inspire to be more!

...moved to Tumblr

2011-03-25T10:48:00.003-06:00

It's been 6 months since I posted anything to this blog, moved to Tumblr for awhile. I love this blog and been posting for 5 years, and I'll continue to post, but in the meantime for the latest posts check out http://jasondrakeford.tumblr.com/

Box: A sense of belonging

2010-08-05T13:33:00.000-06:00

Love the natural surreal lighting of Aimee Brodeur

MARS!

2010-08-04T10:13:00.000-06:00

Coke Burn

2010-08-04T09:33:00.001-06:00

There is Glory in our Failure

2010-05-07T12:48:00.003-06:00

Love these cosmonaut paintings from Jeremy Geddes, a talented painter that spends his days smearing pigment onto pieces of wood, in between playing air guitar and drinking coffee.

Untitled Acrylic

2010-05-06T09:11:00.003-06:00

Epic underwater cities from artist Alex Lukas.

99% Conference Recap

2010-05-06T08:52:00.003-06:00

Feeling uninspired today? Check out the recap Part I and Part II, because it's not about ideas, it's about making ideas happen...

Vintage Logos

2010-05-06T08:43:00.002-06:00

Need some logo/shape inspiration? Check out this collection of vintage logos from a mid-70's edition of the book World of Logotypes.

Bastionen

2010-05-06T08:36:00.001-06:00

Love this photography set from Holger Schilling.

Film Log #3: "Good Morning, Love"

2010-05-02T08:56:00.005-06:00

A lot has changed since my last post, we were scheduled to shoot this past weekend, but pushed it back to May 29th due to the script being re-written (I'll be getting the new copy tonight) so new progress will be posted soon...

Film Log #2: "Good Morning, Love"

2010-04-19T21:16:00.011-06:00

Yesterday I biked up to Greenpoint to take some test shoots and scout out the shoot location (below). We're all set to film on May 1st - 2nd. This week I'll be fleshing out all of the storyboards to show the DP on Sunday, I'll be posting progress and the final boards as soon as they're finished...

Film Log #1: "Good Morning, Love"

2010-04-11T10:13:00.026-06:00

I'm directing the short film "Good Morning - Love" starring Arjun Gupta (Nurse Jackie, Fringe) and Anna Lamadrid (The Sopranos, Williamsburg) soon, so I'll be logging the progress through this blog as I have just received the script from the very talented writer Rachael Holder. So, here we go... below is a rough list of what I'm working on during pre-production (storyboards are next, as well as more narrowed down moodboards):

Color Palette - Beginning vs End:

Color/Mood - Beginning vs End:

Opening Credits Typeface - Trithart:

Ending Credits Typeface - Hannah:

Lighting:

Hair Style (not color):

Travis Style:

**Note: all of the images (except for the storyboards) were found in various places and I take no claim to the credit of these images, they're just used as reference and keep the mood of what we're trying to convey.

This Isn't What It Looks Like

2010-04-11T09:47:00.002-06:00

Alexis Anne Mackenzie create amazing collages from vintage illustrations. Wow.

Recordis Photography

2010-04-08T12:07:00.001-06:00

Recordis Photography is a great photo blog, linking off to flickr sites. The photo above is from Lina Scheynius who is interviewed on the site.

48-Hour Film Project - 2010

2010-04-07T13:03:00.003-06:00

Just finished registering for the 48-Hour Film Project New York, as team "Drakeford Films". If you're interested in joining our team shoot me an email, we're looking for all types of talent! We did it last year in Atlanta and it was a blast, check it out below:

Audrey Hepburn Complex

2010-04-07T12:59:00.001-06:00

Love the mood and color of this photo blog .

How Do You See Chinatown?

2010-03-30T10:03:00.003-06:00

Part I: Chinatown, New York features ten original short films. Part II: Chinatown, Online where you can contribute your own film of Chinatowns from all over the world. For more details, check out the project here and also check out the youTube channel too.

steaming cracks and colored landscapes

2010-03-29T15:46:00.001-06:00

Photographer Tim Simmons has some of the most amazing nature photography I've ever seen.

Chop Shop

2010-03-16T07:06:00.001-06:00

Love the design portfolio of Austin based Ptarmak

Fresh Simplicity

2010-02-12T11:28:00.003-06:00

I'm really liking London based Alex Mathers fresh, simple and colorful illustration style.

