Why Video

The Operable Window, from its inception in 2008, has presented a great deal of content in the form of short films and video. This is no accident or coincident. In fact, a great deal of discussion has happened between the contributors about video's roll on the blog and in the greater creative world.

At the Operable Window our general belief is that the video, of all other forms of the graphic arts, is the most suitable for viewing on computers. This is not to say that this is the best way to view video, but rather it is better viewed on the computer screen than, say, photography or the illustrated arts. With this said there is more and more, especially in the graphic design world, art that is made specifically to be viewed on a monitor.

But why? Why do we feel that the internet, and the means by which we access it, are so conducive for viewing video. It is rather simple actually. As a hardware medium argument, the computer screen is great for watching video because of its fairly high resolution and the fact that it is back-lit. As high as screen resolution is though, it is not high enough or have the color depth that a print of a photograph would have. We would also rather look at illustrations done with pen and ink on a nice Bristol, or a screen print on a heavy stock.

Simply put, the computer is the medium of video. Not the only one, but a good one. This is not to say that we don't spend a great deal of time enjoying other arts on the computer, but rather we enjoy them a great deal more in their respected, intended, mediums.

This discussion leads to others about the internet's roll and impact on the arts and the creative fields. With the proliferation of video sharing websites and "share" buttons, for the first time access to the motion picture medium is open to the masses. Think 35mm compact camera of another time, or the more recent drop in digital camera prices. Now anyone can make short videos and make them accessible to the world, for better or for worse.

Personally I would discourage the dismissal of this power. One might argue that for ever One well made, creative film, there are 100,000 horrible videos of teens lip-sinking to the Black Eyed Peas. True. Remember though, that ratio is exaggerated by thousands in the case of photography. There have been so many horrific images taken since the introduction of the consumer camera that it is unthinkable. With that though came the few good images and more importantly the forwarding of the field by those that would not have normally had access to the medium a generation before. So artist could start younger and take their cameras more places and practice more. This is exactly the case of Video today.

We would love to hear everyone's thoughts on this.

Proof of the point...
An excellent young Director/producer/editor/graphics artist Ninian Doff. Here is a fun little ditty...



http://www.niniandoff.com/

Bestmade Axes - Beauty in Wood and Steel

I have Eastwing hammers in my tool box, an Eastwing hatchet in my camping gear.  I have a collapsible bucksaw, I use a splitting maul to ready wood for the wood stove every year.  I take pride in my tools, not only the physical ones, but mental ones and digital ones too.  They are how I get the job done.  These axes are so beautiful, and the marketing for them might as well just be putting a target on my forehead.  Check these Bestmade Axes out.

Not only is the logo beautiful...

Not only is the web design and product photography beautiful....

But to add to it they had to go and make these videos, which are all worth watching.

CHOP (preview) from BEST MADE on Vimeo.


CHOP No. 1 from BEST MADE on Vimeo.


CHOP No. 2 from BEST MADE on Vimeo.


CHOP No. 4 from BEST MADE on Vimeo.

"It's wood... and a piece of steel... put together.  Sitting there as this capsule of stored energy."

I think it is getting to be that time where the operable window needs to get its hands on a phantom.

Highlining, I Believe I Can fly

Beautifully shot trailer for an upcoming film about a crew who are pushing the sport of "highlining" a combination of climbing, slackline and tightrope walking.

I Believe I can Fly ( flight of the frenchies). Trailer from sebastien montaz-rosset on Vimeo.

Super Sexy CPR or, the best CPR education you'll ever get.

Super Sexy CPR, a top of the line advertisement for Fortnight Lingerie.

Super Sexy CPR from Super Sexy CPR on Vimeo.

Don't forget the abdominal thrust... for next time your date starts choking.

Super Sexy Abdominal Thrust from Super Sexy CPR on Vimeo.

Dancing About Architecture

Always refreshing to see something a bit different.

Continuous from adriene hughes on Vimeo.

The RED Epic hits the scene.

The RED Epic has been out for a few months now, and at a third the size of the RED One, it's showing up in some places that filming with a larger camera has been tough in the past.  The new RED Epic has 5 times the resolution of an HD video camera, as did the RED One, but this one has another half stop of dynamic range, can process HDR footage up to 18+ stops of dynamic range, and can shoot 60 fps at all resolutions.

What does this all mean?

Take a look and see for yourself.


