Has anyone been to Kenya or Tanzania?

Travelling around Tanzania and Kenya for a Honeymoon?

• Hi, My husband and I are taking a belated honeymoon as we just couldn't afford anything after we got married. We have planned our dream trip to Tanzania but are trying to do it with a fairly limited budget. So far we are flying in to Nairobi Airport, Kenya and catching a 4hr bus to Arusha, Tanzania to do a 6 day safari, then we are heading to Zanzibar for some R&R, but we're unsure of the best way to get to Zanzibar? Return flights from Arusha seem really expensive but I've heard that the journey by bus is very very long, especially when you factor in the ferry from Dar es Salaam to Zanzibar. Can anyone help? Tell me their experiences of these journeys? Many thanks!! Fliss

• Answer:

  Well, there are two distinct sides to Special Effects. Physical effects and Digital effects. You need to decide, or at least start thinking about, which side you want to be on. It sounds like from your question you want to be on the digital side. So here's a little about both sides, maybe this'll help you decide: Physical Effects: These can be used in just about any movie and television show, they are defined by being, well, PHYSICAL. They are things like: rain, fire, explosions, gunfire, squib hits (fake bullets hitting a body), fog, smoke, haze, air mortars, and tons more... but that kind of thing. What separates these is that they are real life actual effects, there really is Fire, or Smoke, or Rain falling when the camera rolls. (the first 3 links are physical effects houses in hollywood) The other side is: Digital Effects: These are things like the laser beams in Star Wars, lots of the backgrounds and water sequences in movies like Titanic...and all of the X-men, Iron Man etc... What separates these effects is that they are not 'real' they are created in post production by computer very talented CGI (computer generated imagery) artists. Harry Potter series relies heavily on CGI effects. In that case, lots of the buildings are not completely real, the scenic landscapes are heavily enhanced or totally generated digitally. If this is the type of thing that interests you, they you might want to study more about computers and the requisite programs that they implement to do these effects. So, those are your fields, generally speaking. If you want the Physical side, one of the best paths is to go to work at one of the SPFX shops and learn as you go. It'll take a few years to see a bunch of stuff, but you'll have invaluable hands on experience. The digital side, you need some computer chops. Programs like MAYA, After Effects, 3D studio Max, and probably a bunch more. This would be a great place for a good school that has a computer effects lab. Art Center in Pasadena might be a good choice, as might the USC film School. Whatever direction you decide, remember that the business of creativity is a long learning process, hopefully you will never stop learning throughout your career. New challenges are the norm, if ever you get a job that does not make you a little scared or nervous you might not be moving forward anymore. I encourage you to pursue the entertainment business, it's an astounding way to make a living...and it's a heck of a lot of fun sometimes. hope that helped