Human genius can be found in entertainment and artistry. These 3 shorts have managed to condense so much in terms of style, story and sting in mere minutes: they become so much more memorable than anything else! Quality and not quantity packs the punch. For me, these clips (developed with alot of time and people) actually extends and freezes time for me, every flickering frame burnt on my retinas and etched on countless neurons, detail and wit oozing out from the storyline.
1) KUNGFU PANDA DREAM SEQUENCE by James Baxter Studio
Watch it on MSN Movies
If anything, the idea brought forward by this sequence is the dynamism. Earthy tones set the common base for a maximalist production with intricate inkwork, lines and Handicam-like movement.
2) CATCH ME IF YOU CAN OPENING SEQUENCE by Kuntzel and Deygas
It conveys that mystery of the late 60s with an air of playfulness and caper-cool. The geometry and stylisation of figures seems to draw cue from the sinuous linearity of Saarinen’s TWA and the noisy saturation of 60s advertisements. Bold, strong graphic design and composition!
3) ‘4 MINUTES’ MUSIC VIDEO by French duo Jonas & François
While the ’storyline’ is rather lame, its the attempt to create a new look / atmosphere that makes this video so refreshing. The snazzy transitions, pop references and combination of elements leave behind a fresh new aesthetic.
1. The 8th June “issue” of the NYT Mag was quite splendid, and free of course. It gathered Nicolai Ouroussoff (architecture critic of NYT) and others to pitch in for its Architecture Issue: an interview with Bernard Tschumi, discussion about film sets’ cities and LOT-EK, there’s something for everyone. But it is through this issue where we learn about Ouroussoff’s story behind One-North, and Front Inc.’s “exuberantly baroque” winning scheme for a new LV store in Singapore featuring a curtain wall of completely curved glass.
“[..] Several years ago, the London-based, Iraqi-born architect Zaha Hadidreceived a phone call from a Chinese developer asking if she might be interested in designing a 500-acre urban development on the outskirts of Singapore. [..] With more than 20 blocks now complete, parts of the city look surprisingly conventional.”
2. The Lifestyle-Elephant & Coral Creative Writing Contest yielded its final winner, Perry Ho, whose endearing entry captured a side of architecture that was startlingly rare and refreshing. “The Apartment” is an anthropomorphic representation of the Apartment, with soul and many canny references to our built reality. Allegorical and definitely worth reading! Here I reproduce it in its entirety.
“Other buildings envied her Shiseido #119 ceiling. The Jesus she hung at the door (of her heart) gave her strength. Jade bangles around her ankles trapped the essence of her youth. You could hear them holding on for dear life whenever she got up and ran, ran with the other Apartments and Factories into the night. No one knew where she went, returning only when her ankles ached to keep up the night’s display of high spirits. Come morning, some proud Apartment would be seen wearing a night’s old #119. Keep reading →
Here onqmark we advocate wholesome fun that’s stimulating and also free! It’s amazing how despite our pea-sized island, there’s really a wealth of places to explore and things to do cheaply or even freely, unbeknownst to many.
The latest (ok it happened 2 weeks ago) fun outing was the Southern Ridges Trail - a stretch of green from West Coast Park to Mount Faber / Vivocity that recently became connected. It has been in the papers a lot, so I shall just post highlights of the trail for those who are going! Nothing beats the experience of walking through these green heights.
>FULL STRETCH<
The entire route: 2.5 hours but really it takes almost a whole day. Alternative route from NUS to VivoCity instead of the 188 bus.
>HORTPARK<
@Hyderabad Road. Don’t miss out the experimental flowering blooms at the greenhouses, and the vertical green wall systems on display! If hungry, hit Thai restaurant KHA or take a bus to Queensway for lunch.
>ALEXANDRA ARCH<
MKPL designed this; a soaring archway that begins a stretch of canopy-walking all the way to Telok Blangah.
>HENDERSON WAVES<
George Legendre of IJP Corporation’s first built experiment of algorithmic architecture, a bridge that spans 5 separate mathematical algorithms that generate the design. It’s the new wave~~~ (pun)!
>MOUNT FABER<
There’s a private location under the cable cars that can be perfect for some quiet reflection. Watching the world move above and enjoying the splendid view ahead, makes you want to linger on.
Jaipur terrorised. Sichuan in ruins. Myanmar swept into bleakness. Delft on fire. Heck even Kent Ridge burned. It may be a sad world out there, but what the world really needs is a little optimism. Optimism is my religion. We don’t need alot, just a lil bit over half full is enough to get us by.
(Taxidermia runs mainly in the festival circuit) TAXIDERMIA
I found myself strangely attracted to captivated by György Pálfi’s 2nd feature - the disturbing yet strangely humane Taxidermia.
Taxidermia is a multi-generational pseudo-fairy tale. Without giving too much away, it is about a lowly military servant, a speed-eating athlete, and a taxidermist.
Yes, there are explicit scenes, lots of gore and viscera flipping around and other weird phenomena Keep reading →
Dug the The Velvet Undergroundand Joy Division for the weekend!
Exploding Plastic Inevitable: Andy Warhol & The Velvet Underground!-
CONTROL- Anton Corbijn’s feature film on Joy Division front man, the late Ian Curtis.
Good film, no doubt, great cinematography, personification and performances.
Sam Riley’s’ portrayals of Curtis’ solo moments in his creative life- inditing words and poems, penning lyrics induced from a tormented personal life and recording live in the studio are the imageries and captured moods that linger on…
So this is permanence Love shattered pride What once was innocence Turned on its side A cloud hangs over me Marks every move Deep in the memory of what once was love
qmark attended a screening during SIFF a few weeks back, of the latest work by our good friend Jiekai. Although the final director’s cut is not out even as of now, we saw a rather polished film in terms of cinematography, acting and direction, or at least in comparison with the other films screened that evening.
The film tells a story about psychological torment and (I guess) of its implied release. 2 main characters, acted by very impressive first-timers Jaclyn Chia and Jason Hui, reveal figments of their imagination and how they coped with their internal stress. I feel its not so much about the sequential flow of events, but more of a certain strand of illogicality that creates that creeping mood of the film and ties everything up. The trailer here shows it really well:
(trailer)
Some of the inspiration came from the movie “Invisible Waves” by Pen-Ek Ratanaruang (Last Life in the Universe), which is really about “atmosphere, atmosphere, atmosphere and atmosphere”; haunting, brooding and eating at you.
(on set)
Being a student director isn’t easy at all. Shooting schedules are really intense, day-night affairs that involve lots of management, concentration and problem-solving. Working on his set, I say that they can be more draining than architectural submissions! So give it up to Jiekai, upcoming director-extraordinaire!
boarding a chinook next week!
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