During the 18 months Chip Weatherman worked for Real Media, he’s never been bored. “There’s always a lot to do,” he says. “I get my hands on a lot of different things. “I started out as an intern and I’m now the lead,” he says, “doing 3D animation, compositing, visual fx, a bit of design, and editing. With only four people working here, I get to be involved in every step of the process, from conception to final editing.”

A small video and multimedia house in Lenexa, Kansas, Real Media works on an interesting variety of projects – from broadcast commercials to 3D animations for professional sports teams like the Cincinnati Reds and college teams like Kansas State University and Baylor University. “We’ve done stuff for other sports teams,” Chip explains, “as well as a broadcast show for the ASGA (shown on the Golf Channel), medical companies, video production companies, and broadcast commercials shown around the KC area.”

His job features a lot of variety, but a recent project for the Cincinnati Reds has been one of Chip’s favorites. “The Cincinnati Reds mascot looks a little like Sesame Street’s Snuffleupagus, and modeling his CG image posed a challenge,” he says. “That pushed me, because this new mascot has hair and fur. But it’s been great fun. We had a local dancer, who had worked on Broadway, do all the dance moves, and we did a motion capture of him. I created a 3D of him doing this funky [Napoleon Dynamite] dance … and I slapped it on the 3D model I created of the Reds mascot. So the fans will be seeing their mascot up on the jumbotron doing a Napoleon Dynamite dance.”

Though the pace at Real Media can be demanding, Chip feels like he was well prepared by his training at Full Sail. “They really push when you first start at Full Sail,” he says. “A lot of people think it’s some kind of gimmick… having labs at one or three in the morning, so that they can run the school 24/7. But I can’t tell you how many times I’ve spent two or three days at work. Sleeping here on the couch. Taking a shower here. If the work’s not finished, we stay until it’s finished.”

That attitude helps Chip through the tough projects. “We had a huge project come in February or March of last year, an architectural rendering for my boss’s church,” Chip remembers. “They were actually going to build a new church and they were building first phase, so they wanted to have a 3D rendering to hand out to potential investors. I worked day and night on that one, and it pushed me. I had to learn how to use the renderers, and figure out how to composite files to create the most realistic image for the presentation, how to maximize the program. Figured out a way to create a more realistic image by using 3D Studio Max’s shadow mask. It worked great for creating the reflection in the glass of the doors, for this fly-through. That was probably the thing I was most proud of on that project.”

And though it’s a small company, Chip feels like Real Media is the perfect place for him to grow and develop his career. “There’s a lot of CG going on in the Kansas City area,” Chip says, “with a lot of small CG companies here. And this is a great job with great experience.”

* For a closer look at some of Chip Weatherman’s work, visit his website @ http://obtuseorange.com