Make Her Say
Loving the art direction for the Kid Cudi song “Make Her Say” featuring Kanye and Common– retro and spare with a seriously consistent color palette. I would love to see what the barcode would look like for the colors in this!
It’s really no surprise that this video would be cool, he’s got style.
Also, related but unrelated, I’m obsessed with Vidque, and I think you should know about it. I tweeted about it couple of weeks ago, but in case you missed it, it’s like youtube or vimeo, but with a focus on users curating the content for a focus on really quality video.
All of the content is actually from youtube and vimeo, but videos are only pulled over to vidque if they’re quality (ie, not home videos). You can save videos you like (really useful if you’re researching for a video project!) and follow users you like to see what videos they’re saving. I love trailers, short films and music videos, so it’s sort of my new addiction.
I’m going to stop myself after this, because this is sort of a ridiculously long endorsement, but I also love the interface– you can watch videos right in the search results or “news feed” that you see when you login– it doesn’t take you to a separate page like youtube does.
You can follow me (see the videos I’ve saved) on Vidque here.
Here’s another one from Vidque I liked. I’m all about these conceptual products and technologies!
If a Xylophone is Played in a Forest…
Some days, my drafts folder is overflowing, full of posts just waiting to be published, and other days, the inspiration just isn’t flowing. That’s how I was feeling today, until I came across this clever project/video/ad that put a smile on my face:
A giant wood xylophone in a forest. Sure. Why not.
It’s for the new Touch Wood cell phone by Smart. (Which will be made from “locally sourced cypress trees” – somehow I don’t see how the “locally sourced” argument works for logging. Is it any better because it’s local?) But I don’t care. I still love this random, random installation.
Mini-doc on a Nokia product designer who keeps bees in Hong Kong and started HK Honey.
The Escape Machine
This black cube that looks to be a piece of contemporary art in the Place du Palais Royal in Paris is actually a brilliant piece of experiential marketing by DDB Paris for French travel company Voyages SNCF called “The Escape Machine.”
It’s based on the very literal idea that Voyages SNCF helps you escape, but the execution is a very clever, outside-the-box (literally) form of allowing people to “escape!”
This presence of this actual cube, and the resulting press, has got to be the most attention Voyages SNCF has gotten in a long time.
Check out the video… it’s so clever, and I promise it will put a smile on your face!
Lost Pictures of New York Blizzard
This is SO This American Life!! Apparently I’m waaay behind on this one, but just in case some of you were too, I had to share it!
Guy resolves to have more adventure in life. It snows in New York, he decides to ski in Prospect Park for some adventure. Finds a film canister in the snow. Develops it. Makes a film about and puts it on youtube to try to find its owners. The video gets over a million hits, and emails pour in from people who believe they may have clues for him.
I don’t want to give away the end of the story, because it’s just much better if you watch the videos. (I will tell you he travels to Europe as a result!) Definitely watch part 1 (about finding the film and requesting help finding the owner) and part 3 (about his journey to Europe).
It’s convenient that he, Todd Bieber is his name, makes films for a living– I can’t remember for whom now, I think it was Upright Citizens Brigade– so the story is really well told in the video.
I think storytelling as a thing is underrated– it’s something that everyone loves, but perhaps not consciously, as it’s not often discussed as it’s own thing. People love movies and great conversation, but it’s rarely discussed that it’s because we all enjoy great storytelling. But why else would this video have gotten over a million hits? Anyway, I think this is one of the best examples of storytelling I’ve come across in a while. The actual “plot” is awesome, and Todd is a wonderful storyteller, not only giving you the facts, but drawing some wonderful conclusions at the end. Enjoy!
The City of Lights at Night
This video, by Luke Shepard, combines two of my favorite things: stop-motion animation and Paris. Composed from 2000 photos of Paris at night and set to a song by the XX (why is their music so sexy??), the video takes you on a mesmerizing journey around the city.
I also loved the answers (below) Shepard gave in this interview with one of National Geographic’s blogs– they gave the video an added endearing, personal quality, knowing that the video was inspired by his love of exploring the city at night. And it made me want to start going on long bike rides through San Francisco at night just to discover a new dimension to the city.
