It has been more than a year now since I last worked at Bent Image Lab. When I was there, I had a wonderful time getting to know the studio and participated in several cool projects. Before knocking on Bent’s door, my knowledge in the field of CG animation was very limited, as a matter of fact, I don’t do CG at all. I walked in with the intention to put my design and illustration skills to good use, little did I know the result turned out quite perfectly.

Bent definitely has taught me how to advance my technical skills and speed more efficiently. Each morning I always feel like I’m in a rush to get something done, but no matter what the circumstances were, I had to deliver all the projects on time. Since Bent Image Lab is a production house, we pretty much produced all of the final touches from scratch. The amount of labor and sweat went into each project was inconceivably intensive. I worked long hours and was constantly on the edge of deadlines.

When Nando Costa (founder of Nervo.tv) began collaborating with Bent, he brought his creative expertise in motion graphics to the team. Luckily, I got a few opportunities to sink my teeth into doing motion graphics. It was a lot of fun designing styleframes and preparing some of the animation assets for the compositing department. One day, I would love to be able to experiment and produce amazing projects in After Effects.

Thanks again for given me this greatest experience in the animation & commercial industry. Bent has taught me so many things, from every aspect of concept designing to the outcome of developments in production. Being surrounded in the core of many diverse talented people have made me realized how we each carry unique set of skills. I’m happy that I got to share part of my skills with the rest of the team at Bent.

Below are a few examples of what Bent Image Lab can do:

“Whale Song” for Modest Mouse

Coke: Hidden Formula

Lux Provocateur

BC Dairy Foundation “Russian Dolls”

Scott Naturals, “The Right Blend”

At a pivotal point in our creative career, of course starting out in the professional realm wouldn’t be as easy as it sounds; in general, everyone has to go through the same procedures when accepting a job offer. Those essential ingredients are: a crafted portfolio, a resume, and an interview to accommodate our talents.

I was browsing through Core77 channel and thought this seminar would be beneficial for students or recent grads to check out. It may not apply to what you do, but I think these people do give out a lot of good insights and tips to what the creative industry is expecting from a person.

Looking from left to right: Chelsea Vandiver (Ziba Design), Nick Oakley (Intel), Beth Sasseen (Nike), and Kirk James (Cinco Design); moderated by Carl Alviani (Coroflot.com).

Coroflot Creative Confab Panel Discussion P.1

Coroflot Creative Confab Panel Discussion P.2

Thought these ads tickle my senses in terms of their creativity and execution. I have never seen any commercials that’d be close to the level of quirkiness like these Old Spice ad campaigns. I love the fact that they’re so random, leaving us clueless of what’s going on, but still comprehending the ideas attached behind it. I’m sold with the overall branding direction; this is how a product should be advertised on television.

The following spot is called “The Man Your Man Could Smell Like.” It has been viewed 6.9 million times on YouTube. Ad agency Wieden + Kennedy should be proud for what they have accomplished. The spot is viral and direct.  It can be a bit too much for some people, hopefully not to women.

Old Spice | The Man Your Man Could Smell Like

Old Spice | Did You Know

Old Spice | Questions

Take a look at these following spots as well; they are pretty damn hilarious.
All of Old Spice ad campaigns are great in my opinion.

Old Spice | Karate

I didn’t expect that coming! Just watch, it’ll be a good surprise!

Old Spice | Blocker

Terry Crews is on crack! I’m speechless and stomach hurts!

Old Spice | Flex

Old Spice | Punch

Old Spice | Zoom

Apparently, Bruce Lee been quite busy shooting a commercial on the side. This limited edition Nokia N96 model was released in China not too long ago in 2008. In addition to the phone, it comes with a small miniature Bruce Lee toy, a sexy package design, and a black cover protection case with his autograph printed on it. Inspired by Bruce Lee’s 30th anniversary in 2008, JQK Production & JWT both teamed up to launch a campaign to pay tributes to the legend.

The first video is demonstrating Bruce Lee playing a ping pong match with his Nunchaku. His martial art skills and accuracy skills are just inhuman.

The second video is demonstrating how Bruce Lee could also light a match with his fearsome Nunchaku. Try not to blink because this guy cannot miss anything when he hits it.

The third video is demonstrating how Bruce Lee is much more capable than using a phone. My guess, these videos were probably shot directly from the Nokia N960.  Whether this is real or fake, it is still an enjoyment to watch. Enjoy!

Ping Pong Furry

Speed of the Dragon

Dial the Dragon

When it comes to performance art, it’s hard to believe how Japan has taken the concept further to create something that is incredibly entertaining on television. Kasou Taishou (Kinchan and Katori Shingo’s All Japan Costume Grand Prix) is a Japanese game show which encompasses a variety of solo artists and amateur groups to perform short skits live on stage. The show usually revolves around the idea of creating an illustion or faking cinematic special effects. It’s fun to view these performances; where at some points it leaves you without any clues how they could possibly put it together by using real people.

Based from Wikipedia, the technique is called stagehands (Kuroko) which serves the purpose as “running crew” and is often use in a traditional Kabuki theatre. They dress in black and move props, sets, or aiding in scene changes on stage.

Here are a few clips from the show that i have gathered. Please check them out and enjoy the show.

Matrix Ping Pong

Matrix Karate

Shaolin Soccer

Samurai Shodown

Food Fight

Battle Sequence

Music Video

Reflection

All Messed Up

Chair Massage

Melody

Many of us have seen a ton of commercials on TV. They can be funny, they can be stupid, and they can be well… a waste of TV air time. I ran into these commercial spots on Youtube a few days ago and I believe they came from Thailand.

Ad agencies over there seem to have this odd way of selling products on television. I thought a few of these spots turned out quite amusing, but they definitely got the message across the room. They are not terrible from my opinion; at least they have a different approach when it comes to advertisement. Haha!

If you have nothing else to do and is looking forward to killing a few minutes of your time, have a wonderful ride with these spots. They cracked me up!

The image of the banner above came from an ad on the city bus in Bangkok Thailand.

Instant Noodle

Icy Mint Candy

Low Fat Sealect Tuna

Shera Flexy Board