For the first time in a while, I'm feeling thoroughly lucky.
Friday, June 13, 2008
Thursday, May 8, 2008
i heart digital art
This video is so beautiful it almost takes my breath away. I love the kaleidoscopic quality of the editing, the angular self-possession of the dancer Masako Yasumoto, the elegant black-and-white design, the simplicity of the diffuse overhead lighting, even the almost-cheesy-but-not-quite VFX of the 'water' streaming out from Yasumoto's gestures towards the end of the piece. Man, I love it all. ::sighs happily::
Bear in mind that the music, such as it is, happens to be one of those chiptune disco tracks which might annoy the hell out of you at the very least, and render you temporarily deaf with its prolonged high tones at the very most, but I think it adds a certain Gibsonesque (WiGi?) charm.
Regardless, I love this digital objet, score and all. I luuuuv it. I lurrrrrve it. I may have to get a hotel room with it. Enjoy!
Bear in mind that the music, such as it is, happens to be one of those chiptune disco tracks which might annoy the hell out of you at the very least, and render you temporarily deaf with its prolonged high tones at the very most, but I think it adds a certain Gibsonesque (WiGi?) charm.
Regardless, I love this digital objet, score and all. I luuuuv it. I lurrrrrve it. I may have to get a hotel room with it. Enjoy!
Monday, May 5, 2008
the 6%
WARNING: feminist discussion below. If you're not feeling terribly feminist-discussion-oriented, then I strongly urge you to check out the charming, Lord of the Mapquest Programmers, popcult-savvy Clifton Craig, since goodness knows he's been trying to funnel enough traffic to li'l ol' me, and it's time I return this long-overdue favor. Then, go visit the dashing, Lord of the Sound Designers Who Also Enjoy Programming, Frank-Capra-savvy Jamie Hardt; he rocks his shades like Corey Hart, but with rather less pouting, thank goodness.
And then, of course, there is always the prestige of the Pianola.
Moving right along:
I know a fab filmmaker named Sasha from USC, and yesterday she sent out a mass email to us 'SC alumnae informing us of the following:
nyt article about women in movies
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/04/movies/moviesspecial/04dargi.html
[requires free registration]
This article says nothing new; it's all the same moaning which has been going on for years about the obvious fact that everybody hates the gals, nobody in the film biz wants to hire us, nobody wants to market to us, we'll never make it in the boys' world, we all might as well just march ourselves into the ocean along with our wretched scrapbooking, potpourri, suffrage etc.
These articles annoy me, both because I've seen so many of them they're turning into a whiny, depressing blur; and also because my spunky, brave nature hates admitting they're true. It's pretty brutal when multiple male cinematographers tell me that they've seen their female counterparts get offered far less pay for the same jobs, if the gals even got offered the jobs at all. Sigh. But hey, that's what I signed up for; no one put a gun to my head and said "Attempt a career in film, Ms. Phillips, or I'll hand your brains to your parents in a convenient and tastefully decorated plastic bag."
But here's something which stood out for me:
"Some point to the lack of female directors, whose numbers in both the mainstream and independent realms hover at around 6 percent."
When I read that, I immediately had to send out this mass response to the email list:
And I hereby extend this invitation to you, dear reader, to offer your opinion on the subject. Or put on your red shoes and dance the blues, with your Corey Hart shades on at night, whichever comes first. (He really is wearing red shoes in his "Sunglasses at Night" video, I love it!)
Oh yeah, and happy Cinco de Mayo, while you're at it. Olé and so forth.
And then, of course, there is always the prestige of the Pianola.
Moving right along:
I know a fab filmmaker named Sasha from USC, and yesterday she sent out a mass email to us 'SC alumnae informing us of the following:
nyt article about women in movies
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/04/movies/moviesspecial/04dargi.html
[requires free registration]
This article says nothing new; it's all the same moaning which has been going on for years about the obvious fact that everybody hates the gals, nobody in the film biz wants to hire us, nobody wants to market to us, we'll never make it in the boys' world, we all might as well just march ourselves into the ocean along with our wretched scrapbooking, potpourri, suffrage etc.
