Ekranoplan - Caspian Sea Monster

From wikipedia:

The Caspian Sea Monster, officially «KM» (Korabl Maket, Russian - Корабль-макет Naval Prototype),[1] also known as the "Kaspian Monster", was an experimental ekranoplan, developed at the design bureau of Rostislav Alexeyev.

The KM was designed in 1964 – 1965, and was unique in size and payload. The first spy photographs from American spy satellites showed a strange aircraft carrying letters "KM" on its fuselage. CIA disambiguated it as "Kaspian Monster", while it actually meant "Korabl maket" – "prototype ship" in Russian. 

The ekranoplan had wingspan of 37.6 m, length – 92 m, maximum take-off weight – 544 tons. Until An-225 it was the largest aircraft in the world.

KM was designed as a special vehicle for the military and rescue teams. However designing such a machine caused serious difficulties. It was documented as a marine vessel and prior to the first flight a bottle of champagne was broken against its nose. It displayed the Soviet Navy Flag and was assigned to the Soviet Navy, since the ground effect is only possible within several meters from the surface. The new vehicle was, however, piloted by air force test pilots.

Top Three World Cup Goals in Flipbooks

A charming filpbook portrayal of the Cup's best goals.

8-bit World Cup Moments by Matheus Toscano

 Matheus Toscano works to capture this year’s World Cup in 8-bit glory using an iPad and drawing app ‘Sprite Something’ on his site 8-bit Football.

Meso-American Gods series in Crayon by Rogelio Lara

Rogelio Lara:

I picked up crayon from substitute teaching elementary. I drew them as rewards for the kids and started to really like what I drew. I started posting them on Facebook to get this girl's attention I got such a positive reaction from people that I kept on going. This particular series - Mythological Dreams - comes from my interest in Mythology - I played Dungeons and Dragons as a kid, and when my Philosophy professor introduced me to Joseph Campbell in community college I realized the importance and insight of the messages behind the mythology which only made me love it more.

The Rotten Sea - Photos of Ukraine's Syvash lake by Sergey Anashkevych

 

With an average depth of 1.6 to 3.2 feet, Syvash Lake is hyper saliented and super prone to vast smelly and red algae blooms. 

Photographer Sergey Anashkevych captured these stunning images of the shallow and brilliantly red salt flats just off the Sea of Azoz in the Crimea.

Also check out CRAZY PINK LAKE SEEN FROM ABOVE

Tokyo to San Francisco in 83 Seconds

from the video page:

"Over 3,400 separate images combined to make this time lapse video from a Boeing 747-400 en route from Tokyo's Narita Airport to San Francisco. That's Venus leading the sunrise."

Seeing into objects by sanding into them

Laurin Döpfner uses an industrial sander to remove milimeter-thick layers of wood, electronics, and even bones to create this amazing stop motion video. 

Finals of Copa Poética this Friday Night, 8-10pm in Highland Park

This Friday, July 11th, I'll be reading alongside some of the most dynamic poets in Los Angeles for the last of the Copa Poética series, looking to capture some of the spirit and energy of the World Cup in words.

For the series, I've been writing a new form I am calling the XI (and 11-lined poem).

The most recent post over on Manipulated Bestiary (my poem a week for a year book project) is a tribute to Miroslav Klose, the player with the most World Cup goals in history who will be playing this Sunday in the finals.

XI: Klose - Die Mannschaft

The years swim back to you, brightening
your implacable wisdom with strength

Do you not stand at the edge of the sky
with your nervous arms extended invoking a personal
God to breathe a wind into your empty heart
like the rest of us? Exchanging your being with
the terrible angels wheeling overhead one exhaled breath
at a time? The winds gnaw at your face

the time you move through is the time of monument
and story, grain for grain exchanging marble for stone
we outlive our own lives in your softening cheek.

Another Anamorphic Arrangement of Furniture to Look Like a Portrait

We've seen the stunning anamorphic work of French painter, photographer and sculptor Bernard Pras before (A Room of Stuff Arranged to Create this Anamorphic Portrait). Here he has recreated a portrait of French postman Ferdinand Cheval from a carefully arranged pile of furniture.

Ferdinand Cheval, the man in the portrait, is most famous for spending 33 years of his life building Le Palais Idéal 

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Ferdinand Cheval

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 Le Palais Idéal 

Canal Street' Abandoned Old Loew's Theatre

Closed in the late 1950s, the lobby converted to retail space by the early 1960s, and the auditorium was being as a warehouse. 

