Submarine Channel

What ever happened to Shynola?

Wed, 20 Aug 2008 11:38:22 +0200

Sometimes an image can trigger some happy moments of reminiscence. For instance, a music video that shared quite a lot of familiarities with the work of Chris Cunningham, started us to wonder what ever happened to Cunningham. We wrote a few words on this and a visitor of SubmarineChannel asked us if we heard anything from Shynola lately.
Shynola, a group of four artist from London, made impressive promos for acclaimed bands like Radiohead, Blur and Morcheeba, but in the last couple of years we slightly lost track of them.

Kung Fu Panda's 8-minute end credits

Tue, 19 Aug 2008 14:37:15 +0200

Hollywood loves China. In the year of the Beijing Olympics, several movies with a Chinese theme are released. (See also the title sequence of "The Mummy 3"). Kung Fu Panda, DreamWorks’ latest animated blockbuster, tells the story of a lazy panda bear named Po who, against all odds, becomes a Kung Fu warrior. The end credit sequence by Shine draws heavily upon traditional Chinese imagery.

New Chunk: 'Sticks and Balls'

Fri, 15 Aug 2008 13:25:28 +0200

Straight8 is a one of a kind film festival that “takes you back to the original medium of cinema ... and makes you think visually,” says actress and filmmaker Alice Lowe. Together with Jacqueline Wright, Lowe made the 8mm short 'Sticks and Balls' for the festival. This campy, tongue-in-cheek parody of Golf culture ("Golf is like sex, it's sticks and balls") was one of the highlights of Straight8 2007. We had a little chat too with both directors about Straight8's strict time frame and limitations, which forces you to “just bite the bullet,” as Jacqui put it.

Top 5 of Our Favourite Things: high speed camera shots

Thu, 14 Aug 2008 11:23:12 +0200

True, it’s very subjective and maybe there are better examples out there, but here at SubmarineChannel we came up with this list of the best shots made with high speed cameras. Are we absolutely wrong? Did we completely miss the most breathtaking one? Let us know.

Youth Suicide Fantasy and Venereal Disease

Fri, 08 Aug 2008 16:31:53 +0200

We recently saw an episode from the BBC documentary series The Thirties in Colour. It showed amazing, extremely rare footage from Nazi-Germany in colour. The material was shot by amateurs just before World War II which made it a very eerie experience: scenes of German civilians going about their lives in streets filled with swastikas.
Hungry for more remarkable archive material we searched the Internet Archive (that grand collection of moving images, offering permanent access for researchers, historians, and scholars to historical footage that exist in digital format) and came across A/V Geeks. The A/V Geeks maintain an archive of over 20,000 16mm educational and industrial films. They show the films across the U.S. and make films available on DVD and online at YouTube, Google Video and the Internet Archive. They sell almost 150 different DVDs, categorized by theme. These compilations have great titles such as "Youth Suicide Fantasy - Does Their Music Make Them Do It?" or "Atomic Age Classics Vol 4: Venereal Disease and You".

If you're not dispossessed, why make art?

Thu, 07 Aug 2008 18:16:38 +0200

They're all there: the photographic chronicler Ed Templeton, the clowning Harmony Korine, the nerdy Chris Johanson, the honourable Barry McGee, the always gentle Mike Mills (who actually looks like a gentleman while being interviewed) and of course Aaron Rose himself whose Alleged Gallery in New York played such a vital role in the development of a generation of artists that "rooted in the DIY subcultures of skateboarding, surf, punk, hip hop & graffiti". They, and many more, are all there in the documentary film Beautiful Losers. Some gained weight, some grew a beard. Beautiful Losers premiered at the SxSw Film festival and is now screened at festivals and in museums all across the US. It hasn't been shown in Europe yet, but the producers were so kind to send us a copy. We liked it a lot.

Beautiful and hearthbreaking new music video by Chris Milk

Wed, 06 Aug 2008 16:21:37 +0200

You probably did, but if you haven't yet, we urge you to watch the new music video Who's Gonna Save My Soul of Gnarls Barkley, directed by Chris Milk. The tragic break-up story and the soulful music go so wonderfully together in this video. And the image of the singing hearth that walks down the counter of a typical U.S. diner is just...well, heartbreaking.
We hope to show this bitter sweet promo in our music video section Pause soon, but since we haven't got permission from Universal yet, you can watch it on Milk's own website.
By the way, Dutch TV did a nice 15 minute documentary on Milk some time ago. You can watch it here, click on video on the right. Doc starts at 30:17.

Keep them in their seats with the End Title Song

Wed, 06 Aug 2008 12:32:13 +0200

It’s clear that we at SubmarineChannel like title sequences a lot. Why we like them so much? Well, because title sequences are an excellent opportunity to show what a designer is capable of. It’s mixed media, it’s sound, text, often animation, (motion) graphics, special effects... It all comes together in those few minutes before the actual film starts.
But while the opening titles are often little masterpieces of creative interaction, the end titles are mostly very boring: scrolling white text on a black background. Not really something that keeps you on the edge of your seat.

New title sequences: 'The Teeth of the Night' and 'The Mummy III'

Fri, 01 Aug 2008 15:04:07 +0200

Two brand-new title sequences worthy of your time: The top French design studio Deubal churned out another amazing animated title sequence. This time they sunk their teeth deep in The Teeth of the Night - a horror comedy about vampires.

And Karin Fong and Steve Fuller - two leading art directors of Imaginary Forces - collaborated on the magnificent, graphic-novel style end credits for the The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor, a.k.a. "The Mummy 3". We talked to Karin and Steve about the research and design phase of the project, their inspirations and the challenges they faced while working on this project.

