PixelACHE Festival 2004

pixelACHE2004, the determinedly uncompromising and uncommercial electronic arts festival is just about to start a second leg in Helsinki, after warming up in Stockholm. Following from last years focus on VJing, 2004 sees moving image environments and architectures in the spotlight. PixelACHE 2004 festival: Stockholm, 26-28 March 2004 / Helsinki, 1-4 April 2004... Read more "PixelACHE Festival 2004" »

Posted by Editor on March 31, 2004 07:42 PM | Permalink | TrackBack
Listed in {Gateways / Events}

Winners of British Animation Awards 2004

March 19 saw the awards highlight an eclectic range of work and some notable new UK directing talent emerging in the last few months. Particularly impressive was Dad's Dead by Chris Shepherd. Much delayed [entry lost in Ecto] here's the full information: Selected winners: Best Film at the Cutting Edge – Sponsored by UK Film Council New Cinema Fund Dad’s Dead Director: Chris Shepherd Slinky Pictures Ltd for Channel4, Arts Council England & Animate! Best Comedy – Sponsored by Tell-Tale Productions Ltd. Monkey Dust Creators: Harry Thompson & Shaun Pye Produced by Talkback Thames for BBC3 Best Short Film – Sponsored by... Read more "Winners of British Animation Awards 2004" »

Posted by Editor on March 30, 2004 11:37 PM | Permalink | TrackBack
Listed in {Announcements} & {Gateways / Events}

A film with no cameramen

Faceless is an ongoing film project, a CCTV sci-fi thriller directed by Manu.Luksch as part of the Spy School project by ambienttv.net. It uses acquired surveillance footage of the actor, filmed using public CCTV footage. This footage is then edited and effects added to create the finished film. Faceless is in the late first wave of films using public imaging devices. 2004 should see us enter this second wave with the increasing ubiquity of public video devices. Website synopsis: One morning, while roaming the streets, the protagonist (MaNu) is stunned into the realization that everyone around her is faceless...

E³ digital game art/update

Put it on your watch list: This years E3 is just over a month away and promises to be the most intriguing in terms of next-gen entertainment announcements for a while, as the latest console iterations are firmed up, and developers are at the height of exploiting the current models. Attendees must register by April 9. E3 Expo: May 12-14, 2004 | E3 Conference Program: May 11-13, 2004 | E3 Insider Of particular interest in the Conference programme: Sustaining a Virtual World, Social Systems in Online Games, Surviving as an Independent Studio. In association with the LA County Museum of...

New Korsakow v2.5 system

The Korsakow interactive story system for interactive narration is now available as version 2.5. This version enables an online capability. The Korsakow Foundation is a repository of information based around this project, and the software which enables this flavour of database cinema. Korsakow online: 7sons | Love story | Korsakow downloads | Korsakow handbook (4M)...

ITVS Digital futures guide

The US ITVS (Independent Television Service) have a useful downloadable PDF guide on Digital Futures usefully covering the basics of a next generation moving image landscape. "Digital Futures: A Need-to-Know Policy Guide for Independent Filmmakers From the quagmire of copyright to the broadband revolution, digital technology has changed the game for independent filmmakers everywhere. What do these technologies look like? How will the battles over new policies affect filmmaking? Digital Futures is a free guide designed to help independent filmmakers survive and thrive in the digital age. 51-page guide includes: an explanation and glossary of digital technology terms; expert analysis... Read more "ITVS Digital futures guide" »

Posted by Editor on March 22, 2004 12:54 PM | Permalink | TrackBack
Listed in {Print / Audio}

Evo VIII 'cult viral'

Blindfold, a micro-movie for the Lancer Evolution VIII by Mitsubishi Motors Europe. An example of an internet-only campaign which uses the medium to simply seed a commercial message rather than push the platform with any innovation....

British Animation Awards 2004 imminent

While it still has quite an old-school veneer, the vanguard of digital animation talent is starting to become increasingly represented in the shortlists for the British Animation Awards 2004. With artists such as Shynola, Chris Shepherd, Airside and assorted Nexus directors represented, the category shortlists showcase a wealth of breakthough talent. The award night in London, taking place on March 19, is sold out, but the Website promises award results and DVD will be available. Full finalists details follow:... Read more "British Animation Awards 2004 imminent" »

Posted by Editor on March 17, 2004 06:42 PM | Permalink | TrackBack
Listed in {Gateways / Events}

Mini Cooper Mecha

A project by eccentric English inventor Colin Mayhew to create a 'Vehicle to autonomous biped robot conversion for the Mini Cooper r5'. Neatly congruent with the increasing profile and revival of the Transformers in 2004, this viral project is expertly executed with the website containing just the right mix of amateurish sketches, links to scientific journals, and amusing camcorder interviews and test footage. Hopefully they'll be follow-ups on the project, and it will spill into campaign extensions. Mini Cooper robot stopping a car: Quicktime movie...

Koyaanisqatsi for the remix generation?

