow, if answer is no then i say single wow but… :)
Keep working – it’s not waste of time for sure. It’s allways a good project for developing blender, for you, and for few other reasons (especially growing popularity, but you must expect criticism also).
I think the key for an good final effect will be postprocessing.
Look how many posts are here – isn’t a success?
Good luck
and keep smiling – especially TON You are real commander of this boat :)
I remember as a house builder I was my own worst critic. I would nit pic over the details and most times would do things myself instead of trusting someone else to do it. The end result? An exceptional house that took way to long to build, was way over budget, and caused me to find a different business to make a living at.
As for the critics; it is so much easier to tear down than to build. Don’t let them get to you. I didn’t see any of the faults they talk about, so how will the regular viewer?
Anyone who has worked professionally in CG knows exactly how much ass you are kicking. Keep it up fellahs. Durian has converted me to Blender, and From now on I am going to try to use it as much as possible.
I’ve already used blender 2.5 for smoke and liquid simulations in an effects shot for a client. Thanks Durian, thanks Blender team, and thanks Ton!
at some point your work reaches a level where it starts to look so good that the small imperfections stand out only because everything else is so perfect.. and yet those small imperfections in this case are of a quality that is truly inspiring.. keep up the good work :-)
Great work eveyone!
hey guys, just wanted to offer a word of encouragement!
i went through a similar experience not 3 days ago sending a rough cut to a client. i too have been fool-heartedly trying to use 2.5 betas for small production work – which has a habit of crashing every 2 minutes when you’re under the gun (not a complaint, i dove in knowing it was a work in progress!).
anyway, i’ve gotten used to nitpicks from clients, and usually welcome them when refining a piece, but this time the feedback was simply “we don’t like this – nothing about it feels right” i was really quite annoyed in the moment; after all, i’d been given a tight timeline and a thin budget, and i thought i’d done pretty well given those constraints.
after the requisite whining to friends and family, i found myself doubling my efforts to ‘really show em’ with the fine cut. i’ve been pulling crazy late nights since then, and i’m now sick and exhausted as a result. but i’m also pretty pleased with how much i’ve improved the piece.
so what am i saying here? well two things. one, being slapped around and told your work isn’t very good seems to be an inescapable part of being creative, and it usually pushes us to better ourselves, even if at the time we hate it and the d-bag who threw the criticism at us. second, and probably more importantly, is to pick one’s battles. yeah i proved to myself that i could do awesome work, but like i said, the scope of the project was supposed to be modest, and if the client’s expectations are unrealistic, they still might hate whatever i deliver. and now i’m worn out heading into the next project.
you guys are a massive pool of talent, both technically and creatively, and i am positive that sintel is going to reflect that.
Never pay attention to the pixar suckers or the f**kers at cartoon brew. It’s just a bunch of paid PR guys doing the nasty work of discouraging people to make their clients shine. Remember: 1st, is the internet, 2nd, those PR guys exist. Want proof? watch the corporation or ask yourself, how apple products word of mouth expands so quickly over the net?
Ok, now on to what really matters. Every people I showed the trailer said wow! very beautiful, is that from the 3d package you use? yes, I say, It’s blender all right.
Keep going guys, you are doing al right and we support you. That’s what really matter. Take the criticism that really matters and discard the rest.
Hey guys
Do not let yourself down, know that most of us greatly appreciate the excellent work done by you. We are sure that the end of this saga we’ll say, like our friend Andrew Price: “WOW”
Thanks
isn’t this been a touch over sensitive 95% of the comments on this movie have been very positive. why should the 5% suddenly dominate
@Miffed
I am in no way comparing myself to Durian team or what they have achieved. So I’m sorry if it came across that way. Maybe I’ll remove my little “story”.
I must say that I am amazed by what is happening here with this project. As so are most of the people posting positive comments. The project is amazing, is it perfect? No, not by any means. However, the devs have to stay on schedule and on task releasing this film so they can go on to keep doing what they do, make Open Movies. Thank you to all the members of the Blender Foundation for starting a new way to create movies. I love and I think we will all love Durian once it gets completed.
Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Rock on guys.
“it’s easy to forget that real people will be reading it, and that it may be interpreted far more negative than you intended”
The interwebs supply a thick coat of anonymity that license an individual’s dark side and their accompanying comments; comments that probably would never be shared person-to-person.
But the worst, worst, bratwurstest thing for you guys, you’re opening a Pandora’s box because the subject at issue is so subjective. 20-40-year-old, frustrated 3D artists now resigned to stapling together PTA cookbooks at ‘Kinko’s’ are naturally predisposed to being bitter. Sadly for us, the internet allows them a forum to vent.
Doesn’t mean we have to take it to heart. It’s like living in any major (USA anyway) city where somebody gives you the finger at least 12 times a day. If you dwell on the anger you’ll need counseling. Fuck it, Bro, don’t dwell. It’s part of the rich tapestry of the shit we do.
@Miffed
I wouldn’t really support you on that one, Miffed. Making tutorials is just as time consuming as is doing something (programming wise) for the software. You have the tool, you can learn to use it in much lesser time using tutorials than you would yourself.
There are so many paid Blender Tutorials on sale, and it doesn’t really mean they’re capitalizing on Blender’s fruition. Most of them actually donate a percentage of the earnings to the Blender Foundation, and I think that’s one really great thing someone can do, to help Blender!
In a way, I support them, and I personally have bought a few of them.
@Durian Team
I’m sorry you guys have to go through this. I know its hard that most people don’t respect the effort spent on your work; but hey, only around 50-80 people actually comment on a post- think of the other people who visit the blogs but comment less? Cause they’re too dumbstruck to :D
Like me! Love you guys!
(Repeat of my posting from the durian blog)
People.
This is an open movie. Any shots you want to fix after the movie is done YOU CAN fix and be a hero too. These guys are nothing short of hero’s that are pushing the craft of animation for independents.
As an animator I can see huge benefit for the community to learn and improve and grow. I for one have have picked out a shot from the trailer that I would like to polish and grow my skills in doing so. People need to realize that this is such an amazing opportunity for EVERYONE so please keep that in mind.
You guys are inspirational, thank you so much for sharing your work with the world.
Mike B,
North Vancouver, Canada
I agree with differentsmoke. Can’t add much to that. All I’m going to say is I can’t wait to see what the final result will be, to give my support to the team, keep your heads up guys.
I have to agree what Milad Thaha says.
So, Andrew don’t lose your heart by some irrational comments (likewise for Project Durian). Some people don’t know how much effort you have put in to create some amazing tutorials. Even though I am having tight budget, I never felt annoyed or forced to purchase something which would be of great help in my work-flow. We value your time and skills.
Andrew, you are one of the precious gems on the crown of Blender Community.
Internet communication is sometimes a battlefield.
But – Durian Team : Great job !!!!
Making a movie with an software who is in Development Stage is something my Grandma anytime warns me about. Now focus on the positive feedback !
Greetings
With Arine
Yeah, Andrew, don’t lose heart. Just forget the negativity people say. We guys need people like you. Else we’d be stuck here, trying to find out stuff on our own.
Don’t give a damn about the people who definitely ignore the fact that you are working with an alpha software with limited time and limited staff … anyway the SINTEL Teaser absolutely rocks my socks off!!!! The whole DURIAN Team rocks and your work is outstanding and inspiring!!! The quality level you had achieved is outer space!!!
Keep in mind that there are some people out there which are looking for errors or bugs, but these guys are pitiful!!! They watch movies to find mistakes and not to enjoy them … so keep your fantastic work up!!! Can’t wait to see the movie!!!
Leto
i wanna thank you on more time guys
“We’re not idiots, in that we can look at our own pictures and be very critical of them” -good quote. And I think the worst part is when you have people who have been using blender for like 2 months and think they have the authority to tell YOU what’s wrong with your work. It’s the choice of an artists to decide where to put his effort, what the style is, and what things he thinks are done well and others may not.
Good job on the project.
