Google celebrated the life of Luther Vandross with an animated Doodle by Atlanta-based guest artist Sam Bass, on what would have been his 70th birthday.
Vandross was born in 1951 and began performing and writing songs while in high school, singing at the 1969 pilot of Sesame Street with the Apollo Theater’s performing arts group. His first big break came when his song Everybody Rejoice featured in the 1974 Broadway musical The Wiz.
Vandross went on to record 14 studio albums that went either platinum or multi-platinum, and he was nominated for 33 Grammy Awards, of which he won eight. Vandross suffered from diabetes and hypertension and had a severe stroke in 2003 that left him in a wheelchair. He died of a heart attack on 1 July 2005 at the age of 54.
“OZYMANDIAS” is the animated 3D adaptation of a poem written by English poet Percy Bysshe Shelley in December 1817. It was created with a series of wash paintings animated with the Unreal Engine and EbSynth to test an experimental 3D animation pipeline.
Additional info: Using EbSynth, a texture synthesis / transfer tool created by Secret Weapon, we applied wash paintings to 3D scenes created in real-time with the Unreal Engine. The result is a unique look and a promising experimental pipeline which dramatically speeds up the production of 3D animation stylized with traditional 2D art.
About the poem: Written in 1817 by Percy Shelley, “Ozymandias” refers to pharaoh Ramesses II and was perhaps inspired by the acquisition of a large Ramesses statue by the British Museum the same year. References to this poem have often appeared in pop culture, though Shelley himself might not have considered it to be one of his major works.
It was first published in the 11 January 1818 issue of The Examiner of London.
Credits: Directed and animated by Alvaro Lamarche-Toloza Wash paintings by Estelle Chauvard Voice by Bryan Cranston, taken from the Breaking Bad Teaser Trailer “Menkaure colossal statue base” model by Zhejiang University “Ramses II” model by Taoetsia “Horse Skeleton” model by Diego Luján García
‘OZYMANDIAS’ By Percy Bysshe Shelley
I met a traveller from an antique land, Who said—“Two vast and trunkless legs of stone Stand in the desert. . . . Near them, on the sand, Half sunk a shattered visage lies, whose frown, And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command, Tell that its sculptor well those passions read Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things, The hand that mocked them, and the heart that fed; And on the pedestal, these words appear: My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings; Look on my Works, ye Mighty, and despair! Nothing beside remains. Round the decay Of that colossal Wreck, boundless and bare The lone and level sands stretch far away.”
Emmy-award-winning nature cameraman Colin Stafford-Johnson takes a long trip along Ireland’s coastline, one of the most beautiful in the world. As he travels he visits wild locations and happens across a variety of wildlife, which are all captured using the latest in filming techniques and technology, such as high-speed footage and Cineflex. Also in his journey Colin will visit a gannet colony, see humpback whales and basking sharks surface, and uncover some of the early Christian history of the island, amongst much more.
VASTNESS is a short film where we explore new designed nebulas with more detail, scale and color variations.
To achieve this I developed a new process that pushes the hardware memory limit. By using more particles than before, I tried to get more detail, light/color variations and scale still maintaining the overall natural feeling.
Patagonia Films presents: Treeline. Follow a group of skiers, snowboarders, scientists and healers to the birch forests of Japan, the red cedars of British Columbia and the bristlecones of Nevada, as they explore an ancient story written in rings.
Producers: Laura Yale, Monika McClure
Executive Producers: Alex Lowther, Jimmy Hopper, Josh Nielsen
Cinematography, editing, principal sound design: Jordan Manley
Additional Cinematography: Scott Secco
Associate Producers: Garrett Grove, Lisa Ida, Soichiro Uchino, Mie Sawatari
Editorial Advisors: Daniel Irvine, Chad Manley
Motion Graphics: Daniel Irvine
Additional Sound Design and Mix: Jeff Yellen / Ridgeline Sound
Cast & Athletes
Taro Tamai Hidehiko Wajima Kazushi “Orange Man” Yamauchi Yuki Miyazaki Alex Yoder Leah Evans Carston Oliver Laura Yale Connie Millar Diane Delaney Michael Cohen Deb MacKillop Suzanne Simard Akihiko Tamaki Konami Tsukamoto
Still Photographer: Garrett Grove
Additional Audio Recordings: Travis Rummel / Felt Soul Media
A love story between a ballet dancer and a Parisian skateboarder in empty French museums. The union of two bodies in motion through time and history of art. Two souls intimately linked, each one appropriating their own space to revive the works of art. Museum : an epic and lyrical journey between shadows and lights combining classical ballet and skateboarding.
Directed by Marin Troude & Tristan Helias Produced by Tristan Helias Ballet dancer : Victoria Dauberville Skateboarder : Tristan Helias Musée d’Orsay : Laurence Des Cars, Amélie Hardivillier, Marion Guillaud, Fanny Livet CMN : Philippe Béleval, Jill Ickowicz Script : Tristan Helias, Marin Troude Art direction : Marin Troude, Tristan Helias Ballet choreography : Victora Dauberville Cinematography : Killian Lassablière & Marin Troude
A film by: Maceo Frost, Henning Sandström & Freddie Meadows
Produced by Freddie Meadows, Sand Film & Nuet film in collaboration with New-Land. Director of Photography: Henning Sandström
Live to Sea – A saga that follows Freddie Meadows on his tireless quest along the rugged edges of Sweden, in search of the region’s greatest waves; one of the final frontiers within surfing.
“This journey has been long and beautiful. A journey that I feel in many ways has just begun; the majority of which remains undocumented due to the mystical nature and spontaneity of the Baltic Sea. It was early autumn of 2019, I was anchored behind an island when the name Live to Sea came to mind. It was the perfect description of what I do, of what all of us surfers do in some way. Live to Sea is for anyone and everyone who feels connected to the ocean, sea or any waters. For me this film is a tribute to the missions and moments that went unseen. Most importantly it is a tribute to the magic of nature and the sea. “
Director: Nick Martini DP: Cam Riley Producer/Executive Producer: Anthony R. Lahout Editor: Mattias Evangelista Sound: Alex Boll
Since 1920, America’s Oldest Ski Shop
100-year businesses don’t exist. The retail industry is dead. In the rugged White Mountains of northern New Hampshire, Lahout’s has remained open 365 days a year since 1920. While e-commerce and conglomerates have stripped the country of local, independent retailers, a family of Lebanese immigrants have prevailed for a century, beating the Great Depression, World War II, the Dot Com Crash and Great Recession.
Award-winning director Nick Martini and cinematographer Cam Riley have teamed up with executive producer Anthony Lahout to captivate a nation consumed with hashtags instead of history. This film tells a timeless short story of the American dream and the family that put a community on skis. After 100 years, Lahout’s is still a family business moving onto its fourth generation. Through past and present, we learn the true root of the store’s success. As the original passes on, we question and discover the backbone of its longevity. We hope to inspire immigrants, millennials, family businesses, and outdoor enthusiasts that all in America is not lost.