tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-84828523996344758732024-03-05T16:42:10.881-08:00AJ Evans' Creative BlogThis will be my journal of artistic endeavorsAJ Evanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13715012534554928298noreply@blogger.comBlogger16125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8482852399634475873.post-57339966190067011942015-02-11T08:04:00.001-08:002015-02-11T08:04:12.019-08:00Take Me as I Am<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="270" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/sT7ubqgB4Pk" width="480"></iframe>AJ Evanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13715012534554928298noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8482852399634475873.post-35386498971957012322015-02-11T00:03:00.001-08:002015-02-11T00:03:03.231-08:00In the Groves (ame0ba's Lost, Don't Panic Mix)<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="270" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/MtsDZhnY61Y" width="480"></iframe>AJ Evanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13715012534554928298noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8482852399634475873.post-90363032202178574202015-01-26T18:36:00.001-08:002015-01-26T18:36:35.098-08:00When the Butterflies Have Flown<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="270" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/fwtzkbmjIl8" width="480"></iframe>AJ Evanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13715012534554928298noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8482852399634475873.post-14071311233143647152010-06-21T23:36:00.000-07:002010-06-22T00:54:17.547-07:00BP: Manufacturer of Global Disasters Coffee Mug from Zazzle.comThis is the latest design in my attempts to raise money for the <a href="http://www.nfwf.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=NFWF_Gulf_Response">NFWF</a>'s Gulf Response Efforts since nobody seems to be taking my efforts to heart.<br /><center><a href="http://www.zazzle.com/bp_manufacturer_of_global_disasters_coffee_mug-168428502708711395"><img src="http://www.ajevans.net/blog/BP_mug.png"></a><br /><font size="1">The motto on the mug under the BP logo is</font> <br><font color="green"font size="3"><b>We manufacture more than just global disasters</font></b></center> <br>It can be purchased by clicking on the photo of the mug or by clicking <center><a href="http://www.zazzle.com/bp_manufacturer_of_global_disasters_coffee_mug-168428502708711395?rf=238808291483349864">HERE</a></center><br>If you don't feel inclined to purchase a mug, perhaps you can make a donation to them directly by clicking on the <a href="http://www.nfwf.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=NFWF_Gulf_Response">NFWF</a> link provided. <br>I figured by offering a satirical product as an incentive I would give more of a reason to help if you haven't already chosen to do so.<br> <br />This item was actually requested following the video I posted on <a href=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=brP7Qgqj71E">YouTube</a> yesterday.<br /><center><object width="400" height="321"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/brP7Qgqj71E&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0x234900&color2=0x4e9e00"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/brP7Qgqj71E&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0x234900&color2=0x4e9e00" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="400" height="321"></embed></object></center><br /><a href="http://www.zazzle.com/bp_manufacturer_of_global_disasters_coffee_mug-168428502708711395?rf=238808291483349864">BP: Manufacturer of Global Disasters Coffee Mug from Zazzle.com</a><br><br><font size="1"><i><center>Perhaps I should go back to using my powers for evil as opposed to good????</i></font></center>AJ Evanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13715012534554928298noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8482852399634475873.post-41727353398447936292010-06-20T14:47:00.000-07:002010-06-20T15:26:30.836-07:00'BP Drilling Shirt: Non-resealable cap' t-shirt by AJ Evans from Zazzle.comI contacted an organization to volunteer to go clean the animals and do what I can to save the wild life affected by the BP oil disaster and was rejected for some pretty fucked-up reasons.<br><br>I created this shirt in an effort to raise money to donate to that cause. Please consider buying one of these very humorous shirts. Just say to yourself...<br><center>'It's a statement' <br><br /><img src="http://www.ajevans.net/blog/BP_Shirt.png"><br><font size="1">NOTE: BP Does NOT make petroleum jelly</font></center><br /><a href="http://www.zazzle.com/bp_drilling_shirt_non_resealable_cap-235989634996245628?rf=238808291483349864">'BP Drilling Shirt: Non-resealable cap' from Zazzle.com</a><br /><br>I only make about $5.00 per shirt. 50% of which will be donated with the rest being used to print the shirts in bulk for sale at shops to raise even more money. So, please tell your friends, Tweet it, Facebook it, Myspace it and Blog it. Every dime helps the animals in one way or the other.AJ Evanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13715012534554928298noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8482852399634475873.post-88162483363906986402010-05-15T12:06:00.000-07:002010-05-19T21:37:14.828-07:00Process Explained in DetailHappy Saturday Peoples!!!!