Archive for August, 2010

How does it feel to be nominated?

When I ask that question to Zoic Studios Producer Karen Czukerberg on the Visual Effects Emmy nomination for the television show V her face beams, “The nomination is really exciting because we (the team at Zoic Studios) have been part of the show since the beginning, since (Warner Brothers) were thinking about the pilot.”  On Tuesday night August 17, 2010, Karen and members of the visual effects team on V attended the Emmy Awards reception for all of those nominated for a best visual effects Emmy Award.

Five shows were nominated for the Best Visual Effects in a Television series including V and CSI, which Zoic Studios also produces and creates the visual effects for.  Zoic Studios was also nominated for Ben 10 for Best Visual Effects in a mini series.  As a Visual Effects Producer, Karen is in charge of a lot of different tasks some of which include budgets, reading the scripts, making sure that the team can accomplish the effects for the show.  She works closely with the scheduling department and helps choose the artists for the show as well as works very closely with Andrew Orloff the Visual Effects Supervisor. “My job basically is to deliver the episode with high quality visual effects on budget and on schedule, and that everyone is happy: the client, Zoic, the artists and myself.”

Andrew Orloff, Visual Effects Supervisor for V, is both co Executive Creative Director alongside Co-Founders Chris Jones and Loni Peristere, but also the Visual Effects Supervisor overseeing the visual effects on all of the episodic television shows for Zoic Studios both in Los Angeles and Vancouver.  Orloff comes from a CG background and has been working in visual effects for television for sixteen years.  Orloff compares his job to a newspaper editor, “ I am kind of like an editor of a newspaper, I approve and note all the shots that come through on the shows I supervise so I look at everything and talk directly to the artists.  I’m still involved technically on how to achieve different shots, devising methodologies, designing and consulting during pre-production.  We working with Warner Brothers during the script writing phase to figure out how we were going to do the visual effects of the show.”  Orloff was directly involved in imagining the mother ship for the show.  “I remember sitting with the Executive Producer with my laptop open on Maya and finalizing that main shape of the ship in a real time modeling session.”

Going to the Emmy’s for Orloff is a lot of fun and something he looks forward to.  “It’s a really great time to see people we work with, the DP’s, sound, editors.  You get to dress up in a tuxedo and just have a good time.  There is a governor’s ball afterwards where we eat and dance and it really is a lot of fun.”

Karen says, “It’s really special for us because after two years of work to be recognized is just really wonderful.”  The Emmy reception is an opportunity for the visual effects team members of the nominated shows to meet one another.  The nominated clips are screened for the nominees and afterwards there is a question and answer session about the work that they created for their shows.  It’s an opportunity for the visual effects creators to connect with one another on both a professional and creative level.  “It’s going to be interesting to meet people and share the experiences and knowledge that we have of the show and be able to share that information with other visual effects artists.  You don’t have a lot of opportunity to go and talk about your work and share your experiences outside of Zoic so it will be really exciting to do so.”

For Rik Shorten who started as a Visual Effects Producer on CSI and is now Visual Effects Supervisor for the show is thrilled at the second nomination for the team.  He has been on CSI since season five and he is now working on season eleven.  “We have a crew of talented and experienced artists.  It’s unique, specific work for someone who is comfortable with organics and heart surface modeling, they kind of have to do a bit of everything.”  The shot that was nominated took two months to complete.

“It was a lot of work last summer for the crew and it was two months from beginning to end to make the shot.  It was definitely an event episode for the franchise and for the team here at Zoic some of who have been on CSI for a while, like me.  It was an amazing opportunity to do something like this for television.”

The Zoic Visual Effects team for CSI was also recognized for two VES awards in February.  Last night is the beginning of a week of celebrations for the team, which includes a number of parties all leading up to the Creative Arts Awards ceremony on Saturday August 21.  The ceremony recognizes all of the behind-the-scenes personnel in a separate non – televised ceremony, but still has all the glitz and glamor of the live event.  As for the Emmy reception, Rik is very excited to attend and talk shop with his peers.  “Normally when you are working with a crew you are just doing your job on your show, you don’t have a lot of chances to talk to people around town that are working parallel to you on their series.  It’s a chance to stop, look at the work, talk about the work and meet other people in the industry that you don’t have an opportunity to see.  They can talk about what they are doing and pick your brain about a shot and the challenges and experiences of what you did.  I really look forward to these types of events to connect and meet new people.”  Steve Meyer, the 2D lead artist on the project, was thrilled that the team received the nomination.  “Attending the Emmy reception on August 17th was enjoyable and I loved seeing the entries up on the big screen.”

