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

If Tetris is the greatest puzzle game of all time, then I really don’t know how to describe “Wind and Water Puzzle Battles”. This game was originally created by two guys Yuan-Hsi Chiang and Yuan-Hao Chiang as a collaborative project, then later turned into a huge development for the GP2X console. The release of the game will be devoted entirely for the Sega Dreamcast console, however the PC version is available for free to download. The reason why it was first released on the Sega Dreamcast console partly because due to the system supports true 240p RGB, it gives the overall 2D arcade experience to the game.

From a puzzle game viewpoint, I don’t think it’s too complex that everyone wouldn’t be able to play. The entire game is color coded which makes it simple enough to jump straight into the puzzle. It is somewhat similar to the classic Super Nintendo “Tetris Attack” except with an advance system. I like the fact how the creators treated their game like it was a project they developed for fun and how they are proud to share what they have accomplished. I love puzzle games and I wouldn’t mind giving this a try anytime soon. Check it out!

For more in-depth of “Wind and Water Puzzle Battles”, please read the interview and check out their product by the following websites below:

Interview with Yuan-Hsi Chiang
Wind and Water Puzzle Battles
Yuan Works Development Blog

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

How much longer do I have to wait for this? I want this game for my Wii console right now. By the look of the overall gameplay, I am speechless. Everything is hand drawn and developed by the team Vanillaware in Japan. It’s an RPG adventure where it will take the player back to its roots during the feudal age Japan to experience the Genroku era at the time of shogun Tokugawa Tsunayoshi. There are two playable characters: Kisuke, an amnesia male ninja and Momohime, who’s a female ninja. The Wii release supposed to be due in June 2009 for North America.

I am a big fan of all of the classical side scroller games; pretty much anything you can think of like Contra, Castlevania, Metroid, Super Mario, Metal Slug, Mega Man, Ninja Gaiden, and so on. This game is a moving painting, slam-dunked with vibrant colors, and the unforgettable scroller game style that ought to bring us back to some good memories. I hope this title will deliver our expectations as to what the gameplay is presented to us.

I do a bit of gaming on the Wii every once in a while, but only whenever I have the free time to play it. The Wii is a fun game console to have its even more kickass when you have a couple friends over for a late night “Super Smash Bros Brawl” tournament.

Here are a few screen shots and be sure to check out the trailer.

STORY:
Kisuke, who has lost his memories, is a fugitive being chased for a crime he no longer remembers. His only desire is to find a certain katana. Meanwhile, Momohime, after being possessed by an evil spirit, must flee her castle. – Wikipedia

LINKS:
The Official Site
Gamespot Review
More Screenshots

This would be my second concert throughout the year so far. My first concert was to go see Common & N.E.R.D live at the Cuthbert Amphitheater in Eugene Oregon; it was a great hip-hop concert that I have never experienced before. At a jazz concert, there’s hardly any pushing and shoving, but it is more of a friendly environment where you’ll see upper class people sipping wines and dressed up in their nice attires.

For Kurt Elling to have a gig here in Portland is a rare occasion. I’ve only known Kurt’s work on CDs and video clips on Youtube. When my little brother spotted an ad on the Portland Jazz Festival‘s website, we couldn’t really skip this golden opportunity. We invited our friend Matt to join the night.

We came to the Crystal Ball Room about half an hour early, where the concert was held. Parking wasn’t bad; I’m not too surprised why the waiting line was incredibly long when we arrived. There was a fancy restaurant right next to us, perhaps a bar? I liked the interior design, maybe this would be a great eating place to stop by next time. The door opened at 8:00pm, we were escorted to main floor somewhere on the upper third floor. When one of the securities asked for our IDs and since we only bought the “all ages” tickets, my little brother could not enter the main floor because he is under 21 (“Sorry! No alcohol for kids!”). We had to go up another floor where it’s not as bad as I thought it would be. The seats were decent enough to see everything from above, but we could have gotten a better spot on the main floor. The concert started roughly around 8:15pm. One of the Portland Blazers team members introduced the show.

Kurt Elling walked up on stage with the sassy smile on his face and immediately dived into the first song of the show. After a few songs, Kurt pulled off his own version “They Say It’s Wonderful” by Irving Berlin. Drummer Ulysses Owens and pianist Laurence Hobgood were both electrifying. Towards the end of the show, Kurt Elling did a tribute to John Coltrane‘s master piece “Resolution” alongside with the legendary saxophonist Ernie Watts. Kurt Elling is so good at what he mastered. He could take any original songs with ease and give new sounds to it. His soulful voice will always make him a great jazz singer. Good job Kurt! I had a great time. We all did. Looking forward to seeing you in the near future.

Here’s a version of Nature Boy by Kurt Elling:

An interview he did on BloombergTV:

Idee Inc. is a company who develops a new visual search technology called Piximilar which allows users to analyze, index and search quickly and efficiently through vast image and video collections based on visual similarity.

This is an effective way to gather for inspirations or getting references for a creative project. Unfortunately the usage of Flickr is still in further development where it’s only dedicated to Alamy Stock Photography database at the moment. Maybe they will branch out in the future, but this is still an amazing invention. Come to think of this search technology synchronizes with Flickr somewhat, I am completely overwhelmed and would highly encourage all of you to give Multicolor Image Search a try.

Multicolor Image Search:

Multicolor Image Search Lab allows you to search up to 10 different colors from a palette with 120 different shades provided. Once a color is picked, it will then extracted the colors from 10 million of the most “interesting” Creative Commons images on Flickr or Alamy Stock Photography.

Visual Search Lab:

Visual Search Lab allows you to search with the use of keywords. Let say you’ll write in the word “red” it will then look up for images according to that particular word. When you click onto an image, another set of images similar to the one you have clicked on show up.

BYO Image Search Lab:

BYO (Bring Your Own) Image Search Lab allows you to upload an image or enter the image web address. Once the search process is completed, it will find similar images according to the algorithm of colour, shape, texture, luminosity, complexity, objects and regions.