<br /><br />I would be more focused on my work today but, I recently read a tweet that just annoyed the fuck out of me and has served to be more of a mental distraction than I aniticipated.<br /><br />So, in an effort to put the subject to rest mentally and to give anyone who is interested in After Effects an idea some of the things it can do as well as explain to my friends why there has been an absence of AJ from their lives.....I am outlining, (rather quickly cause I want to get back to work and not have my focus drawn by ignorant remarks any longer), the process I am undertaking.<br /><br /><font color="c4d3fd">Just a note: The director, <a href="http://mattsontomlin.blogspot.com/">Mattson Tomlin</a>, has been very cool about the work and even when I explained my O.C.D. tends to make me a perfectionist and I shoot for realism in the work I do, (instead of just churning shit out and in doing so taking away from the quality of the finished product), was more than gracious in telling me to <i>'go ahead and be an artist'.</i></font><br /><br />To start, I was originally to add muzzle flashes and debris which is actually a very fun thing to do and much easier and far, far cooler. This task was assigned to Michael Oshins (also of the rap group <a href="http://www.myspace.com/bootysnatchersmusic"> Bodysnatchers</a>) who did a great job and you should check out his <a href="http://michael-oshins.blogspot.com/"> blog</a>. But, it was Mattson's preference to assign me with the task of creating and incorporating elements into a scene that has already been shot with the actors. I gave a good example of this in a previous posting. This posting is, again, to explain the process and give a brief 'how to'. My friends thought this was an automated process and shouldn't be too involved. So, now they, the 'tweeter', and you know...<br /><br /><h3><font color="green">Processing the footage</font></h3><br />I had to split the scenes to separate the footage so I could work on each side of the room. This was done to aid in the speeding the rest of the processes along so that there was a continuous flow of that <i>angle</i> start to finish. Otherwise, the things like motion tracking and masking motion become more complex. Because of the interruptions of the camera angle changes you will find yourself having to to set the parameters for each individual segment which <i><b>WILL</b></i> throw off the motion tracking.<br /><br />So, I used the raw footage and created four compositions, <i>the final, elements, angle one</i> and <i>angle two</i>. Go to the composition titled <i>the final</i>. Layer one should be the raw footage. You then want to drag the <i>elements</i> composition into <i>the final</i> composition and position that layer on top the raw footage layer. You do the same with each the <i>angle</i> compositions. This way as you go along and can see the resulting effect by turning the masks on and off in the <i>angle</i> compositions.<br /><br />In each of 'angle' compositions I went through and simply removed the opposite angles' footage. These are the compositions that become the extracted actor that will be layered back on top of <i>'the final'</i> composition over top of the <i>elements</i> layer.<br /><br />It is prudent to give your layers names because the layer number will change if any layers are put underneath of it. So, it is easier to know your layer names than to try and keep track of the changing numbers.<br /><br /><h3><span style="color:green;">Extracting the actor/subject</h3></span><br />Basically, what you need to do is to create a mask around the subject you are trying to isolate. Now for the most part, you will read on other sites that you want to do it with the fewest points as you can get away with. That's great for some situations or you have the <i>ideal</i> footage, have at it and have a wonderful day and good luck with that. That really applies when the subject matter can be easily drawn out and is not doing a whole lot of moving despite the camera rolling. <br />However, you are going to run into instances where the subject has no real clear outline, is moving constantly and is actually going to be placed on top of incorporated elements. By doing the 'standard' method, the result will have a halo of the background around the subject as seen here:<br /><br /><img src="http://www.ajevans.net/blog/error.png"><br /><br />Any self respecting artist would, or should, cringe at the thought of putting out a product like this and making their client/director settle. Yes, you can tweak the setting of the mask with expanding and feathering but even that will only do so much and should never be the fallback answer.<br /><br />Because [character name] Barry, real name <a href="http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=574248622">Dan St. Louis</a>, is wearing a grey shirt against a pale grey/green wall with no back lighting and, due to the nature of the scene, is very animated, these rules simply do not apply. There will be blood spatters adorning the walls in both cast-off and arterial spray patterns so his masking needs to fully accurate throughout his entire form. Tracing every crease or wrinkle in the shirt and maintaining the integrity of the hairstyle. During this process, I recommend your mask property setting to be set to 'None'.