Random Serendipity

He knew nothing about her except that she was stunning. Her auburn hair poured over her shoulders in loose curls, flowing down her ever so gently - her eyes were deep inviting pools that twinkled in the streetlights and hew skin was flawless.

She had come up to him while she was enjoying his coffee. The moment he looked up, he was addicted to her. He had never seen something so radiant in his life. Everything about her glowed. It wasn't until a few minutes into the conversation that she smiled, but he immediately felt her warmth.

All his plans seemed to disappear when she walked up to him.

And he didn't mind.

She introduced herself and the small talk began. There was nothing special to discuss, the weather, the culture, how they both loved the city and wanted to live there. They laughed, they smiled, they shared each other's time. He wanted to know how long this would last, would they see each other again? Should he ask her for dinner? He was absolutely absorbed in her.

Unsure of what to do, he offered her a cup of coffee hoping to extend the moment and she agreed. When he returned from inside, she was gone. She had dissappeared into the crowds on the street. Not knowing what to do, he left to find her. After walking around for a few minutes, he gave up and returned to the cafe. Empty.

Sitting back down at the table, his eyes caught something. He turned the saucer a little bit and a smile cracked through his lips.

She wasn't totally gone. There before him, on his mug was a perfect outline of her lips.

He had never been so alone, but he had never felt so alive.

View From the Top

Cool? I think so.

There really isn't much to share regarding this video. As I'm sure you can tell, this is a time lapse from the International Space Station. I'm not exactly sure what section of the Earth this is flying over - but it is absolutely beautiful to see the world from so high, lit up and shining brightly.

Favorite part? The lightning storms over the ocean. If you missed them the first time - watch again, it looks like fireworks are going off in the clouds.

Sorry for the short post - long day, continuing from an even longer week.

Lounge

It was one of those days where it was too hot to do anything.

Kids tried to play in the street, but quickly became burnt out once the morning shifted to noon. Others tried to tough it out by hanging in the shade, but even the shadows held no protection against the mid-day sun. Even the local swimming hole couldn't aid in the relief. The water had grown too warm - bath-like and as soon as one got out, the sun immediately licked the water of their skin, too quick to even offer a second of cooling.

It was the kind of heat that made the mind hazy. All it offered was a lethargic feeling. The air was so thick with humidity that it was hard to take deep breaths. Your throat would remain open, but the amount of moisture in the air would fill your lungs so quickly, it'd feel as if you were drowning. It was a horrible feeling - the body wanted to breath deeply and quickly to cool down, but every time it did, a fit of coughing would ensue.

They had paced around the house, wet with perspiration, wondering how to make it through the day. All their friends were doing the same thing - just scraping by, waiting for the sun to dip below the horizon, but there was still a couple hours left. Thats when they noticed him, pressed against the floor, spread out underneath the ceiling fan.

It made perfect sense. They followed his example - laying down on either side of him.

Lounging.

David Fincher is a Cinematic God

I love David Fincher. He's clearly one of my biggest influences in everything I do with a camera. Hell, how I look at the world.

I've loved every film he's ever made, ranging from Se7en, to Benjamin Button, to the recent Social Network. His shots are always perfectly composed, the color palette he uses is also so drab yet powerful, and his films are always dark.

If I ever make a film - I'm sure I'll get criticized for copying his style, but who cares, it works and I love it.

So this is his new film, it's a remake of a swedish film based on a  trilogy of books. I saw the original and read the books and can say that each is wonderful - but I have full confidence that Fincher's will surpass the originals. Yes, I'm one of those who doesn't usually think remakes are better than the source material, but this genre of film is what Fincher essentially created.

It also doesn't hurt that he has a wonderful cast, Daniel Craig being the most noticeable, along with newcomer (who apparently steals the show and is already being considered an Oscar favorite), Rooney Mara.

Is it going to be a dark, disturbing thriller? Absolutely.

And I think that's why I'm so excited about it.

Tickle Me

I don't know what it is about this trailer that hooks me - but I really want to see this documentary.

I could be wrong, but as a kid, I don't even think I was obsessed with Elmo.

Maybe it's his voice and how genuine and kind he looks. Something about him just grabs me.

Ithacappella Sounds Good To Me

Another quick post. Short and sweet.

I was listening to my iTunes the other day and I came across this wonderful song "Machinehead" by the acapella group from Ithaca College - aptly called "Ithacappella."

I went to all their shows and loved all their music. Since this song played, I haven't been able to get it out of my head, and I'm pretty sure you won't be able to either.

