The assignment for my visual design class this week is to design a movie poster. As I was surfing the web doing research for my initial layout and design for the poster, I came across some great tutorials for GRINDHOUSE style movie posters on youtube. This tutorial is not only excellent for mock/parody/original posters, but for all types of printed media. Check it out!
Grindhouse Poster Photoshop tutorial (4 parts)
Now, it's necessary that before you complete your design for a grindhouse poster to make it appear GRITTY and GRUNGY. What you will need are some grungy paper textures. I've added links to more tutorials and sites that have paper textures available to you for FREE!
A cool tutorial as well as paper texture towards the bottom of the tutorial
Another great tutorial on how to make a wicked looking grindhouse poster (download the support files to get the paper textures)
Sets of high-res paper textures here
Another 6 textures here too!
From the looks of most grindhouse style posters (old and new), the key is to stick to 3 or 4 colors.
*The server is not letting me upload example images of mock grindhouse posters for some reason (??). So here is a link to another blog where you can view them: Grindhouse Poster for Great Movies!
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
JASON BECKER - More Than a Prodigy
Jason Becker is an American neo-classical metal guitarist and composer. At the young age of 16, he and friend Marty Friedman (who went on to play for Megadeth) became part of the Mike Varney produced duo Cacophany. In 1987 they released Speed Metal Symphony and Go Off! the following year. In 1989 the duo split and Becker went on to do solo work, having released his first solo album Perpetual Burn in 1988. Becker later joined David Lee Roth's band, replacing Steve Vai who went on to join Whitesnake, and recorded one album with him.
However, while recording the A Lil' Ain't Enough album with Roth and preparing for a subsequent tour in 1989, Becker's success was held-up when he began to feel what he called a "lazy limp" on his left leg. At the age of 20, he was diagnosed with Lou-Gehrig's Disease and was given three to five years to live. In 1996 Becker lost the ability to speak and now communicates with his eyes with a system developed by his father. Despite his disability, he still composes music and released an album in 2008.
There is currently a documentary about Becker's awe-inspiring story being produced. You can find more information at http://www.jasonbeckermovie.com/ .
Jason Becker is truly an inspiration.
Nothing can stop Jason Becker.
check out these links from youtube/vimeo:
Promotional Clip for 'Perpetual Burn: The Jason Becker Story'
Jason Becker performs at his high school. Strange that no people exploded....
Jason Becker (with Cacophony) live in Japan. Truly amazing.
Becker's masterpiece "Air" from Perpetual Burn.
PERPETUAL BURN
However, while recording the A Lil' Ain't Enough album with Roth and preparing for a subsequent tour in 1989, Becker's success was held-up when he began to feel what he called a "lazy limp" on his left leg. At the age of 20, he was diagnosed with Lou-Gehrig's Disease and was given three to five years to live. In 1996 Becker lost the ability to speak and now communicates with his eyes with a system developed by his father. Despite his disability, he still composes music and released an album in 2008.
There is currently a documentary about Becker's awe-inspiring story being produced. You can find more information at http://www.jasonbeckermovie.com/ .
Jason Becker is truly an inspiration.
Nothing can stop Jason Becker.
check out these links from youtube/vimeo:
Promotional Clip for 'Perpetual Burn: The Jason Becker Story'
Jason Becker performs at his high school. Strange that no people exploded....
Jason Becker (with Cacophony) live in Japan. Truly amazing.
Becker's masterpiece "Air" from Perpetual Burn.
PERPETUAL BURN
Monday, November 22, 2010
The King of Macabre Japanese Art: SUEHIRO MARUO
SUEHIRO MARUO is a Japanese manga artist, painter, and illustrator. At 17, he made his first manga submission for Shonen Jump but was rejected by the editors because it was considered too graphic for the weekly magazine's mass market. At the age of 24 in November of 1980, he made his official debut as a manga artist in Ribon No Kishi. It was then that this young artist was able to pursue his artistic vision without restrictions over the content of his work. Two years later, his stand-alone anthology Bairaro no Kaibutsu (Rose Colored Monster) was published.
