HAPPY F5 – FINAL SPEAKERS AND FULL LINE-UP/SCHEDULE

Happy F5 April 15 – 16 2011 by Hi-Sim from F5 on Vimeo.

If you’ve been patiently awaiting this post, thank you.

To clue you in on the behind-the-scenes since November, we’ve been working NON-STOP to reach out and secure the speakers who you’ve all wanted to see. There have been hundreds of recommendations – tons of outreach emails – and so many wonderful responses from artists who see F5 as the gateway to new playgrounds of creativity. This curation would’ve made for a great reality show, but we lack the tans and vocal chops to secure future syndication.

Our final group of speakers for Happy F5:

• Mark Romanek: visionary film director behind “Never Let Me Go” and “One-Hour Photo” – as well as countless iconic music videos and commercials
• Neil Huxley: accomplished creative director of Mothership and Digital Domain, creator of UI for Avatar, and AD on titles for Watchmen
• Tanya Morgan: hip hop duo behind one of the genre’s most acclaimed and celebrated albums of the last two years
• Adam Bly: founder, CEO and editor-in-chief of Seed Media Group and visualizing.org with tomorrow on his mind
• PressPausePlay: David Dworsky and Victor Köhler’s exciting new documentary on cultural creativity and the digital revolution

Closing the show on Friday night, PressPausePlay will introduce something new to the festival’s history: a screening of a yet-to-be-released film and discussion with the filmmakers. It’s a powerful work on the future of our collective artistry in the face of a democratized culture. And a thoughtful opportunity to reassess the positives and negatives behind technological innovation.

To recap and refresh the full line-up of Happy F5:

• Kid Koala: DJ and turntablist extraordinaire
• Scott Belsky: cutting-edge business leader of Behance
• Wayne White: legendary art director of Pee Wee’s Playhouse and banjo star
• Adam Sadowsky (Syyn Labs): president of the engineering whiz-kid collective behind the massive Rube Goldberg machine in OK Go’s “This Too Shall Pass” music video
• Nathan Love: top-notch animation studio and masters of character animation
• Buck: trailblazing creative shop with pop illustration powers
• Radical Friend: acclaimed experimental//experiential directing duo
• Onesize: creative studio powerhouse
• Eclectic Method: audiovisual remix masters with culture on their minds
• Heather Knight: innovator of robotic entertainment
• Jacob Escobedo: celebrated network exec-cum-designer behind [adult swim], Cartoon Network, and a whole slew of musical projects
• Tool of North America: leading the new wave of interactive storytelling

The RE:PLAY film festival brings together a number of the best studios and independent directors out there to create short films on the simple topic of happiness.

• Alexander Gellner
• Daniels
• David Wilson
• Edouard Salier
• Hi-Sim
• Holbrooks
• James Copeman
• Kristoffer Borgli
• Mixtape Club
• Nomint
• PepperMelon | David Kamp
• Physalia
• Upper First

And, as the icing on the cake, the RE:VISION gallery space will showcase the work of emerging and world-renowned artists and designers.

• Babycastles
• Minivegas
• Radium Audio
• Shantell Martin
• Smilebooth
• Tronic/Goldrun

We’d be remiss to not point out the final piece to Happy F5 in 2011. Each morning before the festival begins, the first ever Motion Design Roundtable will convene to begin crafting a Code of Standards for the motion design industry. We’ve invited representatives from the different parts of our industry to the forum for two hours each morning. F5 is the perfect occasion for this gathering of minds, and we’re confident that the work the Motion Design Roundtable undertakes will help shape the industry for the better. All results will be posted on Motionographer for feedback from the industry-at-large. Wish them luck!

Whew. Inspiration, discussion, balloons, games, drinks…this year’s event has it all. Check out the speakers page for a schedule of all speaker sessions.

And, since some of your bosses are still breathing down your neck to hit that Friday deadline – we’re now offering one-day only tickets for Saturday, April 16th. Check the tickets page for more info.

//Hat tip to Hi-Sim for graciously allowing us to use their beautiful RE:PLAY short above! See it both days at F5//



F5 Re:Vision & Closing Party

With two weeks left, it’s time for the F5 takeover! Oh, and it’s playtime too! As you enter the world of F5, you’ll be part of the RE:VISION experience. It’s here where we’ve curated and constructed a borderless//cutting-edge gallery space to showcase the work of emerging and world-renowned artists and designers.

• Babycastles Arcade: indie gaming to the core — stand-alone video games that take players to the wild ends of their imagination

• Minivegas presents Atlantis: an interactive installation where attendees cue their tweets (with #f5fest and others) and watch as they’re dynamically transformed on-screen throughout Roseland

• Radium Audio Takeover: intricate and immersive sound installations that cater to both the individual and collective experience

• Shantell Martin presents Hidden Oras: a live drawing project that turns members of the audience into a unique and original work of living art

• Smilebooth: a fresh take on the old-school photobooth that encourages a hot mess of fun and spontaneity

• Tronic/Goldrun/F5 present the Virtual Exhibit: a one-of-a-kind smartphone app that allows users to view and take pictures of GPS-linked 2D/3D virtual art all over F5.