Talk about talent right?

Speckled

Even without a smile she was able to brighten his day.

He knew what it was - her eyes. Deep as the sea, blue as a spring sky, clear as a glacier. It didn't matter that he knew she was laughing, that her cute little hands were covering her mouth, which was clearly curled up in a smirk - is was her eyes that always got him.

Whenever she'd look at him - it felt as if she was looking into him. Not through him, not at him, but in in. It was one of those looks that could warm him to the core with the quickest glance.

In the right light they'd twinkle - like the stars in a vast winter sky. They were inviting. Not only were they warming, they'd also invite him in - to see who she was, feel what she was feelings, embrace him, comfort him.

They were the windows to her soul and he loved when they were open for all to see.

Register

He wanted to be one of them. Now as a teen, his powers had emerged.

All his life he grew up reading comics. He fantasized about having those powers. To swing with Spider Man, run with Wolverine, fly with Superman. They were all around him - people with those abilities.

The government was scared. They passed into action a law that required all those with special genes become registered in a data base.

Today was his day. He was scared where this would lead.

Creativity in 26

The following video is pretty simple in theory - show the alphabet in a stop motion animation.

Alright, cool. Simple enough right? You see - it gets a bit complicated though when you decide that every letter has to animated in its own way. Let's try to stem away from the typical thoughts (A-apple  B-boy etc). Sure, we'll pepper some basic examples in there (we're only human), but to be honest, it's not really that easy once the animation is taken into account.

This video is something special in the animation world. It's clean. There aren't any rough edges. The frames don't skip around - the animation isn't sloppy or loose. All around, it's pretty damn tight. Not that I've ever ventured into this area, but if I were to animate something, even something as simple as the alphabet - I'd hope it'd turn out half as good as this.

It's a little wacky, it's hella whimsical, but, overall it's just fun.

Oh, and did I mention creative?


The Alphabet 2 from n9ve on Vimeo.

Black or Brown?

He bought the store from them hoping to transform it into an artisan food shop, specializing in organic and free-range food. The price was right. The location was prime. Hell, even the interior was newly remodeled and relatively clean.

So why did he hated the previous owners?

That damn bear and tree.

He tried numerous times to get ride of them, sell them, throw them away, and give them away. Somehow though, they always came back to him. Whether no one would by them or the garbage men would refuse to pick them up.

He was scared. 

What the hell was he going to do with them? He wanted everything about them . The tree looked like it was emaciated, while the fur on the bear looked as thin as Donald Trump's hair. Sure, could he work something like that into his store? Throw them by the Colorado produce or Badlands jerky. It'd fit. But there was one problem.

They were ugly as shit.

Eyes Ahead

He was in one piece. That's always a good start.

What wasn't good was the fact that he was upside down, on the side of the road, still strapped into his seat. He didn't even want to look out at what remained of his car. Guessing by all the pieces that lay strewn about on the asphalt around him - he figured there wasn't really much left to see anyway.

All he really wanted to do was get out of the car. The blood was rushing to his head and he was becoming nauseous. No surprise there though. He had always been bad with that kind of stuff - roller coasters, extended car rides, spinning around. Solid ground was what he preferred.

As happy as he was that he didn't hit the rabbit as it scurried across the road - he'd love to go back in time and run its little furry ass over to save him all this trouble.

Rooted

As the leaves hung down, swaying ever so slightly in the breeze, he wondered how he had never noticed it before. Right before him, everyday, for  at least the last fifteen years, this little fern stood strong - rooted in the wall, hanging over him, standing watch.

He took this alley everyday walking to school - yet he had managed to never look up and greet the green life that was above him. Its leaves were so vibrant, pulsating against the grays of the alley. There was no other life amongst the concrete - only he and it. How could he have missed it all those years?

He almost felt rude, as if sometime long ago he should have introduced himself. 

Mirage

He woke up head pounding, lips dried and cracked, unsure of where he was.

It felt like he had been tossed from a moving train. His mouth was dry and pasty, ears ringing and every joint in his body ached. The sun beat down on him, not caring how poor he felt.

He was dizzy. His stomach churned. Based on how he felt - he knew last night must have been wild.

Squinting his eyes against the sun, he found himself looking up at a funny looking tree. He realized he was in the middle of the desert, with no idea where he was.

Yet, he didn't mind.

