MediaCityUK - Take Note

When I was studying architecture back in college, I've seen a lot of architectural visualizations, both from students and professionals. However, I have never seen any of them putting a little fun and charm into the project like this one, even if the architecture itself isn't that interesting. "Take Note" is a visualization video for MediaCityUK, a multi-purpose development for BBC in Salford, UK. Created by Andrew Li, the video starts out with millions of post-its (anyone remember "Deadline"?) forming the building. Then, instead of putting boring human figures in, Andrew populated it with colorful and comical characters going about their daily lives.

之前在大學裡學建築時, 曾經看過不少3D建築模型影片, 有學生做的也有職業級的. 不過, 我重來沒看過一個建築影片是這麼的新鮮可愛. "Take Note"是Andrew Li為BBC在英國Salford的都市園區規劃 - MediaCityUK, 所製做的建築模擬短片. 雖然設計本身不怎麼樣, 但影片的呈現方式卻很有趣. 動畫一開始由許多便利貼 (還記得之前介紹的"Deadline"嗎?) 形成一個個高樓. 然後, 不同於一般無聊的建築影片所放的一些人像, Andrew 則放進了活潑又滑稽的卡通人物生活在這些空間裡.

Neurosonics Audiomedical Labs Inc.

Ever heard of beatboxing? Some of the beatboxers out there are so good I wonder if they are just some instrumental robots disguised under human skins. Partizan Lab took this idea to the extreme and created this creative little music video "Neurosonics Audiomedical Labs Inc." The video shows some lab workers literally playing, spinning and drumming various human heads, and each head would make the corresponding sound with their voice when they are being "played". The track features a group of Scottish DJs called "Scratch Perverts".

有聽過Beatbox嗎? 就是純粹用嘴巴製造出不同節奏音效的一種表演. 有些beatbox的人真的很厲害, 強到讓我懷疑他們是不是披著人皮的樂器機器人. Partizan Lab 把這概念應用在 MV "Neurosonics Audiomedical Labs Inc."裡（這實在是有夠難翻譯... 應該是叫"聲波神經音頻醫療研究所"吧?) 影片裡的研究人員把不同的"人頭"當成鼓來敲打, 或唱片刮盤來DJ. 而這些"人頭樂器"則會跟著會用嘴巴發出聲音來演奏出音樂節奏．影片音樂來自蘇格蘭的DJ樂團"Scratch Perverts".

One Rat Short

"One Rat Short" is a short film from the New York based studio Charlex. It's a heartfelt story between a street rat and a lab rat, living in two opposite worlds, and fell into the forbidden love. Charlex has managed to craft a tale that is both gritty yet cute, realistic yet imaginative. The extreme juxtaposition between the two lovers and the world they live in: One being dirty, grim and dark, and the other one being completely clean, bright and sterile, really highlights the contrast between these two rats. This short is the winner of 2006 SIGGRAPH animation festival.

"One Rat Short"(少了一隻鼠)是紐約的一家叫Charlex的公司製作的短片. 這個感人的動畫在描述一隻街鼠跟一隻白老鼠, 住在兩個完全相反的世界, 陷入了不被准許的愛. Charlex創造出了一個黑暗但又很可愛, 真實卻又很有想像力的故事. 這兩個愛人(愛鼠?)所在的世界：一個是骯髒又黑暗的地下道, 另一個則是白淨又冷酷的實驗室, 凸顯了他們的對比. 這個短片贏得了2006 SIGGRAPH 最佳動畫獎.

UNIQLOCK in Paris

UNIQLO is a clothing brand from Japan. They started out as a cheaper and more casual clothing choice, but gradually became the hip and trendy name in the fashion world in recently years. I think part of their success is due to their unique and creative marketing strategies. One of those is called the "UNIQLOCK" which periodically shows alternating footages of pretty girls dancing in UNIQLO cloths, and a clock that displays your current local time, all the while playing charming music in the background. It's really hard to describe in words as it's something that needs to be experienced by yourself. Following the new opening of a flagship store in Paris, they've decided to launch a UNIQLOCK at that city too.

UNIQLO 是一家日本的服飾品牌. 剛開始時他們本來是走低價休閒路線的. 不過, 近年來也慢慢的變成了一個很流行的時尚品牌. 我認為他們成功的一部分原因是因為他們的廣告以及推銷方法十分的有創意而且與眾不同. "UNIQLOCK"就是這些手法之一. 用有規律的節奏一下秀出一群美少女們穿著UNIQLO的衣服跳著舞, 一下又跳到一個時鐘播報當地時間, 配上輕快的音樂, 這就是UNIQLOCK, 是一個你必須去親自體驗的東西. 最近他們在巴黎新開了一家分店, 所以也搞了個巴黎版的UNIQLOCK來打廣告.