Much of Maruo's nightmarish illustrations depict graphic sex and violence. The manga falls under the Japanese category of "erotic grotesque" (ero-guro). The stories often take place in post-WW2 Japan. As one can see in Maruo's art, he has a fascination with human oddities, deformities, birth defects, and circus sideshow "geeks". However, Maruo is not just another "sex and violence" artist - he is also one of the greatest retro artists working in the field today. His drawings are elegant and he uses innovative page designs. Today, his art and stories go beyond the readers of ero-manga.
Though most of his prominent works remain unpublished outside of Japan, his work does have a cult following. As of now, his work has only been published in the U.S., Italy, Brazil, Spain, Russia, France, and Germany).
Even though he is most known as a manga artist, he has also produced illustrations for CD jackets (Naked City), concert posters, magazines, novels, and other types of media. Some of the characters featured in his work have also been turned into figures. His most famous works are 'The Planet of the Jap' and 'Mr. Arachi's Amazing Freak Show'.
*I will only post his "milder" work here...
Much of Maruo's nightmarish illustrations depict graphic sex and violence. The manga falls under the Japanese category of "erotic grotesque" (ero-guro). The stories often take place in post-WW2 Japan. As one can see in Maruo's art, he has a fascination with human oddities, deformities, birth defects, and circus sideshow "geeks". However, Maruo is not just another "sex and violence" artist - he is also one of the greatest retro artists working in the field today. His drawings are elegant and he uses innovative page designs. Today, his art and stories go beyond the readers of ero-manga.
Though most of his prominent works remain unpublished outside of Japan, his work does have a cult following. As of now, his work has only been published in the U.S., Italy, Brazil, Spain, Russia, France, and Germany).
Even though he is most known as a manga artist, he has also produced illustrations for CD jackets (Naked City), concert posters, magazines, novels, and other types of media. Some of the characters featured in his work have also been turned into figures. His most famous works are 'The Planet of the Jap' and 'Mr. Arachi's Amazing Freak Show'.
*I will only post his "milder" work here...
Artist Spotlight on Testsuya Ishida
Tetsuya Ishida was born in 1974 in Shizuoka, Japan. His paintings were known for their dark portrayal of ordinary Japanese life. The characters in his paintings always appeared unhappy while being trapped or as a part of a machine or other objects.
He died on May 23, 2005 by being hit by a train. His death was ruled as an "accident". However, because of the dark nature of his artwork, there are those who consider his death to be a suicide.
Because of the dark nature of his work and the circumstances surrounding his death, increase in Ishida's work has increased dramatically.
Ishida left behind about 180 pieces created during his 10-year art career.
He died on May 23, 2005 by being hit by a train. His death was ruled as an "accident". However, because of the dark nature of his artwork, there are those who consider his death to be a suicide.
Because of the dark nature of his work and the circumstances surrounding his death, increase in Ishida's work has increased dramatically.
Ishida left behind about 180 pieces created during his 10-year art career.
Thursday, November 18, 2010
WELCOME TO BUCKETHEADLAND
Let me hit you with some knowledge about one of the most underrated musicians out there....
He was born in a coop, raised in a cage. Children fear him, critics rage.
He's half alive, he's half dead. Folks just call him BUCKETHEAD.
Brian Carroll, better known by his stage name Buckethead, is a guitarist whose talent spans several genres and styles of music that include metal, jazz, hip hop, avant-garde, bluegrass, progressive, rock, funk and electronica. He is distinguished not only by his musicianship, but also his stage presence wearing a white mask and a KFC bucket on his head. His solo work could be described as epic, phenomenal, hyperactive, horrifying, catchy, touching, delicate, emotional, soulful, glorious, crusty, beautiful and chilling. Since 1991, he has released 29 studio albums and has appeared in over 50 albums by other artists.
Unlike his counterparts, he incorporates dancing and nunchucks into his unique live performances.
I hope you enjoy all of the following clips.
