Four, A Beautiful Animated Short About The Seasons

Four is a tribute to nature and in particular to the passing of seasons that gives rhythm to all living beings lifetime and nourishes wishes and hope. Four is set in a forest that represents one of the places that is mostly influenced by the changing of colors and shapes, when moving from a season to another. The happening of a new season is described as an awakening and is symbolically represented by the character Spring’s waking up. Spring is a kind of elf and personifies spring.

via InkyMind on vimeo.com

With temperatures in New York City hitting almost 60 degrees during February, this wonderful short reminds us of what proper season changes look like. The environmental details are outstanding. Produced by InkyMind as a tribute to nature and the rhythm of the seasons.

Bret Victor: Creators need an immediate connection to what they create.

Bio: Bret Victor invents tools that enable people to understand and create. He has designed experimental UI concepts at Apple, interactive data graphics for Al Gore, and musical instruments at Alesis. For more on Bret, see http://worrydream.com. This talk was given at CUSEC 2012 (http://2012.cusec.net).

Bret Victor has worked on experimental UI concepts at Apple and also created the interactive data graphics for Al Gore’s book, Our Choice.

via kottke.org​

Copy, Transform, Combine: Everything Is A Remix, The Complete Series

For more than a year I’ve been following the documentary series Everything is a Remix, written and remixed by Kirby Ferguson. I’ve posted all the parts of the series so far and today here they are all compiled in one location for easier viewing. This is a must-see series for anyone who produces creative work. 

I am in awe of the amount of work that it clearly took to create this series. I am also highly appreciative of the depth of information presented. If you want further background, including a master list of all the works sampled throughout the series, please visit EverythingIsARemix.info. 

If you want to support Kirby, and really we all should, check out his next project This Is Not A Conspiracy Theory at Kickstarter. 

Part 1: The Song Remains The Same

Remixing is a folk art but the techniques are the same ones used at any level of creation: copy, transform, and combine. You could even say that everything is a remix. To support this series please visit http://www.everythingisaremix.info/donate/

Part 2: Remix, Inc.

An exploration of the remix techniques involved in producing films. Part Two of a four-part series. An additional supplement to this video can be seen here: goo.gl/gtArc To support this series please visit http://www.everythingisaremix.info/donate/

Part 3: The Elements of Creativity

Part 4: System Failure

Our system of law doesn't acknowledge the derivative nature of creativity. Instead, ideas are regarded as property, as unique and original lots with distinct boundaries. But ideas aren't so tidy. They're layered, they’re interwoven, they're tangled. And when the system conflicts with the reality... the system starts to fail. If you've enjoyed this series, please support my next project, This is Not a Conspiracy Theory, on KickStarter. http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/kirby/this-is-not-a-conspiracy-theory If you are unable to use KickStarter, PayPal donations are also welcome. http://www.everythingisaremix.info/donate/ Buy music from this episode here: http://www.everythingisaremix.info/p4_soundtrack/ Thank you to iStockphoto http://www.istockphoto.com/ If you notice any errors in this video, I would appreciate if you could leave a comment below. I strongly recommend clicking the HD button.

Two extras were created by Rob G. Wilson, with the support of Kirby, to further expand and themes expressed by the series.

The Matrix

EVERYTHINGISAREMIX.INFO ROBGWILSON.COM EDITED BY Robert Grigsby Wilson PRODUCED BY Kirby Ferguson and Robert Grigsby Wilson WRITTEN BY Cynthia Closkey VISUAL EFFECTS BY Blake Loyd CROWDSOURCED AT erxprod.wordpress.com FILMS: 0:27 - Fist of Legend (1994) 0:38 - Tai-Chi Master (Twin Dragons) (1993) 0:44 - Fist of Legend (1994) 0:48 - Tai-Chi Master (Twin Dragons) (1993) 0:53 - Drunken Master (1978) 1:02 - Fist of Legend (1994) 1:09 - The Killer (1989) 1:19 - Fist of Legend (1994) 1:21 - Iron Monkey (1993) 1:31 - Once Upon A Time In China (1991) 1:36 - Fist of Legend (1994) 1:41 - Tai-Chi Master (Twin Dragons) (1993) 1:45 - Philip K. Dick Speech (youtube.com/watch?v=jXeVgEs4sOo&feature=related) (1977) 2:18 - Strange Days (1995) 2:24 - Akira (1988) 2:30 - Total Recall (1990) 3:24 - Alice In Wonderland (1951) 3:42 - The Killer (1989) 3:53 - A Better Tomorrow (1986) 4:05 - Ghost In The Shell (1995) 4:32 - Akira (1998) 4:39 - Koyannisqatsi (1982) 4:49 - Dr. Who: The Deadly Assassin (1976) 5:10 - Ghost In The Shell (1995) MUSIC: (All sourced from The Matrix Soundtrack) 0:20 - Rob Dougan - Clubbed To Death (Kurayamino Variation) 1:44 - Hive - Ultrasonic Sound 2:30 - Lunatic Calm - Leave You Far Behind (Lunatics Roller Coaster Mix) 3:38 - Propellerheads - Spybreak 4:39 - Rob Dougan - Clubbed To Death (Kurayamino Variation)

