One Day on Earth / 12.12.12

By the time this post goes live, One Day on Earth’s third installment will have begun somewhere on this crazy planet of ours.

On December 12th, 12.12.12, across the planet, documentary filmmakers, students, and other inspired citizens will record the human experience over a 24-hour period and contribute their voice to the third annual global day of media creation called One Day on Earth. Together, we will create a shared archive and a film.

Brandon Litman, EP of motion design studio Alien Kung Fu, has been leading the program for a while, forging partnerships with organizations around the world, including Oxfam, UNESCO, World Wildlife Fund, Humans Rights Watch and the United Nations. In our interview with Brandon, he talks about how One Day on Earth began, where it’s headed and how he manages to keep it afloat.

Interview with Brandon Litman

Can you sum up One Day on Earth in three sentences or less?

A long overdue fusion between the creative world and the cause based world on a truly global level. The ultimate shared archive and opportunity to explore every corner of our planet.

Where did the idea behind ODOE come from?

It was inspired by watching a group of musicians who never collaborated before come together on stage and, after a few minutes, naturally harmonized. My good friend and partner Kyle Ruddick started ODOE back in 2008 asking hundreds of filmmakers through Vimeo if they would be interested in collaborating.

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SXSW 2012: Beauty is Embarrasing

Disclaimer: Wayne White was a speaker at the 2011 F5 Festival. His talk makes an appearance at the end of this film.

In Beauty is Embarrassing, director Neil Berkeley and his subject, Wayne White, create one of the funniest, most thoughtful, and well-articulated documentaries of the highs and lows that face all professional artists that I have ever seen. The film explores balancing work and personal life, the fickle nature of success, and what motivates us to keep going with our often difficult jobs. Not to make it sound like a serious affair – as you’ll see from the trailer, it’s impossible to spend time with Wayne White and not laugh your ass off.

To read our full review and a Q&A with Neil and Wayne, click here.

Upcoming Screenings
• Thursday, June 21, 7:30pm, LACMA/Bing Theater, LA Film Festival. Tickets
• Saturday, June 23, 5:30pm, Silver Spring, MD, SilverDocs. Tickets
• Sunday, June 24, 8:15pm, Silver Spring, MD, SilverDocs. Tickets
For more news go to the Beauty is Embarrassing website or follow @waynewhitedoc.

At the time of publication the film has not been picked up for major distribution. There is a Kickstarter campaign in progress to distribute Beauty is Embarrassing to theaters nationally. Help Neil and Wayne bring their story to as many people as possible!

Previs Documentary Part 1

Previs Documentary Part 1 from The Previsualization Society

Fantastic animated visual essay in this teaser for Waiting For Superman by Buck

Fantastic animated visual essay in this teaser for Waiting For Superman by Buck

The CalArts Story (1964)

The CalArts Story (1964) illustrates the original vision of the academic institution, as imagined through Walt Disney’s live-action shorts of the era.

TiRA for ASTRA

From London-based This is Real Art comes a project that hits all my soft spots:  space tech, information graphics, and a reserved, modern design aesthetic.

TiRA created a collection of seven documentary films for Astra – one of the world’s largest satellite operator’s, in concert (but not in direct relation) with the development and planned launch of their largest and most advanced satellite, Astra 3B – to be used for education and marketing.  The films describe everything one needs to know about the operation of a satellite: History, Physics, Control, Launch, Why We Need Satellites, Business, and The Future.

Astra is a heavyweight in providing communications to major European markets – from radio and broadcast to broadband and 3D technologies.  Thus, with society’s ever-increasing reliance on these services (i.e. broadband, 3D) and Astra’s continued growth into emerging markets, it’s no surprise to see this type of subject given this much care.

As partner and Creative Director at This is Real Art, Paul Belford has proven to be a force in the advertising world – harkening the likes of Rand, Krone or Glaser – and it shows once again in his directorial role for this project.  Reflecting seemingly innate refined design sensibilities, Paul takes a technically astronomic and thus potentially mind-numbing subject and whittles it down into a form that’s both translucently and attractively explicated – a presentation that would make Edward Tufte proud.

Motionographer was able to catch up with Paul at This Is Real Art for a more detailed look into the process.
Read more.

The History of Animation: Part 1 and Part 2

It’s time to hit the books. Brush up on animation history by watching The History of Animation: part 1 and part 2.