Way back
in 2016, I started working at AXS Studio (see announcement from my previous post).
As a technical artist / technical director, I worked on: illustrations,
including one for Scientific American;
animations, including clips for a PBS documentary; and interactive projects, including a multiplayer VR game
about repairing DNA as nanobots.
I also worked on a lot of technical aspects: designing effects and rigs,
managing a render farm, programming animation tools, fixing broken assets, and
many more.
Over
the past couple of years, I also worked freelance on a number of animations and
images for Professor David Leigh (http://catenane.net/), which I will share
more about in a follow-up post next week. In the meantime, you
can see some of the work on my website (www.biocinematics.com). This
is an illustration that was created for Nature (submitted for the cover, but sadly not used as such) in
which a programmable molecular machine is depicted as a
robotic arm. The molecule can produce different stereoisomers depending on the sequence of chemical inputs.
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| Programmable molecular robot |
Over the last few months, I came to the difficult decision to leave AXS Studio and pursue some self-directed work. Why? There are a number of reasons: some personal and family-related, others professional. Ultimately, I decided the time was right to try something (almost) completely different.
Since
before this blog started (nearly 10 years ago!) I've been passionate about
using animation and computer visualization to teach people about molecular
biology. That has not changed, and now more than ever, that's exactly what I
want to do. However, the format, platform, technology, and job description will
be new to me. More on that in a moment. I realized that to educate and inspire people (especially young people)
and help them engage in biology, I need to forego the client-work and studio-work models typically used in the field of biomedical illustration/animation.
There's a lot I'd like to explore within science education, so at least for the
next year, I'm giving myself free reign to create whatever I feel will best express
the ideas I have about biology, education, and animation.
Well,
that sounds very lofty and vague, but what am I actually going to do? Some of
it is TBD, that's kind of what "free reign" means. But here's the
elevator pitch:
I will be
making videos about biology.
They will
be a combination of 2D and 3D animation, with maybe some video footage. Let's
call it "mixed media".
They
won't all be the same format, length, style, structure, or content.
They will
be on YouTube, all freely accessible for everyone that has open internet
access.
They will
be less about facts and more about concepts. I want to promote understanding
more than knowledge of trivia.
They will
be fun and maybe sometimes a little funny.
Also:
I will continue to publish tutorials, though I expect to migrate them to a
second channel in the near future.
I will be
creating editorial molecular illustrations on Instagram and my website.
I will
continue to post on this blog.
I will be
learning a lot of new things (see below).
I will likely work on the occasional freelance client project.
I will
likely have some other interesting side projects on the go. We'll see what
comes up.
I know,
that looks like a lot. It is a lot. It's ambitious and risky, and I could fall
down and embarrass myself and have to find another "real job" and
that's okay. It's really okay. This is a journey I need to take regardless of
where it leads, and I'm incredibly excited to start down these paths.
Is there
anything else new?
Yes, I
built myself a new computer. I'll write a blog post about it down the road.
It's awesome and fun and I haven't had a new workstation at home since
TWO-THOUSAND-AND-NINE. Yes, that's right, since the year this blog started.
I'm going to be doing a lot of reading and research in molecular biology - to refresh my undergraduate knowledge, to fill in some gaps, and to deepen my understanding of physical biology, biochemistry, and related disciplines. My bookshelf is now overstuffed with textbooks.
And I'm
going to be using a lot of new software. Some of it I've used a little, some a
moderate amount, and some none at all. Here's my
current pipeline plan:
Reference
management: Zotero
Writing:
Sublime
Storyboarding:
Storyboarder
Modeling:
ZBrush/Houdini/Blender
Animation/FX:
Houdini
Texturing:
Photoshop/ZBrush
Rendering:
Redshift
Compositing:
Fusion
Motion
Graphics/Titles: AfterEffects/Illustrator
Editing/Grading:
DaVinci Resolve
SFX/Music:
Ableton Live/DaVinci Resolve
Where's
Maya in this mix? For various reasons, I am gracefully disembarking from the
Autodesk and Adobe trains. By gracefully, I mean I'm taking a giant leap and
trying to remember how to do a tuck-roll. It's true, I will be making some use
of my Adobe CS6 collection, but I think the time has come to step away from
Maya. It's been fun, and I may come crawling back, but this is another area in
which I need to assert some independence and do what I believe is right for me.
Wow, that got a little personal. Moving on…
 |
| Initial Redshift test in Houdini |
This has
been, by necessity, a fairly long post, so I'll try to wrap it up here.
Thanks for reading, and I hope you'll stay in touch as my new adventures begin.
Stuart
Ah… maybe
a very brief and slightly awkward FAQ:
Q: Sorry
if I missed it, but are you planning to earn money? YouTube is a hard ecosystem
to succeed in.
A: Yes, I
know. I will be experimenting with various revenue streams, but regardless of
financial success, I'm in this for at least a year. I'll be doing the
occasional client gig on the side, but my focus is to create the animations
that I feel most passionate about.
Q: I want
to support your efforts, what's the best way for me to do that?
A: Aw,
thanks! For now, I'd love for you to subscribe to my Biocinematics YouTube channel and connect with me on the social media platforms you regularly use (Twitter: @biocinematics,
Instagram: @biocinematics, Facebook: @biocinematics - consistency is good).
Q: I
mean, is there any way to support you financially?
A: What,
really? That's super kind. I couldn't possibly… *shuffles feet*. No, nothing
yet, but stay tuned. Keep an eye on the social media platform of your choice,
and I will be sure to make some noise once there are more things in place. Give
it a little time though, there's a chance you won't want to "buy what I'm
selling" after all…
Q: Is the
post title a Monty Python reference?
A: …………….
Ni!
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