Wednesday, December 16, 2009
2009 in photos (part 2 of 3)
[#] posted at 1:34 PM (GMT +1200)
From boston.com's the big picture blog. Can be a little bandwidth heavy, but well worth it. Check it out here.
Labels: images, the year 2009 stuff
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Tuesday, December 15, 2009
2009 in photos (part 1 of 3)
[#] posted at 2:45 PM (GMT +1200)
Boston.com's big picture blog is my new favourite go to photo blog really. Their latest is a great collection of photos summarising up the year 2009 and blah, blah, blah... it's a great collection of photos. Looking forward to the next one and be sure to check out some of the great previous posts while your there.
The year 2009 is now coming to a close, and it's time to take a look back over the past 12 months through photographs. Historic elections were held in Iran, India and the United States, some wars wound down while others escalated, China turned 60, and the Berlin Wall was remembered 20 years after it came down. Each photo tells its own tale, weaving together into the larger story of 2009. This is a multi-entry story, 120 photographs over three days. Please watch for part 2 and part 3 tomorrow and the next day. (40 photos total)
Labels: images, the big picture, the year 2009 stuff
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Thursday, December 03, 2009
A bit of a mash up post here...
[#] posted at 6:10 PM (GMT +1200)
Am also approaching that 'need to get a haircut' point. Telling factor is after a shower my hair becomes this almost Beatles like bob cut. But anyways...
A pretty good list of what one man considers The 10 best long tracking shots ever filmed which I can wholeheartedly agree with.
An article and sample of Philip Glass's new opera can be found here.
A rather bizarre article on a Vietnamese man dug up wife's corpse 'so he could hug her'.
For Empire's 20th anniversary, they've gotten a whole slew of actors to recreate some of their more famous roles. It's pretty neat-o and can be found here.
And then lastly some science articles...
Why we shouldn't release all we know about the cosmos
A trio of astronomers have warned that, unless we use the information sparingly, we risk squandering a once-in-eternity opportunity. If the whole data set is released at once, as is planned, any new ideas that cosmologists come up with may have to remain untested because they will have no further data to test them with. [full article]
Death of rare giant star sheds light on cosmic past
An enormous explosion observed in 2007 was the death of one of the most massive stars known in the universe, new calculations suggest. Similar blasts may have polluted the early universe with heavy elements, altering its evolution. [full article]
Labels: images, movie stuff, music, random articles, science articles
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Thursday, November 19, 2009
Martian landscapes
[#] posted at 12:26 PM (GMT +1200)
This is pretty neat-o...
Since 2006, NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) has been orbiting Mars, currently circling approximately 300 km (187 mi) above the Martian surface. On board the MRO is HiRISE, the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment camera, which has been photographing the planet for several years now at resolutions as fine as mere inches per pixel. Collected here is a group of images from HiRISE over the past few years, in either false color or grayscale, showing intricate details of landscapes both familiar and alien, from the surface of our neighboring planet, Mars. I invite you to take your time looking through these, imagining the settings - very cold, dry and distant, yet real. (35 photos total) [full article]
Labels: images, mars, science stuff
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Monday, October 26, 2009
Insert Title Here
[#] posted at 2:10 PM (GMT +1200)
What a week and weekend. Most of all the Armageddon Expo decimated my bank account and I've got a lot of things bookmarked that I've neglected to post...
Dave McKean is making an animated adaptation of his own comic Cages. This is gonna be sweet and it's one of my all time favourite comics for multiple reasons. [full article]
Some Hot Fuzz slash fiction from the actual creators of Hot Fuzz. [website]
Mild America is a Wellington band that Michelle Savill, director of Betty Banned Sweets is a part of. There's some tracks available at their website here and definitely worth listening to.
Some of the images are pretty rough but make for essential viewing into the fallout of the international drug trade following a UN report after 100 years of drug control. Recommended checking out here.
Labels: dave mckean, hot fuzz, images, mild america, music
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Friday, October 16, 2009
So I Can Close Some Tabs...
[#] posted at 1:56 PM (GMT +1200)
The US lets go of the internet – will anyone notice?
POLITICAL power is rarely ceded without good reason. So eyebrows were raised last week when the US Department of Commerce decided to relax its grip on the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), the body responsible for the naming system that ensures that when you type a web address, your browser knows where to go.