Built in 1926, the Loew’s Canal Theatre and housed 2,300 seats.

Solar Flares and Activities from NASA Solar Dynamics Observatory

NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory (Little SDO) creates composite images, like the lead image, the show a series of eruptions in color-indiciative imagery to make visible the differences in wavelengths. Others in the collection make visible differences in intensity, radiation levels, temperature. All of them are beautiful.

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5 Diverse Animations Full of Tips for Scriptwriting - Guest Post by Marianna Keen

We have a Guest Post today from journalist and writer, Marianna Keen, writing for us from Qudos Animation Studios (www.qudos-animations.co.uk) in London.

I hope this brief analysis of some fantastic animations has helped you come up with some creative scriptwriting ideas.

Wishing you all the best!

Billy’s Balloon

Billy’s Balloon by Don Hertzfeldt is an extremely simplistic 2D animation, yet it has a strong impact on the viewer. 

This film is a great reminder that even a film with no narrative can be engaging.

Content that generates emotion can engage and retain an audience. This video shows that this can even be done with stick men and minimalist images.

Simplicity in animation design can often be more effective when the concept is strong or complex. This is important to consider in all stages, including creation of story ideas, storyboard and script.

Viewers will likely have differing reactions to Billy’s Balloon, ranging from humour to disgust. It reminds you to take into consideration your target audience when writing script for animated film.

Billy’s Balloon initially appears innocent from its cute animations, but the strange concept soon becomes clear. Some viewers will be hooked, eager to see what comes next, whilst others may feel uncomfortable.

When you opt for a shocking concept, there will of course be a risk of this. Either way, it is memorable.

There are some profound messages you could take away from this animation, whether intended or not. Hinting and insinuating a point is another thing to consider achieving with your animation. This can often inspire more thought than a film with obvious messages.

Fantastic Planet

Fantastic Planet

Accent Cinema / Inspired Studios

This film remains an inspiring animated film even many years after its production. Fantastic Planet was made in 1973 by René Laloux, and it is a classic landmark for animation for a few reasons.

A political allegory runs throughout the film, presenting a dystopia similar to that in Orwell’s 1984. Strong messages are presented by the story, which is informative, entertaining and ironic.

When creating your script, you may want to consider basing it on a real life scenario. This could make it more engaging and if it hits some thought-provoking points it can make a huge impact.

Another aspect that makes Fantastic Planet so memorable is its quirkiness and strange characters. 

When writing script it is important to consider your characters and the story in unison, so as to effectively engage your audience. 

There is so much to consider, from character personalities, images and animation technique to using these to present your desired message. This film presents these in a flowing and intriguing way.

Frozen

Frozen

By Bell, Menzel, Groff, Gad

In addition to offering an engaging fantasy storyline, Disney’s Frozen applies computer generated imagery to create hugely fun and relatable characters.

This film is a great example of an adventurous and captivating animation with ethical messages. It is one of few modern commercial animations that passed the Bechdel test for gender bias.

The messages that a film sends out are very important to consider throughout the script writing process.

These messages will of course depend on whether the animation is for children or adults; though, either way, a moral stance is something that needs to be set. This will help you to form a story, and will also help to maintain consistency.

An animation is often more powerful when viewers can relate to characters in the story. The great thing with this animation is that the female characters present a positive image to young girls who watch it. The cute snowman, Olaf, also conveys encouraging messages while making the film funny.

Have a good think about the audience for your animation, as this will influence not just the images and style of your animation, but also the language used and underlying messages conveyed.

Verto Developments Group Marketing Video

If you wish to educate or provoke an action with your animation, then you should ensure your script is motivational. This can be achieved in many ways, including by presenting detailed facts about a topic, or by offering a simple and engaging story.

This animated marketing video combines an engaging concept with detailed information about the importance of energy efficiency. It also provides information about Verto Developments Group in a professional way that garners trust.

The video has a broad appeal, using interesting information, humour and relatable characters to keep viewers engaged.

Keeping viewers captivated is important in any animation, and for an educational or marketing video this can mean the difference between success and failure. 

Remember that even when informing an audience you can be innovative, imaginative and generate emotion. This can ensure the best chances of being memorable and inspiring conversions.

