Blogbook

Cuervo x Fender = an agave Stratocaster? Cuervo has teamed up with Fender to create an iconic guitar out of the tequila plant. Via Adweek:

Tequila has long inspired musicians and undoubtedly added fuel to many a rock ’n’ roll show. Now, Fender and Jose Cuervo have teamed up to create a guitar made from the agave plant called the Cuervo x Fender Agave Stratocaster.

“The song ‘Tequila’ was inspired by Jose Cuervo, and a few years ago, we partnered with the Rolling Stones [on a limited edition bottle], so we have a long-standing history in music,” said Danny Mandelbaum, brand director at Jose Cuervo. “This is a great way to show our roots in music.”

The new Strat is just the latest in a series of efforts from Jose Cuervo to find interesting ways to use recycled agave. Its Jose Cuervo Foundation has been working with farmers and craftsmen to provide secondary uses for the plant. So far, the foundation has created a surfboard, clothing, lotions, soap and paper from agave. It also teamed up with Ford to produce car parts made from recycled agave.

The initiative with Fender, which recently stepped up its own efforts to target the next generation of musicians, was a worthy addition to Cuervo’s sustainability efforts, Mandelbaum said.

“Both brands are dedicated to quality and craftsmanship, so it was a natural fit,” he said. “It adds to our brand equity, helps local communities and promotes sustainability, which is great for us.”

From Space and Tokyo and back with this impressive mind-bending 360º video called Tokyo Light Odyssey by Japanese R&D film WowLab using in-house software. Via Gizmodo:

So far, 360° videos have mostly worked as novelty items that are rarely impressive. But I have to say this motion graphics exercise that starts in a sort of Max Headroom-ish outer space blasts through a deconstructed Tokyo and finally turns into a Space Odyssey-style head trip is one of the finest examples of the technique that anyone’s produced.
Japanese R&D firm Wowlab produced the clip using its own in-house omnidirectional motion graphics platform. […]

All that matters is that it looks amazing and has a great feeling of momentum while the camera squeezes through the tiniest holes or breaks through to the infinite reaches of space.

The Weather Channel tries to save small talk with its latest ad campaign with a short film from Shareability. Via Adweek:

Today, it’s just as likely to touch off a furious debate about science and melting polar ice caps. In a new piece of original branded content, The Weather Channel puts its finger on that politicized pulse and launches a campaign to “save small talk.”

The cable network knows that any discussion of rain (or lack thereof), sunshine (sometimes searing) or earthquakes (sign of the apocalypse?) can be hazardous to the public dialogue.

That explains the light touch on this short film, from Shareability, that comically pits two sides of the argument against one another at the water cooler, on the beach, at a stand-up comedy show and an exercise class. (Do not mention “early spring” to the guy on the mini-trampoline, or you’ll get an earful about fracking).

“There are those who passionately feel there is a problem, those who are fed up with people claiming or overstating that there is a problem, and those who are just trying to have a polite chat in the elevator,” said Tim Staples, Shareability’s CEO. He added that the marching orders from the client—to encourage those on both sides of the controversy to have a civil discourse—made for “one of the tougher briefs we’ve ever gotten.”

I Think I Love You is an impressive graduation film by BFA 3 character animation student Xiya Lan for the California Institute of the Arts, showing the different ways people express love. Via Design Taxi:

People often associate the universal language of love to romance and butterflies in the stomach, when there’s so much more to that. Love comes in many disguises that’ll make you feel and hurt in different ways.

Xiya Lan’s final film at the California Institute of Arts is an adorably apt depiction of the many facets of love. From parents’ nurture of children to childhood friendships and harmful adult relationships, the film runs the gamut between heartwarming and heartbreaking.

You can watch the other student films here. Great work guys, and best wishes for the future! And if the California Institute of the Arts sounds familiar to you, that’s because we’ve featured short films from CalArts students before: it’s one of the world’s leading college of the visual and performing arts in the United States, with schools in Art, Critical Studies, Dance, Film/Video, Music, and Theater.

You can see more of Xiya Lan’s work here which includes a lot of great character gifs and animations.

Kinsetsu is a highly sensory sci-fi short film that uses macro photography and practical effects to imagine life on another planet. Via Gizmodo:

Sci-fi nowadays tends to rely on CGI — and by rely, I mean completely depend on it. It’s not surprising, since sci-fi is about inventing people, places, and things that don’t exist, but it can sometimes feel rather lifeless. A new sci-fi short ditches the CGI to bring another planet to life. After all, Mother Nature can be pretty alien sometimes.

Kinsetsu, by Clemens Wirth, is basically a two-minute mind trip. Using macro photography and practical effects, the short envisions what life on another planet, specifically Planet-9, would look like. But it’s more than that, you can practically feel it. The whole video is incredibly sensory, partially thanks to the immersive soundtrack from Radium Audio.

You can see more of Clemens’ photography on his website here. He graduated from the university of applied sciences FH-Salzburg majoring in arts & design, and has accumulated several awards along the way, including winning the Bronze at Bassawards for “Measuring Evil” in the category Best TV Titles. He has also been nominated for SXSW a couple of times. Check out his work!

