ShowBusinessMan [Search results for film

  • "Walk New Ground" Ahnu Brand Film/Ad

    "Walk New Ground" Ahnu Brand Film/Ad

    Director Seth Epstein of Stardust recently finished an incredibly moving and inspirational brand film for Ahnu, the Bay Area-based providers of originally engineered performance shoes. The three-minute short film entitled “Walk New Ground” follows ultra-endurance hiker Trevor Thomas on one of his challenging, long-distance hikes — revealing his unique story along the way.

    “Stardust was chosen for one simple reason, their unique ability to capture a true and authentic moment and translate it into inspiring digital content,” says Anders Bergstrom, Marketing Manager for Deckers, Ahnu’s parent company, and Co-Creative Director on the film. “The Ahnu brand had been working with Trevor Thomas for some time, but had not yet captured the emotional essence and impact that an incredible person like Trevor can have on a brand and its core business. Seth, Dex, and their team [at Stardust] saw the potential and brought out what is true and inspiring in Trevor's story – all the while delivering on the Ahnu brand's promise to ‘walk new ground.’"

    According to Stardust Director and company partner, Seth Epstein, the idea for the film came from a two-hour phone conversation and pre-interview he had with the film’s subject, Trevor. “His story was amazing on it’s own, so I asked him every question you could imagine,” he explains. “It was during that phone call, that I realized how I wanted to approach the story. I knew where I wanted to go, and needed to figure out how to do it as efficiently as possible.”

    Utilizing “lean filmmaking techniques,” Epstein shot the film on DSLR on-location in Northern California’s Redwoods, not far from Ahnu’s headquarters, which was important to the company’s co-founders. “We used a lot of in-camera film techniques, and played with light and focus as much as we could, in order to create the film’s story which is a metaphor. Every filmic technique is an ingredient in the visual aesthetic of the film, and that was our intention going into the shoot.”

    For Stardust Executive Producer and company partner Dexton Deboree, this Ahnu brand film represents a new direction the company is taking in terms of storytelling. “By focusing on Trevor’s story, Seth was able to create a film that truly celebrates the Ahnu brand and everything it represents as a conscious, sustainable company, which puts its success back into the community by sponsoring someone like Trevor. For us at Stardust, it was an opportunity to further express our new voice by creatively investing in a project with a lot of heart, which is important to Seth and I as creatives, but also as business people.”

    After production was wrapped, the short film was edited by Neil Meiklejohn at Rock Paper Scissors with color completed by Company 3’s Siggy Ferstl. Stardust contributed motion graphics to the film, which according to Dexton required a “tender hand.” The film was unveiled at a large trade show event earlier this year. It is posted to the Ahnu web site, and will be used for branding, marketing and Social Media initiatives this year.

    Credits:
    Client: Ahnu
    Brand Director: Jacqueline Van Dine
    Marketing Manager, Ahnu: Michelle Erbs
    Marketing Manager, Deckers (Ahnu Parent Company): Anders Bergstrom
    Production/Postproduction Company: Stardust
    Director: Seth Epstein
    Co-Creative Director: Anders Bergstrom (Marketing Manager, Deckers)
    Executive Producer: Dexton Deboree
    DP: Patrick Notaro
    Producer: James Taylor
    Design/Effects Producer: Melina Osornio
    Line Producer: Sean Cope
    Design Director, Animator: Piero Desopo
    Editorial Company: Rock Paper Scissors
    Editor: Neil Meiklejohn
    Executive Producer: Carol Lynn Weaver
    Postproduction Company: Company 3
    Colorist: Siggy Ferstl
    Musical score by Jesse Mattson

  • Matt Smukler — The Hiccup

    Matt Smukler — The Hiccup

    After an unexplained event involving a samurai sword and a rave, two friends frantically try to leave town. A chance encounter with an old family friend puts an unwanted delay on their escape plans.

    “The Hiccup” is a short film directed by Community Films‘ Matt Smukler. It won Best Comedy Short Film at the San Diego International Film Festival, was a finalist at Woodstock International Film Festival, a finalist at Soho Rushes Short Film Festival, and winner of the Noccicinema Film Festival Best Foreign Film. It has also played in competition at the Dallas International Film Festival, New York City International Film Festival, LA Comedy Shorts, Hollyshorts, New Orleans Film Festival and the LA Indie Film Festival.

    For commercial film production, Matt Smukler is represented by Community Films in the US.

    Credits:
    The Hiccup
    Directed by Matt Smukler
    Written by Matt Smukler and Rob Chester Smith

    Producer: Carr Donald
    Executive Producer: Carl Swan
    Cinematographer: Tim Hudson
    Editor: Jim Ulbrich

    Cast:
    Rob Chester Smith
    Eric Normington
    Carol Mansell
    Dennis Howard

    Production Designer: Ron Hellman
    Costume Designer: Jennifer Johnson
    Original Music: Stephan Altman
    Head of Production: Alexandra Chamberlain

    Production Supervisor: Nick Shandra
    Production Coordinator: Nessie Anaya
    First Assistant Director: Scott Harris
    Second Assistant Director: Mark Robinson

    Script Supervisor: Kristin Calabrese

    First Assistant Camera: Bob San Martin
    Second Assistant Camera: David McDonald
    Loader: Eliseo Romero

    On Set Mixer: Dan Kent
    Boom Operator: Hanna Collins
    VTR: Ken Perkins

    Casting Director: Francine Selkirk

    Assistant Art Director: Diana Kramer
    Decorator: Analise Hellmann
    Leadman: Sean Ryan
    Propmaster: Paul Linkogle
    Set Dressers: Ethan Jacob, Mikki Mamaril

    Key Costumer: Emily Virgil
    Assistant Costumer: Molly Keogh
    Make Up: Bridget O'Neil
    Assistant Make Up: Tanya Cookingham
    Gaffer: Mike Butler
    BB Grip: Mike Fletcher
    Electric: Bob King
    Electric Driver: Hector Castillo
    Key Grip: Pat Christman
    BB Grip: Joel Bystrom
    Grip: Fred Davis
    Grip Driver: Mark Davies
    Location Manager: Greg Campeau
    Camera Arm: Bill Peters
    Craft Service: Brian Hoenig
    Set Production Assistants: Stephen Kinney, Guy Buckland, Hercules Goes, Nelson Pena, Michael Tumino, Ethan Jacob
    Colorist: Sparkle
    Sound Mixer: Glenn Landrum
    Storyboards: Joe James
    via: Glossy

  • Bringing the Brisbane International Film Festival (BIFF)

    Bringing the Brisbane International Film Festival (BIFF)

    500 Days of Summer

    Everyone loves a good biff, especially when it has absolutely nothing to do with The Footy Show. Here, I’m speaking about the one and only Brisbane International Film Festival also known as BIFF. The Gold Coast, being the cultural vacuum that it is, us film geeks eagerly await the annual BIFF where a selection of films from around the world are screened over the course of one and a bit weeks. This year I’ve been lucky enough to work with some of the BIFF crew by putting together articles on various films for the website and daily newsletter. With dozens of movies crammed into the 11-day event it would be easy to miss some of the real gems. The good news is I’ve taken a look at the complete line-up of films screening at this year's festival and even watched some of them early. So, the following is my list of the films you MUST SEE or die at this year's BIFF.

