Sia "Soon We'll Be Found"

This is the music video for Sia's "Soon We'll Be Found." It uses sign language to tell a narrative and does so using about 3-4 different visual styles. But the core theme to keep them unified is the basic idea of sign language: using shapes (particularly the silhouette) in motion to convey thoughts and emotions. They really found great ways to capitalize on the silhouette and negative space, with the movements breathing life into them, to create a really beautiful video. This is what Sia said about it:

The movement and expression just appears, to ignorant-hearing-me as a dance… a beautiful, emotive dance. But the real beauty is that, hidden in these perfect shapes, is communication.

Basically: It's pretty. I like the song too.

beangrowers - not in a million lovers

this video is kinda like the dude that took a picture of himself for like.. 20 years or whatever and buck's want2bsquare piece. but i think it uses the technique in a really smart way to get the song's point across. it lies in their design decision to simulate real photos from different times and places.. and men. i especially like the lip syncing.

herc fern's digital story

fellow contributor herculano, shared this movie about his experience as an animator at northeastern university. i think he did a really good job, compared to the other kids who did the same assignment at his previous co-op at EdTech. they were restricted to use only iPhoto to create their little narrative, which would be used to teach faculty the potential of the software. the thing i appreciate the most is that all of the motions were considered and thoughtful, unlike other videos where there's way too much panning, zooming in and out -- really just doing it because they could. it doesn't feel like a slideshow, which is the problem the other movies have. the choice of music and phrasing, though sometimes rushed, helped move the story along; his tone of voice sounded like a reader from 'this american life.' it wouldn't have hurt to slow down more though.

but the type -- it needs a little more work, kid ;]



it's time for the world to know how hard these art kids work.

100% hot echidnas making out

people have told me it looks like chris lee's work.
though that is a compliment, i'd rather it look like my own
last thing i'd like to be accused of is being a biter
o_O

snog = kiss, make out

ps. i just added the music, and i love how it coincidentally syncs up.
and i apologize for the horrible compression. i'll see if vimeo is better.

Berko

Our lovely friend Bocket received this for her birthday today (happy birthday Sarah!). I think i enjoyed it because I saw it as more of an elaborate "birthday card", than a real music video. Also, it has been my goal to have one of these outfits. And learn the harpsichord.

These slow motion cameras sure are becoming popular lately.

Dr. Horrible's Sing-A-Long Blog

EDIT #1: Because I want to spread the love, and because you (dear, slow reader) missed the boat on this fabulous musical, it is still online at WhedonTube.com. But you should still support creativity by getting the DVD (apparently the director's commentary will be sung!).

EDIT #2: If you've already watched the episodes, but can't get those catchy songs out of your head, the official soundtrack is coming out later, I believe. But if you absolutely need your fix NOW, I'm sure there are streaming-quality rips available for download somewhere.

During the Writer's Strike 2008, Joss Whedon (of Buffy and Firefly fame) got bored. So instead of twiddling his thumbs and worrying about his next paycheck, he decided to get creative. He made a short series of low-budget video "blogs" chronicling an aspiring supervillain, Dr. Horrible; his crush from the laundromat, Penny; and his (douchebag) superhero nemesis, Capt. Hammer.

What makes this different from any other internet video blog is that it's a musical. Also, did I mention that Neil Patrick Harris is the main character? The series is posted for free on the Dr. Horrible website for a week; after that, it gets taken down and is available on iTunes or DVD.

And in case you were too slow, here's a trailer to whet your appetite (or to salt a wound).

philip glass for sesame street

i can't believe i watched this as a kid. i remember seeing it and being a little creeped out by the song, but at the same time it was kinda mesmerizing. now, with a thorough graphic design education, i have such a greater appreciation for this! i was actually being fed something pretty complex in terms of graphic systems, color, and music. it's really quite wonderful. i don't know how much influence philip glass had in the visuals or if he had any say at all on what it was supposed to be, but i think it's really cool how sesame street managed to expose kids to artsy conceptual things like philip glass and design principles without them really knowing.

totally rad, i say.