Take a deep breath. We’re going to blow out the candles on another F5 at the soon-to-be-(in)famous CLOSING PARTY on Saturday, April 16th.

• Starting at 9pm, you’ll throw down at Good Units in the basement of the Hudson Hotel (356 West 58th St.). Picture NYC-1982 and you’re halfway there…

• Dalston Ponys will start the jam East-London-style — bringing feet and hearts to the dance floor

• Grabbing the baton at 10:30pm, Eclectic Method follows up their speaking session at F5 with a performance that will burn the roof off the joint

• At midnight, Flawless Media presents Verboten – dedicating the remainder of the party to Kompakt Records‘ honcho and DJ Michael Mayer

• All the while, Shantell will be performing Hidden Oras in the venue’s stylized mezzanine

Doors open at 9pm –  open bar from 9:30-10:30pm. Everyone is welcome – so bring your buddies. Your official F5 registration badge gets you in and $20 at the door for your friends. And there’s still one more major announcement left….

F5 SPEAKERS – ROUND 2

Part two of the three-part speaker trilogy!   This second group of artists speak directly to the larger design community in their breadth and approach. It can be narrative live action or cultural live mash-up. Robotics or digital flesh.  Danger Doom or Chiller. They all give exquisite life to an image. And provide us with a new set of specs to see through.

F5: First Set of Speakers!

We’re pleased to announce our first set of speakers for F5 2011! Here is the first savory piece of the cake—just enough to want a bigger bite. This group speaks to the careful consideration placed on finding the artists//heroes//colleagues who fit the overall theme of Happy F5 this year.

We’re also ecstatic that Buck will be creating the fest’s awe-inspiring opening titles. Our lips are sealed, but expect their special sauce of whimsy, humor and highly produced playtime. Buck will share their process and creative vision for the project during their special speaker session.

So far, F5 has drawn exclusively from a wealth of visual artists, designers, animators, technologists, engineers, musicians, writers, and puppeteers who point to a singular direction in creativity: one that builds an artistic fabric with the shared thread of imagination and optimism.

This is only the beginning. More happiness in store. And smiles guaranteed.

Check out our speakers page for bios and more info. And make sure to lock in your tickets…

F5: SOLD OUT (Kind Of)

Got ya and it’s not even April Fool’s yet. :) The scale has been ‘tipped’ and we’ve sold out our early tickets.

What’s surprising is the response from other creative communities; not only have the motionographers come out in support, but there’s also been an unprecedented response from creatives in fashion, fine art, publishing… even pharmaceutical marketing. You all share the desire to break out of this harsh winter and start the spring anew. Happy.

Regular tickets are now available at the price of $480; student tickets at a reduced rate of $280. These prices will remain until the end of the festival.

Tune in next week for another announcement—this time about what’s surely on everyone’s minds…

F5: New Date, Even Happier!

Since we first announced F5, a little roar has grown louder. Many of you want to attend, but just can’t because of timing. It’s happening again on a Thursday and Friday. And the boss is none too happy about giving you all that time off.

Well, your wishes have been answered. Happy F5 is being moved back a day to April 15-16, 2011—Friday and Saturday. And it’ll go down at the world famous Roseland Ballroom in the heart of NYC. We’re also extending the deadline of the current early bird ticket deal to January 17th for all you newcomers.

You embody the essence of F5. It’s important that you all have an opportunity to be a part of the festivities. Our sincere apologies if this is a major inconvenience to all who have already bought tickets. We will fully refund anyone who cannot attend the new dates.

There’s been chatter about who may speak… and we’re still firming up so so many details. But, in the spirit of the new year, we’ll give you highly-complex, over-engineered clues that too shall pass.

Ready? Set? Okay—Go!

F5 Tickets on Sale!

It’s so on. Happy F5 tickets are now live!

We’re summoning the powers of collective incentive, a new approach to early bird purchasing. Here’s how it works: Buy your F5 ticket(s) right about here. If at least 200 of you purchase by New Year’s Eve (December 31st at 11:59pm EST) January 17th,  your ticket will only be $280. The deal will stay alive even after the 200 mark until the time is up. Smiles all around.

But if that scale isn’t “tipped” (200 sold), then the deal is off and your purchase will be refunded. Tickets will then be available at the original ticket price of $480 in January.

Two weeks ago, we opened up tickets to our 2009 attendees and they sold at a pace that far exceeded our expectations. So far, this response has been overwhelming. The creative community has been patiently waiting to take a gulp, blow out those candles and make a big wish.

The question now: How happy do you want to be?