I’m in two minds with this. On one hand, this game is blatantly jumping on ‘cell-shaded’ bandwagon and hoping to ride on the success of Valve’s Team Fortress 2. Yet, on the other hand – Battlefield Heroes looks like a lot of fun!
To make things even more tempting, apparently this game will be released to the public for free through in-game advertising and sponsorship. I’m assuming I’ll find my cheap hands reaching out to the interwebs to download this for a play test. Whether or not I give up my much needed TF2 time for BF:H will be a different story…
Lately, I have developed an unhealthy obsession with attending live music gigs. Well, it’s probably not bad for my health – however it is starting to hurt my weekly budget. Lines had to be drawn and so I’ve missed out on a couple of shows this summer that I would have loved to been there for. One such show that I passed on was Interpol’s current tour of Australia. My partner and I managed to catch these guys at the Reading Festival last year, so it was only sensible to say ‘no’ to forking out extra cash on their Aussie-tour. That was of course, until I entered, AND WON, a competition to see them perform!
Not only am I receiving two tickets to the concert, but Jessie and I will have access to the exclusive after party AND I will be receiving a turntable and vinyl copy of Our Love To Admire! I’m stoked. This has been a strange week for me, filled with highs and lows. I’ve already watched Iron Maiden perform earlier this week, had horrible technical issues at work and various stressful issues at home – yet the email I received last night really put a giant grin on my face.
So in all of my excitement – here is the latest video released by Interpol for what I believe to be the best song on the album. Filmed in London, the video was directed by Patrick Daughters and has a elegant style to it which I feel matches the mood of this track. I hope you like it as much as I do.
I’ve been waiting patiently for this game for many months now. Little Big Planet combines two of my passions: creating and gaming. Not only are the aesthetics of LBP gorgeous, but the game-play looks like alot of fun – exactly what a game is meant to be. LBP truly takes things to the next level by adding a truck-load of content creation tools for users.
This video (from CES 2008) demonstrates just how simple it is to create fun and inspiring levels.
While romping around London recently, I stumbled across a live music/video exhibition that had been setup in the middle of Trafalgar Square. Sponsored by Becks, this gallery sported a number of video and animated screenings that would be displayed on a 360 degree screen facing inward.
After an hearty lunch with two pints, I was very much in the mood the chill out somewhere. This place was perfect! There was no seating, so everyone simply sat/lay on the floor. It had a really relaxed vibe while being visually and aurally inspired by the various media being displayed. This is me almost napping in the gallery:
With an incredible attention to detail and highly polished compositing work, this reel stands out above other recent works. You simply can’t fault any moment of Matt Lavoy’s work. I look forward to more from this talented creative!
Sony, you’ve done it again! I have been a fan of the previous two Bravia spots for Sony but this one really brought a smile to my face. Created by the ever-impressive Passion Pictures, this ad employs 40 animators to go-to-town on an enormous amount of stop-motion work in the streets of New York City. An incredibly ambitious project, it stays true to the Bravia marketing campaign while making use of a beautiful style of film-making.
What really makes this ad stand out is how it was created in a living city with constant passers-by stopping to check out the animation-fest. The reactions on people’s faces add a great sense of joy and realism to the animation. Even the fluent camera shots give the impression of watching something in real-time. 9/10 for me. This is a real gem.
ps. there is a better version of the video on the Bravia website.
While on holiday in Europe, I thought I’d best make good use of being in London and go see a show. With so many choices, I ended up basing my decision on seeing something that was recommended to me.
The Lord Of The Rings – On Stage is very much something worth seeing! At first I wondered how on earth they were going to crunch down such a long tale into a 2-hour show, but I was pleasantly surprised. The general focus of the story-line was on Frodo and Sam so there was only a small percentage of the show based around the battles.
Visually, this stage show was very innovative. I’m almost certain that most of the audience went in with preconceptions of what to expect, based on what they may have seen in the films. I know I did. It seems that the stage show tries to borrow some visual elements from the films while sticking a little closer to the story-lines of the books. The music and singing we good, not great, but still good. I guess it’s hard to put dancing hobbits on par with The Phantom of the Opera.
With great use of lighting, smoke, acrobatics and innovative props, I thoroughly enjoyed this one. Oh and yes, Gandalf does sing…
I’m back from holidays. My eyes have been fed many-a-tasty-thing over the last 2 months, so I’ll just get straight back into it.
‘Rock Band‘ looks like it’s going to be a butt-load of fun. Combine a fun game with a great director (of Gorillaz music video fame) in Pete Candeland as well as the gorgeous production of Passion Pictures – and you get this:
Well, I’m off to Europe! My second trip to the wonderful northern hemisphere is about to begin, so I may not have a chance to post anything on here for a little while. An epic trip across some of England, France and Spain’s most beautiful landscapes calls for a stunning piece of animation!
For those that remember this original Coca Cola spot released last year – Happiness Factory – the advertising gurus have followed up with another animated gem. This sequel is huge: the story is cute, the animation incredibly cinematic and the environments inspiring. Once again, enjoy.
Seeing as I will be in France within the next 2 weeks, this video came to my eyes at the right time. The hand-drawn visuals in this piece are gorgeous! There are so many styles incorporated that it literally is a feast for our eyes. I’m amazed at the hard work that has gone into this piece – hand-made typography for the win!
