It’s tough to find many videos of Lady Day, but recently we found a movie starring these two giants of Jazz. Satchmo and Billie do their acting thing as well as give some great performances in New Orleans. Check out a clip below… Times have definitely changed.

I just got this in an email from Abby Laurel who is one member of CAB K*POPT NYC; that’s Chelly and Abby Bring K*Pop to NYC.

1) Who are Chelly and Abby? – NYU students heading this globalization project

2) What is K*Pop? – Korean Pop Music

3) What the hell?

We’re students at NYU from all across the States who love Korean pop music. We recognized that it was becoming more popular in the US and wanted to help spread the k*pop love in New York City. So, we perform cover dances in public spaces all around the city and then make videos of it to put on YouTube. We just started this past Fall, and so far we’ve made two videos. (Abby Laurel)

In our cover of I Am the Best, we encouraged the public to dance in the video with us, and many people gladly cooperated! We’ve had a ton of fun making these videos, and so far we’ve gotten some great reactions from the public of NYC as well as the online community. We plan to continue promoting k*pop in the states with more dance videos in other locations. We just think k*pop is an awesome symbol of globalization and as young people we thought it was important to promote this kind of cultural diversity and meeting of East and West.

Who says the recreational use of Marijuana can only lead to laziness.  Miss J. did more 3 minutes than most coffee sippers do all day.  I must admit I admire her commitment not only to exercising but her commitment to Hip Hop.  Notice the graffiti on the wall?  Dope.

The Good:  Her dancing, her face? yeah her face lol.

The Bad:  idk I’m kinda too lazy to find something…

The Funny: Chris O.’s facial expression at 3:10

Iggy Azalea is a Female Hip Hop artist who’s new to the scene repping Australia.    Iggy has been pursuing a rap career since ’06 when she came to the states.  She’s lived in Miami, Houston, Atlanta and now LA where she’s found a home with her crew D.R.U.G.S. Her buzz started with the music video for Pu$$y and has since released her first project titled ‘Ignorant Art’. The project title  is inspired by Jean-Michel Basquiat’s bio-pic.  In the film theres a scene in which he approaches Andy Warhol and asks ‘would you like to buy some Ignorant Art?’ and the rest is history.

She’s been hyping this video up for the past couple weeks and for her fans I dont think it disappoints.  She embraces using ‘sex as a weapon’ and owns it in a way thats not-so-offensive or cheesy.  Like ‘Pussy Two Times’ and ‘Pu$$y’ (noticing a theme here?) she uses it to keep your attention mostly while she segues from hook to verse.  Up until now people have been comparing her to Kreayshawn (known mostly for the song Gucci Gucci).  I think this song and mixtape will quickly dispel any of those comparisons seeing as how she can actually spit.  In the video she pretends to eat her ‘Cotton Candy Laced in Gold’ and has a series of performance shots.  She’s a little rough around the edges both lyrically and performance-wise, but I think that only adds to her appeal especially in an industry full of manufactured/formula music.  Overall the video serves its purpose which is to grab your attention long enough to find her on twitter and check out her site for the mixtape.

The Good:

You get to watch a model type who actually has some pretty good rap skills!

The Bad:

Slow-Motion cutaways that repeat over and over and over and over and over

The Funny:

An aging Deebo kicking it with Aussie chicks now?

Is that a thugged out skeleton at 1:56?

Links:

IggyAzalea.com
@IggyAzalea

There is such a difference between live action and animated film that I don’t believe the average film watcher fully appreciates. l love animation because it allows one to stretch the boundaries of what can be done. The limits of possibility go out the window, and are replaced by the unlimited scope of the imagination. Is this what drew you to animation?

Animation allows you to show things differently, to play with metaphors and to bring to life ethereal things that are hard to symbolize when working with live action elements.

So yes, I believe that was the main reason. However, as a filmmaker I also wanted to broaden my artistic horizons and search and experiment new things. I came closer to animation on a purely experimental basis, and I guess that by the time I first started working on it, I didn’t think it would become my main activity.

Even the scripts that I have written for full-length movies are now being modified to add some touches of animation to them. By doing so, I can work on a much more metaphoric storytelling, and still make it as a live action film.

As a filmmaker as well as student of the art, tell us what elements intrigue you about live action film.

What intrigues me the most is probably the actors’ internal processes during their performances. I have worked with good actors, and I have also worked with not-so-good actors. Nevertheless, no matter the size of their talent, it has always amazed me how they make use of vastly different creative methods to bring life to their characters, to approach their characters’ personalities.

Each actor is a world and is always challenging and stimulating to guide them through the process, in search of the character the story demands. And once found, it is oh so rewarding.

As an artist myself I am in love with the process behind creation even more than the final product. I was impressed by the level of innovation and dexterity that comes with how you approach your work. The way you combine elements of real life to enhance the detail of animation; such as with a live actor’s silhouette for an animated character, was very interesting to me. It makes me wonder though, how much is too much? How do you monitor and limit yourself in order not to lose the essence of animation in your work?