NOW!, a collaborative film project is seeking contributions of footage to evaluate for inclusion in their VJ-inflected feature project. It marks another step in the growth of 'open source movies', with the potential to be the most high profile of these projects so far. By following the long evolving and well-honed VJ approaches of Coldcut and Hexstatic (see the excellent Zen TV DVD Video Retrospective for further examples), NOW! may well produce a highly individualistic and fresh approach to feature-length audiovisual collage. But the project needs to be especially sensitive to cohesion between multiple sources, both visually and in subject... Read more "Koyaanisqatsi for the remix generation?" »

Posted by Editor on March 15, 2004 02:04 PM | Permalink | TrackBack
Listed in {Film / DVD}

Cinema is dead, Long live cinema?

The Cinema Militans lecture by Peter Greenaway, is a timely treatise and call for the reinvention of cinema. Critical themes of evolving cinematic conventions and grammar are becoming more relevant as the digital film field and the accompanying technologies mature. (More detailed commentary on this area can be found in the forthcoming book, The End of Celluloid). The lecture highlights Greenaway's 'Four tyrannies' destroying cinema - that of the text, the frame, the actor and the camera. The Tulse Luper Suitcases production site also has further details unfolding of Greenaway's grand 'database cinema' project: April 30, 2004 is the submission...

Dod Mantle: premier digital cinematographer interview

Anthony Dod Mantle interviewed on recently completed projects such as Danny Boyle's Millions and Thomas Vinterberg's Dear Wendy, and on being the DoP of key digital features including Festen, 28 Days Later, Dogville. [Source: Film Ireland Magazine]...

ZenTV NinjaTune tour splits

Purveyors of audiovisual club events, and VJ pioneers, the NinjaTune label continues with live events tied in with the excellent ZenTV DVD release. After initial gigs in the UK and Europe the ZenTV line-up splits in East and West directions. Amon Tobin, Kid Koala, Bonobo, Blockhead & Sixtoo continue North American gigs from 17 March. The Euro-contingent of Coldcut, Pest, Skalpel and Hexstatic perform in Paris on the 18 March before moving on to Germany and Japan. Details: US tour | Europe/Japan tour The Zen TV DVD - Video Retrospective is an excellent primer to the emerging hybrid VJ/music video... Read more "ZenTV NinjaTune tour splits" »

Posted by Editor on March 11, 2004 11:01 AM | Permalink | TrackBack
Listed in {Film / DVD} & {VJ / Motion Graphics}

Soho Shorts film festival call

London-based Rushes Soho Shorts Film Festival has a call for entries for the 2004 event and awards (31 July - 6 August). Deadline: 7 May 2004 Check here for 2003 Winners and other examples of winning work.... Read more "Soho Shorts film festival call" »

Posted by Editor on March 11, 2004 10:57 AM | Permalink | TrackBack
Listed in {Announcements} & {Gateways / Events}

Spike Jonze latest: Dalarö mystery

Spike Jonze, the director of Adaptation and Being John Malkovich, has found time in his schedule before adapting Where the Wild Things Are as his next feature film project to create The Mystery of Dalarö for Volvo. The promotional campaign is based around the 'paranormal' event where 32 locals of a Swedish village all bought an S40 saloon on the same day. The viral campaign for the Volvo S40 Saloon, is playing out nicely, with television ads being supported by an 8 minute Directors Cut available via the website which extends the creepy undertones of this mock digital documentary. In...

Anna machinima short

While creating the first machinima-based music video for Zero 7 (directed by Tommy Pallotta) Fountainhead Entertainment continue to push the boundaries of the form in unexpected directions with their recent short Anna, where not a robot or fragfest is in sight. Anna | Zero7 / In the waiting line Anna showcases a stunning use of light and shade. With expert renderings of organic forms, it has a refreshingly simple set-up and offers a case study in dramatic use of music, coupled with sparse effects and limited animation to evoke mood and curiosity. "Made in Fountainhead Entertainment's Quake III-based Machinimation, this...

Pleix Sometimes motion graphic promo

The latest work from Pleix is an indirect elegy to 9-11. Subtle use of motion graphics and compositing in this music video for a Kid 606 release on Mille Plateaux showcase this French collectives versatility. Previous work for Futureshock and Plaid are more shout-out effects driven, but the plaintive tone of Sometimes with its gracefully exploding skyscraper, unhurried editing and understated angles (witness the shadows of the geometric debris falling past concrete walls) is a fitting motion sculpture and memorial to the WTC disaster. As the virtual shards recombine as the video ends we are left with an answer to...

Zone of the Enders computer game to animé

Z.O.E. 2 - The 2nd Runner | Zone of the Enders-Dolores, i Z.O.E. 2 - The 2nd Runner trailers: 1 | 2 | Official Konami site While the second Zone of the Enders PlayStation2 computer game has been on release for a while now, the final episodes of the Z.O.E. TV-series tie-in to the game have only recently been released on DVD in the UK (February 16, 2004). Originally created as a companion to the Playstation game produced by Hideo Kojima (Metal Gear Solid series director), and a follow-up to the OVA Zone of the Enders-IDOLO, Zone of the...