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.ajevans.net/blog/1.PNG" /><br /><img src="http://www.ajevans.net/blog/1b.PNG" /><br /><br /><a href="http://tryit.adobe.com/us/cs5/aftereffects/?sdid=FNFKV&">After Effects CS5</a> comes equipped with a new tool called the 'Roto-brush' which is to make a much easier and more efficient task of this very job. However there are no real users' controls in regard to the selection process and fine tuning how the computer reads an area by matching pixels. So, <a href="http://tv.adobe.com/watch/after-effects-cs5-feature-tour/rotoscope-with-rotobrush/">watching it action on <i>ideal</i> footage</a> it is very impressive. However, most footage out there is not being shot with the intention of having work like this done to it. So, for this instance, the lack of being able to refine the selection process caused this to be a tool that could not be used for this project. The problem? It saw the wall on Barry's left and the left side of his shirt as matching pixels.<br /><br />None of this is not a criticism of the footage, mind you. This is actually going to be more the standard if you are working with the general public and indie films as opposed to studios that are shooting with the intention of adding elements as I am finding out while being approached with other projects. So, there are no absolutes to this because even the extreme method I am using is because of the full body motion masking is essential to the rest of the work looking good as a finished product.<br /><br /><h3><span style="color:green;">Isolating the actor</h3></span><br />Once you have your actor/subject completely masked, move to the next frame and adjust all the points around the actor to match the new positing. It seems an easy enough task until you consider you have 29 frames per second. So, even just a ten second clip means 290 frames that you need to do this process to. One trick that works to a degree is to do a couple of frames in the beginning and go to the end of the clip and do a couple of frames and the mask will transform itself in the frames in between and you go through and make some adjustments along the clip. However since Barry is jumping into frame and moving about with excitement screaming 'Surprise', (and boy was he ever surprised in this scene), that trick didn't work out well and served to be more time consuming than to just advance frame by frame and make the adjustments along the way as opposed to undoing what the computer anticipated the next move to be.<br /><br />Anyhoo...once you have your clip done or anytime you want to see the final effect in <i>the final</i> composition, you turn the mask property to 'Add'.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.ajevans.net/blog/2.PNG" /><br /><img src="http://www.ajevans.net/blog/2b.PNG" /><br /><br /><h3><span style="color:green;">Creating the elements</span></h3><br />Using Photoshop I created a 'Happy Retirement' banner. The thought had occurred to grab an image off the net, but that wouldn't be very artistic of me, would it? I then bring the banner.PNG (you need the final image and not the layered PSD file) file into the project in After Effects and open it as it's own composition and called it <i>banner</i>.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.ajevans.net/blog/bannerraw.PNG" /><br /><br />Using <a href="http://www.zaxwerks.com/3dflag/index.shtml">Zaxwerks 3D Flag</a> and the directors' notes I was able to create a realistic banner from the image. Note: 3D Flag has it's own lighting tools that you will have to tweak to match the light color and source of the room in the raw footage. This is very important because the shadows from the material need to follow the shadows of the room.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.ajevans.net/blog/banner.PNG" /><br><br />You will then import the <i>banner</i> composition into the <i>elements</i> composition. By clicking the 'eyeball' icon to the left of the layer in the composition window, you can turn the layer's visibility off to ease with the rest of the processing of this composition.<br /><br />In the composition named <i>elements</i> you have the raw footage layer. This footage will only be a guide layer to work with to allow you decorate the scene with the elements and to set and tweak your motion tracking that you will in turn anchor all the incorporated elements to. This footage layer will be deleted or turned off when layered into <i>the final </i>composition to make for much speedier rendering process.<br /><br />Like the banner, I am creating the blood spatters in Photoshop then importing the .PNG files into the After Effects project and <i>elements</i> composition. I use .PNG because of they have the clearer and more refined look needed for transparent backgrounds. The .GIF format doesn't handle fade at all and will add white to compensate for the lack of color information in the edge or faded areas.