Well, in anticipation of father’s day, Thortful Card Company  needed us to produce a short video asking its participants what was the most memorable, thoughtful or best advice their fathers gave them growing up.

LoveLove Films was commissioned by Little Bird PR, a dedicated and passionate PR company who cover a wide range of public relation areas, to create a video that was as fun and unique as Thortful itself. In this heart-warming and humorous two-minute piece we see a range of people, aged from 5 to 50, tell our crew their own individual stories. The staff here at LoveLove found it very interesting to see such a wide variation of advice given from fathers throughout different generations, such as telling their children to just be themselves through to saying that mummy’s always right. In particular this video also highlights the importance that to be a father figure it doesn’t have to be biological, with one interviewee saying that growing up his father figure was his granddad, showing that a father child bond goes much deeper than just genetics.

The recently released video has already made quite an impact online. It has been featured in press publications such as the Daily Mail Online and is generating much discussion on social media.

Launched in April 2015, Thortful are a quirky and upcoming greeting card company who sell endearing and contemporary cards for any occasion, and the best part is their cards can be created by you! With the option to ‘become a creator’ on their website, Thortful believe that anyone can be creative and showcase their talents through their wonderful card designs. With over 2 million greeting cards sold in the UK every day, it’s great to see how Thortful are giving individuals the opportunity to let their creativity thrive and for their cards to be enjoyed worldwide. Visit their website here.

See the full video here:

The post Thortful Video Makes An Impact Online appeared first on LoveLove Films.

Working on the likes of The Da Vinci Code, The Dark Knight and Interstellar (to name a few) the German born composer has helped craft the soundtrack to a wide selection of acclaimed movies throughout his career, and you’ve probably heard more of his music than you think.

But despite being a world-renowned musician and composer Hans had never shared his music much beyond the screen and small concerts, having never played a live tour of his own. That is, until now.

In 2015 Hans Zimmer announced his first ever live tour that would be spread across Europe. He planned to play a selection of his most notable pieces, with his fans surely in for a unique and wonderful live performance like no other, with his tour promising Hans will “play his music, his way”.

And he didn’t disappoint. Only touring a total of 5 locations within the UK, Bournemouth was luckily enough to have Hans play live at the BIC on the 28^th of May. The composer hand picked an amazing array of musicians to accompany him on stage, including Lebo M. the sound and soul of the Lion King and Mike Einziger, the fabulous guitarist from Incubus, alongside many musicians who were friends with Hans himself.
The performance was breath-takingly stunning; with Hans’s perfect balance of classical music and new age electric sound, he was able to transport his audience from the arena of Gladiator to the Batmobile in just a matter of minutes.

And as if the music wasn’t enough, Hans himself brought the stage to life, with his natural talent, great sense of humour and humble attitude; he helped create a truly inspiring and unforgettable performance.

But one of the greatest things about the show was not only the fantastically composed music, but also the stories Hans shared of his team and the people that he worked with and clearly cared about. He also throughout cited ‘girl power’ explaining how he works with a number of ‘wonderful, talented women’ introducing female members of his orchestra to the audience, such as electric cello player Tina Guo and vocalist Zoe Mthiyane.

Hans’s powerful performance of his pieces showed just how important music is within film and video. Without the appropriate music many films would not be able to move an audience and create that long lasting impression that every filmmaker hopes for. Music is glue that holds all the pieces together within a movie, which often doesn’t receive the due credit it deserves.

By Hans choosing Bournemouth as a location for one of his shows, it shows great promise for the town as an up and coming media hub, with the town recently beating London as the fastest growing digital economy (as voted by the Telegraph). Additionally it is home to Bournemouth University, one of the top choices for media courses in the UK, having the biggest student radio in the country and connections with BBC, Channel 4 and ITV.

Hans Zimmer gave a truly magnificent performance that inspired the staff here at LoveLove, and we hope this won’t be last Bournemouth sees of this captivating composer.

“We’re lucky in these tumultuous and violent times to art and music to unite us.” – Hans Zimmer.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/yourbusiness/11390230/Bournemouth-beats-London-as-UKs-fastest-growing-digital-economy.html

The post Hans Zimmer Live on Tour: An Experience appeared first on LoveLove Films.