I dunno, maybe they should just give up. They will never make evryone happy so why bother trying… do what most artists at blenderartist do, just stop. Leave it in WIP and walk a w a y
Sometimes it’s better not to show a WIP because it usually get’s hacked to pieces by people that are overly critical. Blender seems like it should be something fun, fun to develop, and fun to make movies promoting it… so have fun! and don’t worry, I saw the preview clip, it looks great so far.
RE: Peaved
“You have to know some of the blender artist forum crowd are so pathetic now, that they badgered a 13yo boy for even daring to ask for a little free help. And this not the first time, its was almost criminal. http://blenderartists.org/forum/showthread.php?t=186573”
Have a look at this: http://forums.cgsociety.org/showthread.php?f=154&t=880504
(It’s not related to this BN thread, it just appeared topical)
I’m really trying to be positive when I say this, but you have to know that there will be criticism. Remember that a lot of famous movies like Star Wars, and The Wizard of OZ were destined to be flops before they hit the theater.
Finding and fixing mistakes is one thing, but the overall story and visual experience is the most important part of what you are doing. Focus on that, and don’t worry about the little things. Personally I hate the dragon designs in this film http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qHUhygdAZIw but still enjoyed the movie.
I love the work you are doing and think it is well worth all of the effort you are putting in. Maybe someday if I’m lucky enough I’ll get to join you over there. Good luck, and good work.
Hello, Durian team!
Almost all of you looks very tired in this video. I feel sorry for you. Don’t push it so hard!
I’m very hard on criticism because I need to be like this for making graphics for games. And I really didn’t noticed anything “disguisting” or “pathetic” in your Sintel’s teaser.
Sometimes I make my work too long in time so I decided to work with the rule:
“One pixel is worthless!” or “One pixel don’t cost a whole war!”
It means that time for making a good art can’t be compared with something that isn’t noticeble to 99% of people who seen it. At friday I spent about an hour or even more to make a good bumpy pattern on a detail (included preparing a clipart and work with UV). And you know… I didn’t noticed this pattern from far view when I rendered the whole object. So I had understood that I just did unnecessary work.
I just WISH YOU to don’t react so sad on somebodies stupid envy. It can be masked with “pure” criticizm.
I’m sure: your animation movie will be the very charmy and really awesome spectacle!
@nobody
@deathguppie
@differentsmoke
@Christian Storay
@Miffed
@Any Lazy Artist Who Can’t Draw With Crayons
I don’t get it either, why don’t the negative criticism just get emailed to directly Ton or the Durian inbox- why post it- especially if its probably not going to get read by the team so that they will take notice of the suggestions (they’re kinda busy right now)- so how is the criticism really helpful other than inflating bad artists egos (shaking head) so sad- so very very sad.
Some people get a free Mercedes or win the lottery and suddenly they are a CEO. I didn’t think that colleges were that useful, now I think I know why theres levels of education. Nasty people are not humbled by what they don’t know- so they don’t deserve good things because they don’t appreciate it. Kinda like a spoiled kid. Blender has spoiled us- now we want more for free!! And now we all are directors- without having actually learned the trade!! But its not Blenders fault.
Some of us actual pros appreciate it. Awesome work!! And to those who are sudden CEOs- 3D work is WORK (Surprise!!!!). Theres a reason why it normally takes a crew of like 50 or more people to accomplish something so awesome- so when a single person like RedByte, or even a small team like Durian posts something thats even remotely decent. Just know that they were actually W-O-R-K-I-N-G, and very hard.
The last guy who had a super awesome reel- took literally a year off and did nothing but work on it- and it was only like 10 minutes long!
So no- the nasty criticism does not help improve the product- I don’t know who told that lie. And saying “I can take “Harsh” criticism”- is like saying I can a take a punch to the face. Well- OOKKKK- its cool to juvenile delinquents, but its rather pointless. Quite primitive. It just means you should learn how to dodge (Remember that professional artist people :) Thats what all the big-time artists have learned to do so well- they’re smart hahaha).
Blender has a clear path and its given gratis- what would help improve the product is not “your work is bad”- thats just PURE laziness!!