“I bought a red dress yesterday from BCBG, which is my favorite store,” Karen says laughing. “For me, I’m from Mexico and for me to be able to go to the Emmy Awards is so special.  I love my work and I love working at Zoic.  To be a part of V has been an amazing experience for me because I get to work with such talented artists.  The whole thing is really exciting, but the most important thing is the process.  I am really looking forward to representing the company and the show and sharing this experience with my team.”

Stay tuned to see who wins the Emmy Award for Best Visual Effects for a television show and mini series on Saturday August 21 when the Creative Arts Emmy awards ceremony occurs.

The hunter chases his prey, but what happens when the prey is a giant robot panther?  The interns at Zoic Studios have the answer.  In March, several Zoic interns created a spot as part of their internship program.  The program, an unpaid sixteen – week commitment held three times a year, is an innovative course of study that combines education and real-world practical experience alongside professional mentorship.

Dmitri Gueer, Zoic’s Senior Editor of Zoic Edit and Brooke Brigham, Production Manager and Intern Coordinator, developed the Zoic Studios Internship program to offer the next generation of talent an inside opportunity to explore and learn the inner workings of a visual effects company and to get a taste of what it is like to work in the entertainment industry.  Brigham goes through the process of finding interns, “It’s seeking individuals out from schools, art institute’s like Otis College of Art and Design; going to their job fairs and reel reviews.  So it’s seeking out entry – level talent, but that includes people making a career change or individuals who aren’t necessarily sure what they want to do in the industry.  Some are a bit greener than others so all different kinds of people,” says Brigham.  Beyond just visual effects artists, Brigham is looking for a mix of people with varied interests.  “We want a mixture of editorial, producing, and administration as well.  Visual effect artists of course, but at the same time you want to be able to really find an eclectic group of individuals.”  The internship program has grown considerably since it first started.  In fact, Brigham herself was an intern at Zoic Studios back in 2004 before being hired on full time.  “When I started here as an intern, there were about four of us and there wasn’t a program, we were essentially PA’s.  After my internship was over I started working at the front desk and I worked with the interns.  Dmitri and I realized there was all this great talent coming in, and we weren’t giving anything back to them.  We wanted to say, ‘Hey here is a mentor and here is a great project you can work on for your reel.’  We decided to make something more structured so that the interns could walk away with more knowledge, experience, and contacts then they had when they came in.”  Hence, the internship program that exists now came into its own.

The internship has an educational and practical component.  “We want the interns to think they are going to Zoic University.  We have a series of lectures by industry professionals who work here and have years of experience,” says Gueer.  The first two months are spent on lectures and bringing the interns up to speed on how the visual effects world works.  The interns are also assigned a mentor who helps guide them and answers any questions that may arise during the course of their internship.  “If I was a 3D intern I would be assigned a 3D artist.  I would be able to sit with them if I have any questions over the course of my internship and learn from them.  There is a relationship that is built so you can learn directly from the industry professional.”

For every intern cycle, there are two groups of interns that come up with an idea for a project, a commercial, short film, anything that will incorporate the visual effects world.   The teams must pitch their project idea to Gueer, Brigham and other Zoic staff members who act as clients.   If the pitch is approved, the team is on their way.  However, Gueer treats the interns as though they were going through a real pitch process, which gives them a better understanding of what pitching to an actual client is like.  The teams must create their own visual effects company.  “The idea is that the interns get a taste of what it is like to work at an actual visual effects company where they would be dealing with clients on a daily basis… I want to get them to a point where should they ever start their own visual effects company or if they ever deal with clients, they know what it is like.  So they pitch the idea and we critique them.”  One of the reasons Gueer turns down an idea is the lack of story in a pitch presentation, “Usually what is lost in pretty much every internship presentation is story.  In the next internship cycle we will start teaching how to tell a good story.  I don’t think I have ever been in a presentation where someone had a solid story in the first presentation.”  Once the idea is accepted, the two teams of interns create a project, it can be a short, a commercial, anything that they can create and execute in the time they are interning at Zoic.  The interns have cutting edge technology, hardware and software at their disposal to turn their ideas into a reality.