    For you international readers this can be a handy guide of limited release films you should keep an eye out for in the coming weeks/months.

    • An Education — the opening night film starring Peter Sarsgaard and set in the 60s. The Sars-man in a film with romance, drama and intrigue sounds like too rare an opportunity to miss.
    • BALIBO — the notorious tale of five young, Australian journalists who were executed while reporting on Indonesia’s invasion of East Timor in 75. An impressive Aussie cast including Gyton Grantley, Nathan Phillips and Anthony LaPaglia expose the Australian and Indonesian governments shameless efforts to cover-up this important story.
    • Coraline — has been covered extensively on this blog given its beautiful visuals and dark storyline. Directed by Henry Selick, director of the classic Nightmare Before Christmas, Coraline follows the adventures of a young girl who discovers a secret door leading to an alternative reality.
    • 500 Days of Summer — a last minute addition to the festival line-up, this quirky, nontraditional love story deserves to be seen purely because it features the talents of my favourite Joseph Gordon Levitt. It also stars everyone’s favourite indie film star Zoey Deschanel.
    • CHE: Parts One & Two — director Steven Soderbergh’s stunning two-part opus based on the life Che Guevara and starring Benicio Del Toro in the title role. You’ll be hard pressed to catch this screened back to back anywhere else in Queensland.
    • Away We Go — highly peculiar, yet, interesting film which looks at the journey of two thirtsomethings who discover they’re going to have a baby. Instead of settling down and preparing, the couple take to the road to visit old friends. This is the latest thing from the amicable Sam Mendes and marks a return to his off-beat indie roots.
    • The September Issue — one of the most anticipated documentaries of the year, this film delves into the life of legendary Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour in the lead-up to the massive September issue.
    • Jules And Jim — this French film from the 60s is a classic love-triangle with arguably the most recognisable face in French cinema — Jeanne Moreau.
    • Moon — one of the films I’m most looking forward to, this sci-fi thriller i s the debut feature from David Bowie’s son Duncan Jones and stars Sam Rockwell in what is said to be the performance of his career.
    • The Missing Person — a private detective is hired to follow a missing person but what started as a simple job rapidly develops into a complex mystery. Full of double-crosses and classic noir moments, this is a film not to be missed by lovers of all things noir.
    • The Strength of Water (below) — having Maori parentage, I like to pay special attention to films from indigenous New Zealand filmmakers. The Strength of Water is definitely worth the gaze. A unique look at the complexity of grief through the eyes of a 10-year-old living in an isolated Maori community. Beautiful, naturalistic, creative and moving. A must-see.
    • Van Dieman’s Land — the infamous tale of Australia’s very own Hannibal Lecter gets the big screen treatment from a filmmaker heading for the stratosphere.Subdivison — Brisbanite Ash Bradman (from Nova radio fame) wrote and stars in this appealing comedy set in semirural Hervey Bay. Fans of Aussie films like Crackerjack, The Castle and Kenny are likely to enjoy this.
    • The Cove — along with Cathy Henkel’s The Burning Season, this has to be one of the most important documentaries of the year and looks at the culling of dolphins in the picturesque town of Tokyo, Japan. Part horror film, part espionage thriller and part environmental documentary, The Cove is all part's essential viewing. It Might Get Loud — there’s no time for air guitar in this documentary which takes the audience on a candid trip into the world of three of rock’s most iconic electric guitarists; Jimmy Page (Led Zepplin), the Edge (U2), and Jack White (The White Stripes).
    • Black Dynamite — if I even have to explain to you the plot of this film, given the sheer volume of posts about it on this blog, then you deserve to be pimp-slapped into a China cabinet. Here’s your chance to see what all the fuss is about.
    • Dead Snow — Tarantino and Rodriguez fans, like myself, are likely to adore the work of the Norwegian lads behind this low-budget, horror slapstick about Nazi zombies. Writer/director Tommy Wirkola and writer/star Stig Frode Henriksen have been pipped for big things since their debut short Kill Buljo and their first feature doesn’t disappoint. Catch their work before it explodes as their next film Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters has been picked up by The Weinstein Company (bada-boom).
    • Storage — a tense, edge-of-your-seat psychological thriller from Brisbane filmmaker Michael Craft and starring Gold Coast actor Matt Scully in the lead role. An impressively clever debut from Craft who shot the film in storage facilities in and around Brisvegas. Creepy.
    • The Horsemen — containing what is said to be one of the `most amazing fight scenes captured’ is there really any other reason to see this?

    Ticket prices are cheap as chips compared to a normal outing at the movies and BIFF is running a series of workshops where you can meet the director, producer, writer and/or stars of some of the films.

  • The World's First InstaGram Film Experience

    The World's First InstaGram Film Experience

    Toronto advertising agency Cossette uses Instagram to simulate a classic film effect in innovative Silent Film Festival promotion. There are three trailers on Toronto Silent Film Festival’s Instagram accounts — @tsff_1, @tsff_2, and @tsff_3. You can get an idea of the experience in the case study video above, but you should really check them out on Instagram.

    Developed by Cossette in Toronto, the Instagram account uses the slideshow view mode within the popular mobile app to simulate a classic film effect, giving filmgoers a handheld example of a classic silent film. In fact, the logic of the slideshow is the same basic premise that was used in the discovery of the film medium in its infancy.

    "Everyone knows that showing clips of a film can drum up interest." says Cossette Co-Chief Creative Officer Matt Litzinger. "We wanted to create a sort of “trailer” of our own, and thought this new and unique use of Instagram could bring the films to life and draw attention to the festival. It feels appropriate to be using a technology like Instagram to promote the silent film technique, which in its day was every bit as ground-breaking and innovative as digital platforms are today." The Toronto Silent Film Festival runs from April 4th to 9th.

    Credits:
    Project: Instagram Trailers
    Client: Toronto Silent Film Festival
    Advertising Agency: Cossette
    Co-Chief Creative Officers: Matthew Litzinger, David Daga
    Creative Director: Matthew Litzinger, David Daga
    Copywriter: Sebastian Lyman
    Art Director: Pepe Bratanov
    Account Team: Jason Melhuish
    via: Glossy

  • Change for a Dollar

    Change for a Dollar

    Is he asking for Change, or is he asking for CHANGE?
    Follow a man as he affects multiple peoples' lives with just one dollar, proving that it doesn't take much to be the change in someone's life. The homeless man is played by Robert P. Campbell. You can't watch this without getting a little teary eyed, hopefully it will inspire you as it has me to make an effort to make a positive change in someone's life
    Winner — Best Short Film — Maryville Film Festival
    Winner — Audience Choice Award — Gateway Film Festival
    Winner — Audience Choice Award — Moonlight Film Festival
    Nominated — Best Female Filmmaker Award — Action On Film Intl Film Festival
    Nominated — Sirrocco Award — Action On Film Intl Film Festival
    Nominated — Best Silent Film — BareBones Intl Film Festival
    Credits:
    Written and directed by Sharon Wright
    Director of photography/editor Kendal Sinn
    Composer Christopher Komsthoeft
    More about Sharon Wright Here.

