Toolfarm Inspirations Archive

My former student, designer/animator Dru Nget, has hit the big time. Shine Studio, where he's working, has recently finished the network branding package for Ovation TV. Dru did a lot of work on this project and it's great! Watch the Ovation TV video.

Here is a press release about the project if you're interested.

Anyway, I'm very proud of Dru and wish him the best with his career. Awwww.

Labels: 2D, 3D, Television

This is one that was posted back in 2004, but it's really good. They seem to move this link daily, so let's hope this BBC link is solid!

Note: New Link: What Barry Says, "an unapologetic criticism of US Foreign Policy and the Project for the New American Century."

Swarm Films' Jim Birchenough says that he was recreating the look of a propaganda poster. Very well done, even if you don't agree with the message.

Labels: 2D

Axel Rossler and his girlfriend, Ellen, are really into country music and they're both from Frankfurt, Germany... not exactly the hotbed of country music that one might think of... maybe Frankfort, Kentucky! When I think of music in Germany (okay, I know I'm totally dating myself here), I think of the Scorpions' power ballad Wind of Change or Madchen by Lucilectric, which was sooo popular when I was in Dusseldorf in 1992. Or, worse, David Hasselhoff! Ahhh, what do I know about music in Germany... not much at all, obviously. I'm so sad.

Okay, back to the reason for this post. Country Trouble is an incredible stop motion piece, created with hundreds of photos and 3D layers in After Effects. They took lots of photos at Axel's house. Axel said, "There must have been 400 layers or so, haha.. but I like the fact that After Effects still works great, even with tons of layers."

After finishing the house, they took photos of themselves in front of a green screen. Axel adds "organizing the horse was a little bit complicated over here". They took the green screen photos into AE, keyed them and made them 3D layers. They used the AE camera with some wiggle added to it and finished with some color correction.

So, yeah, it's all stills! I really thought the dance scene was video and they used a posterize time effect to give it the look. That dance sequence, what can I say? Wow! It's wunderbar.

Labels: 2D, 3D, Stop Motion

Not the "I bless the rains down in Africa" Toto. This is the Japanese toilet company that makes those cool toilets that keep your privates clean. I've wanted one ever since I went to Japan and used the one at my inlaw's house.

The website has lots of Flash video with cute vector and 3D animations that get the point across just perfectly.

If anyone wants to send me a gift, a Toto toilet is always welcome ;-)

Labels: Flash, Website

Jim G. IMd this link to me. It's definitely created in the South Park style, but instead of the crude humor we're so used to seeing, this is a Buddhist take on life, with the teachings of Alan Watts.

Labels: 2D, Flash

Jamie Slomski, managing director of Bombastic, steps up to answer Five Questions at Studio Daily.

I had the honor of interviewing Jamie Slomski and his partner, Robin Horlick, in April 2006. They did the Jon Stewart Show package and also the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame graphics. Quality stuff.

Labels: Interview

I've been seening this song on a lot of music blogs lately but passed it off due to the song being named the same word used in a Bobby Brown song that I abhor. The name of the band reminds of me another group around the same era with another song that I regard with contempt... but enough about that.

Chromeo sounds nothing like Cameo or Bobby Brown (thank God!). They're a Montreal synth pop group. If Daft Punk and Jamiriquai had a baby, it might sound like this. Just the name Chromeo reeks of coolness.

But, alas, this blog is about visual inspirations and Chromeo's Tenderoni video is so such a great concept. The car wash scene is especially cool. This van is cruising around town with live video playing on the sides. Awesome green screen work, compositing and tracking work. Is that Trapcode Starglow I see? It was directed by London-based Rozan & Schmeltz.

Via Antville

Labels: Music Video

Dave Vieira, Toolfarm's Sales Manager, sent me the link to Jaime's Taco Shop, the new cartoon from Kleeman and Mike. Dave sez, "I really think this is cool and the body mechanics of the characters is so realistic. Face to Face is still marketing that song... wow!"

Well, the song, Disconnected, is like 15 years old. It's retro. It happens to be our forum expert Jim G.'s favorite band. The video also contains some of Jim's friends at the end.

The animation is pretty great. Nice Flash work. Fun script too. I give it 2 thumbs up. "Did you get me a fish, servant?" I really need to teach my cat to talk.

Labels: Film Short, Flash

This rockin' new song and video from Jet is loaded with lots of effects, layers and mattes. The compression blows, so if I find one that's better that I can link to, I'll do that. I think you get the idea though. It was directed by Australian director Michael Spiccia.

Incidently, the song makes fun of Paris Hilton. Man, she's way too easy of a target.



Via Antville

Labels: Music Video

It says: Surreal images in this song from Sally Cruikshank's FACE LIKE A FROG, 1987, written and performed by Danny Elfman and Oingo Boingo, under pseudonym.

Crappy compression but trippy, old school animation makes up for it.


