2012 by Google

Just a quick reminder from Google that 2012 and the internet is pretty awesome.



Here's to 2013.

The Playlist: Lushlife / Foals / Haim / Earl Sweatshirt / Rudimental (ft Angel Haze) / Soley

Lushlife - Magnolia

LUSHLIFE "MAGNOLIA" [DIR. LAMAR+NIK] from LAMAR+NIK on Vimeo.

Foals - My Number



Haim - Don't Save Me



Earl Sweatshirt - Chum



Rudimental - Hell Could Freeze Feat. Angel Haze



Sóley - I'll Drown Moritz Guhling's Tränen Remix

A little wander around Columbia Road.

So I had a little wander around Columbia Road, East London, this morning and took a couple of snaps.

Maldives 2012 [Photos]

As I mentioned, a few weeks ago I took a cheeky vacation to the Maldives. My brother made this video of the trip, and I took a few photos. Have a lookie.

Los Angeles By R.E.M & James Franco

The world's greatest multi-tasker James Franco has recently popped up directing R.E.M's latest music video for their song Blue. Full of LA and Hollywood's glam trash, the inclusion of Terry Richardson's photoshoot of Linsay Lohan feels perfect. Vintage shots of neon lights, nighttime streets and photoshoots feel as if they mirror everything LA is about, or at least to be perceived to be about. Even if it is not the most flattering, it's a great tribute to the city.

The Playlist: Jay-Z / Toro Y Moi / Disclosure / Kanye West

Jay-Z - December 4th (Sourface Remix)



Toro Y Moi - So Many Details (Remix Feat. Hodgy Beats)



Disclosure - Latch



Kanye West - White Dress

Maldives 2012 [Video]

A couple of weeks ago I was lucky enough to go to the Maldives with my family. A stupidly beautiful part of the world, tiny islands filled with white sand and surrounded by crystal blue waters. My younger brother Gavin go his GoPro and put together a video, mainly filled with the stunning array of fish hidden in the coral around the islands.

Maldives 2012 from Gavin Watson on Vimeo.

Obama 2012: Four More Years

Sometimes words just aren't enough.

Jake Davis X Adrianne Ho X FiveStory.

Oh to be Jake Davis. He seems to spend most of his time taking photos of a videos of the gorgeous Adrianne Ho, you know, that Adrianne Ho. Tough life.



So for their latest venture, Davis took Ho down to NYC shop FiveStory. It looks like a shop full of beautiful shiny things that I will never be about to afford. Somewhat like Adrianne herself. Hmph.

Croyde 2012

Last weekend I went to a very wet and a very windy Croyde in Devon to go surfing. Was a lovely time with almost all of my family. Here's a few of my favourite snaps from the weekend:

Behind The Scenes: Barack Obama.

Being the Official White House photography must be one of the most interesting jobs in the world. You get to see almost every aspect of perhaps the most powerful person on Earth on a daily basis, everything from taking down the world's most wanted, to clearing up oil spills to, of course, playing with the new family dog. This duty is taken on by Pete Souza. Souza's photos give you a sneaky look of what it actually takes to be Mr President.

Nike: Just Do It - The Origins.

Nike. Just Do It. There are a thousand things you can say about this brand and this slogan. Over the years, through many campaigns and products, Nike has reached the holy grail of branding - becoming popular and cool at the same time. Very few brands reach the peak of each of these.

Just Do It has become an iconic slogan - one of the all time greats. It not only encompasses everything that Nike is - it's everything that life should be. It fits Nike and it's products, but it can be applied to almost any area of life, and that is why it is so great, so powerful and so lasting. It is work like this that made me want to do advertising, to inspire, and actually make a difference.

Felix Baumgartner: The Real Superman.

“Alright now, the whole world is watching now. I wish you could see, what I can see. Sometimes you have to get up really high to understand how small you are. I’m going home now.”

The Intergalactic Travels of the Madbury Club.

So this is where The Madbury Club have been...