Wake Skate

Ok -I like water sports. I was never big on them when I was a kid, but once I started water-skiing, I enjoyed it. Like most guys, I wanted to do what was next "after" skiing, which would be wakeboarding. After all, I did enjoy snow boarding more than skiing, but I regress. Long story short, I never got to try wakeboarding. While I still am waiting for my opportunity, I've never had such luck.

Assuming I do try it in the foreseeable future - what comes after that you ask?

Wake skating. Well, I'm sure you're thinking "what the hell is wake skating?" Simply put: it is wake boarding on a smaller board with no straps to hold your feet in. Think a skate board....on water....duh.

Sound awesome right? I agree.

So a bunch of guys set out with their cameras and shot the following video which depicts them wake skating. Not only is the video beautiful, with a perfect score - the ability these guys have on these things is unbelievable. How they do board flips off of wakes and other ramps - while managing to land cleanly and continue on their way is mind boggling.

I can't really explain it all that much - just watch it for yourself:


NOISIA VISION Teaser from NOISIA VISION.tv on Vimeo.


Absolutely insane right!? How is the world are they able to do all these tricks.

I'm in awe.

Paris, Je T'aime

It was the small moments the caught his eye the most. He could sit there and describe the tiniest details about anything. Something as simple as a waitress pouring him expresso. He could begin describing anything about it - how the color of her Parisian skin stood in stark contrast to the ceramic cup an saucer, or how the surface rippled ever so slightly as the dense cream churned within the expresso. Of course he'd talk about the smell, how it was pungent and empowering, enough to wake you to your core, even before you took a sip. The sweetness of the creme could tickle your nose, wetting your palate instantly. It was magic and it was only breakfast. Add a croissant on the side and it was heaven.

It wasn't just caffeinated beverages that attracted him. It was the culture - how wart was important, playing second fiddle to money and social status. He adored how the people seemed standoffish but would warm up once an effort was made to speak to them in their native language. Work didn't seem like work. It seemed more like fun. The children he saw all seemed happy - living life, full of energy, smiling. The families were unified and tight.

It was the smell of the city. He could be surrounded by walls on all sides - but the air was fresh, clean, pure. It wasn't thick with smog, odors from the trash or alleys. It was inviting.

He need not go into how the architecture is one of a kind. That at one moment you could be walking down a street only to turn a corner and be in a medieval alley, walking atop cobblestone. The massive cathedrals didn't need to be mentioned. Or the artistry that went into every single piece of food.

It was rather clear that Paris had won him over.

And he would return.

Hold Your Breath

For some reason, all the kids would go there. Gather outside its rusty gates. Goading each other to go inside. See who could last the longest.

Rumor had it the original owner had moved into town well before any of them were born and had been a successful business man - owning many of the stores on main street. He was a man who loved his wife and when she passed, he began to lose grip with reality. His businesses began to falter until they drove themselves into the ground - eventually closing. Soon the man was hardly around - never leaving the house. Police eventually found him, hanging from the rafters of his bedroom - noose around his neck.

It was a ritual of the older boys to go inside during the night and try to outlast one another. Tonight was his night.

It was the night of his 15h birthday and after a couple weeks, his friends had finally convinced him to enter the mansion with another boy. He knew he didn't like the idea of it, but he went along with it anyway.

Walking up to the house was one of the most frightening experiences of his life. Even with a flashlight, the woods surrounding the house were a black void. Wind blew through the trees, rustling the leaves, howling throughout the forrest. When they got to the door, he went first and reached out, grabbing the doorknob - only to pull his hand back quickly. The knob was ice cold - enough to sting his skin. He was too busy focusing on the cold that he didn't notice his friend running away down the path that they had come from.

Nervous and now alone, he pushed the door open, creaking as it widened to reveal the dust covered, now warped and stained wooden floor that stretched throughout the house. Stepping in, the floor groaned from his weight and he swore he could feel the whole foundation shift under his feet. Breathing in, he had to fight back a cough from the must that hung in the air - thick and potent. Shining his light throughout the entrance foyer, it was like it was snowing in the house - particles drifted through the air, lazily and without care.

Ahead of him was the grand staircase - leading to the second floor. His idea was to check if the rope was really in the bedroom and try to take a picture of it to impress his friends. Climbing the steps - they felt unsteady, ready to break and send him crashing through the floor down into the depths of the house. Luckily they didn't. Reaching the top - a hallway stretched out ahead of him. Walking down it, it was clear the bedroom was ahead of him. Forging ahead, he reached the door and pushed it open.

Thats when his flashlight began to flicker and his heart stopped. Every second he was left in the dark he wanted to scream. Shaking the light, it came back to life and stayed on.

