Back in the Office
Travel, meet with clients, meet with family, travel meet with clients, meet with family, travel, travel, travel, and travel some more………the life of a CEO! And I love it! Thanks to modern technology, a day at the office is not missed, although I am on the road. I want to “shout out” a special thank you to our new Interactive trade-show client. Look for our press release upon project completion. Now I will not be the only one on the road at millionants, we will have over 200 trade-shows to bring alive with our interactive experience information centers! That’s it for now, don’t you just hate a wordy CEO!
customer demand drives new game team to millionants
millionants productions has unleashed. Unleashed a new game development team due to client demand. I will not bore you with the statistics, however 52M Americans between the ages of 2-17, or 82% play games! And this is not even close to the target demographic for the millionants in-game, or why the opportunity was siezed to work with millionants productions.
Stay tuned as we unveil a major production! No details now, but plenty to follow. If you are hip to genius creations in progress, you will want to follow millionants productions on twitter, @millionants.
millionants makes a scene in the press
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millionants productions Launches and is “Making a Scene” |
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The new interactive 3D animation, game, and video production company has a team of over 14 mega-talented artists and technologist from across the country. Combining specialized areas of expertise the company has the distinct advantage of creating unique and customized interactive productions. (PRWEB) January 31, 2010 — millionants productions, based in the San Francisco Bay Area, offers custom-designed interactive media services that are easy to understand but complex to create. millionants productions (http://millionants.com) offers services for companies who need to: explain a complex technology, introduce a new concept, unveil a product or service, create a corporate video or commercial, create a dynamic investor presentation, create an iPhone application for advertising, educate with interactive kiosks or CD/DVDs, or display an interactive game or experience at a museum, hospital, retail, or tradeshow environment. Founder and CEO of millionants productions, Kari Miller, is an entrepreneur who has worked with some of the nation’s largest companies, unveiling new concepts with highly effective 3D animation, game, and video experiences. When asked about the competition, Miller is optimistic, “There is plenty of room for all of us! At millionants productions we do not have a cookie-cutter approach to products and services like other animation, game, or video companies but rather we listen to our customers’ needs and customize every aspect of their production from concept to completion. No short cuts, period!” millionants productions are an experienced group of creative artists and technologists which bring expertise in the fields of 3D animation, game, and video production focusing on interactivity. The company offers a customer satisfaction guarantee. Follow them on Twitter (http://twitter.com/millionants), and check out their YouTube Channel (http://youtube.com/user/millionantsprod) # # # online version:
http://www.prweb.com/releases/millionantsproductions/millionants/prweb3541714.htm |
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Avatar, 3D technology, and millionants productions
At millionants productions we use sophisticated motion capture camera and crude wireframes which we then texture, light, and color just like they did in Avatar. Our Interactive Experience work has sophisticated camera and projection technology that includes custom programming. To the level of Avatar?
It depends upon your timeline and budget! Take a look below. Jaimon Joseph, technology correspondent, sheds some light on the making of Avatar. James Cameron made Titanic, Terminator, Total Recall, The Abyss, True Lies and Aliens. He’s mad about special effects, That’s why Avatar has over three thousand of them. There are about twenty-five frames in a second. Completing a single frame of these effects would take more than thirty hours. James often forces technology to evolve, to keep pace with his vision. In Avatar, he twisted movie-making technology, in at least four new ways.
Performance/ Motion Capture: 72 to 96 different cameras were rigged up around the set. The floor was marked with a grid, marking the areas covered by each camera. The actors wore special black leotards, with white reflective spots stuck all over. The cameras tracked the movement of those dots, not of the actors.
Computers receiving that camera feed would create rough virtual characters, moving in exactly the same way, instantly. When Zoe Saldanha, the lead actress moved, a crude model of Neytiri, her virtual avatar in the computer, mimicked her actions. Later of course, those crude wireframes had to be given lighting, texture and color in a separate studio. More than a Petabyte of such computer data was recorded for the movie–that’s 10 raised to the power six GB. More than two thousand five hundred of our home computers would be needed to store that data.
Expression Cameras: We humans read facial expressions easily. And quickly lose interest in digital faces that don’t properly emote. To make his avatars believable, Cameron made real human actors act out everything. While wearing special headgear, with powerful inbuilt cameras. Every movement of the eyeball, every dilation of the pupil, every quiver of the lips, every tightening of muscles under the skin was recorded and fed to a computer.
3D Cameras: Real humans often share screen space with the visually rich digital characters in Avatar. To ensure they didn’t look out of place, they had to be shot in three dimensions.
Till recently, 3D cameras were the size of a fridge. And weighed 250 kilos. Two separate cameras, kept a few feet apart, and moved together by huge cranes would record shots, which would later be played by two separate projectors at the theatre.
Camera specialists Vince Pace and Patrick Maxwell made Cameron a light, twenty five kilo 3D camera, Just like our eyes, it’s got two separate inbuilt lenses, which move and change focus on objects independently. A computer combines the images they record and overlaps them to create a 3D effect.
Virtual Camera: This one’s a simple notebook sized LCD screen, with video game like controls built in. But it displays the virtual world being generated by Cameron’s supercomputers, not the real set he’s actually shooting in. Point it at Zoe, the pretty lead actress and what Cameron sees is Neytiri in her jungle glory. Point it at an industrial crane and Cameron sees the huge Home Tree that the natives pray to and live in.
