Watch Scrap Metal in 3D!

IT'S A CHRISTMAS MIRACLE!!!

 

 

Scrap Metal is now available to view in 3D exclusively only on Youtube! And its not that fancy-pants, polarized 3D crap you see now. No, this is Sheridan Scope - hard core, blue-and-red, 50's monster-flick 3D where the colours are all screwed up, but you don't mind in this case cause its all nostalgic and junk! So dig out those old 3D glasses you cut out of your cereal box 15 years ago and put them to good use!

 



 

*NOTE: After launching the video, click the 'change quality' icon, which is the little gear in the lower, right-hand corner and change the video to 720p for best resolution, then click the little 3D icon which will then appear just left of this icon. You get some 3D options, I'd suggest 'full colour'. For best results watch in full-screen and, if this embed gives you any trouble, just click the little YouTube icon in the lower-right corner to go straight to the YouTube page. 



 

Scrap Metal takes on the World!

Well, its midnight, December 21, 2012. The Mayans predicted the end of the world and here it is... in the form of my stop-motion film, Scrap Metal!

 

 



Scrap Metal from Anthony Straus on Vimeo.

 

Merry Doomsday! And a happy New Year!

Teaser and December 21, 2012 Release Date

Well, we've all been patiently waiting for the Mayan calendar to end and now it is almost upon us. And you all know what that means right? Armageddon!! And what better way to celebrate the end of civilization than with the worldwide release of Scrap Metal? That's right, one year and eight months after the completion of my thesis film, I've finally decided to release it on the web for everyone to stream absolutely free! Why free? Well, money isn't really going to be worth anything in 2013 now is it? Except maybe to burn for warmth after solar flares knock us into the dark ages! One problem with my plan though, if the grid does go down, how will anyone be able to watch Scrap Metal on the Internet? Well, just be ready on the 21st to catch it before the grid is gone, don't wait, watch it while you can and send it to everyone you know so that they can get a quick glimpse of what the end of the world looks like before enjoying it firsthand!

I can't just leave you all high and dry though, so here is a little teaser that has been a long time coming:
 

View in HD: Scrap Metal Teaser from Anthony Straus on Vimeo.

 

 

Robot Chicken Variant Cover for Aquaman #12

Hey everyone,  I collaborated on a Robot Chicken variant cover for Aquaman #12, which is being released August 29!

 

 

 

There does not appear to be any credit for the variant cover, but here are the players behind the scenes: I posed and arranged the puppets in this cover, lighting/camera was done by Jeff Gardner, post production touch-ups were done by Cam Leeburg, with the image conceived and directed by Zeb Wells. I don't know who specifically made the puppets or the set, but it would have been several people at Stoopid Buddy Stoodios, which is where we shot this cover.

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Except from TV Guide <http://www.tvguide.com/News/Robot-Chicken-DC-Comics-1052101.aspx>:

 

 

     "'This is the last thing I ever thought we'd put on an Aquaman cover because it's such a bizarre collision of worlds but I think it's one of the best covers we've ever done...I just love the look on Superman's face!' says DC Comics chief creative officer Geoff Johns," (TV Guide).

 

Oh and I love this:

 

     "There is no actual Robot Chicken content inside Aquaman No. 12. 'Our plot is deadly serious,' notes Johns," (TV Guide).

 

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And while you're out looking for this special variant, pick up Avenging Spider-man #11 which is also coming out this week and is written by Zeb Wells.

 

Oh and what's this it says on the cover? Robot Chicken DC Comics Special showing midnight on September 9? That's right! Check out the trailer:

 

 

I joined up half way through this project, so I've animated a few shots, a couple of them in this trailer: First, Aquaman falling on his face as Superman, Green Lantern and Wonder Woman laugh and fly off. Second, Superman getting shot in the crotch and saying, "What's going on here?"

 

I've got some other shots that I can't comment on yet, but I can tell you this: they are hilarious and this special is a must see for all Robot Chicken and comic book fans.

 

Excelsior DC fans!!!

 

....No wait-



Making Norman Trailer

ParaNorman has a new trailer out and this is a must see, best one yet! Laika really wants everyone to know how much work and precision goes into one puppet and there are a lot more than just one Norman puppet, I can tell you! Not to mention the ridiculously large number of characters that appear throughout the length of the film each have several duplicates as well. This is just one!

At first I thought Travis Knight may have been the one who animated Norman coming to life, but I stand corrected as it is actually done by the very talented animator Malcolm Lamont (who seems flattered to be mistaken for Travis). Nice one Malcolm! You can't tell from this clip featured above (I chose this one for the lack of ad pop-ups), but that surface gauge says Malcolm on it. You can see if you switch to hi-res in this version: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CGnBT0J5jCs about 1:05 minutes into the video. Its great, you can even see the coffee draining from the mug. I know a couple lucky people that happened get that mug for Christmas, now those who got a different present will be jealous, lol.

That is a test stage that Norman is coming to life on by the way. Every animator started off in a test stage to practice animating before ever doing anything that appeared in the film. It's important to keep the quality high throughout the film. notice that this is a fresh, clean test stage though, mine was riddles everywhere with tie-down holes. If my memory serves correct, I started in test stage 9, no way of telling which one this was shot in.

Thanks to Laika for putting this together, its so gratifying when the public understands the sweat and tears that go into making the illusion of life, since this is not normally considered by the average movie-goer. Laika is certainly doing everything they can to promote ParaNorman, even books and Merchandise are coming out; which can only serve to increase the potential fan base!

 

ParaNorman Trailer #4

This one shows lots of stuff. I animated the bit with the windshield wipers!

*ParaNorman trailer is property of Laika Inc.

New - ParaNorman Trailer 2 and Poster are out!

*Spoiler Alert: This trailer gives away a lot of the gags, so watch at you're own risk*

 

Really digging this poster! 

*ParaNorman trailer and image are property of Laika Inc.

George Bush Caricature Sculpt

I finished this in May 2011 and just never got around to posting it until now. Started it in my spare time near the end of my internship at Cuppa Coffee where I learned a couple tricks; I set it aside to concentrate on my 4th year film and didn't get to finishing it until after my 4th year at Sheridan. In other words, it’s been a long time coming, so it’s good to finally get it out there. My apologies about the quality of the pictures.