Fumiko's Confession

Ah, gotta love those ridiculous and hilarious Japanese anime! "Fumiko's Confession" is an independent short created by Hiroyasu Ishida and peers, and it shows the charm and the quirkiness that is so distinctively Japanese. For the people who don't understand the language (like me), fear not - we've got the helpful and powerful YouTube community out there that helped us on translation: (Be sure to check out the making of too)

(Beginning)

Girl: "Please go out with me!"

Boy: "Sorry! Right now I want to focus on baseball!"

Girl: "Waaah!! Takashi-Kun you idiot!!"

(End)

Girl: "I'll make miso soup for you at home every morning!!"

Boy: "Sorry! I really want to focus on baseball!"

Girl: "Ahh!!" (falls unconscious)

真的很喜歡爆笑又搞怪的日本動畫! "美子的告白"是廣安石田和夥伴製作的一個動畫短片. 這部短片的古怪風以及趣味真的是非常的日式風格. 如果你跟我一樣聽不懂日文的話, 別擔心, 有YouTube的社群來幫忙翻譯: (別忘了看一下幕後製作)

(開始)

女: "請你和我交往!"

男: "對不起! 現在我想專注在棒球上!"

女: "哇!!! 隆同學你這個笨蛋!!"

(結束)

女: "我會每天早上在你家做味增湯給你!!"

男: "對不起! 現在我真的只想專注在棒球上!"

女: "啊...!!" (昏倒)

Plaid - Itsu

The vegetarians out there might like this video a lot, and as for everyone else... well, it really depends on your taste for weird and edgy films. Plaid is a British electronic duo who often makes musics for shorts and feature films. (Tekkon- kinkreet and Heaven's Door) Their MV "Itsu", is directed by Pleix, a group of French directors and artists who creates strange and provocative films that often have a social commentary. This video seems to be a criticism to how the cooperations chemically and genetically alter our food in order to bring in more profit, and human-beings, in the most primitive forms, are no different than the food they eat.

素食主義者應該會很喜歡這個短片, 而其他人呢... 就要看你們喜不喜歡有點怪異的片了. Plaid是一對英國的電子音樂團體, 常常會幫一些短片和電影做音樂. (Tekkonkinkreet 和 Heaven's Door) 他們的MV "Itsu" 是由法國的一個製片團體Pleix所做的. Pleix常常喜歡用他們的短片做社會批判, 而"Itsu"當然也不例外. 這片似乎是在講現今的食品公司, 為了利益, 常用化學和基因改造我們的食物. 而人類的原始型態和我們所吃的動物並沒什麼不同.

Deadline

Stop-motion animation is really a labor of intense passion and dedication. a fellow Taiwanese student Bang-Yao Liu created the short "Deadline" for his senior project at Savannah College of Art and Design. To create this video he and his crew had to use about 6,000 post-it notes and 4 days of work to continuously stick and re-stick post-its all over the wall. The result is an interesting pixelated effect that reminds me of those retro Atari and Nintendo games of the 80's. Click here to watch the making of.

逐格動畫真的是很辛苦又費工夫啊. 一個名叫劉邦耀(謝謝Ru所提供的資料!)的台灣學生在Savannah College of Art and Design做了一部叫"Deadline"的畢業動畫. 為了這部短片, 他和朋友花了6000張Post-it便利貼和4天的時間不斷重複把貼紙黏上又摘下. 最後終於達成了有趣的低畫素效果, 感覺很像80年代的Atari或任天堂的遊戲畫面. 按這裡看幕後製作.

Flower Maschine

"Flower Maschine" is a short created by Leandro Feuz when he was employed at Pattern. It is a branding commercial for the Argentinian studio. The film starts out like a typical 2D flash animation composed of colorful lines running around. However, it soon surprises the viewers when those flat elements jump out of the plane into 3D spaces, and become much more interesting as they extend themselves three-dimensionally. According to the studio, those lines are the energy "feeding an underground half organic, half mechanical device."