V.I.P. treatment for top films on YouTube

Thu, 31 Jul 2008 16:36:14 +0200

A few weeks ago YouTube launched The Screening Room, “a platform for top films from around the world to find the audiences they deserve”. We of course applaud this initiative. For one, because the screening room shows films that exceed the normal maximum of 10 minutes on YouTube. And two, the films get the VIP treatment: they are being displayed in YouTube’s new High Quality Player.

Hoogerbrugge DVD banned by Chinese censors

Wed, 30 Jul 2008 16:37:01 +0200

During a routine check, those hard working Chinese censors found some videos on the DVD to be included with the Hoogerbrugge monograph, too offensive. Co-Publisher BIS had to switch to another DVD replicator at the last minute and found one in less restrictive Hong Kong. We are left guessing what part of the DVD they didn't appreciate. The meaningless violence? The naked clowns? The travesty? The self-inflicted character assassination? Whatever it was, they didn't find it in the book, because that got printed alright (looks beautiful). But the issue did delay the release by a couple of weeks. The Hoogerbrugge book/DVD, will be out in September.

Horror on-the-go

Tue, 29 Jul 2008 17:10:22 +0200

Finally some big guns (Marvel, CBS mobile and publishing house Scribner) have opened their eyes wide to the potential of mobile entertainment. Their Killer Content project for small screen mobile platforms is a graphic novel/video series hybrid called "N", created by none other than the King of Terror Stephen King and esteemed graphic novelist Alex Maleev ('Daredevil Vol 2'). Starting July 28, you can get your 2-minute King fix every weekday till August 25; that's 25 episodes of horror on-the-go. Watch the first episode for free and judge for yourself if you think 25 episodes of "N" is worth the 4 bucks (for free if you're in the US and with one of the large mobile carriers).

Alexei Tylevich' jaw dropping content for MGS4

Thu, 24 Jul 2008 17:28:35 +0200

The best video game cut scenes today can easily compete with Hollywood's biggest CG effects movies. But many of the high profile game titles still lack in the emotion, storytelling and (voice) acting department. Not so true for Metal Gear Solid - Hideo Kojima's iconic video game series that pioneered the stealth game genre. Our friend Alexei Tylevich - art director of our 2004 Sneakers doc (clip) and co-founder of LA-based production co. Logan - co-wrote, directed, shot and designed ten jaw-dropping 'scenes' for the current installment of MSG, including the opening movie. Tylevich' created 12 minutes of high-res HD video that expand on the games' universe...

Emmy Nominees for Outstanding Main Title Design

Mon, 21 Jul 2008 17:19:50 +0200

We're still waiting for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to award an Oscar for the best film title design (it's one of our hangups). American TV title designers are better off; they've got their Emmy for Outstanding Main Title Design. The titles that get nominated represent some of the best American TV Title Designs. Find out who's nominated this year (with links to the titles).

The latest addition to Forget the Film, Watch the Titles is a Bob Kurtz' title (image) that we didn't post yet - an 'oldie' from 1994: The classic animated opener for City Slickers II: The Legend of Curly's Gold. See it here

The making of the new Radiohead video, or, How to make data go mad

Thu, 17 Jul 2008 15:54:38 +0200

In the Making-of video of Radiohead's "House of Cards" promo, director James Frost talks about how he got this idea for doing a music video based on a UCLA research program on real-time 3D plotting technologies. But where do you go with a radical idea that, on paper at least, might seem really, really far out there... To Radiohead, of course. Making the "House of Cards" video involved three brand-new technologies, a host of computers and even a D.O.T. (Director of Technology – that's got to be a first). One recording system involved a 360-degree scanner that uses 64 laser beams to capture a landscape – the scanner is an impressive looking machine that spins like crazy and looks like a prop straight from the first season of Star Trek.

Google lauches new virtual world

Wed, 16 Jul 2008 16:47:22 +0200

The next big thing in the world of virtual worlds could be Google's answer to Second Life: the brand-new virtual world called Lively. Lively world could potentially have the effect that Second Life really never had, which is: to change the way we use the Web - for good. Google's smart idea was to create a browser-based virtual world made up of individual, but connected, virtual 'rooms'. These rooms can be embedded (in the same way that YouTube videos can) on web pages, blogs, social networking profiles, etc., creating a potentially massive virtual universe of interconnected rooms. Lively is simple and easy to use. Google seems to target a less tech-savvy, younger audience, considering the cartoony look of the avatars and rooms. Now go and secure your alias before it's taken, because Lively is here to stay, we thinks. (Snapshot taken in 'Brasil Lively' room).

Animated titles for 'The No.1 Ladies' Detective Agency'

Tue, 15 Jul 2008 18:11:03 +0200

Director Anthony Minghella (The English Patient) was reportedly more than pleased with Airside's animated opening and closing titles for the successful BBC TV pilot of the comedy/drama The No.1 Ladies' Detective Agency - the last film project before he died in March this year. Minghella said that Airside's work was "meticulous, perfectly judged, beautifully executed and achieved with minimal fuss and a real sense of enthusiastic collaboration." Check!

Tom14 interview

Thu, 10 Jul 2008 14:43:23 +0200

Born in Brazil and based in Barcelona, he combines the best of both worlds. Tom14 is a street artist in more than one way. He works on the streets, sometimes literally, but his work also deals with the rights of the street. It’s all about reclaiming the streets from real estate investors who make large profits from their urban planning projects but do nothing about improving the situation for the locals. "We live in a city that puts tourists first," says Tom14, who takes getting this message out there very seriously. "I see it as a duty to transmit what I think. To use our power of language, so that we can tell people what's going on." Part 2 of 3 Pretty Cool People Interviews with creators from Barcelona, Spain.