Illustrated Book Marriage Proposal

2010-02-10T20:16:00.003-06:00

Illustrator Joel Kimmel proposed to his girlfriend of five years, Chantal Bennett, on new year’s eve 2010 by writing and illustrating a short story – the final page revealed an antique brass ring with a coral art nouveau design that was hidden inside the book. Read the entire story is on his blog. Wow.

I'm Back...

2010-02-06T11:01:00.004-06:00

After a brief hiatus in writing here, and I'm back! I haven't written in my blog since my move to Brooklyn back in November. Three months later I'm freelancing at Showtime Networks, working on a new short film (which I'll be posting progress here) and eating up the culture/creative explosion of New York. So stay tuned for inspiring interviews, event write ups, short film progress, and more!

Above: A couple of weeks ago I attended a Dave Eggers & Chris Ying talk at Tishman Auditorium on the "San Francisco Panorama" (latest experimental newspaper issue of McSweeney's). I would highly recommend picking up a copy, it's an amazing achievement.

Bertelli Biciclette Assemblate

2009-11-11T21:27:00.001-06:00

I'm drooling over these bikes...

“Start With A Photo”

2009-11-11T18:33:00.002-06:00

I'm a big fan of the 5 second projects over at Greyscale Gorilla, and this weeks (deadline Nov 22) especially caught my eye.

Great album...

2009-11-10T22:56:00.003-06:00

Life in the Alphabet

2009-11-10T22:16:00.002-06:00

Amazing A5 penciled typography from Saint Petersburg based Eibatova Karina.

Quick update...

2009-11-10T18:36:00.004-06:00

So it's been about a month since I posted anything new, reason being I quit my job at BBDO, left Atlanta, moved to New York, started freelancing as a motion designer, and got a sweet bike from Mission Bicycle. Things have been quite crazy the past couple of weeks, but they're starting to settle into place so I'll be posting more often.

Twitter

2009-10-06T09:01:00.003-06:00

Lately I've been twittering more than blogging, so follow me @jasondrakeford to get your dose of inspiration... Thanks peeps, see you on the other side!

New Tattoo??

2009-09-07T10:34:00.004-06:00

Deciding on a tattoo (my first) this weekend, the work of Deth P. Sun is amazing, trying to decide on which piece to customize, found more of his limited work on Giant Robot too...

Sealions

2009-09-03T14:28:00.003-06:00

Today I start pre-production on a music video for the band Sealions. We'll be posting the progress online on Tumblr, not much up today but there will be progress in the coming weeks, storyboards and more.

Roland Tiangco

2009-09-03T14:26:00.001-06:00

Love this interactive print piece from Roland Tiangco.

Two Weeks - Grizzly Bear

2009-08-14T08:35:00.000-06:00

This fan vid from Gabe Askew is pretty dope, the 3d work is very very nice.

new reel is up!

2009-08-10T12:59:00.003-06:00

Updated my reel this weekend, added 3 new projects (REI, Save the Children Foundation, and Taxi Etc short film) plus a new track from Spoon. You can watch it in HD too :)

Revenge

2009-08-07T13:08:00.001-06:00

Shorts by Lernert Engelberts & Sander Plug.

Summer of Love

2009-08-07T13:03:00.002-06:00

Saiman Chow has some great illustration pieces that make you look twice.

Nollywood

2009-08-07T12:44:00.003-06:00

Photographer Pieter Hugo visited Nollywood (third largest film industry in the world in Nigeria) and made these amazing surreal photos.

Keith Schofield

2009-08-06T15:42:00.005-06:00

I look up to this guy as one of the best music video directors ever. He's currently directing Charlotte Gainsbourg + Beck, and all of his videos are amazing. Check out his crazy site to watch them and get inspired! I especially enjoyed "CSS, Move" and "Supergrass, Bad Blood".

via this month's Anthem interview: "...execution can account for more than half the battle in crafting a good video and Schofield’s gifted knack for comedy is key to his mounting success... there’s something youthful, fresh, and darn satisfying about his take on modern creativity what with the rise of YouTube and the tandem decline of our collective attention spans. His oddball ideas are strangely global in reach."