There it was - hanging in the middle of the massive room, hanging from the rafters was the rope. Pulling out his camera thats when he noticed it was swaying - but there was no windows open and no breeze in the room.

He heard something. Breathing. Wheezing. And it wasn't his. He stopped, unsure of what to do.

Thats when the shuffling footsteps began - behind him, coming from the darkened corner of the room.

Without thought, he yelled and ran out of the room - dropping his camera as he went. It banged off the floor - causing the flash to go off, illuminating the room in a brilliant white. He swore the noise echoed through the house, following him until he raced out of the front door, out of breath. He didn't stop. He ran through the woods until his found his friends who were all there, waiting for him.

Back in the house - his camera lay on the ground, fresh picture still on its screen. Clearly visible was his blur as he ran out of the room. But there was something else.

Behind him in the corner, there was the distinct outline of a figure, gnarled with age.

Take A Look Frame By Frame

Alright - long day + couple hours of playing tennis (thank god I've started playing again) = a tired me.

The end result? You getting a few videos to watch instead of a story to read (one will come tomorrow I promise).

Even though I'm not huge on stop motion - its been slowly growing on me, So lets examine some shall we?



The amount of work that goes into this one is CRAZY. To take all those photo - print them out, then take more photos to only line up in a video sequence and edit together as a film...ugh, so labor intensive!

Cool shit though right?

Well...how about this one?



Not blown away by the sheer magnitude of it? Well you should be!

And if you're not - then watch this:



It's truly amazing what people's minds can conjure up. A project of this scale, with such creativity.

God I'm so jealous!

Laugh Those Worries Away

Today was a tough day. Long, full of work, and just generally not fun. To be honest, I wouldn't be surprised if somewhere I've sprouted some grey or white hair.

Oh well.

If any of you have had a tough day today, or this week, month, year, or ever, hopefully these will help.


LAUGHS! from Everynone on Vimeo.


If that video didn't do the trick - I'm almost certain this one will.



I hope you're all smiling - there is no reason not to be.

Life is a wonderful thing - enjoy it.

Misty Cognizance

He could remember how hard he'd be pumping his little legs. It wasn't that the race between he and his friends mattered at all, but it was that he loved the feeling of the mist hitting and spreading across his skin, wrapping itself around his swingings arms - enveloping his body as he charged forward. All his friends would run too but for the soul purpose of winning the race. It wasn't about when he crossed the finish, but the time in the water.

When he was growing up he didn't have much. His family was poor as was the rest of his friends. They ate whatever they could, wore whatever their parents could make, and went to school as often as possible in the hope to right what had already gone so wrong. He didn't want to live like this for the rest of his life - but he also appreciated at that age that he was a child and he only had once chance to enjoy it.

Once a week the town would spare some of it's water reserve and unleash the sprinklers aligning the streets. At one time they were used to water the rows and rows of gardens that lined the pavement - but the ground had since dried up, the rain clouds became scarce, and the town feel into a time of hardship. The town knew how hot it was during the summer and could see how it drained the children of their youthful energy. To combat this - the sprinklers would flow for a couple minutes - drenching those who wished to visit them.

Of course he was one of them. He'd show up, shirt already off, sandals tied as tight as possible and he'd be ready to run. His friends would all be there waiting, beckoning him to hurry up, before the water shut off. Yet, he was never worried. He knew they had plenty of time.

They'd all line up and wait for someone to say go - all anxious, waiting for who was going to say it, until someone finally released the signal.

They'd all run forward - the youth of the town, giggling and laughing, squinting their eyes as they paraded through the flowing water - cooling them down in the scorching summer heat - washing others who hadn't had the opportunity to clean themselves at home.

Every single child was happy - but looking back at the photo's, you'd know he was the happiest.

He was always leading the pack - with the biggest smile of them all.

Bombardment

Let's take a couple parts insane, throw in some absolute fun, a whole bunch of water, and a bunch of college students.

What do you get?

Well - you get this. It's absurd. It's over the top.

To be frank - it looks damn right amazing.



While I will admit a lot of the balloons seem to burst in mid-air - it also seems that a lot of these kids don't know how to properly throw a water balloon.

Pssshhh amateurs.

Boys Will Be Boys

Imagine...

Myself, my brother (and any of his friends - Will comes to mind), and my Uncle Ed (imagine me in 20 years) combined with this...



Would it be fun? Hell yeah.

Would one of us get killed? Most likely - but it'd be damn worth it.