Shooting on the Burrard Bridge with the Canon Powershot

Last night I ended up walking along the sea wall down at English Bay and took some photos of the Burrard Bridge. Here is one of those images from last night. I did do some editing in Photoshop to play with the hues but the composition is directly from the camera. I got to say, ever since I got the Canon Powershot s110, I've been taking alot more photos and editing them. I'm still learning to use the camera but they look OK so far. I'm also messing with new techniques for editing in Photoshop. I got a bunch more and I'll add then as I get time.

Check here to see the before and after for the photo »

Darvin K. Manwah: Digital Compositor at Zoic Studios (Vancouver) & Matte Painter
Online Portfolio, Personal Blog and ACM SIGGRAPH Portfolio Review Mentor

Online Movie Rentals & Disney Movies

So, I wanted to share some thoughts I had floating around in terms of the movie industry. I used to visit the open theaters back in Trinidad where we'd pull in with our cars, park next to a miniature standing speaker and wait till it got dark to see the movie on the giant movie projector. Transitioning to that, now there's movie rentals online or access to buy movies online. Everything seems to be moving digitally and it's all about online movies recently. Then I remember watching lion king movies, Pinocchio, Fantasia, Peter Pan or even The Little Mermaid movie on weekends flocking to see the latest on that impressive movie projector at the time. It was the greatest movie experience at the time and probably will be for years to come. Even here in Vancouver you can go to the David Lam Park and see open nights on a movie projector on Saturdays with friends.

The craze is all about digital content for on line movies with the ability to rent movies almost any specific time you want. Before you'd have to drive to movie clubs to get decently cheap movies but now you have the ability of downloading movies online. You can even download movies or have streaming movies online for the iPad and iPhone which personally I think it's a tad bit too small.

I don't know many people who would download movies legally anymore but I think it's on the rise towards being able to rent movies online. If I had a TV I'd probably have movie on demand or have a movie rental service of some sort.

I have a few vintage movie posters at home I'm sure and it was fun to have them on the walls in my room. I never really got into the craze of collecting them though, just the random ones I always got from time to time. Now that I work for TV I guess the ideas change over time and understanding the amount of work and time it takes to have a single movie made and the incredibly talented people to make it all happen makes it harder to not purchase the movies. At the end of the day, it's all about change and moving with the time and keeping up with what viewers want.

What's Your Fav Disney Movie? Leave it in the Comments Below.

Darvin K. Manwah: Digital Compositor at Zoic Studios (Vancouver) & Matte Painter
Online Portfolio, Personal Blog and ACM SIGGRAPH Portfolio Review Mentor

10 Reminders for the Wild and Free

What's Your 10 Reminders?

So I saw this video and had to post it. It reminds me of the amazing summer I had in Anaheim earlier this year for SIGGRAPH. Sometimes we get tied up in our daily lives that we forget to live. Here are 10 reminders why sometimes we just got to put down the work bags and get out of the office.

1. Unplug and explore nature
2. Never grow up
3. Take the leap
4. Find a beautiful place and get lost in it
5. Nothing cures fear faster than actions
6. When nothing is certain anything is possible
7. Live unbound
8. Plant a tree
9. Don't quit your day dream
10. What do you think 10 should be? Leave it in the comments below and let me know.

Darvin K. Manwah: Digital Compositor at Zoic Studios (Vancouver) & Matte Painter
Online Portfolio, Personal Blog and ACM SIGGRAPH Portfolio Review Mentor

Youtube Preview Commercials and Ads

Best Youtube Commercials and Ads

Recently I've been on Youtube alot more than usual, mainly looking at various channels and seeing how Youtube is slowly progressing into the mainstream entertainment as compared to Television. I didn't even know that Youtube offered Movies and TV Shows to subscribe to as compared to having an actual Youtube Channel. Based on what I've seen if you're a Youtube Partner and you have a descent following, then your channel will become part of the their content source for TV Shows. You get all of this plus tons more content at the cost of a monthly internet bill. I don't have a Television and I'm glad I don't because I appreciate the content on Youtube a whole lot more and the best part if that you can relate to the Youtuber alot more.

I'm still a huge TV Series fan though so I'm all for the Shows still, I even work on a few at the moment, Falling Skies and Once Upon a Time in Wonderland. Back to the original point, here are a few Youtube Commercials I've seen that sticks out for me. Let me know what you think in the comments below of the ads and also your take on Youtube becoming the new Main Stream Entertainment Network against Television.

Star Wars - The Old Republic Live Action Trailer

Hardbite Chips - You Live Here Ad

Guinness Basketball Commercial

Raebok Crosby SC87 Training Collection

2014 Yamaha Viper - Every Viper Has Its Venom Ad

The BMW 4 Series Coupé

Darvin K. Manwah: Digital Compositor at Zoic Studios (Vancouver) & Matte Painter
Online Portfolio, Personal Blog and ACM SIGGRAPH Portfolio Review Mentor

Blue Jasmine Junket Interview with Woody Allen

Here's a film I've been looking forward to for quite some time. I've been in a Woody Allen streak for a while just because of his directing and cinematography but I think his framing of shots are really great and the compositions are usually spot on. Some of my personal bests from him includes Manhattan, Whatever Works starring Superman himself Henry Cavill and my personal best Midnight in Paris (might just be my best film ever, just saying).

