In our second installment of the Motionographer Podcast, we chat with Gary Thomas, founder and creative director at Crush in Toronto. Some of the topics we touch on:

• Working in the Australian post-production scene back in the 90s
• The relationship between technology, power and the creative process
• The genesis of Crush in Toronto
• The secrets of good retention
• The Toronto design scene
• The creative process behind some of Crush’s high-profile projects, namely The Gum Thief by Douglas Coupland and two music videos for REM, “Hollow Man” and “Man Sized Wreath”

One of the things I like about Gary (and Crush’s) approach to things is their willingness to take on experimental (and often low-budget) projects as a way of pushing their own boundaries. It not only keeps the creative fires burning, it actually attracts more work.

Incidentally, Crush recently posted a nicely edited new reel, which you can check out on their site.

Posted on Motionographer

Motionographer Podcast 02: Crush

The highly decorated animation direction duo Smith & Foulkes of Nexus Productions have recently unveiled their new animated short “This Way Up.” Created for Mike Judge’s touring showcase “The Animation Show” and funded by the BBC, the film recounts the ultimate day from (and in) Hell for two hapless undertakers, stuck with each other and a coffin that just won’t stay put.

The stickler is, dear Motionographer readers, that we can’t show you the whole thing here! Damn you Aunty Beeb! The best we can do is point you towards the online film site, which comprises a generously proportioned film-trailer along with a blog, news and details of screenings for any of you lucky enough to be in the vicinity when the film is in town.

But wait, there’s more! We banged our heads together here at Motionographer Glades and decided that no, fobbing you off with merely the trailer just wouldn’t do! So we collared the blokes responsible; Adam Smith, Alan Foulkes and Producer and co- conspirator Chris O’Reilly, sat them down (metaphorically speaking) and made them spill the beans on death, directing, undertaking, funding and why shuffling off your mortal coil might not be so bad after all. Listen to our interview below.

Oh, and for an extra sweetener we’ve also got conceptual artwork for you to check out, plus the animatic to boot. Can you dig it? Enjoy!

Special thanks to Huma Huma for providing the music for our podcast.

Posted on Motionographer

Motionographer Podcast 01: This Way Up

It’s not every day I get to apologize for something being too long.

Convert

I’ve had my eye on Convert (repped by The Ebeling Group) for some time. A while back, they did a collaborative project with MK12 for Common that I wasn’t all that hot on, but their very nicely edited reel has some excellent moments that make me feel like they’re on their way to bigger and better things.

They also recently completed this stop-action spot for BBC America. Honestly, I’m not a big fan of this low-fi brand of stop-motion that seems to have become fairly popular over the last year or so. Saimon Chow’s Hello Kitty spots employ the same sophomoric aesthetic, and I just can’t decide if it’s intentional or not. Either way, I can’t get into it.

That said, I really dig the sound design in the Convert piece.

Colourmovie: MVPA

Speaking of nice sound design, check out Colourmovie’s show open for the 8th Annual MVPA Awards.

The open is part of a complete show package that Colourmovie developed for the event. It’s a beautiful bit of work that manages to collage the imagery of filmmaking with iconic references to nature—and somehow it works very well.

Because of the depth of field effect they used, each vignette feels a little like a shoe box diorama, creating a gentle nostalgic vibe that gels nicely with the music.

In Secret Agreement: Cage “Shoot Frank”

I can’t stand the song, but I’m digging some of the visuals of In Secret Agreement’s latest posted effort, a music promo for Cage’s “Shoot Frank.”

Things get juicy right around the middle, during the house sequence. There are some really nice compositions throughout the piece, as well. I’m curious to hear what you guys think about this one.

Thanks to Craig Hubbard for the tip.

MOVE3: May 19-20 in NYC

The lineup for AIGA’s MOVE3 conference in NYC looks really interesting. Legendary performance artist Laurie Anderson will be sharing oxygen with one of my favorite presenters, Casey Reas, who developed Processing with Ben Fry. Reas and Fry gave a couple presentations at FITC last year that blew my mind.

The mograph-related presenters are top-notch and too numerous to list here. Go to the site and check it out. Too bad I’ll miss the conference. If someone wants to do a write-up for the event, I’ll gladly edit it (if necessary) and post it.

Posted on Motionographer

Cleaning House