LOS ANGELES: 2019

My Facebook Furlough™ Experiment

tadleckman — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 04:36:39 +0000

For the month of April, I’m trying something. I’m not checking Facebook. I’ve turned off all Facebook notifications on my iPhone and iPad. I’ve checked out for a month.

I will occasionally cross post from Twitter or Google+ or Prismatic or directly from web pages, so my friends may see some phantom activity, but I’m not there.

I’ll be back soon enough, but for now I’m enjoying not reflexively checking to see what people are posting and which of my posts they are liking and sharing.

Did you ever notice…

tadleckman — Sat, 23 Mar 2013 07:00:16 +0000

Bob and Doug pull back the curtain on movie magic yet again…

Google Glass and Brainstorm

tadleckman — Thu, 28 Feb 2013 21:07:15 +0000

Is it just me? The new Google Glass demo video totally the same as the demo that Christopher Walken and his team put together in Brainstorm? Am I right?

And, if you are interested in Brainstorm‘s change in aspect ratio, you might like this blog post about Shapeshifting Films.

Blizzard Cinematics Mixer!

tadleckman — Thu, 28 Feb 2013 02:16:35 +0000

Hey gang! If you are involved in VFX or animation in LA, come by and see me at a mixer hosted by the Blizzard Cinematics team in Marina Del Ray on Thursday night!
I’ll be there from 7-9. Find me!
-TAD

Blizzard Entertainment invites you to join us for a most epic Networking Mixer!

Join us for a casual evening of Food, Drinks, and Industry talk…

What: Blizzard Entertainment’s Cinematics Networking Mixer

When: Thursday, February 28, 2013

Where: Jamaica Bay Inn (Beachside Restaurant & Bar)

14160 Palawan Way
Marina Del Rey, CA
(310) 439-3033

Time: 7:00pm to 11:00pm

Parking: Parking is free! Let the attendant know you are here for the Blizzard event

Your experience has caught our eye and we would love to have professionals of your caliber meet members of our Cinematics team. We are looking for the best and brightest to create the next generation of gaming cinematics to stun the world, again and again and again. We invite you to come and learn more about our exciting opportunities and meet us in person!

Our Cinematics team is a mid-sized, industry standard animation/visual FX studio, utilizing Maya, Houdini, Nuke and Renderman, as well as a core set of proprietary tools developed by our in house RnD team. We are actively hiring TD’s, Software Engineers, Artists, Animators, and many more…

Download a PDF of the invite.

My New Position at Blizzard Entertainment

tadleckman — Wed, 16 Jan 2013 06:56:52 +0000

Next week, I start a new job as Senior Training Manager for Blizzard’s Cinematics Team. I’ve played Diablo since the first one came out, and after years of resisting, I’ll be required to play World of Warcraft as part of my job. Why yes, it is awesome.

Good day, eh?

tadleckman — Thu, 10 Jan 2013 02:54:49 +0000

How did I miss this guy’s work? He’s even an Academy of Art graduate. Gonna buy his book!

“Ok, uh, we found this mouse in a bottle of Elsinore beer that we bought at your beer store, eh? And we heard that when that happens you get your beer free.”

You can own The Great Showdowns book!

R.I.P. Gerry Anderson

tadleckman — Thu, 27 Dec 2012 16:22:29 +0000

I hope Gerry Anderson’s casket rises from the church floor and slowly rolls to the gravesite on tank treads accompanied by bombastic music.

Sodium Benzoate

tadleckman — Sun, 16 Dec 2012 22:26:03 +0000

Welcome to Costco. I love you.

tadleckman — Fri, 07 Dec 2012 05:56:13 +0000

This scene in Idiocracy was originally supposed to take place in a Walmart, which makes more sense. But Costco works, too…and the studio would allow Mike Judge to make fun of Costco…but not Walmart, which sells more DVDs than any other retailer in the US.

Movember Survey

tadleckman — Sun, 18 Nov 2012 18:31:53 +0000

So, I’m probably done with job interviews and such until the end of the month. Should I join Movember in media res?