In future, governments and other international organisations will be able to nominate staff to sit on one of ICANN's three newly created steering committees, something the DoC had resisted for years. "What it really means," says ICANN's chief executive Rod Beckstrom, "is that we're going global." [new scientist]
Guardian gagged from reporting parliament
Today's published Commons order papers contain a question to be answered by a minister later this week. The Guardian is prevented from identifying the MP who has asked the question, what the question is, which minister might answer it, or where the question is to be found.
The Guardian is also forbidden from telling its readers why the paper is prevented – for the first time in memory – from reporting parliament. Legal obstacles, which cannot be identified, involve proceedings, which cannot be mentioned, on behalf of a client who must remain secret. [guardian.co.uk]
Other points of interest include a great article/site I recommend checking out if your not a prude oppressive supressor is They Shoot Porn Stars Don't They.
And finally, one of the coolest fun things ever... Dead Fly Art. So twistedly bizzare, I love it.
POLITICAL power is rarely ceded without good reason. So eyebrows were raised last week when the US Department of Commerce decided to relax its grip on the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), the body responsible for the naming system that ensures that when you type a web address, your browser knows where to go.
In future, governments and other international organisations will be able to nominate staff to sit on one of ICANN's three newly created steering committees, something the DoC had resisted for years. "What it really means," says ICANN's chief executive Rod Beckstrom, "is that we're going global." [new scientist]
Guardian gagged from reporting parliament
Today's published Commons order papers contain a question to be answered by a minister later this week. The Guardian is prevented from identifying the MP who has asked the question, what the question is, which minister might answer it, or where the question is to be found.
The Guardian is also forbidden from telling its readers why the paper is prevented – for the first time in memory – from reporting parliament. Legal obstacles, which cannot be identified, involve proceedings, which cannot be mentioned, on behalf of a client who must remain secret. [guardian.co.uk]
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Tuesday, October 06, 2009
I Must Eat Them This Way Too
[#] posted at 1:43 AM (GMT +1200)
Labels: images
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Thursday, November 06, 2008
Pokemon beats politics anyday
[#] posted at 2:57 PM (GMT +1200)
Had written several paragraphs editorialising the election and thoughts on our one as well, but forget all that. This is how politics should really be done...
Labels: images
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Thursday, October 16, 2008
For Don Hertzfeldt Fans...
[#] posted at 1:22 AM (GMT +1200)
My new favourite picture of the week.
If you don't know what this is referencing, you owe it to yourself to watch this. Or even better, go buy one of his DVDs at bitterfilms.com and bask in all its glory.
This picture was also found on my new favourite photo blog which just keeps updating constantly with some of the best and coolest images around. Find more greatness at http://riotclitshave.livejournal.com/
Labels: don hertzfeldt, images
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Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Why yes, it certainly has been quiet recently...
[#] posted at 3:59 AM (GMT +1200)
Time to step out of the shadows I suppose. Been doing stuff and mostly not achieving anything, but overall hanging out with mates.
There's been more buying of stuff, which I believe is always good for the soul, though not for the wallet. But I must mention that a parcel of nine sweet Godard films is now five weeks overdue and I've come to the conclusion it's probably not going to turn up anytime soon. That revelation is a bit of damper.
But overall, not a helluva lot has been going on. There's been several birthdays which I've managed to almost forget all off. People have been coming and going and I can't help but feel this is all just that calm before the storm. Hopefully by storm, I mean busload of strippers parks itself in my driveway, but we'll see.
Stuff I should mention is that this week is the last week of Future Te Aroha's production of Little Shop of Horrors. People I know are in it and made it so go check it out. Here's the poster.
A video of a bar being served by a monkey. I don't know what exactly this is, but it is quite possibly the greatest thing on the face of this earth ever ever.
Pictures of The Most Alien Looking Place on Earth. And I'd agree.
And the photo of the week that made me laugh...
Oh and I just noted that the counter is past 1000, but no one has claimed their prize yet. No rush either.
Labels: consumer whore, holy crap monkeys, images, random articles, website, youtube
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Wednesday, May 28, 2008
A Post Before Bed
[#] posted at 3:42 AM (GMT +1200)
Labels: images
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Thursday, May 24, 2007
Closing Tabs
[#] posted at 11:39 AM (GMT +1200)
Not much going on. Just posting a few pages so I can close some tabs and windows...
Passive Aggressive notes... very amusing, not that many so far, but some of them are pure gold. And by gold, I mean hookers.