When the projects are finalized, they are presented in front of the entire company.  The winning project gets accolades, a prize, and is posted on the front page of the Zoic Studios website.  “It’s beneficial to the whole company because the projects showcase the talent of the interns.”  The interns are able to build their resume and their reel as well as have exposure to both the inner and outer workings of the industry.  “Our interns get a chance to connect with major studios including Warner Brothers and NBC Universal, ad agencies like Wieden and Kennedy, major production companies like Mutant Enemy (Joss Whedon’s company) and game companies like Activision and EA,” says CFO Tim McBride.  Some of the interns may end up working in the visual effects industry and a select few may even end up working for Zoic Studios, but the overall goal of the program is education and gaining hands on experience in a supportive working environment.  Gueer is also happy to be giving back. “At some point you realize you have been working in this industry for a long time and you think what have I done to make this industry better?  I wanted to give something back and hopefully somebody gets inspired.”

For intern Marshall Huffman, the process of creating a project that stuck was one that he immensely enjoyed even if it was fraught with hurdles.  His team went through several ideas, none of which seemed to be working.  “Each person came up with one or two ideas.  We all threw it at the wall and none of it was sticking… Later that evening it popped in my head that there was a guy hunting for a cat and it was actually a car… I was in the shower washing my hair and I was like man chases cat through jungle.  The hunt is over; oh that is an awesome tag line.  Man is pursuing something he wants. I think the pieces were there and it was obvious and fell into place.”   The next day Marshall sent the idea to Gueer who approved it and the interns were finally on their way.  However, the real work was only just beginning.

From concept approval to finished project the process took a couple of months to complete.  Marshall was the 3-D lead and lead modeler on the robot while also acting as co-producer and co-director on the spot along with intern Vince Blin.  Andreas Berkstein and Daniel Rico made up the additional members of the team.  Vincent was the 2D lead on the project for compositing and roto as well as the lead actor, prop maker and costume wrangler.  Everyone had more than a dozen jobs to juggle at any one time.

As for the spot, it started with two ideas that were combined into a one of a kind commercial spot, a car commercial that features a sleek robot animal.  The jungle was created with several matte paintings, taking several different images and scrap booking them together.  Vincent was in charge of building out the forest, but much of it was actually shot.   A pipe was changed to a mossy fallen tree and a creek was transformed into lush brush with a waterfall in the background.  The log was a digital model that Andreas built in a 3-D sculpting program called Z Brush.  The cityscape was created as was the car and of course who can forget the robot cat. The robot was a model that Marshall sculpted.  The character rigger, led by Daniel, put together all the parts and Andreas animated it.  Clearly the process is quite time consuming as each component must be completed before another component can begin.  After his internship experience, Huffman was hired by Zoic to do visual effects for the television show V, “This is as darn close to a life – long dream as I can think of, which is to get paid to play with spaceships.”

Want to live your dream learning the inner workings of the visual effects world?  Contact Brooke Brigham by email at: internship@zoicstudios.com for an application and more information.

By Alicia Cargile

Teenage angst is such an unnecessary evil we all go through.  Not much comes of it besides black eyes, hangovers, fights with your parents and suspensions.  There is one absolutely fantastic thing that derives from it, discovering your identity.  Self-expression is most important to those that are still trying to figure it out.  Naturally, music is a big part of this process.  To me, music is the most important thing in the world.  For others, it’s art, school, career, relationships…my air is music.  Transitioning from a leadership-driven scholar student to an awkward teen with bad skin, braces and a loss of identity, I found myself yearning to be a part of something more.

My first day of musicianship I found myself trembling as I clutched my dingy used Gibson Epiphone and dramatically swallowed.  I was staring out onto a sea of high school students, all strategically separated according to their haircuts – seriously.  I took a seat next to a girl who I knew as “Lauren.”  She was wearing ripped fishnet stockings underneath a pair of frayed Levi shorts accompanied by a baggy GBH T shirt that gracefully hung off her shoulders.  She was wearing about a million bracelets, rings and necklaces and just as many colors in her hair. She told me she liked me, and that was that, acceptance.

From that point forward, I had a family.  I was part of the punk movement and was absolutely enthralled with the idea.  I would spend hours sewing the perfect OP IVY patches on the same pair of generic tight black pants.  I would play Clash covers in my room instead of eating dinner and would spend every cent of my hard-earned money from my job at the bagel shop (no joke) to buy vinyl.

