From Bleak To Beautiful: The American Dollar's 'Anything You Synthesize'. A Time-Lapse Tilt-Shift Changing Landscape.

take a look at this beautiful music video from Dutch studio Onesize for The American Dollar’s “Anything You Synthesize.” One of the first to use the "tilt-Shift" technique, the time lapse video focusies on a changing landscape, from bleak to beautiful, for the band The American Dollar's "Anything You Synthesize" video.



Some screen grabs for you:










As quoted from the production company, Onesize:

•After listening to the song over and over, we came to the conclusion that the track felt like “landscape-music” to us.
•Seasons, mountains, time-lapsed skies, day, night, drama, decay, cinematic, slow-paced, out of the ordinary… to name a few keywords.
•We finally decided to build a looping landscape that would decay during the track. Very simple, but never the less a challenge to us, because we'd simple never done such a thing before.
•A simple camera movement traveling from left to right during the song, and while it travels we see the landscape decaying from a beautiful fresh mountain-view-landscape into a dead, flat desert.
•Also, during this trip we would see all 4 seasons of one year go by, even day and night. So, it actually is a non-linear and a non-chronological time-lapse of a decaying landscape.
•We had split-up the track in 9 pieces, equally in length. Each piece is one loopable landscape, panning from left to right. Then we also cut the song into 4 seasons and in addition, to make it more complex for ourselves, we also needed 3 smooth transitions from day into a short night.
•After preparation we started the actual production. Because of the fact that this was a “personal” Onesize project, we had to work on this during our spare time and in between projects.
•The idea was to add some live action (in-camera) effects, like rain, snow, lens flares, dust, etc. but we ended up with a fully CG production.

Funny thing is, once they were just about done with the piece, they looked at it and decided it worked better in reverse, so now it begins as a decaying landscape that becomes a flourishing one. Either way, it kept me in rapt attention.

CREDITS:
Audio: The American Dollar
Director: Kasper Verweij
Design & Animation: Menno Fokma, Harm van Zon, Reinier Fleas, Heerko Groefsema, Kasper Verweij, Rogier Hendriks
Post: Rogier Hendriks
Production: Onesize

Emma Hack Takes Body Art To A New Level With Her Latest Collection

We've seen body painting before. I've posted about well-known hand painter, Guido Daniele and the body painting of shoes on feet by Temptu. And how could I forget Veruschka?* But it wasn't until I saw her work on the cover of India's Platform magazine, that I was introduced to Australian artist and body illustrator Emma Hack.



Above: The image used on cover of Platform magazine from last year that piqued my interest in the work of Emma Hack.

An artist with several skills; sculpture, multimedia, photographer and more, I'm sharing images of her body painting for this post because it's simply amazing. Her work uses the naked bodies of both men and women as canvases and incorporates the backgrounds to give us the illusion of a flat surface in which the bodies are so well camouflaged against wall coverings, it's hard to even see them.

About this stunning collection: Emma’s Wallpaper 2005, 2007 and 2008 collections feature Florence Broadhurst wallpaper designs mixed with her body illustration. Emma continues to work blending her ‘wallflowers’ with the beautiful designs of Broadhurst.

Emma’s recent 2008 collection, featured during the Adelaide Fringe Festival, features exotic Australian animals, nude landscapes and a continued collection of Florence Broadhurst wallpapers. Emma photographed this collection herself, evolving her talents further. Here are her most recent works from her Wallpaper series:












And earlier works in the series:










In her Evolution collection, she actually painted animals!
An alligator, a possum, a dragon and turtles:






A bit about the artist:
Emma began her career as a make up and hair stylist and painted children's faces. She has evolved into a world-class body illustrator with several awards and acclaim, as well as a sculptor, a photographer and more. She's involved in several projects and continues to stretch and hone her talents.




Emma is represented in Adelaide by:
Art Images Gallery
32 The Parade Norwood
SA 5067
Phone: 08 8363 0806

*addendum:
I had to amend this post to answer to the several emails I've received reminding me of the amazing body painting and transfigurations by Vera Lehndorff (aka Veruschka). I was remiss in not referencing her work in a post about body painting- because it is superb and especially since my colleagues worked with her to produce a Lexus TV and print campaign in the mid 90s.