Harshness does not = better product. It just means a person cannot communicate past Neanderthal language to express precisely what hes trying to say- or doesn’t have the knowledge to do so (Sorry for you artists who had to go through that with clients).
So to the lazy, non-communicating people- try actually getting involved- try learning to program- try creating your own movie with the community help to show how the pipeline (by action not empty words) could be better. Try spending time and W-O-R-K-I-N-G to create a tutorial.
Try NOT being so Lazy- thats likely why you DON’T Work at Pixar and have nothing better to do than clog these posts with bad comments…
Apologies on behalf of the good, hard workers in the 3D community- Durian team- us pros know you rock- and thats all that matters.
@trinitrotolulene
@Rev Stump
ON POINT
Dichotomie Blenderienne:
Les groupies sont des anges
Les critiqueurs sont des salauds
– – –
Dichotomy Blenderienne:
The groupies are angels
The criticizers are bastards
As I said before…
“Love the look, the direction and as an open source project it’s evolving beautifully.
well done guys, you should be proud of what your doing.”
@REZ – Bravo!!!! You stated things well.
@Redbyte/Andrew – please do not applogize for nething!!
Your tutorials are very professional and everytime I go over them I always learn something new. The things I love about your tuts are this (Which is what I think Noobs like Miffed miss):
1). You offer a complete introduction that prepares me for what I am about to learn
2). You offer a “homey” analogy that really helps to put things in perspective so that the really technical stuff can be related to in a simple way.
3). When you introduce a button or setting that is not clear and has not yet been documented by the development team you are not afraid to say “Im not sure what its for but I do know if you change the setting to XXX it works better). ie …. you are not a know it all and have not problem admiting it (unlike your unadmiring critics.
4). You put a tremendous amount of work in everything you do and then offer what you do for 99.9% of the time free of charge. Your work deserves payment even if its a complement – so thumbs up to you. I will be buying your new tutorial even though I rarely work with compositors for one reason – you deserve it!
@Team Durian – I think you can see the overwealming support you are receiving by all the posts here and the attempt by the true Blender community to censor the children who have nothing better to do than complain about stuff they cannot do better.
Thats like they say:
Those who can do;
Those who cant teach;
Those who cant even teach critique on the internet.
Seriously the teaser looks awesome… I didn’t read the comments before seeing this video. Oh well people will complain about anything.
I have never been known to shout in all my decades on the internet, BUT I NEED TO SAY THAT
The PURPOSE of an Open Movie Project is to advance Blender, not to somehow make the Blender Foundation into a Blender Film Institute.
The GOAL of an Open Movie Project is to create assets and tools that can be used by the Blender Community to MAKE YOUR OWN MEDIA.
In fact, if I was in charge, I would deliberately leave a few shots unfinished, and challenge the community to fill in the gaps and publish their own version.
What you see is a work in progress, and are invited to contribute. No other studio on Earth does this. Do not confuse Open with Commercial – they are about as far apart in philosophy as Microsoft and Apple, yet they both produce gadgets and software.
Enjoy the gifts that are given to you. If a stranger on the street gives five dollars, would you think “Oh, he only gave me five, that was so cheap of him, he should have given me ten, or twenty, or a hundred” and thus be unhappy? If you do, you will be an eternally bitter and dissatisfied person. Instead, just say thank you, and make your plans for how YOU can turn that five into ten, or twenty or a hundred.
(and yes, I do, and I teach :)
I haven’t read through all comments, but wanted give my own:
Keep up the great work durian team. You know you’re writing history with this project and make the cgi world rumble once it is finished!
Hi guys, you are a small young team working with blender 2.5, improving,testing blender.
I wish I could do halve of what you have done in one year time. Thank you very much for your effort, thank you for helping my beloved BLENDER.
BLENDER 4ever.
Producing a project like durian is a balancing act of limited resources. Finances, work force, machines, deadline, deadline, deadline etc, etc… Some sacrifices will have to be made to get the job done.
The over critical comments made by some shows their lack of experience working on a production pipeline or any 3D project at all. The harshest ones most probably also come from those who have nothing to show on their blender reel.
