Sports Imitating Art imitating Life. Cut Through L.A. Is An Art Installation As A Commercial For Nike.

I know this 2 minute film first ran about 6 months ago, but I can't watch it enough. It's more of an art installation than a TV commercial and I just love it, am just fascinated by it and wish I'd been there the day it was shot. If you don't watch sports, you may not have seen it and if you have seen it, watch it again. (A 'Making Of' video is shown at the end of the post).



Filmed in Venice Beach, CA. by director Andreas Nilsson, who has a background is set design, what unfolds is a unique traction story of how CP3 cuts through L.A. in an effort to launch the new Nike CP3.VI shoes from ad agency Weiden + Kennedy.


above: Director Andreas Nilsson on set

The staged installation features a human chain of athletes dressed to look like Paul, each representing a freeze-framed position along the trajectory of one of his notorious journeys down the court. The live installation and shoot took place on the basketball courts of Venice beach on Saturday, September 29th, 2012.






The incredible production featured over 40 performers and a bevy of props ranging from an overturned fruit cart to a flipped bicycle hanging in mid-air to showcase the nimble moves of NBA superstar Chris Paul.






Actors were carefully positioned throughout the installation, several seemingly hanging in mid-air though raised on plexiglass footholds, to demonstrate Chris Paul’s dynamic moves on the court. While mimicking Paul’s moves, the performers gracefully crash through boxes, intercept a woman and the dog she’s walking on a leash, cross through a cartoonist mid-caricature and upturn a fruit cart hanging throughout the performance space as if frozen in a series of ‘bullet time’ moments. The entire installation was captured on camera, directed by Nilsson to be edited as a short film showcasing all aspects of the production.



This video, shot in LA by production company Biscuit Dreamworks, is incredible, especially considering that the director did it all in one take.

The making of/behind the scenes video:


Full Credits
Agency: Wieden + Kennedy
Client: Jordan CP3.VI
Director: Andreas Nilsson
Prod. Co.: Biscuit Filmworks
Creative Director: Andy Ferguson
Creative Director: Brandon Mugar
Copywriter: Alexander Barrett
Art Director: Jed Heuer
Business Affairs Director: Sara Jagielski
Business Affairs Manager: Angel Cielo
EP: Dan Blaney
Brand Strategist: Ben Alter
ECD: Ian Reichenthal
ECD: Scott Vitrone
Head of Content Production: Lora Schulson
Production Company: Biscuit Filmworks
Director: Andreas Nilsson
EP: Colleen O'Donnell
Line Producer: Pete Vitale
Director of Photography: Crille Forsberg
Production Designer: Brock Houghton
Wardrobe Stylist: Shirley Kurata
Managing Director: Shawn Lacy
Production Company: Show Cobra
EP: Kate Susman
Editorial Company: Show Cobra
Editor: Dom Whitworth
Post Producer: Charlie Clark
Post Executive Producer: Kate Susman
Music and Sound Artist: Mike Snow
Producer: Pontus Winnberg

The Nike "Biomorph" Launch Spot for Their Flyknit Running Shoes And How It Was Done.

Nike tapped David Rosenbaum of Mothership to conceive the :51 second short that launched its Flyknit technology and shoe collection. Inspired by the concept of body schema, David developed a story in which the shoe becomes a seamless extension of the runner’s foot through a progression of organic visuals, and took the piece from start to finish.

"Biomorph":


To develop an accurate visual expression for the innovative weaving process director David Rosenbaum met with Nike engineers and watched the shoes being made on customized industrial knitting machines.

The making of "Biomorph":


Credits:
Andy Walker, Nike/Dave Gold (music), Elias Arts, creative directors; Ed Ulbrich, Digital Domain, chief creative officer/Mothership, president; David Rosenbaum, Mothership, director; Paul Cameron, Mothership, director of photography; The Bergeron, Nike/Tiffani Manabat, Mothership/Nicola Wiseman, Digital Domain/William Lemmon, Digital Domain, producers; Jesse Canright, Nike/Tanya Cohen, Mothership/Digital Domain/Ann Haugen (music), Elias Arts, executive producers; Barb Freeman, Nike, production manager; Birthe Lauchengco, Mothership, production supervisor; Scott Gemmell, Mothership/Digital Domain, head of production; Rachel Mariscal, Digital Domain, digital production manager; Colin Woods, Digital Domain, editor; Richard Poulain, Digital Domain, storyboard artist; Brian Creasey, Digital Domain/Casey Benn, Digital Domain/Dave Carlson, Digital Domain/Gideon Vandergrift, Digital Domain, generalists; Kevin Culhane, Digital Domain, animator; Ken Jones, Digital Domain/Eric Ebeling, Digital Domain/


Learn more about the Nike Flyknit collection here

It's About Time. Nike's Back to the Future Shoe, Campaign and Charitable Auction.

To raise funds for Michael J. Fox's Foundation for Parkinson's Research, Nike designed 1500 pairs of Nike MAG shoes based on the kicks worn by Fox's character Marty McFly in the original movie, "Back To The Future" to be auctioned off on ebay and at select Niketown stores.