Now that I’m an adult, life has changed.  Instead of buying hair dye, I buy books about Aftereffects, Compositing and the “quick guides” to understanding VFX lingo.  The one thing that remains the same is the music I listen to – the music that gets me through the good, bad, ugly and perfect days.  Call me crazy, but here at Zoic I’m pretty much always happy. That being said, I’ve been listening to what I like to call, “The Happy Punk.”  No, this is not pop-punk, but 70’s punk bands that did the occasional happy song. I’ve created a playlist of my favorite punk, or punk-inspired songs that really keep me going here at Zoic. Enjoy!

***”Punkrocker” by the Teddybears featuring Iggy Pop is going to be headlining this playlist; because I feel this is a beautiful, modernized depiction of punk music. (Plus, it’s get off your ass and dance music!)

“See me driving down the street,

I’m bored with looking good.

I got both hands off the wheel,

The cops are coming.

I’m listening to the music with no fear,

You can hear it too if you’re sincere.

Cause I’m a Punk rocker, yes I am.

Well I’m a Punk rocker, yes I am.”

1.       Punkrocker – Teddybears Featuring Iggy Pop

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9YaJhCXnPt8

A Swedish band formed in the early 90’s – specializing in grindcore and more recently, mixing well-known songs and producing heavy synth electro-pop songs. Signed by Atlantic Records, they have 4 albums out to date – and a few EPs under the radar. Featuring Iggy Pop, who is one of the founding fathers of punk rock who peaked in the mid 70’s all the way to the late 80’s and is still going strong!

2.       Marquee Moon – Television

Oh Television, one of my favorite bands in the entire world.  They’re even BETTER on vinyl. Actually, scratch that. You should only listen to Television on vinyl. Fronted by hotshot Richard Hell from the Voidoids; this band is sure to resonate with all audience members regardless of music preferences.

3.       Blitzkrieg Bop – Ramones

A classic, it’s been blown out by the media in all forms. Everyone’s heard it. Does that discount this song’s amazing-factor? Absolutely not!

4.       Waiting Room – Fugazi (A CLASSIC!!)

Fugazi is “that” band that all great bands list as their influence and inspiration. They’ve been around for as long as I’ve been alive and have had countless changes in band members and music styles. They stopped making music (publically) in 2002 but many fans are sitting on their hands, eagerly awaiting their return to the public eye.

5.       Aint’ Got No Sense – Teenage Head

This is a dirty, crunchy punk song from the 90s that you’re sure to love. I do!

6.       Someone I Care About – The Modern Lovers

This Canadian rock group has been around and actively playing for the last 35 years – pretty impressive! If they keep it up they’ll be giving Mick Jagger a run for his money. (Jagger has been actively making music for over 50 years)

7.       Baby Baby – The Vibrators

A British punk band formed in 1976, they’ve been on over 10 labels throughout their duration of being together. This song is my ode to all the loves I’ve never had. “Oh baby baby baby, won’t you be my girl?”

8.       What Do I get? – The Buzzcocks

This is a classically upbeat song about a grumpy subject.  I just want a lover. Like any other, so what do I get?

9.       Carried Away – Television

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rIbweWhtLW0

When the time comes for me to get married, I envision myself dancing to this song at my reception… live. (Hell, people can dream can’t they?)

10.   Looking For a Kiss – The New York Dolls (“When I say I’m in love you best believe I’m in love -L.U.V.!”)

This is a song with a twisted view of adolescent teens and their attractions to one another. It’s funny how as you grow older you become a refined and mature adult.  Hopefully, you look for a mate who’s educated, funny, and attractive but sometimes…you’re just looking for kiss.

Alicia Cargile is a Production Coordinator for the Design Department at Zoic Studios.

Every month a member of the Zoic Studios team will be submitting a play list of music that inspires them. What music inspires you? Let us know and maybe your music will be featured on a future playlist.

Anyone having gone through a break up knows how much it sucks.  We have all pretty much been there whether we were the heart breaker or got our hearts broken, breaking up simply isn’t fun.  Unfortunately, I know this first hand having gone through a break up of a two year relationship this weekend.  This means many things including not being able to get my fill of Starcraft II and Hard Rain, but it does mean a post about the top movies you should watch after a break up.