Anoush Abrar & Aimée Hoving

2009-07-23T12:30:00.002-06:00

Very nice photography, especially love the Falcon series, and how the wardrobe blends with the environment.

Built by us & you

2009-07-15T09:03:00.001-06:00

I'm in love with Republic Bikes custom bike generator. Building mine now!

Letus

2009-07-14T16:26:00.003-06:00

WOW. I'm saving up for one of these puppies for the next short film. The depth of field is staggering, you can basically attach any film lens to your camera. I've been shooting on an HF10, so the Letus35 Mini is perfect.

Here's an example video shot with one:

D-Kitchen

2009-07-14T16:17:00.001-06:00

Nick Campbell from Digital Kitchen gives a presentation on how to be creative and get paid. The presentation is geared towards students trying to get into the industry, but is pretty much relevant all creatives.

International Sweetheart

2009-07-14T13:51:00.004-06:00

Universal Everything’s new MTV international channel spots are very nice, even though I hate MTV and the ever dumbing down of it's broadcasting (excluding the exceptional QOOB.tv).

If you like this spot, check out Greyscalegorilla's particle system tutorial, very helpful if you're thinking of doing anything like this.

Grip Wrench - The Man

2009-07-08T12:12:00.002-06:00

One of my all-time favorite illustrators Rex Crowle is releasing his new animated series "Grip Wrench - The Man" soon, check it out!

Onwards

2009-07-08T12:04:00.001-06:00

Great little animation from James Jarvis, directed by Richard Kenworthy, and music courtesy of Caribou.

A.R.T.

2009-07-08T11:54:00.003-06:00

Terri Timely is an amazing short film and music video director. The latest film "Synesthesia" is simply amazing.

Our 48 Hour Film Entry!

2009-06-30T17:01:00.001-06:00

This film was made for the 48-Hour Film Fest, 2009 this past weekend. Everything was created in 48 hours including it being written, shot, directed, acted, music, editing, post effects, sound, etc. I kept the crew super small at only 5 people. Click here to watch it in HD!

The requirements were:
Genre: Drama
Line: "I think I can do it"
Character: "Allen Knight" Transit Employee
Prop: Art Supplies

The Parachute Ending

2009-06-04T11:56:00.002-06:00

Mind-blowing new video from BIRDY NAM NAM, co-directed by Will Sweeney and Steve Scott.

Alex McLeod

2009-06-04T09:53:00.006-06:00

Toronto based Alex McLeods artwork has a feeling of impossible set pieces, a stunning and unique art form (~~entirely in Cinema 4D~~), his work is seriously inspiring.is a digital artist from .

Wood

2009-06-04T09:52:00.002-06:00

Typography

2009-06-03T15:37:00.005-06:00

So I took the month of May off from writing, sorry for the lack of updates I've been designing non-stop for an upcoming self-published magazine based off Hushpuppy Gallery. Check out the flickr set so far, enjoy :)

F5...

2009-04-22T08:08:00.002-06:00

Just got back from F5 Fest, extremely inspiring and I'll be posting my notes this week, stay tuned!

One Dot Zero Contest!

2009-04-11T16:42:00.002-06:00

onedotzero_adventures in motion: call for submissions!

New identity spots

2009-04-10T10:45:00.005-06:00

Here's the sneak preview of the new channel identity for QOOB in 2009, created by Studio Ade. Their work is super fresh, add them as a friend if you're a member of Qoob!

F5 Fest!!

2009-04-07T14:31:00.002-06:00

I am jumping out of my seat right now in excitement...less than two weeks away is F5 Fest (which I'll be attending!), above is a quick trailer, check out the site for info on speakers, etc... This is THE event of the year to get inspired with short film/motion/music video work.

The Newer Wave

2009-04-06T15:21:00.003-06:00

My favorite project creatively is to make photo collages, so when I saw the work of Oliver Wasow I was instantly given a dose of inspiration. I really like the fact that most of his work looks like it should be in an old museum in the 80's!

Struggle Against Reality and Unreality

2009-04-06T15:17:00.002-06:00

Fumi Mini Nakamura originally hails from a small town called Shimizu, Shizuoka Japan, but now resides in NYC and creates amazing illustration pieces. I especially loved her "Buy Art Not Shoes" Exhibition Custom Vans, killer work!