"Flower Maschine"(花朵機器)是Leandro Feuz在一家叫Pattern的阿根廷動畫公司時做的短片. 這是一個公司自己的品牌宣傳廣告. 影片剛開始時像一個普通的2D Flash動畫, 一堆色彩鮮豔的線條跑來跑去的. 不過不久之後那些線條突然跳出了平面, 開始在3D空間裡生長延伸, 變的有意思許多. 根據Pattern的解釋, 這些彩色線條是為了"補送一個在地底下, 一半生物, 一半機械的設備所需的能源."

Sand Animation

Sand animation is a form of performance art that tells a story through drawing a series of images with sand. Kseniya Simonova, a sand artist performing at a Ukraine TV show "Ukraine's Got Talent", told a tear-jerking tale of war, love, and family through her hands and sand. Watching her perform feels a bit like seeing a magician doing tricks; with a few simple gestures or movements, Kseniya is able to transition from one artsy picture to the next with fluidity and beauty, all the while adding a little acting performance of her own. Click here and here to watch the other performances done by the same artist.

沙動畫是一種表演性藝術. 藝人利用沙連續畫出一連串的畫來描述一個故事. Kseniya Simonova 是一個沙動畫藝術家. 她在烏克蘭的一個電視節目"Ukraine's Got Talent"上, 運用沙和她的一雙手, 訴說了一個有關戰爭, 愛情, 以及家庭的一個感人費府的故事. 看她表演感覺好像是在看一場魔術秀一樣, 幾個簡簡單單的動作和手勢就把一幅畫很順暢又美麗地變換到下一幅. 在這之中順便也用肢體語言即興表演一翻. 按這裡和這裡看她其他的表演.

Rolltop

A friend of mine sent me a video of the concept design for a futuristic laptop - Rolltop. Designed by Orkin, this neat idea envisions the laptop being one giant, flexible touch-screen that can be "rolled up" like a scroll as oppose to folded up. Apparently, it can also function like a flat tablet or a monitor. Wish the next tablet from some fruit company could look like this...

我的一個朋友寄了一個未來筆電的概念設計影片Rolltop給我, 由Orkin 設計, 這個概念把筆電想像成一個超大又靈活的觸控式銀幕. 特別的是, 這個筆電是像一個捲軸"捲"起來的, 而不是一般的合併式. 這玩意似乎還可以當成平板電腦以及桌上銀幕使用. 希望某家水果公司的下一個平板電腦就是長這樣...

Thanks, Darson!

Nokia: The Journey Starts Here

Looks like viral marketing is quite popular among cellphone related industry these days. Nokia has recently released a promo for their new phone N900 called "The Journey Starts Here", produced by The Mill. Apparently, this phone is so powerful, that it not only does everything other phones do, but it could also metamorphosis into other monstrous forms and creatures. Again, I am convinced that our cellphones are definitely quite evil on the inside. If you're impatient like me, just jump to 1:40 of the video. That's when all the boring talks stop and actions begin.

最近的手機業者似乎很喜歡用病毒式行銷這個手法．Nokia為他們的新手機N900所打的廣告"The Journey Starts Here"（旅程從這裡開始）是由The Mill製作．很明顯的，這個手機功能十分強大，不僅有其他手機都有的功能，還可以隨時變化成各種可怕的型體及外星生物．這讓我在一次覺得我們的手機真的是挺邪惡的．如果你跟我一樣沒耐心的話，就直接跳到影片1:40的地方吧．那差不多是主角們把無關的廢話說完，好戲上場的時候．

Is Your Cell Phone Evil?

The Mill, the brilliant minds that came up with "Dix", teamed up with Droga5 to create this online viral for Net10 that asks the question "is your cell phone evil?" The video started out like another low quality, home-made YouTube video about some kid who got too bored and decided to microwave his cellphone and see what happens. Yet, the event that follows is definitely both shocking and unexpected. Never know so much evilness is hidden inside that gadget.

"Dix"的特效團隊The Mill這次又出新招, 和Droga5合作製作了Net10的病毒式行銷影片來質問我們, "你的手機是邪惡的嗎?" 影片開頭像是許多其他的低畫質, 在自己家裡拍的YouTube影片 - 一個無聊的小鬼想看看如果把他的手機放到微波爐裡面去烤的話會發生什麼事. 但是, 接下來發生的事則是既驚悚又異想不到的. 從來不知道我的手機裡那麼邪惡呀.

Flatlife

Flatlife is an interesting animated short depicting a day of four ordinary people, living next to each others. Created by a Belgium student Jonas Geirnaert, this comical animation's humor lies in exaggerating the bizarre situations of seemingly ordinary, everyday activities. Another interesting aspect is how these four people's actions relate to and affect each other, but they never really seem to know it.

