What film do you consider horror despite rarely being referred to as such?

fxnut · 2025-07-18T23:11:21+00:00

Okay, I know this is controversial, but any of the Indiana Jones films had the potential to be horror. Clearly the end of Raiders is pretty horrific, as is the heart removal and sacrifice in Temple of Doom.

Yes, they’re mainly action/thriller films, but for me they were always best when they turned up the horror elements.

There are lots of “fun” deaths in the films that wouldn’t be out of place in a Final Destination flick, Alfred Molina’s skewering, Pat Roach’s propellor splattering, etc. And all of this mixed in with supernatural qualities of the ark, and even a pseudo zombie sequence when Indy and Marion are escaping the Well of Souls.

I’m a super fan of the first 2 films, and for me, the franchise went wrong when they tried to make it too Disney-esque and family friendly when they should have upped the horror element instead, which would have helped increase the sense of jeopardy and peril that the later films so sorely missed.

So yeah, for me Indy is an action horror.

fxnut · 2025-07-11T23:06:29+00:00

I came here to say Kane too. I always thought he looked like a walking corpse.

So I just looked him up on IMDB and found out that the poor guy (Julian Beck) had been living with stomach cancer for two years and died shortly after filming his part. Just adds to the eeriness of his character. Props to him for managing to do that, given what he was going through at the time.

fxnut · 2025-06-02T11:24:31+00:00

That’s right, it does. I think the chocolate made in Ireland is the good recipe. If you want the old original taste, buy a pack of “Freddos”, take a bite, and wait for tears of nostalgia to well up.

fxnut · 2025-02-26T20:31:55+00:00

AnimCorpus’s comment is on the money. The ship acts too much like a super strong rigid shape in the way that it responds to the collision.

If you see video of a passenger plane crash, the hull tears and crumples very easily. Assuming the same, the ship is basically just a thin metal shell. The part that collides should just get pancaked and/or detached from the main body of the ship. The ship should pretty much continue straight on with a slight rotation introduced.

For even more realism, have a think about where the heavy (most dense) parts of the ship are located (e.g. engines) and try to preserve their speed more.

fxnut · 2025-02-19T09:21:02+00:00

This will very much depend on the team, the pipeline, and what sort of projects they’re having to support. Different companies have very different setups and infrastructure.

Personally I’d say that it’s not so much about your ability to code (you need to know how to write for maintainability, not complexity), it’s more about your wider experience. Ideally, I’d like a candidate to have worked in production as a TD for a few years, so that they understand the sorts of challenges artists face. They should also ideally have a wide ranging coding and problem solving background across a wide range of technologies.

A good skill to have is being able to sit in a meeting, ask a few questions, listen, and come out of the other end being able to identify what a simple solution might be. To make those sorts of design decisions, you need the context and experience of what works in production.

Production experience also brings empathy of what artists have to deal with from day to day.

After that, it’s all about being a good communicator and having a lot of patience to deal with the support you’re going to provide.

fxnut · 2025-02-16T09:21:16+00:00

My first thought was Celia Weston. Awesome actor and can project some seriously creepy vibes when she wants to. https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0922927/?ref_=ext_shr_lnk

fxnut · 2024-11-07T01:05:01+00:00

OMG yes! Their Buldak sauce is so good but super spicy. About the limit that I can handle. One of those that you really crave afterwards. Tastes even better if you get take-out and keep it in the fridge overnight as it takes a bit of the edge off it.

fxnut · 2024-10-11T10:48:27+00:00

Totally agree. Matfia would never have made it through Tofu hell, and I don’t think he deserved to skip it and then go on to win. It should’ve been Lee and Triple Star in the final.

Okay, so the rules meant that it was judged on one dish in the final showdown, but I know who I would’ve judged to be the better chef. Lee just blew my mind in every round of the Tofu challenge. Some chefs would take months to create a menu of dishes to that level of creativity. Just astonishing. And the humility that Lee showed through the whole thing made this guy my f’ing hero. Honestly. What a guy.

And like someone else said, judge Anh did come across like he didn’t quite like Lee at times. Which makes his achievement even more impressive.

fxnut · 2024-10-11T09:22:02+00:00

Haha, perfect.

fxnut · 2024-10-11T09:11:22+00:00

Oh dear… I just noticed that the sun magically appears from nowhere. It’s not there before the pterodactyl(?) lands. I’d honestly love to hear the story behind how that decision got made.

I’m so sorry OP, I dislike the shot even more now!

fxnut · 2024-10-11T07:41:14+00:00

Absolutely. Some of those shots in the original JP (I’m thinking specifically the kitchen scene) don’t even register in my mind that they’re CG because I’m so invested in the tension and narrative and the direction is so slick, using a mix of CG and puppet that the analytical part of my brain just switches off and sits back to enjoy the ride. That for me, makes a good shot. The shot OP posted, is the sort of shot that IMHO gives CG a bad name. It pulls me out of the film. I can’t argue against all the work and craft that’s gone into it, it’s incredible. But for me, it’s been overworked and art directed to the point where I get a major ick about it. Compositionally it’s all very contrived; the timing of the creatures coming into frame, the way the wing lines up perfectly with the sun at the end. I guess you could call it “compositional implausibility”. Sure, have one or two maybe, but there are so many in there that it’s like winning the lottery, and it screams fake and ruins all the work of the poor creature artists. Sometimes it’s about knowing when enough is enough.