  • Food Porn — D4D Has 2 Shorts Selected To NYC Food Film Festival

    Food Porn — D4D Has 2 Shorts Selected To NYC Food Film Festival

    Two short films directed by Matt Checkowski and produced by The D4D, Porter Braised Ox "Cheek" and "Mixed Berries, Three Ways",” have been named part of the official selection for the 7th Annual NYC Food Film Festival, which runs October 23rd — 27th, 2013 in New York City.
    The Food Film Festival (http://thefoodfilmfestival.com) sprang from the imagination of Festival Director and Travel Channel host George Motz, the documentary filmmaker behind the award-winning Hamburger America film and book, along with co-creator Harry Hawk. Through documentaries, features and short films, the Festival showcases the best, and the most memorable, of the world’s favorite foods. Along with a heaping helping of mouth-watering films, Motz, Hawk and company serve up the food that guests are watching on the screen for a multi-sensory experience.

    “I am excited to be a part of the festival and to screen these short films for audiences who share our passion for unique food experiences,” notes Matt Checkowski, Director/Founder of The D4D. “Connecting the visual narratives with a story for the palate makes for an inspired take on the traditional film festival.”
    Porter Braised Ox Cheek" and "Mixed Berries, Three Ways” feature Chef Martin Berg of Michelin-starred restaurant Mathias Dahlgren as he prepares some of his favorite dishes. The films are part of a near painterly short film series surrounding Berg’s appreciation and mastery of fine ingredients. Each unfolds in reverse; an homage to culinary magic.
    This is the second time The D4D and Matt Checkowski have had work in the Food Film Festival. Two years ago the Chicago iteration screened its short film for Intelligentsia “Espresso” The film is part of a series created for Intelligentsia’s core audience of coffee obsessives and artisanal culturistas.
    Food and drink are reoccurring themes in The D4D's storytelling. Checkowski recently curated a collection of stills taken during his culinary content adventures, exploring the oldest bakery in Berlin, meeting the rock star butcher of London and a master class with the Pope of Foam. Read more about Matt’s tales from behind the counter: http://checkowski.com/tales-from-behind-the-counter/

  • Grey London Creates "The Swell" for the new Volvo XC60

    Grey London Creates "The Swell" for the new Volvo XC60

    Grey London has unveiled its first work for Volvo Car Group: a beautifully-shot, highly sensory film urging the viewer to ‘seek feeling’ – a dramatization of Volvo’s human-centric ethos.

    The quietly epic film – a global TV campaign for Volvo’s existing XC60 model – is a shift in tone for the car manufacturer. Moving the brand into a more premium space, it introduces some of the pillars that will underpin its revamped brand positioning: ambition, simplicity, authenticity, Swedishness, and the same level of design quality and craft that goes into its cars. It represents a stylistic prologue to what is to come from the Volvo Kreativ Studio, including a high-profile, multi-faceted campaign for the launch of Volvo’s revolutionary flagship model XC90.

    The film itself is about movement; about dynamism and intuitive response – the visceral, emotional experience of the Volvo XC60 brought to life. It begins in the passenger seat of the car –parked on an empty beach, radio quietly humming in the background, door left open, and a pair of shoes discarded in the footwell. Moving toward the water, the radio fades into the distance – drowned out by the sound of the ocean as we reach the shoreline…

    “to feel
    to really feel
    is a rare thing these days”

    …then out into the surf. Through the water, through the first tentative laps to the thundering crash of enormous waves, out into the darkness…until the water is still. Serene. A lone figure sits on her surfboard, her windswept silhouette visible only through the moonlight. Staring out toward the horizon, she’s waiting; a defiant look in her eyes.

    And then it comes. The swell rises. A wave approaches, powerful and unstoppable. Adrenaline racing, we rise up. She rises up. Her arm takes one graceful, powerful swipe through the water as the wave is about to break…and then we cut. Against the black, we hear the earth-shaking thunder of the wave collapsing. The film ends with the line ‘Seek Feeling. The responsive XC60’.

    Hollie Newton, Global Creative Director at Grey London, says: “The last thing the world needs is another overly-retouched car, hooning down a mountain road to a soft rock soundtrack. There's a defiant, slightly renegade Swedish spirit to Volvo that simply doesn't fit with the bland world of car advertising. And thank god for that. We have an enormous suite of work coming up for Volvo which challenges the conventions of the sector. This is the first. A quietly epic piece of film that, hopefully, makes you feel something.”



    Marcus Söderlund, Director (and Swede), adds: “I am working my way through the four classical elements with Grey: last time it was a fire film, now water. The perspective in this film is pretty special; it´s not a first person perspective. The whole way through it’s the viewer’s film and view. Working in the element of water is fantastic – there is so much you just can´t predict or control. If you embrace that, you can get imagery you can’t even dream of.”

    As very specific weather, moonlight and tidal conditions were required for the highly technical shoot, the time of year made shooting in Sweden impossible. Instead, the film was shot in Durban, South Africa. After looking at dozens of potential locations, Durban emerged as the only that could provide the essential quartet of good waves, high-quality levels of moonlight, shark nets and – most importantly – an area which closely resembled Swedish environments. Just as vital as the location was the casting – with 46 year old Cape Town resident and experienced surfer Lisette Forsyth eventually chosen. Not only was she at ease in the ocean and a passionate surfer, she had a beautifully graceful and serene look in the water.

    The campaign is Global Creative Director Hollie Newton’s first for Grey since joining from Wieden + Kennedy last year, where she created Lurpak’s multi-award-winning Good Proper Food. It was directed by Gothenburg-born Marcus Söderlund through Academy. Print photography was from Gian Paul Lozza, best-known for capturing his subject using only ambient light. Allan “Willy” Wilson – famed for his surf films – was underwater DoP, while André Chémétoff – known for his beautiful, technical films such as Our Day Will Come by Romain Gavras and Jaron Albertin’s Sony Volcano – was DoP.

    Credits:
    Project name: The Swell
    Client: Volvo: Tomás Caetano (Vice President Brand Marketing), Ingela D'Angelo, (Director, Marketing Communication), Magnus Brodd (Marketing Content Director), Anna Wirsen (Project Leader)
    Agency: Grey London
    Executive Creative Director: Nils Leonard
    Global Creative Director: Hollie Newton
    Creative Team: Hollie Newton / Jamie Starbuck / Howard Green
    Managing Partner: Nick Dutton
    Business Director: Camilla Ashenhurst
    Account Manager: Mel Caplan
    Agency producer: Harriette Larder
    Creative producer: Glen McLeod
    Planning Director: Matt Buttrick
    Planner: Hayley Cannon
    Production company: Academy Films
    Director: Marcus Söderlund
    Editor: Tom Lindsay @ Trim
    Producer: Medb Riordan
    Exec Producer: Lizie Gower
    DOP: André Chémétoff / Allan “Willy” Wilson
    Colourist: Aubrey Woodiwiss
    Post-production: Yourick Van Impe (Flame) & Aubrey Woodiwiss (grade) @ Electric Theatre Collective
    Audio post-production: Aaron Reynolds @ Wave
    Photographer: Gian Paul Lozza

  • Meet the archaeologists making ancient rock art into 3D reality

    Meet the archaeologists making ancient rock art into 3D reality

    High in the Italian Alps, thousands of stick-like images of people and animals, carved into rock surfaces, offer a tantalising window into the past. Archaeologists believe that the earliest of these 150,000 images date from the Neolithic but that most originate from the Iron Age. The UNESCO-protected ‘Pitoti’ (little puppets) of the Valcamonica valley extend over an area of some three square kilometres and have been described as one of the world’s largest pieces of anonymous art.

