Timed Based Media

I have a video project coming up. Coming up you say?! Yes, it's true, my teachers have been a tad unorganized. Classes end in two weeks and I have yet to start a final project worth 45% of my final grade. Super. For this project I get to do animations in a 3d environment (not necessarily 3d objects) and combine it with green screen shot film footage.
I'm pretty excited. I've learned a lot of really cool things this term about video, and when I see things like this:

I only get more excited. This is a promo for season 4 of Skins (guilty pleasure British teen melodrama) for a quirky character named Pandora. She's awesome. Equally awesome is the illustrator who made this promo: Julia Potts.
I first saw Julia Potts' work hanging up in the White Elephant in Hamilton. I pointed it out to friend Vivian who instantly recognized her patterned bears. Vivian told me all about who she was, and I bought a print. Then much later, Vivian saw this promo and had to send it to me.
I got the message during class and my teacher saw what I was watching and thought it was way cool. He told me I could do something like this for my green screen project and since then I've been itching to get started.
Another cool video stylistically is Us by Regina Spektor.

I love how this video is kind of stop motion, really fantastical, and though it must have taken hours appears to be so bricolage.
This is my first time dabbling into video but it is one of the coolest mediums to work with. You can do so much with so few elements. When you make something, you really feel a sense of accomplishment. I would like to play around more with it. Once I get a better computer I don't think I'll stop playing with After Effects. Until then I'll live in music videos, and promo reels.
If I like my final project enough, maybe I'll share it with you.

Meet Paul Gardner

By now I think my love of show posters is pretty apparent. I like the artistic freedom that they allow. I stumbled across FloraFauna, or Paul Gardner a while ago and was really impressed with what I saw.
I like his use of geometric shapes and images. The interaction of elements is very playful and clever. They make me want them all. Also to make my own. Enjoy!

Concert Love

Last Thursday I went to see Mr. Owen Pallett at Aeolian Hall in London (which, by the way is an amazing venue). I must say it was one of the best live shows I've been to in a while. First of all, it was probably the only concert I've ever been to (other than Coldplay in grade 12 at ACC) where it was all seating, which made for a very relaxing atmosphere. I got my first pleasent suprise with the openers, Snowblink, who were melodic, beautifully soothing, and played a perfect set. It was so refined, that it only makes sense that Snowblink is affiliated with Dirty Projectors (who played on their album LONG LIVE), and Bruce Penninsula (joined the band as part of the choir).

Owen Pallett was very personable and played a meaty set including old favourites This is the Dream of Win and Regine, Please Please Please, as well as Several new songs off of this year's release Heartland. This is the third time I have seen Final Fantasy, and by far the best. It was a concert that makes you like the artist about a million times more than when you first arrived.