The project consists of the shoe auction, a short film, poster designs, ceramic models of the shoe, souvenir pins and impressive displays- complete with DeLorean, flux capacitor, hoverboard and more.





The MAG shoes feature an electroluminescent outsole, spage-age materials and a rechargeable internal battery good for 3,000 hours. Designed by Tinker Hatfield and Tiffany Beers, the Nike shoes took six years, three restarts and thousands of hours. Not recommended for athletics, it's a coveted collectible by both entertainment industry and sneaker freakers.


above: Tiffany Beers and Tinker Hatfield designed the collectible shoe



By now, all of the shoes have been auctioned off, but the Wieden + Kennedy two minute film featuring Bill Hader with Christopher Lloyd reprising his role as Dr. Emmett Brown is quickly climbing the viral charts:



Tinker Hatfield, Donald Fullilove and KD also make appearances in this short film about the most famous shoes never made, in an effort to support the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's research.



2011 Nike Mag Price Infographic
For sneaker collectors and enthusiasts curious about the recent 2011 Nike MAG developments, a pricing infograph has surfaced courtesy of Fordham University Graduate School of Business student, Zach Kingsley:



This piece of information above illustrates the economics of getting a pair in the most popular size 10. The infographic compares the price points of Nike’s coveted shoe against a timeline to see its steady decline. Updated every night, sources of this infograph come from eBay’s completed listings of MAG’s nightly sales.

Poster designs for the Back For the Future Event:


above: Back to The Future Nike poster designs by Kate Gibb, Brent Rollins, La Boca and Will Sweeney

Michael J. Fox says a few words about the project:


Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research
To learn more, go to www.back4thefuture.com

Sneakerknobs. Door Handles Shaped Like Nike Air Max Kicks By Metrofarm.

The Sneakerknob by Berlin-based Metrofarm is a Nike Air Max sneaker cast in aluminum or bronze that functions as a door handle.



Created for such hip shoe stores as Overkill in Berlin, The Good Will Out in Cologne and most recently, the new Paar sneaker boutique in Vienna, the doorknobs make opening the door a real kick.

For Paar:



At Overkill:


The Good Will Out in Cologne features a bronze Sneakerknob:




About Metrofarm


Founded in 2001 by Julia Böttcher and Jan 'Nunu' Müller, Berlin-based Metrofarm's expertise lies in design & manufacture, from the pre-conceptual stage to finished products & installation.

Their versatile and fully integrated skill-set enables them to successfully initiate and control multi-faceted international assignments, combining graphics, packaging & promotional materials, garments, artefacts, lighting, exhibitions & events, retail/showroom/gallery interiors and product displays, fittings & furniture.

Their willingness to continuously experiment and improvise innovative techniques results in unique & original solutions for clients Nike, Absolut, Smart, ZDF, Allianz, Bang & Olufsen, Zeiss, Royal Copenhagen, Fritz Hansen, Georg Jensen, Louis Poulsen, De:bug, Dummy, Die Welt, etc.

Metrofarm constantly develop their collections of furniture and products as well as designing individual pieces for private clients.

Metrofarm
METROFARM GMBH
LOBECKSTRASSE 36,
AUFGANG 4
10969 BERLIN
GERMANY

TEL.: +49 30 23457753
FAX.: +49 30 23457755

info@metrofarm.net

Brass Monki Puts Pop Culture On Kicks Resulting In The Coolest Custom Nikes.

above: Street artist Banksy's Rat recreated on pair of leather Nikes designed and sold online by Brass Monki

Brass Monki is a talented 22 year old artist named Daniel Reese who hails from Merseyside [near Liverpool] in the UK. In 2009 he began using software to place pop culture imagery and icons from video games, movies, art, comic books, logos and other popular brands upon footwear.



The response was so positive, he began to actually hand paint one-off pairs of leather Nikes and sell them online. His eye for composition and color makes his creations very desirable as wearable art. Below are his designs, several of which are available for purchase.

Lego:

Bob Marley:

Blink 182:

Kick Ass:

Resevoir Dogs:

Robocop:

Watchmen:

The Mystery Machine from Scooby Doo:

Mario:

Luigi:

Princess Peach:

Oscar The Grouch:

The Cookie Monster:

Minnie Mouse:

R2D2:

Batman:

Wolverine:

Green Lantern:

Iron Man:

Blanka:

Captain America:

Dr. Robotnik:

Sonic The Hedgehog:

Castle Crashers:

Pac Man:

Buzz Lightyear:

Woody:

Firefox:

Google:

Colour Doodles:

Doodle Splash:

Light Swirl:

Some of the above shoes are available for purchase right now in his online store.

NOTE: It should be known that I have not personally purchased shoes from Brass Monki nor have I seen anything but computer generated rendering of his shoes. That said, I feel I must remind you to either do your own online research before purchasing or "Buyer Beware."  Especially since some of my readers have left comments regarding their bad experiences with Brass Monki.


See more of his shoe designs on flickr.