    Meet the archaeologists making ancient rock art into 3D reality
    An event taking place next Monday (18 January 2016) at Downing College, Cambridge, will give the public an opportunity to learn more about a fascinating project to explore and re-animate the Pitoti of Valcamonica. Displays and hands-on activities staged by seven of the institutions involved in the EU/European Research Council-funded ‘3D Pitoti’ digital heritage project will show visitors how archaeologists and film-makers have used the latest digital technology to explore an art form often portrayed as simplistic or primitive.

    The exhibitors from Austria, Italy, Germany and the UK will show that the thousands of Pitoti can be seen as “one big picture” as dozens of artists, over a period of some 4,000 years, added narratives to the giant ‘canvases’ formed by sandstone rocks scraped clean by the movement of glaciers across the landscape. The images are etched into the rock surfaces so that, as the sun rises and then falls in the sky, the figures can be seen to gain a sense of movement.

    Displays will introduce visitors to the scanning, machine learning and interactive 3D-visualisation technologies used by Bauhaus Weimar, Technical University Graz, and St Pölten University of Applied Sciences to record, analyse and breathe life into the Pitoti. Cambridge archaeologists Craig Alexander, Giovanna Bellandi and Christopher Chippindale have worked with Alberto Marretta and Markus Seidl to create Pitoti databases using Arctron’s Aspect 3D system.

    The scanned images of the Pitoti are stored in the rock-art research institute in Valcamonica, Centro Camuno di Studi Preistorici, and have given the project’s team an unprecedentedly rich resource to play with in exploring the power of graphic art in combination with other media.

    The 3D Pitoti team members attending next week’s event will engage with visitors who will be given the chance to experience the scanner, UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle), computer sectioning, and the Pitoti ‘oculus rift’ virtual reality experience, made possible by using advanced imaging systems which are creating a new generation of ‘real’ images. The live demonstration of the interactive 3D Pitoti children’s app, developed by Archeocammuni and Nottingham University, is likely to prove popular with younger visitors who will have the chance to handle the technology and ask questions. Also taking part in the event will be the renowned craftsperson Lida Cardozo Kindersley who will demonstrate the art of letter cutting as an intensely physical process.

    Meet the archaeologists making ancient rock art into 3D reality
    Eleanora Montinari [Credit: CCSP/3-D Pitoti with permission of Marc Steinmetz/VISUM]
    Archaeologists increasingly believe that the Valcamonica images may have been one element in a kind of ‘proto-cinema’ that might have involved other ‘special effects’. “When I first saw the Pitoti, my immediate thought was that these are frames for a film. Initially I envisaged an animated film but over time I’ve come to realise that the quality of colour, the play of light and shadow, and the texture of the rocks, make the Pitoti much more sophisticated than 2D animated graphics. That’s why we need to work in 3D,” says Cambridge archaeologist and film-maker Dr Frederick Baker, one of the founding participants in the project.

    “Many of the images at Valcamonica are contemporary with classical Greek art but are an under appreciated form of art. I believe that the Pitoti are an example of minimalism, an early precursor to work by Alberto Giacometti and Pablo Picasso. They can be just as powerful as the classical art of Athens and Rome in their own way. By showcasing our project in the neo-classical setting of Downing College, we are highlighting this clash of visual cultures and using the digital to raise the appreciation of what has been seen as ‘barbarian’ or ‘tribal’ art.”

    Members of the 3D Pitoti team captured thousands of images of people, sheep, deer, horses and dogs found on the Valamonica rocks. The digitised images gave the project a ‘casting directory’ of thousands of ‘characters’ in order to create imagined narratives. The creation of moving images using pixels, or dots, echoes the making of the Pitoti which were pecked out of the rock by people striking the surface with repeated blows to produce lines and shapes.

    Dr Sue Cobb, from the University of Nottingham, who led the international team of scientists, said: “Thanks to the 3D Pitoti project, archaeological sites and artefacts can be rendered in stunningly realistic computer-generated models and even 3D printed for posterity. Our tools will give more people online access to culturally-important heritage sites and negate the need to travel to the locations, which can be inaccessible or vulnerable to damage.

    “We overcame a number of technical challenges to innovate the technology, including developing weatherproof, portable laser scanner to take detailed images of the Pitoti in situ in harsh, rugged terrain; using both a UAV and glider to take aerial shots of the valley for the computer model and processing huge masses of data to recreate an immersive, film-quality version of the site in 3D.

    Meet the archaeologists making ancient rock art into 3D reality
    Michael Holzapfel (left) and Martin Schaich (right) [Credit: ArcTron/3-D Pitoti with permission of Marc Steinmetz/VISUM)]
    “With our new story-telling app, users can scan and animate 3D Pitoti images to construct their own rock art stories from the thousands of fascinating human and animal figures discovered so far. The aim is to show to public audiences that with archaeology there isn’t a single answer to the art’s meaning –there are theories and interpretations — and to teach the importance of the rock art as a biographical record of European history.”

    Next Monday’s event will include a test screening of a 15-minute 3D generated film called ‘Pitoti Prometheus’ which reimagines the story of Prometheus (who, according to legend, created men from clay) by animating digital images captured in Valcamonica. The fully finished film will be launched later in the year.

    The film’s 3D engineer Marcel Karnapke and film-maker Fred Baker (contributing via Skype) will take part in a discussion at the end of the day, enabling the audience to ask questions about the film and the unfolding of an ambitious project which breaks new boundaries in terms of European cross-disciplinary collaboration.

    “We use the word ‘pipeline’ to describe the process by which we’ve scanned and channelled the rock art images through time and space to bring them to mass audiences,” says Baker. “It’s a pipeline which stretches well beyond what we’ve produced and future technologies will undoubtedly open up new understandings of art forms that communicate so much about humanity and our relationships with each other, with the environment, and with imagined worlds.”

    Next Tuesday morning (19 January 2016), a series of talks and workshops, aimed primarily at academics, will take place at the McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research. The two days of events are the official culmination of the 3D Pitoti project. For details of Monday’s event, which is free of charge, go to http://3d-pitoti.eu/

    Source: University of Cambridge [January 14, 2016]

  • The Gold Coast Film Fantastic, Australia (GCFF)

    The Gold Coast Film Fantastic, Australia (GCFF)

    GCFF

    The Gold Coast Film Fantastic opened with a bang (and then some) at Australia Fair Birch Caroll & Coyle cinema's tonight with everyone from Oscar winning special effects whiz John Cox to on-screen (and possibly real life) serial-killer John Jarratt walking the red carpet.

