Rolling Scissors Demonstrated (Duration: 2:28 )

Machinima movie using a WWII flight simulator and post-production software to create illustrative animations.

This method that is still in use today for air combat is a maneuver called rolling scissors. It occurs when two aircraft come into the same airspace, and begin trying to get the shooting advantage on the other plane. While this principle will be illustrated, and then demonstrated in this video, deflection shooting is another topic that will deserve some attention. For as you are rolling around the sky with someone who also wants to end your virtual air corps career, you will see demonstrated the important aspects of this air combat maneuver.

I had originally planned on a running narration voice over, but enjoyed my selection of background music so I decided I didn't want to cover it up. Suitable captions were out together to fill in the story. The background music supplements the frenetic pace of this video.

Over all I felt pretty good about the result; was pleased with the animations in the Rolling Scissors Illlustrated as well as the Deflection Shooting animation.

Highlights of these segments include:

Rolling Scissors turned out a little too dim, but it was the best I could get to work on using captured from the simulator. Watching the video in full screen mode helps restore some of the balance I intended, being that the rest of the screen is black makes the animaiton more visible. This included capturing one rolling aircraft, then duplicating that, and flipping it to be inverted to the first. In this manner, the illusion of two aircraft rolling opposite each other was achieved.

Deflection Shooting was done using Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator and After Effects.

• A large background image was used so that it may be zoomed during clip so that illusion of movement was simulated
  
• Cleaned up extracts of an aircraft cockpit, external aircraft were fashioned in Adobe Photoshop
  
• Bullets using Adobe Illustrator were created, then animated in After Effects
• The movement of the aircraft were animated in After Effects
  
• The animations were exported as a seperate movie clip, and imported into Premier where headers and captions were added

Screenshot of Deflection animation work environment. Click for larger image.

See finished video by clicking http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U4p7xSId1ik for presentation..

Light Quarterly (Duration: 0:05 )

This was a prototype of a splash screen for a client. The project is continuing, but this was so well received and looks nice, so it has earned a place here.

Click on the image at left for a pop-up screen with the full sized Quicktime Movie clip.

Tigers in the Mountains (Duration: 3:09 )

Here is a sample of a video exercise I did in 2005. The rendering engine for the action
portion was a WWII flight simulator named IL-2 Stormovik. This genre is commonly referred to as "Machinima" to illustrate that the machine is making the content.

It was to demonstrate pantomime action, devoid of voice over-dubs or music
sound track to cover any continuity or other editing errors.

This is posted on Yahoo videos, and there is a site link at the bottom of the control
area (just click on the "Y Video" icon). Feedback is welcome.

Epic Buffalo (Duration: 7:52)

First sample of a video exercise. Lots of mistakes made and not really enough editing, though it holds together pretty well despite all that. Why post such as this here? It shows how far I have come and demonstrates that even earlier work shows promise.

The rendering engine for the action portion was again a WWII flight simulator named IL-2 Stormovik. This genre is commonly referred to as "Machinima" to illustrate that the machine is making the content.

It was to demonstrate pantomime action, devoid of voice overdubs or music sound track to cover any continuity or other editing errors.

This is posted on Yahoo videos, and there is a site link at the bottom of the control area (just click on the "Y Video" icon). Feedback is welcome.