Friday, July 31, 2009

COLIN

A horror film made for just £45 on a camcorder is to be released in cinemas after securing a distributor. The zombie fest follows Colin, played by actor Alastair Kirton, a man who is bitten by a zombie, dies and is resurrected as one of the flesh-eating un-dead. Filmed in London and Wales by Swansea-born Marc Price using only two cameras, Colin premiered at the Cannes festival, where it impressed distributor Kaleidoscope Entertainment who hope to have the film out in time for Hallowe'en. We love it when big things happen to small packages. Brilliant!

POST CEREAL Artwork


Yet another room of nostalgia. Actually from Dan Goodsell who displays more from his impressive collection here. Here's a set of illustrations when Art Directors knew how to draw and present mock-ups to clients. Ha! I think some of them look good as-is and might actually fly off today's shelves just for looks. Link below for full gallery. We likey (although Chinese cartoon might be un-PC today)!

ART SUPPLIES



If, like me, you started out your design career pasting up and completing FA (Finished Artwork) for print, you'll feel a tad nostalgic when you walk through these halls @ The Museum of Forgotten Art Supplies. Some of them might still actually show up in your shopping list, handed to your production co-ordinator, who are probably wondering WTH a Loupe is? (Mini gallery of some of my faves and link to The Museé below) Anyone got any SPRAY MOUNT?

Thursday, July 30, 2009

SENSE & SENSIBILITY & SEA MONSTERS

Yet another brilliant Jane Austen literary mash-up from the folks at Quirk Classics. A different author (Ben H. Winters) but the same alluring cover work! Slurpey it up. Premieres in bookstores on Sept 15 and will feature 15 illustrations (click the EW link below for more info and an interview) Buy it at My Amazon Store for only $10.15

FLYING WITH FIFI Update


Just thought I'd share this big update on flying with your furry friend, I found on the NY Times site. Some facts on jetBlue's jetPaws, Continental's policy plus PetAirways here.

Wednesday, July 29, 2009

MAD MEN


MAD MEN yourself. I like this stunt by AMC. Makes me wanna watch now.

http://www.amctv.com/originals/madmen/madmenyourself/


Some friends of mine.

Tuesday, July 28, 2009

WD-40

The household product with more than 2000 uses, WD-40 can be found in more than 80% of homes in the US. Ever wondered about its invention and where its name came from?

According to Ad Broad's blog, it was created in 1953 when a group of scientists from the Rocket Chemical Company developed a formula that would repel water and prevent corrosion in missiles sent into space. They succeeded on their 40th attempt (formula) and named it using a code from their lab notes.
"The stuff worked so well, employees began sneaking it home and soon they were selling 45 cases a day out of their car trunks to hardware and sporting goods stores. In 1969, a marketer took over the company and turned the brand into a household name. John S. Barry convinced the scientist management team to allow for an ad budget and free sampling: he sent 10,000 cans every month to soldiers in Viet Nam, grooming an army of loyal lifetime users. Annual sales increased from $2 million in 1970 to $91 million in 1990."
Mr. Barry insisted the product never be patented so its ingredients would be kept secret. NYK!

Monday, July 27, 2009

HEADLINE Analyzer


Advanced Marketing Institute have devised a free tool that determines if your headline scores a high EMV (Emotional Marketing Value) which translates to successful copywriting. Perhaps. Their study reveals that certain word choices in your headline will appeal to certain groups of society, and fall into 3 groups, namely Intellectual, Empathetic and Spiritual.
For some reason, the tool only works with 4 or more words in your headline.
CASE STUDY:
I was wondering if it might work for taglines so I punched in E! Entertainment's "We Love It Too!" That got a good EMV score of 50%. "To put that in perspective, the English language contains approximately 20% EMV words. And for comparison, most professional copywriters' headlines will have 30%-40% EMV Words in their headlines, while the most gifted copywriters will have 50%-75% EMV words in headlines." Plus it had an emotional classification of being Intellectual and Spiritual!

TEST DRIVE IT HERE

Good commentary on the use of such a tool/device and its implications. Nice find, ad broad! Thanks.

UPS Circus


I just caught sight of this commercial created by PSYOP and agency DONER for The UPS Store, called Circus. We likey the cardboard look and feel. Unsure about the messaging but I guess it works. High level of production, as always from team PSYOP. Here are their notes on concept and production

"The brief from agency was to make worlds out of cardboard that felt simultaneously epic and handmade. We were also given the task of creating characters and environments that looked truly hand crafted with the caveat that everything must always be made of cardboard. We worked collaboratively on a series of scripts in order to finesse the story and craft these worlds.