Where the hell is matt?

Wed, 09 Jul 2008 18:47:47 +0200

You've probably seen one or two YouTube videos of people dancing in front of their camera's. Now this uber-viral appeared on YouTube and we can safely say it tops all of them. Boasting a staggering 5,116,410 views (at the time of writing), this videos features some bloke called Matt who's filmed himself (or is filmed) dancing at 42 different locations all over the planet. And I mean all over; from the demilitarized zone in North Korea, to Papua New Guinea, Jordan, Amsterdam, underwater with whales, and the list goes on and on. And he's not dancing alone. As soon as he's joined by what seems like groups of random bystanders, this video just starts too ooze a sense of optimistism and global unity, vaguely reminiscent of a certain United Colors of Benetton campaign from the 1990's. Let's just hope Matt's chicken dance doesn't catch on.

SubmarineChannel on Facebook

Tue, 08 Jul 2008 17:25:57 +0200

If you're on Facebook, come identify yourself and join our little brand-new group over there. We'll be posting SubmarineChannel news, project updates, events and other stuff. And of course you can see who else is on there and maybe make some new friends.

Wanted: SubmarineChannel web editor intern

Mon, 07 Jul 2008 12:55:06 +0200

We are looking for an active, passionate, aspiring web editor/journalist intern with a strong interest in digital film, popular culture and the moving image. We are looking for a candidate with a Higher Professional Education (HBO) or academic working level; who is fluent in English; has some writing experience; has afficinity with SubmarineChannel projects, a playful writing style; a creative mind; is result-driven; is eager to learn and passionate about the subjects covered on SubmarineChannel. SubmarineChannel's offices (picture) are based in Amsterdam.

HD x 4: it' s so real!

Fri, 04 Jul 2008 18:23:22 +0200

We recently visited a conference about cross media production in broadcasting. Apart from the usual web 2.0. blah-blah, we saw something absolutely amazing, something that made enduring all the cliché-ridden speeches really worth while. It was the presentation of Sony’s CineAlta 4K digital projector. This monster is capable of reproducing images in full 4K: 4096 x 2160 pixels. Watching footage which is especially shot with 4K camera’s (RED is actually building a 5K camera at the moment) really is a breathtaking experience. We never saw such sharp digital images in a theatre before. It’s more realistic than life itself.

What ever happened to Bill Plympton?

Thu, 03 Jul 2008 16:25:02 +0200

Do you remember those good old days when MTV was still a place where you could expect the unexpected, a place where creativity blossomed like Japanese cherry trees? Sure, we probably idealise the past too much, but it’s a hard fact that MTV just isn’t as stimulating as it used to be.
Luckily, others channels - we don’t mention names, but you know who we mean - took up this roll of showing the most offbeat, innovative and stylish music videos and shorts. Anyway, thinking back of the golden years of MTV one of the names that immediately springs to mind is Bill Plympton.

Carnivàle opening sequence

Wed, 02 Jul 2008 14:55:32 +0200

One of the eye-catching features of HBO's TV drama series Carnivàle was the meticulous art direction and the striking opening title sequence. The series won five Emmy's, including the 2004 Emmy for Outstanding Main Title Design. And deservedly so. The Carnivàle opener is one of the most thoroughly researched and immaculately executed TV titles.

Hoogerbrugge monograph sneak preview

Tue, 01 Jul 2008 12:36:31 +0200

The Hoogerbrugge book+DVD 'Modern Living - The Graphic Universe of Han Hoogerbrugge' (published by BIS Publishers and SubmarineChannel) - is expected to hit the stores in September. Not only will this profusely illustrated book look great on your coffee table, the chapters about early the GIF experiments, the Neurotica series, NAILS, HOTEL, comics, publishing on the web, commissioned works, and more will make great bedtime reading. There's a sneak preview on Hoogerbrugge's site. And while you're there, check out Hoogerbrugge's latest produce. It seems that he is into hybrid films now – films that combine video footage with animation. Like his latest promo for The Young Punx.

Cassette from my ex

Thu, 26 Jun 2008 17:42:48 +0200

Tagline of this website: “They were into you, so they made you a tape.” Cassettefrommyex.com is an utterly nostalgic, but lovely and original tribute to those old beloved mix tapes. Most of the stories were written by pros – writers, journalists, musicians and the like - which is a nice break for a change, and makes for some truly engaging stories. Of course you can listen to those treasured mixes too and drool over some of the scanned images of the actual cassettes (works of art!) because, if you really wanted to impress your love interest, any old Maxell just wouldn't do - you had to DECORATE the tape to express how unique and wonderful you (think they) are. So, undust your cassette deck and check out the site (in whatever order):

New Chunk: Municipal Constructions

Wed, 25 Jun 2008 14:23:29 +0200

The progressive British DVD label C0C0S0L1DC1TY operates in the vanguard of the audiovisual arts. This label is not about eye candy alone. It's about fostering high brow collaborative projects between visual artists - animators, designers, filmmakers and the like - and (electronic) musicians that actually have something to say about the world we live in. Video and animation artist Graham Clayton-Chance (directed videos for REM and Scissor Sisters) and electronic musician Ian Heywood are responsible for the 15th DVD release on the label. Under the Limmat moniker, they worked on an urban architecture-inspired project titled 'Municipal 44' for no less than "3 years of sweat, toil and tears".

