Hasta La Motion!

F5 Live Titles – Made by Buck from F5 on Vimeo.

Let’s just address F5 from the heart. It’s been a little over a week and we still can’t get it out of our heads. Ping-pong between the speaker sessions, re:play films, installations, drinks, the massive balloon logo, and above all…the atmosphere.

From Friday morning forward, you brought warmth and curiosity to Roseland. You engaged with each other and the world-at-large. You helped build a village of inspiration that will live far into the future.

Judging from what’s been said, what’s been written, what’s been posted…you also walked away with something new. It could have been an appreciation for artists you just discovered – or those you already knew. You might now be working on a project through a different lens with some new friends. You may have lifted one of the pinatas and have it there, staring at you while you read this. There are so many possibilities and opportunities that came from the festival.

And you got the spirit of F5 from Day One. The minute that Buck’s titles rolled, it was clear that this was like no other conference before. We had puppets, peacocks and robots — DJ’s, VJ’s and MC’s — severed goat heads and happy face avatars — banjos and turntables — a laser harp — and countless perspectives on the creative process.

As Kid Koala finished his set with Moon River, the beauty of our collective spirit was fully awake and you all stood as one – until the balloons fell late on Saturday.
The dreamers and the doers came out. And your smiles said it all. Thank you from the bottom of hearts.

(Our countless thanks to Buck and music/sound design team, Antfood, for an incredible title sequence that brought down the house and set a new benchmark for the future of titles. Basil and Noodles are the new mascots of F5! Check out the full version — and photos from the event)

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Happy F5 April 15 – 16 2011 by Hi-Sim from F5 on Vimeo.

If you’ve been patiently awaiting this post, thank you.

To clue you in on the behind-the-scenes since November, we’ve been working NON-STOP to reach out and secure the speakers who you’ve all wanted to see. There have been hundreds of recommendations – tons of outreach emails – and so many wonderful responses from artists who see F5 as the gateway to new playgrounds of creativity. This curation would’ve made for a great reality show, but we lack the tans and vocal chops to secure future syndication.

Our final group of speakers for Happy F5:

• Mark Romanek: visionary film director behind “Never Let Me Go” and “One-Hour Photo” – as well as countless iconic music videos and commercials
• Neil Huxley: accomplished creative director of Mothership and Digital Domain, creator of UI for Avatar, and AD on titles for Watchmen
• Tanya Morgan: hip hop duo behind one of the genre’s most acclaimed and celebrated albums of the last two years
• Adam Bly: founder, CEO and editor-in-chief of Seed Media Group and visualizing.org with tomorrow on his mind
• PressPausePlay: David Dworsky and Victor Köhler’s exciting new documentary on cultural creativity and the digital revolution

Closing the show on Friday night, PressPausePlay will introduce something new to the festival’s history: a screening of a yet-to-be-released film and discussion with the filmmakers. It’s a powerful work on the future of our collective artistry in the face of a democratized culture. And a thoughtful opportunity to reassess the positives and negatives behind technological innovation.

To recap and refresh the full line-up of Happy F5:

• Kid Koala: DJ and turntablist extraordinaire
• Scott Belsky: cutting-edge business leader of Behance
• Wayne White: legendary art director of Pee Wee’s Playhouse and banjo star
• Adam Sadowsky (Syyn Labs): president of the engineering whiz-kid collective behind the massive Rube Goldberg machine in OK Go’s “This Too Shall Pass” music video
• Nathan Love: top-notch animation studio and masters of character animation
• Buck: trailblazing creative shop with pop illustration powers
• Radical Friend: acclaimed experimental//experiential directing duo
• Onesize: creative studio powerhouse
• Eclectic Method: audiovisual remix masters with culture on their minds
• Heather Knight: innovator of robotic entertainment
• Jacob Escobedo: celebrated network exec-cum-designer behind [adult swim], Cartoon Network, and a whole slew of musical projects
• Tool of North America: leading the new wave of interactive storytelling

The RE:PLAY film festival brings together a number of the best studios and independent directors out there to create short films on the simple topic of happiness.

• Alexander Gellner
• Daniels
• David Wilson
• Edouard Salier
• Hi-Sim
• Holbrooks
• James Copeman
• Kristoffer Borgli
• Mixtape Club
• Nomint
• PepperMelon | David Kamp
• Physalia
• Upper First

And, as the icing on the cake, the RE:VISION gallery space will showcase the work of emerging and world-renowned artists and designers.

• Babycastles
• Minivegas
• Radium Audio
• Shantell Martin
• Smilebooth
• Tronic/Goldrun

We’d be remiss to not point out the final piece to Happy F5 in 2011. Each morning before the festival begins, the first ever Motion Design Roundtable will convene to begin crafting a Code of Standards for the motion design industry. We’ve invited representatives from the different parts of our industry to the forum for two hours each morning. F5 is the perfect occasion for this gathering of minds, and we’re confident that the work the Motion Design Roundtable undertakes will help shape the industry for the better. All results will be posted on Motionographer for feedback from the industry-at-large. Wish them luck!

Whew. Inspiration, discussion, balloons, games, drinks…this year’s event has it all. Check out the speakers page for a schedule of all speaker sessions.

And, since some of your bosses are still breathing down your neck to hit that Friday deadline – we’re now offering one-day only tickets for Saturday, April 16th. Check the tickets page for more info.

//Hat tip to Hi-Sim for graciously allowing us to use their beautiful RE:PLAY short above! See it both days at F5//



Posted on Motionographer