onedotzero_adventures in motion returns to London’s BFI Southbank from September 9th to 13th, presenting international moving image work from an international lineup of pioneers and innovators.
Highlights include new work by Johnny Hardstaff; a retrospective of work by French collective H5 (which also includes an exclusive preview of their much anticipated film), Logorama; production company Partizan showcases its new talents; exclusive preview of the break-dancing documentary film Turn It Loose; breathtaking shorts by Keith Loutit and Reza Dolatabadi, whose animated film Khoda consists of over 6,000 individual paintings that were painstakingly produced during two years to create a five minute masterpiece and work from directing collective, Zeitguised.
NOTE: The onedotzero trailer (above) is part of the festival branding efforts from Weiden+Kennedy UK, created with the help of computational designer Karsten Schmidt. Schmidt authored a generative engine for producing random visual systems, which were recorded for use in the trailer and festival posters. You can also check out the interactive component that was presented at the NFT here.
Client: onedotzero
Agency: Wieden+Kennedy, London
Motion Director: Eze Blaine
Creative: Eze Blaine, David Bruno, Tom Seymour
Computational Designer: Karsten Schmidt
Sound: Tokyolab
Producer: Sermad Buni
Some philosophies of aesthetics enumerate seven primary art forms derived from Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel’s “Lectures on the Aesthetics” and the writings of film theorist Ricciotto Canudo: architecture, sculpture, painting, dance, music, poetry, and cinema.
The order is disputed, and architecture is sometimes shuffled to the third position, as it was by aspiring filmmaker Alex Roman for the title of his breathtaking work in progress, TheThird&TheSeventh, an artful combination of photorealistic architectural renderings and stylish CG cinematography.
In Roman’s able hands, the combination is undeniably poetic. His reverence for light borders on transcendent, and his attention to detail is inspiring. We caught up with Alex for a little background information.
Tell us a little about yourself. Who are you? Where are you from? What do you currently do?
I was born in 1979, in Alacant (Alicante), a city in Spain. I would first like to say that my real name is Jorge Seva, but I use “Alex Roman” as an artistic alias for publishing independent work.
After being trained in traditional painting at a few academies, I discovered this other world called CG. After school, I made the move to Madrid and began working at a visual effects company. That stint did not last too long due to the lack of demand for visual effects in the Spanish market at the time.
It was then that I switched into the VIZ (architectural visualization) business. I have been working for several companies since. After that, I took a sabbatical year for to work on an “already-built work” visualization series, which will be stitched together into a short animated piece.
Were you formally trained in architecture?
Nope, never. But I was very interested in architecture since I was a child. Maybe it’s not too late.
Can you tell us a little about the TheThird&TheSeventh film?
Well, after working in VIZ for years, I realized that there was a huge aesthetic difference between most clients’ commercial demands and photography of already-built structures. The lack of respect for the architecture itself in some “pure” commercial illustration was very frustrating to me. (Well, this is just my opinion, of course.)
Then, I decided to start a personal journey: to experiment with a more cinematographic and/or photographic oriented point of view of some of my favorites architects’ masterpieces.
Hence, the “TheThird&TheSeventh” project…
After thumbing through a book of Frank Lloyd Wright’s sketches once, I chatted with an architect friend of mine about the art of architectural rendering. He told me that sometimes architects intentionally leave sketches vague or messy.
It not only creates wiggle room when it comes to client negotiations, it leaves room for the imagination to paint in details. How would you respond to that idea?
Well, there are of course several purposes behind computer graphics benefits. That “messy” representation style is very useful at a birth-idea/growing-process stages. Also, there are of course many architects that use CG as a sketching oriented tool… why not?
Your sensitivity to light is amazing. How would you describe the interplay between light and architecture?
Thanks! I think architecture is sculpting with light most of the time. There’s neither volume nor colors and materials without light and shadow.
Like Kahn said once: “In the old buildings, the columns were an expression of light. Light, no light, light, no light, light, you see…”
The level of realism in the TheThird&TheSeventh is stunning. Your render times must be incredible. What software and hardware do you use? How long is an average render?
I use 3DS Max and Vray for rendering, Photoshop for texture work, AfterEffects for compositing and color grading and Adobe Premiere for edit it all.