    In other highly amusing news I met a young, up and coming Australia actor who just happens to be called James Dean! And he's an actor! And young! Geddit? Sigh. Well, I found it humorous... especially whilst trying to interview him a Marilyn Monroe impersonator was lurking in the background. Eerie.

    Anyway, the GCFF is a great local initiative for movie makers and film lovers alike. Festival director Casey Marshall Siemer and co. showcase a selection of Australian films amongst the international offerings and organise the filmmakers to meet with distributors and industry insiders during the event. For cinephiles however, the GCFF is a superb way to see a huge variety of films weeks, even months, before they're released in Oz cinemas.

    But with more than 21 films and 7 free outdoor screenings across three days, it's easy to get lost amongst the sheer volume of movies at this year's GCFF. From documentaries and animated films, to romantic comedies and horror, there's something for the cinephile in all of us. Here's my guide to some of the festival highlights:

    The Topp Twins: Untouchable Girls
    Taking out the audience award at this year's Toronto Film Festival, this is an inspirational look at two of New Zealand's national treasures whose radical protest songs have been entertaining the world for nearly 30-years.

    The Accidental Husband
    Uma Thurman lowers her Samurai sword for a romantic comedy co-starring Colin Firth and Grey's Anatomy fan favourite Jeffrey Dean Morgan.

    ZombielandLovers of horror and comedy can hang on to to the Halloween spirit with this mash-up of the two genres. After smashing the US box-office, Zombieland has been getting rave reviews overseas and stars Woody Harrelson, Bill Murray, Abigail Breslin and rising star Jesse Eisenberg.

    Sky Crawlers
    Nominated for the best animated feature film at the up and coming Asia Pacific Screen Awards, Sky Crawlers is the latest from Mamoru Oshii, director of anime classic Ghost in the Shell. A slow-paced mystery, the animation is incredible with some of the best flight fight sequences ever created.

    Prime Mover
    Possibly the first love triangle to involve a man, woman and a truck, Prime Mover is the latest from Australian writer/director David Caesar.

    BronsonOne of the most talked about drama's of the year, Bronson explores the bare knuckled reality of real life criminal Charles Bronson who has spent the last 30-years in solitary confinement for crimes committed in jail including murder and taking hostages. Oh, it also stars a beefed-up Tom Hardy (above) in his breakout roll.

    The Coolangatta Gold This year's race may be over, but relive the excitement with the 1984 film that made the iconic ironman race famous.

    I.C.U
    From Gold Coast director Aash Aaron, this edge-of-your-seat offering follows three teens in a Surfers Paradise high rise who play a game of cat and mouse with a serial killer.

    Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs
    This is one for the kids and kids at heart Inspired by a children's book, the film focuses on a town where food falls from the sky thanks to the invention of a young, wacky scientist. Though I rolled my eyes at the trailer, a four star review from Empire has sparked my interest.

    P.S. And I bring you another trailer fresh off the inter-web from another movie on 5 horror movies I must see in 2015 list; Date Night! Yes, the Steve Carrell, Tina Fey led comedy with possibly the best supporting cast ever - Mark Wahlberg, James Franco, Mila Kunis, Leighton Meester, Ray Liotta, Common, Kristen Wiig and more. Oh, did I mention Mark Wahlberg? Did I mention he's shirtless in the trailer? HELL YES! Watch and drool. Thoughts? The trailer looks like its been put together a bit tackily but there appears to be some good moments. We'll have to wait another six months to see the actual movie though. Sigh.

  • Rockwell by name, Rockwell by nature, or "Welcome to the MOON!"

     Rockwell by name, Rockwell by nature, or "Welcome to the MOON!"

    Sam Rockwell

    Sam Rockwell | MOON

    I'm constantly altering the order of the entrants in my hypothetical `favourite actor's list'.However, one permanent feature has been the always awesome and versatile Sam Rockwell. Since his debut in the teen-horror Clownhouse, the 40-year-old has gone on to become a one-man gallery of crooks, rogues and oddballs. Critics adore him. Cinephiles applaud him. Yet still he manages to tread comfortably on the line between stardom and obscurity. Touted as `the next big thing’ for over a decade, Rockwell has made a career of playing the anti-hero. He shifts between supporting roles and leading parts as if they were gears in a car and is widely considered one of the finest actors working today. With a name like a character from an Austin Powers movie, Rockwell is the go-to man for directors with controversial or challenging parts. Thus, when Duncan Jones, son of David Bowie, entered into a career as a filmmaker it’s no wonder he wrote his debut feature Moon as a vehicle for Sam Rockwell. As audiences worldwide prepare to see him in the biggest the role of his career, I thought I'd put together this piece to look back at some of the his most memorable performances.

    His breakthrough performance was in 1997 as a lovable oddity in Tom DiCillo’s Box of Moonlight. He went on to star in a number indie drama’s and had his first foray in to studio pictures as a child murderer in The Green Mile (below). Despite only having a small amount of screen time, Rockwell left a lasting impression as the charismatic killer.

    Charisma was again a major feature in his role as Eric Knox in Charlie’s Angels. One of his most well-known parts, Rockwell was unforgettable as the quirky and deranged super-villain who was just as comfortable moon-walking to Pharaoh Monche as he was shooting missiles from his helicopter. However, it was his leading turn in George Clooney’s directorial debut Confessions of a Dangerous Mind that certified Rockwell as a rising talent. He won the Silver Berlin Bear for best actor at the Berlin International Film Festival for playing game show impresario Chuck Barris, who claimed to have been a CIA hitman.

    With a growing reputation as a diverse character actor, Rockwell went on to star in several large supporting roles in films such as Matchstick Men, A Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, Snow Angels and The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford. Perhaps his most controversial role was as a sex-addicted con-man in last year’s Choke which is based on a book by Fight Club author Chuck Palahniuk. As a serious actor it would be difficult to find a juicer part than that of a man who pays for his mothers hospital bills by playing on the sympathies of those who save him from choking to death. On the surface it’s the kind of character that audiences should have loathed but Rockwell threw himself in to the part making him poignant and hilarious. He followed Choke with the Oscar nominated Frost/Nixon where he played passionate political writer James Preston Jr.

    Although he has spent much of his career playing second fiddle, in his latest film Rockwell is back at leading-man. In fact, he is the only actor in Moon. He plays astronaut Sam Bell (below) who is wrapping up a three-year stint on the moon where he has been overseeing the mining interests of the Lunar Corporation. With the exception of recorded messages from his family and bosses back on Earth, his only company is the base’s computer Gerty (voiced by Kevin Spacey). That is until he meets a younger, angrier version of himself who claims to be there to fulfil the same three-year contract. Engaging the eye as much as the mind, Moon draws from classic science-fiction films and is propelled by an intense performance from Rockwell. Taking out the best British film award at the Edinburgh film festival earlier this year, it has been hailed as a remarkable debut from Duncan Jones who wrote the film to lure Rockwell in to working with him.

