Social engineering

In this video (in french only), see how chatting on social networking tool can be not so harmless… One should always bear that in mind when publishing content about himself on the internet.

This is something like that (even more simple) that has been used by this year Twitter hacker, proving that you don’t need to be some kind or geek tech-savvy guy to become a hacker.

[Via Gregory Pouy]

Pikapika light painting

Tonight I felt that this blog lacks a good light painting video. So I watched a lot and found some interesting ones (I haven’t watched any for a long time). But for the moment, my fav is still the original “Pikapika the movie – Go ! Go ! Pikapika”.

A Pikapika is an abstract animation film made with flashlights. A series of photographs using long exposures are edited together to make them appear as an animation (stop-motion). You can find many informations about this technique on Pikapika blog.

The making-of of this movie is also available on Youtube.

Sand dancer

With a simple stick and a rake, sand artist Peter Donnelly from Christchurch, New Zealand, creates beautiful works of art that only last for as long as the ocean allows.

This video is an extract from the full movie “Sand Dancer” directed by Valerie Reid, from Force Five Films. You can view the full movie (10 minutes) here on Youtube.

The song is Sunshine Down by Tahi Richards.

[Via VincentDidier]

Oi Va Voi : Everytime

You’ve got paper ? You’ve got a shredding machine (scissors can work too, but it will be a little longer…). You can make a video !

This is how this inspiring video of the British band Oi Va Voi has been made : Every third frame of the footage was printed, shredded and shot three times blended with adjacent frames by different stripes configuration. A work done by Katarzyna Kijek and Przemysław Adamski.

There are a only few shots around about the making-of of this video because “the process itself was pretty boring so it didn’t come to our minds to document it” Katarzyna said. Boring ? I can believe it ! But the result is far from boring. A real pleasure for us.

Kanye West : Amazing

To be honest, I’m not a big fan of this song of Kanye West. But I do love the beautiful nature views of this clip directed by Harold “Hype” Williams.

It seems to have been filmed on locations in Hawai.

Susan Boyle has got talent

Susan Boyle has got talent. Certainly. I can say I was a little thrilled when I heard her voice for the first time. But it is certainly not enough to explain the worldwide phenomenom that followed.

What makes this video so viral is the surprise we all got listening to her, because we all expect talent from beauty and youth. Not from Susan. Noone can imagine that you can reach 47 with the voice of an angel without being discovered. Well, sure you can. Because before the web 2.0 era, only beauty and youth could help you pass through the “filters” toward success. Talent was only a bonus.

Things have changed. The Susan Boyle phenomenom is here to prove it. Now people wants talents back on the scene.

But it is amusing to see how “filters” (at least, some of them) try to tell us the story the old way. 15 days after the first broadcasting of Susan video, it is now impossible to embed a Susan Boyle video from Youtube, except the “official” one from the official Britain’s Got Talent channel. They are not to blame for trying to capitalise on this traffic. But what bothers me is that this “official” video is a shortened, where you can’t feel anymore the cynical mood at the beginning of the video, and where the apologies of the jury has been cut (BTW, great reaction from the jury).

I’m sure that if it was published this way the first time, it wouldn’t have been such a phenomenom.

Subprime

Did you ever think that watching the american housing market spiral out of control could become entertaining ?

This is the case with this great animated short movie by Mike Winkelmann. It has been made with Cinema 4d. The music is by Nobot.

[Via Fubiz]

Phoenix : Lisztomania

Lisztomania is the first single from the forthcoming album “Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix” by the french band Phoenix.
The album will be released on May 25th 2009 (26 for the US).

The clip is directed by Antoine Wagner.

Inspired Bicycles – Danny MacAskill

Filmed over the period of a few months in and around Edinburgh by Dave Sowerby, this video of Inspired Bicycles team rider Danny MacAskill features an amazing collection of street/street trials riding. There’s some huge riding, but also some of the most technically difficult and imaginative lines you will ever see.

I also love the song ‘The Funeral’ from Band of Horses.

[Via VincentDidier]

Moray McLaren – We Got Time

David Wilson, a London based animator, has directed this videoclip for the song “We Got Time” of Moray McLaren. A very contemplative clip that has been made just taking advantage of the way film and persistence of vision works No CG, no compositing animation loops onto footage.

On David website, you can download a hi-res version of the clip, or have a look at the making-of.