My desktop PC (i7 920) it’s now the only hardware i have. Every frame rendertime may vary from 20 sec to 1:30 hr (720p) It all depends on how complex the scene is.
However, i invested a lot of time in scene optimization for rendering. I think it’s the key for a flexible workflow.
How can we see the full TheThird&TheSeventh film?
I’m finishing the latest shots, fighting with the music—the hardest stage for me—and editing at the moment. We will see it complete around the end of the summer of 2009. I really hope so!
I’m very pleased to announce that two news films have been added to the Challenge Your World 20/20 project.
What’s Challenge Your World 20/20?
Each year, 20 video artists create 20 wild, whimsical, and unconventional machines that solve environmental issues. These videos reject the status quo, explore crazy ideas, and blast beyond boundaries.
The latest two additions, “Potato” and “Want|Need” come to us from Paris’ Moustache and Trango Interactive in Pakistan. Check them out on the Challenge Your World page or visit the Challenge Your World website for more information and to learn how you can get involved.
Back in 2007, as students at the Savannah College of Art and Design, William Campbell teamed up with Anh Vu to create The Lemon Tree, an experimental short film that went on to win awards and launch Will and Anh’s careers with a bang. (Anh graduated to work with Psyop as a staff designer, while Will went to work with Superfad in LA.)
Will’s latest short film, The Nature Between Us, is a surreal tale of personal relationships told in a style that is uniquely his own. The film premiered at Sundance 2009 and screened at SXSW 2009, charming audiences with its mysterious narrative and off-beat bubble gum visuals.
Will and producer Jett Steiger graciously took some time to answer our questions about the project. Read on…
Looking Thru the B-Sides is a stop-action trip down the rabbit hole that is Golden Lucky’s collective brain. Just watching this short film feels like a mind-altering experience that’s probably illegal in at least 37 states.
What starts as a simple keystone cops premise quickly spins into a tripped out odyssey through colorful landscapes and multiple animation techniques. Despite the visual twists and turns, Looking Thru the B-Sides holds its narrative arc firmly in tact—and that’s what keeps this charmer rolling right along.
The short’s conclusion is as unexpected as the rest of the film and functions as a brilliant neon cherry on top of this electric kool-aid sundae.
Looking Thru the B-Sides was created for Fuel TV, who gave Saiman Chow and the rest of the Golden Lucky crew a wide open brief. Kudos to them for supporting such a fun project.
Producers
Mark Groeschner
Josh Libitsky
Jennifer Brogle-Jones
Lead Animation (Stop Motion)
Chad Colby
James Dunlap
Animation (2D)
Joe Vaccarino
Chad Colby
Sean Dougherty
Saiman Chow
Compositing
Joe Vaccarino
Chad Colby
Ken Edge
Cell Animation
Jonathan Trueblood
Albert Chow
Saiman Chow
Production Assistants
Alexandra Elmquist
Dylan Thuras
James Bollenbaugh
Set/Prop Production
Albert Chow
Peter Schmitt
James Dunlap
Dan Waller
Saiman Chow
Sean Dougherty
Chad Colby
James Bolenbaugh
Patricia Burges
Evelyn Lee
Puppet Wardrobes
Julie Ho
Nick Anderson
Puppet Fabrication
Peter Erickson
James Dunlap
Costumes
Suzanne Couture
Editor
Eli Mavros
Storyboard Artist
Wes Simpkins
Talent
Jennifer Brogle-Jones
Jason Jones
Intern
Alexandra Elmquist
Special thanks to:
Kevin Robinson, Dennis Go, Josh Libitsky
For FUEL TV
CJ Olivares: SVP & Asst GM
Jake Munsey: VP Marketing & Promotion
Todd Dever: Creative Director
Special Thanks to
Andrew Hale
Joyce Lee
Mary Traina
Li Han Lin
Dennis Go
William Ismael
Music by
Freefarm (Simon Pyke)
& (final scene) by xmassound (Christmas Jang)
Each year, 20 video artists create 20 wild, whimsical, and unconventional machines that solve environmental issues. These videos reject the status quo, explore crazy ideas, and blast beyond boundaries.
The latest two films are Recycle Invaders, directed by Thiago Maia, and The Crown Jewel, directed by Motionographer’s own Greg Herman and Babe Baker. Head over to the CYW 20/20 page to check them out, along with the other films released so far.