Kill Bill

An extrapolation on the "One Last Thing" from Kirby Ferguson's web series Everything Is A Remix - Episode 2: http://vimeo.com/19447662 Edited by Robert Grigsby Wilson Produced by Kirby Ferguson and Robert Grigsby Wilson Dedicated to Sally Menke, Quentin Tarantino's Editor, who passed away last year. She was a great inspiration to me. For more information, visit EverythingIsARemix.info and RobGWilson.com FILMS: 0:19 - Game of Death (1978) 0:35 - Samurai Fiction (1998) 0:41 - Once Upon A Time In The West (1968) 0:51 - Death Rides A Horse (1967) 1:01 - Lady Snowblood (1973) 1:14 - Thriller: A Cruel Picture (1974) 1:20 - Deep Red (1975) 1:35 - City of the Living Dead (1980) 1:39 - Gone In 60 Seconds (1974) 1:42 - Goke, Body Snatcher From Hell (1968) 1:49 - Sanjuro (1962) 1:57 - Blade Runner (1982) 2:03 - Fists of Fury (1972) 2:14 - Sanjuro (1962) 2:27 - Ichi The Killer (2001) 2:30 - Navajo Joe (1966) 2:44 - Battle Royale (2000) 2:51 - The Mercenary (1968) 2:57 - Circle of Iron (1978) 3:00 - Citizen Kane (1941) 3:09 - Shogun Assassin (1980) 3:21 - City of the Living Dead (1980) 3:28 - Django Kill! (1967) 3:34 - The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly (1966) 3:43 - Twisted Nerve (1968) 3:52 - Black Sunday (1977) 4:04 - Carrie (1976) 4:13 - Alfred Hitchcock Presens: Breakdown (1955) 4:23 - Jackie Brown (1997) 4:25 - From Dusk Till Dawn (1996) 4:26 - Pulp Fiction (1994) 4:30 - Pulp Fiction (1994) 4:33 - Jackie Brown (1997) 4:37 - Resevoir Dogs (1992) 4:39 - Jackie Brown (1997) 4:41 - Pulp Fiction (1994) 4:47 - Jackie Brown (1997) 4:50 - Pulp Fiction (1994) 4:51 - Jackie Brown (1997) 4:53 - From Dusk Till Dawn (1996) 4:57 - Pulp Fiction (1994) 5:07 - Pulp Fiction (1994) 5:08 - Resevoir Dogs (1992) 5:09 - Jackie Brown (1997) 5:10 - From Dusk Till Dawn (1996) MUSIC: 0:09 - Santa Esmeralda - Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood 0:49 - Quincy Jones - Ironside 0:55 - The Human Beinz - Nobody But Me 1:45 - Ennio Morricone - From Man To Man (Death Rides A Horse) 2:36 - Shivaree - Goodnight Moon 3:39 - Bernard Herrmann - Twisted Nerve 4:18 - Issac Hayes - Truck Turner

Lastly, always remember that life itself is a remix. 

Five days later, some things to consider about the Super Bowl

NFL:

• Has reached a saturation point with their main audience, men, football fans. The men that are going to watch football already watch football.

• The Super Bowl is an opportunity for the NFL to educate and recruit new fans, those that only watch one football game a year at parties with friends.

• This year was about reaching women and gay men and trying to retain them into next football season.  

• They used the internet and "second screen" offerings to achieve just that, educate the potential fan while enhancing the experience for the current fan.

• The game was streamed online for the first time, with some technical challenges still needed to be worked out. 

• In conjunction with NBC asked Madonna to perform the halftime show. 

• The game itself was exciting, which is not always the case.

• It was the most watched program in US television history. 

• During the last three minutes of the game 10,000 tweets were sent every second. 

NBC: 

• The beleaguered network has been lagging in the ratings with very few hits in their primetime line up.

• With the NFL, asked Madonna to perform the halftime show.