The trailer displayed how far blender has leaped forward. I’m excited for blender and the community. Inspiring job team durian. Can’t wait to see the movie.
Don’t care about stupid, destructive criticism but care for a real and constructive one. The one thing I wanna say is that Blender project itself and the following movie projects highly (HIGHLY !!!) inspired me to start developing open game engine platform and create such great projects like open movie projects in the future where creativity is in the first place. You. YOU guys are fantastic. The whole Durian, Blender development teams and Community. Keep Going. Keep Growing, Be Strong. Never Stop and Never Give UP. Never.
Ah criticism of an artist. Where to begin? Since I started my journey into the world of art I have faced tons of criticism. What I read on all the various posts and blogs don’t even compare. Not to belittle them or the staggering amount but let me share with you some real criticism.
While dropping the needle on some very fine vinyl one night I had a request to stop playing House Music and start playing Hip Hop. Well I didn’t want to play Hip Hop and wasn’t hired to play Hip Hop so I didn’t play Hip Hop. That guy’s criticism came in the form of pulling out a pistol and threatening me, the bartenders, the bouncers, and everyone in the club.
Another time I got done with a set and bellied up to the bar while another DJ started his set. Next thing I knew I had a knife at my throat and as I put my thumb against the blade to reassure my worst nightmare I thought to myself “If you didn’t like my music you could have just said so.” Now these are the extreme forms of criticism and I have experienced many more at various levels but when it all comes down to it, you have to do what you love to do and move on.
I wouldn’t have changed a thing even if that knife had sliced through my throat (not like I could) or if one of those bullets from that pistol found it’s way through my skull. Nope not one single change and you know what? Those sets kicked azz! Not my fault they didn’t like them. You can’t please everyone and you shouldn’t even try.
Do your best and do it your way or what is the point? I love blender and like it way better than those others. I have only been using it for about 2 years now and have seen so much progress it blows my mind. What you guys and gals are doing is life changing for so many. I admire you and your work! Please shake it off and stand tall. Thank you for everything and keep it up.
I think you guys rock, and I can’t even imagine that you are also DEVELOPING the software at the same time! Wow.
There is no pleasing everyone.
In general the open content projects are very important to the world of I.P.
That means that its only any good if its really really good. Its no use having “free” stuff that suck.
So many eyes, hands, crits are there just to do that: lift it 2 mm higher.
It’s compared to Shrek/Pixar/Avatar/Whatever300man3Year-project. It’s being in a “cause” that makes the stakes holy, so yeah, sometimes the critics are towards the project, not the people creating the project.
Ofcourse for Bart its always about the people, that’s a good thing. It’s actual people with actual lifes ( well not if you are in a blender project ) giving their utter to please a growd.
I think you are doing a good job. This is going to be another project that looks like its crawling now, but will stand in time.
I think you are doing and artistic and technical good work
You are pioneers
You are developing new ways for artistic production and free knowledge.
“Enhorabuena!!!!”
Totally agree with you Rez.
I’m not a great Blender “student” (probably because I spent too much time in bars) but I like tutorials given to the community by guys like Andrew. I think he quite enjoy doing it and it’s very helpfull to people (like me) who can’t afford buying book and need from time to time to learn something new. They’re mostly in english and it’s sometimes not easy for all non english (which is my case) to get them right (even with the videostuts).
Critics can be either positive or negative I agree but they tend toward improving something. And I agree this is the way to say things that may hurt people very deeply and often, they do because those who criticize have just a problem with their egos or simply need to “unleash” hatred they have deep within.
I like what the team does and I like what Andrew does as well.
:))
La critique est facile.
Avoir votre talent ne l’est pas.
Votre démarche, celle de votre équipe, mais aussi celle de Ton est révolutionnaire, talentueuse, gonflée d’intelligence, et galvanise bien des gens dans l’ombre.
Vous ne vous contentez pas d’être créatif et curieux, vous êtes prescripteurs !