Want to participate? For information on how to submit a video contact Julien Vallée at video@challengeyourworld.com.
A while back, we made a post about the Bonaroo line-up animation, the basic concept of which was taken from Javan Ivey’s My Paper Mind. Despite not being involved with the Bonaroo project, Javan was honored to have his work sampled and taken further. In his words: “It looks great. I mean, I’m kinda bummed I wasn’t invited to the party, but I really enjoy seeing what they’ve done.”
The ensuing Motionographer comments raised questions about involving the originators of a particular technique in commercial applications of that technique. People wondered why Javan wasn’t brought on as a collaborator or consultant by Ghost Robot (who had, it turns out, contacted Javan about the Bonaroo project).
A couple days before the awards opening was released, we saw an engaging experimental film created by Parson’s student Varathit “Tu” Uthaisri. Surface bore an uncanny resemblance to the Favorite Color project, and the inevitable cries of “rip-off” came from some of us here at Motionographer HQ (me included).
But then we looked closer, and we discovered that Tu was actually listed as an art director on the Favorite Color project.
That intrigued me, so I asked Favorite Color Founder/Executive Producer Dave Dimmick about it:
Frank [Pichel, Creative Director] went to a screening of Tu’s thesis at Parson’s right around the same time we were asked to do the Promax/BDA opening. With the Promax/BDA theme this year being “leading the new economy of marketing and design,” we thought it might be a cool idea to do something metaphoric to how we interpreted that theme.
Our thought was that we could create a metaphor for the economy, where things are not exactly as they appear. We thought Tu’s Surface film was the perfect concept for us to build from.
So they got Tu involved as a freelance art director. As simple as that. They brought him out to the shoot in upstate New York, and Tu helped set up scenes, working closely with Frank Pichel to achieve the right look.
But it gets better. Tu’s Surface was obviously inspired by other projects that came before it, as he clearly states in the Process area of his site, going so far as to link to the relevant works. His openness about his influences imbues him with a sense of confidence and integrity, setting a fine example for students and studios alike to follow.
Now, if we could just get advertising agencies on the same page…
It’s with great pleasure that I share another batch of films created for the F5 RE:PLAY Film Festival. This time around, we’re proud to present work from Sehsucht, Crush and Bearfight. Enjoy!
Warning: This video contains strong language, simulated sex and violence. Might not be suitable for some environments.
For the NASA (North America South America) Project’s “A Volta,” Santa Monica-based Logan built a dim lit nightmarish world of isometric madness and ultraviolence inspired by the artwork of The Date Farmers.
It wasn’t meant to be a great “story” but just another structural device to keep the viewer occupied. It’s a music track with a “plot” thinly stretched over it. I thought it might be clever to turn this video into a mini-film with a semblance of a plot. A plot that has the same level of strategically naive incompetence and misdirected energy that is implied in the work of Date Farmers.
If you’ve been following Motionographer for a while, you’re no stranger to Logan’s work. While they’re capable of producing consistently slick commercials for clients like Apple and Lexus, they refuse to be easily pigeonholed.
Projects like Toyota “Meet” and their Metal Gear Solid 4 interstitials defy categorization and challenge rational thinking. Skewing towards post-modern modes of presentation that leverage dissonance, juxtaposition and suspension of resolution, these works show that Logan is as interested in exploring formal qualities of storytelling as they are in straightforward narrative.
Case in point: The “making of” featurette Logan created for “A Volta” does little to reveal technical details, opting instead for an obtusely entertaining mockumentary:
Through an online community, contests, and events, Challenge Your World connects emerging entrepreneurs to the resources and expertise they need to launch companies that restore the environment, contribute to society, and build a healthier economy.
It’s with great pleasure that I share with you the first five films from this year’s inaugural Challenge Your World 20/20.
Each year, 20 video artists create 20 wild, whimsical, and unconventional machines that solve environmental issues. If we’re going to transform the world we have to push ourselves to think differently — so these videos reject the status quo, explore crazy ideas, and blast beyond boundaries.
Want to participate? For information on how to submit a video contact Julien Vallée at video@challengeyourworld.com.
This is site is run by Sascha Endlicher, M.A. during ungodly late night hours. Wanna know more about him? Connect via Social Media by jumping to about.me/sascha.endlicher.