• Promoted the network's programming hoping to retain some of the massive audience. Targeted women and gay men, the most likely audiences for the shows they need to be hits.

• Began Super Bowl programming with a 3 minute long promo for the network. The promo was an elaborate musical number.  

• Heavily promoted Smash, an expensive to produce tv program about the making of a Broadway musical with a pedigree of top tv and stage talent, including Steven Spielberg, producing it.

• Smash premiered the following night to very strong ratings.

• The new season of The Voice, a singing competition featuring halftime show performer Cee Lo Green as a judge, premiered immediately after the game to the biggest non-sporting event ratings on any network in six years. 

Halftime Show:

• The NFL selects the performer with input from the network airing the game. 

• The Madonna halftime show was produced by the NFL, sponsored by Bridgestone, and employed the best of the best in the world of stage production with crews from Tribe, Inc., Cirque Du Soleil, Moment Factory, as well as Madonna's own inner circle of collaborators, including Givenchy who designed the costumes.

• Creating the show required 320 hours of rehearsal.

• The production crew had 8 minutes to get the most technically intricate stage set up in halftime show history into the field, 12 minutes and 40 seconds to run the highly choreographed performance, and only 7 minutes to take it all down.

• The performers do not get paid for the performance, the NFL covers productions costs.

• By featuring LMFAO (pop/dance), Nicky Minaj & MIA (hip hop) and Cee Lo Green (R&B) during the performance Madonna ensured she covered all the genres of music that get the most radio play and exposure. 

• The performance ended with a rousing rendition of "Like A Prayer." When originally released Madonna and the song were featured in a Pepsi commercial that was subsequently pulled from the air due to the controversial imagery in the song's video. 

• The game's average rating was 40.5. The halftime show rating was 41.5. More people watched the halftime show than the game itself. 

• The football-themed video for Madonna's new single, which she performed during the show, premiered on the web the Friday before the game. As of now it has 11M views on YouTube. 

• Madonna's new album is titled MDNA, a reference to the emotion heightening drug MDMA (Ecstasy) and also an abbreviation perfect for social media updates and hashtags. 

• The album went on pre-sale exclusively on iTunes the Friday before the game. 

• By the time the halftime show began the album was #1 in 50 countries. The biggest one day pre-order in iTunes history.  

• Two days after the show Madonna announced a world tour, with tickets going on sale around the world starting next Monday. 

• Two nights after the show songs by Madonna and LMFAO were featured on Glee. 

• For a lesson in collaboration and team work watch the halftime show again, muted, and ignore Madonna and the primary talent. Instead watch how the dancers and the many extras, all do a hell of a lot more than what it looks like they are doing. Watch as microphones get passed from dancer to dancer, costumes changed and taken of stage. How the crew, dressed completely in white with camera equipment wrapped in white so projections will reflect of them, dart in and out setting things up and removing them all seamlessly. Madonna was the performer, but the crew put on the show.

• 12 minutes and 40 seconds of air time during the Super Bowl cost advertisers approximately $85 million. 

Advertisers:

• The Super Bowl is the one time when people purposely watch commercial spots.

• Most ads were pre-released leading to few surprises during the actual game. 

• Most ads were produced using pop culture references as short cuts to relevance. They used borrowed interests, rather than create their own. 

• An M&M commercial, introducing a new brown M&M, featured an LMFAO song.

• It used to be a Super Bowl ad came out of nowhere, surprised, and created a cultural moment with the ability to make icons out of a brand almost instantly. 

• Super Bowl advertising is no longer about the ads during the game, it's about social media. 

• Coca-Cola and Acura's websites crashed during the game. 

• David Beckham's ad for H&M, close ups of Beckham in his underwear, was mostly ignored by the primary NFL audience, but of all the ads in the game it was number 1 in social media mentions.

• The only ad that was a surprise, since no one saw it prior to the game, was the expertly executed "Halftime in America" for Chrysler.

• It followed the strategy of last year's "Imported from Detroit" featuring Eminem.

• In the days after the game various groups have referred to it as an homage/ripoff of "morning in America" as well as showing support for Obama's campaign. 

• Apple's "1984" is considered by many one of the best Super Bowl commercials ever, and even though Apple did not advertise during the game it didn't really have to. Once the game ended, with the Giants winning, all you could see was a sea of people, players, managers, crews, holding up their iPhones taking video and pictures of the moment.

Audience:

• Many, many people watched an exciting game. 

• Fans of football where thrilled by the game, mildly amused by the advertising and did not really care for the halftime show.

