OLIVIER CAMPAGNE (oliviercampagne)

[Jeff Mottle]

Judges: Please post your critiques here

CGarchitect.com Members, you may view the finalist's animations here: http://www.cgarchitect.com/challeng...hallenge4_2.wmv

[Eric Hanson]

Very excellent rendering and unfolding in this piece. I wish it had more actually animation, but of course it was the intention of the work to stylize in this way. Just seems a bit conveinient as per rendering time. Really great lighting, texturing and media feel. Music video culture meets tenant improvement presentations, who knew. Great rhythm and devices in the transition phase.

[Arnold Gallardo]

I had some propblems with the emphasis on the girl on this piece. It felt more like a fashion or clothing commercial than an arch-vis piece. The jump transitions are effective but do not show the space very well either only at the end did you manage to have everything collected by showing the space with the changing elements. In this aspect you have succeeded well but I just wish you had shown more of the end sequence than relied more of the girl walk in the beginning. Good effort

[Ernest Burden III]

I absolutely love this piece. I love everything about it. When we last saw this interior I did not understand that it was the lobby of the street scene from the previous round. I guess that was one of my only issues with the last one--understanding the purpose of the space. But it is all clear now. So finding fault here is going to be difficult. I'm not even going to try. I had a few issues with the interior that remain, so re-read the last crit for those. I'm left with praise.

Again we have a piece in this competition that uses a 'guide' to make an architectural animation tollerable. Let's all learn something from these entries. This piece goes beyond simple storytelling via 'guided tour'. It (like another of the entries) deconstructs the illusion of 3D and a linear timeline to play with the very medium of a 2D motion graphics product. It is not making fun of the medium, it is having fun with it. Sometimes architectural proposals are takes oh so seriously. 'There is a fortune at risk here', 'our client is carrying a huge note', 'the future of the human race relies upon this rendering'. Lighten up.

Architecture, as rigid and alledgedly permanent as it is, really is a process over time. Starting with design, then watching the building be constructed, then later changes of signage, use, remodeling, even being deemed 'out-moded' old, antique, later only to be torn down and replaced. This animation, at least the interior portion, shows the fluid nature of a design proposal.

First, our leading lady skips, spins and dances a path to the building. Her growing loosness serves to build interest and it is impossible to avoid being drawn into her enthusiasm. The music helps, it is well-suited to the pace. But the piece reads even with the sound off, though you miss the beat tie-ins. Once she reaches the door we go inside (yet she doesn't--why not?) and the dance is coninued by the very fabric of the design itself.

We see a bland space transform itself into an interesting and vibrant design. The entire process is shown as a playful process. Watching a design evolve is a typical part of our industry--we see material specs change, options tried, layers turning on and off. It's all here. The public usually misses this process, and is simply shown a final product.

As was the case with the stills of this scene the pallette is muted, the lighting soft and general. It works well, probably because its done so well, no obvious problems to break the buzz. In this piece the lady is flawlessly matted into the CD plates. Whomever your model is, you owe her a glass of wine and many thanks.

[Olivier Campagne]

Thanks for all these words !

...you owe her a glass of wine and many thanks.