Best of the Web

• Posted By: Kathy M.Y. Pyon
• Posted On: 6:01 p.m. | June 22, 2012

PressPausePlay

“PressPausePlay” is a documentary that explores creativity in the recent digital age. It starts with Moby doing a voice-over.  This film explores the idea of creativity, done differently, but similar to the short film “Influencers.” It’s a nice collection of interviews and stories about what a variety of distinctive creative types are exploring. The interviews offer a variety of insights. This is a full-length film, so get ready to commit some time or, if you’re like me, watch it in little bites over several days. The characters interviewed have interesting and engaging stories.

Extraordinary Animals in the Womb

This video explores four animals from conception to birth. The photography, made by producer Peter Chinn, used a combination of four-dimensional scanning technology, computer graphics and micro cameras. The outcome is absolutely mind-blowing and touching to life as it forms.

Undocumented Americans: Inside the Immigration Debate

Immigration is such a hot topic. Everyone is talking about it.  This video took a nice perspective by the author of the accompanying story for Time magazine by Jose Vargas.  The point-of-view choice for the video was a nice one to make. I like when news organizations don’t just regurgitate the written story, but rather take a different approach to the video component. It can be challenging to figure this out on topics such as these; mostly, I hope that the video makes you care and want to read the article.

Room Portraits

I found the “Room Portrait” series by German photographer Menno Aden to be wonderfully creative. The perspective choice is nice, and how the viewer takes in the space from a bird’s-eye view manipulates our approach in such a way that it disconnects, but is still within the scene. The piece, “Untitled (G.S. I)” 2006, 70 x 50 cm is so interesting in how this tiny room looks incredibly cramped with each item in its place. In each of the works you find so many details because the photography was made this way.

Caption: Top left:  Screen grab from “PressPausePlay”; top right: “elephant” by Peter Chinn; bottom left: screen grab from “Undocumented Americans: Inside the Immigration Debate”; bottom left: “Untitled (Bar),” 2011, 90 x 160 cm (35 x 63″)” by Menno Aden;