STEVEN MOFFAT & MARK GATISS' "Sherlock"

Premiering on BBC1 in the UK, Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss' excellent adaptation of Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes is both modern and strangely more atune to the source material than Guy Ritchie's kinetic big screen version.

Starring Benedict Cumberbatch as Sherlock Holmes and Martin Freeman as Dr. John Watson, the series is set in compemporary times to great effect. While Holmes is contemplating the scene of a crime, we are brilliantly clued into his thoughts(and text messages) via some pleasing fontography.

Unfortunately, the series has one of the most off-the-mark trailers I've seen in a long time. To give you more of a flavour, here are two clips from the BBC on the making of the program. Highly recommended

Links:
Sherlock (BBC)
Sherlock Wiki

Jehane Noujaim's PANGEA DAY

For those of you following the WIRE, you'll know that I am a great admirer of the TED(Technology. Entertainment. Design) series of lectures. Each year a TED prize is issued from a broad range of disciplines and in 2006, the winner was filmmaker Jehane Noujaim who was granted $100,000. Her aspiration was to create a day which would bring the world together through film and thus Pangea Day was born.

Here is the English trailer(Click HERE for additional languages):

And here is Kenya sings for India, one of the Imagine anthems:

This is Japan sings for Turkey (click HERE to view in high resolution):

From the organisers:

In a world where people are often divided by borders, difference, and conflict, it's easy to lose sight of what we all have in common. Pangea Day seeks to overcome that -- to help people see themselves in others -- through the power of film.

On May 10, 2008 -- Pangea Day -- sites in Cairo, Kigali, London, Los Angeles, Mumbai, and Rio de Janeiro will be linked to produce a 4-hour program of powerful films, visionary speakers, and uplifting music. The program will be broadcast live to the world through the Internet, television, digital cinemas, and mobile phones.

Pangea is the name of the original super-continent which contained all the world's land mass before the continents started splitting apart 250 million years ago. We're launching Pangea Day with the vision that the people of the world can begin to overcome their divisions, and that the power of film can help make it possible.

Movies can't change the world. But the people who watch them can.

Jehane Noujaim is also the director of the highly recommended film Control Room, a documentary on Al Jazeera putting forward an alternative vantage point on the Iraq War and media in general.

UPDATE: Here are the first 20 minutes...

Links:
Pangea Day

Pangea Day (YouTube)
Jehane Noujaim - Pangea Day (TED talks)
Jehane Noujaim Wiki
Jehane Noujaim (TED profile)
Jehane Noujaim interview (BBC)
Noujaim Films
TED Talks (YouTube)

SOURCE: Dek at NoFatClips

Mick Bunnage and Jon Link's MODERN TOSS

From journalists Mick Bunnage and Jon Link, Modern Toss is a Channel 4 series adapted from their independent comic and website. Making use of both live action and animation, it's one of the best British comedy sketch shows to appear in years.

Alan


Space Argument


Mr. Tourette

The second series is currently airing in the UK on Channel 4 and on Bravo UK's Adult Swim. Series 1 is available on DVD. In America, the Modern Toss books are available (though without the word 'whore' on the cover)

Links:
moderntoss.com
12foot6
Spy Pictures
Modern Toss (Channel 4)
Modern Toss (Wiki)

The Voyeur Project

The Voyeur Project from BBDO New York forHBO looks to be an interesting proposition employing the real time techniques of Mike Figgis Timecode with transparent walls. Each floor was filmed separately with its own clock for timing the interaction between each set and the entire collection was then composited by VFX house Asylum. This promotion was directed by Jake Scott of RSA.

Here is the trailer in Flash format. The Quicktime version is available HERE.

Here is Michel Gondry's video for Massive Attack's Protection which makes use of transparent walls though in this case, it was all created in-camera:

Then there's Alfred Hitchcock's Rear Window which didn't employ open walls but did make use of a massive, real time set:

Links:
HBO Voyeur

The Story Gets Deeper
HBO Voyeur Quicktime
HBO Voyeur YouTube
Motionographer article
FEED article
Asylum FX
Protection YouTube
Rear Window YouTube

A Surreal Visitation from TARAKO

I'm afraid this is more advertising, but there is something incredibly captivating about these surreal and sometimes sinister commercials. From Japan, these spots advertise Tarako's noodles and cod roe(eggs) and have become something of a national obsession. It isn't entirely new though it does have incredible staying power.

For those who find this captivating, it might be worth looking up Takashi Miike's The Happiness Of The Katakuris which has a similar surreal, musical feel though the promised menace does on many occasions come to fruition. (Miike is best known in the west for Audition and Ichi The Killer)

Also, don't miss the links below which are equally surreal. The Tarako site also features downloads and addition clips. What I find interesting is not just the surreal visuals, but the gambit of emotional hues these clips manage in a fractional space of time.

Watch this spot with it's melancholy and haunting opening that quickly turns...

Or this visitation...

And witness this child...

Or this child...

Links:
Tarako
Dressuptarako.com
Big In Japan

(source) - thanks

SANTO's "Birdman" 60'

Sometimes the restrictions of an advertising mandate produces some great results. The following advertisement from Santo Buenos Aires is an unusual piece which without the requisite logo at the end, could stand on its own. See it below.