Here’s the deal, you break up with who you think is the love of your life.  You want to say something amazing just like in the movies, but then nothing comes out.  You go home, heart broken, shut off your cell phone, crawl under the covers, sleep for days, getting up to eat Spaghetti-O’s out of the can, letting your crusty dishes pile up and forgetting to shower.  The last thing you want to do is go out, see friends and potentially run into your now ex since you pretty much live and work within the same one mile radius as him now because you decided it would be a really good idea to be closer to your boyfriend!

However, you should get out of bed or at least get far enough to get on the couch and toss in some DVD’s or stream Netflix.  This list of films may get you through the hard times and will be what I’ll be watching as soon as I get home from work.

1) 500 Days of Summer

The best break up and not get back together movie quite possibly of all time.  The film reminds us all that there is indeed someone for everyone, but sometimes the someone isn’t who you hope it will be.  The direction by one time video music director Marc Webb (now about to helm the new Spiderman franchise) is impeccable and incorporates some fabulous animation and visual effects to tell the heart breaking story of a young man (played by Joseph Gordon Levitt) who will do anything to get back the love of his life, Summer (played by the quirky and charming Zooey Deschanel). If you want to laugh as hard as you will cry and want a movie where like in life there are not always happy endings, this is one to watch!

2) When Harry Met Sally

The moment when Meg Ryan is crying at New Years and tells Billy Crystal how much she hates him after he tells her that he loves her gets me every single time.  In my opinion, Rob Reiner’s best movie ever.   I never would have thought that America’s sweetheart at the time would have been paired with a short comic, but somehow the chemistry works.  The idea that you could fall in love with your best friend has always resonated with me and the Harry Conick Jr. score is to die for.  A movie I’ll always come back to when I want a little bit of hope that things always work out in the end.  A true Hollywood ending to be sure.

3) It Happened One Night

The romantic comedy that in my opinion truly started it all.  The classic Frank Capra movie that launched Clark Gable into leading man status and his leading lady French born actress Claudette Colbert into the hearts of America.  The screwball comedy follows protagonist Ellie, a spoiled heiress who runs away from her father to  marry a man against her father’s wishes.  On a bus to New York City Ellie bumps into Peter Warne, an out of work newspaper reporter fishing for his next story.  Warne recognizes Ellie and makes a deal that he will help her be reunited with the man she loves if she gives him an exclusive story. Hijinks ensue and you can probably guess who Ellie ends up with!

4) Some Kind of Wonderful

Legend is that apparently John Hughes wrote this movie as a dig at executives who didn’t want Molly Ringwald to end up with nerd Anthony Michael Hall in the movie 16 Candles. My favorite line in this film is actually not given by the two leads it is given by the supporting role Amanda Jones (played by Lea Thompson) who the protagonist played by Eric Stoltz is pining for.  She says, “Remember how I said I would rather be with someone for the wrong reasons than alone for the right.  I’d rather be right.”  Talk about female empowerment at its finest! That line makes me happy to be single, albeit momentarily.

5) Sleepless in Seattle

Meg Ryan, yet again, chooses to take a leap of faith and meet Tom Hanks at the top of the empire state building shortly after breaking up with Bill Pullman and deciding to ultimately follow her heart.  The best part, Tom Hanks’ young son in the film is the one to bring them together.  This was the first of many films that paired Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks and by far my favorite, which is odd considering they only appear together in the movie one time, at the end.

6) Four Weddings and a Funeral

This is one of my favorite films of all time.  It speaks of love, loss of love, death and finding love once again.  Hugh Grant is brilliant as Charlie who always seems to put his foot in his mouth at the wrong time and whose timing is pretty much crap through the entire movie, but that is the brilliance of this film directed by Mike Newell and wonderfully written by Richard Curtis (who is now oddly writing episodes of Dr. Who).

7) Say Anything

The first film both written and directed by Cameron Crowe (Almost Famous, Jerry Maguire) is still one of his best.  John Cusak plays Lloyd Dobler, an average high school graduate who will do anything for his love for Ione Skye, who plays  Diane Cort, the Valedvictorian of the school.  Who can ever forget the moment when John Cusak holds his boom box high above his head playing Peter Gabriel’s In Your Eyes. Crowe has always incorporated a killer soundtrack in all of his films and this film is no exception.