The Poker Club titles

Fri, 20 Jun 2008 10:09:30 +0200

The title sequence for The Poker Club - a movie scheduled for release later this year - is a classic thriller opener. The score, the color scheme, the gun of course, and the splatters of blood all spell out MURDER! New York based motion designer Dan Savage got his inspiration from the details of the card images, which, he says, reminded him of human organs...

What happened to Chris Cunningham?

Thu, 19 Jun 2008 14:57:51 +0200

No doubt about it: based on the brilliant music videos he did in the nineties Chris Cunningham deserves a warm place on the Olympus of Promo Directors. His work for artists like Bjork and Aphex Twin were truly masterpieces of amazing originality and we don’t mind watching them over and over again. But since the new millennium his name was only sparsely seen on the payroll of the mayor labels.

Aleksandar Macasev interview

Mon, 16 Jun 2008 17:00:46 +0200

Some times you have to shout to get noticed. And this is exactly what the Serbian artist and graphic designer Aleksandar Maćašev does in his art work. He fights the political establishment in the same rhetoric style as is used by his adversaries. In a country where art is still considered rather harmless, Macasev takes a stance: "I can not change the world, but I can try. Or die trying..." We talked to the artist for our new episode of our Pretty Cool People Interviews series.

Another Chris Ware for This American Life

Thu, 12 Jun 2008 18:25:55 +0200

Chris Ware, best-known for a series of comics called the Acme Novelty Library and Jimmy Corrigan, the Smartest Kid on Earth, has produced another amazing piece of work. Brimming with geometric comic charm, this short story is narrated by the “husband and wife” and serves as an animated opening for This American Life, a 15-year-old, award-winning Chicago Public Radio show. It's a story about a very involved husband who is convinced that he witnessed an embarrassing moment of his wife. But she is sure he was NOT there! (Via Drawn.ca)

Lucio titles created with original materials of master forger

Tue, 10 Jun 2008 13:45:15 +0200

'Lucio' is a documentary about the legendary forger Lucio Urtubia, a.k.a. 'The Basque Zorro'. The titles are noteworthy for the following 3 reasons: 1) they conjure up the atmosphere of a thriller, not a documentary; 2) this is Spanish motion designer Unai Geurra's debut as a film title designer (Forget the Film supports promising title designers); 3) Guerra used the original forgeries from the master himself for the credit sequence. The "making of" story reads a bit like a thriller in itself.

Perfect Pictograms by Gerd Arntz

Fri, 06 Jun 2008 14:01:07 +0200

It’s a remarkable paradox. How can something so explicit and elementary be so subtle and elegant at the same time? We are talking about the collection of pictograms that was designed by the German artist Gerd Arntz (1900-1988) and which is now published online for everybody to study in minute detail.

Piet Parra interview “art is a big word”

Thu, 05 Jun 2008 17:45:29 +0200

An interview to read, this time. Piet Parra is one of the hippest illustrators in Holland. He's also in a band called Lele (> Watch the promo of Lele's "Breakfast" by Parra and Sandder). His hand-drawn art work has graced many a flyer and poster, as well as big brand campaigns, CD covers and the T's of his Rockwell label. The unique trademarks of his style? Beaked humans, 1970s retro-style drawings, vibrant colors and voluptuous women. We called Piet up on the phone to discuss music, humor, drawing, and the meaning of his strange made-up words.

Snacked list of Sweded Movies

Wed, 04 Jun 2008 11:38:28 +0200

A wonderful blog that goes by the name of Snacked has compiled a list, or at least, attempted to compile a list, of Sweded movies. Definition according to the Urban Dictionary: 1. Sweded; The summarized recreation of popular pop-culture films using limited budgets and a camcorder. The process is called sweding. Upon completion the film has been Sweded. The origins of this word can be found in the Be Kind Rewind movie by Micheal Gondry, in which the character Jerry, played by Jack Black, accidentally erases the videotapes at Mos Def’s rental store. Be sure to check out the movie's site too, it’s a real "sweded" experience.

Dunya & Desie titles are a rare treat

Tue, 03 Jun 2008 14:53:02 +0200

We're featuring three title designs by self-taught animation and stop-motion director Balder Westein from Amsterdam. The animated main-on-end credits for the kids movie Gruesome School Trip (Originally De Griezelbus) have an almost Burtonesque feel to it. For Pluk van de Petteflet, Westein created a collage-like sequence featuring caricatures of the actors. The brand-new titles for teen road movie Dunya & Desie are a very rare treat. Nine different sets were used for the opener, which features twenty-one credits placed on a wide variety of objects. All credits are embedded in the scenes itself. How did Westein get it done in only 2,3 weeks? We discusses the making of each title in the accompanying interviews, and Westein notices that there is "a new wave of interest for title sequences in Holland".

Studio DDT

Fri, 30 May 2008 10:51:56 +0200

If you love zombies, dig freaks or adore monsters, than you might want to check out the new episode of our Pretty Cool People Interviews series. We visited the friendly sculptors of Studio DDT in Barcelona, where they make absolutely stunning replicas of dead people. But besides corpses that make your stomach turn, they also specialize in beautifully crafted characters like the Faun in the Oscar-winning movie Pan's Labyrinth.

