Natural Selection

by my dark apronPublished on September 13, 2011

Film

A determined mother goes on the search for her husband’s illegitimate / estranged son in Robbie Pickering‘s Natural Selection. Pickering’s debut dominated the SXSW film awards, garnering seven wins altogether (more info can be read here). The synopsis can be read as follows (via SXSW):

“Linda White, a barren Christian housewife, leads a sheltered existence in suburban Texas. Her world is turned upside-down when she discovers that her dying husband, Abe, has a 23-year old illegitimate son named Raymond living in Florida. Somewhere on the edge of guilt and loneliness, Linda grants Abe’s final wish and sets off on a quixotic journey to find Raymond and bring him back before her husband passes away. Along the way, Linda’s wonderfully bizarre relationship with Raymond will teach her more about herself than she ever imagined possible and force her to come to terms with her troubled past.”

A clip from the film can be found embedded down below:

Natural Selection

Posted in: Feature Film, Featured, Film
Tags: Dark Humor, drama, Family, Natural Selection, Road Trip, Robbie Pickering

OSCILLATE ╳ Daniel Sierra

by my dark apron

May 19, 2013

Art Blog - Daniel Sierra - Empty Kingdom

Film

Daniel Sierra explores the varying elemental and scientific aesthetics of the wave in his short animated thesis entitled OSCILLATE. Conceptual origins and background info can be read as follows: "OSCILLATE" is the title of my thesis animation done at the MFA Computer Art program in the School of Visual Arts located in New York City. My goal with "OSCILLATE" was to visualize waveform patterns that evolve from the fundamental sine wave to more complex patterns, creating a mesmerizing audio-visual experience in which sight and sound work in unison to capture the viewer's attention. --- The concept of universal building blocks that can be assembled to form complex structures is something I find very exciting and alluring. Sound follows this concept in that any sound, for example a snare drum or a human voice, can be deconstructed as the summation of varying sine waves; hence making sine waves the building blocks of sound so to speak. This concept, which comes from the Fourier Series (named after Joseph Fourier) was the inspiration for my thesis, "OSCILLATE". Conveying this concept through the animation of sine waves proved to be ideal, as there is a certain mesmerizing quality to periodic motion. Whether in the hypnotizing swing of a pendulum or the waves of an ocean, periodic motion can often have a very relaxing and trance-inducing effect on us. I wanted the audience to begin with the widely recognized image and sound of the sine wave, and show them how it is a building block not just for sound but also complex visual forms by changing its interpretation over the length of the piece. Additionally this was an opportunity for me to create a song and visualize it at the same time. Being interested in the aesthetics of linking sound and visuals, this was a very exciting project for me. It gave me the chance to experience the process of creating music and visuals simultaneously as they both influence each other. At the same time I learned a lot about simulation effects, particles and procedural animation. --- The animation was done purely in Houdini, using Houdini's VEX language to create the tool that could generate and animate waveforms. The music was made in Reason. The concept work took place as sketches on paper, as well as "code sketches". I used Processing to develop a RnD tool for visualizing sine wave patterns and formations. When I became confident that the tool could reliably produce interesting results, I began to port it in to Houdini. Since I only started learning Houdini a few months prior, it took several iterations to land on the best way to bring it in to Houdini. Houdini proved to be a great to tool to do this project in. Its open-ended nature and visual-coding like environment meant I could think closer to the logic of a programmer while retaining all the power and functionality of a professional 3D software package. As my piece focuses on the animation of sine functions and particle systems, I found this to be a good workflow.” Scroll down below to view the embedded material. --- [embed width="640"]https://vimeo.com/65475425[/embed] Experimental short for OSCILLATE. OSCILLATE, 2013 --- Daniel Sierra

LOST IN EVERYONE ╳ Doldrums & Angus Borsos

by my dark apron

May 17, 2013

Art Blog - Doldrums, Angus Borsos - Empty Kingdom

Film

Montreal-based band Doldrums’ music video for LOST IN EVERYONE takes us on a wandering tour to a different planet, with every electrical spark / scratch in its step. Directed by Angus Borsos. Taken from their new album Lesser Evil. Check out more after the jump. A bit of background info for the band can be read as follows: “Doldrums first full length, Lesser Evil, comes after many years of smaller EPs, performance, and video art. Airick Woodhead, deeply entrenched in the Montreal and Toronto DIY scenes, has been a longtime friend and collaborator of Arbutus — who will present the LP on Feb 26th. Woodhead is “immune to technology”; the singer, producer, multi instrumentalist certainly uses technology hard enough that it breaks down completely; the cover art for Lesser Evil is simply a photograph of his broken Laptop screen. The album features warped short-looped samples, which congeal with drum parts and Woodhead’s distinct falsetto, creating a live energy that is experiential, raw and solitary. The live show takes these songs and sets them with percussion – often with two or more live drummers on stage. The songs on Lesser Evil shift with the energy of experience, a notion that plays strongly on Doldrums entire aesthetic – exploring the disorienting, exotic and truly compelling experimental realm of Airick Woodhead.” Watch the full video down below. --- [embed width="640"]https://vimeo.com/59514288[/embed] MV for LOST IN EVERYONE. LOST IN EVERYONE, 2013 --- Doldrums Angus Borsos

I Used To Be Darker ╳ Matthew Porterfield

by my dark apron

May 16, 2013

Art Blog - Matthew Porterfield - Empty Kingdom

Film

Director Matthew Porterfield (featured on EK for PUTTY HILL) follows up with his third feature film entitled I Used To Be Darker. A graceful focus on the strength of family bonds. Official film background can be read as follows: “When Taryn, a Northern Irish runaway, finds herself in trouble in Ocean City, MD, she seeks refuge with her aunt and uncle in Baltimore. But Kim and Bill have problems of their own: they’re trying to handle the end of their marriage gracefully for the sake of their daughter Abby, just home from her first year of college. A story of family revelations, people finding each other and letting each other go, looking for love where they’ve found it before and, when that doesn’t work, figuring out where they might find it next.” To check out the trailer, drop down to the bottom of this page. --- [embed width="640"]https://vimeo.com/38695698[/embed] Trailer for I USED TO BE DARKER. I Used To Be Darker, 2013 --- Matthew Porterfield