The first time we saw this White Denim video we were in a mix session and had to watch it on silent. Forgetting for a moment that this is actually a good test, we will make a silent screening part of our standard evaluation process for any video from here on out. "Shake Shake Shake" from Director Tom Haines features a great junkyard cast, flaming mattress performances, color grade, and a car-wash scene that would give Paris Hilton a run for her money; Turns out the songs is pretty cool too. We were such fans of this video that we'll see if Tom is up for our next round of Thirteen and 1/2 Questions!
On the pages of Vimeo we found this nice thesis film/music video spec for Amon Tobin - "Visual Music" - by Director Jan Schönwiesner. The Director's description follows:
"My graduation film. A music video about a man trapped in a dream. His world, consisting of "plattenbauten" (buildings made with precast concrete slabs) begins to fall apart. For this production a homemade 35mm adapter was used. The CG elements were animated in Cinema 4D."
Santogold - "Lights Out" from Director Kim Gehrig of Academy Filmsis a nice addition to the growing catalog of videos for this rising star. It's a very retro-styled video for an artist that is leading the charge of the neon-clad, 1990's-born youth, too young to remember why neon sucked the first time around (see: hipsters at major music festivals Coachella, Lollapalooza, etc). We won't hold that against you though Santi. As cool as this video is though, it's not quite as much a success as the video for "L.E.S. Artistes" by DirectorNima Nourizadeh which sits toward the top of our "Best of" list. But that is some big spandex to fill.
Tom and Mark of Nexus Productions have completed the kind of commercial that is an animator's dream job. The :60 sec spot for Royal Bank of Canada plays out like a short-film, beginning with a small street vendor receiving investment advice which then grows his muffin cart business into an empire. Impressively, this is all achieved in one, continuous pull-out shot. As the action unfolds Mr. Muffin's empire forms before our eyes in several seamless acts.
One of the things that the BBDO Toronto creative team was looking for was a retro stop-frame animation look, and Nexus' character design lends itself nicely to that ‘hand animated' feel. The music is also an integral component to the overall success, credit to Tom and Mark for being involved early-on in the process which added to its optimistic message. As a whole it makes for a great first step in this re-branding campaign.
As a brand, BRAVIA immediately brings to mind vivid, elegant imagery imbued with a strong, visual pedigree from "Balls,""Paint,""Play-Doh (Rabbit)" to "Pyramid". Motion Theory director Grady Hall has packaged that grand phantasm into a tangible form, fit for your living room. The spots feature the bionic merger of two beloved Sony mainstays with Blu-ray Disc players, positioning the new products at the forefront of the market. If the previous spots were like a towering Giant Sequoia, Grady has crafted an intricate Redwood Bonsai. The spots are accentuated nicely by articulate CG animation, sound design, and seamless editing, aided by the fluid camerawork of DP Jeff Cronenweth. "Vines" hit the cinema screens during the release of "The Dark Knight", with "Flytrap" and "Breeze" following on the tube. (Read More for credits)
Fatlip will always be welcomed with open arms at Video Militia even if it's just a guest appearance! Even better is to see Fatlip collaborating with his former Pharcyde member Tre Hardson for his new video "Ay Yo My Man." The video features some awesome beats, slick motion graphics fromLittle Red Robot and Tre bringing a positive message, but not in some preachy sort of way you might expect from our man Common (vice, poverty, Gap?). Sorry Common you just need to turn it down a bit. We digress... These guys deserve continued success and hopefully with this video even more collaborations will be in the works! What's up Fatlip?
Directors: Will Copeland & Little Red Robot Producer: Michael Gallagher
Executive Producers: Nathan Williams, Kevin Anderson, Will Copeland, Michael Gallagher and Seth Shukovsky
Associate Producer: Conrad Quilty-Harper Director of Photography: Jon Meyers
"There can be something rather Zen about rotoscoping and animation but I get a little depressed when I spend weeks on end alone in a room in front of a computer screen. Last year I adopted a dog. Someday I'll teach him to hold a Wacom pen and all the Final Cut keyboard shortcuts."