Green

2009-04-03T11:10:00.002-06:00

Zena Holloway is a SCUBA instructor and has a passion for shooting amazing underwater photography and film. The photo above was for a campaign for Greenpeace.

Tropical Toxic

2009-04-02T07:51:00.004-06:00

I always greet a new blog post from Tomer Hanuka and Asaf Hanuka with great excitement, especially the one's that show going from concept, sketch, illustration, to final product. Their latest post got my attention this morning about creating a cover in a series of novels by Mehmet Murat Somer, staring a Turkish Audrey Hepburn deadringer transvestite detective.

Side note: They were also involved in the production of Waltz with Bashir, which I haven't seen yet, but can't wait to check it out. The trailer looks amazing.

Our stories live on...

2009-03-31T08:23:00.004-06:00

The vaults have been opened over at the Canadian National Film Board, where 700+ full-length films, trailers and clips, are available to view... simply a goldmine of inspiration.

Joug Exhibit

2009-03-26T12:37:00.001-06:00

Gavin Potenza has some seriously inspiring work on his site. I'm really diggin the Ampersands book.

Tattoo Fever!

2009-03-23T14:45:00.003-06:00

I've been really into the idea of getting a tattoo lately (mostly because of my prodding girlfriend) but on the other hand, really baffled as to what to get, that is until I re-discovered Megan Whitmarsh this morning!

coolhandluke

2009-03-20T13:18:00.003-06:00

Luke Byrne has some great photography, and his design work is top notch.

F I L E

2009-03-20T07:56:00.002-06:00

FILE magazine focuses on graphic design, art and visual communication. A magazine to watch & read. With its accompanying DVD, featuring over two hours of short films, music videos and interviews, and a commissioned limited print for each issue - FILE is a survey of the current visual culture.

Moody Motorcycle

2009-03-17T12:48:00.001-06:00

Great music video from one of my favorite bands of last year "Human Highway".

Julia Sonmi Heglund

2009-03-14T12:45:00.001-06:00

Puma Lift

2009-03-13T13:43:00.003-06:00

Amazing new work for Puma called “Lift” from production company MJZ, directed by Rupert Sanders and Droga5.

Le Tigre

2009-03-11T13:16:00.002-06:00

Living in Paris as a freelance illustrator, Emmanuel Polanco is an amazing collage artist.

Unarmed and Unagitated

2009-03-11T12:14:00.001-06:00

Love the small pencil and watercolor drawing style of Sidney Pink. American born, has lived and worked in Japan for four years where he found inspiration for his art.

Procrastination

2009-02-19T13:42:00.001-06:00

A New Breed of Documentary

2009-02-15T17:27:00.001-06:00

Photographer and photo editor Geoffrey Hiller has created Verve to feature photos and interviews by the finest young image makers today. Verve is a reminder of the power of the still image. It also points you to new photo agencies, publications and inspiring multimedia projects.

Meet Me In The Middle

2009-02-13T10:18:00.000-06:00

Great quirky music video directed/drawn/animated by O W L S - George Mellor & Hugh Frost

Peter Bjorn and John - Nothing To Worry About

2009-02-11T16:29:00.001-06:00

Coeur de Pirate "Comme des enfants"

2009-02-10T16:44:00.002-06:00

Beautiful video and song from Coeur De Pirate

via Leigh

Mykonos - Fleet Foxes

2009-02-10T16:26:00.001-06:00

...also check out behind the scenes!

/ M / A / S / H /

2009-02-10T15:42:00.003-06:00

Mash, an Australian based design/branding shop has some pretty inspiring work, especially love the pyramid nav!

Design/W08

2009-02-06T18:21:00.002-06:00

Autograph is a brand consultancy with solid Typography and Art Direction. I especially like the Shadow Sans typeface...

Colonel Blimp

2009-02-05T11:17:00.004-06:00

Nice new redesign from Colonel Blimp, by far the best feature being able to save the videos in high res...

Bolda Display

2009-02-03T10:37:00.003-06:00

I'm really digging this new typeface from The Infamous Foundary.

The Tale of How

2009-01-30T16:37:00.002-06:00

Directors: Jannes Hendrikz, Ree Treweek and Markus Smit from The Blackheart Gang. Check out the behind the scenes look, I especially love the breakdown of one of the many 300+ layered scenes (4:50)!