Everyone's (mine at least) favourite bloggers and all round good guys have decided to get off the internet this summer and go do some stuff. A rule we should all abide. In classic Madbury style, this trailer is full of fun, goofs and general cool shit all piled into a beautiful and considered video. Can't wait to see the finished product, no doubt I will make me infinitely jealous.

Shwood - Scrap Surfing.

This post is simply because I'm going surfing this weekend and I can't bloody wait. (And because it's a lovely video, featuring a beautiful board) I might see if I can knock a little video like this up whilst I'm there.



I will not be making my own board though...

Sexiest Alive: Mila Kunis

In news that wasn't news to anybody, Mila Kunis was voted sexiest woman in the world by Esquire. I can only imagine it's for looking like this:

And then also like this:

I will not apologise for this post.

Solange Knowles: Losing You.

This past week I've become a bit obsessed with Solange Knowles. Yeah, Knowles is in Beyonce, Queen of everything Knowles. Solange is her slightly quirkier, just as beautiful, just as talented, younger sister. With some bizarre moves and a completely different sound, Solange looks like she might one day creep on the throne. Love the video too:

John Cleese On Creativity.

Though I'm unsure as to when this speech was made by the ever great John Cleese, it is still completely and utterly relevant. I will add little to Mr Cleese's words, as little needs adding, but this speech covers almost everything I have ever read about creativity. The importance of space, time, the right time of pressure, collaboration, the need and right to make mistakes, never saying no. And many other lessons. It probably takes a few listens to actually count up all the lessons. So I'll shut up and let you listen. Listen and learn.

The Playlist: Destiny's Child / Bondax / Stealing Sheep / Bondax / Trimbal / Frank Ocean / Sky Ferreira

Destiny's Child - Say My Name (Cyril Hahn Remix)



Stealing Sheep - Genevieve



Bondax - Baby I Got That



TRIMBAL - Confidence Boost



Frank Ocean - Blue Whale



Sky Ferreira - Everything is Embarrassing

Bon Iver: Live at Radio CIty Music Hall

Justin Vernon is a cruel man. First he delights fans by providing a 97 minute HD video of his Radio City Music Hall performance for fans on Youtube. The next day, he says he may be "walking away" from Bon Iver for a while. Devastating news. Either way, I couldn't be more excited to see them perform in November. Judging by the video above their live performances are as strong as ever.

Timberland X The Madbury Club.

Timberland handed over their latest pair of shoes, the GT Scramble, to The Madbury Club. For those that don't know, The Madbury Club, headed up by Phillip T Annand, a collection of talented and creative peeps that started of primarily changing the blogging game, and now going off to put their talents to other things. Such as this:

As you can see, brilliant, different and down right class. Classic Madbury.

United Colours Of Benetton: Unemployee Of The Year

The usually controversial United Colors Of Benetton, have gone perhaps a bit more traditional for their latest campaign, Unemployee Of The Year.



In a campaign that seems more reminiscent of Levi's, UCB have targeted an audience that perhaps has never been targeted by an ad campaign before; the unemployeed. But in doing so, I think they've hit the nail on the head, more than any other brand has done in a long time.

This young, motivated, creative and energised target market is constantly battered with ads, namely because they are one of the most influential and desirable groups out there for brands. But in the current climate, despite all of the above, these people are often without jobs. They are fighting to persure their passions and what they believe in, but they are also fighting to stay afloat. And for me, this ad really gets that.

This ad is supported by UCB's Unhate Foundation, a chance for youths to get funding to support their projects. Not perhaps the most unique of ideas but at least they are putting their money where their ads are, and that's more than can be said for most brands.

Jose Mourinho: Restless.

I have more trophies, more money and more desire... My career is always incomplete.

Menorca 2012 Snaps.

Occasionally on my blog I like to get a little self-indulgence. Well, this is one of those occasions as I present a few of my favourite photos I took whilst on a much needed holiday in Menorca (on my shiny new camera).

(Technically a screen shot but I like it nonetheless)

All Frank Ocean Everything.