The comedy show has always kept up with the times, switching from their original cel animation style to digital ink and paint animation in 2004, and now using early access to the latest Adobe technology to animate their characters live on air.

Nearly twenty years ago, the Simpsons joked about live animation in “The Itchy & Scratchy & Poochie Show”, when Homer became a character in the Itchy & Scratchy Show. Homer asks about acting live for a cartoon, to which the reply is “Very few cartoons are broadcast live. It’s a terrible strain on the animators’ wrists”. Yet here they are, animating live on air.

The live segment showed Homer Simpson, voiced by Dan Castellaneta, sitting in a sparse office as he took questions live from the audience. Other fan favourites also made an appearance, such as Lisa Simpson, Mr. Burns and even Bender from  Futurama, another show by the Simpsons’ creator Matt Groening.

After watching the segment, audiences were left wondering how the show’s producers pulled it off, and the answer was relatively simple. The team used Adobe Character Animator, which is a part of Adobe After Effects, to create the three-minute long segment. Homer’s mouth movements were done through realistic lip-synch and keyboard-triggered animations, and the other characters featuring in the segment were all pre-animated.

Adobe Character Animator, which will be installed in the next version of After Effects, will allow animators to bring still images from programmes like Illustrator or Photoshop to life. The software will capture an actor’s performance through a camera, synchronizing the mouth movements to the actor’s speech, and then the animators can control all of the aspects of the character’s movement with the mouse and keyboard.

Cinema Blend believes that this software could represent the future of animation, and that the technology that lies at the core of Adobe’s Character Animator software could change the way in which animation is brought to audiences. Audiences were amazed by the segment, so it’s not difficult to imagine other shows trying the programme out in the future.

The technology is, however, limited- there were only a certain number of lip movements and motions that Homer could make, said executive producer, Al Jean, and if the segment ran for more than three minutes, it would begin to feel repetitive. This technology will certainly advance over the coming years, and animators will likely soon be able to animate whole episodes using features like Adobe’s Character Animator.

Only time will tell whether live animation will become the norm,  or if it is simply a passing fad, but a great response to the Simpsons’ segment certainly indicates good things for the future of Adobe’s technology, and for live animation itself.

Sources: 

Watch the Simpsons Live Segment here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jM9o6dKpWB0

http://www.cinemablend.com/television/How-Simpsons-Pulled-Off-Homer-Live-Episode-139547.html

http://www.radiotimes.com/news/2016-05-16/the-simpsons-make-animation-history-with-live-episode–and-homer-promises-the-series-will-never-end

http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2016/may/16/the-simpsons-live-a-remarkable-stunt-that-proves-homer-will-outlive-us-all

http://blogs.adobe.com/creativecloud/the-simpsons-tv-show-and-adobe-make-live-animation-television-history/

http://blogs.adobe.com/creativecloud/adobe-character-animator-revealed/

The post How the Simpsons Made an Animation Go Live appeared first on LoveLove Films.

The Rapid Rise

Users of the service could only speculate where it would go next. Now the platform has expanded to iOS and have just premiered their latest short, Pearl, at the Tribeca Film Festival.

The use of 360 degree videos and VR has skyrocketed in recent years, and the progression of the medium even in the last year has been noticeable- Tribeca Film Festival now includes a Virtual Arcade, and Duet, a Spotlight Stories short, was shortlisted for the Animated Short Film Oscar.

Spotlight’s first short, Windy Day, felt more like an experiment in VR and 360 video, gently guiding the audience into the world of VR using the story of a mouse in pursuit of a hat, and using the movement on screen to entice the audience into moving their phones about. Very little happened in Windy Day story-wise, but Spotlight’s shorts have moved forwards leaps and bounds since then, and their latest short, Pearl, definitely showcases this.

What Sets “Pearl” Apart

Set entirely inside a hatchback, Pearl is a coming of age story based around a young girl and her father as she grows into an adult and inherits the car. The story is set to an original song, “No Wrong Way Home”, written by Alexis Harte and JJ Weisler, and is performed by Nicki Bluhm and Kelley Stoltz, who play the young girl and her father.