This is Japan!

2009-01-27T13:04:00.000-06:00

Be sure to watch this in HD, it's way better.

Låt den rätte komma in ("Let The Right One In")

2009-01-22T23:33:00.004-06:00

I was quite surprised after watching Swedish filmmaker Tomas Alfredson's "Let The Right One In" tonight. All I can say is GO SEE IT NOW! It's quite simply a masterpiece, the cinematography reminded me of the Sigur Rós documentary Heima, another must see.

+/- {Plus/Minus} "Unsung"

2009-01-22T15:07:00.001-06:00

Design Loves A Depression?

2009-01-17T10:23:00.002-06:00

Michael Cannell recently wrote an article in the The New York Times "Week in Review" a couple of weeks ago titled "Design Loves a Depression". A couple of days later, the Design Observer released an objectionable response. Great reading, but where do you stand on the subject?

Fleet Foxes - A Take Away Show

2009-01-16T11:50:00.001-06:00

Check out the article too! Thanks for the link Leigh :)

2008 Albums of the Year

2009-01-13T09:29:00.020-06:00

Instead of blabbing on about the obvious choices for the best albums of 2008 (ex. Fleet Foxes, MGMT, Bon Iver, Vampire Weekend, etc..) I present my alternative choices... DRUMROLL!!!!

Album of the Year:

Runner-Up Album of the Year:

Most Playtime Album:

Happy-Go-Lucky Album (1/2 Islands+Unicorns!):

Biggest Surprise (no vocals?) Album:

Best Soundtrack:

Feist

2009-01-06T10:51:00.004-06:00

Above is the trailer for Feist, the winner of best overall game made with UNITY. Very impressive!

The Kingdom Series

2008-12-29T10:46:00.004-06:00

Stunning print series from Christopher Hewitt, self taught Director, Designer, Photographer and occasional Writer located in East London. He's also the man behind the short experimental film I posted awhile ago "Things Fall Apart"...

COCONUT NIGHT - We Are Wolves

2008-12-23T15:12:00.001-06:00

Amazing work from my Behance pal Jeremie Saindon

Galactic Mail

2008-12-16T09:23:00.002-06:00

This high-energy piece was created by Asterokid and Motraboy and produced by The Mill. They used XSI Softimage as a main tool. Very nice work.

Processing x1000

2008-12-13T10:44:00.003-06:00

Check out these killer bumps created by Nervo for Fox Japan. Collaborating with Processing artist Robert Hodgin to create a complex flock of birds entangled in strings. He utilized a single bird cycle that Nervo used to create an application that allowed them to control and generate animations of the flock in an intricate flight dance. After some compositing and styling these animations became the identity of the channel's horror segment. The music and sound design were created by Darrin Wiener aka Plastiq Phantom.

For more info on Processing, details on it's release from beta this week and new features check out this blog entry.

What Else Is There?

2008-12-11T13:03:00.001-06:00

What Else Is There? from Röyksopp on Vimeo.

...from Vancouver

2008-12-10T09:39:00.003-06:00

Damien Jurado, "Caskets"

2008-12-08T13:33:00.002-06:00

Wow, very haunting video - be sure to play this video full-screen in HD!!!

BLU in Berlin - Nov '08

2008-12-06T16:31:00.001-06:00

You've been...

2008-12-06T16:12:00.004-06:00

From Behance comes "Served", 5 portal sites representing the best in Photography, Motion, Typography, Industrial Design, and Fashion.

The feeling is mutual

2008-12-03T16:56:00.006-06:00

Solid work from Roanne Adams, great site too.

Order Out of Chaos

2008-12-02T13:16:00.003-06:00

The Grid System (.org) is quite the good read and touts that they are the ultimate resource in grid systems. As a side note, they also have a Flickr photo pool which you can contribute your work to.

The A's To Our Q's

2008-12-01T10:12:00.003-06:00

Great interview with Jordan Seiler over at Wooster Collective!

War has started

2008-12-01T09:51:00.001-06:00

I must say, Peter Fuss has some balls.

Casey

2008-12-01T09:47:00.004-06:00

Brad Eastman's Beastman has a great unique style to it and was just shown at the China Heights Gallery in Sydney.