More images from Stardust are online here and on the official website that has been updated some. Very pretty, so can't wait.
Geekwise, Starcraft 2 has been announced and there are videos and trailers and such on the website that make me wish I was wearing a diaper at the time I visited it. So looks great.
And finally, some vids from japan, cause they're all insane and awesome at the same time...
Another one of them game show clips where its all bullet-time on stage, this time as a food fight...
And the worlds fastests secretary or evil robot. You decide...
Ah the Japanese... I miss that Naoki bastard. Where the hell are you man?
Labels: images, stardust, youtube
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Wednesday, May 09, 2007
Its Only A Paper Moon
[#] posted at 2:34 AM (GMT +1200)
Tired. The last few weeks have been busy as hell. At the start of this weekend, I thought I'd do my shifts and finally have a day or two off, but straight into it afterwards, I've just been keeping myself busy with uni preps, student shoots, Pictures of You stuff and 48 Hour planning.
Of course, I've had quiet moments, but not moments where I'm just blobbing out and not really doing anything. Time for relaxation will come eventually. Friday I'm hoping. Until then there will be video store work, uni teachings, more student shoots and a lot more 48 Hour planning. Which I'm very much focusing and looking forward to.
Slowly, I'm assembling our team awesome for the 48 and with Ross, going through scripts to make sure that come the weekend of the competition, we can go "yep, we've got this genre covered, we can adapt this script with these required elements and yes, we've got these actors and props and locations and whatnots ready... lets shoot this fucker."
No doubt, the actual weekend of the shoot won't go exactly like that, but if we plan it well and truely enough, it won't be as bad. Here's hoping we'll do well though. According to the 48 website, because of having too many entries in the Auckland region, some of their teams will be competing in the Hamilton heats and that's unwanted competition. And competition is good (looking at you guys, you know who you are), but them Auckland people better watch themselves. But yeah, core team is in place. Assembling more stand-bys. Rock and Roll.
And now for something completely different... 18000 naked people in Mexico City.
Labels: 48 hour film competition, images
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Friday, March 09, 2007
Updating Updates and Zombie Jesus
[#] posted at 3:19 AM (GMT +1200)
Update on Pictures of You... All 30-something hours of footage is currently being captured to Ben's mac. Editing is slowly underway as its always a juggling act to do that and work and socialise and so on and so forth. But the footage is looking good and an idea of the pace of the film and its editing is slowly revealing itself. This weekend we plan to do some pick-up shots of around the city for various cutaways and stuff we never bothered doing during the production.
There was actually a really crazy cool sunset yesterday with dark clouds all around and through a small gap on the horizon, the sun was shining through and it golden light created this eerie spot like effect on the trees I was driving past. Upon seeing this, I stopped, spun my car the hell around and raced to Ben's to pick up the camera to shoot this awesomeness, but by the time I was there, the clouds had moved on too fast and the lighting was lost. Real shame as it was pretty spectacular.
Also more shooting of Spit-Takes this weekend. With some luck, the rest of the bulk of the footage will be done and I'll start on the editing next week (once I clear out my hard drive as well), with just the odd pickup for The Montage here and there. Kinda curious if the sound is going to be a problem as audio is only being captured in camera, as after the "bus incident", there is no connection for the shotgun mic to the camera itself. Hooray for post sound!
Long day of work tomorrow and hopefully some wake boarding and/or at least some live music. Gonna be a good one.
Here's a flute/beat boxer and zombie jesus.
Labels: editing, images, pictures of you, spit-takes, wake boarding, youtube
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Sunday, February 25, 2007
Out On The Weekend
[#] posted at 11:59 AM (GMT +1200)
Started out Friday with very little sleep, worked, rested, filmed a charity auction (with beer) and then played poker (with burbon), slept for two hours and then with a hangover in hand worked for just over eleven, then hung out with more people (more burbon and then rum), but not for too long as hangover was still hovering above my tired body at that point. Eventually slept for many many hours and woke up this afternoon not feeling very filmmaker like much to my disappointment (sorry Ross). Will have to reschedule Spit-Takes for another day (not too far away). Today was also friend Zoe's birthday, where eating and drinking wine out of a jar (classy) took place and now I sit content to not be doing much.
Have started using tags for this website and have been attempting to tag previous posts, but there have now been over 100 made and that makes for a lot of clicking and tagging... ah well.