Pearl is absolutely heart-warming, and as the audience watch the video, they cannot help but be truly amazed by what VR can achieve for storytelling. Pearl makes the audience feel like they share the adventure that Sarah and her father go on, and has a real hallmark feeling at the end, making the audience themselves feel proud of the girl when she’s all grown up.

Shorts like Pearl show just how fluid storytelling can be with VR animation. Duet, which Disney animator Glen Keane directed, actually makes the audience choose which character they want to follow when the characters both go separate ways off screen, with a different story being told depending on which character you follow- one from the perspective of a young boy, and one from a young girl. Keane himself said that he “had a hard time giving up control […] of the camera”, but the audience controlling the adventure is part of what makes VR so great.

Spotlight’s progression has been helped greatly by its’ collaboration with major Hollywood stars, from Fast and Furious director Justin Lin, who created the first live action short for the platform, to Disney animator Glen Keane, who created legendary characters for films like the Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast.

Outside of Short Films

VR and 360 degree footage has many potential applications, and brands and companies are also beginning to realise the potential that VR has- The North Face has created a VR experience to draw in their audience- those that seek outdoor thrills- and making them feel as though they’re climbing in Yosemite National Park.

GoPro Extreme has also made the leap into using 360 degree footage in their branding. Their video of a surfer was posted to Facebook by Mark Zuckerberg himself, and really draws on the “extreme” nature of the GoPro to display what both their cameras and 360 degree footage are capable of.

The Future

Particularly for media companies, VR and 360 degree footage can brilliantly display what your company is capable of in a visually stunning and exciting way. The ability to truly draw an audience in is perhaps the most amazing aspect of VR and 360 degree footage, and is a tool that companies can use to not only sell to an audience, but to amaze them too.

VR has already come so far since its inception, and its potential is limitless, Tech Crunch predicted that people will be able to experience everything through VR, and that it will be incorporated into your existing reality. VR seems primed to revolutionise the film industry, with major studios already experimenting with the technology.

Spotlight seems to be at the forefront of VR technology as it relates to short film, and to see what they will create next is definitely exciting.

Sources:

Watch Pearl here : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WqCH4DNQBUA

Pearl Behind the Scenes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7fN0bZhks5Y

Read the original LoveLove blog about Google Spotlight Stories here: https://lovelovefilms.com/blog/google-spotlight-stories-peeking-at-a-new-world/

http://www.adweek.com/adfreak/north-face-gave-these-shoppers-vr-experience-suddenly-got-awesomely-real-167900

http://digiday.com/brands/5-ways-brands-using-360-degree-video-including-faraday-friday-electric-car/

https://backchannel.com/google-taps-hollywood-a-list-for-360-interactive-short-b36e7fb35b5f#.bap59gz1h

http://techcrunch.com/2015/11/15/what-technology-will-look-like-in-five-years/

http://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive/2016-01/27/virtual-reality-breaks-fourth-wall

http://techcrunch.com/2013/10/29/google-motorola-spotlight-stories/

The post Google Spotlight Stories: A Rapid Growth appeared first on LoveLove Films.

In March 2016 Nokia released its OZO camera in Europe. The OZO is a spherical camera with eight synchronised cameras and microphones that can record 360° audio and video. Vesa Rantanen, head of Research and Development at Nokia tells Wired  “We’re working with movie studios and live performance artists – musicians and sportspeople – and also a lot of short form content; filmmakers, video makers and documentaries.”

Here’s why we think the OZO might be revolutionary:

The Technological Advantages

The OZO camera may not be the first 360° camera, but it is making big strides in making 360° and virtual reality production more accessible to filmmakers. The futuristic, stylish looking OZO allows content creators to view footage whilst the camera is recording, and their optional wireless remote means that the camera can be adjusted on the go. The OZO is perfect for use with drones, as it is wireless and the combined battery and memory back allows filming for up to 45 minutes.

Nokia set out to create the OZO camera to fill the video content gap following the recent technological push towards making Virtual Reality headsets.. This will make producing 360° and virtual reality content easier and more accessible, especially since content filmed on the OZO can be viewed with any headset.

Virtual reality has in the past been better known for its relationship with games, and the two are very closely interlinked, both seeking to give users a truly immersive experience. We’ve come far from the Virtual Boy, which was the first commercial attempt at introducing virtual reality to an audience (the Virtual Boy was discontinued less than a year after its’ commercial release), and VR headsets can now be bought for as little as £11.99 (Google Cardboard).