Red Epic Skateboard Movie "1:02 to 1:06" 300fps, 120fps from Red Point Digital on Vimeo.

Architectural Photographic Animation

This piece really falls into a larger conversation that I have been having with some peers about the representation of architecture through photography, video, rendering and animation.  Some of my thoughts about the photography part of that conversation can be found here.  I have a feeling that conversation will start to make it's way to this blog more and more in the next few months.

For now, we can have a look at this animated short about an Abby turned prison turned cultural center in France.  Directed by Francis Cutter and Vincent Nguyen, Welcome to Fontevraud, shows a UNESCO heritage in a interesting way through the use of animated stills and dance.  Yep dance.  Though the graphics are not perfect the idea is interesting and it does give a feel for the building quickly and entertainingly. 

Welcome to Fontevraud from Francis Cutter & Vincent Nguyen on Vimeo.

A Picture Called Death - Peter Dean Rickards

As Matt put it in a chat we had tonight after we watched this video, "Photography is an art that happens even when times are hard".    The earthquake in Japan showed us that, when something happens some people run, others grab their camera and get to work.  Have a watch.

Tronic Studio

The work of Tronic Studio first came to my attention when someone showed me the work they recently did for Herzog & De Meuron.  That video was actually produced a few years ago, but it was only recently that I was made aware of it.  Tronic has been very busy since that time creating new digital worlds for the likes of Adidas, Microsoft, Sony, Target, Diesel, GE, Nike, Sharp and Hitachi.

Most recently they did a spot for the very cool "The Cool Hunter" blog.

This post is not about those shorts as much as I wanted to show an interview of the firms two principles as they discuss their inspiration and background.  I personally found the interview interesting as it is focused on the line between architecture and the digital arts.  (more on that another time)

Interview with Tronic from TronicStudio on Vimeo.

56_Leonard_Herzog_and_Demeuron from TronicStudio on Vimeo.

Cool Hunter from TronicStudio on Vimeo.

Branding a Country : Geographic Advertising

After seeing the great video, "Inspired by Iceland" that shows off Iceland and it's people I started thinking about those "Pure Michigan" signs, and billboards on the highway that say "at this very moment in Manitowoc". Country, State, and City Branding.





The pure Michigan video has under 25,000 views (other Pure Michigan ones had even less), while Inspired by Iceland has over 100,00 onYoutube, and 30,000 on Vimeo. Maybe that's a statement to uploading video in high quality instead of poor low definition. Though I'm pretty sure it has something to do with Emiliana Torrini's song Jungle Drum, which will be happily on repeat in my mind for the rest of the weekend.

Branding a location an interesting concept. Think of the Maple Leaf, or how New Zealand pushed it's landscape after it showed up in the Lord of the Rings Trilogy as Middle Earth.

I've been to Manitowoc, it's great, I can vouch for it. This billboard however, makes me never want to go there again. If that's what's "happening" in Manitowoc... I'll pass thanks. It is a historic port city, there is a huge Budwiser brewery there... Come on guys.

Tom Harris

Video of the 8.9 Magnitude Earthquake and Tsunami in Japan

Recently I had a talk with a couple of the contributors to this blog, we discussed the Internet and what easily accessible video has brought to the game. This is being made evident right now, though the 8.9 magnitude earthquake happened only hours ago in the ocean off Sendai Japan which is viewable by you or me here in the United States now.  Not all of the video was shot by journalists and news reporters, some was shot by any citizen with a camera or cell phone capable of shooting video;  meaning we can see what it looks like when you are in a grocery store during an earthquake of that magnitude:



Or when the Tsunami rolls ashore near the airport.



Or footage of the oil refinery blazing away from the quake, shot by syndicated news cameras yes, but still imediate:



Or this really amazing footage of the Tsunami sweeping cars and homes away.



I am astonished by how accessible the world has become.

Tom Harris

Architectural Film : Studio Gang's Columbia College Media Production Center

I am very fortunate that in my line of work I get to cross paths with amazing architects, designers, and thinkers on a daily basis.  A recent project I was lucky enough to be a part of was to move Hedrich Blessing into the realm of video.  Thirst Design worked along with us taking the footage and imagery we made in the space to produce this video which I hope sets a new bar for what is possible with a strong vision, good technique, and some thought.  We spent a couple of sessions at Columbia College Media Production Center here in Chicago and made video clips, time lapse imagery, and sound samples.