Flatlife(平面生活)是一個很有趣的動畫短片, 描述四個住在彼此隔壁的普通人的生活. 由比利時的學生Jonas Geirnaert製作, 這個短片的笑點來自於誇大一些每天都會發生的普通事件, 使得那些狀況變的極奇怪異. 另一個很有趣的地方是這四個鄰居的行為都會互相影響或干擾到彼此的生活, 但是他們似乎完全不知道這回事.

555 KUBIK

"How it would be, if a house was dreaming?" is the idea behind the art project 555 KUBIK. Daniel Rossa teamed up with Urbanscreen to project moving imageries onto the facade of the Kunsthalle in Hamburg, Germany, making the whole wall turn into a virtual transformer. The building seems to be constantly morphing and reconfiguring itself into different shapes and patterns. Make sure you turn your volume on when watching this because the sound effects really adds to it. Watch the extended version here, and take a look at some of the other similar projects such as the Mint Plaza and the Augmented Space.

"如果一個房子會作夢的話, 那會是什麼樣子?" 是裝置藝術555 KUBIK 背後的概念. Daniel Rossa和Urbanscreen合作, 把量身訂做的動態影片投射到一棟在德國的美術館Kunsthalle的牆面上, 使得一整座牆變成了虛擬的變形金剛. 看上去, 建築物似乎不停的在變形, 一下凸出, 一下又凹進的, 變化成各種形狀和圖樣. 看這影片時記得把聲音打開. 按這裡看加長版, 有興趣的話也可以看看其他類似的作品如Mint Plaza 和Augmented Space.

Oktapodi

Oktapodi is an animated short film from the students of a famous French academy Gobelins L'Ecole de L'Image. It is a cute little tale of love, adventure and drama involving two octopus lovers (although since they only have 6 legs, I should really call them hexapus?). Really gotta dig the great animation and the unique Greek environment setting that's used as part of the story-telling. This short has won multiple awards including an Oscar nomination for the Best Short Film as well as the Best of Show in SIGGRAPH 2008. Visit the official site here.

Oktapodi是一群在法國有名的藝術學院Gobelins L'Ecole de L'Image 的學生所做的動畫短片. 這是一個有關兩隻章魚情侶的愛情故事, 以及他們如何為了偉大的愛而逃過要宰掉他們的廚師之魔掌. 很喜歡這短片生動又靈活的角色動作以及利用很獨特的希臘背景作為故事場景. 這短片贏得了許多的獎項, 如奧斯卡最佳短片提名以及SIGRRAPH 2008的最佳作品等等. 按這裡進入官方網站

Slo-Mo Fire Breathing

A collection of slow motion video footage of fire breathing from the Vancouver-based fire artist Napalm Dragon. I love the details and the shifting textures of the fire, especially how it sometimes slowly creeps up toward the artists' mouth. Click here for the lower res but faster loading video.

一個在溫哥華的火焰藝術家Napalm Dragon在他的網站上放了一些超慢動作播出的噴火表演. 我很喜歡火焰製造出的效果和不斷變化的紋路, 尤其是有時火焰會慢慢的蔓延到噴火者的嘴巴那. 按這裡看比較小檔案,低畫質的版本.

Strawberry Swing MV (Unofficial Version)

Having posted the official music video of Coldplay's new single "Strawberry Swing" yesterday, I feel like the unofficial version should deserve a little attention too. Although this music video, created by The Pixel Hive, is also a stop-motion animation, it stands in contrast with the official one in almost every way. the pace is slower, the tone is more mellow, and yet near the middle of it something so bizarre and freaky happens that I simply do not know how to describe it in words. I also like the subtle visual details that shows the whole thing is set at the London underground metro. So which one do you guys like better?

昨天po過Coldplay的新歌Strawberry Swing"官方MV, 所以今天理應得po一下那首歌的"非官方版本"啦. 雖然這個由The Pixel Hive製作的MV也是個逐格動畫, 不過他跟那之前的官方MV在各方面都形成了強烈的對比. 這個的步調比較慢, 氣氛也比較柔和. 不過接近中間的時候, 發生了一件非常怪異又奇特的事情, 我實在是不知如何用言語來形容. 我也很喜歡在動畫裡的各種小細節, 讓你一看就知道主角是在倫敦的地下鐵. 所以跟上一個MV比起來, 你們比較喜歡哪一個呢?