These articles annoy me, both because I've seen so many of them they're turning into a whiny, depressing blur; and also because my spunky, brave nature hates admitting they're true. It's pretty brutal when multiple male cinematographers tell me that they've seen their female counterparts get offered far less pay for the same jobs, if the gals even got offered the jobs at all. Sigh. But hey, that's what I signed up for; no one put a gun to my head and said "Attempt a career in film, Ms. Phillips, or I'll hand your brains to your parents in a convenient and tastefully decorated plastic bag."
But here's something which stood out for me:
"Some point to the lack of female directors, whose numbers in both the mainstream and independent realms hover at around 6 percent."
When I read that, I immediately had to send out this mass response to the email list:
Thanks for the article, Sasha! What I find really crazy -- and I'd love to have somebody on this list prove me wrong -- is that the figure "6%" seems to crop up a lot with women in film. The article says about 6% of current, mainstream directors are female; this is the same percentage I got when calculating female membership of the ASC as well as of the SOC. Crazy!
So, where did the magic number 6 come from? Surely it's not that we only have 6% of a typical man's testosterone? 6% of a typical man's ambition? Enterprise? Talent? Are only 6% of America's female population willing to try film in the first place? Or are there really hordes and hordes of us, and most male executives possess only 6% of their total possible courage to hire us and market to us?
All very peculiar. Any and all thoughts on this would be welcome!
Astrid "Six Percent" Phillips
And I hereby extend this invitation to you, dear reader, to offer your opinion on the subject. Or put on your red shoes and dance the blues, with your Corey Hart shades on at night, whichever comes first. (He really is wearing red shoes in his "Sunglasses at Night" video, I love it!)
Oh yeah, and happy Cinco de Mayo, while you're at it. Olé and so forth.
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
tales from the interrobang department
Here are some items which made me go "?!" when I went through the dusty Astridica archive recently. (Yes, in between shoots and web designery, I'm still going through bales of drawings and writing I've done from several years ago.)
Why is this dinosaur so woebegone? He's cute, though.
And now: some terrible poetry. I dimly recall having had a conversation with someone about writing the worst poem ever, and I was so inspired (if that's the correct term), I actually dared myself to have a go.
Who is the "you" in this poem? Why would I ever want to suffer such a fate, and inflict injury upon a poor, well-meaning dog? And for that matter, what do I have against this person's prized petunias? I LIKE petunias! All very peculiar.
I hereby dare you, dear reader, to post some terrible poetry of your own in the comments section; all I ask is that it had better be short (20 lines or fewer), at the very least. This could be spectacularly bad, and I mean that in the best possible way. Or spectacularly boring, if no one has the nerve to post anything.
Why is this dinosaur so woebegone? He's cute, though.
And now: some terrible poetry. I dimly recall having had a conversation with someone about writing the worst poem ever, and I was so inspired (if that's the correct term), I actually dared myself to have a go.
My Humble Demise, or Digestible Requiem (written 2001 or thereabouts)
I would like to be
Buried in an urn
To be inconveniently
Left on your coffee table
In the event that
I should spill, well,
Let the dog good-naturedly
Lick my remains
Then barf me up
On your prized petunias
For you to discover
When you're back from the supermarket
Who is the "you" in this poem? Why would I ever want to suffer such a fate, and inflict injury upon a poor, well-meaning dog? And for that matter, what do I have against this person's prized petunias? I LIKE petunias! All very peculiar.
I hereby dare you, dear reader, to post some terrible poetry of your own in the comments section; all I ask is that it had better be short (20 lines or fewer), at the very least. This could be spectacularly bad, and I mean that in the best possible way. Or spectacularly boring, if no one has the nerve to post anything.
Saturday, April 19, 2008
Egad! They went thataway.
Man, I sure love this whole trip down Memory Lane I've been taking over the past day or so; I've done some rotten writing and drawing, but I've also done some fun stuff, too. (Well, fun for me, anyway.)