    Made on a budget of $5 million and shot in 33 days, Moon has been hailed as an intelligent, intriguing and unique film held together by Rockwell’s performance. Critics have tipped this as the film to finally elevate the American actor to A-List, leading man status. Whether this will actually come to fruition remains to be seen, however Rockwell seems content with his position in modern day cinema. If nothing else the role will be another display of brilliance from the actor and can be added to his repertoire of unusual characters. In the mean time, his next move is away from the indie-circuit and back in to blockbuster mode as he stars alongside Robert Downey Jr, Scarlett Johansson, Gwyneth Paltrow and Mickey Rourke in Iron Man 2.

  • Brooklyn Nets Game Day Film "Something to Lean On"

    Brooklyn Nets Game Day Film "Something to Lean On"

    This 45 second film debuted on 12 in-arena screens and projected on the court before player introductions at Nets season opener on November 3, and will be shown at home games throughout the season and used in other promotional capacities.
    Three important elements came into play with the film. Not only would it be debuted before the team’s season opener, but the game also marked the first game of the high-visibility Brooklyn franchise and the initial game at the NBA’s newest arena, the Barclays Center.

    The Famous Group, who have worked with the Nets since 1997, developed the theme “Arrival in Brooklyn” and conducted a live action shoot portraying Nets players in and around the new arena. Stars such as Deron Williams, Joe Johnson, Gerald Wallace and Kris Humphries, are shown arriving by taxi, subway and sidewalk, intercut with shots of uniformed players inside the Barclays Center.
    The film adheres to the Nets‘ iconic black & white branding, shot entirely in b&w and featuring players dressed in white shirts and black suits and ties. The film’s feel is reflected in the score, an original hip-hop track composed and performed by John Forté entitled “Brooklyn.”
    “We wanted an idea that was as big and grand as the Barclays Center, and fresh and cool as Brooklyn,” said Andrew Isaacson, executive producer, The Famous Group. “This film captures that attitude.”

    Credits:
    Client: Brooklyn Nets
    Project: “Arrival to Brooklyn” in-arena game day open
    Production Company: The Famous Group, LA/NY
    The Famous Group
    Directors – Jesse Austin and Hemu Karadkar
    Executive Producer – Andrew Isaacson
    Producer – Will Hyde
    Art Director – Jesse Austin
    Editors – Steve Davis and Jaron Halmy
    Production Coordinator – Brandon Grabowski
    Animator – Luis Gonzalez
    Animator – Rachel Arnold
    Animator – John Dougherty
    Line Producer — Jennifer Pearlman
    Production Supervisor – Jessica O'Brien
    Director of Photography – Connor O'Brien
    Music: “Brooklyn – Something to Lean On” – John Forté
    Brooklyn Nets
    Senior VP, Event Marketing & Community Relations — Petra Pope
    Director, Game Presentation — Paul Kamras
    Video Manager — Rich Mallon
    Video Coordinator – Paul Connors

  • StinkDigital Controls The Weather for Geox Amphibiox

    StinkDigital Controls The Weather for Geox Amphibiox

    To launch GEOX’s newest collection of Amphibiox all-weather footwear, SMFB and Stinkdigital partnered to create ‘You Control The Weather’, an interactive film where the user influences the outcome of the story by taking control of the weather elements.

    Set in urban surroundings, the film is a love story between two strangers who face extreme weather changes that impact the course of their day. Choosing between sun, rain or snow, the user is prompted by the story narrator to set the weather of each scene in the hope to orchestrate a serendipitous meeting between the two potential lovers.

    Each scene and weather setting impacts the footwear worn by the individuals as they take their journey across the city. With the integration of a hand crafted 3D camera mapping technique, the user can zoom in on frozen moments to explore the footwear in 360°. As the camera revolves around, the user can quickly navigate through different conditions to see how each shoe’s unique performance is optimised regardless of the weather. All footwear featured in the film can be purchased at any point in the story with a click through to the online store.

    The responsive site allows users to experience the interactive film across different platforms and is specifically optimised for touch screen devices. The film was directed by Jonathan Entwistle.

    This launch follows ‘The Rainiest Place on Earth’, an interactive documentary following four volunteers who test the GEOX Amphibiox footwear in Cherrapunjee, a village in northern India with the highest annual rainfall on the planet. Awarded a Gold Cyber Cannes Lion in 2013.


    About Stinkdigital
    Stinkdigital is an interactive production company, working with clients and advertising agencies worldwide. Our services include creative concepting, design and high-end execution. We create everything from live-action films and websites, through to mobile apps and installations.

    About SMFB
    SMFB is a creatively driven, full service advertising agency. We’re an independent, efficient and hard working organization with a diverse set of skills. At SMFB we pride ourselves in creating consumer & business relevant integrated communication, to inspire and change behaviour.

    About Director
    Jonathan Entwistle is recognised as being one of the finest up-and-coming British filmmakers working today. His first short film ‘Human Beings’ was premiered exclusively online to 45,000 people and shortlisted for a 2012 Vimeo award. He is currently working with Film4 on a feature length adaptation of Charles Forsman’s The End of the Fucking World.

  • Leica Alma — Award Winning "Soul" Short Film

    Leica Alma — Award Winning "Soul" Short Film

    The movie Alma (in English, “Soul”) – made by Brazilian production company Sentimental Filme – has just won two awards at the prestigious D&AD competition, in London. This brings the tally of international prizes to 12 for this short film conceived by advertising agency F/Nazca Saatchi & Saatchi.

    The first Leica brand campaign in Brazil, the film is part of the launch activities for the German camera maker’s unique concept store in the country – in São Paulo – and features the new M Monochrom digital camera designed to produce stunning photos in black and white.

    Alma won for Best Direction and for Cinematography in the Film Advertising Crafts' category with accolades for Vellas and André Faccioli respectively. "The D&AD is possibly one of the hardest prizes to win. The level is very high and the festival showcases many films from all around the world made by influential production companies and filmed by top directors. Just being nominated for a D&AD was something incredible for us, but to win two golden pencils [the statues based on the British awards symbol] was really beyond our expectations and very gratifying. Really amazing", said the director Vellas. This year Brazilian productions bagged four of the coveted D&AD pencil trophies.

    Between wars and loves, this is an engaging story of a photographer narrated from the unusual point of view of his own camera. In black and white, the movie sports unconventional angles and, sometimes, deliberately blurred images, as if the camera was held in the actual hand or slung round the neck of the photographer himself.

    Hopes are now high that following the film’s success at D&AD Alma will be in the running at the prestigious Cannes Lions 2013, which take place from 16 to 22 June.

    The production company...
    In 11 years of creative activity, Sentimental Filme has become one of the most important advertising film producers from Brazil. Winner of several national and international awards, including a Bronze Lion at Cannes, three Clio Awards, and two One Show prizes, the company also has a division that produces content for TV, internet, entertainment, interactive advertising, corporate communications and new media. Its major clients include Fiat, Ford, Panasonic, Volkswagen, Visa, Procter & Gamble and AB Imbev.

