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.

Summer Music: A Review

If you remember, closer to the beginning of the summer I blogged about summer music. Well this summer is starting to wind down (only a few weeks left!) so I may be doing this a bit early but it's on my mind this morning.
My summer soundtrack is this.

Animal Collective- sleected songs from Merriweather, and Strawberry Jam (favourites Summertime Clothes, My Girls, Brothersport, Fireworks, Purple Bottle)

Cut Copy- ANYTHING from In Ghost Colours (try hearts on fire, light and music)

Phoenix- Amadeus Wolfgang Phoenix was amazing (try listomania, 1901)

Regina Spektor- even though I haven't seen it 500 Days of summer (watch the trailer) inspired this throwback to 2 summers ago with the song Us. Fidelity, on the radio, better, and remember that time are up there too.


Metric- Fantasies is a Real solid album (try sick muse, help I'm alive)

Yeah Yeah Yeahs- So mad I didn't get to go to their concert (try heads will roll, hysteric)

I think this summarizes summer music of 2009 for me quite nicely. Of course there are others but these were the ones I turned to again and again.

Do you have any summer anthems?