After beginning her career as a model in the 60’s, Lehndorff used the Veruschka pseudonym to enter the public domain, becoming one of the most sought-after and heavily publicized models in international fashion. Prior to crossing over to the art world with a renowned series of camouflage body-paintings, Lehndorff worked with many prominent photographers, including Helmet Newton.


above: self portrait by 'Veruschka'

Vera von Lehndorff (aka Veruschka)'s myspace page.

Stylish Wireless Tech For Parrot: The Zikmu Speakers by Philippe Starck

Parrot is a global leader in wireless devices for mobile phones and is always on the cutting edge of innovation. Recently, they've hired designers to make specific products for their line. The latest of which are the Zikmu; new wireless speakers by well known designer Philippe Starck.



Designed to blend design with cutting-edge technologies, the luxury set of speakers feature a sleek, modern look with an iPod® or iPhone docking station, a broad range of wireless capabilities (Wi-Fi & Bluetooth® Stereo) and 360° NXT surround sound technology.



'Zikmu' has been designed for compatibility with the entire range of Apple products and music players, including the iPhone. Using the docking station built into one of the speaker columns, listeners can enjoy their favorite music while recharging the player and control it via a smart monolithic remote control.




operable by remote:


overhead view:


Boasting a 100W RMS total power output, consumers can stream music directly from a PC via Wi-Fi or music stored on a mobile phone, PC or Mac® via Bluetooth® stereo (A2DP) wireless technology. The two speakers communicate with each other using Bluetooth technology, eliminating wires, and enabling them to be positioned anywhere in a room, for a true stereo effect.





Above: Philippe Starck with Henri Seydoux of Parrot

The Parrot by Starck speakers also feature innovative NXT technology, changing the face of acoustic design. NXT technology uses an extra-flat membrane to create small-scale vibrations across its entire surface to reproduce the medium and treble frequencies, optimally radiating sound from both sides of the speaker. This 360° immersive sound can be experienced no matter where a user is in relation to the speakers.

The packaging:



The 'Zikmu' Parrot by Starck wireless speakers will be available for Spring 2009 in the US at a suggested retail price of $1,500.


About Parrot

Parrot, a global leader in wireless devices for mobile phones, stands on the cutting edge of innovation. The company was founded in 1994 by Henri Seydoux as part of his determination to drive the inevitable breakthrough of mobile phones into everyday life by creating high-quality, user-friendly wireless devices for easy living. Parrot has developed the most extensive range of hands-free kits on the market for cars, motorbikes and scooters, including wireless multimedia products geared towards audiovisual applications. In 2008, Parrot launched a new prestige line of high-end products bearing the hallmark of renowned artists. Parrot, headquartered in Paris, currently employs 500 people worldwide, generates 86.6% of its sales overseas and stands as a fast-growth company (2007 revenues: 220 million euros, tripled since 2005) listed since 2006 on Euronext, Paris.
Euronext Paris - Eurolist, Compartment B: FR0004038263 - PARRO www.parrot.com

If you're an audiophile or just love cool audio speakers, be sure to see these posts:

Speaker Manufacturers Turn Up The Volume On Design

Wireless Speakers That Go From 0-60 As Fast As You Can Say "Ferrari"

Symbio Design Loudspeakers; Alpha, Beta & EggO

New Speakers From Artist Marka27: The Mini-Gods

Ross Lovegrove is Making Some Noise for KEF

G1 GIYA Loudspeakers From Vivid Audio: Expensive & HUGE

Funky Find of The Week: Axelsson Dragon Speakers

Art? Or Speakers? It's Two, Two Objects in One

It's A Lamp. It's A Speaker. It's The Amplamp By Futuros

14 Great Tech Gifts and Gadget Options For The Holidays

Looking for a cool gift for the technophile in your life?

Well, here are 14 of my favorites from my list of 135 cool tech items. Ranging from fun little usb drives to the incredible amphibious A5 icon aircraft. Just click on the pic for more info and place of purchase.

Technology That Works As Well As It Looks
Amazing gifts for the tech lovers in your life. Ranging from thoughtful little fun gifts to advanced, expensive transportation options. Not finding what you want? See more of my Technology That Rocks list at ThisNext.