    Credits:
    Production company: Sentimental Filme
    Director: Vellas
    Director of Photography: André Faccioli
    Executive Producers: Marcos Araújo, Marcelo Altschuler
    Production Director: Eduardo Venturi
    Editing: Talles Martins
    Sound: Satélite Áudio
    Voiceover: Christine Behm
    Post-production: Sindicato VFX
    Agency: F/Nazca Saatchi & Saatchi
    Creative Directors: Fabio Fernandes | Eduardo Lima
    Art Director: João Linneu
    Creative team: Bruno Oppido | Thiago Carvalho | João Linneu
    RTVC: Victor Alloza
    Accounts: Marcello Penna | Melanie Zmetek
    Planning: José Porto | Rafael Paes
    Approval | Client: Luiz Marinho

  • Exclusive on the new James Cameron project: Sanctum

    Exclusive on the new James Cameron project: Sanctum

    Sanctum

    Hollywood heavyweight James Cameron's 3D underwater epic Sanctum starts filming on the Gold Coast this Friday with local and international film crews busy making final preparations. I had the chance to speak with the director, local Alister Grierson, and location manager Chris Strewe, who shared some juicy, exclusive details. Work has already begun at Warner Roadshow Studios with sets being built in Sound Stage 2 and 8, and crews preparing to film underwater scenes in the studio's $2.1 million water tank. Construction is also under way at a private residence on Bonogin Road, Mudgeeraba where some of the opening scenes will be shot in a semi-tropical rainforest.

    Cameron, known for his blockbusters Titanic, Aliens, Terminator 2, Judgment Day and the upcoming Avatar, is serving as executive producer alongside Grierson, from Burleigh Heads, as director. Sanctum will be the first 3D underwater action-adventure-fiction film ever and is being made on a budget of $30 million, relatively small for Cameron spawn.

    Grierson remained tightlipped about which Australian A-list celebrities will feature in the film, and said fans will have to wait for the official casting announcement in a few weeks. Just quietly, my bet is on Sam Worrington as he was around recently for the Inside Film awards and lord knows he's on team Cameron. Sanctum follows a father and his teenage son as they navigate a treacherous cave-diving exploration gone wrong.

    The underwater cave is being constructed in Warner Roadshow Studios outdoor water tank, where majority of the filming will take place. Cameron will arrive on the Gold Coast to work on the project early next year once he finishes the press tour for Avatar. The crew behind the film will be taking a break over Christmas then continuing filming until mid-March.

  • Black Sun of a Gun

    Black Sun of a Gun

    El Rico

    El Rico

    What happens when a stuntman, actor/director and screenwriter walk into a Gold Coast bar? They come up with the concept for an action fantasy film that is already raising eyebrows in Hollywood no joke. Rene Perrin, Avelino `El Rico' Lescot and Susan Macguillicuddy are the trio behind The Black Sun, which recently took out the Most Ambitious Screenplay award at the 2015 International Action on Film Festival in Los Angeles.

    The locals are hoping the added hype surrounding their screenplay will push the project into production and attract the eye of distributors. Lescot, a Gold Coast-based actor, stuntman and filmmaker who has worked on The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, Peter Pan and The Condemned, said The Black Sun incorporates several genres.

    ``It's enchanting and mystical,'' he said.
    ``It's a gypsy, action, adventure, romance, western with a strong supernatural feel that is set in the Pacific Islands, Mexico, China, New Zealand and here.
    ``At the moment the film industry needs something different but financially manageable and that's The Black Sun.''

    He said The Black Sun's `twist ending' had helped draw attention to the project. The film follows a warrior's worldwide journey on the Matariki boat, which Lescot said is `like another star of the film'. Lescot and Perrin have an impressive international fanbase thanks to the success of their action film Among Dead Men. It won several awards for best fight choreography and generated considerable profits in DVD sales in Canada, Germany, Thailand, Cambodia, Poland, Puerto Rico, Hawaii and Hong Kong. It also grossed several times its $7000 budget in DVD sales through Walmart in the US. Perrin, who has worked as a stunt performer on films such as The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, Daybreakers, Nim's Island, Fool's Gold and Ghost Ship, said they wanted to combine their `love of action with a love of romance' in The Black Sun.

    Balancing out the testosterone on the team is screenwriter Susan Macguillicuddy. Despite having worked with the likes of Cate Blanchett, Jessica Alba, Antonio Banderas and Melanie Griffiths, Macguillicuddy said working with `the boys' on The Black Sun has been her `most cherished writing experience'.

    ``It's like we each started at one end of the canvas and worked our way to the middle, fine-tuning the parts of the script we liked,'' she said.
    ``It took us about a year and hundreds of meetings but we're happy with the finished product.
    ``We wanted to do something very avant garde with the genre and something new.
    ``Getting the Most Ambitious Screenplay award means we really pushed the genre, which is what we set out to do.''

    International distributors have shown interest in The Black Sun and the trio is currently in the process of looking for investors.

    Black Sun of a Gun, 9 out of 10 [based on 672 votes]
  • Oldman suddenly cool, and down with the kids (+ Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland)

     Oldman suddenly cool, and down with the kids (+ Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland)

    The Dark Knight

    BATMAN 3 TO START FILMING NEXT YEAR?!

    I’m sorry if my overuse of capitals hurt your eyes, but really, your pain pales in insignificance compared to the prospect of Batman 3 getting underway next year!!! After the colossal success of The Dark Knight, rumours surrounding director Chris Nolan’s third Batman film have been flying out of every A-Lister's orifice. The latest comes from cast member and all-round stellar chap Gary Oldman who plays police commissioner Gordon in the films. Whilst taking part in a panel at Comic-Con with Denzel Washington and Mila Kunis to promote their latest film The Book of Eli, some ballsy person probed Oldman on the latest Batman 3 news. He had this to say:

    “We’re starting filming on the next Batman next year. So it won’t be out for another two years at least, I think. But you didn’t hear it from me!”

    Actually, Oldman, we did hear it from you since you’re the only semi-reliable person to dish anything about the movie in recent months. Hmmm, another two years you say? That would make a new Batman film due for release around 2012-ish which sounds about right considering Nolan is busy festering away on his latest project Inception. What’s that? Nolan is making a non-Batman film? Yes, kids, believe it or not he’s extremely good at it too. For those wanting to hear all about Nolan’s sci-fi actioner, stay tuned as I intend to post a full run-down on Inception in the next few days.

    P.S. Breaking news y'all! The trailer for Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland leaked on the net last night and it looks radical! You can watch it in its entirety here. Considering this puppy isn't released in Australian cinema's until March 11 next year, I'm quite ecstatic to see a trailer this early. No doubt a longer version will be released closer to the opening date but as far as sneak peeks go this is psychedelic. You MUST watch. There has been so much hype surrounding this film and the atmosphere was elevated to frenzy this week when a bunch of new stills from the film were shown at Comic-Con (one of which is above). Early days yet, but this looks like it's shaping up to be one of the most original and exciting adaptations of anything in recent years. Not to mention much more faithful to the book which was about an acid trip. Burton's versions looks very much like an acid trip and I'm pretty sure I will try to eat my face if I see it in 3D.

  • Just How Jewish Is That Film? J-DAR Can Tell You — 21st Toronto Jewish Film Festival Campaign

    Just How Jewish Is That Film? J-DAR Can Tell You — 21st Toronto Jewish Film Festival Campaign

    “This year’s campaign takes a tongue-in-cheek approach to communicate that Jewish people have a long-standing reputation for making great films in Hollywood and beyond,” says Helen Zukerman, executive director, TJFF. “TJFF is an authentic cultural experience that celebrates Jewish culture by screening outstanding films, documentaries and shorts from around the world, and showcases quality films that aren’t shown anywhere else.”