Strawberry Swing MV

The music video for Cold Play's single "Strawberry Swing" tells an age-old story of how a super hero attempts to fight the evil villain to rescue the damsel in distress. Created by a group of London-based artists Shynola, this epic story is so retro that it actually feels kinda cool in a way. The stop-motion used here is quite amazing. It blends the real actor with the chalk drawn backgrounds so well that I often forgot it is really just a guy standing/lying on top of the ground, and instead got really engaged with the story and visuals.

Cold Play的新歌"Strawberry Swing"的MV裡有個超級英雄, 為了解救被困住的公主而試著去打敗壞蛋. 由於故事實在是太老套了, 老套到讓我覺得反而有點復古, 新鮮的感覺. 這是個由倫敦的Shynola團體製作的逐格動畫. 讓我覺得很厲害的地方是, 它把一個真人扮的主角和用粉筆畫的背景完美的融合了一起, 使得我感覺好像在看一部精采的電影, 而常常會忘記那其實只是一個人站在/躺在一片柏油地上.

Ferrofluid

when I watched these videos (and here's another one) of ferrofluid for the first time, I really could not believe what I'm seeing was real and not CG. According to Wikipedia, it is "a liquid which becomes strongly polarized in the presence of a magnetic field" and, apparently, creates some very interesting forms and movements due to that property. Sachiko Kodama, the creator of those videos, is one of the most prominent ferrofluid artists out there. There's also a commercial for Nestle chocolate that's obviously inspired by the fluid (which is in complete CG).

第一次看到這影片時(還有這另外一個影片), 我真的無法相信我正再看一個真實的物體, 而不是電腦製作出來的特效. 這東西叫Ferrofluid, 又翻"磁流體". 根據維基百科, 它"是一種在磁場存在時會強烈極化的液體." 也因為這個特性, 使它能夠產生如此有趣的形體和變化. 這些影片的製作人, 兒玉幸子, 是一個很有名的磁流體藝術家. Nestle 巧克力有一則廣告很明顯就是從這液體得到靈感的. (這廣告則是全部用電腦CG做的就是了)

Make Yourself

I have never seen such a cool commercial for a college. Make Yourself is a spot for a university in Chile created by a Chilean studio DAf. The colorful paint splashes and drips across the screen and form into human figures, as if these people are the invisible men gradually revealed by the paint. Also check out the making of narrated by an overly enthusiastic and dramatic narrator.

從來沒看過一個那麼酷的大學廣告. Make Yourself (創造自己)是一個智利的公司DAf幫一所智利大學製作的廣告. 色彩繽紛的顏料在銀幕上四處飛濺, 而後形成人的樣子, 好像是隱形人被水彩給潑到, 而慢慢的露出了自己的樣子. 也看看這個超激動的旁白解說的幕後製作吧.

"How to Train Your Dragon" Teaser

Finally, I get to show you guys what I have been slaving over at DreamWorks for. The company has just released a teaser trailer for "How to Train Your Dragon", slated for March next year. The story is set at a Vikings world where mythical dragons exist, and are men's biggest enemies. I am part of the effects team responsible for things such as fire, water, and lava you see in the trailer.

終於可以讓你們看看我在夢工廠動畫到底在做什麼了. 今天公司剛推出了我們下個動畫電影的預告片 - "How to Train Your Dragon" (中文好像是翻"訓龍祕計") 預計明年3月(在美國)上映. 故事設定在維京時代, 火龍存在的世界. 人與龍是為敵對的關係. 我是在特效組的, 你在預告片裡看到的火焰, 海水, 以及岩漿等都是我們做的.

Alarm

"Alarm" is an animated short from the Korean team Mesai. I've got to say that I'm very surprised at the level of quality and polish an independent studio from Asia could achieve, especially the subtle details in the animation and the soft lighting/rendering. The animation really captures the pain and the agony of waking up every morning trying to get ready for work or school. Watching this short really reminds me one of those drowsy mornings where I really wish I could smash the god-damned alarm clock that just wouldn't let me snooze a bit more.

"Alarm"(鬧鐘)是韓國的一個動畫團隊Mesai製作的一個短片. 我必須承認我對一個亞洲的獨立動畫團體能夠達到的水準和完成度感到驚訝. 尤其是各部分動畫的小細節與非常柔和的光影及色彩都相當的優. 這動畫充分表達了每天早上要從被窩裡爬起來去上班/上學的痛苦和煎熬. 看著這短片就讓我想起我有好多次都差點忍不住想把那可惡又煩死人的鬧鐘給狠狠摔爛的回憶.