Andy Martin_Selfie | STASH MAGAZINE

Andy Martin “Selfie” Short for Pictoplasma

Strange Beast director/animator Andy Martin worries about you. Specifically, he worries about the possible side effects of your auto-portraiture obsession (beyond the obvious problem that nobody looks good shot up close with a wide angle lens). “Selfie” was created for the Pictoplasma #Characterselfie project. [Watch]

MPC_Blacklist | STASH MAGAZINE

MPC Plays Dominoes with NBC’s “Blacklist”

Approached by NBC “to help emulate the gritty undertones” of the network’s hit drama Blacklist without revealing details of the show itself, MPC NY inserts a sweeping CG domino sequence into stark live footage shot in and above the Mojave Desert. The process started with a 3D previz and six life-sized reference sculptures [Watch]

Supamonks_Holypop | STASH MAGAZINE

Supamonks Wreak Havoc for “Holypop”

Parisian character masters Supamonks bust free from their commercial work to unleash a wave of medieval mayhem in this manic and blood-soaked animated comedy produced at the request of real monks in the south of France (Les Frères de la Sainte Famille) to promote their new soda called Holypop. Seriously. [Watch]

Quad Digital District_Mugler Alien | STASH MAGAZINE

Floria Sigismondi Captures Thierry Mugler’s Alien

We carry very few fashion films on Stash but this new spot from director/photographer Floria Sigismondi thru Quad with VFX by Digital District grabbed our attention for its reverential depiction of “a Solar Goddess awakening to the light” shot in the stunning Castello di Sammezzano in Tuscany and set to the [Watch]

Platige_Vikings | STASH MAGAZINE

Platige Fights Fate with “Vikings”

Director Tomek Baginski and a massive crew from Platige Image in Warsaw wrangle the stars of History Channel’s Vikings into a powerful promo augmented with dramatic and seamless CG. Tomek Baginski: “All marketing materials were shot at the same time, so we only had each actor for an hour. That meant [Watch]

Art&Graft_Virgin | STASH MAGAZINE

Virgin Atlantic “Trip” with Art&Graft

The vast majority of inflight safety videos deserve to be ignored because they’re benign and boring. Virgin Atlantic on the other hand treat the mandatory clips as edutainment and just replaced theirs (created by Nexus back in 2002) with this ambitious epic produced over six months by London’s Art&Graft who won [Watch]

Scott Benson: Orange “The Flower”

Valentine’s Day is behind us but the message of this spot for telecom giant Orange still rings true. Adapted from an African fairy tale by Troublemakers director Scott Benson for French agency Marcel with music and sound by Chris Canavaggio and Sean Henry. [Watch]

Behind the Scenes with Leviathan at FITC Amsterdam

Chicago’s Leviathan set the tone for FITC Amsterdam 2014 with an intense and dramatic micro/macro exploration of a painter’s material world all shot with cameras and motion control rigs custom-built for the project.

Leviathan CD Bradon Webb, “We designed the narrative by building an uplifting experience of expanding possibilities for the audience. We discussed the artistic process and how ideas can emerge, for example, from within tiny drops. Our research led us to a great inspirational story about getting out there and following your passion, and that’s what we set out to tell.”

[Watch]

Harris_Bashmore | STASH MAGAZINE

Noah Harris: Julio Bashmore “Peppermint”

Blink Ink director Noah Harris and crew craft a frenetic and riveting fusion of 3D-printed stop-motion elements and 2D animation for Bristol producer Julio Bashmore’s “Peppermint,” proving once again that killer visuals can rescue mind-numbing dance tracks. Lead stop-motion animator was Andy Biddle, and post credits [Watch]

Welcome To Giant Ant’s Neighbourhood

Celebrating the local characters of their downtown Vancouver neighbourhood, Giant Ant created this endearing short during the first of their hack days. According to Giant Ant, “two days dedicated to making something amazing and stupendous”. In addition to this project, the team also constructed a bike rack and drink [Watch]

Donaldson_NYTimes | STASH MAGAZINE

Modern Love and The New York Times

An tale of unexpected love and how opposites attract told with illustrative poise by Brooklyn freelance animator/designer Joe Donaldson (who counts Digital Kitchen, The Mill and Buck among his clients) for The New York Times and their Modern Love column. “Typically, I work in the world of advertising and motion [Watch]

Ignyte_Level | STASH MAGAZINE

Is this the World’s Most Beautiful Toilet Paper Spot?

To some heathens bum-wipe will always be bum-wipe. But the all-Munich team of 3D/VFX house Ignyte and post house Velvet attempt to prove otherwise in this 60-second CG ode to abstracted bathroom hygene set to a delicate cover of The Pixies’ “Where is my Mind” by Sunday Girl. Shame about the way-to-earnest voice over tho. [Watch]

Fokma_Shortcutz | STASH MAGAZINE

Floris+Menno+Mystery+Surrealism = Shortcutz

Amsterdam creative duo Floris Vos and Menno Fokma continue their exploration of CG and live-action with these elegant and eccentric black and white category opens for the local Shortcutz film awards. [Watch]

Kris Mercado: The Griswolds “Red Tuxedo” | STASH MAGAZINE

Kris Mercado: The Griswolds “Red Tuxedo”

Rush back thru a stream of pop culture as NY director Kris Mercado tackles his “more awkward years” chasing the visuals for “Red Tuxedo” for Aussie pop-rockers The Griswolds. [Watch]