Hayley Morris creates a beautiful watercolor and stop-motion world for Iron & Wine’s Joy. The stunning music video was created over the course of two months in her Brookyln studio. Hayley was kind enough to share some of her creative process with us.
When brainstorming ideas for possible narratives and visual interpretations of the song I was drawn to a particular lyric. “Deep inside the heart of this crazy mess I’m only calm when I get lost within your wilderness.” This is what sparked my idea.
Joy is a song about love and taking a moment to realize how someone can vastly change how you perceive yourself and the world around you. My goal for this video was to make the viewer feel this sense of joy, discovery and appreciation by following the organic flow of the song as the landscape changes through bursts of color, growth and transformation. Through his eyes we see how the woman Sam sings about changes his world by catching glimpses of her within the different plants, rocks, trees and objects that occupy the scenery/himself. In the end we see that he is full of color and vibrancy.
The video is a mixed-media piece. It’s composed of a blend of rotoscope watercolor animations and stop-motion. I hand made every piece in the landscape from found objects, paper, clay and various materials, and then projected her image into the set pieces. Each scene was shot frame by frame with Dragon in my studio space in my apartment. It was nice rolling out of bed and ready for work!
At nightfall on April 17th and 18th, 2013, Obscura Digital transforms San Francisco’s Pier 15 with a projection mapping extravaganza. We’ve seen a lot of projection mapping at Motionographer, but this one stands out because of its non-computer generated assets.
Obscura designed and fabricated ten replicas of the Exploratorium’s façade, ranging in size from large terrariums to microscope slides, to contain unique experiments involving fluid dynamics, microorganisms, particle interactions, living systems, crystallization, and growth in time lapse. Documented in ultra high-definition video, these compelling natural subjects are projection mapped back on the surface of the building, creating the illusion of being contained within its structure.
Between April 9 and 14, 2013 the art installation FLUIDIC – Sculpture In Motion is being displayed in the Temporary Museum for New Design in Milan. The installation is the result of the collaboration between Hyundai’s Advanced Design Center and the Berlin-based design studio WHITEvoid.
12,000 translucent moving spheres float above a pool of water. At the same time eight high-speed laser projectors send beams into the point cloud creating patterns that can also respond to the positions and posture of visitors in the space.
I had read about the Leap Motion Controller, but hadn’t seen it in action until SXSW 2013. The super precise motion-sensing device can track up to ten fingers within a three-feet area. Setting aside the obvious opportunities that the Leap opens up for those of us working in the interactive/experiential field, I’d like to focus on how the Leap might enter the workflow of a motion graphics artist.
There are three main ways the Leap’s ability to interpret 3D gestural data will allow for visuals to become ubiquitous that had previously been work intensive or cost prohibitive – as a 3D motion capture device, paired with a 3D sculpting app, and paired with a 3D drawing app. But perhaps the most exciting developments are happening when you modify the Leap to create home brew touch-screens.
Given the equation, “it’s a world made of ________”, solve for watch parts and set quality to high. Parma-based Tax Free Film creates this beautiful piece for Omega Watches.
Holy magic toolbelt Batman! When Adobe and Maxon announced a “strategic alliance”, I never dreamed this big. Todd Kopriva announces what’s new in the upcoming version of AE, including importing C4D files directly into AE.
Motionworks has a great video showing off the integration here and Chris & Trish Meyer’s write up is here.
Two personal projects by Dublin-based Conor Whelan. Windows meditates on the happy loneliness of traveling alone, while Midnight Over Sanctaphrax deftly uses depth mattes to reveal a magical city.
Guillermo García Carsí & El Señor Studio: Doomed: a biological cartoon!
Finally online in all its full-length glory, Doomed: a biological cartoon! by Guillermo García Carsí and El Señor Studio introduce us to endearingly bizarre animals with questionable abilities to play the game of natural selection. Carsí is the creator of the internationally successful children’s show, Pocoyo and Doomed! shares the series’s focus on crafted character design against a simple background.
The wildlife documentary format, made famous by David Attenborough and Marty Stouffer, has inspired many an artist with its stranger than fiction zombie fungus insects and decked out birds of paradise. As with any template, playing within this form creates grounds ripe for humor, as in Waverly Films’ The Amazing Lyrebird of Australia – Unseen Footage. It’s a great framework for a television show – allowing El Señor to highlight as few or many creatures in one setting as they want, as well as leaving the door open to explore real world settings in the future – as hinted in the end of the short.
Tonight! Join us for See No Evil’s 4th birthday celebrations with talks from the amazing Richard Hogg, and BAFTA winner Mikey Please!
Free entry, prizes & good times!
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March 29, 2013
NYC heavy-hitter Christopher Palazzo is back on the scene with a new site and grip of top notch projects.
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March 27, 2013
Stylish, minimal music video for Big Black Delta from Warren Kommers
Ultra-violent and possibly NSFW, this first-person POV music video for Biting Elbows’ “Bad Motherfucker” has racked up 5 million views in less than 3 days. Directed by Ilya Naishuller (Great Guns) as a follow up to “Insane Office Escape.”
Join us for See No Evil’s 4th birthday celebrations with talks from the amazing Richard Hogg, and BAFTA winner Mikey Please!
Free entry, prizes & good times!
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March 19, 2013
Founders Vinicius Costa, Guto Terni and Crystal Campbell have launched Roof, a new studio in NYC.
London duo Louis & McCourt create a futuristic Anime music video for Mat Zo & Porter Robinson’s “Easy”.
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March 13, 2013
Long-time favorite Stephen Kelleher updates his design portfolio with a landslide of colorful work.
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March 7, 2013
It’s not secret that I am a huge fan of 90 Degrees West. Based in St Louis, this groups of creatives has been producing consistently strong, intelligent and whimsical work. Here’s another great “piece that even an industry full of adults with ADHD can sit through.” See full credits and context article here.
The Mill Launches The Mill+
A new temp.site that showcases their soup to nuts projects as directors and designers.
Stay tuned for a full update from them soon.
Marco Iozzi has just posted an update of his latest work in visual effects design, look development, traditional photography and digital environments. Spectacular as always, including environment work for the recently posted God Of War trailer.
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February 17, 2013
Cheerful and abstract with loads and loads of particles. New personal work form Joost Korngold (aka Renascent). And family project since the audio is done by his brothers.