BenjaminDBailey
Where art comes to life!
Speaking More Slowly
Mar 11th
Did you ever realize that speaking more slowly is an art? When you try to communicate across the language barrier you stop and go “Whoa… maybe what I’m saying really is hard to understand!” It’s the gift of finding simple, new ways to tell people the most important things. It’s tough, but it’s good.
Today I went on a walk with my sister and two Chinese ESL-student friends. It was a great time!
Having a wonderful time on the hike!
After that, my sister and I headed over to our church to help film a church short film for this Easter’s production. We were shooting a short scene where a teen girl is on her first day at school at a cafeteria, where she tries to find someone to relate to. Expect to see a version online sometime before Easter!
And yesterday evening Becky, Tim, and I went out on a nice trip around downtown Fayettevile, asking people if they wanted to be interviewed. We ended up in the park and got the majority of our whopping 5 interviews, and I got to play basketball with a bunch of teen dudes who I’ve never met before – it was awesome. I plan on going out to film some more interviews in Beckley soon.
And tonight I finished a new version of my little character. Hope you like Mr. Ugly!
My name does not reflect my kind heart - so stop staring at me, bub!
And that about concludes everything for tonight. I wish you all the best and look forward to my future of bright opportunities, friendships, and discoveries.
God bless!
Some Friendly Help
Mar 5th
I often find myself stumped by the simplest of things. But luckily, I have friends. 
The most recent example of a friend pulling me up out of the ditch of reckless frustration is this: I’ve been working on a project for Kurv Studios, but I couldn’t figure out how to UV map an image onto my character’s shoe. Well, David Ward came to my rescue by recording a little video tutorial for me, showing me how to add a decal to my mesh with UV mapping in Blender 2.51.
So here it is:
So I’d like to pass on a big “Thanks!” to David Ward for helping me out again. My pre-visualization project is almost ready to be recorded into video tutorials, so you’ll be hearing more about it in the days to come!
And my result!
As for daily news? I practiced driving for about an hour, and I was fitted for a tux for my brother’s upcoming wedding this March. And oh, that reminds me – I need to practice my duet for the ceremony!
Toodles!
Snow, snow, please go!
Mar 1st
Actually, I’m enjoying the snow quite a bit. Yesterday I helped my brother and father snowblow and shovel the snow.
Tim snowblowing away!
Today, I helped a friend shovel the parking lot at church. It’s good to let my lame muscles do some work for once.
Big decisions have been made – a proper post would be in order, so I’ll save the gory details for later, but I’ve decided to stick around in the hills for another year, pushing an on-campus college education off for at least 2011.
So long for now, DAVE School! I will consider you for the future.
And finally, I’m very glad to say that what I thought to be a dead pixel in my camcorder really turned out to be a grain of sand on the Fujinon lens. A damaged CCD would have cost me hundreds of dollars to repair.
And oh, one last thing: I sent in my audition videos to Crystal Creek Media for their upcoming film this summer. Here’s for hoping I make it in!
And I guess that’s about all for now,
Until later, good friends, and may the road be kind to you.
Back From Florida!
Feb 22nd
I’m back from a wonderful trip to Florida! I was able to visit friends and meet new ones, check out schools, and see the Gulf. It was a great time and I look forward to going back in April to escort Charlotte to her senior prom.
Here is a quick overview of what I did during my visit to the Sunshine State:
My first flight was quite amazing! The takeoff was exhilarating, I had a nice conversation with someone on the plane, and had a blast with the turbulence as we entered Orlando – yes, I was smiling
Smiling me
Full Sail was a sprawling, sunny campus set in costly sound stages, a converted stripmall, and buildings with fake fronts for films. The equipment was unbelievably expensive, with rooms full of high-end soundboards and Mac computers. They even get the latest RED cameras. A good friend of the Lynns, Joseph Hancock, a Masters student at Full Sail, and a friend of his, toured us around the the campus.
Joey, Ben, and Charlotte at Full Sail
DAVE School is set in a warehouse-like building on the backlot of Universal Studios, right next to Universal Resort Orlando. The school is very small, with a few long rooms filled with students working on projects ranging from texturing a frog in ZBrush or texturing a commercial product to putting their face on a creature from their favorite feature film. Andrew Kral kindly toured me around the rooms and introduced me to students and teachers. The school only accepts about 30 students for each class. Unlike Full Sail, which is a four-year university (with a two-year accelerated version,) DAVE School is a 1-year tradeschool. I have been accepted if I choose to go.
Andrew Kral and Ben Bailey at the DAVE School
The Acting Studio is an amazing, small studio where Dan and Vicki Watson teach teens and college students how to act, sing, and dance. The studio performs musicals, such as Into the Woods, Little Shop of Horrors, and Return to the Forbidden Planet. This time around they were doing Godspell, a comedic musical with a 70’s take on the gospel of Matthew. I really enjoyed watching it (twice,) and loved all the students. I look forward to joining them someday, if I move to the area.
Charlotte, Ben, and Vicki at The Acting Studio
The Fairs were fun! We went to the State Fair and the Pasco County Fair. Charlotte and I walked around and played a few games, such as throwing baseballs at beer bottles, and went to a big tent circus. Later we went to the Pasco talent show and watched some 46 contestants, ranging from 6-16, dance, sing, or do both at the same time! And oh, I had my first funnel cake.
The beautiful ferris wheel at night!
The Gulf of Mexico was awesome! Joy, Chuck, Charlotte, and I all walked along the beach on Valentines day. We also fed the seagulls some heart cookies as I filmed the birds racing to get the food. After that Charlotte and I walked the beach and watched all the happy couples as they enjoyed a romantic sunset.
Charlotte posing at the Gulf
The Conclusion? Well, I definitely want to go back again! Possibly even move there. But I’m torn between all the possibilities and responsibilities that lay before me: finishing high school, get a driver’s license, and deciding whether I want to spend my life doing visual effects for movies and commercials, act and direct films, stay at home for another year, move to Tampa for a year of acting experience and worklife away from home, or just up and move to another country and make a singing career.
In other words, I have no idea.
Ben, Becca, Charlotte, and Shelby chilling!
Please remember me in your prayers and shoot me an e-mail if you feel like chatting. I’ve got a hard decision ahead of me, one that will change my life forever.
Blessings be upon you!
P.S. I had a wonderful time with you, friends! I look forward to seeing you again! And a HUGE thanks to the Lynns for taking care of me while I was down there – giving me a place to stay, serving me food, driving me all over the place, and loving me as family.
Off to Florida
Feb 8th
Yep, I’m heading off tomorrow to sunny Florida. Coming into Orlando on February 9, I’m staying for about 10 days and checking out the colleges down there, including DAVE School (1-year trade school) and Full Sail (4-year multimedia university,) as well as visiting some good friends.
I hope to gain a better insight into what to do with the rest of my life. I’d really appreciate your thoughts and prayers. I plan to do some filming on the trip, too. First time flying, to boot.
Anyhow, see you on the other side,
God bless
Modeling Timelapse Part 2 – Malroy the Dragon
Jan 25th
Well, I’ve finally gotten Part 2 of the Modeling Timelapse for Malroy the Dragon encoded. Camtasia was being very fidgity, not letting me render – either complaining that it was out of memory due to large file size or odd dimensions, or just plain crash on me a fourth of the way through the render. Anyway, I used Blender 2.49b to encode this baby. Enjoy!
Modeling Timelapse Part 2 – Malroy the Dragon from Benjamin Bailey on Vimeo.
Dear readers, please let me know how you like this Malroy series, and if you want me to continue with this character or move onto new territory.
And oh, I plan to enter in the Blending Life 2 contest! It’s just started, and I’ve got 9 weeks to make the most realistic 3D human portrait possible. Yikes! This is going to be tough.
Best wishes!
Malroy the Dragon!
Jan 21st
I am introducing Malroy the Dragon, the star character in my free 3D creation timelapses, featuring everything from his shaping from a simple cube to his splendor as a fully textured, rigged, and animated creature – or at least, that’s my hope.
Check out the first timelapse tutorial now, featuring Part 1 of his modeling process – make sure to come back soon to catch the second part to this new series!
Modeling Timelapse Part 1 – Malroy The Dragon from Benjamin Bailey on Vimeo.
Note: I kept in most all of my errors, to minimize editing time and let you see my whole workflow. Hope you enjoy the big picture.
P.S. Finished reading the Project London script! I really like Ian Hubert’s writing! Looking forward to getting underway with helping Ian out with some intro/end sequences for the film. I was recently added to the team!
Christmas Production Is Over!
Jan 11th
Well, it’s finally over. The youth of Fayetteville Christ Fellowship’s Christmas Production was performed yesterday evening at 6pm EST. This Biblical retelling of the Birth of Jesus was presented from the point of Mary of Nazareth, showing the roller-coaster ride she went through from before the point of receiving the message from Gabriel to the conception of Jesus, and His death and resurrection, this play shows you what she felt during these years of rejection and hope.
 Eric's angel groupshot |
 Simeon's seems a bit busy with his iPhone |
This play mixes live-action stage performance with pre-filmed video projected on the screen. In one scene, Mary actually has a conversation with the video (with the voice of Gabriel being dubbed live.)
We had a great cast, especially Erika Dailey (Erica Snuffer,) who portrayed Mary. A big thanks goes out to the entire youth group, our youth group leader who directed us, to those who provided the lands to film the shepherd scene and Buster the donkey for the traveling video, and the baby for the temple footage. We had actors, narrators, musicians, and those who ran the sound and video display during the performance – it was a huge undertaking, but the theme that permeated the entire production was “Trust, trust, trust”. Yes, trust God, and with that trusting, the whole project pulled through to become a beautiful performance.
 Temple scene mini-groupshot |
 Mary and Joseph traveling |
I was privileged to portray a magi, sing the song “God With Us”, and direct, film, and edit the footage sequences, as well as narrate the voice of Joseph.
Me giving a thumbs-up for the temple scene
Praise God for His help and leading with this project, because without Him it would not have pulled through nearly as well. There was a lot of fighting against this production, but God prevailed.
You can see all the videos from this production on this Vimeo playlist!
Enjoy and God bless
2010 New Year’s Resolutions
Dec 31st
It’s almost 2010, so that means we should keep with tradition and make two thousand and ten resolutions for this coming year, right? Eh, maybe not.
I’ve been adament against making New Year’s resolutions all my life, but this year I feel strangely comeplelled to make a change – big change.
Sure, I’ve been compelled before, and on previous New Year’s, but this time I have a big list and an even bigger responsibility than before.
Instead of being free to just make huge wishes and hoping they’d come true, that I’d be a hero and succeed in everything I had set out to do, this coming year I have to consider something else, bigger, large, and definitely more scary.
I used to like to think I was ahead of the game – I still do, in a small, weird way, but in so many ways I’m behind. I’m fat (some would say “overweight”,) I have a lot to study, and most of all, college to consider. Afterall, next month I will be 19 years old.
Sometimes people are put on a fast track, garnaring a PhD at age 21. Other times they go slower, maybe getting into college at age 18. Still others are a bit slower, waiting and wondering. I guess you could put me in the latter faction.
Should I go to Full Sail to pursue multimedia and film, or to the DAVE School for animation and visual effects instruction, or to the ALERT Academy to get a firm gripping in Christian principles along with a full set of applicible trades – and a nice figure to boot.
The way I’m headed isn’t nearly as substantial as I’d like it to be, but my current focus is online software training, independent filmmaking, and contributing to open source projects.
I’ve always loved music, drawing, singing – but maybe film is the way I should go? Or maybe not.
Anyhow, this near year is looming upon us – only about 3 hours until the big 10 – our tenth year of the 21st century.
I could make a documentary about my health and coming fitness journey, or make a short video every single day for a year, or write a musical, or fly to South Africa and go backpacking across the wild continent.
So what should I do? Hey, why am I asking you? I have to figure this out.
But if there is one thing I know, it’s this:
You will never conquer the world until you first conquer yourself. This is the inner Beast – once you have control of this, you have control of everything.
- Benjamin Bailey (me)
So, enjoy this coming year, and God bless you!
Be the man you want to be – the man you are destined to be.
P.S. Having a great time with relatives up here in Iowa with relatives, watching football, shows, a movie; eating sweets, playing Super Mario Bros: Wii, and contemplating life. God bless!
HDR Reflections in Blender
Dec 23rd
My animation is finally done rendering and is done uploading! This took a few days to render on this more powerful PC (AMD Athlon 7750 Dual-Core, 2.69 GHz, 3.25 GB of RAM.)
HDR Reflections in Blender from Benjamin Bailey on Vimeo.
It’s time for me to get onto this Christmas production video editing! Yikes!
Enjoy and have a very Merry Christmas! May you have a fulfilling life!