Well, I think there is no “too much” until you reach what you’re looking for. The good thing about art is that there are no rules. Nobody can say if an artist’s work is too much, unless the artist himself sees it like that, which is still perfectly fine if that’s the message he wants to pass on.

I would be much more worried about losing the essence of the story, or the essence of the characters, rather than losing the “essence of animation.” I believe there is no such thing, and animation is only a tool we use to achieve the essence in whatever it is we’re intending to create.

With everything that you put into your work, do you find yourself mentally/emotionally/creatively drained after some of your projects?

Well, I’d like to play my almighty card here, but truth is yes, I do. Mentally, rather than emotionally or creatively. I’m the “If you’re gonna do it, do it right” kinda person, and I commit and devote to my projects in such extent that by the time they’re finished, there’s not much left of me. However, I’m passionate about what I do, and I find each experience so greatly fulfilling that I would not want it any other way.

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I recently watched a television documentary on Walt Disney and how he was a forward thinker in not only film as far as story lines and animation; but also business. You personally have a company, DreamLife Studio, that allows you the ownership and creative freedom necessary to achieve your standards in film. What do you say to the aspiring artists who only work in their craft, without ever working on their business?

I think both things are important. First, you have to work on your craft until you feel confident about it. Once you have achieved that, you might start thinking about business. As with any other “job,” art doesn’t come out well unless you believe in yourself and in what you do.

Some artists work on a freelance basis, others work for somebody else’s company, and others create their own. Every option has pros and cons -as everything does- and what works for somebody doesn’t necessarily work for somebody else. I went through all of them and I ended up realizing that having my own company would allow me to face the projects the way I wanted to. It allows me to arrange the schedule in the way that suits me the most, to organize the budget in order to spend in what I think it is better to spend and, most important, to pick my own team members. That may not work for somebody else but it definitely works for me.

I believe every experience is part of the tapestry that creates who we are and helps us along our path to reach the best version of ourselves that we can be. That being said, how did completing Law School, something seemingly completely unrelated to your line of work, help you along your path?

Haha, I get this question a lot! Beyond the concept that most people (including me) have of most lawyers, the career is incredibly interesting. It deepens a lot in the human being, in its mind, in its history, its social behavior… that definitely helped me develop the characters in my stories.

Going to college also provided me with a more objective mind. The more books you read, the more knowledge you acquire, it all helps to build a complex structure in your mind that allows you to explore things on a different level.

People always ask me why I chose a career that seems to drift me away from the typical “bohemian artist” concept. But I don’t think that in order to become an artist, you have to be necessarily bohemian. I think being bohemian comes from the way you breathe in what surrounds you, the way you interpret the universe in which you are in and the way you relate to it, and not by going to college or not. In my opinion, it has nothing to do with it.

What responsibility, if any, to do you feel obligated to as an artist?

Mmm, not sure. I could say none, or I could name a hundred.

It gives me a huge satisfaction when people like my work, when they’re touched by my stories. It feels great to influence their feelings at least on that level, and I guess all artists feel a sense of responsibility in making an impression in people, in bringing them out of the mundane world at least for a moment.

But art is not altruistic, and nobody would do it just to fulfill that ‘need’ in people’s lives.

I do art because it is what I like to do, and I get satisfaction from it if it succeeds, but if I would stop enjoying it, I would stop doing it, no matter if people want more or not. So if seen like that, I guess you can say art is always tinged with a bit of egoism.

The Legend of the Scarecrow, Amnesty International, and the scene on your site from Dreamlife are three of my favorites. They each capture an essence of human nature and struggle that everyone can relate to in some form or fashion. Adversity is a great teacher and catalyst for growth as humans and as artists. How has adversity played a role in your career and how important is it for you to create those story-lines for your characters and audience?

Adversity helps you rummage through your inner self, in search of tools to pull out that will help you move on. You explore into areas of your personality that you would not normally go to, and it is amazing what can come out of that.

I have had adverse moments that have influenced my projects of those times or, as I like to call it, ‘enriched’ them. Never underestimate the creative force of a bad patch.

If you did not have a camera, computer, or any writing materials how and what would you create/express?

Well, you only need a voice to tell a story. It may be ethereal and get blown by the wind, but if it caused an impression in whoever listened to it, then it will remain forever.

Art doesn’t necessarily have to be tangible.

What can everyone expect from you in the near future?

I have just finished “A Shadow of Blue”, my last animation short film. It is not officially released yet, though it already had its avant premiere in LA. The short film is heading to its festival run and once we get it in a few of the major festivals, we’ll release it online for the world to see it.

After that? Well, I think it is time for a feature film. I’d like to go back to live action direction for a while, and I have a story that I wrote ten years ago that is still waiting for me to bring it to life. I guess it is time for me to finally listen to it. After all, it is a project I am so fond of, I even named my company after it.

