Sexy Hitler

I came across this campaign by German agency 'das comitee' in a Telegraph article that reports that the advert has been condemned by AIDS and HIV charities.

I am in two minds as to what I think of this ad. When looked at in the way it was meant, it says that the act of having unprotected sex is killing huge numbers of people. The charities are arguing that if looked at in the wrong way, it could demonise people with HIV or AIDS.

It is interesting that shock tactics have once again been used in an advert for a charity. In my opinion, results shouldn't be the sole consideration when designing for charities. Empathy and understanding for those affected should be equally important. With this in mind, perhaps the film could be seen as a little tasteless – it is certainly a bit short sighted of the agency not to see how it could be misconstrued. 

Nexus Productions

Nexus are a Production Company and Animation Studio who have a great number of impressively talented directors and animators on their roster.

Clemens Habicht is responsible for this brilliant Friendly Fires video created (as the blurb on their website tells us) using nothing more than polystyrene balls, fans and sticky tape.

Two directors also on their books are Smith & Foulkes.  These two guys working from a small flat in London made headlines last year when they were nominated for an Oscar for their short 'This Way Up', and were pipped only by Pixar's WALL.E. Here's the trailer:

I love the way this animation looks different to a lot of CGI out their. It's grittier and darker and that compliments the black humour that us Brits do so well.

Fell In Love With A Girl Video

It's strange to think that this decade is coming to an end but it's true. And that means that there will no doubt be a wave of retrospectives heading our way. Prepare then for 'Top 100 Reality TV Moments Of The Noughties' hosted by Jimmy Carr. I came across an early example in the form of Pitchfork.com's 50 Best Music Videos Of The 2000s. In first place is this video by Michel Gondry and I think it's a worthy winner.

Gondry is an acclaimed director who is probably most famous for Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind but is a prolific director of music videos for some really high profile acts including Bjork, The Rolling Stones and Radiohead. You probably knew that already.

Some of my favourite music videos include:

Here It Goes Again by OK Go and

No Suprises by Radiohead.

Toy Story 3 Teaser Trailer

For my generation, Toy Story is an institution. It was the first full length CGI film and is still one of the best. When Toy Story 2 came out it was one of those rare cases in which a sequel surpasses an original. No wonder then that Toy Story 3 is so hotly anticipated - and maybe that's why the teaser trailer has been released 10 months before the film will come out.

I think this teaser trailer ticks all the boxes. It reminds us of all the characters and their traits, it shows the power struggle between Woody and Buzz and most importantly it gets people talking about the film. The 1.1 million views on YouTube prove that people are excited.

Maybe I'm analysing a cartoon teaser trailer a little too much but I'm a bit disappointed that the ad breaks down the third wall. The fact that the characters are aware of the camera and aware that they're making a film weakens the effect. Personally, I would have preferred to see a sketch involving the characters but as I said, the trailer does it's job. I can't wait to see Toy Story 3.

James Lockey

James Lockey is a film maker from Doncaster who is heavily involved in the South Yorkshire DIY music scene. He has provided music videos for bands including 'White Belt Yellow Tag' (who feature James' brother Justin on guitar), 'Above Them' and for his own band 'The British Expeditionary Force'. 

I think it's fair to say that James Lockey has a certain style but I really like the way he plays with the depth of focus in his films. I also like the old shot-on-film-stock quality, despite being shot in HD.

I really respect the whole scene of artists here, who are making some fantastic music, these beautiful looking films and doing it all with a great 'do it yourself' work ethic.

MTV ident

MTV recently rebranded with the task undertaken by Universal Everything who after recently designing Warp Records' new website seem to be the go-to firm for hip music companies. The rebrand encompassed the logo, new typefaces, the channel's sound as well as idents. I love this 'Mad Drummer' ad. I first came across it when it was played on the big screens at a music festival I was at. In term of sound design, I think this is brilliant - what a great drum sound! The 2D animation is cool - I like the subtle pulsating MTV logo. It's also quite inspiring because the animation seems within my reach as a design student.