Directors who used computer graphics earlier would have to imagine what their final shots would look like. With the virtual camera, Cameron had it all right in front of his eyes. He could walk to different corners of the set, or change his height from the top of a tree stump to onboard a hovering helicopter. His supercomputers would sense where he was on the grid and recreate his virtual planet from that perspective. He could choose a final shot from wherever he pleased on the grid, and the computers would faithfully generate it.
All this from a man, who’s actually advised NASA, about cameras that they should use on a future mission to MARS. But does all this tech and all that money (Avatar cost about $230 million to produce – the most expensive movie ever made) translate into a classic? But what Cameron’s done is kick off 3D technology. If the trend catches on, in a decade or two, your TV, your laptop, your cell phone could all be 3D ready.
Ready, Set, Launch….it’s official
We are pleased to announce the official launch of millionants productions. Yes, today, January 25th we officially open for business!
Although millionants is not new to producing amazing visual experiences, we now will collectively produce under the millionants name.
“I am thrilled to be a part of such a talented team and we are more than ready to start helping clients engage in their creative process.” We have an amazing responsibility to deliver the best visual experience that millions have ever seen” echoed the CEO of millionants, Kari Miller.
“Making a Scene” is the millionants tag line……..what does that mean?
Check out the About Us page on our website. We deliver 3D animation,video, and or film in various mediums including interactive experiences, training and education, military simulations, corporate video, commercials, interactive walls, interactive games, iPhone applications, and interactive tradeshow experiences.
We look forward to plugging you in! Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube
Zen….work and life balance at millionants productions
Our philosophy at millionants productions is summarized below. We believe in balance, we believe in people, all people. Collectively our team has traveled the world, and this is what we have found to be true.
These tips are taken from Dan Buettner, world renowned National Geographic writer and traveler, @ ted.com/speakers/dan_buettner.html
What are the common denominators running through the different cultures studied? I summarized them below.
Move Naturally
(1) You don’t need a formal, rigorous exercise plan. We’re talking here a change in lifestyle that is fundamentally active. We’re designed to move. We’ve not meant to drive 100 meters in a car to pick up chips at the local store. Walk, do yard work, whatever. Do exercises/activities that you enjoy.
Have Right Outlook
(2) Slow down. When you’re constantly in a hurry and stressed out, this has a negative impact on your health. Limiting negative stress is one of the healthiest things you can do for yourself.
(3) Have a clear purpose. The Japanese call it “ikigai” 生き甲斐 (lit: life + value, be worth while). You must have a passion, a calling, a purpose. There’s got to be a reason to get out of bed every day.
Eat Wisely
(4) Drink a little (wine) everyday.
(5) Eat mainly plant-based foods. Small amounts of meat and fish are OK.
(6) Hara Hachi Bu: Eat until 80% full. Do not eat eat until you’re stuffed.
Be Connected with others
(7) Put family, loved ones first.
(8) Belong to a community. Belong to communities.
(9) Belong to the right tribe. That is, hang out with people with healthy habits, physical and emotional ones.
millionants productions invited to attend SXSW in Austin Texas, 3/12-3/16
Kari Miller, CEO of millionants productions, was called the “master networker” at the SXSW event in SF Monday night! Was it her party suit? I don’t think so but rather her frank question as she maneuvered the crowd “do you want to bump”? Navigating the room of over 225 attendees, her enthusiasm reached an all time high, as a new connection downloaded the popular iPhone bump app on the spot. Approached repeatedly about the millionants name and how it came about, Kari smiled and candidly proceeded to tell the story. In dining out with her female colleagues one evening, it came to her out of the blue. I got it she said: “millionants productions”. The reaction was universal….”ewh. that makes me want to itch”. The perfect reaction to seal the deal!
Before the end of the evening at the networking event for SXSW at Slims in SF, Kari was handed tickets to the Interactive Opening Party on March 13th, featuring a line up of unique Austin entertainment. A not-to-be-missed event bringing together digital creatives as well as visionary technology entrepreneurs for an unforgettable evening, her new colleague proclaimed “we need the master networker to attend”!
Welcome from the millionants productions team
As the millionants team prepares to launch, we wanted to extend a “thank you” to our inner circle that took the time to care and support us through the launch process, especially our significant others and spouses. Without each of you, the company would not be possible!
To the public, millionants productions is ready and excited to create your next visual adventure! We commit to being superstar listeners and to craft your message and support your brand to the highest standards. We believe it is the millions of details that matter along with the creativity to step outside the box to create beyond what is thought possible. Our goal is to raise the bar to create that “WOW” moment for your viewing and interactive sensations!
Who are we you ask? We are a collective group of technology experts and artist which bring our diverse 25 years in video, media production, 2D and 3D animation, special effects, motion graphics, commercials, interactivity, script writing, and world-wide implementations. We each have accolades within our areas of expertise but perhaps more importantly we get what it’s all about….it’s all about people! People who care enough to make a difference. That is why you are reading this post!
So again we say welcome, welcome to millionants productions. Without you, we would not “be”. We look forward to taking this exciting journey together!!
millionants productions to attend SXSW Interactive networking mixer tonight at Slims in San Francisco
Tonight, from 7 to 9pm, Slim’s (333 11th St.) in San Francisco will host our first SXSW Interactive networking mixer of 2010. This will be the first official networking event for millionants productions and those of you who have networked with us before the launch of our company can attest that we GO BIG! The mixer will offer millionants productions a fantastic opportunity to meet and mingle with fellow registrants for the 2010 festival two months before our appearance in Austin for SXSW Interactive 2010!
Stay tuned for our official launch this week! We at millionants want to launch with a bang, so check back for our official campaign launch because you won’t want to miss it!