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Legends arrives in France

By animation

From September 20 to 23, 2023, the 38th APLF conference opens at the Saint-Michel l’Observatoire, France, and “Legends of the Northern Sky” is an official selection for the Fulldome festival.

Legends of the Northern Sky is an immersive 360 animation and video production for presentation in domed theatres worldwide. Written and directed by Perry Shulak, and developed by Critical Fusion in collaboration with the Telus World of Science Edmonton, the show has been running daily within their 240 seat theatre at 8K resolution since it was completed in 2019.

This year, the show was updated and converted to French language with voice over recorded in Montreal by Samuel Tremblay (Samien). ”Legends of the Northern Sky” has also been translated to Mandarin Language for distribution into China.

Wilderology – Black Footed Ferret

By animation, Education

Dr. Samantha Panther Observes: In a relatively short span of time, cumulative events have unfolded that led to the complete decimation of the Black Footed Ferret. This calamity would spread across North America, leading to the species being claimed as extinct. Not only reckless framing practices led to the species demise, disease plagues crossed over on ships in 1900 that quickly spread across the continent. This black death still remains a current threat to the recovery of the species.

Being primarily dependant on prairie dogs, the black footed ferret had their primary food source tilled under and poisoned over the past 100 years. Only 5% of North American prairie dog populations survive today. Prairie dogs are a keystone species essential not only to other animal species such as the Ferruginous hawk and the swift fox, active borrowing helps to aerate and fertilize soil promoting plant growth and diversity.

In 1981, a small population of 129 ferrets were discovered in Wyoming, and efforts have be made to reintroduce the species in regions they previously inhabited. As of this year, 2021, current number of black footed ferrets in the wild are estimated at 300. Conservation efforts are ongoing, with 200 ferrets reintroduced into the wild each year.

It is only through species diversity and climate management will ecosystems around the world thrive and return habitats to their natural order. Through educating children with real facts on the potential harm that humans pose on the natural world, we can hope to create a future planet that is livable for all animal species and humans.

#conservation #graphicdesign #explainervideo #illustration #diversity

Wilderology – Okarito Kiwi

By animation

Journey across the world with Dr. Edmun G. Witz, as he seeks out rare and unusual species with his team of biology science experts in Wilderology.

Off to New Zealand, Dr. Witz searches out and documents facts on the Okarito Kiwi. With only 400 in number, these flightless birds mate up for life. Their habitat is exclusive to a small region on the west coast of New Zealand. Their main food source is earthworms, beetle larvae, and other crawly bugs that live on the forest floor.

The Okarito Kiwi is an endangered species, and their numbers are threatened by loss of habitat and unnaturally introduced predators such as stoats, possums, cats and dogs.

Wilderology is another inspirational and educational program developed by Critical Fusion, and conceived by Perry Shulak. We look forward to building on this brand, which will include books, other educational resources, and a preschools TV series.

If you think climate change is scary, species deprivation is at its worst within the entire human era. Loss of diversification in animals world-wide has been classified as the next mass-extinction event, and all of it was perpetrated by human kind. Since the entry of people into North America about 12,000 years ago, all large fauna such as the woolly mammoth, cave bear, giant armadillos, North American camels, and many other animals went extinct. It’s time that we teach our children to show much greater respect for all the other animals that share the land, because their survival is critical to the continued existence of humanity.

Animation – from idea to realization

By animation

All animated projects begin as an idea wrapped around a broader outcome that extends beyond just the written word and images. It’s about looking at the current world we inhabit, and formulating trends that lead to realities that mirror human perspectives. “SPACED” explores a future what if, and congeals  it into a fantastical world populated by personalities that drive the story. Even though this story involves a stylized fictional character, his experiences are very human and very real. They take us on a journey that is consumable, and since it’s animated, we can believe that the life they live and the decisions they make have consequences… in their world anyways.

Machine Learning

By animation, Education

Machine Learning to Animation

Machine learning is an evolving technology that is finding its way into all facets of business and society. Even though it is largely buried in technology and devices, it’s opening up efficiencies and discoveries that are leading the way in how most “humans” in modern society go about their daily lives. Most of the effort undertaken by machine learning artificially intelligent models happens in the digital realm outside the observation of the most technically literate. Born in a lab like a biotic microorganism, it is designed to learn and grow. All a.i. systems assembled today have limits; simple they are, directed to perform predictable tasks, but this is only the beginning.

The past while I have scaled the realm of machine learning, wrapping my ideals around the what if and what for of the technology as it’s potential extends to something else. Artificial Intelligence and machine learning is not a current creation; it’s been in development for twenty years. Only now has it grown to be adaptable and useful thanks to the massive quantity of data that is available and the tools to process it. As I continue down the path to build a story, I expect that there will be many more revelations to be had and revealed. The project Intelligent Machine, will be an immersive dome animation production that will explore a biotic data model and it’s journey to becoming sentient. As the writer and creator of the “GERI” model, working with the Alberta Machine Learning Institute, its’ my imperative to craft a life worth living as “GERI” charts a path through the history of the technology leading up to an uncertain outcome.

Envisioning a history of Tyrannosaurus rex

By animation, Communications, Education

Digging Up Dinosaurs

Over the past while, I have been creating a vision of the past and the events that had transpired from 250 million years ago up to 66 million years ago. The focus is on Tyrannosaurids, a species that has evolved and taken on many forms leading up to the largest and meanest family member, the Tyrannosaurus rex. There were many variations of the species beginning with a small sprout of a chicken sized animal. It eventually became a massive beast with jaws ringed with crushing teeth that was design to consume all other living dinosaurs.

Every year, new fossils are discovered that expand what we know of the various dinosaurs that roamed across North America. These fossils take time to recover, relieve them of sediment, and analyze the bones to determine how they fit into the history of all things dinosaur.

Above is a shot of Scott Persons, known Paleontologist who sunk his teeth into the profession at the University of Alberta. We did full 360 test video at Dinosaur Provincial Park, where we discovered a hadrosaur bone that was munched on by T-Rex himself. Alberta is known as dinosaur country, and we have an extensive reserve of fossils, making it rich territory to study long gone species of the Cretaceous era.

The final production will be an immersive 360 dome production, immersing audiences into the chaotic world of battling dinosaurs.