Frank Ocean - Pyramids - SNL 9-15-12 by IdolxMuzic

There has been no one faster rising in the past year or so than Frank Ocean. From the most hyped hip-hop group of recent years, Odd Future, Frank Ocean has created his own and deserved presence. This presence has seen a critically acclaimed mixtape, followed by an equally acclaimed debut album and collaborations with Jay Z and Kanye West. He notably also was perhaps the first R&B/hip-hop to come out as bi-sexual, a massive step for the industry. His rise seems to have hit new heights the past 24 hours as he was given the honor of the opening show of Saturday Night Live's latest season, performing with John Mayer, smashing it. And then releasing his latest, in a string of amazing videos, for Pyramids.


Frank Ocean - Thinkin Bout You - SNL 9-15-12 by IdolxMuzic

See his performance on SNL of Pyramids (top) and Thinkin' About You (above). And then below is the video for Pyramids, which see a rather trippy Frank ride across the desert and into a strip club, full of some very bootilicious, yet slightly creepy girls.

frank ocean [pyramids] from christopher francis ocean on Vimeo.

COMUNE Visit Mt Bachelor.

Spring Break Mt. Bachelor Expedition. from Kevin Castanheira on Vimeo.

With stunning landscapes, crisp white powder and slick riders, it's never been difficult to make snowboarding videos look impressive. However COMUNE looks like they've raised the bar with some nice framing, lens-flare and focus-shifts, giving their adventures on Mt Bachelor a serene and nostaglic feel. It really feels more about good friends and good times, rather a "OMG LOOK AT THAT AIR!!" Red Bull style video (not that that's a bad thing...). It makes me desperate to go this season.

Alt-J: Fitzpleasure.

ALT-J "Fitzpleasure" from COSA on Vimeo.

Scenes of gothic and relgiious undertones that wouldn't look out of place in a Kanye (or some other supposed Illumanti-related) video, form much of Alt-J's Fitzpleasure. It's create to see that the band's artistic visual spreads from their songs - forming one of my favourite bands of the year - to their videos. (Directed by Guillaume Caignard)

The We And The I: "This Ain't A Moment".

The We and the I (Trailer) from Quinzaine des Réalisateurs on Vimeo.

The We And The I, directed by Michel Gondry (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, The Science of Sleep) is a heartfelt and comical story about the last bus ride home for a group of high school students and graduates. A normal, everyday situation with everyday people, but as with everywhere, every person has their own story. And sometimes these people and these stories clash, and sometimes they compliment.

G.O.O.D. Music “Cruel Summer” Commercial.

For what seems like an age, the G.O.O.D album is almost here. There's a huge amount of anticipation for Cruel Summer to be avaliable but personally I've got mixed reactions on what I've heard. Nevertheless, it will definitely be worth a listen, and I'm liking the look of this 'commercial'.

Why Mono: The Power Of Simplicity.

"Make It Simple, But Significant"
Don Draper.

Why Mono? A discussion with creatives. from Callum Preston on Vimeo.

Yes I did just become the guy who works in advertising who quotes Don Draper. BUT I really like that line, and as a planner, it's something that I always try to remember.

It's definitely something to always remember when producing work in whatever form that may be, ads, photos, stories, whatever. Just because it's simple, doesn't mean it's stupid. Often far from it. In the creative world, the simplicity of black and white has always carried such power. And I think it's something that can sometimes be taken forgranted. It really makes you focus on the subject, you see lines and shadows often hidden by colours. It lets you make up your own mind and work it out for yourself, which I guess is what all great art does.

Azealia Banks: 1991

Azealia Banks continues to tread the ever so thin line between confidence and douchbaggery. But while she tip toes the tightrope, she has managed to create an brilliant new videos. As she fully channels 90s pop videos, plays around with magnifying glasses and weird chairs, there's no doubt that Azealia does what she does best, struts, pouts and spits.

The Playlist: Japandroids / Steve Aoki ft Iggy Azalea / Hot Chip / Action Bronson

Japandroids - The House That Heaven Built



Steve Aoki & Angger Dimas feat. Iggy Azalea - Beat Down (Devolution Remix)



Hot Chip - These Chains



Action Bronson - SHIRAZ

Grimes: Genesis.

