Posts Tagged ‘Movies’

Logorama Wins Best Animated Short Oscar – and Rightly So

// March 8th, 2010 // No Comments » // Design, Movies

Watch the full 16 minute version below. Be aware there is some NSFW language.

Visit the creator’s site H5 or the Logorama site itself.

Did Ian Simpson Watch 1984 Before Designing The Beetham Tower?

// March 8th, 2010 // No Comments » // Design, Movies

Manchester’s Beetham Tower is a building that I love.  I know many of the City’s inhabitants aren’t fans, but I love the sharp impact that it has on our skyline.  Without wanting to sound too Kevin McCloud, the juxtaposition of this huge ultra-modern shard of glass rising up from the red brick, industrial revolution buildings is stark and impressive.  As a former resident I may be slightly biased, but still – it’s a great building in my opinion.

Anyway, whilst watching the movie adaptation of George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four I couldn’t help but notice what appears to be a clear render of the tower through Winston’s apartment.  It is especially clear at the point where Winston and Julia are arrested.

Manchester's Beetham Tower in the film 1984

Is Ian Simpson a fan of the 1984 film Nineteen Eighty-Four?  I think so.

Beetham Tower Image by David F Morton from Flickr

2009, the Year 3D Got its Groove Back

// March 25th, 2009 // No Comments » // General, Technology and Gadgets

I know there’s been a bit of an 80’s revival going on in pretty much every part of daily life this past year or so. The latest music, movies and fashion all seem to take at least some cues from the neon decade.

But for me, perhaps the most surprising, and welcome revival is the resurgence of the 3D experience. Before the pedants attack I am aware that 3D was around many years before 80’s, but I think it’s fair to say that the technology hit its peak in the early 80’s with the 3D-IMAX presentations of Jaws.

Then it all went quiet. Perhaps because as awe-inspiring as the film was to a kid like me, it was clearly a gimmicky attempt to make people go and watch what were quite frankly, terrible movies so it was never going to last.

Recently though, seemingly out of nowhere there’s been a spate of 3D releases in movies and TV. Pixar are making all future releases in 3D after helping Disney release Bolt earlier this year, George Lucas is rumoured to be working on a 3D redux of the Star Wars movies and there are a whole host of other 3D blockbusters planned for the next 18 months.

It doesn’t stop with the big screen either. Over in the US, NBC recently aired the season premier of the geeky spy-fest “Chuck” in 3D and some Superbowl 2009 ads also made use of 3D. Over here in the UK Sky TV are promising current HD subscribers 3D content by the end of the year. The guys at Stuff Magazine were invited to try it out and they seemed to like it, although it does sound like it needs a bit of work still.

We’ll even be treated to a 3D gaming experience if Namco get their way. They have been demoing their new 3D gaming engines for the Xbox and PS3 at the Games Developers’ Conference in San Francisco this month to very warm applause.

Personally, I couldn’t be happier that 3d is making a comeback, I love the giddiness of childhood that I feel whenever I slip on a pair of those red and blue glasses. I think I might pop a pair on now actually and look at the real world in 3D for the rest of the day.

Further reading for fellow nerds
History of Stereoscopy
Next-gen, no glasses 3D technology
Gizmodo 3D Tags