As the year wraps up, I think the biggest takeaway from 2023 is being grateful to have made it through the momentous and costly union strikes that rocked the film and VFX industries this year. I don't think the studios and union members realized how damaging they were to people not just within the writing and acting professions, and I hope that profits are equitably shared beyond just a small section of all the many people who make entertainment in this industry. I know that many VFX artists and 3D animators got discouraged and stepped away from the industry, and I hope they get their chance to return when things recover.

No matter the difficult circumstances, MPC Visualization remains a place where we work on fun projects with great people. This year's releases were Transformers: Rise of the Beasts, Strays, and Goosebumps and I'm really proud of these final results. We also started a YouTube channel for our department. There are also several shows we're still working on that I look forward to seeing next year, including some special formats that have been really rewarding puzzles to solve. I'm glad that the Unreal Animation Fellowship provided another opportunity to make an individual animation piece that I could take to final.

My main goals for 2024 are to improve my health habits and get back to weekly drawing. I received some painting supplies for Christmas, so I will also be thinking about what to paint with them. When it comes to skills, I will of course be working more with learning Unreal, and I want to get a basic understanding of Substance in January and February and learn other new programs.

A few weeks ago I posted my making of video for the shot I made for the Unreal Animation Fellowship, but today I also finished my write-up of the experience, with more detail than I could pack into that breakdown video. You can read it here.