I always get a big kick out of seeing retouched photos. Not the cheesy ’stick a head on someone else’s body’, Chuck Norris-type retouching, but shots that trick you and make you think ‘is that real, or is that Photoshopped? Just stumbled across the amazing work of photographer and digital artist Erik Johansson. His work is simply out of this world. Check it out.
An absolute must-see is the new Johnnie Walker spot - if you can call it that. It’s called “The Man Who Walked Around the World” and it’s a six-minute piece of storytelling that features Robert Carlyle walking through the Scottish Highlands. The ad was produced by BBH London and was directed by HLA director Jamie Rafn. Check it out below.
Absolutely flawless, and yes, it’s a single take. Well, it took 40 tries to get it right, but the end result is phenomenal.
You can read more about it on the BBH Labs website, or check out the interview with Jamie Rafn here.
I’ve been doing some research into pixel art for an upcoming project and came across a fantastic blog post by Simon Page. He’s compiled a great list of examples and reference sites, in case you ever need to get up close and personal with pixels once again. Check it out here.
U2 are kicking off their new world tour, and along with it they’ve raised the bar with their stage design. It’s absolutely mind blowing!
“The stage has no front or back. Nor does it have the stacks of amplifiers that have been a rock concert fixture since the early days of the Grateful Dead. Instead, the speakers are embedded in four legs that rise 164 feet to support a cylindrical video screen,” Fast Company magazine reported.
“Lovingly dubbed the Claw by the band and the army of crew members needed to erect it on a nightly basis, the stage — anchored in the middle of the field — features a giant 360 video screen, flowing silk screens and a light show that would make Pink Floyd jealous.” - Rolling Stone
The video screen is in fact 888 individual tiny LED screens that covers 3,800 square feet, weighs 60 tons and changes shape during the performance. The set was designed Hoberman Associates; Innovative Designs, which specializes in stage architecture; and Buro Happold, a structural engineering firm.
Take the interactive tour of the Claw at U2’s official Website
The Obama/Biden presidential campaign won both the Titanium and Integrated Grand Prix, thanks to the effort’s digital savvy, its success in community-building and its willingness to allow the Obama brand to be created by consumers rather than top-down communications mandates.
Check out this INSANE campaign for the launch of “The Dark Night” that won the Cyber Grand Prix @ Cannes this year.
The Grand Prix winner in the viral category went to 42 Entertainment’s “Why So Serious?” Jurors praised the campaign for multiple reasons, including its ability to take ARG (alternate reality games) and storytelling in general to the next level. Through multiple websites, user generated content, live events and variety of other vehicles, the game unfolded its own storyline parallel to the Batman film over a period of 18 months. “We made a joke that at a certain time you hoped when the film finally arrived it should have been as good as the game, which is a striking conclusion,” notes Belgium juror Samuel De Volder, creative director at These Days. “Luckily for them the film was as good as the game.” Jurors also lauded the reach of the campaign, in both metrics and geography. “This was actually the first global campaign that was really global,” said Brazilian juror and Wunderman Creative VP Eco Moliterno. “Every time you see these ‘global’ things they don’t actually come down to Brazil. This one did.”