In Manchester UK, Big Brother's watching, and so is everyone else. A rookie band with zero budget created a great-looking music video using the city's surveillance cameras. Well done, guys.
(The song's okay too.)
The best part is that they obtained the videos through the Freedom of Information Act. Use that surveillance state to your advantage!
Very clever use of media: playing to cameras in the street, in taxis, even on a bus. Videos capture reactions from passersby, and the use of frames warps space and time in smart ways. I guarantee this mechanism will be used to execute an ad or viral video (if it hasn't happened already).
Read the full article and band interview here.
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Saturday, April 5, 2008
I want one.
I officially "finish" my book (portfolio) in the next 37 days.
Meanwhile, I look forward to buying this book a few months later:
Holy cow, that's so smart it's sexy.
And kudos to the marketing smartypants who put this video online.
In other news, I'm officially back from hiatus. Greetings, world.
Meanwhile, I look forward to buying this book a few months later:
Holy cow, that's so smart it's sexy.
And kudos to the marketing smartypants who put this video online.
In other news, I'm officially back from hiatus. Greetings, world.
Thursday, February 7, 2008
What Lies Underneath
Everyone see the Superbowl? Good. (Go Giants)
and... those ads. hunh.
Specifically, the Victoria's Secret ad.
A classy execution and cute, but also entirely predictable. Will men really rush out to buy women's lingerie because of this ad? Will they even remember? Or will they just squeeze their wife/girlfriend's knee in between bites of spicy bbq buffalo wings?
I enjoyed Gregg Easterbrook's take in his article, Super Bowl Ads: $90,000 Per Second, who begs for energetic, athletic VS girls - suggesting (among other things) that Adriana Lima go drink a milkshake. She definitely lost some serious weight recently, which is unfortunate. She's been my favorite VS girl for a long time specifically because she used to sport a few real curves. But not any more. Check out her new cheek hollows and rib bones:
Whatever happened to Heidi Klum bringing the playfulness back to lingerie? That spoke to me a lot more than the Superbowl spot. Who're we selling underpants to, anyway?
Frankly, Victoria's Secret could use a little updating, and I'm not talking about the teeny-bopper "Pink" line extension. I'm talking about the wonderful interface at KnickerPicker.com, still in beta but already at the top of my shopping list. After all, I'm never gonna look like Adriana in underwear, so why should I buy based on her body type? I'm gonna look more like these fine gals. Different models make the dressing-room interface relatable to a decent spectrum of body types.
and... those ads. hunh.
Specifically, the Victoria's Secret ad.
A classy execution and cute, but also entirely predictable. Will men really rush out to buy women's lingerie because of this ad? Will they even remember? Or will they just squeeze their wife/girlfriend's knee in between bites of spicy bbq buffalo wings?
I enjoyed Gregg Easterbrook's take in his article, Super Bowl Ads: $90,000 Per Second, who begs for energetic, athletic VS girls - suggesting (among other things) that Adriana Lima go drink a milkshake. She definitely lost some serious weight recently, which is unfortunate. She's been my favorite VS girl for a long time specifically because she used to sport a few real curves. But not any more. Check out her new cheek hollows and rib bones:
Whatever happened to Heidi Klum bringing the playfulness back to lingerie? That spoke to me a lot more than the Superbowl spot. Who're we selling underpants to, anyway?
Frankly, Victoria's Secret could use a little updating, and I'm not talking about the teeny-bopper "Pink" line extension. I'm talking about the wonderful interface at KnickerPicker.com, still in beta but already at the top of my shopping list. After all, I'm never gonna look like Adriana in underwear, so why should I buy based on her body type? I'm gonna look more like these fine gals. Different models make the dressing-room interface relatable to a decent spectrum of body types.
Sunday, January 27, 2008
Tell it, Captain.
This morning, Patrick Stewart surprised me.
He echoed what's been rattling around in my head lately.
Musing on the two halves of his Shakespearean career, Mr. Stewart said that acting feels different to him now. He kept himself in check in the early years, he explained, acting with deliberation rather than passion, faking rather than feeling.
“I had a certain fear of exposing myself too much in my work for a long time,” he said. “A lot of what performing to me had been was elaborate, and at times quite clever, concealment. Someone once said of acting that it is ‘telling beautiful lies,’ and well, it became just no longer satisfactory to work that way.”
More than anything, he has Shakespeare on the brain. “I have this theory that these roles, the really great roles — there are elements of them in all of us. And that is part of the greatness of this dramatist, that he taps into something which is entirely human. You feel him reaching out his hand and saying to you as an actor, ‘Come on, it’s easier than you think.’ ”
Read the whole NY Times article. It's fantastic.