"House of Cards" - Radiohead

Here's something for the smart (and savvy SIGGRAPH!) crowd.



Radiohead just released a new music video for their song "House of Cards." Unlike most music videos, this was not shot with a camera, nor animated, nor mographed. Instead, the whole video was shot and made made with LASERS. And cold, hard MATHCODESMARTS. In fact, it's a lot like a scanner that effects studios use when scanning maquette models (i.e., Weta), except the output looks like a Winamp visualization.

From the Washington Post article:

It's definitely not your average video considering that there were no cameras or lights used: it's all data. The video uses real time 3D recording, utilizing structured light and laser-enhanced scanners. Google is hosting the interactive video application at code.google.com and providing an iGoogle gadget for the video and application.

Definitely go to the Google site. Not only can you download the source code to make your own visualizations, but you can also check out the "Making Of..." video and see how they actually did it.

http://code.google.com/creative/radiohead/

60s dance parties

there is something special about this amateur video that impresses me, but i can't quite put my finger on it. i love the shaky party-cam thing in high contrast black and white.. it makes it look and feel 60s authentic. not to mention that it is recorded on 8mm. i just think it's pretty sweet, simple, and fun to watch. kinda wish i had friends who did this.

if you want to see a 60s dance party master, watch cassavetes' faces. all his shots are fricking killer. regardless, anyone who loves film needs to watch faces. gorgeous gorgeous film.



how can i not mention godard when talking about 60s dance sequences. i can only think of one real dance party scene that he's filmed (briefly in masculin feminin), but he's more known for choreographed stuff. one of my absolute favorites is of anna karina dancing around in a pool hall in vivre sa vie.



wow. i'm a nerd.

MUTO

Creative stop-motion graffiti animation. I would hate to be the public works department responsible for cleanup.


MUTO a wall-painted animation by BLU from blu on Vimeo.

Dear Beautiful

Oh, the power of traditional 2D animation!

Dear Beautiful (by Roland Becerra) is an animated short film about lotion-gulping zombies and a man's failed marriage. While I could go into further analysis of the story and all such metaphors, I want to point out that the art and animation at times is eerily realistic. At times, I feel as if I'm looking at a photo or live-action shot, only to have something move in stop-motion speeds and tell me that I'd been fooled. The lighting is what pulls it off. Not to mention that the faces are incredibly well-drawn.

Oh yeah, the story's kinda scary too. And it's being made into a movie. Oh, and here's the trailer. But I highly encourage you to watch the short film as well.


Trailer for Dear Beautiful from Quiet Earth on Vimeo.

Wall-E

OK, honestly. You didn't think I'd let another Motion/Movie/Mograph Monday slip by without posting about Wall-E, did you?

Fear not, I won't give away the story, but since I will be talking about the end credits, so I'm bound to piss someone off with spoilers. SO STOP READING IF YOU DON'T WANNA BE SPOILED.

The ending credits of the movie show humans rebuilding their civilization after realizing they've been lazy, fat, and out of touch with life for 700 years. What I found most entertaining about these end credits was how Pixar chose to present this epilogue. It showed the re-evolution of mankind through the evolution of art: cave drawings, hieroglyphics, Greco-Roman art, Impressionist paintings, finally culminating in glorious 8-bit pixel art (thus laying the foundations for 3D art). Too bad I don't have a YouTube link to post. If you really are reading this, you've either already seen it (so I don't need to repost the ending), or ignored my spoiler warning altogether (in which case you should be watching the movie anyway!).

I also came across this article about the movie in general, and thought it was a really well-written analysis.

"Wall-E" contends that real life is hard, real life is struggle, and that we live most meaningfully not by avoiding pain and struggle, but by engaging it creatively, and sharing that struggle in community.

Also in hindsight, I'm kinda upset now that I didn't pick up any Wall-E promo postcards from last year's Comic Con.

type in motion: square

edits still need to be made. comment for any concerns or suggestions, please! (unless it's about the crappy compression -- can't help that.)