TED Community » Don Levy

More About Me

I'm passionate about

Human potential. I believe in the the potential that every individual has within themselves to pursue their interests, realize their dreams and make a difference.

Talk to me about

People, family, education, animation, visual effects, sustainability, the environment, solar power, energy tech, art and science,food, cycling, fitness and nutrition, marketing ideas

People don't know that I'm good at

narration and juggling

My TED Story

TED Opens eyes and senses...mine and others...a remarkable community of thinkers and doers.

Comments

• TEDCred score: +2277.50 TEDCred reflects your contribution to the TED community.

• A reply on Talk: Don Levy: A cinematic journey through visual effects

  Mar 29 2013: Marjolein,
  
  I may Tweet and Facebook a link to this question so you can get more discussion around this intriguing topic. My personal feeling is that on certain movies, such as "Inception," it is the foundation of realism that heightens the surrealistic experience. Equally valid is the enjoyment of the imaginary worlds created in animated movies, as you cite with Toy Story, Up or others. In the best cases, it is the consistency of the world and the quality of the characters that draws us in and envelops us in the cinematic experience.
• +5

  A comment on Talk: Ron Finley: A guerilla gardener in South Central LA

  Mar 6 2013: I look forward to helping and spreading the word. Not to be lost in the idea of planting is the incredible importance of growing fresh food and the disastrous consequences of poor nutrition. Ron's talk is a joy to watch and hear, as inspiring a speaker as you may ever hear.

• A reply on Talk: Don Levy: A cinematic journey through visual effects

  Jan 24 2013: I respect that, Edwin. STAR WARS is so well known and included in so many other compilations that a thought in the design of this one was to include some other work that might or might not be as well known. Selections were also made, in some cases, to contrast with some of the earlier efforts or techniques in the same vein. In planning the piece, we tried not to suggest that it was either all inclusive or a ranking. Perhaps the title of the talk suggests otherwise. Thank you for making your comment, because I completely agree with the significance of STAR WARS that you cite. Amazing, too, that STAR WARS was accomplished with pre-digital techniques, unless you count motion control. Yet virtually all of those techniques developed and pioneered became the basis for the digital era to follow.
• +2

  A reply on Conversation: Has the time come for the U.S Second Amendment to be repealed or amended?

  Jan 14 2013: I entered the conversation to offer an opinion and participate in the discussion. I hoped to join a discussion that allows both sides to think and consider ideas. For example, I am now thinking about the point about the potential conflict of interest. So thank you for raising it. I am not of the opinion that there should be a repeal, which was the overarching conversation starter. In fact, I agree with the basic premise and stated that at the top.
  The overall issue of armed violence is complicated and encompasses many factors beyond weapons and guns and controlling legislation. I joined this conversation because the topic is important and worthy of the wisdom and insight that can come from open dialog. I will leave it at that.
• +1

  A reply on Conversation: Has the time come for the U.S Second Amendment to be repealed or amended?

  Jan 14 2013: Here are a few links, including one from the University of Utah Medical Medical School. The datablog entry in the Guardian references the FBI and there is also a US Dept of Justice databank that outlines gun-related homicides versus that by other weapons, with gun use far higher than other weapons. The US also ranks 4th in the world for gun related deaths, behind South Africa, Colombia and Thailand (http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/cri_mur_wit_fir-crime-murders-with-firearms).
  
  http://library.med.utah.edu/WebPath/TUTORIAL/GUNS/GUNSTAT.html
  http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/datablog/2011/jan/10/gun-crime-us-state
  http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/01/09/guns-traffic-deaths-rates/1784595/
  http://bjs.ojp.usdoj.gov/content/homicide/tables/weaponstab.cfm
• +1

  A reply on Talk: Don Levy: A cinematic journey through visual effects

  Jan 13 2013: Alexander Tsiaris makes extensive use of art and computer graphics in the medical visualizations he creates. He has a talk here on TED.com http://www.ted.com/talks/alexander_tsiaras_conception_to_birth_visualized.html
  and another where I met him.
  http://www.imaginesolutionsconference.com/speakers/alexander-tsiaras/
  
  There was an extraordinary video in the 2012 Siggraph Electronic Theater, a compilation of some of the year's best computer animation. It is from Nucleus Medical Media and is called Fertilization. You may think you know all you need to know on this subject but the video provides details (and understanding) beyond common knowledge.
  http://youtu.be/BFrVmDgh4v4
• +6

  A comment on Conversation: Has the time come for the U.S Second Amendment to be repealed or amended?

  Jan 13 2013: The original premise of the 2nd Amendment is valid and was written to enable citizens to protect themselves from a hostile government. It was also based on the need or desire to have local militia, for which citizens would be able to provide their own weapon - which at the time was a single shot musket. What has gotten completely out of control is the way zealots, especially among those on the pro-gun side of the equation, have corrupted the meaning and intention of the 2nd amendment. I see less of a need to repeal than it is to legislatively update and clarify. It seems clear to me that setting some limitations on what one has the right to own, carry, and use is hardly the same as banning all guns. To hear the NRA, any limitation begins the slippery slope towards taking away the right entirely. If that is truly the case, then what is the legitimacy of any law or regulation? My right to own a car does not also grant me the right to drive it any way I want at any speed. My right to consume alcohol and my right to drive, does not grant me the right to drink and drive. My rights are not being infringed when the greater good of society is protected. Regulating the possession of high-powered weapons and lethal ammunition designed solely to kill other human beings, is not the same as banning all weapons or voiding the second amendment. Given the statistics on gun related deaths here in America, the argument that gun ownership makes us safer rings hollow.
• +10

  A comment on Talk: Don Levy: A cinematic journey through visual effects

  Jan 7 2013: Hello, I'm the speaker and I want to first thank you for watching, listening and taking your time to comment. It was an honor simply to be able to look back on more than 100 years of visual effects and have this opportunity to share some of what I saw. That said, there were many ways to approach this topic and your comments reflect this. Over the years, I've been amazed by imagery that can be created. @Dan F points this out in his comment. Another example is the great work done at places like JPL. Visual effects and animation helped most of us understand the incredible Mars landing last year. This whole area of the use of visual effects and animation beyond entertainment for communication and understanding, especially of complicated things, is of great interest. @Steve Bindleson in his reply to @Mark Fradl captured my intention, as did @Jihyun Kim. Because I am not personally an artist and I do not create the work, I did not want to present as if I did or do. The visual effects artist Rob Legato has an excellent TED talk on the process, both technically and creatively. I also felt there are many other videos featuring shot builds, and not the focus here. With 2 minutes to set up a 4-minute clip, we focused narrowly on just a few key ideas. 1)visually illustrate the progress of visual effects and their use over 110 years. 2) Observe that the idea of visual effects goes back hundreds of years (there could be a whole talk on pre-cinema visual effects). 3) suggest that movies are the ultimate medium for VFX and magic because they are based illusions and then define the principles of illusion. 4) Show examples. The reel was designed to show progress and there was a guide on the bottom of the frame with words like animation, environments, etc, to help identify what aspect was being shown. Apart from the talk, I appreciate the conversation that it starts, which is also evidenced in several of the other discussions. Once again, my thanks.
• +1

  A comment on Talk: Sebastian Wernicke: 1000 TEDTalks, 6 words

  Jan 6 2012: Fun talk and a good conclusion. Thank you, Sebastian.
• +6

  A reply on Talk: Eric Whitacre: A virtual choir 2,000 voices strong

  Apr 2 2011: Amen. This is what struct me so during the first session this year -- how we as humans interact with the world around us. Eric's talk has been playing over and over in my head...and now it is here for the world to enjoy. Thank you.