Blue Jasmine's cast includes the insanely talented Cate Blanchett as Jasmine (She's from Australia, really, didn't know that), Alec Baldwin as Hal and Sally Hawkins as Ginger. I don't really know alot about Sally but I'm guessing she's right on the money since she got a Woody approval (wink wink). The film came out in August and has received a 7.8/10 in IMDB which is not bad, given that Falling Skies got a 7.2/10 but I'm not judging, moving on.

Directly quoted from Blue Jasmine's IMDB Page, the Synopsis reads (and just because I'm lazy to change the words)

"A New York socialite, deeply troubled and in denial, arrives in San Francisco to impose upon her sister. She looks a million, but isn't bringing money, peace, or love..."

Below is an Interview Junket with Woody Allen talking about Blue Jasmine's idea and how he went about shooting in San Francisco. Maybe one day I'll be able to make my films and randomly choose a city or even better a country for my film. Also don't forget to stay updated with Blue Jasmine's Facebook Page for more updates.

... and a clip from Blue Jasmine

Midnight in Paris

I had to include the trailer for Midnight in Paris just because it's an awesome film by Woody Allen. It got a 7.7/10 on IMDB and won an Oscar for Best Writing. Even though it's back in 2011, this film is still one of my favourites.

What would you consider to be one of your favorite Wood Allen Films? And what's your best film of all time? Let me know in the comments below and also any recommendations on any other Woody Allen Film you think I should check out?

Darvin K. Manwah: Digital Compositor at Zoic Studios (Vancouver) & Matte Painter
Online Portfolio, Personal Blog and ACM SIGGRAPH Portfolio Review Mentor

Falling Skies on Jacked In with Emily Hartridge and Alfie Deyes for Virgin Media

Emily Hartridge on The Snap

Here's a Youtube clip I found talking about Falling Skies from one of my fav Youtubers, Emily Hartdrige along with one of her pretend boyfriends (Alfie Deyes) from her show '10 Reasons Why' (which I highly recommend you check out). She's ridiculously funny with the 10 reasons she comes up with every week about random topics. They are on a new Youtube Show called The Snap by Virgin Media. Subscribe to her channel and to The Snap and have fun.

Scrub to 1m 37s to go directly to the Falling Skies blurb. If you'd like to get more from Emily, check out her Facebook Page or her Twitter Account for more updated posts. Enjoy!

Darvin K. Manwah: Digital Compositor at Zoic Studios (Vancouver) & Matte Painter
Online Portfolio, Personal Blog and ACM SIGGRAPH Portfolio Review Mentor

Happy Canada Day 2013

I was fortunate enough to move to Vancouver, Canada 4 years ago to study Visual Effects for Television and Feature Films at the Vancouver Film School. Now I'm employed at Zoic Studios in Vancouver and working on an amazing TV Series called 'Falling Skies'. What would I like to change? ... hmmm I'll let you know if I ever come up with anything.

Happy Birthday Canada and thanks for being awesome.

ILM Supervisors Grady Cofer & Pablo Helman Talks Battleship

Hello guys, I'm not going to be very long tonight as I had one hell of a long day. I just got home with my groceries and now I'm heading to bed. I'm literally super tired right now and another long day ahead. Here's a quick talk between ILM Supervisors on Battleship, hope you enjoy, G'nite ...





Darvin K. Manwah | Matte Painter & Digital Compositor
www.darvinkmanwah.com

Lazy Sunday with Bruno Mars

Happy Sunday Guys. Hope you all are having a nice and sunny day. I got a few things to talk about so this one might be a bit wordy. As of tomorrow I'll be back working the day shift at the office so I'm excited about that. If you didn't know, I usually work from 7pm till 4am but not anymore so I'm stoked about that.

365-Day Journey, Where Will You Be?

Recently I realized that I don't have a whole lot of consistency in my life so I'm going to try and post at least once a day for ONE YEAR. I'm interested in seeing where my life will be 365 days away from today and having this blog will keep tabs on how it turns out. Not all my posts will be about me though, but also about VFX, my job, working On-Set, Volunteering at Conferences, Travelling and so on. It will be a tag along for the next 365 days so I hope you enjoy the ride. Here's a quick something to kick start our journey together.




Bruno Mars - The Lazy Song (Yah, It Was That Kinda Sunday)





Darvin K. Manwah | Matte Painter & Digital Compositor
www.darvinkmanwah.com

New Blog Design

Hey Hey .... Sooo today is a slow day and it was a long late night so I got up a bit late. I work at 7:00 pm till about 4:00 am and it gets tiring after a while especially being Friday but either way it's fun all around. I'm sure by now you've realized that I've changed the design of the blog. I wanted to give a face lift for a while and now that I'm back from SIGGRAPH, it was time.