The Directors Bureau's Andy Bruntel has shot videos for Rilo Kiley, The Mountain Goats, Stephen Malkmus, Bonnie 'Prince' Billy, and No Age. We catch-up with Andy coming off his recent MTV premier of No Age "Eraser" in our ongoing series Thirteen and 1/2 Questions, and discuss his new video, design influences, film, music, and his significant breaks along the way. (Read More for Interview)
Motion Theory's newest spot for Guiness is a nice blend of stark futurism and stylish particle effects. In addition to the beautiful effects, Motion Theory directors Jesus de Franciso and Mark Kudsi inspire a good performance from these up-and-comers in the sport of Hurling. The mood feels urgent, as if the stakes are high and each player is competing for their verying lives. It's Hurling meets Running Man.
Radiohead has managed to create another memorable video in their latest for "House of Cards" by Director James Frost. The video first materialized out of discussions James had with Radiohead's management, whom he has been in contact with over the years, concerning an idea to shoot a video entirely without cameras. Being the tech-savvy guy that he is, Thom York was intrigued by the proposition. Thom explains it this way:
"I always like the idea of using technology in a way that it wasn't meant to be used, the struggle to get your head round what you can do with it. I liked the idea of making a video of human beings and real life and time without using any cameras, just lasers, so there are just mathematical points-- and how strangely emotional it ended up being."
As you would expect with Radiohead, and particularly the In Rainbows album, they have opted for a non-conventional release by posting the video on Google's developer's area along with the data so fans can create their own video. For CG professionals the scanning and point cloud approach may not be anything new per say. Live-action, 3D scanning technologies are at the forefront of even more advanced applications, with cleaner results possible. But that would be missing the point wouldn't it? This video is as curious as it is cautious of the massive scope of evolving data collection methods. Visually it succeeds in reminding us that as we move to increasing more ordered systems, beneath the surface chaos remains. Just as Radiohead has so brilliantly done with their music over the years, they continues to expand their impressive visual aesthetic!
Here is another great spot from Pysop. It's a Converse sponsored music video/commercial hybrid and offers a good model for future music video productions. Generally speaking this is not a conventional music video because no one artist is represented but it does offer hope to those of us that enjoy working in the medium and would actually like to see a financial reward for our hard work! Product placement has been successful in films for years and it should not be seen in a negative light when it comes to funding exciting, new music videos especially when it is handled in such an understated, classy way as is the case with Converse - "My Drive Thru". (READ MORE)
Andy Bruntel has created a strangely styled video for an equally unique tune, "Eraser" from No Age. The pacing builds nicely and manages to feel dreamy without being overtly surreal. The video opens as any dream with nothing appearing too out of the ordinary at first, except time moves in slow motion (which for me usually also means no matter how hard I scream I can't hear my voice); perhaps our first clue of what to come is the color swash opener which later bookends the video. What follows is a set of repeated tasks, like a lucid dreamer cycling through his options. The other characters appear disengaged and move at a slower pace as No Age runs through the scene. Bruntel consciously allows us to see the film equipment, the grip truck to the left and the silk reflector to the right of frame, perhaps subtly referencing the sensation some people experience that they are watching a movie of themselves while in the third person. In this sense Bruntel has put the viewer in the head-space of No Age themselves, and we become the dreamers watching our video unfold! Have a look....
"You might want to revise that number - several of these questions appear to be two-parters." - Keith Schofield
This is the first edition of an interview series called Thirteen and 1/2 Questions, beginning with a Q&A with Director Keith Schofield. Keith was just recently highlighted in Saatchi & Saatchi's Annual New Directors' Showcase at this year's Cannes Lions 2008. We speak about that, the "Toe Jam" video, and advice he has to other young directors. Our line of questioning started with 13 basic puzzlers, +/- 1. Keith pointed out we should maybe revise that number but we are sticking to our guns.
Here's the new Hewlett Packard ad, titled "Maestro" or alternately "Now Can I Get My Flying Car?" As much as I hate to say it, HP has upped the ante on Apple in what I'm declaring the start of the "Touchscreen Wars." You heard it here first. The news sent a much needed jolt to the glass surface cleaning sector, sending stocks upward.
With well executed effects, Psyop's extensive team took the familiar HP Personal Again ads to the next level. The spot builds like a great symphony, ending in a brilliant crescendo and with more than a few elegant surprises along the way. It actually makes it look fun to own a PC, which is something I can't necessarily say for the previous campaign. If only they could figure out how to run OS X.
Check us out now onTechnorati and Twitter and you can use the "Bookmark" option at the bottom of every article to link them to your Facebook, Reddit, del.icio.us, Furl, StumbleUpon, Yahoo, Google and Digg! If you are a member of those sites and like what you see, please add our articles to your lists!
