Archive for the 'products' Category

Disney cartoons, pretty girls, fair use and free culture?

How one Walt Disney Cartoon was made:

(Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs behind-the-scenes)

Here are a couple quotes from the documentary:
“…the thousands of pencil drawings go to the inking department. Here, hundreds of pretty girls…”
“The inked celluloids next go to the painting department where more pretty girls apply the final colors.”

Damn…Walt Disney was a bigger genius than I ever realized. Unfortunately, to some degree, we also have the Disney Company to thank for possibly being detrimental to cultural diversity. One can argue that a rich, continually replenished, public domain is necessary for continued artistic creation. Disney as we know it wouldn’t exist if the current copyright laws were in place years ago because many of Disney’s animated films are based on Nineteenth Century public domain works, including Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Cinderella, Pinocchio, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Alice in Wonderland, and The Jungle Book.

There has never been a time in history when more of our ‘culture’ was as ‘owned’ as it is now. And yet there has never been a time when the concentration of power to control the uses of culture has been as unquestioningly accepted as it is now. (pg. 28 of Free Culture)

Free Culture is a book about the social dimension of creativity: how creative work builds on the past and how society encourages or inhibits that building with laws and technologies.

free culture
get a digital copy of the book for free

 

And here’s a humorous, yet informative, review of copyright principles delivered through the words of the very folks we can thank for nearly endless copyright terms:

A Fair(y) Use Tale

the work that must have gone into this…woah.

Blade Runner: the Final Cut

I’m so out of the loop that I just found out about the 25th anniversary Blade Runner plans by watching the trailer for Dangerous Days: Making Blade Runner. (also: I think it’s particularly interesting that the unicorn clip is included on that page.)
Here’s some more info:

the Final Cut
Blade Runner (Five-Disc Ultimate Collector’s Edition) (2007)

In celebration of Blade Runner’s 25th anniversary, director Ridley Scott has gone back into post production to create the long-awaited definitive new version. Blade Runner: The Final Cut, spectacularly restored and remastered from original elements and scanned at 4K resolution, will contain never-before-seen added/extended scenes, added lines, new and improved special effects, director and filmmaker commentary, an all-new 5.1 Dolby® Digital audio track and more. Harrison Ford, Rutger Hauer, Edward James Olmos, Joanna Cassidy, Sean Young, and Daryl Hannah are among some 80 stars, filmmakers and others who participate in the extensive bonus features. Among the bonus material highlights is Dangerous Days, a brand new, three-and-a-half-hour documentary by award-winning DVD producer Charles de Lauzirika, with an extensive look into every aspect of the film: its literary genesis, its challenging production and its controversial legacy. The definitive documentary to accompany the definitive film version. The Ultimate Collector’s Edition will be presented in a unique 5-disc digi-package with handle which is a stylish version of Rick Deckard’s own briefcase. In addition, each briefcase will be individually numbered and in limited supply. Included is a lenticular motion film clip from the original feature, miniature origami unicorn figurine, miniature replica spinner car, and collector’s photographs, as well as a signed personal letter from Sir Ridley Scott.

Disc One
RIDLEY SCOTT’S ALL-NEW “FINAL CUT” VERSION OF THE FILM
Restored and remastered with added & extended scenes, added lines, new and cleaner special effects and all new 5.1 Dolby Digital Audio. Also includes:

  • Commentary by Ridley Scott
  • Commentary by executive producer/co-screenwriter Hampton Fancher and co-screenwriter David Peoples; producer Michael Deely and production executive Katherine Haber
  • Commentary by visual futurist Syd Mead; production designer Lawrence G. Paull, art director David L. Snyder and special photographic effects supervisors Douglas Trumbull, Richard Yuricich and David Dryer

Disc Two
DOCUMENTARY DANGEROUS DAYS: MAKING BLADE RUNNER
A feature-length authoritative documentary revealing all the elements that shaped this hugely influential cinema landmark. Cast, crew, critics and colleagues give a behind-the-scenes, in-depth look at the film — from its literary roots and inception through casting, production, visuals and special effects to its controversial legacy and place in Hollywood history.