<br /><br />So, the first thing to do would be to set the motion tracking. The motion tracking panel/tool can be accessed in the upper right on the toolbar where you see the word 'Workspace'<span style="color:#e4c4fd;"> <b>[see purple circle below]</span></b>. Click the selection arrow next to it and scroll down. The tool panel <b><span style="color:white;"> [see white circle below]</span></b> has options and parameters to set. You can track motion by using a single tracker <span style="color:#82df8b;"><b>[see green circle below]</span></b>. You can track motion, rotation and scale by using two or more trackers, which will require you to find two or more good reference points on the footage. Be sure that nothing in the scene crosses between the camera and your reference points and that it does not go off camera for a split second. That will break the tracking and not do you much good at all. You start the process by hitting the 'analyze 1 frame backward', 'analyze backward', 'analyze forward' or 'analyze 1 frame forward' buttons in the motion tracking tool panel. <br /><br /><img src="http://www.ajevans.net/blog/motion.PNG" /><br /><br />You then create a null object layer and name it 'Tracking'. Then you go into the motion tracking tool panel and hit 'edit target' and choose the 'Tracking' layer. You need to hit apply to add the motion tracking data to the 'Tracking' layer. It is this layer and data that you will make adjustments when refining the motion tracking.<br /><br />Once you have that done, you start bringing in and positioning the elements into the scene starting with the <i>banner</i> composition if you have not already done so. Change the 'parent' option on the added element layers from 'none' to 'Tracking'.<br> <br /><img src="http://www.ajevans.net/blog/elements.PNG" /><br><br />Once your elements are in place and are parented to the 'Tracking' layer, we start putting it all together and go into the refining process of tweaking the work and blending it back into a single scene.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.ajevans.net/blog/3.PNG"><br /><img src="http://www.ajevans.net/blog/3b.PNG"><br /><img src="http://www.ajevans.net/blog/final.png"><br /><i><font size="1"><b><center>The refining and tweaking is a personal thing and I will leave the room while you do it.</center></i></font></b><br>Now, this particular footage ends with the lights being turned out in the room. For this, I keyed to the exact frame when the lights go out and adjusted the lighting of all the elements to match, instead of just splitting clips and deleting. This gives a much more desireable effect because you still see the elements in the darkened room along with the actor as demonstrated below.<br><br><img src="http://www.ajevans.net/blog/end.PNG"><img src="http://www.ajevans.net/blog/end2.png"><br /><br />Thus draws this posting to a close. I hope that it gives a bit more insight and understanding as to the process involved and educates or inspires as well as keeping others from being so judgemental in their commentary. <br><br>While I do not expect this posting to envoke a public apology to match the attempt at publicly humiliating me on the Internet, I do hope that it causes the mad tweeter to think twice before opening their mouth without any knowledge of what they are talking aboot [intentionally mispelled].<br /><br />You can find video tutorials on After Effects on sites like <a href="http://www.videocopilot.net/tutorials/">Andrew Kramer's Video CoPilot</a> or <a href="http://library.creativecow.net/tutorials/adobeaftereffects"> Creative Cow</a> and <a href="http://www.lynda.com/home/ViewCourses.aspx?lpk0=331">Lynda.com</a><br /><br />'Til next time...<br />Cheers!<br /><br /><font size="2"><i>All video stills and images courtesy of <br><a href="http://www.wackeychan.com/">Mattson Tomlin & Wackeychan Studios</a></i></font>.AJ Evanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13715012534554928298noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8482852399634475873.post-11847722189251923772010-05-01T20:19:00.000-07:002010-05-01T20:56:00.654-07:00Why Pay More?<center><a href="http://www.stylefeeder.com/i/z6lwmlc9/Aj-Evans-I-May-Be-A-Stoner-But-I-Ain-Apos-T-Fucking-Stupid-Maxi-Disc-Audio-Cd"><img src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51tue%2BAQIwL._SS500_.jpg" width"400" height="400"></center></a><br>Recently while trying to be my own mental 'fluffer' I was on the Internet checking up on my child 'I May Be a Stoner (But, I Ain't Fucking Stupid!)' when I found it listed on <a href="http://www.langtoninfo.com/showitem.aspx?isbn=0859702342143">Langtoninfo.com</a> for the ridiculous price of $25.12. This really got under my skin for a number of reasons. <br /><br />I wasn't too thrilled with Tunecore/iTunes for not allowing me to give it the appropriate price of $5.99, (I am old school), which I feel a maxi-single should retail for and Langtoninfo.com is not listed as a licensed retailer of my music, so even if someone were foolish enough to pay that price for a CD copy, I am not getting any proceeds. After sending what remains to be an unanswered email to Langtoninfo.com, I followed one up with Tunecore inquiring about the discrepancy. Tunecore basically said they have nothing to do with it, despite the fact that I pay them for my distribution and it should be up to them to protect their artists' interests not to mention their own profits.<br /><br />So this goes out to anyone who is even considering a CD copy of the disc. <a href="http://www.stylefeeder.com/i/z6lwmlc9/Aj-Evans-I-May-Be-A-Stoner-But-I-Ain-Apos-T-Fucking-Stupid-Maxi-Disc-Audio-Cd">Amazon</a> carries the CD for $8.98, which is the lowest I could get it to price.<br /><br />If, by chance, you are reading this and you did buy a copy from Langoninfo.com, reply to this post and I will send you a link to forward a copy of your reciept. Once it is received I will send you a free CD of the tunes that are currently in production. This will be a rare item as I am not in the habit of letting my material go before completion and this offer will end once the new CD is finally completed.