    “TJFF is largely perceived to be a religious festival – featuring movies heavy on Jewish content and light on action, drama, suspense and laughs,” says David Ross, creative director, DDB Canada. “To expand our reach to include a younger Jewish and non-Jewish demographic, we set out to demonstrate that people are already fans of movies that feature Jewish contribution, they just might not be aware of it.”

    Cue the new online tool "J-Dar" and now we can have some fun testing just how Jewish some of favorite films are. Test you're J-DAR HERE and for more about the 21st Toronto Jewish Film Festival HERE.

    Credits:
    Brief: The Toronto Jewish Film Festival needed to broaden its reach and increase ticket sales. Our challenge was that TJFF was largely perceived to be a religious film festival, featuring movies heavy on Jewish content and light on action, drama, suspense and laughs — a belief that couldn't be further from the truth. We set out to correct this perception by proving to people that while they may not know it, they’re already fans of Jewish movies.

    Description: We created a fun online tool called J-DAR. It calculates how Jewish your favourite Hollywood movies are. All J-DAR results are accompanied by contextualized TJFF film recommendations and a link to purchase festival tickets.

    Creative Ad Agency: DDB Canada/Tribal, Toronto
    Executive Creative Director: Denise Rossetto, Todd Mackie
    Creative Director: David Ross, David Horovitch, Paul Wallace
    Writer: David Ross, David Horovitch
    Art Director: Jake Bundock, Paul Wallace
    Designers: Jake Bundock, Devon Williamson
    Developers: Gar Liu, Brendyn Zachary
    Director of Technology: Joe Dee
    Information Architects: Dale McRae, Daniel Wiseman
    Digital Production Managers: Chris Webden, Cathy Kim
    Account Team (names & titles): Melanie Johnston (SVP, Managing Director), Leigh Farlow (Sr. Account Executive)
    Strategy: Parker Mason, Sandra Moretti
    Online Analyst: Kevin McHugh
    Audio House: Keen Music

  • ØDD "People Have Weapons" F/W Collection 2013 Art Film by Somma and Harmon

    ØDD "People Have Weapons" F/W Collection 2013 Art Film by Somma and Harmon

    ØDD, founded by 21 year old model, stylist, and entrepreneur Judson Harmon, has teamed up with visual artist Jason Akira Somma (one of a select few artists within The Rolex Mentor and Protégé Arts Initiative) to produce ØDD's FW13 campaign film. The collaboration short film features ØDD's FW13 collection, which debuted last February at New York Fashion Week.
    ØDD's founder and designer Judson Harmon commissioned artist Jason Akira Somma to produce the FW13 film featuring distorted images and ØDD's recently launched womenswear line. The video's effects reference the installation Somma created for the Lower East Side storefront that also distorts people in real time as well as the distortions found at the ØDD's FW13 Presentation during New York Fashion Week. Somma's use of this "rolling shutter" effect is showcased through the choreography emphasizing the surreal nature of the distortions. Somma choose fluorescent lighting to exploit the distortion and interference it can create while filming.

    "Overall I wanted the video to have a feeling that washes over you, and at times feel voyeuristic while looking into a world that isn't ours. I wanted to respect where the collection inspiration was coming from while simultaneously not being to didactic." states Somma.
    The film features haunting pop mixed with experimental ambient sounds composed by Benoit Pioulard. The track used for this video was made entirely from vocals (of both the composer and his wife) processed in real time through pedals and tape decay. "Retrofuturism" was definitely a theme I played upon in both the collection and video." states Judson Harmon. The ØDD FW13 film marks the first of a series of collaboration videos by Somma and Harmon.See the more stills from the campaign here. Press via: SYDNEY REISING CREATIVE.
    Credits:
    Director: Jason Akira Somma
    Music: Benoit Pioulard
    Executive Producers: Judson Harmon and Dylan Cornwall
    Makeup: Nathan Hejl
    Hair: Douglas Cornwall
    Models: Emi Perry (CLICK LA)
    Ryan Curry (LA Models)
    The ØDD. collection is designed by Judson Harmon and Jordan Klein.
    Shot on location at SNOW Studios in Downtown Los Angeles.

  • Kingsday creates ‘The Flower Effect’

    Kingsday creates ‘The Flower Effect’

    The Flower Council of Holland, working with their creative agency Kingsday, has released ‘The Flower Effect’ a new online film to show the effect flowers have on people. The film is an initiative to promote fresh flowers from Holland in the UK, France, Germany and the Netherlands.

    ‘The Flower Effect’ is filmed by young Dutch talent Basha de Bruyn and evokes an archaic and romantic style of cinema. The film shows that walking around with a bunch of flowers provokes reactions from strangers, and effects people’s emotions. And ultimately how flowers can spread happiness. Only the two main characters, Sophie en Paul are acting, everyone else in the film are real people, their reactions are genuine.

    “Switch on the news and you’ll agree it’s a pretty scary world that we live in today. With this film we wanted to return to a kinder, more naïve place with hints of French romantic cinema. ‘The Flower Effect’ is a fairy tale with a modern twist: all the reactions to the flowers in this film are real.” says Kingsday Creative Director Bram de Rooij,

    The Netherlands is the world’s leading supplier of flowers; flowers from Holland make up over 50% of all sales of flowers in the UK, and 60% in Germany.


    Credits
    Client: Flower Council of Holland
    Agency: Kingsday
    Media Agency: Universal Media
    Production Company: WeFilm
    Director: Basha de Bruijn
    Music: Helge Slikker

  • And The World Stood Still | Sexy New Rolls-Royce Wraith Spot

    And The World Stood Still | Sexy New Rolls-Royce Wraith Spot

    Rolls-Royce Motor Car’s lead creative and strategic agency Partners Andrews Aldridge has developed a global launch campaign for the Rolls-Royce Wraith. This new addition to the super luxury marque’s product line up will be revealed at the Geneva Motor Show on 5th March 2013.

    Wraith is the most powerful Rolls-Royce to be built in the brand’s illustrious history. It boasts a dramatic fastback shape and technological firsts from Rolls-Royce.

    Partners Andrews Aldridge have worked with the brand management and their various specialist agencies to create a stunning integrated campaign that celebrates the most dramatic and powerful Rolls-Royce ever produced. The car will be launched at Geneva with a film featuring the largest Timeslice sequence ever seen on a commercial project in Europe. Online the film is interactive and in effect becomes a micro site featuring film content and interviews. Follow up communications include direct mail, email, new brochures and staged web updates. The film was directed by Gary Holder at Tangerine Films.

    The campaign began with glimpses of the car revealed within a binaural experience that was hosted on the Rolls-Royce website. The application was developed in conjunction with leading digital agency Somethin’ Else and BAFTA award winning sound director Nick Ryan, the team behind the NightJar app.

    Steve Aldridge, Creative Partner & Chairman at Partners Andrews Aldridge, comments: "This is a truly innovative launch campaign for what is undoubtedly the best car in the world. This launch works seamlessly from offline to online from film to print engaging at every touch point.”