For coolness, here are a series of photos taken at just the right angle with just the right object, creating some of the coolest illusions around. Click on the sample photo for more.
And on my recent occasional visit to the Mountain Goats site where I wait with bated breath for their next New Zealand tour, I've noticed their website has had a new design. Do I mention how much I love the Mountain Goats enough here? Do you love the Mountain Goats? If you don't, that makes you a communist. Forever I'll have Rob to thank for introducing me to them on a fateful drive to Wellington, thus allowing me to pass the Mountain Goats love to a good portion of Hamilton. I wonder if he still reads this site... if you do... sup.
Here's "No Children" live...
Labels: drinking, filming, hangover, images, mountain goats, music, photo illusion, spit-takes, website, youtube
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Monday, February 19, 2007
Gongxi Facai
[#] posted at 1:27 AM (GMT +1200)
A happy Chinese New year to all. I've been watching and catching up on movies all day. Video store love baby. Video store love.
In a quick swoop... Borat is funny, Slither is fun, Jarhead is great and everyone should watch Me and You and Everyone We Know cause if you do, your cool. It's science.
From Daisy, this is the Brick Testament... which is just great fun to browse through and read. Plus its illustrated with lego and anything with lego is 150% cooler. Even the Bible.
Also something I want to do myself, are photos taken at just the right time to make it look like people are floating in mid-air. 200% cooler, even without the lego found here.
And finally, the latest (and wishfully not the last) Grindhouse trailer is out. Downloadable straight from here.
Labels: chinese new year, images, trailer
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Thursday, January 25, 2007
Pictures of You - Day 18 blog
[#] posted at 1:11 AM (GMT +1200)
Very productive day today. Shot off about two hours of footage and got off five scenes in one day today. We even had a decent turn out of extras to fill out a classroom.
As intended in an earlier post, here are some more pretty stills.
And hopefully by tomorrow, the showreel will be approved for digital distribution. Hooray.
Labels: images, pictures of you, show reel
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Saturday, January 20, 2007
Dead Chris Day 2
[#] posted at 2:20 AM (GMT +1200)
Woke up this morning with absolutely nothing to do. No filming. No work. Nothing. Just me, bored. Coffee, Green Wing and a lot of nothing much else.
So been trying to keep the energy levels up for tomorrow. More crowd coverage to prepare for and a little mischief on top of that. Stole some footage from Director Ben this afternoon and have been picking out certain shots and setups that I still like as screen caps.
Unfortunately, quite a bit of them are a tad plot spoilers, while others, though pretty, work better as moving shots as opposed to static stills, so I've had to restrain myself a bit in picking images, but here are some of the best of the rest of what I hove shot thats quite, quite satisfying. Some have been subjected to a little photoshop, just to enhance certain colours that didn't initally come through, but overall, I'm quite happy with these in terms of composition and lighting and pretty.
I think my eyes are watering again and I need some rest. So here are pretty images. Let me know what you think, there's still an arseload more that want to be uploaded and beg to be uploaded, but the powers of effort and criticism still hold them back.
Labels: dead chris day, images
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Wednesday, January 17, 2007
Pictures of You - Day 13 blog
[#] posted at 10:44 PM (GMT +1200)
Good day. Exterior morning, interior afternoon. Once again, the happy gods of filming weather smile down on us and we were blessed with fandangly overcast weather and the interiors were most favourable towards flouro lighting and stuff. Shots looked like they were from a digital Michael Mann film or something.
Also, got bored and did this video in our down time...
The monkey holding the piece of paper is supposed to be holding up a sign that says "Chris Tan, Director of Photography" as a cheap subtitling gimick. The second piece was supposed to say "Pictures of You, Coming Soon"... but the damn exposure on that camera... tsk tsk...
And at the less-than-zero Pictures of You film website there are links to the photos that are supposed to be up on the less-than-zero website, but are instead hosted on a completely seperate server. But the photos that are recently up now are some stills taken from a hastily put together showreel we played back on Sunday you can view here. Unfortunately, the images are in the wrong aspect ratio, but at least for the most of them, being raw footage, they look pretty good.
Here are a couple of my favourites of the bunch, scaled properly and not color corrected in anyway. There are a lot more that I liked that haven't been screen capped yet, but hopefully will soon... real soon.
Labels: images, pictures of you, youtube