<br /><br />Meanwhile, thanks to everyone who has bought and streamed the song. The support of all, (known and unknown), is graceiously appreciated.<br /><br />Keep Smokin'<br /><img src="http://ajevans.net/myspace_stuff/peace.png">AJ Evanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13715012534554928298noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8482852399634475873.post-80579978220589775542010-05-01T18:56:00.000-07:002010-05-01T19:56:07.141-07:00So Much to Do and So Little Time.Hello again. Hope you got out and enjoyed this beautiful East Coast Saturday. I stayed in doing what I love, working. <br /><br />As stated in the previous blog, I am working on a scene from Mattson Tomlin's 'Early Retirement'. A clip of which can be seen on <a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/wackeychan"> Mattson's YouTube channel</a>.<br /><br />While I did not get to add the muzzle flashes and debris, I was entrusted with the far more meatier task of creating elements and implementing them into scenes that have already been shot. <br /><br />In the opening of this clip I added blood spewing out of a throat being slit and created a banner and added one of the many blood splatters that will adorn the room.<br /><br /><center>Here are the before and after shots. <br /><font size="1">NOTE: This is still a work in progress and the fine tuning has <u><i>not</u></i> been done just yet.</font></center><br /><br /><center><i><font color="purple">Before<br /><img src="http://www.ajevans.net/myspace_stuff/ER.jpg"><br /><br /><br />After<br /><img src="http://www.ajevans.net/myspace_stuff/ER-AJ.jpg"></i></font></center><br /><br />So, the next few days will be spent extracting the actor from all the shots for this scene and making sure that my motion tracking is dead spot on to anchor my incorporated elements to.<br /><br />Mat; if you read this...thanks. As tedious a task as it may seem, I am loving every minute of it.<br /><br />Holler out to <a href="http://www.spidvid.com">SpidVid</a> for bringing us together to collaborate on this.<br /><br />Meanwhile: I just finished the lyrics for 'Sick God' which is meeting with the usual mixed reaction as I try and get approval from the remaining band members. I really consider this to be a Group of Deviants song, but have no problem claiming it for my own if people feel like they don't want to be on it. The music production will commence again after I complete the task at hand for Mattson.<br /><br />Everyone enjoy your Sunday and look for more news soon.<br /><br />Cheers all!AJ Evanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13715012534554928298noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8482852399634475873.post-6362902776940025572010-04-24T12:26:00.000-07:002010-04-27T14:24:25.808-07:00Fabulous, Fabulous Fallout!!!Hello again and I hope you are enjoying this Saturday afternoon. <br /><br />I am dealing with some awesome fallout from the Yoko Ono video and just thought I would share, despite me giving this blog the premature nomenclature of 'music blog'.<br /><br />I am gearing up to start working on some fx fine tuning for a short film by Mattson Tomlin called 'Early Retirement'. <br><center><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoVSYmLQOxZmxvZ9DGQfndnMNtxUmdBlcYaQxBD63O5wHcMd2cnp_AMtmJIEGMKf7EBEEfNKzdl0WGbKczZlnGZTrpoEBzXBudE3LMVGejoJ-SPSANieUk42SKHixe3SZrsfsS5AQ24E8/s220/Picture+2.png"> <br></center>Mattson has been the buzz on the Internet for a number of reasons including his creative use of the 'social media' to raise funds and talents to complete his projects. After reviewing some of his work, I have to say I am very excited about the prospect of being on board. The guy really knows what he's doing, wants, needs and how to go about making it happen. My role in this production is to add muzzle flashes, debris and other fun stuff. <br /><br />We met through a site named SpidVid created by Jeremy Campbell.<br><center><img src="http://api.ning.com/files/fR3a0oNh3dxFs0FxNY9ApWNhqNunzzof5UPp8mXTCOs_/picofmeforTwitter.jpg"><br></center>You can see my profile there by clicking <a href="http://www.spidvid.com/my_account.php">here</a>. It is a site for the creative of all types of media to meet and offer up ideas and talents to help each others' projects come to life. It seems to be a much more pleasant and constructive site than others that claim to cater to the same ideals, but I am not going to name any specifically.<br /><br />So, anyone reading this should go check out the site and give into your muse.<br><center><a href="http://www.spidvid.com/"><img src="http://www.killerstartups.com/images/120000-119093/spidvid-com.jpg"></a><br>Create a profile and spread the word.</center><br /><br />I will write more as the projects progress.<br /><br />As far as 'Group of Deviants' things are up in the air. One guitarist has disappeared into the mist, despite my warnings the previous year that it was going to happen. One guitarist has no real interest in it and the third is recovering from a leg injury while attempting to be Tony Hawk. So it is looking like Pat [a.k.a. Tony Hawk, LOL] and myself may end up putting something together on our own with a bit more of a dedicated crew behind us. The music is still being recorded along with some AJ Evans solo material. <br /><br />I need to get a manager who will prod me no matter what hurdles are being placed in my path. 25% of everything to any takers??? :)<br /><br />Til next time....