Buckethead live at Rock in Rio during his short-lived stint with Guns N' Roses:
"Whitewash", the darkly calm first track off his more slow-tempo album Colma:
Another clip from Rock in Rio performing "Hog Bitch Stomp", followed by a short and pathetic solo by Robin Fink:
Buckethead shredding on the banjo with an excerpt from "Hog Bitch Stomp" towards the end (From the Secret Recipe DVD):
Buckethead on bass guitar (starts about 30 seconds in):
Another clip of Buckethead on bass with a member of The Deli Creeps(circa 1990-91):
Buckethead performing with Praxis (Brain Mantia on drums and Bootsy Collins on bass) "Interworld and The New Innocence":
Buckethead messing around with Brain Mantia. From 1:30, can you tell who influenced Buckethead's dancing?
"Spokes for the Wheel of Torment" music video that uses the art of Hieronymous Bosch's Garden of Earthly Delights. Quite possibly one of the best uses of fine art for a metal video:
Lastly, a Dj Qbert animated music video with Buckethead on guitar. It's a very interesting concept for a video:
Here are some tracks I've posted up for you to download (Paste to browser):
"Final Wars" from Elephant Man's Alarm Clock-
http://rapidshare.com/files/431748461/02_Final_Wars.wma
"The Homeing(Landing) Beacon" - A Song for Michael Jackson
http://rapidshare.com/files/431756420/buckethead_-_a_song_for_michael_jackson_-_01_The_Landing_Beacon.mp3
"Nottingham Lace" from Enter the Chicken-
http://rapidshare.com/files/431756704/11_Nottingham_Lace.wma
"For Mom" from Colma-
http://rapidshare.com/files/431757459/02_For_Mom.wma
Apologies if the links don't work :|
He was born in a coop, raised in a cage. Children fear him, critics rage.
He's half alive, he's half dead. Folks just call him BUCKETHEAD.
Brian Carroll, better known by his stage name Buckethead, is a guitarist whose talent spans several genres and styles of music that include metal, jazz, hip hop, avant-garde, bluegrass, progressive, rock, funk and electronica. He is distinguished not only by his musicianship, but also his stage presence wearing a white mask and a KFC bucket on his head. His solo work could be described as epic, phenomenal, hyperactive, horrifying, catchy, touching, delicate, emotional, soulful, glorious, crusty, beautiful and chilling. Since 1991, he has released 29 studio albums and has appeared in over 50 albums by other artists.
Unlike his counterparts, he incorporates dancing and nunchucks into his unique live performances.
I hope you enjoy all of the following clips.
Buckethead live at Rock in Rio during his short-lived stint with Guns N' Roses:
"Whitewash", the darkly calm first track off his more slow-tempo album Colma:
Another clip from Rock in Rio performing "Hog Bitch Stomp", followed by a short and pathetic solo by Robin Fink:
Buckethead shredding on the banjo with an excerpt from "Hog Bitch Stomp" towards the end (From the Secret Recipe DVD):
Buckethead on bass guitar (starts about 30 seconds in):
Another clip of Buckethead on bass with a member of The Deli Creeps(circa 1990-91):
Buckethead performing with Praxis (Brain Mantia on drums and Bootsy Collins on bass) "Interworld and The New Innocence":
Buckethead messing around with Brain Mantia. From 1:30, can you tell who influenced Buckethead's dancing?
"Spokes for the Wheel of Torment" music video that uses the art of Hieronymous Bosch's Garden of Earthly Delights. Quite possibly one of the best uses of fine art for a metal video:
Lastly, a Dj Qbert animated music video with Buckethead on guitar. It's a very interesting concept for a video:
Here are some tracks I've posted up for you to download (Paste to browser):
"Final Wars" from Elephant Man's Alarm Clock-
http://rapidshare.com/files/431748461/02_Final_Wars.wma
"The Homeing(Landing) Beacon" - A Song for Michael Jackson
http://rapidshare.com/files/431756420/buckethead_-_a_song_for_michael_jackson_-_01_The_Landing_Beacon.mp3
"Nottingham Lace" from Enter the Chicken-
http://rapidshare.com/files/431756704/11_Nottingham_Lace.wma
"For Mom" from Colma-
http://rapidshare.com/files/431757459/02_For_Mom.wma
Apologies if the links don't work :|
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Friday, October 8, 2010
SLOW MOTION MUSIC VIDEOS
Here are some slow motion music videos that I've enjoyed recently:
Health - "We Are Water"
Dancing Pigeons - "Ritalin"
Health - "We Are Water"
Dancing Pigeons - "Ritalin"
Dancing Pigeons - Ritalin from Blink on Vimeo.