I don't think there's really anything you can say about this. Other than, strangely, it's just what I expected.

Talib Kweli, Curren$y and Kendrick Lamar: Push Thru

With a lot of hip-hop getting dark and dirty these days (see A$AP Rocky, OF, Kanye) it's real nice to get a breath of fresh air. This track feels really nice and airy, despite some pretty mean vocals from the master Talib Kweli, Curren$y and the up and coming master Kendrick Lamar.



The track is matched by some really clean and crisp visuals as each rapper takes you around their hometown New York, Louisiana and LA respectively.

Levi's Go Forth: 2012

Last year's Levi's Go Forth campaign was one of my favourite campaigns in a while and was a huge wake up call for the brand. It really captured the teenage rebellion spirit, the (dare I say it) carpe diem (ergh) attitude of teenagers/twenty somethings without being cheesey or forced.



They have gone on to release the 2012 campaign for Go Forth. It is more great work from the people at Wiedens, and although I don't think that it's quite as strong as the first campaign, it's definitely grown. Whereas 2011 was much more about rebelling and sticking it to man attitude to it, 2012 is much more entrepreneurial, it's yours for the taking, make the world the way you want it. It's just grown up a bit, and I like that.

Sigur Rós: Varúd.

For those that have been following the Sigur Ros Valtari Mystery Film Experiment, it's been varied and bizarre to say the least. From seeing Shia LaBeouf naked whilst playing with butterflies in an underwater world to an educational video on how to perform the heimlich manoeuvre, it's an odd collection. But I imagine this is exactly what Sigur Ros wanted when they decided to allocate small budgets to various film directors to interpret their album Valtari.

Sigur Rós: Varúð from Sigur Rós Valtari Mystery Films on Vimeo.

The latest video, for my favourite song off the album Varúd, is perhaps my favourite video so far too. It's far more straight forward and less surreal than the others, as you follow a girl with gold hair casually skipping through the streets of New York. It has a mixture of normality, oddness and magic that I think director Ryan McGinley pulls off so well.

Dan Harris - A Dedication.

Having received some bad news today, it really felt right to me that Washed Out brought out a video to A Dedication.



A beautiful video for a beautiful song. Make sure you appreciated what you've got.

RIP Dan.

Muhammad Ali X Yasiin Bey (X Louis Vuitton)

In the words of Hypebeast "There stands only a handful of hip-hop emcees who have been able to successful transcend the musical culture and find high-fashion relevance. Yasiin Bey is one that immediately comes to mind as a longstanding personality known just as much for his outspoken position in the culture as well as his smooth flowing rhymes."

Yasiin Bey's (aka Mos Def) latest demonstration of his talents is a couple of short performances of quotes by a man with just as sharp and smart tongue, Muhammad Ali. Though not perhaps in the same league, there are many similar traits between Bey and Ali; provocative, mindful, intelligent, witty and semantically superb.

Louis Vuitton "Word" - Directed by Stuart McIntyre from Steam Films on Vimeo.

Bey brings such energy to the show, it feels like Ali is in the room. Credit also has to go to Stuart McIntyre for the direction of the video as the mood and pace perfectly reflects the speeches. Not entirely sure what Louis Vuitton have to do with this, but it's something...

Louis Vuitton "Dream" - Directed by Stuart McIntyre from Steam Films on Vimeo.

Nike: Find Your Greatness.

It's the Olympics, we're all well aware. But for Nike, that's not where all the greatness is this summer.



Nike's 'Olympic' ad, wasn't one of my favourites, but it has really started to grow on me. Although the advert itself doesn't wow you to the extent that other Nike ads have done in the past, it's a really nice sentiment to it and wonderfully written. The entire campaign ties in really nicely with the rest of their activity - for example London underground ads - "Greatness doesn't stand on the right" - especially the jogger ad below. This ad is probably one of the most simple Nike ads I've ever seen, yet it is one of the best written. It is inspiring, it's compelling and like many great Nike ads, it's not about the brand, it's about the person wearing them.