Lele's "Breakfast"

Thu, 29 May 2008 18:14:54 +0200

This new Chunk "Breakfast" is director Sandder’s fourth video for the brand-new band Lele. The art work for the video was done by another band member, who also happens to be one of the hippest illustrators in the Netherlands: Piet Parra. The result of the Sandder/Parra cooperation is an original, funny and raunchy video for a crazy track. Also worth mentioning: the other two band members are Serge Faberge (also known as the rapper from the best Dutch electro-hip-hop act De Jeugd van Tegenwoordig (The Youth of Today) and Rimer London.

Waltz With Bashir

Wed, 28 May 2008 10:43:37 +0200

In the new animated film Waltz with Bashir, lead animators Tal Gadon and Gali Eldelbaum manage to bring to life the dark past of Ari Folman - former Israeli army soldier turned award-winning film director. The film just celebrated its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival as the first animated documentary. Ari Folman takes us on a journey into the deepest crevasses of his memory.

A new-and-improved SubmarineChannel

Mon, 26 May 2008 16:56:39 +0200

Some time ago, we announced that SubmarineChannel was going to migrate to a new database. Guess what? It finally happened! Apart from a few minor changes to the layout (for one: our main content bar has moved to the left) and some improvements in terms of functionality (from now on you can also browse older articles and add your comments), SubmarineChannel looks and feels pretty much the same (although there still are some bugs here and there to be fixed). For us editors, things have improved big time, but I won't bore you with stories about our gloriously improved content management system. Next up on our extensive todo list: 1: Improve Forget the Film, Watch the Titles website. 2: Make new videoplayer. 3: make new Pause website.

Fons Schiedon's new Voicst promo

Thu, 22 May 2008 12:04:58 +0200

Must be something in the air (or in this case, something in the cosmos). Some of the most original, most talented and most wanted animators around have all completed new works recently. We just posted two stories about a new Run Wrake short and the latest works by Bryan Arthur Jones. And now Fons Schiedon drops the sizzling hot, brand-new music video 'Feel Like a Rocket' for Dutch rock formation Voicst. An amazing, mind-blowing cosmic ride, this video is. "I wanted the images to have the same kind of condensed energy the song has, with a quality that makes you want to see it again, and again, just because you didn't take in enough of that cosmic fine dust the first time," Fons writes on his website, where you can see the video. He also posted some really interesting production notes, stills, sketches, character and background designs.

New Run Wrake Short

Thu, 22 May 2008 12:02:35 +0200

A big shout-out to Run Wrake! He completed a new short and what a nice one it is. Just like his Rabbit, that extraordinary little gem about two kids that slice up a rabbit and won't live long to tell it, The Control Master is an animation that consists entirely of vintage images. The children's book illustrations from Rabbit were originally designed by Geoffry Higham. His beautiful drawings made for that bittersweet contrast with the grimness of the story. For his new film Wrake used images from the CSA archive, an collection of fine, commercial art style images from the Charles S. Anderson Design Company. Again the result is wonderful. If you want to check out more of Wrake's work on SubmarineChannel, check out the Pause section. You can watch two early music videos, one for the Stereo MCs and one for Spacer.

2 new Arthur Jones videos

Thu, 22 May 2008 11:58:22 +0200

The new Arthur Jones short (the genius of Post-It Note Stories fame) is called 'I Like Jessica'. It's an animation of a phone conversation between author Rodney Rothman and the first girl he ever kissed, way back in Junior High. You simply must check out the cheeky conversation. 'I Still Like Jessica' was commissioned by Will Reiser and Ben Karlin and was shown on a tour they did supporting a book Ben compiled and edited named: Things I've Learned from Women Who've Dumped Me. And to top it off, Arthur Jones also just completed a new music video. Jones collaborated with his tweed wearing friend Brimijoin to make a promo for Man Man. Funky animations, a grungy feel and uber hip music make this something you don't want to miss.

New Chunk: Quit Your Job

Mon, 19 May 2008 12:54:29 +0200

Director Rogier van der Zwaag, describes this music video for Nobody Beats the Drum as dark and dirty. It sure looks like an icky place to be! NBTD is a Dutch breakbeat formation with a knack for word play and of course a talent for great electro beats. In fact, beats are the most important thing to them. Hence the name. Their track, Quit Your Job, directed by Rogier, is disturbing and filled with nightmarisch creatures - kind of Chris Cunninham-ish. See the promo and read what Rogier has to say about it.

A Second Life Odyssey Returns!

Mon, 19 May 2008 12:52:02 +0200

Back online on May 8, Molotov Alva and his search for the Creator: A Second Life Odyssey, the first documentary entirely shot within Second Life. Episode 1 of this very first MiniMovie was released online in March 2007 under the title My Second Life and became a smash hit on YouTube virtually overnight, catching the attention of a number of US TV networks. HBO ended up securing the rights for the North American territories for an undisclosed six figure sum. A unique feat for a show that was produced for the web although due to contractual restrictions it had to be taken temporarily offline. Thus, the story so far. Now the most anticipated Machinima film of the year returns with the simulcast premiere of "Molotov Alva" on Thursday May 15th at 8pm/7c on Cinemax, Cinemax.com and Cinemax Island in Second Life. Read more here. Non US residents will be able to see the film on molotovalva.com, where it will be streamed.

Molotov Alva Machinima contest

Mon, 19 May 2008 12:48:35 +0200

"Molotov Alva took us on an incredible journey... Now it's your turn to show us "Your virtual Life". This is the tagline of the Molotov Alva Machinima Contest that just launched on Machinima.com. The idea is that you create a machinima video using your favourite video game or virtual world, and blow everyone's minds. Cinemax picks 3 winners from the top ten favorites selected by the Machinima.com community. There's $3500 in cash prizes. Watch the entries here. You can submit your film till May 18th. Visit? Machinima.com for more info. Good luck and happy shooting.

