The Incredible Whimsical Steampunk Sculptures of Stephane Halleux.

You may not be familiar with the name Stéphane Halleux, but if you saw the Oscar-winning animated short, Mr. Hublot, you've already seen some of his work. I'd been following his talents for awhile and was thrilled with the recognition Mr. Hublot received at the 2014 Academy Awards.

Stephane crafted the main character for Mr. Hublot, whom he affectionately called "Mr. Cinema" during his construction:


It was Halleux's steampunk sculptures that caught my attention about a year ago. An incredible imagination coupled with craftsmanship, unique materials and a dose of adorable make me want to buy every single one. In the over 20 sculptures of flying soldiers, controllers, winged men, robots and vehicles shown below, you can see which ones served as the inspiration for the character. Take a close look at the finely crafted details - the leathers, metals, goggles, buttons, suitcases with plaques, working levers, spinning propellers, functioning wheels and more.



Stephane's sculptures as they appear in galleries:



Stephane has been sculpting since 2005 when he first began to create the fabulous universe he’s still developing to this day. He studied at the Saint-Luc Institute in Lièges (Belgium) before working as a model maker and coloring for the animation business.


above: in the images of Stephane with some of his pieces, you can see the scale

In addition to his sculptures, Stephane embarked on an amazing steampunk video game, The Dead Flowers Case, produced by Mando Productions in Paris, France. They were seeking funding for the game on Kickstarter last year, but the campaign was cancelled in November 2013 for reasons unknown. For updates on the status of The Dead Flowers Case, they suggest you stay up to date on the Facebook page.



Galleries that carry Stephane's work:
•Galerie Schortgen in Luxembourg
•Absolut Art Gallery in Bruges
•Galerie Ariel Sibony in Paris

images courtesy of Stephane Halleux, many taken by Muriel Theis

Stephane Halleux

The Shining, Pulp Fiction, The Big Lebowski And More As Old School Arcade Games.

David Dutton of Dutton Films "gamifies" your favorite Hollywood Blockbusters into 80's arcade and NES inspired action for his own CineFix 8-Bit Cinema. With music by Henry Dutton, the results are a series of awesome Old School fun with no quarters necessary.



Check them out.

Pulp Fiction:


The Big Lebowski:


The Shining:


See more of CineFix's 8-Bit Cinema movies (they have 17 to date) such as A Clockwork Orange, Thor, Kick Ass, Elf, Hunger Games, Finding Nemo, Batman and a bunch of others here

Owen Wilson in The Killers' Christmas In LA , a 5 Minute Melancholy Mixed Media Music Video.

The Killers have shared their latest charity Christmas single, Christmas In L.A., whose proceeds will benefit the Global Fund to Fight AIDS. This is the eighth year that the Killers have partnered with (RED), the AIDS awareness organization founded by Bono and Bobby Shriver, to produce a Christmas single.



Directed by Kelly Loosli (who is the program director of BYU's animation program) , the mixed media five minute and 12 second music video casts Owen Wilson as a melancholy out of work actor who is dreading December 25th in Los Angeles. I'm not sure if this is odd or perfect casting given Wilson's suicide attempt in 2007 , which everyone seems to have forgotten. The lonesome video also features actor Harry Dean Stanton (below with Wilson) and animation by Loosli's students at Brigham Young University.




Watch the video below, and head over to iTunes to purchase "Christmas in L.A.," which features supporting vocals from Dawes.



The Killers

11 Very Short Films, Each With One Line. Making A Scene Directed by Janusz Kaminski.

For the New York Times Magazine Movie Issue, 11 of the year’s best big-screen performers (Cate Blanchett, Bradley Cooper, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Adèle Exarchopoulos, Greta Gerwig, Oscar Isaac, Michael B. Jordan, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Robert Redford, Forest Whitaker and Oprah Winfrey) deliver one line in 11 original very short films directed by Oscar-winning cinematographer  Janusz Kaminski.

Making A Scene: Cate Blanchett:


Making A Scene: Oprah Winfrey:


Making A Scene: Robert Redford:


Only the three above were available via youtube. The remainder are shown below via the New York Times. My apologies for their small size.

Making A Scene: Bradley Cooper:

Making A Scene: Oscar Issac:

Making A Scene: Adèle Exarchopoulos:

Making A Scene: Greta Gerwig:

Making A Scene: Michael B. Jordan:

Making A Scene: Forest Whitaker:

Making A Scene: Chiwetel Ejiofor:


And lastly, Behind-the-Scenes Look: The Making of 'Making a Scene':

UPDATED: New Louis Vuitton Ad Campaign Starring David Bowie - The Film (2 versions), The Print, Storyboards And The App.

"L'Invitation au Voyage - Venice," a one minute short film (shown further down in the post) featuring Arizona Muse and David Bowie is part of luxury brand Louis Vuitton's newest ad campaign (print, newspaper, digital ads and a new downloadable app accompany the film) in which the music legend and model attend the Louis Vuitton Masquerade Ball.




Vogue UK reports that "Muse's adventure starts in Paris at the Louvre, before she is whisked off in a hot-air balloon that takes her to Venice - where she meets Bowie. Cue picturesque shots of the model travelling along Venetian canals in an old-fashioned boat and decadent scenes of a masked ball - a more glamorous version of the masked, surreal soirée seen in 1986 cult film Labyrinth, which also starred Bowie. Unsurprisingly, the musician also sings a track from his new album, The Next Day ."

The one minute version: L'Invitation au Voyage:


Now added, the full film, released on November 7th:


And the 1:30 minute director's cut:


The Trailer:


Stills from the film:






The full film will premiere on the label's app on November 7.

The film and print ads promote Vuitton's new Tambour watch and Vivienne bag (shown below):


A shortened clip will be shown on television on November 10, while the campaign's print ads (below) photographed by David Sims, will appear in magazines and newspapers later this month.

The Print Ads:





Behind The Scenes:









The Storyboards (some of them):






WWD reports:
“The film is all about traveling through time, and sharing an incredible moment,” said Frederic Winckler, Vuitton’s communication and events director, who showed off 60-second and 90-second versions of the film directed by Romain Gavras, perhaps best known for his M.I.A. music videos.

The transporting clip sees Bowie’s tune become the soundtrack to a sumptuous and fantastical ball — before Muse opens her eyes to an empty room and departs, this time on an ancient Chinese boat.



Snagging Bowie for the campaign caps off a banner year for the music legend that included his first studio album in a decade, “The Next Day ” and an exhibition at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London that has moved on to the Art Gallery of Ontario in Toronto. It also continues a tradition Vuitton set in recent years with its popular Core Values spots featuring unexpected celebrities such as Mikhail Gorbachev and Keith Richards.

Winckler marveled at Bowie’s appeal across different age groups and how he, like Vuitton, “moves through time,” unveiling new personalities and charting new creative fields. Winckler noted: “He’s a client and someone who has a natural link with the brand.”

Winckler said he met Bowie in New York, and the script — and the harpsichord idea — won him over. “He liked the character, the role he was asked to play,” he said.

The new spots exalt Vuitton’s new Vivienne bag, from which Muse retrieves a musical score as the only evidence of her musical adventure in Venice. She also wears Monogram Idylle gold jewelry and an outfit from its Icons collection:



Bowie sports a new interpretation of Vuitton’s Tambour watch:


The App, Louis Vuitton Pass:


The French luxury group is using the Bowie-Muse campaign to introduce a new app called Louis Vuitton Pass, which allows consumers to scan an icon with a smartphone or tablet to access additional content, including making-of films — and a world exclusive of the new campaign.



Thanks to Louis Vuitton,  Vogue UK and WWD for info and images