Adoption by Cinema

Given cinema’s attempts to draw the audience into a story more and more with the advent of 3D and 4DX, 360° footage and virtual reality seems like the best step forwards for cinema, and it’s one that large studios like Disney are more than willing to take. Many of Disney’s more recent films are a visual spectacle, even in 2D, and the thought of being completely immersed in films like Captain America: Civil War or Star Wars: The Force Awakens is truly something to behold.

Disney has partnered with the Nokia OZO to produce behind the scenes content, the first of which being a 360° cast interview and a 360° view of the red carpet premiere for Disney’s recent live action adaptation, The Jungle Book. They have also announced that one of Disney’s upcoming films will feature 360° behind the scenes content.

Level of Use

Whilst footage from the OZO can draw the audience into the story entirely, and effectively provoke an emotional response from the audience (particularly, I think, in horror films. Imagine the monster in a horror movie seeming like it’s literally behind you!), is that viewing experience going to be better than viewing multi, or single camera footage? When focusing the camera on one thing, a filmmaker can get across emotions on an actor’s face, which may be missed in 360° footage. A director will also have difficulty in directing an audience’s attention in a 360° film, as there are a great many things for the audience to look at.

Foolproof have also discussed directing the audience’s attention as an issue of 360° filming, as they point out that it is impossible for filmmakers to frame their shots. The Chuck 360° is referenced by Foolproof as a good way to avoid this limitation, as the viewer’s gaze is directed by changes in the volume of the narration, which is lowered if you look away from where the filmmakers want you to look.

There are some, such as The Singularity Hub who think that the development of virtual reality technology will cause the closure of cinemas as it becomes so popular, but others are not convinced. Vice notes that our own internal monitors can cause us to feel ill when using a virtual reality headset- if the camera is sent lurching forwards in a film, but your body knows you have remained seated, you can be left feeling sick and dizzy. Warren Spector, director of the Deus Ex game series, denounces virtual reality as a “fad” that will not take off for entertainment.

Only time will tell whether 360° filming and virtual reality are the future of the media industry or merely a passing fad. Personally, I think this style of filming has more of a home in games, but I think there’s definitely potential to create some interesting results for short films, as we have already seen in this short film about Aleppo, Syria, and I can’t wait to see how filmmakers use 360° filming, as the advent of technologies like the OZO show us we haven’t seen the best of 360° filming yet.

Here’s the 360° interview with the cast of the Jungle Book: https://www.facebook.com/DisneyJungleBook/videos/1520642841295367/

Check out this Star Wars Virtual Reality by pipocaVFX:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6uG9vtckp1U&feature=youtu.be

Or this VR short film shot in Aleppo, Syria: http://petapixel.com/2015/09/22/the-first-ever-vr-film-shot-in-a-war-zone-with-a-360-camera/

The post Will Nokia’s 360° OZO camera change video production? appeared first on LoveLove Films.

DMC  joined forces with Disturbed bassist John Moyer and rock front man Myles Kennedy to release a probing new single “Flames,” which addresses the issue between the black community, gun violence and police shootings.

The video’s visuals are very close to the lyrical theme of Flames, which features scenes of police brutality, rioting and violence. The video both states the lyrics onscreen and uses a unique animated world to show the carnage of the song.

This video is the company’s latest production for an American client. LoveLove Films is expanding rapidly into America, having already produced content for a variety of American musicians and companies, including the technology giant Cisco Systems. DMC’s management, who are based in Austin Texas, approached LoveLove Films to produce a video for their artist after recommendations from various people within the US music industry.

On producing Flames for a musical legend, LoveLove Films’ Managing Director Georgina Hurcombe states “I’m incredibly happy with the finished result and it’s great to work on a project with such an important message. DMC is the latest in a long line of high profile clients to come to LoveLove Films. I can’t wait to see which musical giants will come to the company next! ”

With a tight deadline, LoveLove Films decided to create a unique mix of 2D animation and motion graphics animation, giving the overall video an innovative visual quality. It features animated characters  (Watch out for some of the team members!) and fast camera motions through an animated world whilst presenting the lyrics from the song.