Impakt invites Federico Solmi

Mon, 19 May 2008 12:45:46 +0200

The Dutch city of Utrecht in the Netherlands is the home of the annual? Impakt festival (May 7 - 11, 2008). Lots of good stuff too see and experience at Impakt. (Of course, we're terribly biased. SubmarineChannel was invited to partake in a panel). But even if you can't visit the festival, you might want to check out Impakt's program for the sheer sake of inspiration. Especially noteworthy is the work of invited artist Federico Solmi. According the catalogue, "Solmi draws his inspiration from video games, pop culture and the Internet". Impakt screens 4 of Solmi's incredible and sometimes controversial animated films. See the trailers on YouTube. A must see, if you're into weird, hand-made, original animations - like we are.

The Age of Stupid

Mon, 19 May 2008 12:39:55 +0200

Very much a "What The Hell Are We Doing" kind of film, this eco-documentary has been four years in the making (five for some). And in the case of The Age Of Stupid blending fictional elements with reality makes for a truth scarier then fiction often is. A scary truth that is not only inconvenient but also relatively lacking in intelligent input. Six real stories of war, poverty and disaster are brought together and intertwined by one heavy weight of an actor, namely the Oscar nominated Pete Postlethwaite, who plays an archivist, the only fictional character in the film. As he digs through remnants of our lives (footage of the documentaries) he wonders how we ever let it get this far. It's the year 2055 and runaway climate change has wiped out hundreds of millions of people and destroyed huge parts of the world. It seems we really do live in the age of stupid, and this movie wants to knock some sense into us.

Martha Cooper interview

Mon, 19 May 2008 12:38:24 +0200

"I thought it was pure vandalism." This was her opinion before Martha Cooper really understood what was going on, but once she became acquainted with some of the first spray can artists in New York she was immediately immersed in the graffiti subculture. Cooper's area of expertise is best described as man's interaction with (urban) environment. As an photographer and anthropologist she is especially fascinated with the various ways in which young people appropriate and personalize their surroundings. Cooper documents this converting by means of markers and spray cans in stunning pictures. A while ago Cooper was in Amsterdam and SubmarineChannel's Pretty Cool People crew talked to her about the early years of the graffiti phenomena.

New Chunk: Visual Abuse

Mon, 19 May 2008 12:34:47 +0200

We have a new Chunk for you all. It's pretty clear cut. It's an animation, it's distorted and it's cool. However, some questions remain. Questions such as; Are we being visually abused or is Nils Muhlenbruch abusing the visual images? Maybe the images are about abuse? What ever the case, one cannot argue that the words "visual" and "abuse" are sufficient to describe the content and maybe even the style of this short, but it is not enough to sum up the experience, which is best described as overpowering, eclectic and maybe a little crazy. Nils uses bright colours, a mixed palette and some incredible imagery. Look out for the leek. For more information and more of Nils' work you can check out an interview Submarine did with Drifter TV.

Pitchfork TV

Fri, 25 Apr 2008 15:36:08 +0200

Pitchfork.tv is a new and very cool TV channel, online. Launched on the 7th of April, this is the first online video music channel dedicated to documenting independent music as it happens. The, as always, independent Pitchfork, known for their up to date music coverage and criticism will bring to you now, full-length feature films, mini-documentaries, vintage concerts, secret rooftop and basement sessions, exclusive interviews, and more than 300 music vids, all free of charge and available on-demand. You could say it's what a modern MTV with priorities would look like. Now Playing for one week only: Eating Sleeping Playing and Waiting: A Film About Air on Tour by our friend Mike Mills.

Javan Ivey

Thu, 17 Apr 2008 16:09:19 +0200

Although the short time-lapse film about the making of his paper-cuts is quit boring, Javan Ivey's stop-motion film My Paper Mind is absolutely beautiful. In this experimental animation Javan explores the possibilities of the Stratastencil-technique which he invented himself. The result is amazing, we especially like the flowmotion of the swing.

The Graveyard by Tale of Tales

Mon, 14 Apr 2008 15:39:21 +0200

Tale of Tales is Auriea Harvey and Michael Samyn's games development studio. Both award-winning designers in their own right, the duo have been operating on the forefront of independent game design. Their latest game, The Graveyard, is actually more like a painting of a grave yard you can explore, slowly. Once inside this painting you take on the character of an old lady. The gameplay is simple. You can walk around, sit on a bench, and listen to a song all the while contemplating the tomb stones surrounding you. The makers, Harvey and Samyn, describe it as real-time poetry - an attempt to tell a story without words.

Horny Hornets

Thu, 10 Apr 2008 18:23:05 +0200

We all know that mantises have pretty kinky sex: while they mate, the female mantis eats the head of the male, which makes him bang her even more vigorously. Well, it was facts like these that inspired well-known Italian actress Isabella Rossellini to write and direct a series of very short films titled Green Porno. The films, in which Rossellini features herself, are a comical study of the curious ways certain insects copulate. Each film is a mixture of real world and cartoon in which Rossellini transforms into the male of the species. The costumes, colorful sets and backdrops as well as the female insects contribute to the playfulness of the films. These episodes may not be XXX-rated, but "the way bugs make love", says Rossellini, "is very pornographic". All 8 of the Green Porno short films will be viewable on sundancechannel.com beginning Monday, May 5.

New Chunk: A Beginners Guide...