Best viewed at vimeo in HD and in Full Screen. 

One of the exciting parts of how it all came together is the thought that went into the sound that accompanies the footage.  Light and color values from key frames were mapped onto the Circle of Fifths to use as a road map for the notes.  The music was then composed using those frames as way points, so the flow of the sound actually is dictated by how the architecture moves light into the space.

We have all seen some of the video's out there of the same genre, Spirt of Space being a group who has done some pioneering of their own in the field, a great group.  This field is growing quickly enough to prompt a first Architecture and Design Film Festival in New York this fall, thankfully for some of us not on the east coast, the first Chicago festival takes place in a couple of months, provided we all survive the storied snow storm that will befall us in a few short hours.

Enjoy the video and if you have any thoughts about it, or about Architectural Videography in general, please feel free to comment here on the blog.
 

Tom Harris

What is art, what makes an artist?

I have been thinking a lot about what art is and what makes an artist an artist lately.  In my first year of college a few years back I was asked in my first art survey class the question: "what is art, what makes an artist?"

I remember very few things about that class.  A lot of photos of Robert Smithson's Spiral Jetty (which emerged from the water due to drought in 2004, when I took the class, and just by coincidence, it has only just emerged again and is walkable at this moment), a professor who was clearly obsessed with China, and for whatever reason, I remember with clarity this question and my answer.

So what is art?  There is, of course, no correct answer to this question.  I have thought about this compound question a lot over the years and my answer slowly evolves but at the moment I would answer it as follows.  "Art is in the eye of the beholder, art is not necessarily man made, art can be kinetic or static, and may only exist for an instant."  So all in all, art is everything, which justifies all art.  Some people may find Piet Mondrian's work boring and simple, where others may spend hours standing in front of a single piece and lose themselves in the color fields.  What is publicly accepted as art changes over time as well.  Excellent craftsmanship becomes art and falls out of vogue to more idea driven art and so on.

So the question remains half unanswered.  What makes an artist?  Now while my answer to the first part of the question evolves over time, my answer to this stays the same.  I have no way of comparing this to the views of others but I feel my answer may be somewhat unique here. "An artist is an individual who pursues perfection in a craft."  So in this answer there is a disjoint; while artists make art, not all art is made by artists.  Any person who crawls slowly toward the boundaries of their craft is in my eyes a true artist.  If you find a niche and settle in and refuse to adapt, to advance... are you an artist? Or simply a craftsman who specializes in something?

In my definition anyone can be an artist, a painter, a photographer, an architect, a chemist, a driver, a farmer, a door man... It simply matters that while in pursuit of anything, you drive to be better at it, and you do your best to do it well.

So here are some examples of art, they may be varied, but in my eyes they are all valid pieces of art.

A lunar calendar for 2011

This is Killian Martin again, the video is the piece, while both the videographer, Brett Novak and the skater are artists in their own right.



To tie into the previous post, a contemporary ski jump by Zaha Hadid's firm.

I could go on forever, and the format of a blog makes it tough for me to share music, spacial, science, and other art.  This will have to do for now.  How would you answer the question?  What is art, what makes an artist?

Kilian Martin

The beautiful thing about this blog, the reason I contribute to it, the reason that I read it and perhaps the reason you do as well, is that while it is not highly specific in it's intent, like many blogs are, it is somehow one big cohesive whole.

Slices of hip hop, perspective, concrete, photography, painting, architecture, space (both terrestrial spaces and outer space itself), come together to form this savory pie called The Operable Window.  One thing I'd like to do more of this year is bring content to this blog.  So for whatever reason, I think this very thin slice of skateboarding will find itself at home here.



This is Kilian Martin, a "freestyle" skateboard rider.  The things he does are a dance really.  The way it is shot suits the style of the rider.  Delicately composed, bending some rules and all together just slick from the first second to the last.

The fellow who makes the video goes by the name of Brett Novak, his video work ranges from this great, natural light, single location, one afternoon of Skate Boarding, to videos for Little Wayne, to BMW commercials, to videos about graffiti.  Street art, hip hop, video... did I just tie it all back together?

I'll leave it there.  Here we go 2011.  Lets grow this blog.

A Jet Traveling 560 mph would take...

... 1100 years to circumnavigate the surface of the largest known star.



How small we are.