DMC has had a long and enduring career; beginning in Queens, New York City in the early 80s when he was the founding member of the genre defining hip hop and rap band Run-DMC. Run-DMC’s many achievements include releasing the first rap albums to reach gold and platinum, becoming the first rap act to appear on the cover of Rolling Stone, and are the first rap band to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Run-DMC were also recently given a lifetime achievement Grammy, the first ever rap act to do so.

The post Launching DMC’s New Music Video, Flames! appeared first on LoveLove Films.

 Vote for LoveLove Films at:

https://www.vmbvoom.com/pitches/the-lovelove-films-innovation-lab

LoveLove Films has launched our entry into Virgin Media’s Voom business pitch competition! Help us help employ new talent and boost the innovation industry in our area by voting for our pitch!”

Voom is the UK and Ireland’s biggest and most valuable pitch competition and gives us the chance to pitch to Richard Branson and win a share of £1 million in prizes.

Our business pitch is to build an innovation lab that will employ new talent to create a wide range of exciting new media such as virtual reality and interactive content. Our idea has already seen success, climbing above two hundred other pitches in just over 24 hours.

LoveLove Films would love the opportunity to win Voom so that we can expand our award winning new talent scheme further. With additional funding, we will create an innovation lab in our current studio, which will be integral in developing and recruiting even more new talent in the area. The innovation lab will allow new talent to focus on original ways of creating new stories, and work on developing content for exciting emerging platforms such as virtual reality and interactive videos. Virtual reality and interactivity are going to take off like never before over the next five years and LoveLove Films’ innovation lab could help Bournemouth and Dorset become pioneers in this exciting new area.

Since our inception in 2010 we’ve been dedicated to nurturing and developing exciting new talent coming from local schools, colleges and universities. This dedication has gained us the DCCI’s Engagement with Education award in 2015. Every year, LoveLove Films welcomes 25-30 placement students wanting to gain some real industry experience while getting involved in diverse and exciting projects.

VOOM 2016 relies on public votes to shortlist the UK and Ireland’s most exciting businesses and your votes could result in Virgin Media Business crowning Dorset as Britain’s most entrepreneurial region in the UK. ‘‘VOOM 2016 is all about seeking out, supporting and celebrating the UK’s and Ireland’s most exciting businesses.’ says Sir Richard Branson.

Vote for us and you’ll be voting for exciting new developments in your area. It only takes a few seconds and it’s completely free. Vote now!

Vote for LoveLove at:

https://www.vmbvoom.com/pitches/the-lovelove-films-innovation-lab

Check out the testimonials from past placement students:

https://lovelovefilms.com/contact/placements/

Have a look at LoveLove Films’ Showreel:

https://lovelovefilms.com/about/

The post LoveLove is ready to VOOM! appeared first on LoveLove Films.

I Won’t Go is an intimate portrait of a determined, lively and thoroughly unconventional elderly woman. It features Oli, an eccentric ex-headmistress in her nineties, who now lives isolated and housebound in her condemned country cottage; her only real companion is a small Shetland pony named ‘Baby’. What follows is a moving and surprising account of her life, from her unexpected past as a former millionaire through to her daily struggles to keep her independence despite age and infirmity. Ultimately, the film ask who is responsible for elderly care, and who is to decide where, and how we should live our final days.

The documentary was shot over the course of seven years by LoveLove Films’ managing director Georgina Hurcombe. Georgina was inspired to produce this documentary after living close to Oli as a child. Oli used to teach Georgina afterschool reading and writing skills.

After producing an 8 minute short Georgina received further funding from Channel 4’s 4Docs initiative to expand I Won’t Go into a lengthier and more in depth exploration of Oli. The final documentary features a wide variety of prestigious behind the scenes talent, including Henry Dalton the multi award winning documentary associate producer; Tony Palmer, an Emmy and RTS winning editor and Alex Baranowski a Tony award winning composer for the Royal National Theatre.

Upon completion the film went to a wide range of national and international film festivals, including opening for the Oscar qualifying Edindocs festival and the Prague based One World festival. It subsequently secured distribution rights with Terra Nova Films in America, where it was screened in select venues with the purpose of highlighting issues effecting the elderly.

