Hi Everyone! (Is eventually video-game related)

Hey everyone.  I've been a big GB fan for a long time, and their videos have kind of supplanted television for me for the last two years or so.  But I never got or took a chance to say hi or make a splash in the community, so I thought this would be a nice time to introduce myself.  I'm not sure what kind of community you are - whether you're warm and fuzzy like Imgur, or aggressive and terrifying like 4chan.  But here goes nothing.

My name is James Marion and I'm a senior at Rutgers University this year.  I'm a double major in Theater and English, with a real passion for Theater.  My last couple jobs have included stage managing at a Tony-winning local theater, performing in Walt Disney World as Darth Vader, and technical direction at a theater school.  My other great passion in life is polygonal design, and that's sort of why this is kind-of on-topic for the GB forums.

See, video games have always been really important to me.  I was a real loner as a kid and, weirdly, the only person I knew until I was in college that really played video games.  My brother would occasionally play with me as well, but he wouldn't dive into fantasy worlds the same way I would.

In any case, in my Senior year of high school I took a single class in 3D modeling, and I fell in love.  I didn't learn much in that class, but since then I've been trying my darndest to get better.  I thought I would show you lovely folks my work, since a ton of it is probably of interest to video game fans.

I'll add a link, and a picture for those who don't feel like clicking the link.  I made a claptrap.

www.jamesmarion.carbonmade.com

It's nice to finally say hello to all of you, and I hope I can be a bigger part of the GB community in the future.

James

Welcome! I have a friend who works on some modeling stuff in his free time. What kind of software do you use? My friend and I both use Blender to do the modeling, but I know a few people who use Zbrush as well.

The claptrap looks great by the way!

Maya!  A little Zbrush, but mostly Maya.

@jamessmarion said:

Maya! A little Zbrush, but mostly Maya.

Love it! I always try and stick with freeware whenever I can, partially out of principle, partially because it's fun, but mostly because am a poor college student!

This video was made entirely with Blender software, and it's one reason why I love it.

Question, when you were Darth Vader, did you wear a cup? Follow up question, how many times did children kick you in the "Dark Side". I need to know for a friend.

Also welcome and cool claptrap.

@jamessmarion: Welcome sir! I don't think you should be putting all your info on here but welcome anyways! Giantbomb has a great community. It has it's share of dicks but we're mostly friendly duders. Just change your avatar, that GB logo avatar is no bueno.

Oh, I really don't mind my name or University being out there.  I don't really have anything to hide. I'll change by avatar right now =D
 
@Bishna: Yes.  And many.  But I was in a show where we 'fought' kids who had lightsabers, and they occasionally just lost their minds.

...is this a resumè?
 
Wait better question: Imgur has a community??

Welcome duder! We're actually one of the friendliest communities on the Internet if I do say so myself. Cool claptrap. Looks good to me. Do you like movies or just theater? I just saw Lincoln and, damn, Daniel Day Lewis. I've been trying to find someone to geek out over his performance with. Anyways, welcome. Hope to see you around.

Welcome to our community! We're a weird crew. Are you focused on stage management and backstage stuff, or are you an aspiring actor? And for English, is it studies and analytical writing, or are you intending to be a creative writer? With the obvious combination of the two being scriptwriting, I guess.

I really do like that Claptrap.

@jamessmarion: I see. Big budget things can definitely seem really soulless at times. Takes a really tight knit cinematic team to bring true artistry to it. For example, Spielberg uses pretty much the exact same crew for every movie he does. Same director of photography, same art director, same editor, same composer, and so on. So really while he gets most of the credit, his works are really the achievement of a team of people working towards a very strong shared vision. Do you do any musical stuff? I enjoy musicals a lot more than straight plays.

@jamessmarion: yo man! Welcome! It's great that you got a passion for 3D modeling. Giant bomb community can be... brutal sometimes but most of the times, these are nice people. But at the end of the day, we all get together because we love video games. Again, welcome!!

P.S. Rutgers, eh? I graduated from Syracuse University so that's... kinda close, right?? lol

@Little_Socrates: Most of the big paying jobs I've gotten have been stage managing and designing (I'll put an image of a set design below), but I've done a good amount of performing. Honestly, though, I can really have the lowliest job in a theater company and still be perfectly happy. that's how I know it's right for me.

@Raven10: I didn't know that about Spielberg. The more I hear about filmmaking, it seems like a lot of directors keep people around. And then Burton takes it too far.

Yea, musicals are kind of my thing. I love doing and seeing straight plays, but I always prefer being in musicals to being in plays. It's just so much fun. My favorite have probably been playing Tevye in Fiddler, Rapunzel's Prince in Into the Woods, or Hunter in [title of show].

Set design early mockup for Man of la Mancha:

Wait... this is you?

This is amazing.

Do premium members not have a post limit? Just wondering since you posted more than 5 times with no problem.

@JJWeatherman: Haha yea, I did that.

@SexyToad: I'm sorry. I think. I'll post less.

Are we talking about the Imgur the image hosting website, or is there like a seperate thing out there?

Welcome welcome! Be sure to always be thankful to your stage crew! I used to work stage tech moving sets in the dark between scenes and what not and that shit is difficult. It is worse when an actor misplaces a prop and is yelling at you to go find them. I'm sure a duder such as yourself is always kind though! 

@jamessmarion: As someone whose grandparents are Polish Jews I always enjoy Fiddler on the Roof. I think they and my parents get more out of it than me but I still appreciate it. I've never seen it on stage. Saw the movie just. Also seen the Man of La Mancha movie. Great story. Good music. Haven't heard of the other two. My favorite musical is Rent. I know kind of a stereotypical answer but I just love it. I also love Phantom. I saw that one with a traveling troop that wasn't very good. My parents saw it in the Toronto production which they said was amazing. I guess I don't have a ton of experience with live shows. I love Shakespeare. Always enjoy seeing his stuff when I get a chance. My parents were lucky enough to see Othello with James Earl Jones playing him. They said it was the most amazing live performance they've ever seen.

@JJWeatherman said:

Wait... this is you?

This is amazing.

OMG...Thank you so much. I was having kinda shitty morning but this made me laugh so hard I couldn't get the air in needed to laugh.

@I_smell: Haha no, I mean the image sharing website. Have you read the comments? Those guys seem to know each other. And they're super fuzzy.

@DarthOrange: As someone who has both been on and taught tech, trust me I'm always grateful. I'm ASM on a show right now.

@Raven10: Yea, Phantom doesn't do it for me. I could write a dissertation on why. And normally I don't like celebrities in show, but I had the opportunity to see Morgan Freeman in "The Country Girl", and man. He is an incredible presence.

@jamessmarion: You seem like a pretty cool guy, but it's the Darth Vader gig that earns you a follow.

@SpaceRunaway: So uh. If you follow me, what does that mean? I don't want to disappoint.