Compression Guidelines

These basic principles will apply to almost all of the video programs out there.

Found through: Alba’s Twitter feed

Vimeo Compression Guidelines is a post from: Ash Digital

Polaroids from the set of Blade Runner.

I’m not in the business… I *am* the business.

Sean Young’s collection of cool polaroids from the set of Blade Runner.

Polaroids from the set of Blade Runner is a post from: Ash Digital

Despite some hot-and-heavy old-age sex, Volcano is not going to be many folks’ first choice for a date movie. But Icelandic writer-director Runar Runarsson’s drama is a love story observed with tenderness that never compromises its truthfulness. It will strike affecting chords for anyone who has dealt with a partner or elderly parent’s illness, and the painful decisions that arise from it.

Found through: A friend from Facebook.

The Hollywood Reporter ~ Volcano: Cannes Review is a post from: Ash Digital

Have you seen the new trailer for ‘A day in a life’ the documentary project where people all over the globe documented their life on July 24, 2010. The project got over 80,000 submissions and 4,500 hours of footage from 192 countries.

Directors Ridley Scott and Kevin Macdonald have been curating the material transforming into the feature-length documentary. National Geographic will be bringing it to theaters one year from the amazing day, July 24, 2011.

The song in the newly released trailer is called ‘Future Projects’ and is by the Icelandic musician Birgir Hilmarsson. He’s been working in London for Universial Music Group doing film & tv composition, arranging and production. Many of his songs have been featured in movies, tv shows and ads in the last few years. He’s also the frontman for the Icelandic band Ampop, check out their song My Delusions from 2006 HERE

Website: http://biggimusic.com/ – Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/birgirhilmars

Icelandic Connection ~ Day In a Life is a post from: Ash Digital

Mouse over the image to scratch my itch

Blekholt is a Icelandic T-shit platform for designers and creatives. The aim is to create a creative community for designers and to provide a way for them to sell their designs online.

There clearly is a need for this kind of business and I’ll hope I can contribute to it in the future.

When I saw their logo I got this itch to modify it. It’s a silly modification but the itch is there so I’m scratching it. Hopefully the good people of Blekholt will find it slightly amusing. It is made in good fun and in no way intended to offend anyone. You can mouse over the image to reveal my quick and crude take on their logo.

So If you are in Iceland or into Icelandic t-shirt designs make sure to check them out.

Website: http://blekholt.is/ – Twitter: @blekholt

Blekholt is a post from: Ash Digital

VFXWages is a global database of hourly monetary rates of people in the film and television visual effects, animation, motion graphics, and gaming industry. It allows you to see where you rate among the rest of the artists in your experience, occupation and location. Have you ever wondered if you’re earning too little? Pondering what a similar artist in your position is making on the other side of the world? Using our Wages system, you can graphically compare wages and salaries around the world.

Found through: Alba’s Twitter

VFX Wages is a post from: Ash Digital

If you haven’t already seen Mike Montero’s creative mornings talk “Fuck You Pay Me“, do your self a favor and get your self a cup of coffee and sit down and watch it. Your bottom line will thank you later.

Fuck you, play me

And make sure you are following Mike on Twitter: @Mike_FTW

Fuck You Pay Me – Mike Monteiro is a post from: Ash Digital

Location Iceland: Prometheus

Location: Iceland

According to the media, director Ridley Scott has been scouting out film locations for upcoming sci-fi flick Prometheus here in Iceland.

Ridley Scott and entourage arrived here on Friday, April 29th on a private jet and were met by staff from True North, a production and service company for the film and television industry that specializes in delivering production services to companies filming in Iceland.

They went straight to a helicopter that took them to possible film locations in the south. On Saturday, April 30th they went to Akureyri, the biggest city in North Iceland, to scout out further locations.

Ain’t it cool news had some information on the film locations for Prometheus.

Ain’t It Cool News reports that Scott was “due to shoot in the Highlands from early August until September, then elsewhere in Europe in October and November”. Presumably, Iceland could fit nicely into the October, November time frame.

Ridley Scott scouting film locations for Prometheus in Iceland. is a post from: Ash Digital

I wanna go where there's a restroom show

We went to Iceland, and it made you think of Vikings and big ships… and John Bonham’s stomach… and bang, there it was – Immigrant Song! ~ Robert Plant

Hell to the yes! The Led Zeppelin classic ‘Immigrant song’ is about Iceland. On the 22. of July 1970 the legendary band played a concert in Laugardalshöll for god knows how many people. Just like Woodstock it seems like you cant throw a stick around people who were alive at the time without hitting someone who claims to have been there. What we do know is that the seeds of that song were planted during the band’s stay here in Iceland. Immigrant song was performed only six days after Led Zeppelin’s appearance in Reykjavik during the Bath Festival in England. I’ve been told it’s the song that Led Zeppelin opened their live shows with from 1970 to 1972 but after that the song was sometimes covered as an encore and later altogether dropped from the set list. How dare they… don’t they realize it’s about ICELAND!!!

