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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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".

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.

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.

Jake Davis: Japan's Classic Style.

Another trip to Japan, this time with one of my favourite short film directors, Jake Davis. His Test Shot series has become a bit of an obsession of mine. I really like the way Jake approaches the subjects he shoots, his attention to detail really manages to bring out the characters and personalities. He's got a great sense of pace with his videos, letting them unravvel before you as you become more and more involved in the films. His choice of music is always on point too.



In his latest project, he was sent by K-Swiss shoes to discover examples of classic style. Japan has always fascinated me in the sense of it's dedication to both the old and the new. It is famous for the traditions it has upheld for many centuries, but it is just as famous for the creative and innovative output it has, enough to match any Western culture. This clash is captured perfectly in this series, as Jake finds places as traditional as they are fresh. His exploration took him to an opticians, Globe Specs; a coffee shop, Bear Pond; a record shop, Bonjour Records and a more traditional shop, Bedwin.



As I mentioned earlier, Jake manages to capture the energy and culture behind not just the shops themselves but also the people that created and run theses on a daily basis. Each is different in their own way, and there is a lot to be learnt from each video. Scan through Jake's blog to read more.

Across The Ocean.

Before this blog has featured Pharrell Williams travelling to Japan to see how the country has recovered from the absolutely devastating Tsunami. This beautifully shot video, by Sundry productions, features the accounts of two woman as they retold the moments the wave hit and the very real fear and panic that struck them. Looking at the scenes, you can more than understand this, it was brutal and merciless. However what has really struck me from various accounts and videos I've read and watched on Japan is the sheer resilience the nation has shown, the determination not to be defeated. It is truly wonderful.

Pigalle Paris: 'BARBES BASKETBALL'

Really great short video here. Beautiful shots, combined with slick editing and a minimal soundtrack add up to an eerie, intense and gritty film. The grime yet soul-filled streets of Paris are reflected perfectly in the sport of basketball. Great power behind the piece.

Plan B: Ill Manors.

Intelligent. Talents. Influential. Relevant. Driven. Aware. There are few people that manage to have all of these virtues in their weaponary, but one man that really epitomises all of these is Ben Drew, aka Plan B. I've written before about Plan B when he did a TED talk. Yes, a rapper from East London, with a number one album and Ivor Novello awards to boot, doing a TED talk, and a very good one at that. From all of the words I threw up at the beginning, the most important one is relevant. Genuinely relevant to the youth of today, that can't be bought and that can't be under-estimated.



There is a reason to all this Plan-B adoration, he has just made a film to coincide with his latest album, Ill Manors. The rapper has described the film as "the hip-hop musical version of Crash", adding: "But I don't want to call it a musical, because none of the actors start singing or dancing or anything. It's quite serious. It's just part of the films are narrated by music. If you can imagine my first record but with visuals… parts are just like a normal film, others are told by kind of music video storytelling." (NME)



The film like brutal and heavy-going, but you can see that there is a reason behind the violence, sex and drugs. Plan B endeavours to look at the motivations and reasons behing the actions, every action has a reaction. And that was very much the topic of his TED talk, not to condemn the youth for their actions, but to understand what led to them and how we can prevent that. I've got a feeling that this film and album could be a really important for Plan B and British youth culture. It's a protest, it's a experiment, it's a explanation and just as importantly, it looks like it's genuinely good. But most of all, it's relevant.

Kanye West: Lost In The World.

Remember when Kanye West released My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy? Yeah, long time ago. For me, it was without doubt one of the best albums I've ever heard. Big words. Well, he has finally got around to releasing some visuals for one of the more surprising tracks on the album, Lost In The World, in which he teams up with Bon Iver.



Kanye got Ruth Hogban in to direct the video, which as most Kanye West videos now do, make very little sense but instead are to be interrupted as an art form. As in a few other videos, Kanye doesn't make eye contact with the camera as he is seen strutting his stuff from a birds-eye view. Together with some girl dancing very aggressively in over-sized t-shirts, it makes quite a video.

Ted Trailer.

Few movie trailers manage to surprise me, make me almost cry with laughter and have me quoting the film before I've even seen it. But the Ted trailer had all of it. IT. LOOKS. BRILLIANT.



Oh, and Mila Kunis is in it (and the fact that thats the last thing I mention tells you how good this film looks).

The Dark Knight Rises Trailer.

It's very rare in the movie industry these days that you get a blockbuster film, that is a trilogy that is actually a seriously good film. Of course no body has seen the final instalment of Christopher Nolan's Batman, but it is probably one of the few films that will actually live upto it's hype. The previous two were monumental commercial and critical successes, with Heath Ledger's Joker quickly becoming a modern-day movie icon.



Unlike so many movie trailers these days, TDKR manages to intice you in without giving you the entire plot. You get the feeling that the guys behind the film know how good the film is and how good people are expecting it to be, so the near silent, almost haunting, trailer works perfectly. Can't wait.

Ine's Birthday Night.

Last Saturday I went out with some friends for my housemate's birthday. This is how we got on:

Levi's: Locals Only.

Levi's is one of the most iconic brands in the world, revered as the symbol of being cool, youth and rebellious, a hard thing to keep a hold of for such a huge brand. And this proved the case as they lost this identity for a short while, as they grew in popularity, Dad's started to wear them. Yep, Dads. That's never good news. So in stepped one of the most creative and cool advertising in the world, Wieden + Kennedy to put them right back where they belong.

They first did that with their beautifully written and shot Go Forth campaign. They are now really getting under the skin of youth culture and the world in which they live in their Locals Only project. Locals Only marks the release of their new Black Tab Collection SS12 and takes the shape of a beautifully shot book of photos and 4 mini-documentaries looking at the lifestyle and cultures of modern-day pioneers.

For more pics click here.

Levi's also produced "four videos to capture a snapshot of different hubs and their associated crowds in Berlin, Marseille, Barcelona and Copenhagen. Both photography and documentaries zoom in on street culture movements and what they have become today, paying homage to the art of street style – which is inspiration for the collection. The photography and film team followed skateboarders Lennie Burmeister and Vincent Heller (Berlin), the bar Le Duke (Marseille), the notorious “Nasty Mondays” party founders MadMax and Sören Manzoni (Barcelona) as well as the famous custom motorcycle builders The Wrenchmonkees (Copenhagen), to capture the moments that make up each person’s days."

Copenhagen

Marseille

Berlin

Barcelona