Halcyon Realms - anime|photography|film

Gucci Flora Commercial – Chris Cunningham

yonghow — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 15:20:52 +0000

I know next to nothing about fragrances, but I do so enjoy watching a well shot perfume commercial when one comes around. Gucci’s hypnotic and rapturously beautiful “Flora” ad is all about sensuality, and then some. The visuals were so stunning they had me on goosebumps the first time I saw it.

That so austere an idea – that of a girl standing in a field of flowers bathed in warm, golden sunlight – can translate into such powerful visuals on screen is pure testament to the skill and artistry of the art director/director. The dude who shot this commercial knows a thing or two about making pretty images. Of course, he did also shoot that very intense Bjork MTV many many years back, quite a classic and a monumental achievement, if you ask me :

Chris Cunningham is one of my favourite MTV directors of all times, certainly right up there with Michel Gondry, Jonathan Glazer and Mark Romanek, all whom have gone on to direct feature films of their own. We await (im)patiently.

Check out the clip below for some rare “behind the scenes” of the Flora ad.

Rango is coming.

yonghow — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 16:15:58 +0000

Today we finally saw the release of the first full length trailer for Gore Verbinski’s upcoming animated feature film “Rango”, with Johnny Depp as the voice behind the capricious, gun-slinging chameleon.

It’s been rather amusing reading the comments left on blogs and websites ( ranging from the downright vitriolic to befuddlement ) after the release of the surrealistic teaser trailer, which gave away absolutely no information about the film. ( trailer included below )

Rango’s distinct visuals ( stylized photorealism ) is a clear departure from the largely archetypical, nondescript look of most animated films of late, a very deliberate move by Gore, and he once again call upon the folks from visual effects house Industrial Light and Magic (ILM) to do their what they best – creating stunning imagery and artwork. This is ILM’s first stab at an animated feature.

Let’s hope Rango will set some new standards for the industry, and raise the bar higher for future CG animated features.

http://www.rangomovie.com
http://trailers.apple.com/trailers/paramount/rango/

Jamiroquai Cup Noodle / Nissin Light commercial

yonghow — Sun, 13 Jun 2010 13:52:05 +0000

Folks who have been following my blog for a while will know that I used to work on Sunrise’s Nissin Cup Noodle’s “Freedom Project”, so naturally any new commercials from the noodle maker is sure to pique my personal interest.

The latest commercial sees Nissin pulling in the famous UK Acid funk/electronica group Jamiroquai to plug the brand, and what better music video to use for the advertisement than the legendary “Virtual Insanity” ? ( the original was directed by Jonathan Glazer, who also shot the controversial, yet astounding looking film “Birth” ).

I’ve included both the original MTV (top) and the Nissin Noodle version below for your enjoyment :

Next up are the Nissin “Light” commercials, touting ostensibly noodles that offer less calorie intake per serving; think a noodle version of Coke Light, if you will. These ones they went unabashedly for the “sex sells” tactic , but hey, I don’t hear you guys complaining.

You folks here eat Nissin Cup Noodles too right ? Light or not, Cup Noodles aren’t too nutritious, so go get some real food, please !

Morning Cloudscape

yonghow — Sun, 06 Jun 2010 14:34:41 +0000

Woke up one morning last week to some truly spectacular looking cloudscape. The sky was a picturesque, soothing mix of fluffy white mixed with complementary blue and orange, and the moon was still clearly visible.

Range Murata – Tara Duncan

yonghow — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 16:19:31 +0000

A series of covers for the Japanese translated “Tara Duncan” (a French fantasy novel) by illustration extraordinaire Murata Range ( pronounced “Ren-Ji”). Tara Duncan has often been referred to a French Harry Potter of sorts, though I’ve never read it. Anyone ?

As usual gorgeous artwork by Murata-san, an artist such as himself can find work anywhere in the creative universe with such formidable illustration ( and more importantly concept design ) skills tucked snugly under his arm.

Also take a look at the illustrations for those special mini posters he has done for Kikan S magazine.