Skyfall Trailer.

After James Bond was declared one of the most important things in Britain by appearing in the Olympic Opening ceremony, it feels right that the latest trailer has arrived.

If this trailer is anything to go by, the James Bond is getting better and better. The films took a notable step up when Daniel Craig took over the role giving it a darker, gritty and more credible edge. They are quickly becoming one of the finest pieces of British film in my opinion, while still including all the usual explosions, car chases and beautiful woman. He even manages to pull of the trademark James Bond cheese moments.

"How much do you know about fear?" "All there is".

LOVE Issue 8 Preview by Sølve Sundsbø.

LOVE Issue 8 Preview by Sølve Sundsbø from LOVE on Vimeo.

In the form of an eerie and odd live fashion-shoot, LOVE magazine have released a video preview of their latest edition, Issue 8. Featuring the visuals of the wonderful, and equally odd, Grimes, Sølve Sundsbø puts together beautiful piece, even if you're not quite sure what just happened...

The Playlist.

It's been a while...

The Notorious B.I.G. - Machine Gun Funk [Woody Remix]



Frank Ocean - Lost



Nas vs Massive Attack



Pusha T & Kanye West -- New God Flow



SBTRKT - Gloss



Shad - It Ain't Over



Flying Lotus - Between Friends (Feat Earl Sweatshirt And Captain Murphy)



Nas feat Amy Winehouse – Cherry Wine



Bat For Lashes - Laura

London 2012 Olympics & Paralympic Ads

Incase you hadn't noticed, this summer is all about the London 2012 Olympics. Because of the nature of sport, it has always been a fantastic subject area to advertise around. However that does mean you get almost every brand under the sun trying to be a sports brand.

And as the Olympics are the greatest sporting event in the world every ad under the sun is now an Olympic ad. This has unfortunately led to a lot of dire and dull ads on our TVs, computers and bus stops.

However, as there always is in ad world, a small glimmer of hope. Adidas and Channel 4 have both produced incredible ads for the Olympics and Paralympics, respectively. Both ads capture the what the events are about. They don't sell too hard, they're not cheesey, and although both are very emotional (as is sport) they feel very genuine and relavent to the games.

Adidas - Take The Stage



Channel 4 - Superhumans

Vans X The Diggest: NYC

There's a lot to appreciate in this video, some amazing riding, great soundtrack and some lovely shots. But what I really like in this Vans film is the feel of it. You can feel New York City through it. The realness, the grit, the feel that the city is yours for the taking. And that is a direct reflection of the brand and of BMXing, making the film a real natural fit between the three, which makes it all the genuine.

Prada X Ben Kingsley X Helen Bonham Carter X Roman Polanski

For Prada's latest project, a short film, they decided to go all out and get actors Ben Kingsley and Helen Bonham Carter to team up with Polish director Roman Polanski. In a beautifully considered and carefully put together piece, Bonham Carter goes to see her pyschiatrist Kinglsey who fails to listen to her but instead falls for her Prada coat. In a slightly bizarre scene he finds the coat irresistible and simply must try it on. Despite a dodgy end line, a lovely piece of content by the fashion house.

The XX: Angels.

On The Days We Were Together, Time Would Glide.

Frank Ocean, of Odd Future fame, came out today. A huge step for hip-hop and gay rights. But what intrigued me the most was how beautifully he did it. Frank used all the tools in his songwriting quota to put together an elequent and vivid explanation.

Maria Sharapova: Never Listen. Never Give Up.

"No matter how tough it was or if people didn't believe in me, I never listened. I only listened to my own voice which told me that I would succeed again and I did. No matter how many punches I took, I didn't care. I always got back up again. There were no excuses - I love this work of playing tennis. I could have said I have had enough when I was injured. I could have said I have enough money and fame, but when your love for the sport is bigger than those things, then you still get up to practice when it's freezing or when others have no belief."
BBC

Danny Brown: Grown Up.