Wallace and Gromit

Wallace & Gromit: The Complete Collection (A Matter of Loaf and Death / A Grand Day Out / The Wrong Trousers / A Close Shave)

Starring Peter Sallis, Anne Reid, Sally Lindsay, Melissa Collier, Sarah Laborde

This stop motion animation by Nick Park is a great reminder of the many techniques to bear in mind when writing script for animation.

Considering your medium is important at the best of times, but when an intricate method like stop motion is in question then this is critical.

Drawing up the storyboard, documenting camera angles, developing sequences and creating characters will be impacted by your knowledge of the technique being used. 

Wallace and Gromit provides a fantastic mix of complex modelled figures and impressive animation technique. This is not to mention the imaginative storyline injected with hilarious moments throughout.

There are so many levels to this animated film and it offers valuable lessons for script writing in any animation medium.

Earth Art

German artist Dietmar Voorwold (http://www.landart-creations.com/) creates geometric shapes and patterns out of the natural materials he finds on the site. 

Voorwold expresses his passion for his work:

I love art and I love nature. I love beauty. I claim to be a representative of beautiful art; something I expect of myself. It’s purely subjective, without any judgement. I want to feel good with art. It should arouse positive feelings in me and create moods I can cheerfully relate to. Artistically created images I would gladly choose to decorate my home, indulge my eyes and fondle my heart with. Art is an expression of harmony and the right resonance. Art is healing for the soul. Nature is my grandest stage and I`m very pleased when my Creations in Nature speak to you.

Star Trek v. Stormtroopers Dance Off

I wrote the song with my friend Brenden. We're called Scott & Brendo! Download "Feel It" here: iTunes: http://bit.ly/1izxiSZ | Amazon: http://amzn.to/1nYjEbd Come to Fantasy Con July 3rd-5th. We'll be there performing! http://www.fantasycon.com/ Song features Drew Alexander on the chorus! https://twitter.com/drewalexander17 Let's be true friends!

There is very little that needs to be said about these. 

I wrote the song with my friend Brenden. We're called Scott & Brendo! Download "Beat Calls" here: iTunes: http://bit.ly/1kM3HSM | Amazon: http://amzn.to/1krULWT Check out our new album: http://bit.ly/15I54vR Let's be true friends!

Real-life Hover Board (or Jet Board)

Back the Future II? Sorta. Pretty fun looking.

Fairytale Book Sculptures by Su Blackwell

Su Blackwell brings the fairytale world to life in these stunning book sculptures. In her profile she states that "as a child, I spent a lot of time in the woods near to my home, in my own make believe world." While she was attending RCA her father passed away; after graduating, while on a trip to Thailand, she had begun "to think about life, death, and the in between." She was inspired by her encounters with Eastern rituals regarding paper and states, "I employ this delicate, accessible medium and use irreversible, destructive processes to reflect on the precariousness of the world we inhabit and the fragility of our life, dreams and ambitions."

An Artist-Made Root System You Can Walk Through

Brazilian artist Henrique Oliveira created this installation entitled Transarquitetônica at Museu de Arte Contemporânea da Universidade in São Paulo. 

via Visual News

Sumeru - Illustrations by Nick Pederson of Zen Buddhist training and practice

In this breathtaking series by artist and illustrator Nick Pederson, Sumeru is a body of work that illustrates the meditative 'mind-world' of Zen Buddhist training and practice. Each black and white image is symbolic of different stages of consciousness and perception on the road to enlightenment.

The Forest of Thorns

Entangling Vines

Clinging to Bushes and Weeds

The Tiger’s Lair

Capturing the Tiger

Passing Through the Brambles

Flowers in the Sky

Mountains and Waters

Groping Blindly in the Dark

Entering the Stream

The Quiet and Secret Land

Following the Wind

The Land of Silent Light

Floating Mists

Silver Mountains and Iron Cliffs

The Mountain of Darkness

A Thousand Fathom Wall

The Mystic Peak

Thundering Silence

A Death-Dealing Blade

A Life-Giving Sword

Overturning Mountains

Leaving No Traces

If you would like to see more of his work please click here.

Ecce Homo - Human Photos by Evelyn Bencicova

Beautiful, terrible, moving, terrifying, human forms in larger forms. Ecce Homo by Berlin artist Evelyn Bencicova.

Startling Building Squeezed into a Paris Neighborhood - Renzo Piano's Design for The New Pathe Foundation Headquarters

Pritzker-winning architect Renzo Piano has for the last 8 years worked with the Pathe Foundation in Paris to design and construct their new headquarters opening this September.

via Colossal