Studio711.com – Ben Martens

BYOP Rendering

The Studio711 renderfarm is hard at work on the last major chunk of the movie. Tonight I'll begin the film editing and start looking at sound effects. I'm shooting for an Internet movie release late next week. The DVD (including extras, interviews, etc) will come out a couple weeks after the release. You'll be able to pick up your own DVD copy at cost to me (since I can't use this version of Maya in commercial ventures.) If you pick it up from me in person, you'll pay about $5. If you need it shipped, the cost will be around $10.

benmartens September 25, 2003 Projects

Actors Strike Is Over

After a couple days of slacking, the cast of BYOP is back on the set! Tonight I picked up some more DVD+R's and a DVD+RW. I burned some BYOP video to the RW and checked it out on my TV. It's beautiful! Time to go cut loose some more rendering.

benmartens September 11, 2003 Projects

Slow Going

An update on the movie for those of you interested… I'd guess I'm about 20% done with the rendering. I'm employing the "script a little, render a little" method. I sat down the other day and wrote out most of the script. So now I just rig up a new scene with camera, lighting, character motion, etc and then cut it loose to render a couple hundred frames. I figured out how I could hook Maya up to my distributed rendering project but I don't think it would be worth my time right now. Maya moves along pretty quickly and this movie isn't too long. If I go for a longer movie next time, I might try to hook it up to Render.NET and then all of you can help me render frames for the movie. I'm shooting for having this movie done by the end of September.

benmartens August 29, 2003 Projects

Personnel Issues

After dealing with actors who wanted to turn the movie into a musical, a hairdresser who wanted to give everyone mullet's, and a camera crew who was more interested in filming passing ladies, filming began late last night on the set of BYOP.

benmartens August 25, 2003 Projects

Professor Teaford

In the fall semester of 2001, I had the privilege of taking a Constitutional History class from Professor Teaford.  I hope that one day you'll get an opportunity to meet this man!  The following are just a few of his memorable quotes.  It's not the same as seeing him in person, but hopefully they'll be good for a few laughs.

  • If a president's popularity rating goes down, don't we like to bomb people?
  • This is a nation where cows lounge in front of the state capitol building.
  • Would you like it class? No! Because I'm obviously a lunatic!
  • If I was president of congress, would I show up? Yes! I might get on a coin or something! I'd spend my nights coming up with cute little quotes.
  • New Hampshire has always been cheap. Their state motto is "Live Free or Die" and they mean it literally!
  • If someone marched in here and said we should seize a federal base… where's a federal base around here? The post office! Stamps!
  • Tyranny! Well aren't you concerned? No? Maybe because it's Friday.
  • Woohoo Hoosierland! The number one state in the Union! The home of … what famous person is from Indiana? No one? Drew Brees! No! He's from Texas. Well he went to school here.
  • California's just a bunch of druggie surfers.
  • Those people in the back of the room are lethargic and un-American!
  • Those people back then would have loved this lecture. I wish they were here.
  • Haven't you been in classes where you graded your own homework? I have. And didn't I cheat? Yes! Well it was trig and you never finish trig homework.
  • Wouldn't it be an honor to serve on the Supreme Court with the nephew of your idol? Who's your idol? Me!
  • He's a nice guy. Just don't touch his nose.
  • These are yellow because the guy who made the slides thought the harsh contrast between black and white would hurt your eyes. It makes me want to puke.
  • I've been in Lafayette for 26 years. Have I seen much change? No! Well, we got a second Wal-Mart.
  • That's why I wear loose clothing – so I can be more dynamic! Also my father is one size bigger than me.
  • $86 for a startup fee?!? What a gip! Those Verizon people are living in big houses and driving around in limos. Do they have chalk on their suits? No!
  • I think her desire to be at other people's funerals sustained her forever.
  • Paranoid people think the boogey man is after them. Well he could be!
  • Have you ever been to Levee Laundromat? Don't people come in with pickup trucks full of laundry and 12 children? They're probably stealing clothes from the machine. Ooo, this looks nice. I think I'll wear this one!
  • Do we care about beauty in Indiana? No! Throw those pop cans on the side of the road. This isn't Michigan!
  • In this land of liberty, should you have to find freedom through UPS?
  • Look at Charles Sumner's head. See how it's cracked there?
  • Have you ever heard of Franklin Pierce's birthplace? Well I have. But did I have to wait in line? No! Because he was nothing!
  • Maybe some people who didn't have good history in high school don't know how this turns out. "Well, Coach never told us what happened."
  • Are there many opportunities for 84-year olds. Well he could work at Wal-Mart. That would be great! We could go to Wal-Mart and see Chief Justice Taney. Well that's where I'll be in a few years.
  • I've taught this class for a million years but it's the first time it has ever been relevant.
  • I throw my bottles in the dumpster. I feel bad. Well the guy on the bike goes in and gets them. I'm helping the poor guy. He ought to ride his bike to Michigan!
  • If you can't remember the name, just scribble.
  • Hunnington, IN where they eat apple pie and love their mothers. What else do Americans do? The Dan Quayle museum is there!
  • You're going to end up dead. Well I guess we all are.
  • I had a great-grandfather who fought there… don't know what he did. He probably ran.
  • I like rednecks. Let's go to Covington!
  • You want a secret? Even I have gone over 65 on the highway. I once got up to 67!
  • Well I feel bad now because I always think you guys are on drugs or something but you've actually been working hard.
  • I wonder what rich people eat at breakfast.
  • There are no refunds once you're dead.
  • If you don't want risk you should lay in the bath tub with a bath mat over your head. Well that's the safest place in case of a natural disaster… assuming there's no water in there because then you could drown.
  • Every time I go through Danville, IL I think there must be a radiation dump there. The people all look so weird.
  • I don't have to worry about anthrax. I never get any mail. Any package would be strange.
  • Have you been up to that McDonalds on Northwestern? Well nobody here works there right? Nobody there works!
  • I guess you haven't been reduced to reading the obituaries to see what jobs might be open.
  • My father never brought home anybody famous. He just brought home Big Ruth. She taught us card games and the fast shuffle. She was our babysitter. Well if you hang out in the bars you meet interesting people.
  • Geometry never changed from the time of Euclid to the time of my old geometry teacher. Actually she was so old it was about the same time.
  • Sometimes I see people and I hope they are on drugs. Otherwise they are in a horrible state!
  • "The best things in life are free!" There was a song about that. The guy who wrote it made a lot of money off of it.
  • The drought was so bad that the cactus died!
  • Well you're Canadian. You don't care about liberty!
  • We gotta review this week so that means I have to repeat everything 12 times.
  • Are paranoid people very productive? Well maybe if you threaten them.
benmartens August 8, 2003 Commentary

Terrain Generator

The OpenGL terrain generator is moving along nicely. I talked to Matt today and figured out how to average my normal vectors so that the lighting looks more realistic. The simulation currently allows you to move around in the world, flip from shaded to wireframe, add/remove water, and change the water level. I think it looks pretty good right now. The next job is to use the diamond square algorithm to dynamically generate clouds.

benmartens April 3, 2003 Geek, Projects

Todo

I've started a list of projects I'd like to work on. If you have any experience with any of these ideas, I'd like to hear from you. I don't know how long it will take me to get around to them all, but I figure that if I at least make a list then I won't forget about them.

benmartens March 28, 2003 Projects