Special thanks to Beth for finding this.
He echoed what's been rattling around in my head lately.
Musing on the two halves of his Shakespearean career, Mr. Stewart said that acting feels different to him now. He kept himself in check in the early years, he explained, acting with deliberation rather than passion, faking rather than feeling.
“I had a certain fear of exposing myself too much in my work for a long time,” he said. “A lot of what performing to me had been was elaborate, and at times quite clever, concealment. Someone once said of acting that it is ‘telling beautiful lies,’ and well, it became just no longer satisfactory to work that way.”
More than anything, he has Shakespeare on the brain. “I have this theory that these roles, the really great roles — there are elements of them in all of us. And that is part of the greatness of this dramatist, that he taps into something which is entirely human. You feel him reaching out his hand and saying to you as an actor, ‘Come on, it’s easier than you think.’ ”
Read the whole NY Times article. It's fantastic.
Special thanks to Beth for finding this.
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Only Yesterday
New resource for all you art directors and history-philes out there:
the Library of Congress now has a blog.
And a FLICKR ALBUM.
No Photoshopping. These are the real deal.
Hi-res, full-color photographs.
Taken in the 1940's.
Preserved in impeccable condition.
The RPG forums have already leapt on this as a character and location resource. Historical fiction novelists can't be far behind.
the Library of Congress now has a blog.
And a FLICKR ALBUM.
No Photoshopping. These are the real deal.
Hi-res, full-color photographs.
Taken in the 1940's.
Preserved in impeccable condition.
The RPG forums have already leapt on this as a character and location resource. Historical fiction novelists can't be far behind.
Sunday, January 20, 2008
Friday, January 18, 2008
Too much fresh air?
The semester has begun, and we're already running full tilt. I'm working on campaigns for tap water, leaf blowers, breast cancer in the UK, and the Dictionary of American Slang. And that's just this week. But it beats the holiday slump of having nothing to work on except a promotion for our school's new name.
And our new building is more than exciting. It's HUGE.
My department used to be crammed in a cozy space that smelled persistently of chinese take-out and ancient carpet funk. Now we're lost in a massive sparkly structure filled with sunlight, brick and glass, steel and concrete, day-glo colors and, thank god, fresh-smelling air.
But that air comes at a price.
The student area's ventilation system is incredibly loud. One must raise their voice considerably to be heard over the massive whooshing air ducts, making meetings awkward and close-huddled. Plus the student body is scattered across a sprawling new space, so we have to work a lot harder to connect with everyone, including the faculty who have an entire separate floor to themselves. No one's really sure where to hang out, get drinks, or go for food yet. But there's really no reason to leave this gorgeous huge building, ever, especially when incessant hordes of undergrads swarm just beyond the front steps.
Nevertheless, I adore our new home. I'm sure everyone will acclimate soon.
Speaking of climate, I've updated Flickr thru early September 2007, when a tornado almost struck my apartment. Heart-pounding excitement, that.
There's the rotating part!
And our new building is more than exciting. It's HUGE.
My department used to be crammed in a cozy space that smelled persistently of chinese take-out and ancient carpet funk. Now we're lost in a massive sparkly structure filled with sunlight, brick and glass, steel and concrete, day-glo colors and, thank god, fresh-smelling air.
But that air comes at a price.
The student area's ventilation system is incredibly loud. One must raise their voice considerably to be heard over the massive whooshing air ducts, making meetings awkward and close-huddled. Plus the student body is scattered across a sprawling new space, so we have to work a lot harder to connect with everyone, including the faculty who have an entire separate floor to themselves. No one's really sure where to hang out, get drinks, or go for food yet. But there's really no reason to leave this gorgeous huge building, ever, especially when incessant hordes of undergrads swarm just beyond the front steps.
Nevertheless, I adore our new home. I'm sure everyone will acclimate soon.
Speaking of climate, I've updated Flickr thru early September 2007, when a tornado almost struck my apartment. Heart-pounding excitement, that.
There's the rotating part!
Wednesday, December 26, 2007
Christmas Culture
It's hard to believe that just ten days ago, I was hunched over a computer screen for 36 hours straight, stressing over nasty deadlines and nursing a quiet joy as my book 2.0 took shape. Now I sleep late, sing carols, and lounge about sipping peppermint tea and munching x-mas cookies (gluten-free).
The priorities of these two worlds are galaxies apart.
Here's a wonderful little find that filled my windows this holiday.
And this carol just gave me the giggles:
Merry Christmas and a happy holiday to all!
The priorities of these two worlds are galaxies apart.
Here's a wonderful little find that filled my windows this holiday.
And this carol just gave me the giggles:
Merry Christmas and a happy holiday to all!
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