• Non fans of football got to see an example of what makes football so exciting, were mildly amused by the advertising and really enjoyed the halftime show. 

• With the exception of the Patriots and most advertisers, it seems every one was a winner. 

PBS Arts: Off Book, Exploring Cutting Edge Art - The Complete Series

PBS Arts: Off Book is a web-based series that explores cutting edge art and the people that make it. The 13 episode series focuses on the process, motivation and meaning of a new generation of artists. For the pass several months we've been following the series. Here are the 13 episodes compiled in one location. Visit the links to the individual posts to find out more about each episode.

Episode 1: Light Painting

Subscribe to the new Off Book channel at http://www.youtube.com/pbsoffbook Light painting dates back to Man Ray, but contemporary photographers are taking the practice of "painting light" onto long-exposure photographs to a new level.

Episode 2: Typography

Subscribe to the new Off Book channel at http://www.youtube.com/pbsoffbook Type is everywhere. Every print publication, website, movie, advertisement and public message involves the creation or selection of a fitting typeface. Online, a rich and artistic typographical culture exists, where typefaces are created and graphic design seeps in to every image.

Episode 3: Visual Culture Online

Subscribe to the new Off Book channel at http://www.youtube.com/pbsoffbook For decades now, people have joined together online to communicate and collaborate around interesting imagery. In recent years, the pace and intensity of this activity has reached a fever pitch.

Episode 4: Steampunk

Subscribe to the new Off Book channel at http://www.youtube.com/pbsoffbook Steampunk art evokes an alternate reality where steam is the primary source of power. Technology, though highly advanced, has taken on a very different look and feel, and fashion is heavily influenced by Victorian styles. In this episode, we explore the Steampunk aesthetic and art movement.

Episode 5: Hacking Art & Culture with F.A.T. Lab

Subscribe to the new Off Book channel at http://www.youtube.com/pbsoffbook As we become more and more engaged with the internet in every aspect of our lives, powerful questions have arisen regarding the ownership of digital media and information, the relationship between corporations, governments, and individuals online, the power of pop culture influence, and the dissolving border between the digital and physical worlds.

Episode 6: Street Art

Subscribe to the new Off Book channel at http://www.youtube.com/pbsoffbook The street is a space where art thrives, and a place where artists can shape the public aesthetic. Olek, a sculptor whose medium is crochet, and Swoon, a mixed media artist, disrupt daily life with work that creates wonder, emotion, and humor.

Episode 7: Etsy Art & Culture

Subscribe to the new Off Book channel at http://www.youtube.com/pbsoffbook America has a long tradition of handmade arts and crafts. In the manufacturing age, however, much of this work was overshadowed by the homogenizing force of retail culture. But the passion for handmade arts didn't disappear, and persisted through the years in local craft fairs.

Episode 8: Video Games

Subscribe to the new Off Book channel at http://www.youtube.com/pbsoffbook Video games are important. They are a storytelling medium, a place for self-expression, a sandbox for the human imagination, and an extension of an ages old tradition of gaming.

Episode 9: Fashion of Artists

Subscribe to the new Off Book channel at http://www.youtube.com/pbsoffbook Although not every artist is as attentive to fashion as Kanye West, style does make its way into their lives. Sometimes driven by practical purpose, other times by personal expression or as part of performance, fashion plays a role in the aesthetic landscape of many artists.

Episode 10: Generative Art - Computers, Data & Humanity

Subscribe to the new Off Book channel at http://www.youtube.com/pbsoffbook An intriguing combination of programmers, artists, and philosophers, these creators embrace a process that delegates essential decisions to computers, data sets, or even random variables.

Episode 11: Product Design

Subscribe to the new Off Book channel at http://www.youtube.com/pbsoffbook We swim in an ocean of products. Behind each one, there is someone (hopefully) thinking about the way we experience it. In this episode of Off Book, we explore three aspects of product design: build quality and engineering fundamentals, humanism and sustainability, and speculation on the future of the product experience.

Episode 12: Book Art

Subscribe to the new Off Book channel at http://www.youtube.com/pbsoffbook Books are in a conflicted state. Should they still exist in a digital era? Will they all be replaced by Kindles and Nooks? These questions dominate the discussion of books in our time.

Episode 13: The Evolution of Music Online

Subscribe to the new Off Book channel at http://www.youtube.com/pbsoffbook As the 90s came to a close, the business of music began to change profoundly. New technology allowed artists to record and produce their own music and music videos, and the internet became a free-for-all distribution platform for musicians to promote themselves to audiences across the world.