Disc Three
1982 THEATRICAL VERSION
This is the version that introduced U.S. movie-going audiences to a revolutionary film with a new and excitingly provocative vision of the near-future. It contains Deckard/Harrison Ford’s character narration and has Deckard and Rachel’s (Sean Young) “happy ending” escape scene.

1982 INTERNATIONAL VERSION
Also used on U.S. home video, laserdisc and cable releases up to 1992. This version is not rated, and contains some extended action scenes in contrast to the Theatrical Version.

1992 DIRECTOR’S CUT
The Director’s Cut omits Deckard’s voiceover narration and removes the “happy ending” finale. It adds the famously-controversial “unicorn” sequence, a vision that Deckard has which suggests that he, too, may be a replicant.

Disc Four
BONUS DISC – “Enhancement Archive”: 90 minutes of deleted footage and rare or never-before-seen items in featurettes and galleries that cover the film’s amazing history, production teams, special effects, impact on society, promotional trailers, TV spots, and much more.

  • Featurette “The Electric Dreamer: Remembering Philip K. Dick”
  • Featurette “Sacrificial Sheep: The Novel vs. The Film”
  • Philip K. Dick: The Blade Runner Interviews (audio)
  • Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep Cover Gallery (images)
  • The Art of Blade Runner (image galleries)
  • Featurette “Signs of the Times: Graphic Design”
  • Featurette “Fashion Forward: Wardrobe & Styling”
  • Screen Tests: Rachel & Pris
  • Featurette “The Light That Burns: Remembering Jordan Cronenweth”
  • Unit photography gallery
  • Deleted and alternate scenes
  • 1982 promotional featurettes
  • Trailers and TV spots
  • Featurette “Promoting Dystopia: Rendering the Poster Art”
  • Marketing and merchandise gallery (images)
  • Featurette “Deck-A-Rep: The True Nature of Rick Deckard”
  • Featurette “–Nexus Generation: Fans & Filmmakers”

Disc Five
WORKPRINT VERSION
This rare version of the film is considered by some to be the most radically different of all the Blade Runner cuts. It includes an altered opening scene, no Deckard narration until the final scenes, no “unicorn” sequence, no Deckard/Rachel “happy ending,” altered lines between Batty (Rutger Hauer) and his creator Tyrell (Joe Turkell), alternate music and much more. Also includes:

  • Commentary by Paul M. Sammon, author of Future Noir: The Making of Blade Runner
  • Featurette “All Our Variant Futures: From Workprint to Final Cut”

The above information is copied directly from: Blade Runner (Five-Disc Ultimate Collector’s Edition) (2007). (I hope it’s correct.)

now Bruce Campbell is hungry

…Hungry like the Wolf, to be exact. The last time he was everything.

Old Spice continues their efforts to make their product cool.

free Banksy prints

If you know who banksy is, you might want to visit the “shop” for some free images. If you’ve never heard of banksy start here. I’ve always liked his manipulated art more than the graffiti, but those rats are still kinda cool.

bombed village.
bombed village.

?
?

Also: The special VIP preview of Banksy’s guerilla art installation “Barely Legal” in LA’s downtown warehouse district is covered here unfortunately no longer available.

edit 10-09: fixed picture links

iPhone Nano? iPhone Shuffle? are you non-Cingular?

more iphone mania.

 

btw: if you’re worried about having a contract with a company other than Cingular you might want to check out cellswapper:

cellswapper.

or Celltradeusa: celltradeusa

 

my last iPhone entry:
get an iPhone now AND see how long it will take before you can get one

 

get an iPhone now AND see how long it will take before you can get one

iphone.

It’s the only option that any of us have at the moment…click to get there.

update: new models and what to do if you don’t have Cingular.

Bruce Campbell is everything.


If this man can’t make your product cool, then you might as well give up.
Click this link (stolen from the man himself) if you want your own copy.


from the depths

random thoughts about some of your surface world culture.
...from the depths of my mind.

(ship’s log)

I'm planning to share my experiences and opinions about all of my disparate and eclectic interests. I hope we have something in common.

(do not click here)

(buried treasure)


My blog is worth $3,387.24.
How much is your blog worth?

(submersible)

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