Mr. Morrison Lessmore

Admit it, we all love Pixar movies! And if you are like me, you have wished more things in life could be as cool as Pixar characters or movies at some point. Well, good news! Moonbot Industries and William Joyce, ex-Pixar designer, acclaimed illustrator and author have released an animated storybook for iPad. A what?, think of it as an e-book or interactive story, but with some beautiful Pixar touches and goodies. Whether you have kids or simply love reading this app is worth getting! Learn more about the process and story as well as some screenshots, behind the scenes and production photos after the jump!



The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore iPad App Trailer from Moonbot Studios on Vimeo.


The award-winning short film is now an interactive narrative experience. William Joyce’s “The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore”, blurs the line between picture books and animated film.
Inspired, in equal measures, by Hurricane Katrina, Buster Keaton, The Wizard of Oz, and a love for books, “Morris Lessmore” is a story of people who devote their lives to books and books who return the favor. Morris Lessmore is a poignant, humorous allegory about the curative powers of story. Using a variety of techniques (miniatures, computer animation, 2D animation) award winning author/ illustrator William Joyce and Co-director Brandon Oldenburg present a new narrative experience that harkens back to silent films and M-G-M Technicolor musicals. “Morris Lessmore” is old fashioned and cutting edge at the same time.
Check out http://morrislessmore.com/ for more goodies!

Put yourself in Morris’ shoes as you dive into the story of Mr. Lessmore and his flying friends through Moonbot Studios’ first Interactive Storybook. In this reinvention of digital storytelling you can repair books, tumble through a storm, learn the piano and even get “lost in a book,” flying through a magical world of words, giving you a dynamic journey through the story. This iPad App has been touted by Apple as one of the “Top New Apps for the iPad,” and will surely be enjoyed by children and adults alike. Using rich CG animation, innovative interactivity, original composed music, and unique games sprinkled throughout the book, this App will revive a love of story in all.
Get it today! iPad App

Visit http://www.moonbotstudios.com/

‘The Amazing Spider-Man’ Trailer

It’s been a week of trailers! First saw a amazing Batman, and now, it’s the official trailer for Marc Webb‘s The Amazing Spider-Man. Check out the new version, sans Tobey Maguire. Check out the insane spidy-view shots at the end…

Young Blood - Sfiso Mzobe

Winner of the Sunday Times LIterary Award 2011. (Read more here.)

Sipho is a “young blood”, a young man of the school-going generation caught up in a world of money, booze and greed. He lives in Umlazi, Durban – he is seventeen, has dropped out of school and helps out at his father’s mechanic shop during the day. But odd jobs underneath the bonnets of wrecked cars do not provide the lifestyle his friends have...

A fascinating look into the emotional landscape of car hijackers – by a fantastic, vibrant new voice in South African literature.

Read Sfiso's interview with Mike Nicol at http://crimebeat.book.co.za/blog/2010/09/13/crime-beat-whats-driving-sifiso-mzobe/

The Bang Bang Club

There are films with the power to inspire us and the ability to expose us to worlds and things we have only read or heard of. The Bang Bang Club certainly seems to fit perfectly in this category as it showcases the life, work and struggles of famous War Photographers Greg Marinovich, Joao Silva, Kevin Carter and Ken Oosterbroek. I have only seen the trailer but can’t wait to watch it, hoping it serves as an accurate and honorable tribute to these amazing Photographers and their legacy.

The Bang Bang Club is the real life story of a group of four young combat photographers – Greg Marinovich, Joao Silva, Kevin Carter and Ken Oosterbroek – bonded by friendship and their sense of purpose to tell the truth.

They risked their lives to tell the world of the brutality and violence associated with the first free elections in post Apartheid South Africa in the early 90s. This intense political period brought out their best work (two won Pulitzers) but cost them a heavy price.

Based on the book of the same name by Marinovich and Silva, the film stars Ryan Phillippe, Malin Akerman and Taylor Kitsch and explores the thrill, danger and moral questions associated with exposing the truth.

 

The Bang Bang Club was produced & directed by South African filmmaker Steven Silver, of award-winning documentaries previously like Gerrie & Louise as well as Diameter of the Bomb and The Last Just Man. This is based on the real stories of these four photographers in South Africa as documented in Greg Marinovich’s book “The Bang-Bang Club: Snapshots from a Hidden War.” It first premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival last year. The Film will be at cinemas soon, so lookout for it, at a cinema near you.