Via Fark.com

Labels: Bizarre, Music Video

Stephanie Dosen as a ghost. There are some 2D animations tract in, but it's the aparitions that I'm enjoying the most. The video was directed by Soy Un Caballo, which if my high school Spanish classes taught me anything, it taught me that Soy Un Caballo means I'm a horse. Someone has some self-esteem issues... or they really are a horse.... a very talented horse who can composite ghosts and hand drawn birds.

Labels: 2D, Music Video

This is a really beautiful music video! It captures the imagination and has adept use of 2D/3D and compositing. I love the dreamlike quality and layering. The zoom in and out is very cool... I like it better than the effect used in the recent Norah Jones video. Directed by Josh Forbes. Animation Directed by Matt Smithson.

I really liike the song as well. I've never heard of this band, but ya know, I'm digging it. I just Hype Machine'd them and found lots of tracks to listen to.


Via if:mv

Labels: 2D, 3D, Music Video

Siouxsie Sioux has a solo album coming out and the video has some serious mirror effects going on and a bit of multiplicity. Video directed by Harvey & Carolyn. I saw Siouxsie and the Banshees in 1992 and they were really great. This song hasn't really caught my admiration just yet, but maybe it will grow on me. The video is interesting though... very dark and fits the Siouxsie persona perfectly.


Via If:MV

Labels: Music Video

A very stylistic commercial for booze. The coloring is really cool and the peach tree that grows like the dandelions in my yard... super fast... is really nice.

Labels: Commercial

A spiffy animated ad for the Zune.

Labels: Commercial

A visual effects extravaganza. I love the virtual sets and scenes of the city and any film with a talking bear has to be good.

Labels: Movie Trailer

They say that this is easy but it looks a bit complex to me! It's a new node-based interactive system for cutting out objects in the foreground of video, being developed at the University of Washington.

Labels: Experimental

A gorgeous animation for the film I Lived on the Moon. The music is by Kwoon. Also, check out the offical site for the movie. It sounds a bit Radioheady to me. It's really amazing work.



Via Fabulist!

Labels: 3D, Movie Trailer, Music Video

This is a little different that the type of stuff I usually post here, but I thought you might enjoy it. This was one great piece of marketing! The section about a minute in where you see the little girl on the broom - well, that's my kid, Lily. She came out to the shoot and was having a fabulous time in front of the camera. I think she'd make a great child star but I'd rather not have her addicted to meth by age 24. I kid, I kid!

So, I helped out on this video shoot, a Harry Potter book promotion for Meijer, a grocery store chain in the midwest. We had a tent that was about 12 foot by 12 foot with a green screen and three lights, as well as a little camera and a hardware keyer. The screen was set up at fairs, ball games, movie theatres and other places where people tend to congregate. One or two (sometimes 4!) people would pretend to fly on their broom. First, we'd take a snapshot, then record video for 10 seconds. They were given a postcard with the ominous words "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows is Coming" and a photo themselves flying on the broom in front of Stonehenge. Below the photo is a website and a code where they can download their video and share it with friends, put it on MySpace, YouTube, etc.

People were so into it. I was at a theatre, the opening night of the Harry Potter movie and lots of people came dressed up in their Gryffindor robes and witch hats and red and yellow striped scarves. I have some photos of the shoot that I'll share with you, as soon as I find my camera cable. Man, I swear that cable grows legs or slithers away.

Labels: Commercial

An interesting claymation, 3D and live action video for the band Green Concorde, directed by Flemming Boutrup and Christian Gundtoft. The eyes of the little claymation guy are creepy. This bands sound is reminiscent of The La's, who put out one of my all-time favorite records.

Labels: 3D, Music Video

Another you've probably seen. The usual silhouetty iTunes style, it's a pretty, happy commercial.

Labels: Commercial

I'm sure you've seen this very cool light writing ad for Sprint. I'm not exaclty sure of the technique, but it looks like stop motion stills with a long exposure. It's amazing stuff, man.

The song is called Souvenirs by Architecture in Helsinki, if you're curious.

Labels: Commercial

HBO Voyeur Project is about a twisted and interconnected stories in an apartment building. More fun than drag queen puppet bingo.

Labels: Experimental, Television

Directed by Adam Egypt Mortimer, live action and some serious graphics. They've got a sports/war theme going on. I love it when cheerleaders have look crazy and vampirey with blood dripping down their chins. Pretty cool video with lots of eye candy... just the way I like them. I'm going to see Against Me! at Lollapalooza this August. Just thought I'd share that.



Via Antville

Labels: Music Video

Getting a little political with this one on all-you-all, but they did a nice job remaking the song and video.

Labels: Music Video

The first hallucinogenic video for the newly reformed Smashing Pumpkins is here. Tarantula is the first single from their new album Zeitgeist and the video is a total psychotrip. Directed by P.R. Brown, the video was shot on green screen with lots of layers and color effects, lighting effects, stereoscopic, keidescopic effects. It's defnintely not the best Pumpkins video ever - that title belongs to Disarm - but it's a rawkus party and very colorful and the effects are on overload. Billy Corgan looks like a Heaven's Gate cult member, though.

I'm loving the song though. I am admittedly a Pumpin-head.... a girls gotta rock you know.

Labels: Music Video