Archive for the ‘seen’ Category
I find motion-captured performances (see: Robert Zemeckis’ CGI films) to be comparatively lifeless when measured against hand-animated fare (see: all of Pixar’s movies). The Netherlands-based crew behind Pivot employ a low-poly look not just to give their short style, but to make their characters expressive.
[via Short of the Week]
I have played one video game in four years; I’m not a gamer per se. But the ongoing revolution in social and casual games has been hard to miss, from watching my little cousins playing Club Penguin to the irrepressible Facebook invites I’m always getting for Mafia Wars. To date social games have been used as part of a feature film’s marketing campaign (most recent example: The Crazies), but they will become increasingly integrated into the core story. I’m already working on a social game as an integral component of my next project.
For the future of (social) gaming in one entertaining 30-minute presentation, here’s Jessie Schell’s invaluable primer from DICE 2010.
Watch it all the way to the end, as his final point is worth the half hour on its own. And if you think it’s just a thrown-in feel-good ending, the success of Nike Plus (sidebar) and more recent entrant Fitbit is living proof of socialization’s effectiveness when it comes to modifying real-world behavior.
I’ve been wanting to use tilt-shift interludes as part of a feature film for a while now. These guys put the effect to beautiful use.
Here are some deets on how they did it (hint: they didn’t actually use tilt-shift lenses).
According to the New York Times review, the new Playstation 3 game Heavy Rain offers “a glimpse of the future of interactive entertainment, a future when characterization, writing and emotional connection are more important than combat mechanics.”
Another tidbit from the Times review: the script for Heavy Rain was over 2,000 pages long.
As a storyteller I’m less interested in the skill and coordination aspect of videogames, and more interested in the choices one has to make as a player/participant in interactive movies. The rest of the reviews of the game/movie are also overwhelmingly positive, and I look forward to playing/watching (I guess I should I just say “experiencing”) it.
When moviegoers started going to theaters less frequently in favor of watching a videotape or DVD on a home screen, the movie-watching experience became less social. But once you connect that home screen to the internet, suddenly that device can help you become more social. I’m interested in the ways connected devices help us meet and interact with strangers; specifically I think the mobile dating arena is primed to take off, as it combines the convenience of meeting someone in a bar (meaning, it’s local) with the filtration abilities of the internet (clicking a mouse or touching a screen is a much easier, and often more civil, way to get rid of would-be suitors). In light of all this, I found this video about the barebones site Chat Roulette interesting:
If I were to bootstrap a non-film-related startup, I think it would be in the “mobile meeting” space, but I don’t have the infrastructure to support that kind of thing. Regardless, while this technology might be depressingly primitive today — and depressingly populated by what Casey terms “perverts” — where it’s headed tomorrow is the (multi)million-dollar question.
[via NewTeeVee]
The most beautiful footage I’ve seen from the RED ONE to date.
[via Blake Whitman]
Life just feels like this sometimes.
[via Blake Whitman]
Independent producer Ted Hope (Adventureland, 21 Grams, In the Bedroom, and seemingly a thousand other films) is expanding the perception of what “independent film” is and how it should be distributed. I had a chance to sit down with him at Power To The Pixel, where he gave me some very valuable advice; we share the same view of independent film, that with crisis comes opportunity. Ted’s been very generous on his Truly Free Film blog by sharing advice like Ten things to do before you submit a script and Display your value: you are different from them, as well as asking pertinent questions such as What defines an event? In short, his blog is a must-read for independent filmmakers. Here, he answers some questions for the forthcoming film Press/Pause/Play. More »
It’s rare that a song’s music video relies on the viewer to understand the other tracks from the parent LP. But The Antlers’ Hospice is essentially a concept album about a relationship that withers away — every track is an entry in the same story of emotional and physical wilting. Seen in that context, this video for “Bear” makes a lot more sense. More »
I was thinking of doing my own parody of Dos Equis’ “The Most Interesting Man in the World” ad campaign — which I find to be clever and effective — by flipping it on its head and doing “The Most Uninteresting Man in the World.” It’d just be some couch potato doing banal tasks all day. But with the NBA All-Star festivities this weekend, I discovered Vitamin Water has created their own parody, “The Most Ridiculous Man in the World,” starring none other than two-time NBA MVP Steve Nash. More »
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Luge: Ryan- fantastic post, great load of info- nice job. Thanks for getting thi… The DSLR Cinematography Guide
Medicine for Melancholy film | Rebel Cinema: [...] are some quotes from the interview on nofilmschool. You must check o… 6½ questions with: Barry Jenkins
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Barry Jenkins Interview on NoFilmSchool | 1001 Positively True Stories of An Indie Filmmaker: [...] http://nofilmschool.com/2010/03/questions-with-barry-jenkins/ [...] 6½ questions with: Barry Jenkins
Angelo Bell: This one of the deepest, most informative interviews I've ever read. Barry… 6½ questions with: Barry Jenkins