Thu, 10 Apr 2008 15:07:05 +0200

For all of you concerned citizens out there, this is a public service announcement about climate change and what YOU can do about it. Okay, we know you're not used to this from SubmarineChannel, but believe me, this is worth it. A Beginners Guide to Giving A Damn... About Climate Change was animated and directed by Airside and Al MacCuish and commissioned by Live Earth. It's funny, brilliant, lively and bursting with colour. This is a do-good, feel-good short.

Son of Rambow

Thu, 10 Apr 2008 15:04:56 +0200

Director Garth Jennings, famous for beautiful music videos like Fatboy Slim's Right Here, Right Now and REM's Imitation of Life (we have them right here for you) has made a feature film called Son Of Rambow. It's a semi-autobiographical movie about two schoolboys who make their own camcorder version of the 1982 hit movie Rambo: First Blood. In an interview with BBC radio Jennings talks about his ludicrous eighties childhood and his obsession with the maverick title hero: "That first Rambo movie really blew our minds. It felt so close to home. We were always playing in the forest and here is this guy who takes mucking around in the forest to the extreme. With just a knife and sticks he takes on 200 men. It was so resourceful".

Alex Courtes interview

Thu, 10 Apr 2008 15:00:34 +0200

"Because I was bored with what I saw on tv, we started very graphical pieces. We wanted to show some nice, uplifting stuff rather than easy-shocking, dark ones." Music video director Alex Courtes motivates his fascination for bright colours and clear graphic styles that characterize his earliest promo's, which he made in cooperation with his creative partner Martin Fougerol. In the past 8 years they made downright brilliant videos for much acclaimed artists like Air, The White Stripes, U2 and Jamiroquai. In a new episode of our Pretty Cool People Interviews series we meet up with Alex in his cozy apartment in Paris where he explains how their careers kick-started after their first promo for Cassius.

30 Days of Night: creepy title sequence

Thu, 10 Apr 2008 14:56:22 +0200

Turn your lights down low, turn the volume up on your speakers and watch the blood chilling new title sequence by the London division of design studio Momoco for the vampire movie 30 days of Night. Title designer and director Nic Benns talks in great detail about the production process of the title sequence and he reveals what makes the best fake blood and fake snow...

New Pause + New Motomichi

Thu, 10 Apr 2008 14:50:54 +0200

We're working hard on a new version of Pause. The old version of Pause - Freezing Music Video Culture - is our ever popular archive of online music videos and director interviews. The program dates back to 2002 - the time of Glazer, Gondry, Mills, WIZ, Jonze, and the likes. The music industry is changing dramatically, and so is the music video industry, partly because of YouTube and of course peer-to-peer music sharing. Budgets for promos are not as high anymore as they once were. But still, a lot of great directors are emerging. Our new Pause will include works from this new generation of music video directors. One you will definitely find in the new Pause is Motomichi Nakamura, a regular artists on SubmarineChannel. Here's his latest music video for Temposhark. Hot off the press.

Sold to MOMA

Thu, 10 Apr 2008 14:46:11 +0200

MOMA in New York asked itself a question; Is graffiti a misdemeanour art or a full fledged felony? According to the New York State penal code it's a felony. According to MOMA it's art. Now, the boys from GraffitiResearchLab sold a piece to MOMA that might just eliminate graffiti's malicious intent to damage (making it a felony), and underline graffiti's intent to communicate. To help shed light on the subject, GRL was invited to the MOMA, together with 25 of New York's writers supreme. You can watch the "art pieces" sold to MOMA here. The site also includes other really cool video footage of GRL's open source equipment being put to good use. New York, Rotterdam and Barcelona all get L.A.S.E.R tagged by GRL!

Victor Taba

Thu, 10 Apr 2008 14:39:21 +0200

Now here's a trippy site. The generative, changing Flash animations literally swirl until your nauseous and the music has a strange, repetitive quality. Very "James Patterson" (Presstube.com). It will throw you for a loop. The site is bizarre, organic and mechanical all at the same time. On top of that, it has a very strong trance inducing element. Be careful you don't become cross-eyed visiting VIctor Taba.

Title sequence inspired by visual music

Thu, 10 Apr 2008 14:36:38 +0200

You have to see this marvellous new title sequence by Studio Deubal for the French comedy Ça Se Soigne?. For the opener, Deubal translated Camille Saint-Saëns famous composition Dance Macabre to visuals, inspired by the work of the German artist, animator and avant-garde filmmaker Oskar Fischinger. Watch it at:

365 Days

Thu, 10 Apr 2008 14:28:10 +0200

We bring to you, straight from United Vloggers, this little gem, coming from Bottom Union (Eric Nelson), published today exactly 3 years ago. Check it out here:

Motivoter.com Launched!

Thu, 10 Apr 2008 14:22:09 +0200

Motivoter.com is a blog related to our newest MiniMovie Dear Oprah. The blog is part of director Kasper Verkaik's bigger mission: to convince Oprah Winfrey to become America's Ultimate 'Motivoter'. Verkaik, Dutch journalist, filmmaker, and concerned world citizen, became fascinated by the fact that almost a hundred million Americans don't vote. He came up with the term 'motivoter', to describe a person who motivates people to vote. Check Motivoter to watch all episodes of Dear Oprah, and read all about how you can help change the face of American politics.

Scopitones: music vids from the Stone Age

Thu, 10 Apr 2008 14:11:13 +0200

Once described as a cross between a jukebox and a TV, a Scopitone provided thousands with entertainment during the sixties. A real blast from the past, this site is jam-packed with swinging , reminiscent music videos from good old times gone by. I am not old enough to remember these times, you might not be either. But it is wonderful to see such classic stuff on the internet. The site it self could use a bit of a touch-up, still, their content is really remarkable, providing links to Wikipedia info pages, a shop, a list of artists, history and of course the opportunity to watch original Scopitones 16 mm films.