I can't quite work out if I like Danny Brown yet, I've got a feeling he's a grower. But what I know I do like is his new song and video Grown Up. Despite not having especially unqiue lyrics, it's got a lovely beat and a great video to go with it. Mini-DB is incredible. He nails pretty much every line and manages to pull off being cute and badass all at the same time.

Gazza: An English Lion.

It's never been easy been to be an England fan, but there's nothing you can do about it and there's little we would change about it. Despite the lack of trophies in the cupboard, we have had some absolutely brilliant players through-out the years - Lineker, Charlton, Keegan, Shearer, Owen, Beckham, Scholes - all world-class legends. But one player that England fans probably love more than most is Paul Gascoigne. Gazza. Not only a world class talent, but an incredible man. He loved nothing more than playing for his country, he had no problems showing it. He brought new meanings to phrases like "he wore his heart on his sleeve" or "played like it was his last game".



In time for Euro 2012 Umbro interviewed Gazza on some of the best and proudest moments of his career (and all the myths, which unlike Balotelli - are all true). After years of hardship (money, drugs and drink abuse) it is great to see Gazza looking so well and to see, still, how immensely proud he is to be English and have played for his country. Gazza is a man who is difficult to define and put into a box, but the following words and phrases seem to do a bit of justice. Hero. Legend. English Lion.

And you never need an excuse to watch this:

Loewe & The Sartorialist.

If you don't know of The Sartorialist, then you need to educate yourself (try this Intel sponsored short on him). Not content with either one of the most popular and influential fashion blogs on the web, or even the blog in book form, Scott Schumann is now creating an exhibit of his work in fashion boutique Loewe. In this short you get a quick insight in what he looks for in his subjects, how he manages to capture them and also talk on his upcoming exhibition.

Edward Sharpe and The Magnetic Zeros: Man On Fire

Really enjoyed the simple and warm nature of this video for Edward Sharpe and The Magnetic Zeros. The visuals were directed by actor and filmmaker Brady Corbet, who recently starred in Lars von Trier's film Melancholia. In an almost documentary, observational style, Corbet captures different types of dancers from all across New York simply doing what they love.

The Playlist: Major Lazer / Yeasayer / Todd Terje / The Vaccines / Bombay Bicycle Club

Major Lazer - Get Free



Yeasayer - Henrietta



Todd Terje - Inspector Norse



The Vaccines - No Hope



Bombay Bicycle Club - Beg

Kanye West & Jay-Z: No Church In The Wild.

Almost anything that comes from the hands, mouths and minds of Kanye and Jay-Z needs to be recognised and I was lucky enough to experience this first hand last week. I finally got to see the two of them live at London's O2, and wow. Just WOW. It was an incredible night, such energy, such experience, such skill. It was truly one of the best gigs I've ever been too, and my respect for the two grew even higher.



A few of the images from their latest video, No Church In The Wild (featuring Frank Ocean) were displayed on huge screens as Ye and Hov stood and stared accompanied by "What a wonderful world" in the background. Epic stuff. However saying that, I feel that this is the weakest from WTT yet. That's not to say it's bad, these boys set the bar high - it doesn't get much higher - it just doesn't quite work with the song or as a video for me, and that's a shame. Nevertheless it is still a good video and director Romain Gavras did a good job. But that's just it, it's good, when we all expect greatness.

Dissecting Creativity: Pharrell Williams

I always believe that one of the hardest traits to keep a hold of is to remain relevant. Pharrell Williams is someone that manages to diversify himself and his work to such extremes but always uphold the highest level of integrity, creativity and yes, relevancy. Therefore he is always someone who's words should be listened to and has much to offer.



Blame HypeBeast TV for the awful audio.

Street Art: Faif!

There is little known about street artist Faif, apart from he is from Barcelona, a man and has great skills with a graffiti can. Not only does he have great skills but, potentially more importantly, he has a distinctive style and a great way of looking at the world. It's not too often that I upload street art up here, there's just so much it's often hard to keep up with. But Faif's cheeky take on the world and street art really stood out to me. Though maybe making similar points as the one and only Banksy, he's clearly not taking anything too seriously. The best way to be.