Here is a quick image of what it looked like before just incase you're new to the blog or just wondering.

Also stay connected with my other account, add me on Google+ Circles or read my Twitter Tweets or subscribe to my Tumblr Posts or if you're into interesting photos check out my Instagram Pics. If not just Subscribe to this Blog.

Gotta get going, Catch yah on the Flip Side!

Free Flip Flop Frenzy

Hey guys, So I went to the grocery store a few days ago and saw Nature Valley giving free Flip Flops with a purchase of any 2 of their products. The inside of those boxes come with a code which you enter into their website and about 5 weeks later your Flip Flops arrives via mail. I was a bit skeptical about it but purchased it either way. Surprisingly enough, it arrived in just under 3 weeks. Here's the Nature Valley product I purchased and the Flip Flops in the mail and what they look like after opening them up. I honestly like them.

Chicken Wrap and Cashews on Air Canada

Chicken Wrap & Cashews on Air Canada before SIGGRAPH 2012

Quick back story .... Friday 3rd Aug I worked a 13 hour shift and slept for about 4 hrs from 12:15 pm till 4 pm, did some random stuff and headed back to the office for another late night. Left office around 2:00 am Sunday morning, slept at 3, up a 4 and at the airport at 5:30 am ... WATTT !!!

Finally right before I get through security the TSA asked a bunch of questions I didn't know the answer to and BAM, I miss my flight by 15 minutes. Luckily I got booked onto another Air Canada flight and got to LA around 10:30 am but I had to run for 45 minutes to get to the other gate in time before the flight left. That's where the adventure began.

I waited for a Shuttle (15 bucks) and headed to the convention center, dropped my luggage, met up with Anie (super awesome cosplay dressing, conference attending superstar legend). Grab a cup of coffee and cashews I had left over and ran to my Mentor Program with 5 minutes to spare. Holy Hell what just happened?

(3 hrs later ) Atleast my students were happy to hear what I had to say and they enjoyed their 30 minute Portfolio Review Session with me. They were all super talented and I'll share with you some of their work in the up-coming blogs.

Okay, I'm out for now, catch yah on the flip side ...

Kinda Funny, Sorta Funny, Really Funny?

Here are some free images from around the internet that I've compiled together. Have a laugh ...

Darvin K. Manwah | Matte Painter & Digital Compositor
www.darvinkmanwah.com

Sara Bareilles, Jonah Hill and Rubén Belloso

Sara Bareilles and Jonah Hill team up for Sara's music video 'Gonna Get Over You' as Jonah makes his first Music Video Directorial Debut. Thumbs up to Jonah for making Sara Bareilles look completely different and with some sexy swag it makes for an interesting music video. Check out the video Sara Bareilles - Gonna Get Over You ...

Read the rest of the story over at Sara Bareilles, Jonah Hill and Rubén Belloso



Darvin K. Manwah | Matte Painter & Digital Compositor
www.darvinkmanwah.com

Moving Forward

Hey guys,

It's been sometime since I wrote anything yet alone publish anything on this blog. I've been terribly busy with work and some personal stuff that I haven't had time to do a whole lot but get by ... day by day. Hopefully in the coming days I'll have more time to put my work out and talk a bit more on how things are progressing in Vancouver. Fall is approaching quickly so I'll have more time inside at the computer to publish stuff. Here's a quick look at the list of crazies that I've managed to swim through lately ...

1. SIGGRAPH 2011 at the Vancouver Convention Center
2. Volunteer at the Vancouver International Film Festival (VIFF)
3. WIP Mattepainting - The Sunken Valley of Arterolios

Well I'll get into more details later with pic and some scribbles ... I'm off to bed, another progressive week ahead ... G'nite World!



Darvin K. Manwah | Matte Painter & Digital Compositor
www.darvinkmanwah.com

Ghost Storm To Strike

Hey guys,

Sorry for now being around for a while. I've been on Set for another TV-Movie Ghost Storm and it's been super kewl. Alot of work and late nights but it's been fun. I can't share pics or info about it ... but it's been good.

G`nite

The Digital Domain Escapade and the Burrard Bridge Jog

Hey,

Just a quick update just because I've got tons of work left and I can't seem to find the time to get it done at all ... Just thought I'd leave some links that I managed to sum together for the last few days ... for the love for Digital Domain ...

Sunrise Theatre Black Box holding second annual IRSC Portfolio Day to help students find work in the Treasure Coast

Digital Domain Helps Dodge Rebel Against the Sci-Fi Robot and
Digital Domain Helps Dodge Rebel Against the Sci-Fi Robot Future

Josh Nimoy on the secrets behind the special effects in Tron Legacy

With my latest strive to be healthy, I ran 3km in 25 minutes across the Burrard Bridge ... I'm getting there ... and now I'm about to pass out, G'nite World ...