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
VIDEO SPOTLIGHT: CHRIS CUNNINGHAM
Chris Cunningham is an English music video director and video artist. He has worked alongside with Stanley Kubrick on the film A.I.(2001), supervising and designing the animatronic tests of the central robot character in the film. He has directed numerous music videos for artists that include Madonna, Bjork, Squarepusher, Placebo, and Aphex Twin.
Here is Cunningham's experimental short film Rubber Johnny(2005) with music composed by Aphex Twin (Cunningham is also playing the role of the wheelchair bound Johnny):
Here is Cunningham's experimental short film Rubber Johnny(2005) with music composed by Aphex Twin (Cunningham is also playing the role of the wheelchair bound Johnny):
Top 3 Horror Movies of the Past 5 Years
1. A Serbian Film (2010)
“What he did for a living, now he is doing for his life.”
A Serbian Film is a 2010 Serbian horror/thriller film directed by Srdan Spasojevic. It tells the story of Milos, a semi-retired Serbian porn star with a normal family life with his beautiful wife Maria and 6 year-old son Petar, trying to make ends meet as his family faces poverty. Aware of his financial troubles, Milos is approached by a former colleague, Layla, with an offer to star as the lead in a new “art-film” directed by Vukmir – a mysterious, well-connected, independently wealthy and politically powerful figure in the pornography industry – for an exorbitant amount of money that will support Milos and his family for the rest of their lives…under one condition…..Milos must not know what the film is about and the contract requires his full unawareness. With each day of production, Milos is drawn into a world of darkness and unbelievable cruelty. Vukmir and his henchmen will stop at nothing to capture his vision and Milos will have to sacrifice his pride, morality, and maybe even his own life to save his family.
This is, by far, possibly one of the most brutal, disturbing, tragic, sickening, twisted, and intelligent horror films to ever be conceived. As Srdan Spasojevic’s directorial debut, he does a fine job of not holding back on the gore and torture as well as shocking the audience to great lengths with the most graphic portrayal of violence to ever be put in film. I praise Mr. Spasojevic for his fearlessness to push the boundaries of filmmaking. Fans of horror will either admire or detest this film. A Serbian Film is definitely not for the faint of heart and will make your jaw drop multiple times. If you respect yourself, I would not recommend this movie to you.
WARNING: DO NOT WATCH THIS TRAILER OR FILM IF YOU ARE EASILY OFFENDED BY SEXUALLY EXPLICIT MATERIAL OR QUITE GRAPHIC HORROR IMAGERY.
2. The Collector (2009)
“He always takes one.”
The Collector was a raw and gritty horror hit in the summer of 2009. The film is in the vein of the classic ‘slasher’ films of the 1980’s and 1990’s, but stepped up a notch. The story is unique and keeps you on the edge. If you’re tired of all the “watered-down” PG-13 rated horror movies directed towards teens and remakes of classic horror, then The Collector will be a breath of fresh air for you. It is truly one of the most original horror films of the past decade. Perfect for those you enjoy unbearingly claustrophobic, high tension tales of sadistic violence.
Did I mention that it’s full of gore and torture with the use intricate traps throughout?
3. Borderland (2007)
“Inspired by a true story.
Borderland is a 2007 horror film written and directed by Zev Berman. It was released as part of Horrorfest 2007 in theaters across the United States. It is based on the true story of the leader of the religious cult “narcosatanicos”, Adolfo de Jesus Constanzo, who practiced human sacrifice. In the spring of 1989, the cult kidnapped and murdered university student Mark Kilroy.
This film is a horrifying, gripping, gory thriller with a sharp edge. Truly one of the most gruesome films you will see. Director Zev Berman, being faithful to the true story, wanted to make the torture scenes as believable as possible to how it really took place. The acting in the film is phenomenal and you could sense the panic and terror from the characters. Borderland is a film that gets under your skin.
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