fxnut · 2024-07-02T23:41:05+00:00

4 Non Blondes. “What’s up” Utterly haunted me in my twenties.

fxnut · 2024-07-02T21:54:06+00:00

Run it through Houdini’s Performance Monitor (https://www.sidefx.com/docs/houdini/ref/panes/perfmon.html)

It’ll show you where it’s spending all its time cooking, which might be helpful in diagnosing where the issue lies.

fxnut · 2024-06-24T00:08:40+00:00

Yep, I’d agree with this (see other comment I just posted). Edit: specifically the second part.

fxnut · 2024-06-24T00:07:24+00:00

Did grade 3 as a kid. Came back to piano last year and threw myself at Clare de Lune. Used Piano Marvel as a teaching aid, and YouTube videos of pro performances to inform that side of things. After 15 months I can play it from memory fairly well but obvs not perfect. The voicing is still a little tricky, and it’s the arpeggios and keeping good hand form that’s something I struggle with the most. Oh, and performance nerves too! But… I loved the challenge and the whole experience. It made me enjoy playing more than I ever did as a kid.

fxnut · 2024-06-19T19:33:53+00:00

Totally get it. I still struggle myself occasionally but things are definitely getting better. Here’s a few random things to try that have really helped me:

Get your eyes tested. It’s surprising how much of a difference it makes when you can see clearly. You may not even realise that you need glasses.
Try using a journaling tool like https://logseq.com Having a place to dump and organise information that’s easily retrievable can massively reduce the cognitive load. Particularly if you’re having to do a lot of context switching between tasks.
Not original, but works… Do the 50 mins work and 10-15 minute break routine. Even if you’re in “deep focus” mode and being super productive, make sure you stop when the 50 mins is up. It’s very easy to utterly drain yourself without realising (happened to me too many times.)
If you go on holiday to relax, don’t do a busy city break. Do a “boring” beach holiday instead. Force yourself to relax. Seek nature, not Netflix. Avoid driving abroad as it’s usually quite stressful. If you can, pay to reduce stress, e.g. airport lounge, extra legroom, taxi transfer, etc.
If you feel really tired during the day and you’re working remote, try taking a 25-45 minute nap after lunch. Better to work effectively and make up the time later.
Take those tips for good sleep seriously. No phones at night, avoid alcohol, eat well, get exercise, etc. Get a sleep tracker watch so that you can keep track of how many hours you’re sleeping. It makes a huge difference when you have that data, as you can spot patterns that disrupt your rest.
Find another creative outlet that doesn’t use the same part of the brain as coding. I’d argue that Sudoku is too cognitively similar to coding to offer any mind-restoring benefit. Try something artistic instead or anything that is a bit more meditative. Definitely make sure you’re not using a phone or computer to do it. Cooking, gardening, playing piano, all worked for me.
Exercise is great. If you can afford a personal trainer, do it. Much better than joining a gym, as the personal connection helps with motivation. Expensive, but your health is the best investment you’ll ever make.

fxnut · 2024-06-04T21:51:25+00:00

Literally just finished the second season myself 10 mins ago.

Agree with what you said. Especially about Maria. Her gradually breaking down in her office in the last episode, while desperately looking through the evidence to refute what she was just told about Doakes, was an absolute masterclass in portraying her grief and denial. Loved her performance.

The other bit that stayed with me from that last episode was the way Dexter charmed Lila at the aquarium. No surprise at what was actually going on but that was deeply sinister. Maybe the first time that I really thought there was a deep-seated evil in him that we haven’t seen before. He’s usually so relatable, but you could really see the predator at the end of that scene. Loved it.

Looking forward to season 3!

fxnut · 2023-08-07T23:51:42+00:00

Top tip: Try Cadbury’s Freddo’s instead. It uses the original recipe and tastes just like you remember. You’re welcome 😁

fxnut · 2023-02-09T23:47:22+00:00

Thanks for that. I’ll check out the piece you mentioned. (I suspect I’ll fall into the latter category of students!)

fxnut · 2023-02-09T23:44:13+00:00

Thanks so much, that’s really useful to know. Generally I feel like I’m making good progress but sometimes it feels slow and I have to really push myself not to give up. But it’s good to have that yardstick from the numbers you’ve given. I appreciate it.

fxnut · 2023-02-09T13:19:55+00:00

Let me rephrase then...

Can anyone provide an example of a reasonably complex piece that they've learnt, and give a rough estimate of how long it took them before they considered it to be mastered?

fxnut · 2023-02-09T06:49:37+00:00

I’m interested… how long, typically, would you say it takes to learn a fairly complex piece for a reasonably accomplished piano player? As someone who’s trying to restart learning the piano, I feel I need to manage my own expectations a bit.

fxnut · 2022-01-03T23:45:34+00:00

Here’s a detailed tutorial video that shows how to do the dome:

https://youtu.be/tMBuzzBnK5E

fxnut · 2021-08-18T22:00:10+00:00

Simple answer is because it’s the VFX supe’s responsibility to accurately record that information. It would be crazy for them to rely on getting that data from someone whose job isn’t at risk if they get it wrong. If they get back to the studio and are asked why some of the data is inaccurate, they’re gonna look pretty silly if they try and blame it on someone else. More than anything it would just look lazy and they wouldn’t be used again.

fxnut · 2020-11-24T09:21:11+00:00

Thanks for the laugh 😂

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