<br />Cheers!AJ Evanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13715012534554928298noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8482852399634475873.post-11302000237109026862010-02-28T19:20:00.000-08:002010-05-01T20:12:44.464-07:00'The Sun is Down!' The Video by AJ Evans<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJHOgqxdai4YwfMYwAte52swe_oln6uZyNN9uUTFIyO_N0MjbzmW-lok9_pztUQRY0qg3P_isscUBqb41ic5JzuQyEB_B6aKwpjGIMPqzNG9qHwgmZChle70EpbZ9AGDrCupVY1LEM09Mi/s1600-h/cover.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJHOgqxdai4YwfMYwAte52swe_oln6uZyNN9uUTFIyO_N0MjbzmW-lok9_pztUQRY0qg3P_isscUBqb41ic5JzuQyEB_B6aKwpjGIMPqzNG9qHwgmZChle70EpbZ9AGDrCupVY1LEM09Mi/s320/cover.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5443511205508498594" /></a><br />Well I have finally completed the video to accompany my track 'Yoko Ono Plastic Ono Band The Sun is Down! (The Darkland Sensual Garden Remix)' and I have to say I am truly surprised and excited at the final cut. This is my first time ever doing a real music video or an animated feature or being a director or even going into the video foray. 'My love is Forever' doesn't count. That was me trying to keep something current on the net while I worked out my next plan of action and taught myself After Effects.<br /><br />There were times and events that almost led to it not being completed. Like two trips to the e.r., the non-use of my right hand for two weeks due to tendinitis and having been bed-ridden the last two weeks due to a bout of pancreatitis that I refuse to give in to. I wanted this project completed at all costs!<br /><br />I intended to have it uploaded in time for Yoko's birthday, but the pancreatitis made it very difficult to work.<br /><br />I have a whole new appreciation for the art of animation. I have always been a huge fan from Bugs Bunny to Beavis and Butthead to The Simpsons and South Park. I had no idea what I was about to attempt. <br /><br />The final product did not stray very far at all from the vision I had when I sat down to start this project. Fortunately, I have years of graphic art behind me to at least aid in getting what I see in my head to the screen. But, editing and syncing and time-stretching and camera directing and lights and just WOW! To come up with 5:07 minutes of animation is time consuming and tedious even if it is a labor of love. Accentuated even more-so if you are a director with a short attention span. That means animate everything and keep the attention of a viewer like me!!!!!!<br /><br />I have been quite surprised at the response the first minute and a half of the video has received. So, here I sit excited to be able to share my artistic vision with the world at large. Normally when I do any work it is only seen by whomever contracted me for the work and my inner circle as I pass it around for feedback. This is truly the first time I am releasing anything visually artistic to a world that only knows what I sound like, LOL.<br /><br />I'm happy to bring this project to a successful completion and hope the response to the video as a whole is as good, if not better, than it has been for the New Year's Eve posting of the first minute and a half.<br /><br />Not sure if anyone ever reads this but:<br />Shout out to Luke Kurtis! Thanks for the use of your video. <br />Visit his channel at <a href="http://www.youtube/com/user/lukekurtis">http://www.youtube/com/user/lukekurtis</a>.<br /><br />Yoko: Thanks for the great project that helped me find my feet as a director, animator and remix artist and gave me back my music.<br /><br />Cheers to all and hope you enjoy the video!<br />AJ<br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/n9rHNalflh8&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/n9rHNalflh8&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>AJ Evanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13715012534554928298noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8482852399634475873.post-9247763688720114152009-12-09T17:08:00.001-08:002010-04-28T07:51:16.470-07:00Yoko Ono 'The Sun is Down!' Remix Contest<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ_I0jTp0dSZTRQFdp5XbplUk7nbhnzfCRvzVeFzKk6RCEVLEw9UMfNt8p0_bathvVEnuDTt2Hnnz5Maqo9ddpdoFge_zncboFUNuImODedElGZRh771YJrNG4QCgkMdi-ai5ki77Jn-YD/s1600-h/cover.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ_I0jTp0dSZTRQFdp5XbplUk7nbhnzfCRvzVeFzKk6RCEVLEw9UMfNt8p0_bathvVEnuDTt2Hnnz5Maqo9ddpdoFge_zncboFUNuImODedElGZRh771YJrNG4QCgkMdi-ai5ki77Jn-YD/s320/cover.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5413419054433333250" /></a><br />Hello to all (or none);<br /><br />December 8th, (yesterday), marked the 29th anniversary of the death of John Lennon and while I usually reserve that day to sit and quietly mourn or get lost in the thoughts of 'what if it never happened' while I listen to Beatles/John Lennon music, (like many others I suppose), this year was unwittingly different. <br /><br />As it happens, two weeks ago I was cruising the net for some new inspiration to get me through the creative lapse I have been suffering as of late in finishing my own records and decided to see what Yoko Ono was up to, (I do that every so often, being a real fan of hers since I was 5 and being too young to get caught in the blame game drama the rest of the world had been going through with her in regard to John and the Beatles break-up), when I ran across her new track 'The Sun is Down!'