One challenge we faced was creating a fully cardboard world that could feasibly have been created in a sound stage by stop motion animators. Each character had to be broken apart and looked at from the standpoint that if we were to create this in reality, how would they be built to allow the animators to have the full range of motion required. We didn't want the characters to look "CG", so we tried to not cheat by using tricks in 3D. This forced us to approach character setup with some additional boundaries that in some ways made setup easier, but in others forced to us to become more like mechanical engineers and really focus on the details of believable mechanics.

The geometry we created was also another challenge. 99.9% of the corrugation you see is modeled. We really focused on keeping the details in the model and to not rely on texturing tricks. This posed a challenge for our machines and our modelers. Without running on x64 machines and operating systems we wouldn't have been able to approach the project this way. Even still, we pushed Maya to the limits on what it can handle in a scene at once due to our geometry polygon counts being so high. It also pushed how much corrugation our modelers were able to handle before cracking mentally. Giving our geometry a "messed up" look without going too far was also a challenge. If we kept the geometry too clean, it ended up looking too CG. Psyop Creative Director, Eben Mears, kept referencing lasagna noodles whenever he saw corrugation that was too clean in dailies. On the other hand, if we pushed it too far our cardboard ended up looking like it came out of the garbage so we had to walk a fine line between the two. By keeping these details in the model, we didn't have to worry about getting nice details in model close-ups, shadow effects, or textural detail in lighting and shading. What we saw is what we were going to get in render, and that allowed us a lot more creativity up front.

As with most projects, the hardest part was fitting an epic tale into 25 seconds. All of the scripts read like short films and we worked hard to tell these stories in a visually powerful way but within a tight time frame. Beyond this, the design of the worlds and characters in each spot was intense. Its an interesting struggle to design everything out of cardboard and make it look and feel real. Our use of corrugation and texture, plus the thought that went into the rigging of the characters was an epic struggle in and of itself. "

Sunday, July 26, 2009

SINGAPORE

So to round off this Singapore Sunday posting, here is a 20-minute glimpse of the island city state, featured on Fine Living's Any Given Latitude. Unfortunately, they couldn't cramp everything from the superb Night Safari to the international nightlife, in this one episode. Still it's a great introduction and update on the 5th wealthiest country in the world! Oh and they do feature Newton Hawker Center where you might find the oyster omelette aka "O Luak".


CLICK HERE for a higher rez version

O LUAK




























Still one of my favorite 'hawker' dishes in Singapore. "O Luak" or oyster omelette is yet another late-night staple and must-eat in Singapore. If you love oysters and a good fluffy omelette, Asian style, you'll be in heaven when you taste this decadent side dish, especially when dipped in the chilli sauce. Oh and you can't forget about counting your calories here. Relax, you're on vacation in food paradise, Singapore!

SUP TULANG

Bizarre Foods - Sup Tulang in Singapore (click here)

Found on Funny or Die, is a food segment from Travel Channel's Bizarre Foods. Host Andrew Zimmern gets his first taste of a Singaporean late-night Indian fave, Sup Tulang or mutton marrow! Local food columnist and restauranteur Violet Oon, illustrates the correct way of eating (sucking) bone marrow - no need to be proper here especially when dining al fresco at a hawker center in Singapore. Growing up in Singapore, I never had a taste for this unlike my parents and older siblings. BTW the dish Andrew is referring to as 'chopped salad' in the vid, is actually an Indian dish I absolutely love - Indian Rojak! (pic below) Delicious mix of deep fried battered potatoes, hard-boiled eggs, seafood, tofu and other starchy bready items. Served with a hot and sweet chilli sauce. The dish does not exist in India and is unique to Singapore and its region. I'm hungry!

MOONRACER

Here's a global look at all the Moon stories flying around, from LINK TV (nice to see the different news packaging from news agencies around the world)

Friday, July 24, 2009

FLYNN Lives

(Thank you James Kim for the contrib. Now this, I can't wait for. The Dirty Trailer Meter hits a record high of 4.9/5!)


http://www.flynnlives.com/media/video/0xendgame.aspx

Thursday, July 23, 2009

BUDDY


Hi there. My name is Buddy and I am a rambunctious black and white Frenchie. I live in West Hollywood with my best mates Cinnamon and Sugar. They're both Labrador Retrievers. Phil walks me every chance he gets but we both dislike hot and humid weather and rather just stay indoors where its cooler. I get belly rubs too which I absolutely love! Here are some candid shots of me and one of my mates Sugar. Cinnamon is kinda shy but I usually take cover from the glaring sun under him, as you can see. I do hope Phil gets his very own Frenchie one day because he's a really good Papa but more importantly, I will have a mate to wrestle with, other than Phil!

