Hasta La Motion!

This one’s definitely not for everyone, but for those of you out there (like me) who are massive fans of the WNYC show Radiolab, you’ll be pleased to know that they’re apparently playing around with visuals, too.

Their maiden voyage, Parabolas, was directed by Will Hoffman with Derek Paul Boyle as the DP. Tim Hecker’s “Trade Winds, White Heat” provides a beautiful sonic backdrop.

Strap on your headphones and settle down for a meditative experience.

For the uninitiated: “Radiolab is a show about curiosity. Each episode is an investigation—a patchwork of people, sounds, stories all centered around one big idea. Radiolab comes out in seasons of 5 shows, and today is heard around the country on over 150 stations.” You can also listen to Radio Lab as a podcast.

Posted on Motionographer

Radiolab: Visual Experiment 01 “Parabolas”

This coming Thursday at 6:45, Adobe After Effects New York will be hosting AE guru Lloyd Alvarez and Blue Sky Studios Lighting Lead Aaron Ross. The regular smorgasbord of awesome door prizes will also be happening—and, if I’m not mistaken, two passes to F5 will be given out as well.

Full details here. See you there!

Posted on Motionographer

AENY: Thursday, Jan 29th

We’ve added two new speakers to the F5 lineup: 1st Avenue Machine and Elan Lee.

You probably know 1st Ave. from their numerous postings on Motionographer. Ever since they busted onto the scene with their distinctive blend of storytelling and high-end CG, they’ve been on everyone’s radar. Lately, they’ve expanded their operations to include new directorial voices and an even broader scope of projects.

Elan Lee is considered by many to be one of the foremost Alternate Reality Gaming designers in the world. He has been featured in WIRED magazine, The New York Times, Entertainment Weekly, and the Wall Street Journal for his ground-breaking ideas in entertainment and gaming.

Check out the full lineup of speakers on the F5 site. We’ve done our best to present a mix of top talent from across a range of related disciplines. The best artists aren’t easily pigeonholed; the same should be true for the best events.

Posted on Motionographer

F5 Additions: 1st Ave Machine and Elan Lee

Dutch post Production studio The Ambassadors puts out this playful and engaging commercial for Alex Bank and agency Dawn. The clever take on the “Big Bang Theory” works really well, getting the message across and making a dry subject quite entertaining.

The whole spot is one big “evolution,” from the duo-tone color palette and sharp geometric shapes in the beginning to a colorful, organic, full-of-life ending. I’m also loving the character design, typography work and overall animation. The sound design wraps everything up perfectly.

I hadn’t heard of The Ambassadors before and I was impressed by their body of work, some solid pieces in there.

Thanks to Vincent Lammers for the initial tip! And a huge thanks to Debbie van de Ven for the translation!

English Translation
00:02 Have you heard about the ‘Big Bank Theory’?
00:04 It works like this.
00:06 Once there were no banks at all.
00:07 Later came a lot of banks.
00:09 And now there are just a few left.
00:11 There will be fewer banks, because every bank wants to become the largest.
00:15 Until there is just one big bank left.
00:19 And it keeps them occupied. More managers, who hire managers, because all managers need to be managed.
00:26 The bank expands, buys, is being sold, and keeps on expanding.
00:30 This requires a lot of money. Fusions, golden handshakes, bonuses.
00:35 But who’s money was it anyway?
00:38 Exactly.
00:40 More people choose to go to a bank who doesn’t participate in this.
00:44 Who doesn’t concentrate on it’s own, but on your capacity.
00:47 On savings, the stock market and investment management.
00:49 Who makes sure you are the boss over your own money.
00:53 That sure isn’t a Big Bank, but it is the smartest investment bank of Holland.
00:57 You know us!
00:59 We’re Alex.

Original Dutch
00:02 Heb je al gehoord van de ‘Big Bank theory’?
00:04 Die werkt zo.
00:06 Ooit bestonden er geen banken.
00:07 Later had je veel banken.
00:09 En nu, zijn er nog maar een paar.
00:11 Het worden er steeds minder, want elke bank wil de grootste worden.
00:15 Net zo lang tot er maar 1 Big Bank over is.
00:19 En daar zijn ze heel erg druk mee. Steeds meer managers, die managers inhuren, want alle managers moeten ook gemanaged worden.
00:26 De bank groeit, koopt, wordt verkocht, en groeit door.
00:30 Daar is veel geld voor nodig. Fusies, gouden handdrukken, bonussen.
00:35 Maar van wie was dat geld ook alweer?
00:38 Juist.
00:40 Steeds meer mensen gaan naar een bank die hier niet aan mee doet.
00:44 Die niet met het eigen, maar met jouw vermogen bezig is.
00:47 Met sparen, beleggen en vermogensbeheer.
00:49 Die zorgt dat je weer zelf de baas bent over eigen geld.
00:53 Dat is zeker geen big bank, maar wel de slimste vermogensbank van Nederland.
00:57 Je kent ons wel!
00:59 Wij zijn Alex.

Credits
Client: Axel Vermogensbank
Agency: Dawn
Director: Paul Postma & Raoul Deleo
Post-production: The Ambassadors
Editor: Michelle hofman
Production company: Hazazah
Sound Design: The Ambassadors

Posted on Motionographer

The Ambassadors: “The Big Bank Theory”

Simon Hoegsberg is a 32-year-old photographer from Denmark. He has completed a photograph he spent the last 17 months making. The photograph is 100 meters long (100 m x 78 cm), and is about the uniqueness of ‘ordinary’ people.

The title of the photograph is ‘We’re All Gonna Die – 100 meters of existence’.