Chapeaux bas, les amis, si tous le monde, quel que soit son secteur d’activité, son origine et son métier pouvait être animé du même état d’esprit que vous, c’est l’ensemble de la planète qui se porterai mieux en 6 mois.
Merci, merci, merci…
Making a movie is hard and making an animated movie is near impossible. Everyone that was involved in this project therefore deserves great praise. However, the thing that annoys me the most about this movie project is that a 10-year old can come up with a better name than ‘Sintel’. To make matters worse is the fact that this is an ‘open movie’ and if anything the community could make valid contributions towards the storyline and title (no 3D skills required). Instead this potential resource remains untapped. It just seems like such a waste.
@Johan
Toy Story
Cars
Up
Wall-E
Avatar
Shark Tale
Dinosaur
Shrek
Um sorry- no- Sintel actually works-
But if you’re serious about allowing everyone to contribute- try starting a project and sifting through 200,000+ possible titles and contributed story lines. Next- get EVERYONE to agree. The actual movie would be started 5 years from now (likely 10)! These guys are the best of the best- they have reasons for doing some things certain ways…
Allowing the benefit of the doubt- even agreeing on something like basic story line, etc can end up in tons of revisions with 2 people and a producer. So to get a project moving, solid and decisive decisions have to be made, once the decision is made, it has to be stuck to and followed through (as any good film maker can tell you), because you don’t want to start making changes to anything in the middle.
Its an Open Project, but how many open projects are no longer being developed? Its like building a house. How much would really get done if everyone was allowed to constantly make changes to the blueprint to match their taste- and noone knew when it was time to start building? However, everyone CAN visit the completed house. So we’ll have to wait to watch the finished product.
And Papasmurf is right, the Open Source product is not as much the movie as it is the software that everyone is looking forward to having- the movie is primarily to improve the actual software- but hey make it cool while you’re there.
If you would like to contribute assistance, visit the Durian site to see whats available at this point…
http://durian.blender.org/
REZ- uh, sorry, but when I look at your list the one title that does not seem to work is ‘Sintel’. This is just my opinion as a consumer and I’m just voicing it here as a matter of record.
With regards to the title problem- I honestly don’t think there would be hundreds of thousands of title submissions, but even then (if we agree on your hyperbole) it would only take a couple of days to read through. That ain’t bad if you consider that you would end up with the great title. I’m not advocating constant involvement of everyone all the time- just in this instance (because the title is so bad). I also think that any criticism of the movie is perfectly legitimate since it is called a ‘movie’ and not a ‘tech demo’. If it was called a ‘tech demo’ then it would actually make a discussion about the merits of the trailer easier, because people would not conflate a movie critique with a critique of the team’s production efforts or Blender’s merits as 3D software.
The trailer was great!
You guys did a great job on the sintel progect, i can’t wait to see the full movie… err or tech temo.
I still think that giving that this is probably one of the only films actually being fully created with open source software, that it looks truely amazing.
The quality of the CGI is nicely polished and the characters look great. I haven’t seen the full movie,
so i can’t really decide on that yet, but with around eleven minutes it could become as classic and
memorable as earlier projects such as Big Buck Bunny and Elephants Dream.
There will always be a certain amount of idiots out there, who might not be really idiots, but just not able to think past the tip of their noses. “Idiotes”, ancient greek for “one that is with himself” – says it all. Just ignore them and do your thing and it will turn out just fine according to your possible standards. And for real, these are just soaring high right now :)
An example:
when I recorded my last album and mixed down a super rough version after assembling all the tracks so my mates could get the gist, one of them reacted like this:
“Can you please give me all the separate tracks, I wanna give them to my friend who has a studio so I can see what can be made of this in a professional studio.” After 2 days into the production.
So I prepared to send all of the 127 tracks out (referring to Ton’s “700.000 pictures” which says it all) and got as a reply from the studio guy: “Isn’t that a bit much?” 2 weeks later I kicked the guy out of the band because he was seriously starting to annoy me and embarrass everybody by asking professionals in the scene stupid questions and so on, challenging 15 years of experience with 1.
You should act similarly. Just don’t give a *youchoosethe4letterword*.