In the first of a three part series, Doug talks about the creation of various effects sequences completed for Blade Runner. In this video, he focuses on creating the opening sequence referred to as the “Hades Landscape”.

Doug and his Entertainment Effects Group team created thousands of acid-etched brass miniatures lit from below with hundreds of bundles of fiber-optic lights, shot in forced-perspective through layers of smoke to create layers of light refraction, creating depth.

Doug reveals how the explosions visible in the sequence were projected on screens placed throughout the miniature and light-timed. These explosions were created through massive pyrotechnics shot in the California desert for a discarded sequence for the 1970 Michelangelo Antonioni film Zabriskie Point.

The sequence ends on the Tyrell Pyramid, which Doug’s team created at 3 different scales with similar etched-brass lit from within.

All of this was shot on 65mm using motion-control and optically composited through multiple film exposures.

Once the fourth-largest metropolis in America—some have called it the Death of the American Dream. Today, the young people of the Motor City are making it their own DIY paradise where rules are second to passion and creativity. They are creating the new Detroit on their own terms, against real adversity. We put our boots on and went exploring.

Parts 2, 3, 4

http://marblefairbanks.com/?p=1694

Workers are seen at the Seed Cathedral, the centerpiece of the UK Pavilion at the Shanghai World Expo site in Shanghai February 21, 2010. The 20-meter-high cube-like Seed Cathedral will be covered by 60,000 slim, transparent acrylic rods, which will quiver in the breeze, according to the official website of Shanghai Expo. (REUTERS/China Daily)

Go to Vimeo and watch it in HD fullscreen: The Third & The Seventh

Homepage: http://www.thirdseventh.com/

Credits:
CG Modelling / Texturing / Illumination / Rendering: Alex Roman
Postproduction & Editing: Alex Roman
Music Sequenced & Orchestrated by Alex Roman
Sound Design by Alex Roman

Compositing Breakdown: http://vimeo.com/8200251
Exeter Shot – Making of: http://vimeo.com/8217700

Found via: http://forums.cgsociety.org/showthread.php?t=839673

Visual Acoustics. The Modernism of Julius Shulman

Photographer of architecture, naturalist, educator, and commentator on urban form. One of the leading architectural photographers of the 20th century, Shulman developed close association with the modernist architects, principally those active in Southern California such as Gregory Ain, John Lautner, Richard Neutra, and R.M. Schindler. Shulman’s images played a major role in crafting the image of the Los Angeles and “Southern California lifestyle” to the rest of the nation and world during the 1950s and 1960s. A prolific author, consultant, lecturer, exhibitor, and editor of his own vast archive, Shulman remained active up until his passing away in July of 2009.

Also see:

Julius Shulman: Man Behind the Camera

People and Buildings. The architectural photography of Julius Shulman

The world´s longest tree top walk

Take a walk in 8 to 25m height in unspoiled nature and experience completely new points of view. All this is possible upon the new tree top walk in the Bavarian Forest National Park.

Starting from the parking area next to the wildlife enclosure the world´s longest tree top walk starts at the entrance tower. With its elevator it gives easy access for all kind of visitors. Even for wheel chairs and children´s buggys it is absolutely no problem to enter the walk.

The wooden construction is integrated into the forest and delivers a natural experience. Along the path you will find various Points of information regarding the mountain forest as well as some adventures points. You may discover a unique forest and it`s different forms of life from a different point of view.

The path, 1300 meters long, winds up to an impressive tower with a height of 44 meters. You will discover an extraordinary and almost “borderless” view. Towards Lusen and Rachel mountains you will find the untouched wilderness and the sea of trees in the Bavarian and the bohemian forest. Towards Neuschönau it will be the vast cultural landscape and, on a clear and sunny day, even the silhouette of the alps.

http://www.baumwipfelpfad.by/bwp_en/index.php

Click for high res:

Nov. 11 (Bloomberg) — Power was restored in Brazil after an outage at a dam providing 20 percent of the country’s energy thrust about half of the nation’s 190 million people into darkness for at least two hours.

The 14,000-megawatt Itaipu Binacional hydroelectric dam said operations were back to normal at 6 a.m. local time after transmission failed, causing the world’s largest dam by output to forcibly shut down for the first time since it went online in 1983. The government is investigating the incident.

www.rossracine.com