Phone +Tablet:

Desktop:
Look #1: v1, v2, v3
Look #2: v1, v2, v3

Download All (zip)

The animation below is the byproduct of a couple random tests. Since polygonal visuals are a little hipster I was a bit hesitant to post this but think the ambient aesthetic was interesting enough to share. As stills, they also work well for phone/desktop wallpapers.

Technical: I’m not usually this ‘mathy’ (as my programming abilities only consist of erasing code) but the visuals are composed of a SINE wave rippling through a triangulated layer. Colours are a mixture of fresnel shading and transparencies.

Possible use for this could be a background texture for a text knockout:

A couple more motion renders can be found on my vimeo page.

BRIEF:

Create a visually intriguing short animated video to use as a promotional tool for the band’s first single release “Favorite Lover”.

SETUP:

When I was introduced to Jared earlier this summer, he was lit up having just received several remixes from producers for music Hayley Stewart and himself had written almost a year earlier.   I was aware of his work through his site bloodsweatvector and having been the artist behind several of my girlfriend’s tattoos, but this was the first time getting to work together.  Jared’s energy was in the right places to make taking on this collaboration a given.

TECHNICAL:

I’d explored several options before landing on the look we ended up with.  I set out looking to create something that visualized the sounds of the song.  Something where you could watch the bass beats hit and the vocals rumble.  I’ve found that this is a reoccuring approach i keep striving for in multiple projects, but commonly end up incorporating it in only small portions, or entirely changing directions.

With that in mind, I initially went for this approach (below) where the blocks would light up, and would rotate to reveal a world of crystals on the opposite side.    Although the clip below is quite rough (no camera move, lighting, crystal world, etc), we scrapped it early on as we knew it was lacking a hero figure and the passive ambient look wasn’t what we were going for.

Moving on I explored some rough crystal ideas using Cinema 4D’s sketch + toon toolset.  The crystals were something Jared had already used in Dead Astronauts branding so it made sense to explore this element as the key component which created the world of Dead Astronauts.  The video below (again, very early stages) showcases a couple early crystal looks before the story was figured out:

Collaborating with a visually creative professional on a non client oriented piece is a welcomed change of pace.  If you’re not familiar with Jared’s work (and have read this far), definitely look check out his work on behance here.

Links:

Dead Astronaut’s Facebook Page
Dead Astronaut’s Youtube Videos
Deadastronauts.com

CHALLENGES:

Despite being created over a 2.5 week timeline, the major challenge beyond scheduling was ensuring the colours of the VitaminWater liquid and labels were on par with brand standards while keeping render times down to less than 1 minute per frame.  It’s easy to promise the world with a stunning still frame, but ensuring you can deliver the HD version (450 frames  = 450 mins) without the support of an animation studio’s render farm can be challenging. Cloud Computing Rendering made this spot possible.

TECHNICAL:

To overcome this issue I  utilized Amazon’s Cloud Computing services (EC2) for the first time after having spent lots of R&D determining how to include this a part of my workflow.  EC2 is an industrial/technical service through Amazon which allows users to turn computers on elsewhere in the world and utilize their power at an hourly rate.

Cloud Computing rendering isn’t brand new, but the current companies that offer services are at a rate that isn’t ideal for freelance individuals.  Amazon’s EC2 service opens up a world of opportunities for the individual as they now have the ability to compete head to head with Studios…something previously not possible since the cost of hardware is too expensive to own.

To perfect the ‘look’, Finlay Patterson (3D Artist / Product Designer) was brought on board to develop/ensure it was on target and render friendly.  Finlay’s currently working with an impressive diverse collective of individuals at the design studio Metatecture.  Definitely check out their work.

SPOTS:

I was contacted by TAXI to collaborate on a variety of visuals for the launch of Telus’ latest pilot store design. Most of the displays were visuals which spanned multiple HD monitors. The videos below are from the most technically demanding display which sprawled 70 feet across 11 projectors and encompassed the main 2 walls of the store.

The projection was technically challenging as the hardware company required assets to be delivered as one large file at a resolution of 7000 x 600 pixels.

NOTE: Shadows are heavier than desired to correct contrast lost through projection.

3 x Transitions:

1 x Full Story:

1 x Owl Element:

I’ve have been walking through a lot of alleys lately looking for a way to base a small project around them.   I’m captivated by these spaces in the same way that walking onto a movie lot full of fake house fronts is fascinating.  Their significance grew as I realized that Manhattan barely had any alleys, creating even more appeal for Toronto’s unique urban landscape.

Thanks to Craig Small at The Juggernaut for eagerly dusting off the laser cutter and experimenting with a variety of materials to cut out the letters for the titles.  As well, Michael Sheedy for his real-life kearning skills, and of course my amazing girlfriend for putting up with the 2 cans of spray paint released into our apartment.

The video below outlines a breakdown of the process:

A series of textures shot in the alley behind my place for the titles:
DOWNLOAD FREE TEXTURE HERE

Graffiti Texture by Josh Ingleby is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 2.5 Canada License.
Based on a work at joshjingles.ca.

Montreal’s Guy Laramee reinterprets the literary world with this gorgeous collection of outdoor spaces. Vaguely similar to an earlier post on reinterpreting encyclopaedic pages, Laramee’s approach is intensely original. I suspect the carvings to be hand done but am curious if 3D models and laser cutters could achieve a similar result and open the approach up to include some form of animation.

thinking thinking thinking…

Via:

abduzeedo.com
GuyLaramee.com

A series of 15 second spots to promote iPhone alternatives offered by Bell Mobility.  As there are only so many ways to showcase a touch-screen device, the challenge was to find a slightly different approach than the predefined iPhone commercial visuals.   To accomplish this we broke the locked-off Apple style and placed the phone in a actor’s hand for a more human and tangible result.

Technical Roles:

• Key / Composite Screens
• Track Footage
• Colour Correct

[via trendland.net]

Despite the sombre undertone apparent in the handful that i’ve watched, what shines through are truthful, raw, heartfelt stories told with a strong cinematic style.

Cannonball Excerpt:
“If we’re going to be doing this kind of stuff, we’re trespassing in peoples yards and skating in peoples pools we’ve gotta have respect; clean the pools out. Any trash we bring, take it with us when we leave. People already look down at us as it is so there’s no reason to fucking confirm what they already think is already true. It’d be better to prove them wrong. (2m05s)

April 16th is the official anniversary for the mobile app Foursquare. More than 15 cities celebrated the mobile location based “check-in” app by throwing their own “Foursquare Day” events to celebrate local business.

This year’s 2nd annual Foursquare Day in Toronto was a great success with sponsors donating everything from autographed Tim Burton books (TIFF) to phone cases for every patron (iSkin). Even our (usually) pathetic mayor (Rob Ford) acknowledged the date with a signed letter from his office.

I documented this event with a home-made camera system that appropriately reflected the client and medium that Foursquare users embrace: the smartphone.

Rationale: 4 Squares, Mobile technology, 4 Camera phones. (enough said, no?)

Making Of:

Final Edit:

Thanks to:
Rob Scarborough, Jon-Erik Lappano, Karly Gaffney, and all the organizers & sponsors for the event.

Music:
Public Enemy – Harder Than You Think (instrumental)
Ratatat - Drugs