Few quick fun facts about the song that is about Iceland after all.
The song is one of Led Zeppelin’s few single releases, having been released in November 1970 by their record label, Atlantic Records. Some say it was against the band’s wishes but who knows? Maybe the band but I doubt it. The Concert DVD ‘The Song Remains the Same’ uses black and white footage from the Icelandic concert for the main menus. It’s also interesting to add to this that the first pressings of the U.S. single are said to have a quote from Aleister Crowley inscribed in dead wax: “Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law”. Since Page bought the residence of Crowley I would say it’s not unlikely.

Side note: The hiss in the beginning of the song was intentional, it’s a feedback from an echo unit.

We weren’t being pompous … We did come from the land of the ice and snow. We were guests of the Icelandic Government on a cultural mission. We were invited to play a concert in Reykjavik and the day before we arrived all the civil servants went on strike and the gig was going to be canceled. The university prepared a concert hall for us and it was phenomenal. The response from the kids was remarkable and we had a great time. “Immigrant Song” was about that trip and it was the opening track on the album that was intended to be incredibly different. ~ Robert Plant

One little thing here at the end. Local lore tells the story that the seed to the song came to them in a car when they were driving from Reykjavík to a small town called Hveragerði, a short distance from the capital. Allegedly they were going to the greenhouse town looking for some herbs to help them with their anxieties being so high in the northern hemisphere. While driving over the mountain to get there they allegedly saw the smoke from the hot springs rise over the snow and the first drafts of the song started to from. I don’t know if the story is true but the part about the herbs being grown there, away from the long arm of the law, at that time is certainly true.

So for your cocktail party you need to know this.

Immigrant song, about Iceland! Illegal herbs at one time were grown in the greenhouses of Hveragerði and the cut scenes in Led Zeppelins DVD are from the concert here in Iceland. HOW COOL IS THAT!!!!

Enough said, and thank you for reading this mess.

Icelandic Connection ~ Led Zeppelin is a post from: Ash Digital

Gisli Örn - Never call him Görn

Gisli Orn Gardarsson’s shows have been such critical successes, doing what is almost impossible in today’s multimedia society; attracting a new fashionable young audience to the theatre. And, with their continued following of fans, Vesturport, it seems, have helped flamboyant physical theatre one step nearer becoming mainstream entertainment. ~ BBC News

Did you know the hashish fueled assassin in Bruckheimer action fest, The Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (2010) was played by the Icelandic actor Gísli Örn Garðarsson. Yeah, that guy was Icelandic. Sidenote, the name ‘Assassins’ comes from the Arabic Hashishin or “users of hashish. It’s also important to note, Shakespeare did not invent the word ‘assassin’ but he may have been the first one to use the word ‘assassination’ in MacBeth.

Let’s begin by addressing the elephant in the room. Prince of Persia, The movie is not a good movie. It’s all over the place and is shallow and with plot holes you can drive an ostrich through. But as a brainless fun you could do worse. On the bright side there is always Alfred Molina with his over the top performance as an ostrich raconteur with his amusing outrage at government taxes.

Gísli is a co-founder of the theater group Vesturport. He is a key member of the group and acts, writes and directs. In 2002 they put on stage a incredible circus-inspired version of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. They made an interesting documentary called Love Is in the Air about the experience. I highly recommend you check it out if you are interested in Icelandic theater. In 2005 Gísli directed Woyzeck where Vesturport collaborated with Nick Cave and Warren Ellis of all people!

Gisli co-directed and adapted Metamorphosis at the Lyric Hammersmith in London and played the part of Gregor Samsa (You know, the one that turned into a bug). Again Gísli, the lucky bastard he is, got Nick Cave and Warren Ellis to compose the music.

As well as putting on amazing plays they also have made several movies and documentaries. The most notable of them are the twin movies Children (2006) and Parents (2007) in cooperation with the Icelandic director Ragnar Bragason. Both are great movies that explore some dark themes about family’s and the relationship between children and their parents.

Gísli is for sure one Iceland’s most prolific artists. As well as acting, writing and directing with Vesturport he is also working all over the world with some of the greatest talents working today. In April 2011 Vesturport accepted the European Prize for New Theatrical Realities “for its complete work, its innovative character and originality”.

So for your cocktail party you need to know this.

Prince of Persia baddie, Icelandic. Assassins smoked hashish, Shakespeare did not invent the word assassin. Gísli and his theater group won the European theater awards. Gísli has worked with Nick Cave and Warren Ellis on more than one occasion. Alfred Molina is always great and Gísli has more awards than is good for him.

Enough said, and thank you for reading this mess.

Icelandic Connection ~ Prince of Persia is a post from: Ash Digital