Month: September 2015

Bink, Naming an Animated Character

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Bink… Yes, this is the name I’m considering calling the cute creature in our animated web-series.  Trying to find the perfect name is a very difficult task.  It reminded me of when we were trying to think of a name for my son.  You realize they will have this name for the rest of their life, so you want to find something that they will like.  For a character you want to find something that has not been used before, but that only makes it more challenging.  When you find a perfect name you have to make sure there are no other meanings that are less then desirable.

I have been looking for a name that is monosyllabic, easy to say, and catchy.  I have easily gone through hundreds of names trying to find one that fits, and did not have other issues.  One of the names I really liked meant Turnip, which I could live with, but also was slang for what is left of a joint after you smoked it.  While I really liked the name it did not seem like the best name for an animated character.

On Sunday, September 6th my wife and I were on our way back from visiting her parents, and we were trying to think of names.  I jokingly suggested Bink which gave us a nice laugh, but then my wife said that is actually a really good name.  You might be wondering why it was funny suggestion, so allow my to explain.  My parents had nicknames for me and my siblings when we were babies.  Well the name they had for me followed me into adulthood, since my parents, aunts, and older brothers still call me by it.  To me it was always an embarrassing name, but as I grew older I realized it was more of a term of endearment.  Bink is the shortened version of that childhood name.  I will leave you guessing to what the longer version of the name is.

While the initial thought of naming the creature after my childhood nickname was comical it started to grow on me.   The more I thought about it the more I could see it being a good name for the character.  We did a quick Google search to see if it is already in use, and if it had any alternative meanings.  To our surprise there was nothing to terrible.  Bink is the name of a proprietary video file format, the nickname of a musician, and a character name from a story called Bink & Gollie.  The storybook character is very different then my character, so it should not be an issue.  This might seem like a lot, but finding a name that has never been used is almost impossible.

The next test was looking it up in Urban dictionary, since most of the times this is where you find out about all the really horrible slang uses of the name.  Surprisingly it was mostly positive.  Here are a few of the definitions in Urban Dictionary.

pronounced- /Bing K/ *Adj: 1. A slang word, primarily used by Italians/New Yorkers, that refers to a sharp dresser or swell looker. Similar in meaning to the word “dapper” that is often used by Irish/Irish Americans, immaculate in dress and appearance.

(v) in poker, to catch fortuitous cards; also applicable in other gaming contexts
(interj) in poker, exclamation made upon catching fortuitous cards and/or winning a large pot
I binked a straight flush on the turn.
Bink! I just doubled up!
n. a generic nickname used to describe any upstanding individual in one’s personal network. Variations: binky, binkazoid, bink-bonk, banks, bianks.
Hey Binks, how’s Grandma Binks feeling? Binks said I should ask you.
The next test, and the one I feel is the most important, is do people like it.  My family members whom I have told instantly like it because of the history it has in my life.  I have mentioned it to a few people involved in the project, and they seem to like it as well.  It is hard for me to decide if it will be a good name, since I’m very close to the name.  I would love to hear what all of you think of the name.  What do you like about it, and what don’t you like about it.  I realize not everyone will like it, and that is OK.  I would still love to get an idea of the general feeling on the name.  Please leave your comments below.
If you have not already, I hope you will join me on my journey by subscribing to my blog.  If you have any thoughts or advice I would love to hear what you have to say, so please feel free to leave me any comments below. Otherwise, be sure to stay connected with me on Twitter (@MillerAnimation). Only Time Will Tell.

Staying Healthy While Starting a Business

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When I worked at DreamWorks Animation my co-workers would often joked about the DreamWorks 50.  Similar to the Freshman 15, it is the idea that new employees often would gain weight after starting working at the company.  DreamWorks Animation is known for its free food they provide for their employees.  With copious amounts of food for breakfast, lunch, soft served ice-cream machines, cookie day, and snack kitchens all around campus it is hard to resist the urge to fully take advantage of your new employee benefits. Many new employees inevitably pack on a few extra pounds.  Eventually the excitement of free food wears off, and they learn to be more reserved with their eating.

When I left DWA to start my own company one of the things I knew I would miss would be the free food.  I joked with my DWA friends that the next time they saw me I was going to be nothing more then skin and bones.  The reality is that I actually gained weight since leaving my job at DWA.

You might ask “How could this be?”.  Do I have my own person chief?  Do we have a lot more food in my house then we had at DWA?  I can assure you that none of those are true.  There are several things that I’m sure played into me gaining weight, and not being as healthy as I once was.

While at DWA I would walk a lot more.  It was a big campus, so even walking to lunch was more exercise then what I get now.  Walking to and from the parking garage, going up and down stairs on my way to meetings.  I actually walked a lot while I was working there.  Now I sit in my office and the most walking I do is the 5 steps to the kitchen for lunch.  One of the things I have tried to get me to walk more is going on a daily walk around the neighborhood.  I’m really good at coming up with excuses not to do it including I’m to busy, or it is way to hot out, but I’m working on keeping it a priority.