Wednesday, July 22, 2009

BEST PLACES

TO ROTOSCOPE!
(In the visual effects industry, the term rotoscoping refers to the technique of manually creating a matte/silhouette for an element on a live-action plate so it may be composited over another background)

Tuesday, July 21, 2009

SCORPIONS on a Plane

Airline Passenger Stung by Scorpion During Flight
Didn't anyone inform him of Southwest's pet policy? Strictly no stowaways!

Monday, July 20, 2009

TOM BRADLEY your Neighbor



LAX parking lot is home away from home for airline workers - Los Angeles Times

I wonder how much rent is? With the cancellation of routes by recession hit airlines ergo ramp slots opening up or emptying out, LAX might soon be dealing in some prime real estate right on the runway. Forget about the runway incursions, this is a spotter's dream come true. (I like the slideshow with audio presentation below)

Sunday, July 19, 2009

VINO


Actor John Cleese takes the guesswork out of wine appreciation and deflates the snobbery about its selection in this 'for everyone' informative special. Brilliant, we think. Produced by Food Network in 2004, this docu hasn't aged too badly and is still relevant. Facts like the difference between a Pinot Noir and Chardonnay fruit, along with sensible buying tips, "Q" gets from sommeliers and vineyard owners are helpful and will definitely get you started on that crate of a dry Riesling (which seems to be quite popular these days - less shunned). But Cleese ultimately warns us not to be swayed by what the sommelier 'thinks' you should be drinking but what YOU really LIKE to drink. Here's a short clip from the show WINE FOR THE CONFUSED. Cheers!



Watch it in its entirety on Hulu
http://www.hulu.com/wine-for-the-confused

VERKLEMPT


(Did I spell that right?) I love the way Roseanne is shaking Madonna, till her wig nearly falls off! Talk among yourselves.

Saturday, July 18, 2009

MOMA

One of my favorite museums, and buildings. Discover it here.

Monday, July 13, 2009

TAUBA AUERBACH




I'm gonna be real lazy with words today because Tauba Auerbach's work is to be enjoyed visually and without influence. Here's a small gallery (and a pic of her above featured in Vogue, I believe) plus a link to her site. Enjoy!
http://www.taubaauerbach.com/






Sunday, July 12, 2009

日本観賞魚

...or the Japanese Rice Fish (Medaka) have been popular aquarium fish for many years, since the 17th century in Japan. They are 'amphidromous' meaning they are fish that move between fresh and salt water during some part of their life cycle. They are naturally found in Japan, Korea, China and Vietnam where they inhabit slow moving waters. They have also been introduced in Iran and Turkmenistan. The master of aquarium design, Takeshi Amano features them in his beautifully landscaped aquaristic creations because of their cream color, iridescent blue-green flecks and beautiful large almost luminescent eyes. They balance the 'green' of the well-manicured aquatic plants, lending a cool and calm feeling.

CHECK OUT THIS VIDEO

ENTREPRENEURIAL

2 nice Sunday reads about owning and running a coffee-shop and another about planning...

BILLBOARDS



Maybe if the billboards in Los Angeles were as creative as these examples, the residents of Billboard Belt might not be so annoyed. Then again maybe not. (Thanks to ad broad for these images)

Saturday, July 11, 2009

WAYNE WHITE




If you remember how delicious that Thai Cobb Salad was, you'll remember Wayne White's delectable masterpieces adorning the walls of Fred 62 in Los Feliz (which BTW is still one of my fave eats in Los Angeles). Mr White captures a WTF way some of us might feel sometimes with his very original use of typography and a 70's oil painted style, that winks at you with his in your face messaging.
Recently, while waiting for the movie UP to start at the Los Felix 3 (which is across the street from Fred's), I decided to check out another long-standing time killer of mine, Skylight Books. Lo and behold, Wayne White was launching his coffee-table book Wayne White: Maybe Now I'll Get the Respect I So Richly Deserve by friend Todd Oldham - the next day at 5pm! (You can purchase it in the right column here on my blog). I've always admired his work and now I get to bring a 'little' of Wayne home; to be inspired. The book is thick and heavy and...gosh the man is incredibly prolific and so refreshing. With each page turn of the beautifully printed and bound book, his work surprises and delights and never lets you forget you are looking and appreciating the work of a truly original artist of our modern age. Wink.

Book for sale here @ My Amazon Store

MORE LINKS:
Mireille Mosier Ltd
- more examples of his work plus bio
Western Project - west coast representation
Fluxionesque - blog featuring more of his work

CLICK BELOW for a mini gallery of his work and some bio/info.

Friday, July 10, 2009

RUNPEE


Now here's a helpful and ingenious tool you can use the next time you need to heed nature's call during long movies or in between shots of Megan Fox's overglossed lips. It's a 99-cents iPhone app too.
RUNPEE

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