Let me start off by saying this was posted as a quickie way back when so forgive me if you have seen it, but it is deserving of a little Motionographer spotlight treatment.

When I first started playing this music video of the band Naive New Beaters and saw a handheld shot of a pink hat emblazoned with a rainbow, I thought, “Oh man, not another hipster video.” Thankfully though I didn’t give up watching there and was delightfully surprised with the trickery performed by directors Megaforce (sorry, this is all I could find of them at the moment).

Although the execution of this video doesn’t hold up by way of craftsmanship due to a lot of poor keying (which from the style of the video seems to be intentional) the camera tricks and presumably extensive preproduction are something that would make Gondry proud. Just for fun try and follow the practical methods in which every transition is executed.

Yes, there is nothing here that you haven’t seen in an old HP spot or a trick that Gondry has shown before, but the pure effort, planning and execution involved in this three and a half minute long video using a seamless camera is just plain impressive.

Thanks to Rutger Smelt for putting this back on our radar!

Motion Theory’s Jesus de Francisco and Mark Kudsi directed this new advert for Guinness centering on the ancient sport of hurling.

Having seen hurling on the telly in Ireland a couple times, I’d expect a spot full of “high-impact” cliches: metal textures, futuristic CG elements, shaky camera work, heavy metal soundtrack, etc. But instead, MTh’s approach is decidedly understated. Liquid trails and an omnipresent “action dust” give the spot a painterly feel, while the conspicuous absence of music creates a strange vacuum effect: The sound design leaps to the foreground, and time becomes an elastic ether in which the players drift like pissed-off ballerinas.

If you’re wondering why the walls appear near the end of the spot, it’s because the spot is promoting Guinness’ Hurling Cubed events, which invite teams to face off in walled-in hurling courts.

Credits can be found on Motion Theory’s project page

PostPanic returns with a second installment of the Postman, directed by Mishca Rozema. I remember how much I loved the first one they dropped to open their old reel. This one lives up to its predecessor with the same stark visuals, tripped-out, visceral intensity and audio that just makes you cringe.

Credits

Motionographer’s Jon Saunders decided it was high time we learn more about one of our favorite studios, Hamburg-based Sehsucht, so he contacted them for an interview. Their answers can be a bit mysterious at times, but perhaps that only amplifies curiosity about their work.

Read the interview here.

There has been a bit of deliberation among a few of us regarding posting based purely on technical and aesthetic merits. However, I think the work of Liam Kemp transcends the parameters of the average critique.

Some of you may remember when Liam hit the 3D scene in 2003 with his film “This Wonderful Life.” His latest project picks up right where he left off. Four years into production,“The Normals” is an observational short film that follows the banality of three middle-aged men in a public toilet. This convincing animation test is perhaps an indication that we are on the verge of crossing that final hurdle in achieving perfect human realism in CG.

You can read more about Liam’s in his interview with CG Society.

Thanks to Harm for the nudge!

This new advert for HP’s TouchSmart PC from Psyop is full of verve and sophistication. Instead of aiming for photo-realistic CG, agency Goodby, Silverstein & Partners and Psyop opted for a more gestural approach that uses abstract imagery and computer interface elements, creating a look that values magical playfulness over hi-tech seriousness.

Big thanks to Byron Slaybaugh for the tip!

Credits

For those of you who attended my Promax|BDA State of Design presentation last week, I hope it was worth your time and that you had as much fun as I did celebrating inspiring work from around the world. As promised, I made a page (finally) for all the work I showed during the show. Enjoy!