Something about Darren

Darren is a talent artist whom was influenced by some famous catoon programs in his young age. He is also a special CCD member sharing his ideas of facial texture packs which are quite different from many others. Darren is also enthusiastic about whatever is going wih iClone. "I'm spending a bit of time today utilising Reallusion's iClone - 3DXchange program. So far it's been quite a successful venture and I'd recommend if you haven't already signed up and downloaded the tool to do so." Said Darren at his blog.

To Reallusion, Darren is also an opinion leader that can open his ideas or experiences about testing the performance of Reallusion's product. "Prior to investigating the new features of the programme I utilised the 'content copier' which basically transfers iClone 1.5 content (defaults & custom) into the iClone 2 content folders. Both versions have to be installed in order for the content copier to work." He is always a nice guy to comment anything around the product, it helps improve Reallusion's knowledge to treat their customers more wisely in the future. Anyway, let's see how Darren met iClone at first......the interesting journey.


Interview with Darren

A Year of iClone – the beginnings

When Reallusion first mentioned that they were going to release a "new" 3d character programme called iClone, I was excited and expectant.

I'd been working on a few animation projects with another of their products named It's Me (the forerunner of iClone). This programme was cool, easy and really, really cheap. I purchased my first "boxed" version of the programme in the local supermarket along with CrazyTalk 2, in the "2 for a fiver" section ($8-$9).  "Wow, they sound like fun", I initially thought as I read the product description.

I always want to produce a few "cartoons", as I'm from the generation that sat glued in front of the TV watching the likes of "Tom & Jerry", "Bugs Bunny", "Daffy Duck" and "Captain Pugwash". And I'd been working in a "make shift" media studio located in Guisborough, helping to run the local film & drama club by night, grinding a living producing corporate training and wedding videos by day. I'd just passed that place in life where you leave the "deluded security of working for a nationally recognised retail firm", after 11 or so years in the trade.

So, It's Me, what a find and what a giggle so much so that people I worked with were starting to hate me. "Will you take my head off that dancing woman", said Kevin one day, "but Kev, you've got a great arse, don't ya think?" Reallusion's little gem It's Me had finally help release the creative side of my imagination and was "refreshing the parts that other beers couldn't reach". (Memory recall anyone?......WAKE UP, this is just my intro.)

Due to the success from the film & drama club and the commercial prospects of a new trade, Spotlight Training & Media Ltd was set up to help "re-engage learners through the medium of media", and very soon contracts were coming in that gave just cause for the "making peanuts today as an investment in securing a future phase".

eBay was a good place to buy the 3 for £15 packs of It's Me, Crazy Talk and 3D Effect Studio and very soon we had managed to buy enough to cater for our new, 3 terminal I.T. room. The young people who came to us from the school quickly engaged with the Reallusion software and occasionally I saw a few of them break into a smile, it may have just been wind but the smiles were nice to see anyway. We needed to "keep" the "students' engaged", so a few "projects" were devised and......iClone.

____________________________________________________________________________

Visit Darren's Website: http://www.mellor.tv/
Visit Darren's YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/MellorMedia