In regards to the final product Michelle Mitchell, a Director of Age UK, said the following:

“By telling the emblematic story of an older person’s fight for her independence, this documentary film shines a powerful light on the dilemmas many of us will face in old age, such as whether, when and where to look for support, and the challenges our society faces in meeting the care needs of an aging population.”

It was recently launched online on Vimeo’s on demand service, where it can be rented for up to 48 hours for £2.12

We’re incredibly pleased that I Won’t Go has been launched on this new platform and hope the documentary is enjoyed by a large new audience.

Watch I Won’t Go Online Here: https://vimeo.com/ondemand/iwontgodocumentary

The post I Won’t Go documentary – Goes Online appeared first on LoveLove Films.

With only 3 entrants from the UK being selected to fly over to Iceland in February and spend time at the exclusive event, Georgina will now get to pick the brains of some of the finest business minds and personal coaches from all over the world, including former world heavyweight boxing champion, entrepreneur and charity founder, Wladimir Klitschko.

Other members of the LinkedIn Skills Squad include the Managing Director of LinkedIn, Ariel Eckstein, who will be explaining to the winners all his hints and tips on effective networking, RADA voice coach Lisa Akesson who will be giving a talk on personal branding, and Sebastian Schelper of the BMW Group who will be teaching the lucky recipients how to think outside the box and be innovators in the global market.

“I am absolutely thrilled to have been chosen as a winner of such a prestigious competition!” she said. “I can’t wait to fly out to Nesjavellir, meet the LinkedIn Skills Squad, the rest of the competition winners and of course, experience authentic Icelandic culture.

“We are all so fortunate to get such a great opportunity to spend time with all these influential figures from the world of business and networking and I am sure we will all learn so much!”

Georgina will now join the other competition winners and head off for a 3-night stay at the famous Ion Hotel in Nesjavellir, which is set against a backdrop of majestic mountainous lava fields and is well known for being a great place to witness the phenomena of the Northern Lights.

Here at LoveLove Films we’re over the moon that our Managing Director is going to receive all the amazing guidance and advice that the LinkedIn Skills Squad can offer and we are sure that everything Georgina learns will help us to continue to grow and develop as a company.

Be sure to keep an eye out for all her updates as she embarks on her icy adventure!

The post Georgina Hurcombe named winner of international LinkedIn competition! appeared first on LoveLove Films.

“I am absolutely delighted to have joined the LoveLove team!” said Josh, “I have been eagerly searching for a role in the creative industry that would allow me to explore my passion for design and illustration- and now I have found it!”

“The past few weeks have been so enjoyable. Getting to work alongside such an experienced team of animators on a daily basis has meant that I am always learning something new.

As a 16-year old, getting a job in the fast-paced media production industry was quite a daunting prospect, but the whole team are so encouraging and supportive that not only have I found my feet very quickly, but my confidence is growing day-by-day. To be honest, I wasn’t surprised, as LoveLove has a strong reputation for nurturing talent and giving young people a chance to build a career in the industry.”

Josh

As part of our animation department, Josh’s key roles are assisting the animation team with graphic design, animated asset creation, and using his strong illustration skills to help develop concept artwork and storyboards, whilst completing an NVQ in Design at Wiltshire College.

“I absolutely love my role here at LoveLove! I am constantly learning new skills, and getting to work with some of the latest software in animation and design means that I wake up everyday genuinely excited to come into work!

Going forward I am looking forward to improving my knowledge of the production industry, going out on location to get a taste of the mechanics of a live-action shoot, but more importantly, using my growing skill-set to help produce engaging and innovative animations for all our clients and in doing so, cement LoveLove Film’s reputation as one of the leading multimedia production companies in the area!”

LoveLove Film’s Lead Animator, Sunny Clarke said, “We are all thrilled that Josh has joined the team and we know his hard work-ethic and talented illustrations skills will not only benefit our company, but all of our current and future clients. His skill-set and creativity is really going to compliment the raft of talent we already have here at LoveLove, and I’m looking forward to working alongside him as he continues to grow and develop.”

The post LoveLove welcomes Apprentice Designer and Illustrator Josh! appeared first on LoveLove Films.