N-EO Ken Ishii music video

>>>> ::::: n e o ::::: ->>>" href="http://www.ne-o.co.uk/">NE-O, fresh from being being featured in Dazed&Confused as among the "six best promo directors in Europe" (the other namechecks being Pleix, Lynn Fox, Alex & Martin, Dougal Wilson, and Daniel Levi), are among the luminaries present on Ken Ishii's new DVD. The Visionary World video is already gaining eyeplay at moving image festivals around the world. Evoking a supercool retro-futurist reality straight out of a 60s architectural manifesto (think Archigram animated, crossed with the sci-fi illustrations from the books you read as a child), NE-O are going from strength to strength. Higher...

Tokyo Godfathers animé feature film

Tokyo Godfathers is the most recent animé feature film by Satoshi Kon of Perfect Blue fame, noted for psychologically complex plots and subtle animation. The Film received an award for excellence at the Media Arts Plaza Museum -2003 (7th) Media Arts Festival and will be available from April 13, 2004 on Region 1 DVD. Tokyo Godfathers trailers: High (6.5M) | Medium (3.1M) | Low (1M) | TG Japan site Three homeless people—Gin, a former professional bicycle racer; Hana, a transvestite; and Miyuki, a runaway young girl—are living together in Shinjuku, Tokyo. On Christmas Eve, the three discover a baby girl... Read more "Tokyo Godfathers animé feature film" »

Posted by Editor on March 4, 2004 09:54 AM | Permalink | TrackBack
Listed in {Film / DVD}

Mario animation/flash film

Alexander Leon's Mario animations are simple sprite animations depicting the tragic story of Mario and his ultimate downfall. Leon co-opts the affection many video game players have for Mario, Luigi and the Princess (possibly the most endearing, and enduring characters in video gaming history), and uses it to weave a capsule narrative with an emotional resonance of operatic dimension. Mario Brothers, a tragedy in three parts (1, 2, 3). [Original source: Boing Boing]... Read more "Mario animation/flash film" »

Posted by Editor on March 3, 2004 11:27 AM | Permalink | TrackBack
Listed in {Nanotainment}

Memories animé on DVD

The Memories animé, one of the most poetic animated films ever created has recently enjoyed a much delayed U.S. DVD release. U.S. DVD release official site synopsis: "Created by celebrated animé master Katsuhiro Otomo (Akira, Roujin Z), MEMORIES consists of three dazzling stories, each delivered with its own astonishing style. "Magnetic Rose," directed by Koji Morimoto (Animatrix) based on a manga short by Otomo, concerns two space travelers following a distress signal drawn into a magnificent world created by one woman's memories. In director Tensai Okamura's (Wolf's Rain) "Stink Bomb," a young chemist accidentally transforms himself into an unstoppable biological... Read more "Memories animé on DVD" »

Posted by Editor on March 3, 2004 10:14 AM | Permalink | TrackBack
Listed in {Film / DVD}

Mars and Earth as film sets

BBC NEWS features a fascinating technology article detailing how a 3D Mars is being recreated from photos. The opportunities for virtual film sets are increasing every month, with September the scheduled completion date for the US military to create a second 'virtual' Earth [Source: BBC News] The detailed simulation will be drawn from a real-world terrain database and will be drawn to the same scale as the original. The software Earth is being created for the US Army by gaming company There, which is currently working on a virtual world for gamers. This recreation is specced to allow simulation based...

Creative Commons moving image winners

While the Oscar triumph of Lord of the Rings may have actually been a reward for radical filmmaking (the integration and reliance on digital effects and performances in the Trilogy being genuinely groundbreaking) - rather than the usual Academy Award fudge - probably the most significant award of the last few days actually went to the winner of the Creative Commons Moving Image Contest Winners. In terms of evolving new filmmaking methods and moving image genres Creative Commons is an enabler on a par with the growth of digital editing and effects software, and in essence is the social and...

Ikara Colt music video

Ikara Colt's Wanna be that way video by Woof Wan-Bau is one of the best new examples of a new wave of video spots and trailers incorporating the conventions of the comic book world. Moving tableaux within framed 'illustrated' spaces.... Read more "Ikara Colt music video" »

Posted by Editor on March 1, 2004 11:21 AM | Permalink | TrackBack
Listed in {Commercials/Promos} & {VJ / Motion Graphics}

Freeview digital video recorder

While the UK may be playing catch-up in the PVR stakes, the success of Freeview's digital offering, and upcoming digital video recorders with ramped up features, bodes well for the country's advanced moving image viewing. Excerpt from: Guardian Unlimited | Online | From Sky+ to A+ FVRS100 Digital Video Recorder, which launches in April, pairs a Freeview decoder with a 40Gigabyte hard disk. Unlike similar products from Pace and Humax it features a programme guide that gives what's on information for up to a week in advance. The Pace and Humax recorders, to say nothing of the other digital TV...