Dove Onslaught(er)
Unilever, the makers of Dove beauty products, are buying palm oil from suppliers who destroy Indonesia’s rainforests. Greenpece says they got the proof: they’re causing forest destruction, species extinction and climate change.
Watch the spot.
via fubiz
Discovery Channel: I Love the World
Yes, I do love the world. I am going to save this for a rainy day.
Eric Avery - All Remote & No Control
New music video by Andrew Huang for Eric Avery “All Remote & No Control”. Perhaps not his best, but vegetation growing out of people can’t be so bad! Artist’s Website andrewthomashuang.com
A Walk in The Woods
All kinds of subtext can be had with farting .
10 Things you can Do to the Earth…
… according to Satan!
A short movie by Roman Coppola and Bucky Fukumoto for the last year Live Earth event.
Watch it. (MPEG-4)
Once Upon a Tide
Fictional narrative that blends moral and visual elements of a fairy tale to inspire us to recognize the importance of ocean conservation.
Working with award-winning filmmakers Sea Studios Foundation and animation studio LAIKA/house the Center for Health and the Global Environment at Harvard Medical School produced a 10-minute film that reconnects its audience to the importance of the marine environment for all life on Earth, including human life.
Watch it. (Flash Video)
Jill Bolte Taylor: Stroke of Insight
Neuroanatomist J. B. Taylor had an opportunity few brain scientists would wish for: one morning, she realized she was having a massive stroke. She studied and remembered every moment as feeling her brain functions slip away one by one: speech, movement, understanding.
A powerful story about how our brains define us and connect us to the world and to one another.
Watch it. (Flash Video)
via Ehrensenf
Color Dream N°246
Download the Quicktime file, put it in your iPod and play it when you need some tranquility or beauty in your life. Stunning colors that move like streams of water during and after a rainstorm. The colors are great but the movements affect me more.
The creator, Michael Theodore, briefly talks about the technique on Antville.
Use Body Warmth
Excellent cause, brilliant ad.
Tobias Stretch - Illuminant
One of the most visually striking films I have ever seen. Films are often described as dreamlike for a lack of words. Not the case with Illuminant which is certainly dreamlike. I don’t necessarily see my dreams in stop-motion but some of the imagery and feel of dreams would be impossible to recreate in another form.
Like dreams, some of the images from this film stick and others fade. Watching it again, I was once again surprised, reminded of why I loved it the first time. It begs to be seen over and over again. When the deer (?) drops the baby off, the camera movement following the deer and then back towards the wheelchair was beautiful. The snow, the face of the robot (?) and the glowing animal at the end are just tremendous. Everything screams originality here, the kind that comes from a deep creative force instead of a filmmaking sensibility.
Ectype’s End
Our hero, “3C70 is no more than a number. Forced into a clockwork world where his only purpose is to duplicate and multiply, he sets about his task without question.”
“Ectype’s End is a fast-paced and visually charged ride that combines hand-drawn characters with photographed locations.”
“Featuring a quirky soundtrack that drives and describes the journey of its protaganist, Ectype’s End approaches the age-old issue of conformity with a story that is suitable for all ages.”
Watch it. (MPEG-4)
Watch the Oscar nominated Animated shorts online
Just like last year, I have been able to find most of the Oscar nominated Animated shorts online. I have been generally happy with the Oscar nominations this year. However, I think Atonement deserved a best picture nomination (update: it did get nominated, what was I smoking?) and I think Kate Blanchett did NOT deserve a nomination for Elizabeth. The animated Oscar shorts nominees are quite strong. Certainly, a lot stronger than last year.
Moya lyubov (My Love) Part one, two & three - A moving painting that captures love in all of its longing. And like some of the other nominees, the style of animation is so bloody unique. This short would be tremendous on the big screen with all of those moving pixels/ paint strokes. No English translation available but the visual imagery tells the story for the most part.
Meme Les Pigeons Vont au Paradis (Even Pigeons Go to Heaven) - The only 3D animation in the bunch which comes as a surprise as it has become the dominant form. I think the slapstick story fits that style perfectly.
Peter & the Wolf (Part one, two & three) (divx version) - A cute story about a little boy with no fear. Again, the technique is tremendous. I am not sure it is all claymation. Some of the background and even some of the objects look 3D. It is especially hard to see the difference when watching it online.
Madame Tutli-Putli - The plot and scenes move along slowly, giving us enough time to invest attention on every detail of the frame. In my opinion, in terms of style, this short is heads above the rest. And that may well be the case with any animated film you compare it to. It is simply that good.
Trailer for I met the Walrus & Official site - Couldn’t find the film online. It looks like an elongated motion graphics experiment coupled with some choice quotes about war and peace.
Great selections, one from every animation sub-genre. I am having a harder time finding the live action shorts, any tips would be appreciated.
More from Philip Bloom
I pointed to Philip Bloom’s Piccadilly Furs earlier, a simple but beautiful test shoot for a camera. One of the best shooters I have seen, here are more examples of what I mean:
- Snippets from a five part series of shorts on Religion for Channel Five
- Kew Gardens in Winter
- Lost Times (scroll down)
There is nothing action-packed in these links. The meditative pleasure lies in the beauty of nature and photography.
The Old Mill
The natural community of animals populating an old abandoned windmill in the country, deals with a violent thunderstorm that nearly destroys their habitat.
The Old Mill is a 1937 Silly Symphonies cartoon produced by Walt Disney, directed by Wilfred Jackson, and released to theatres by RKO Radio Pictures on November 5, 1937. Won the 1937 Academy Award for “Best Short Subjects: Cartoons”.
Watch it. (Flash Video)
You Are My Sunshine
…my only sunshine.
Watch it. (Flash Video, LSFW)
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