Samsung has set up a giant S8 phone sculpture to photography 20 of the most beautiful locations in the UK, selected from a poll. Via the Telegraph:

If there’s one thing Samsung can never be accused of, it’s being shy when it comes to marketing its products. The release of the Galaxy S8 and S8+ wasn’t going to be any different. To celebrate the imminent launch of the devices in the UK, Samsung’s marketing bods have sent a huge 7x3m sculpture made to look like the front face of the phone around the UK, framing the view behind as though you were taking a giant photo.

The campaign is part of a study to find the 20 greatest British views. Samsung commissioned a survey of 2500 people to make up the list, which is accompanied by stunning images of each location from Landscape Photographer of the year Matthew Cattell, all taken with the Galaxy S8. The sculpture was placed in a number of iconic locations, such as St. Ives, Stonehenge, and Westminster Bridge in London.

It’s no surprise Samsung wants to highlight what they believe is a key selling point of the new devices, the so-called “Infinity Display,” and tying it to a campaign celebrating natural beauty across the UK is a sure-fire way to get people talking. Minimal top and bottom bezels, combined with gently rolling curved edges, have resulted in an impressive screen-to-body ratio of 83.6% and 84% for the Galaxy S8 and S8+, respectively. These specs, coupled with the widescreen 18.5:9 aspect ratio (similar to the LG G6) and curved corners, make for a compelling new design proposition.

ICYMI: The Last Jedi trailer is out! Did anyone else get feels seeing the back of Carrie Fisher’s head? The Star Wars director sat down to discuss semantics, via Polygon:

It all started with a disputed bit of trivia. Faris asked, quite plainly, if The Last Jedi was singular or plural.

“It’s so funny,” Johnson said, seeming amused by the whole situation. “When the title was announced, I never even pondered that question. That seems like, to me, the most uninteresting question. In my mind it’s singular. In my mind it is. Absolutely.”

So is Luke Skywalker the last Jedi, Faris asked?

“If you say so,” Johnson said, looking suddenly defeated. “I mean, they say so in The Force Awakens. He’s going to find the last Jedi temple, and Luke is the last Jedi.”

So there you have it. Now we’re only left with the temporal nature of the word “last.” Is Luke the last Jedi for the duration of the film? At some point does Ridley’s Rey become the second Jedi, temporarily doubling the sum total of Jedi in the universe before Luke vanishes — as Jedi are wont to do? We haven’t got a clue.

The balance of ABC’s interviews portray a cast conflicted by the direction of the film.

“It was as shocking to me to read what Rian had written,” said Mark Hamill, “as I’m sure it will be to the audience.”

“I went to Rian’s office,” said Daisy Ridley, “I was like, ‘We need to have a talk about what’s happening here.’”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zrehQjsz5ck

Pennzoil says goodbye to their legendary Dodge Viper in a stunt driving video, featuring Rhys Millen of the Fast and the Furious. Via Adweek:

“When we found out Dodge was going to discontinue the Viper, we were heartbroken,” said JWT executive creative director Jeremy Jones, who led the project. “It’s the only American car that competes for international track records.”

But Jones told Adweek that Pennzoil and Dodge were more than happy to give the car “the send-off it deserves,” with a Miami shoot that required a bit of creative traffic control from the local police. He also described the scene in which the Viper briefly leaves the ground as a “happy accident.”

“Once we thought it was possible, we planned for it and set up the shot to make it work,” he said.

“We’re trying to reach the same audience as Fast and Furious, but this is rooted in realism,” Jones added, noting that the campaign includes “no CGI except in the cleanup [of footage]. So, we basically drive the piss out of these vehicles in the ultimate demo of the motor oil … capturing that kinetic energy.”

Millen and director Ozan Biron explain a bit more about the work in this making-of film.

South Africa: A Mavic Tale is a beautifully shot, magnificent Lion-King-esque film made completely using the Mavic Pro drone. Via the Digital Circuit:

Having never been to South Africa, Rind decided to take along his Mavic Pro, which he’d purchased in January. Though he’s had experience with drones since 2012 on production shoots, he’s never actually *owned* one. So he doesn’t describe himself, by any means, as an expert. He went hoping to capture some of South Africa’s wildlife and majestic scenery, as well as put the Mavic Pro through its paces.

“I was going on the trip and picked up a Mavic Pro to see what kind of stuff I could pull off,” he told TDC from San Francisco. Rind also wanted to see if the Mavic Pro might be an appropriate tool for an upcoming pro shoot he has planned for California’s Mount Shasta.

Rind knew he’d likely be flying in bright conditions. So he picked up a set of Taco RC neutral density filters – and was very glad he did.

“I used those and was running probably no less than an ND16 at any point in time. I’d rather have it be darker and not be completely blown out,” he explained.

He also decided, because he’s a producer and not a post-production expert, that he wanted going to go play around with some presets and not work on colour grading in post. Most of the time he was shooting in standard portrait mode, he says, while doing other manual tweaks.

“To be honest I’m not an expert – so every day I would tweak and see what else I could get.”