What is the Astridica aesthetic, exactly? Perhaps this several-years-old list I found in my collection today, dusted off and slightly amended just now, may help clarify things:
- Top hats (better if worn by female, best if female is below age of 13)
- Summer rainstorms (best if noisy)
- Urns
- Tureens
- Bellows, pokers, other assorted fireplace paraphernalia
- Obsessive penmanship
- Boating parties, if somebody remembers a ukulele
- Seances
- Extreme croquet
- Player pianos with rainbow-colored keys
- Beanies with propellers
- The word "knickerbocker," but not actual knickerbockers
- Antimacassars
- Fezzes
- Handlebar mustachios
- Turbans
- Tandem bicycles
- Nickelodeons
- Decoupage
- Parrots who play chess better than you
- Monocles
- Large, hand-held fans
- Feather boas in unseemly colors
- Seamstress dummy torsos
- Hundreds of Chinese lanterns crammed into a tiny space
- Typewriters, pre-1950s, used as planters
Yes, it's official: I am the walking version of a Bennigan's wall. I may be the clichéd version of kooky, but it keeps me amused. ::curtsies::
Pennyfarthing Girl, and an homage to William Carlos Williams
Pennyfarthing Girl
Pennyfarthing Girl, in color
Why does she have only one leg? I have no idea. It's a doodle from several years ago, for goodness' sake! (I erased the original notes around her.)
Moving right along, here's a birthday poem I found that I wrote to a friend eons ago (with apologies to William Carlos Williams):
this is just to say
i remembered
your birthday
approaching
quite soon
and which
you were probably
hoping
to ignore
forgive me
i think you're snazzy
so sweet
and not so decrepit
Pennyfarthing Girl, in color
Why does she have only one leg? I have no idea. It's a doodle from several years ago, for goodness' sake! (I erased the original notes around her.)
Moving right along, here's a birthday poem I found that I wrote to a friend eons ago (with apologies to William Carlos Williams):
this is just to say
i remembered
your birthday
approaching
quite soon
and which
you were probably
hoping
to ignore
forgive me
i think you're snazzy
so sweet
and not so decrepit
Friday, April 18, 2008
random Friday
Regarding Madonna:
This is an interesting article, and I happen to agree with the whole thing. And in case you're wondering, Madonna fascinates me for many reasons: she's a strong woman, she's the empress of personal PR, she had bags of style, and she's a fellow UMichigan alumna. Whoo, Madonna! But I still prefer the original version of her, where she was rocking that 80s-street-urchin look.
Death to Argyle A depressing concept, since I love argyle, but this is a fun site nonetheless.
Also: somebody asked me today for more "gothic" artwork since she mentioned her boss might want me to design a gothic logo. I scratched my head for a while, since I'm not really gothic, but Rainbow Gothic. Mary Engelbreit on acid, y'know? Anyway, I went through all my old doodles, scanned a few things and e-mailed them, then thought Hey, why not put them here, too?
I drew this on a napkin with a crayon provided by the restaurant. Date and restaurant unremembered.
Who's Darryl? Why is he leering like that? And what on earth possessed him to get that crazy flattop haircut? These matters have been lost in the sands of time.
I simply call this "Luna." I think it was meant to be part of a logo which never happened. I still like it, though, especially the frighteningly blank eyes.
Wasn't she attractive because she was playing dress-up? Wasn't she Susan in that movie? Wasn't that truly her own screen success? When she was an underdog, someone who didn't fit in, as opposed to a superstar giving dictation?
This is an interesting article, and I happen to agree with the whole thing. And in case you're wondering, Madonna fascinates me for many reasons: she's a strong woman, she's the empress of personal PR, she had bags of style, and she's a fellow UMichigan alumna. Whoo, Madonna! But I still prefer the original version of her, where she was rocking that 80s-street-urchin look.
Death to Argyle A depressing concept, since I love argyle, but this is a fun site nonetheless.
Also: somebody asked me today for more "gothic" artwork since she mentioned her boss might want me to design a gothic logo. I scratched my head for a while, since I'm not really gothic, but Rainbow Gothic. Mary Engelbreit on acid, y'know? Anyway, I went through all my old doodles, scanned a few things and e-mailed them, then thought Hey, why not put them here, too?
I drew this on a napkin with a crayon provided by the restaurant. Date and restaurant unremembered.
Who's Darryl? Why is he leering like that? And what on earth possessed him to get that crazy flattop haircut? These matters have been lost in the sands of time.
I simply call this "Luna." I think it was meant to be part of a logo which never happened. I still like it, though, especially the frighteningly blank eyes.
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