8) Forgetting Sarah Marshall

This movie has it all, a tropical location, a musical with vampire puppets, Jason Segel naked, the list goes on and on.  One of my favorite moments in the movie is when Kristen Bell’s character tells Segel, who is sitting completely naked on the couch, that they are leading different lives and then takes a moment and says, “Do you WANT to put some clothes ON?!”  Segel retorts, “Would you like to pick out the outfit that you break up with me in?”  I laugh every single time.  Each moment of the film captures what it is like to break up with someone, try to move on and then can’t because every where you turn that person is there right in front of you.  Check out the brilliant musical number called Dracula’s Lament above!

9) Goonies

Ok ok I know it isn’t a romantic comedy.  Goonies never say die and though Sean Astin doesn’t get the girl, his brother played by Josh Brolin does.  Astin does catch the bad guy and saves his home from foreclosure.  Fun for the whole family plus after going through three boxes of Kleenex Goonies probably won’t have you sheding many tears, unless of course you cry at Mouth doing the truffle shuffle.

So Zoic community I ask you, if you have gone through a bad break up or even a tough time, what are movies that you watch that keep you entertained and keep you from going utterly insane? I would love to hear from you.  I need all the help I can get!

At many companies access to social networking sites is a big no no, Facebook and Twitter are off limits during work hours.  For me, social networking is a constant part of my daily life and when I disconnect even for one day I feel like something is missing.  In fact, a big part of what I do at work is connecting to new people through Facebook and Twitter.  This blog has a Facebook fan page and a Twitter account and it’s an important part of what I do, reaching out to people in the community through online engagement.  In a little over a week I have been able to “meet” hundreds of people who work in the visual effects industry, who are fans of visual effects and entertainment as well as tell people about my cool new job blogging for Zoic!  Frankly, the whole reason I am sitting here writing this right now is because I saw a post about this position on Twitter.

I was thinking about what would happen if these sites were down not just at work, but at home too.  What would happen if you couldn’t access your favorite social networking site for a day, a week, a month, a year or forever?  The other day on set I learned about a huge breaking news story by accessing my Facebook account on my IPhone.  Much of the daily news I now get is from accessing my Twitter account, looking at the thousands of tweets about everything from the Gulf oil spill to the number one movie at the box office to the latest legislation about to be passed by Congress.  The truth is I can’t recall the last time I picked up an actual physical copy of a newspaper.  Some people say that’s crazy, but I say I am just really connected.

Then there is the social aspect of social networking.  Anytime I want to hang out with friends to grab a drink after work I send them a message on Facebook.  My mom sends me wall posts asking me how my day is and on occasion my boyfriend “pokes” me.  Recently I reconnected with my best friend from 3^rd grade.  We hadn’t spoken since we were both eight years old.  She sent me a message and now we are planning to meet when I am back east for the Thanksgiving holiday.  I send family and friends birthday messages, happy holiday greetings and invite them to events.  The only reason anyone knows what I look like on a given day is because I post pictures on Facebook and take Twit Picts.

Erik Press, the Executive Producer of Commercials at Zoic Studios said it best, “If social networking didn’t exist, my cell phone bill would be crazy, and we’d be forced to see people face to face in real time.”  I think Erik brings up a good point. Who wants to see anyone face to face anymore?!  Isn’t it easier to simply break up with someone on a wall post, or better yet just change your relationship status from in a relationship to single and let the comments fly?  The number of face to face confrontations and arguments are suddenly gone.  Speaking of confrontations, what if every fight could be fought via Mafia Wars?  Maybe the answer to peaceful resolution is how many chickens you can raise and sell to your friends on Farmville?  Perhaps the world would be a far more peaceful place if every conflict was resolved via social networking.

Obviously social networking is here to stay and will continue to change and grow over time.  I mean it was only a few years ago that people were dating people they met on Friendster, when a guy named Tom wanted to be your friend on Myspace and when you could share your deepest darkest secrets on Live Journal.

So Zoic community, I want to know; where do you think social networking is headed?  How do you feel about Facebook, Twitter, and Four Square etc?  Do you think our lives would be better off without social networking sites?  Post your thoughts on the comment section below.   I would love to hear from you.

(You can find I Design Your Eyes on facebook at: http://www.facebook.com/pages/I-Design-Your-Eyes/163671542378?ref=ts and on twitter at: http://twitter.com/IDesignYourEyes)