New Chunk: 'Is it the Shoes?'

Thu, 10 Apr 2008 14:00:54 +0200

Sometimes old News is good news. This little fire cracker of a film, by the Amsterdam design collective News was first screened in 2005. If you're a serious sneaker fetishist you might not want to see this. It could be difficult to watch! The pair of sneaks featured are the collectors item Air Jordans IV that took the world by storm back in 1989 and currently have a going rate of approximately $400. It sure comes close to burning money.

SubmarineChannel on YouTube

Thu, 10 Apr 2008 13:56:14 +0200

For those of you who like the quick YouTube fix now and then: we've joined the ranks on YouTube. We'll be posting trailers from our DVDs, Pretty Cool People Interviews, and Minimovies - lots of 'em. We hereby invite you to have a look and join our still very modest group of friends and subscribers and turn this thing into a monster of a success. See you there (and back here).

New Chunk 'Biopig'

Thu, 10 Apr 2008 13:53:19 +0200

We have a new chunk! Chunk of meat that is. It's superbly shot, stylistically creative and feels like a music video. Directed by Jorien van Nes, Dutch filmmaker and vegetarian. Jorien has something to tell you about pork. This new short is as interesting as it is opinionated. The theme was food and pork seems to be a huge source of nutrients for the Dutch. Oh, and did we mention that this is a Submarine production?

Existentialist New Chunk

Wed, 13 Feb 2008 19:06:07 +0100

We were struck by the strong graphic qualities of Schrödinger's Room - a short, heavily post-produced film, published under a Free Art license. When we took a closer look at the film, we found that it has a deeper philosophical, existentialist layer. It was made by the twenty-something French artist Stéphane Drouot, who operates under the Lacrymosa Industry moniker. Drouot says he was inspired by a famous thought experiment by quantum physicist Erwin Schrödinger.

Tulse Luper Blog

Wed, 13 Feb 2008 18:30:49 +0100

Winner of the Tulse Luper Journey competition, Daniel Capelletti (a.k.a. Dacap), has concluded the first part of his trip-around-the-world. Read about Dacap's fascinating discoveries in the Moab desert and the Isle of Sark in his travel blog. Dacap has uncovered invaluable information about Tulse Luper and suitcase 92. In April, Dacap will continue his research in Vaux. The quest for the true content of S92 is far from over.

Viral for obama

Wed, 06 Feb 2008 15:31:46 +0100

Some 30 US pop stars and other celebs joined forces to support the Barack Obama presidential campaign. The initiative, which is proving incredibly viral, did not come from the Obama team, but from Black Eyed Peas front man will.i.am, who wrote a song 'Yes We Can' based very literally on Obama's New Hampshire speech. On his website, will explains how, in order to act quickly, he had to bypass record company release strategies and put the song and video together with some friends in no more than 48 hours. The video was posted on will's website and on YouTube of course, where it's been receiving hundreds of thousands of hits a day.

New Minimovie in Rotterdam

Tue, 05 Feb 2008 17:50:31 +0100

We'll be presenting the MiniMovies project at the upcoming International Film Festival Rotterdam. On the morning of the 27th of January you can see Safety First, Dream City and the world premiere of the latest MiniMovie Dear Oprah. Director Kasper Verkaik travelled all across the USA in his old motor home in search of America's missing voters. His journey ends at The Oprah Winfrey Show in Chicago, because who better than Oprah could get America's non-voters to vote in 2008? Dear Oprah will be online soon after Rotterdam. The acclaimed annual Rotterdam Film Festival takes place from January 23rd till February 3rd and is well worth hopping on a plane for. For details, visit:

Mr. Magoriums Title Sequence

Tue, 05 Feb 2008 17:48:47 +0100

The wonderful, rich and colorful animated title sequence for the contemporary fairy tale Mr. Magoriums Wonder Emporium was created by the American creative studio Reel FX. Reel FX recently launched their new title design division and this is their first opener, which is laden with imagery inspired by toy packaging of days-gone-by. Title director Danny DelPurgatorio talks about the making of the title sequence.

Valerie Pirson Interview

Tue, 05 Feb 2008 17:43:58 +0100

Stop motion is the "slow food" of animation. It's hands-on, physical, magical, but also a lot of hard work. One of the rising stars of the new generation of stop motion animation directors is Valerie Pirson. She was "discovered" by Michel Gondry and worked on his second feature The Science of Sleep. We spent a day with Valerie in Paris and filmed her at her studio where we talked animation. And she gave us a peek at the animation process. She also took us to a meeting with a client at Partizan - the agency that represents her.

What's in Room 2017?

Tue, 05 Feb 2008 17:36:08 +0100

Wait for the sunset. Turn your lights down low, settle back, grab a drink, and watch Room 2017. Rain is a plus too, because Room 2017 is no fast-paced viral documentary like the other MiniMovies, but an atmospheric, beautifully made, poetic film, that needs time to sink in. It's also contemplative, mysterious and sometimes shocking. Director Rob Smits went to Venezuela to make a film about the Yanomami, a fierce indian tribe. But he discovers that even in the jungle today it's all about money, and all but one of his tapes are confiscated by the Venezuelan authorities. Later in Taipei, Smits finds himself in a state of disorientation, but manages to regain his grip on the project and churned out this most suspenseful MiniMovie. Watch all episodes of Room 2017 (for free) at: