What In Your Work Makes You Happy?

We all enjoy different aspects of flame, and if I’m being honest most of the labor falls in the category of “tolerated” but every now and again I find myself in a timeless happy rabbit hole where I feel good.

For me it’s getting small animation timings down, generally ones with specific physics. The two that come to mind were during what were otherwise unpleasant jobs. In this one I had to animate fake cardboard cutouts, so there had to be an initial hit and then a quick loss of momentum as the air drag took over, then a general acceleration as the cardboard hit the floor. The job had an impossibly short schedule (three days if memory serves), but for a small nugget of time I was working out the speed of a piece of falling cardboard and I was happy.

This one was just a ball flying in space, but for some reason I did it in Flame, and making sure the speed and travel felt good was a real treat amidst a job that was not.

What part of the job or software is always enjoyable for you, even when everything else might be shit?

6 Likes

For me, its the creative freedom afforded me by the company I work for. I once asked why no one ever attended an edit (it was a strange feeling having worked at various micromanaged places before)…the answer has stuck with me for 15yrs…”why? You know what you’re doing, we haven’t a clue…just make it look good!”

Now, I could not work for a room full of agency clients. I am in equal parts in awe of and pity for those who do.

5 Likes

Painting. I’ve discovered through this job I’m pretty good at it and I quite like doing it. There’s something quite satisfying about making something out of nothing.

5 Likes

With Flame I try to accomplish something in a new way each time. That is how I make joy out of cleanup and comps that I’ve done hundreds of times before.

4 Likes

Leaving at the end of the day!
I’m all serious though, when a client truly appreciates the work you’ve done, that’s what makes me happy.

3 Likes

I am a total geek. I like trying something new like @bryanb, a new technique.

I’ll throw an inappropriate approach at a shot just because it is something I am trying to learn.

Did a incredibly satisfying camera track (analyzer mono) complete with hand made point cloud (spheres) and rebuilt an undulating field using an extended bi-cubic projection.

I also enjoy comping 3D. I love rebuilding the beauty and having cryptomattes and utility passes like the worldP (LS_glue).

3 Likes

For me it’s figuring out a new way to approach a problem I already know how to solve

9 Likes

Ive been really getting a kick out of shaping color lately. When i grade shots fully from start to finish or im just affecting a small section of it after the grade has already happened i really like the effect it can have on the overall tone of the shot. I had a blast on a Destiny Trailer i did grading for in Flame for Blur Studios. I didnt do one lick of VFX but shaping the shots in color was really enjoyable. i like the conversation with clients about it too. Its never a technical, i see a black edge on ur comp thing, its much more emotive

4 Likes

Flame to me is like playing a game of Hungry Hungry Hippos by myself. I started with a bunch of balls in front of me - each one representing some part of this process that I had no idea how it worked. So then I reach out, grab a ball or two or more and figure out how that thing works. Then do it again. When I get to that point and I completely get the ins and outs of some part of Flame and the work looks good and as I envisioned, that’s exceptionally satisfying - that’s my happy place. And then do it again. And again.

I don’t think I can do this fast enough though, because just as I have what seems like a full bucket, some new tool is unveiled or released and I gotta keep going!

For those without Hasbro in their childhood: Hungry Hungry Hippos commercial - YouTube

3 Likes

Starting a fresh conform, ideally with some challenging shots and I love a green screen or two (or blue, I’ll take what I can get!). Creating efficiencies - be it Python , re-building my comps or just spending the time up front to make the workflow better down the track. Absorbing as much information, tips and tricks as I can (unfortunately they don’t always stick in my brain).

I love getting a brief and working out how to best achieve it keeping the budget in mind. I get a real kick out of creative problem solving.

Plus always being in a situation where it is just me or me and a couple of Flame artists, without a CG team, means taking some old school 2D & 2.5D approaches. It makes me happy being able to come up with a great looking shot where a bigger studio would have just thrown money and a CG team at.

2 Likes

I always get a kick with doing some small 3d stuff in flame.
Like adding 3D text / Logo so I don’t need the 3d department.
Recently I added some small bees as particles, which went really nice.
Also syncing animation exactly to sound makes me happy.

In our workflow we do conform on ungraded footage and then later import graded footage back in. So coming up with solutions to connecting everything together with connected conform and in batch by using a lot of elbows and such. So in the end it makes my life and work much faster and easier. Love it when I prepared 100 versions already with titles and ungraded footage. Create source sequence, and link that back to the graded, and all 100 versions gets updated instantly :grinning_face_with_smiling_eyes:

5 Likes

Invoicing.

7 Likes

In the old days I used to love making VHS tapes out to clients. Shit was like printing money…

Nowadays I would need some time to formulate an answer.

2 Likes

I get a thrill when things operate smoothly. I have this phobia of something not working as well as it ought to. It could be as simple as knowing that someone says something but ya know it’ll be a thing eventually, or having a backup way to do something, or just knowing that no matter what happens I can count on someone here to help me through something. I wish there was some kinda ultra modern Boy Scout merit badge type system for what we do. Cuz I’d really dig that.

3 Likes

Isn’t that merit badge a beefed up version of the modern"like" button?

Yup! But there is something I find fascinating about patches and badges. I love patches but hate denim. So, I’m forever looking for patches but am currently pinning them up in my studio when I should be building a bad ass denim jacket. Maybe I should switch to belt buckles like @andy_dill does.

2 Likes

i have a complete set of Apollo mission patches! Had a few on a shirt for a few years but had to rescue them when the shirt got knackered.

I really enjoy working on Beauty (human face). Im not sure if its because I put on make up almost everyday so that I can appreciate the time spent that helps make the skin/appearance look better/nicer/younger. It’s definitely an art form and can go in many directions and every artist will add their own flavor to how they do it.
And crazy enough I almost enjoy a 300 spot delivery. I KNOW…I know…But for some reason I get a kick out of being super organized and that many correct exports go out…then also feeling like I REALLY did something when the delivery is that many.

4 Likes

happy cake day