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LONGEST 3D COMPUTER ANIMATION HITS THE TV SCREEN
The animation starts with the logo of Sampaguita Pictures on water with twinkling stars and swaying light-rays on the background. It then cuts to a tiled reflective floor where all the characters and title of "Billy Bilyonaryo" perform. Each CG character emulates the role of a particular actor/actress which he/she portrays in the TV sitcom.
Ronnie has been engaged in computer graphics since it was
first introduced in the Philippines in 1987. He then worked for
Mediaboutique and then moved over to Cinema Artists Philippines
(now known as CineVideo). In both companies, he made animations
for TV commercials, TV shows, and corporate video productions.
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"Nothing is real. Except for the photos of the actors and
actresses which were digitized, everything else was created in
the computer," says Ronnie Miranda who conceived, designed and
animated the newest OBB (opening billboard) of the TV show "Billy
Bilyonaryo" shown every Sunday 9-10 pm on GMA 7.
"That's NOT morphing. That's a true object-to-object metamorphosis,"
Ronnie points out, referring to the mutation of a pool of gold
liquid to the "Billy Bilyonaryo" title and then to its transformation
to a shape of a ball. "Morphing is a 2D process," explains
Ronnie, "that involves stretching, deforming, and distorting
parts of a 2D images with a cross-disslove betweeen the images
which can give a 3D effect. On the other hand, metamorphosis
refers to a 3D process of transforming one object into another by
moving polygonal vertices in 3D space. The object actually
changes shape. The two terms may be similar, but in computer
graphics, they're different."
From modeling to motion-choreography to rendering, the 100-second
"Billy Bilyonary" OBB - the longest continuous 3D computer
animation sequence ever made locally - was completed in three
weeks. "Everything is computer generated and in full 3D. Procedural
texture shaders were used to create the water, light rays,
and reflective properties. No video post-production editing
tricks or effects were employed."
In 1991, he went on his own by being a freelance artists and con-
sultant. Today, he creates special animation projects only. Of
the many animations he has made, his regularly exposed works
include Viva Films Logo (that which you see at the beginning of
any Viva movie; made in 1990), 97.1 WLSFM (1988), DZBB 594
(1988), graphics for Citibank's ATM machine (1992), and his demo
at SM Megamall.