Since I started working from home lunch is often something I forget about until the last minute.  With the busy entrepreneur schedule I have it never fails that at some point normally around 2pm I start feeling light headed, and my stomach starts yelling at me.  At this point I’m far beyond planning a meal, or even thinking clearly.  I want the quickest and easiest meal possible.  I had regressed to eating like a college student which often included Ramen Noodles and Mac & Cheese on the menu.  When I got sick of those tasty treats I would run to the nearest fast food place.  I realized this was not ideal, and I have been taking steps to eat healthier.

There are other things that could have contributed to my weight gain, and loss of energy.  Things such as a newborn that had a goal of keeping my wife and I from getting more then 3 hours of sleep at a time.  Even the best of us can’t function without a good nights rest.  Lucky for us our son is sleeping much better, so in turn we are finally starting to get more sleep at night.

I’m sure I could go on all day about reasons, but I’m more concerned about making changes.  In addition to the above mentioned changes I have been trying to find other ways to stay fit.  It is not just about losing weight, but also being healthier mentally and physically.  I have started doing a workout routine 3 days a week in the morning before I start working.  I set a bedtime for myself although I’m still really bad at sticking to this. I also became proactive about looking for ways to be healthier.

I found I’m not alone, and it is pretty common for people in my situation to put living a healthy life style on the back burner while starting their businesses.   I have read multiple articles that are directed on this very subject.  I’m sure some of you might be in a similar situation, so I thought I share some of the articles I have found.

Top 5 Methods To Stay Fit For An Entrepreneur

3 Ways to Stay Healthy and Sane as an Entrepreneur

12 Tips to Stay Healthy While Working From Home

STAYING HEALTHY AS AN ENTREPRENEUR

10 Things Every Young Entrepreneur Should Do to Stay Healthy, Fit And Productive

3 Simple Tips for Elevated Health in Less Than 15 Minutes a Day

The last article I read last night, and I started doing the 10-10-10 rule today.  Every hour do 10 pushups, 10 sit-ups, and 10 jumping jacks or squats.  I feel this will help me keep my energy up, since normally around 4pm I start getting sluggish.

Anyways, I hope some of this can help you, since staying healthy is extremely important.  I know this is not the typical topic I write about, but this is a huge part in starting and running your own company.  I want to be able to share all of my challenges, and this has been a big one for me lately. No pun intended.

 

If you have not already, I hope you will join me on my journey by subscribing to my blog.  If you have any thoughts or advice I would love to hear what you have to say, so please feel free to leave me any comments below. Otherwise, be sure to stay connected with me on Twitter (@MillerAnimation). Only Time Will Tell.

 

A Short Update

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I wanted to give a short update on our short to let you all know where we are with it.  It is what I spend most of my time on, so I don’t have much else to talk about.

In order to discuss our progress lets break it down into two areas, asset creation and shot creation.

Asset Creation

MechanicalArm_WebFor the 1st short there are 3 main assets, the creature, the mechanical arm/hand, and the testing room or environment.

The Creature – We are currently in progress on the model of the creature, and getting close to finishing.  Modeling is currently working with rigging to see if there are any issues that we can spot now before finalizing the model.  Once the model is finalized it will go to both rigging, and surfacing at the same time.  Rigging will in essence give it a bone structure that allows it to be animated, and surfacing will give it color and texture.  Each step of the way brings the character more to life.

The mechanical arm/hand – This has been designed, but we have not started it in modeling yet. It is the next in line to be modeled after we finish the creature.

The Testing Room – This room has been modeled, and ready to be surfaced.  I’m still looking for a surfacer to help out with the project, so once I decide on someone it will be ready to get started on.  I wanted to line up a lighter before finalizing my decision on a surfacer.

Shot Creation

I’m throwing a lot into this category from writing, storyboarding, to layout.

Writing – We have the basics down, but down we are working on the details of what each test will be, and what will happen to keep them entertaining.

Storyboard – The first short is pretty locked down, so I’m about to get started on storyboarding it out.  This will start to give us a better idea of where we can find humor, if it is working, and timing.  Once the storyboards are completed I will edit them together into a rough cut, and scratch to see how it plays.

Layout – I’m still trying to figure out if I want to hire someone for the layout, or have the animator take care of it.  Since they are so short, and the camera angles are limited I’m not sure if I need a full on layout step.

Once the assets are all finished, and the shots are set up we can begin animating and really see the characters come to life.

There are also some other things I’m working on like trying to come up with a name for the character and the shorts.  Ideally the character’s name would be the same as the name of the shorts.  I think a monosyllabic name would work best, but am open to other options if the name fits.  I’m looking for uncommon, easy to pronounce names, and catchy.  I would love to hear any suggestions you might have.

Creature_Design_web

 

 

If you have not already, I hope you will join me on my journey by subscribing to my blog.  If you have any thoughts or advice I would love to hear what you have to say, so please feel free to leave me any comments below. Otherwise, be sure to stay connected with me on Twitter (@MillerAnimation). Only Time Will Tell.