. (Mind you, I had just spent the evening doing a South Park style tribute to the controversial 1969 album cover 'Two Virgins' by John Lennon & Yoko Ono).<br><br /><center><img src="http://www.ajevans.net/myspace_stuff/two-virgins.png"><br></center>A few clicks later (on a different site) I had run across a remix contest for that song. My first thought, of course, was "Oh My GOD!". Especially since I had totally missed out contributing my re-mix of 'Walking on Thin Ice' to her in 2003 when they finally respected her work enough to create a re-mix compilation disc.<br /><br />So, I tried a few attempts, but was not happy with any of them and decided to go back to the task at hand which was finishing up the re-mastered <em>'Darkland'</em> CD for re-release in 2010. A few days upon the completion of the '<em>Darkland'</em> CD it was time to finally record <em>'Darkland'</em>, the single which is not on the album. It is a standard tune that was intended in 1995 to bridge the 'Darkland' CD to my more contemporary work. After about 5 attempts at a guitar track, I decided to call it quits for the evening (4am).<br /><br />The following day I went back in the studio to do more work and remembered the remix contest and the thought occured..."The sun is down in <em>Darkland</em>!". So, I immediately went to work doing what is technically a mash-up, I incorporated two of the three versions of <em>'Darkland'</em>, (<em>'Darkland'</em> the single version and clips from <em>'Darkland (Seascape)'</em> and started doing my arrangements and mixing. Two days later, (yesterday), after sending the final version, (along with cover art featuring the back cover of <em>'Darkland'</em> artwork by Bill Brown III), off to the contest, I went to lie down and realised what day it was and that I had just spent December 8th doing exactly what John had been doing on December 8th before he was shot; remixing a Yoko song.<br /><br />I feel a connection to him, like I have never felt before. I could almost feel him smiling down at me at the irony. I doubt December 8th will feel as dark and dismal to me any longer.<br /><br />Win or lose, I have gained something no contest could ever give me. Peace.<br /><br />Thanks John & Yoko!<br /><br />P.S. I am currently putting a video together for the track for YouTube and it shall be posted here when completed.<br /><br />Happy HolidaysAJ Evanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13715012534554928298noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8482852399634475873.post-58246820113706370332009-08-30T14:06:00.001-07:002010-05-01T20:03:00.471-07:00Tim Curry Fearless/SimplicityTim Curry had a short-lived recording career lasting three albums: 'Read My Lips', 'Fearless' and 'Simplicity'. Although I wasn't very fond of 'Read My Lips' I was totally taken with both 'Fearless' & 'Simplicity'. A&M in their infinite wisdom has discontinued all 3 records leaving Tim Curry fans somewhat flat in the digital music age. I have taken vinyl rips from the latter two lp's and digitally remastered them as a favor for my stepfather, Joe Evans, over a year ago. Since then, I have had many requests for the files and am just now getting around to posting them on the web. I would be more than happy to pull them if A&M decides to re-issue his work on CD.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9pn-SdOuMy6WVnSCJccePXRQuuiVS2mPE7KzJnfTqLrU1EpEsiTlNbf1ltph0LtuA_N4bhtG0bUV6H4ItbHAR6kx2kNgSEeDnYEx30aU657zj27W5kjNga7EN3NRvG8PYHZxKFrInH4dB/s1600-h/TimCurry-Fearless-FrontCover.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 318px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9pn-SdOuMy6WVnSCJccePXRQuuiVS2mPE7KzJnfTqLrU1EpEsiTlNbf1ltph0LtuA_N4bhtG0bUV6H4ItbHAR6kx2kNgSEeDnYEx30aU657zj27W5kjNga7EN3NRvG8PYHZxKFrInH4dB/s320/TimCurry-Fearless-FrontCover.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5375867638581182418" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://uploading.com/files/SWPLWPTD/Fearless.rar.html">Download Fearless.rar from Uploading.com</a><br /><br />Now with the 'Simplicity' album, there were just two spots that I am aware of that the pops couldn't be filtered out completely due to losing part of the track. The rest of the re-master came out beautifully.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1x1ORSn2MPlQb7izuJNtLvR2izNROyw3ThcTUige0PF6K7N-grQhzs84qIiK77Rr4E30dF1KMYYt_bUbJx5u-DVX57QPmKrqQDgaolFalKKRK-FRoRhiQYLKtwTs2uggco-uQadeSj00t/s1600-h/Simplicity-Cover.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 197px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1x1ORSn2MPlQb7izuJNtLvR2izNROyw3ThcTUige0PF6K7N-grQhzs84qIiK77Rr4E30dF1KMYYt_bUbJx5u-DVX57QPmKrqQDgaolFalKKRK-FRoRhiQYLKtwTs2uggco-uQadeSj00t/s320/Simplicity-Cover.