Technique

Think Ink.

Designers that work with print, hopefully think about ink on a regular basis. Ink is the primary vehicle used to complete your printed vision. No matter what your work looks like on screen, the way it is printed, the paper it’s printed on, and the quality of the ink used will impact the final outcome. The video below isn’t new. It actually came out about 6 years ago, but it’s worth watching.

This short film by The Printing Ink Company in Canada takes you through the process, techniques and craft of ink creation. That’s right, the “Craft”, because making ink is a complex process requiring skills and experience to get the best results. The Printing Ink Company shares their methods used to create every color in the PANTONE spectrum and beyond. The challenges they face getting it right, and the attention to detail they put into making every can of ink.

This is a must watch for art students, designers and everyone else in the business that is designing printed materials.

“Icons” In One Single Fluid Shot.

The two videos below are for the Sunday Times Culture section. The first “Icons”, is the finished ad, the second the making of. This spot is one single dynamic camera movement featuring two actors. Over the course of fifty seconds the two become Forrest Gump, Don Draper, God, Daft Punk, and a couple of gun toting criminals. When you watch the finished piece it is hard to tell that this was done in a single shot. When I watched the making of, I wondered how many takes they went through before they got it right. In the making of, they were kind enough to drop a picture in picture frame so you can see what the camera operator was getting as he moved with the actors. For an in depth look, click here to go to the Making of website.

Directors – Us
Production Company – Academy Films
Executive Producer – Lizie Gower
Producer – Juliette Harris

DOP – Ben Fordesman
A&R Operator – Simon Wood
Art Director – Alison Dominitz
Hair & MakeUp – Lu Hinton
Stylist – Rebecca Hale
Casting – Hammond & Cox
Editor – Dave Stevens @ Assembly Rooms
Post – Electric Theatre Collective
Grade – Aubrey Woodiwiss
Audio post production – String & Tins
Musical Composition – Tom Player
Lead Actor – Gary Milner

Agency – Grey
Executive Creative Director – Nils Leonard
Creative Director – Dave Monk
Creatives – Jonathan Rands & Johan Leandersson
Agency Producer – Debbie Impett

Light Echoes, Will Help You Escape Your Friday.

Here is some eye candy for your Friday, if you haven’t already seen this. The video below from Aaron Koblin & Ben Tricklebank is a visual feast of light painting created by lasers mounted aboard a train. For an in depth look at how this was made, check out the article on Wired. If you just want to be mesmerized and escape your Friday for a bit, watch the video below.