What you are about to see is an excellent pairing of the audio and the visual. A really great concept. The song is by Gem Club, a duo consisting of two classically trained musicians: singer, writer, and pianist Christopher Barnes, and cellist Kristen Drymala. They have experienced much success since meeting in 2009; and it is just the beginning since they have recently been signed by Seattle’s Hardly Art label. New attention, new music, new success, and new videos; this one was perfect.

The instant I heard Christopher’s voice, performing at Cloud Club in Boston, I knew our partnership was inevitable — there was just this resonance that cut right through me in a way that might as well have been a banner that read, “Welcome Home.” Likewise, my creative relationships with featured performers Eva Perrotta and Michael Pope hold an endless potential and magnetism that seems to pull us together as contemporaries in New York City. This sets the stage for the video. There are the times you can be blindsided by someone new in ways that seem beyond anything speakable. Suddenly, you’re purging these emotions as you’re faced with feeling exposed and vulnerable and falling, willfully or not, into the immense amount of intimacy you were born to share.

Courtesy of NPR’s All Things Considered

Gem Club’s latest project and debut LP called Breakers is available here and you can also check out their site to stay up on the latest from Gem Club.

Remember when music videos had a meaning?  These guys definitely do, the memory is so strong for High 5 Collective (H5C) that they are taking matters into their own hands on a consistent basis to recreate the standard, by recreating music videos their own way.

High 5 Collective is a group of directors that are currently based out of LA. There are three main reasons that I like these guys:

1) They are especially talented at creating a story, sticking to it, and thoroughly developing and executing it to the point that you watch the full video and are thoroughly entertained up to the final frame.

2) Check the pics, they are committed to keeping the focus as far from their personal identities, selves, opinions, thoughts etc., and on their artwork instead. (They even graciously declined yours truly for an interview lol)

3) This is their bio, “We make art for artists that inspire us. New videos every couple weeks. Enjoy the art, bitches.”

Bottom line, these guys bring imagination back to the screen. Influenced by the music, but innovative in their own right; H5C delivers both the complex and the simplistic equally well in an unexpected and unique way that still captures the essence of the music. That ladies and gentlemen is how it’s supposed to be done. That is art.

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Consistency is the name of the game, H5C drops quality in quantity. Check out all of their artwork on the H5C site by clicking here.

Last week’s video of the week came from French artist Kadavre Exquis.  Graphic designer by day, music composer by night; all around dope artist if you ask me. Check out some of his work…

Directed and animated by KADAVRE EXQUIS
Song by NANCY ADAMS “somebody in my orchard.
Sound effect by Kadavre exquis

Theodore is the story of a thief who gets in an orchard at night in order to steal some fruits he needs for his fruit addiction. He finally gets killed by the orchard’s owner. Just after he was shot, we finally realize Theodore only had a nightmare.The main purpose of this video was to work on “clichés”.

This project first began with the song by French band Logo, “La Vie Moderne” (Modern Life). The main goal was to create a story, with the music as the one and only support, as there were no lyrics. Once the video was created, we thought that we could compose a song that would stick even better to the video: so we worked backward in an interactive process, which was quite interesting.
Amusingly, some people pointed to references that I had even not thought about during the creative process.

Check out Kadavre’s personal website with all of his works as well as store here

Deep generational tradition combined with fear of the unknown are the eyes to the mask of hatred that so many African Americans endured through racism in the Civil Rights era. This isn’t a history lesson, this is a filmmaker, inspired by the story of 13 first-graders who in childhood innocence played a part in facing the monster of the times.

Producer/Director, Daniel Kiel and producer, Jane Folk pay homage to these men and women by presenting a documentary film featuring interviews with all 13 pioneering families; and other key individuals including students, teachers, and leaders who lived through this historic time. The film’s premier is October 4th, at 6pm in Memphis at the Malco Paradiso

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After finding 200 pupils, the children were interviewed, tested and taken through a humiliating qualification process. Only 13 students were chosen to integrate 4 schools. On their first day, police surrounded the schools. About 25 white students were pulled from the schools.

With the constant heckling, racial slurs and teacher discrimination only half of the 13 students made it through to the 6th grade in those schools. Parents received hate mail and some students resorted to pushing around one of the girls.

Some of the Memphis 13 went on to emphasize the need for a curriculum designed for African-Americans, like Dwania Kyles, who enrolled at Spelman College to be surrounded by educated black women, and Menelik Fombi, who earned degrees in history and African-American and African studies.

Courtesy of Black America Web.com

Last week’s Video of the Week came courtesy of Jack Tew.  It was called One Night Stand. Check it out…

Comical yes, but Jack’s really good at developing his characters and telling a great story through visual elements.  Something much of mainstream Hollywood has gotten away from.  We reached out for a feature with Jack but were unable to get in touch with him.  If anyone knows him, pass the word on!