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5375867946665477858" /></a><br /><a href="http://uploading.com/files/F5H5YR4Y/Simplicity.rar.html">Download Simplicity.rar from Uploading.com</a><br />Hope you enjoy both downloads as I imagine I cannot be the only one to have been searching for these album collection staples for the past 15 years!AJ Evanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13715012534554928298noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8482852399634475873.post-22686958608594746322009-08-29T17:54:00.001-07:002009-08-29T17:54:41.300-07:00I May Be a Stoner (But, I Ain't Fucking Stupid!) by AJ Evans<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'><p><object height='350' width='425'><param value='http://youtube.com/v/N_JsblUk2dI' name='movie'/><embed height='350' width='425' type='application/x-shockwave-flash' src='http://youtube.com/v/N_JsblUk2dI'/></object></p><p>Here is the cheesy, trippy Flash video I mentioned in the last posting.</p></div>AJ Evanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13715012534554928298noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8482852399634475873.post-54579817115189649132009-08-25T12:11:00.000-07:002010-05-01T20:05:50.552-07:00"I May Be a Stoner (But, I Ain't Fucking Stupid!)" 1 year anniversary"Who'd have thunk it?"<br /><br />Besides being my late brother Brian's birthday, August 25th marks the 1 year anniversary of the release of "I May Be a Stoner (But, I Ain't Fucking Stupid!)" on iTunes and various other .mp3 sites. To my surprise, it has done really well. What started out to be a test marketer to see if I should continue in my musical endeavors after kicking AIDS' ass, has turned into a beast of its own.<br /><br />I truly did not expect to get much by way of recognition with this tune. In fact I really thought it'd be shit-canned by most of the Internet stations due to the title and content and would have to rely solely on word-of-mouth. Boy was I ever wrong. This track totally beat out 1998's "I Don't Need This in My Life" in spades.<br /><br />The cheesy, trippy flash video I made for it to have a YouTube presence has gone totally viral and demographics show it is really popular in Japan and (my personal favorite) Australia.<br /><br />As far as record sales, at a residual .01 cents per copy sold, if you want to go by dollar amounts it is not that impressive on the whole, but if you were to go by individual sales, I couldn't be more pleased. Hopefully the next record will generate some sincere interest from those closer to me since the success of this record has relied totally on the interest of strangers.<br /><br />To those who have purchased the record I say Thank-you from the bottom of my icy little heart. To those who haven't, give it a listen. While the video production was cheese, the recording itself is not.<br /><br />Brian: I miss you. Happy Birthday Bro.<br /><br />Thanks for reading and cheers!<br />AJ Evans<br /><img src="http://www.ajevans.net/myspace_stuff/peace.png">AJ Evanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13715012534554928298noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8482852399634475873.post-25641545220964246132009-08-23T10:17:00.001-07:002009-08-29T17:56:27.698-07:00AJ Evans - My Love is Forever [Studio Rehearsal]<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'><p><object height='350' width='425'><param value='http://youtube.com/v/g_sSR0dVGGk' name='movie'/><embed height='350' width='425' type='application/x-shockwave-flash' src='http://youtube.com/v/g_sSR0dVGGk'/></object></p><p>This is one of the tracks for the 'Deviant' CD. This video is from the studio rehearsals before the actual recording of the finished product. Ant Kremski on guitar and myslef on vocals. Enjoy!!!</p></div>AJ Evanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13715012534554928298noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8482852399634475873.post-57305548161777747122009-08-22T11:23:00.000-07:002009-08-22T11:45:30.324-07:00AJ Evans' Group of DeviantsWell. here I am working on new music past my death-deadline. Since this CD, 'Deviant' is not as much of a solo a project as any of my other releases, I decided to give the guys helping out an identity, Group of Deviants. A most fitting name for me and my associates. There are some AJ Evans tracks slated for this disc, but the majority is comprised of songs I have written with others, so they are helping to lend a personal touch of their own to the tracks they helped write. Among the performers is John Phetteplace - my collaborative partner since 1989, Ant Kremski - who is also SHAGGS from the "I May Be a Stoner" single and Pat Lincoln - a phenominal guitarist.<br /><br />Featuring tracks such as "Barb Wire Casket", "Heavy-Hearted", "Running at Full Speed", "A Fucked-Up Kinda Guy", "My Love is Forever" and "Excerpts from a Conversation with an American Anarchist (Take Back the Nation)" this is proving to be the best collection of songs I've recorded to date.<br /><br />John Phetteplace is also the director of the accompanying documentary "AJ Evans: The Making of a Deviant" from which clips will be posted on YouTube as they are completed.<br /><br />All of this is scheduled to happen in 2010. Meanwhile the single tracks will be made available for purchase on iTunes, Amazon, Rhapsody, Napster & Aime Street until the full CD is completed.<br /><br />Thanks for readiung and feel free to hit me back, I love reading your responses.<br /><br />Cheers!<br />AJ Evans<br /><img src="http://www.ajevans.net/myspace_stuff/peace.png"><br><img src="http://www.ajevans.net/myspace_stuff/logo.png">AJ Evanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13715012534554928298noreply@blogger.com0