So, you might not be familiar with these photographers by name, but I can guarantee you have seen their amazing work on magazines, books or the web. And just to give you a brief sample of their ‘work’ and the deep and emotional struggles these Photographers went through, here’s a photo that changed many lives and made history, shot by the late Kevin Carter. Kevin Carter suffered from extreme depression and committed suicide in 1994.

Check out the film’s official website for more information and I strongly suggest you read and share their blog. 

www.thebangbangclub.com

Worth a thought.

7.000.000.000 people consuming, what now?
Advertising Agency: NOSSA™, Lisbon, Portugal

One Life: International Photography Competition

Organized by Artists Wanted, in partnership with PDN Magazine, One Life is a worldwide search for photography.

Amateur and professional photographers, working in either film or digital, are invited to submit images illustrating their ideas, beliefs, loves, geographies, histories and livelihoods to demonstrate that, with all our differences, we are one community connected through our love of images.

One photographer will be selected to receive the Grand Prize award: a feature in PDN Magazine and on ArtistsWanted website, A NYC Photo Reception & Exhibition, and the choice of either a dream trip around the world or $10,000 cash.

Deadline for entries is July 29, 2011.

more: http://www.onelifephotos.com/

Bryan Adams. Singer / Photographer

Photography Week. This one is a bit of a ’shocker’ if you want to call it that. Most people know Bryan Adams for his 90’s romantic songs… but few people know him as the talented photographer he is.

Not sure if it’s just a hobby (I would love to shoot for Guess as a hobby -hint) or if he really works as a pro, but his work is great – it does help to have a few famous friends to build a nice portfolio. Want more? There’s plenty at BryanAdams.com

Transmoflection – Vancouver 2010

Today, I unfortunately found out about the passing of Leo Obstbaum, the design director for the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Games. What also saddened me, is that nobody I mentioned this to had a clue of who he was or that the 2010 Winter Olympics released a graphic identity two years ago.

This post is memory of Leo and for those who had no idea… perhaps you can check it as ‘that one thing you learned today’.

For athletes, spectators, and Games enthusiasts around the world, the graphic identity communicates the spirit of the 2010 Winter Games, telling its story in the universal language of design. The Vancouver 2010 graphic identity features many illustrated textures drawn from Canada’s natural and urban environments as well as its rich cultural diversity. All creative elements of the graphic identity were developed by VANOC’s in-house design team, with one key texture created by local aboriginal artist Xwa lack tun.

How did they come up with this identity? I’m glad you ask, here’s a video of how it came to life…

Greg Durell, designer for Vancouver 2010 Olympic Games, released this information via email…

On Friday - 20 August 2010, Leo Obstbaum, the design director for the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Games, passed away unexpectedly at his home. Leo’s design leadership and influence are evident throughout Vancouver 2010’s visual identity, including such iconic elements as the mascots, the Look of the Games, the torch designs, the yet to be unveiled Olympic and Paralympic medals and podium. -thanks to Xavier Encinas

Leo’s profile and 2010 Winter Games interview here

Hats off to you Leo and the much respect

www.vancouver2010.com

Stunning Illustrations by Nanami Cowdroy

There are so many different styles and techniques when it comes to Illustration that it is almost impossible to describe a favorite. I am a fan of every style but have always found monochrome illustrations to be extremely interesting and powerful – I’m sure you’ll agree with me after checking the stunning work of Australian Illustrator Nanami Cowdroy. Her work combines fragile free flowing objects with admirable strokes and ink technique while perfectly combining her Japanese-European heritage. Check out some samples after the jump!

Nanami Cowdroy was born in Sydney, Australia with close bonds to her mixed Japanese-European heritage. Growing up with such contrasting cultures and surroundings, has greatly influenced her style of art and creative expression.

By intertwining complex characters and highly detailed objects her pieces reflect a juxtaposition between foreign and familiar entities and environments.
Her imagination is illustrated through works which are elaborate and exotic.
She is drawn to subjects, which may on the surface seem delicate or fragile, but are given strength and depth through her pen and ink techniques, intricate hand illustrative style and mixed media compositions. 

Her signature detailed style reflects a refined monochrome pallette with her name ‘Nanami’ (meaning ‘Seven Seas’ in Japanese ) stamped in red. Fluid line-work, watery creatures and Goldfish are some of her favourite subjects, and distinctive forms which are featured in her artworks.

Visit her website for more goodness!

www.nthread.net