Tokyo in slow motion... and then one in fast motion

Here is a fantastic slow-mo film of Tokyo:

TOKYO SLO-MODE from alex lee on Vimeo.

A nice touch: Music is Flying Lotus feat. Sir Thom Yorke.

Here is a super-amped up, fast-paced 15-second commercial from Japan for Dole bananas:

Largest and smallest stop-motion films

Here are some stop-motion films shot with a Nokia N8.

The first one is the LARGEST stop-motion film shot with a Nokia N8:

"Gulp" follows a fisherman fishing for sand fishes.  One fish becomes bait for a much larger fish.  Three Nokia N8s were set on a crane to capture the sand artists who drew this ocean scene.  Watch the Making Of film:

Here's the SMALLEST stop-motion film shot on a Nokia N8 using CellScope technology:

"Dot" shows a slumbering figurine who finds her nap is interrupted when the landscape starts unraveling.  She runs through the miniaturized land trying to avoid the destructive thread.  There are nice little touches in the scenery such as pencil shavings used for ocean waves.

Dot stands at 9mm and they used a 3D printer to "print" out resin copies of the models.  Here is a Making Of film:

 

The rise and fall of Esteban Ortega

Here is a great film created for Doritos:

The film tells the life of Esteban Ortega, champion chip flicker, as he ascends into greatness with his flicking abilities, winning the woman, fame and fortune.  [Did you check out his wheels!]  Then his downward fall when his crown is usurped by an up-and-coming clip flicker.  As ridiculous as this premise is, as any good story does, this film never fails to suspend our disbelief.  We are immersed in Esteban's world where people really do kill birds with a flick of a Doritos chip.

But the associated Dip Desperado app created for the campaign is a bit of a let down:

The graphics in this Doritos mobile app pales in comparison with the stunning film.  Which may explain why most branded apps fail. 

Splitscreen: A love story

This short film, shot entirely on a Nokia N8, was the winner of the Nokia Shorts competition:

Splitscreen: A Love Story on Vimeo.

A split screen was used to show two narratives of two individuals with different yet similar lives, and the journey towards the moment they finally meet.

It's pretty amazing and is reminiscent of Michel Gondry's "Sugar Water" for Cibo Matto sans the time forward/backwards element.

Here's the Making Of video for Splitscreen: A Love Story

Splitscreen: A Making Of - Part 1 on Vimeo.

Stunning film for Yves Saint Laurent

I am always intrigued when luxury brands have adverts since more up-scale brands typically don't do commercials.  This new one is more of a short film "La Nuit de L'Homme" for Yves Saint Laurent, directed by Darren Aronofsky, starring French actor Vincent Cassel.  It is visually stunning.