And should any of you be wondering about the numerous posts, I'm having something of a clear out of bits and pieces that have accumulated over the past week. Even advertising.

Links:
Santo Buenos Aires (English)
YouTube Post
Neatorama(Source)

MICHEL, OLIVIER, & PAUL GONDRY

This clip not only features Michel Gondry but is directed by his brother Olivier Gondry and even features some work from his son, Paul. Created by Olivier in conjunction with Partizan and EightFX as part of a new campaign for Hewlett Packard. Have a look...

HP - Michel Gondry
Uploaded by firat

Links:
Paul Gondry interviewing Michel
Michel Gondry Wiki
Directors Label
Motionographer - HP ad
No Fat Clips - HP ad
Director File -
Article (Source)
Michel Gondry
Olivier "Twist" Gondry
.

THE DRINKY CROW SHOW Pilot

The preview of Tony Millionaire's Drinky Crow Show, part of Adult Swim's "Night of 1000 Pilots" is online. The full pilots will be online on May 11 and on television on the 13th(North America).

The full pilot is now available HERE.

Links:
Tony Millionaire MySpace
Adult Swim
Adult Swim: Night of 1000 Pilots

Baby Cow's "I AM NOT AN ANIMAL"

Baby Cow Productions are consistently creating great, original comedies. Their first animated effort, I am Not an Animal, written and directed by Peter Baynham(I'm Alan Partridge, Brass Eye, The Day Today) is set deep within the bowels of Vivi-Sec UK where scientist Mike Simmons is conducting an experiment called Project S, the attempt to create talking animals.

Batch 4 (the latest attempt) brings together a horse called Philip Masterson-Bowie, a dog(Winona Matthews), a monkey(Hugh Gape), a mouse(Clare Franchetti), a bird(Mark Andrews), and a cat called Keiron. The series features the voice talents of Steve Coogan, Julia Davis, Amelia Bulmore, Kevin Eldon, Simon Pegg, and Arthur Mathews.

Clips are available via BBC Worldwide on YouTube:

• I want to sign on
• Mark sings to the cats
• Glen Belt Mania
• Claire's babies
• Call Centre Working
• Poor Kieron

I am Not an Animal is available on DVD.

Links:
Baby Cow Productions
BBC Page
BBC Press Release
BBC YouTube Playlist
Triffic Films
Toonhound
Wiki

Maakies' DRINKY CROW SHOW

I haven't read much of the Maakies comics, but I was given a vinyl Drinky Crow maquette a while back and investigated its origins. Now it is being adapted for Adult Swim. Based on the syndicated comic strip from Tony Millionaire, this dark comedy series will feature both Uncle Gabby and Drinky Crow. From the first 30 seconds posted below, it looks as if their humour is as nihilistic as ever.

See the opening 30 seconds of the new series which includes the theme by They Might Be Giants over HERE. And The Beat have a long article on the new show HERE.

A few older animations from the Maakies world are available on Bright Red Rocket's DVD compilation God Hates Cartoons and an interactive Flash animation is available HERE.

A message from THE MIGHTY BOOSH

As you'll know from the earlier introduction to The Mighty Boosh, a third series is in the works and just today, I received this special message from the lads with lots of information on what's in store including the new website which should be up soon with podcasts, exclusive photos, video clips, music, Naboo's horoscopes, greetings from Bob Fossil, and "more".

From the Boosh boys:

We are currently writing series 3 from our Boosh headquarters 4 miles under Shoreditch. It's going well. This time, it's set in a shop and it involves magic eels, flying teeth, and a moccasin called Stephen. We can't tell you much more than that because we haven't finished it yet. We start filming in May and it should be on your TV screens later in the year. Perhaps late summer. Or autumn. Maybe early winter.

As well as the third series we are planning an all new live TV show, a bit like the Boosh but coming from a different direction, complete with live audience to be filmed in spring 2008 and then we will do a full national tour soon after. It's taken us until now to recover from the last one. So strap in. We'll let you know all the details through the website so be sure to keep coming back.

Also, we've been busy winning thing recently. Thanks to readers of NME for voting us Best TV Show. And to all those who voted us winners of the CHORTLE BEST LIVE SHOW award too. We also won a pub quiz in Stoke Newington last week so we're on a roll.

We are not it total reclusion as we write the new series. Naboo is DJing all about town and Bollo is working in Fresh & Wild as chef. Fossil is in a quarantine cell at Heathrow Airport awaiting various injections but should be with us soon.

Love to each and every one of you.

Howard and Julian and Vince and Noel

And here's another clip from the show, the origin of Funk...

UKintro: The Mighty Boosh - More to come

I'm not sure if The Mighty Boosh gets played overseas, but it's a must for those who like their comedy with a touch of the surreal. The official page HERE promises there's more to come and the BBC series page is HERE. (Also check out Noel and Julian's short film Sweet.) Think The Young Ones with Michel Gondry visuals and a dash of Eddie Izzard with a talking gorilla and you have a good idea what to expect. Here's a taster...

Mighty Boosh:Tundra Rap

Tundra


Series 3 Trailer