“This Never Happened to the Other Fellow”

What’s it like to be James Bond?  Ask these gentlemen.  They’re part of a documentary currently in post-production called The Other Fellow, about the lives of different guys who happened to be named James Bond.  Which begs the question:  if you had that same name, would you want to change it?  Ever?

 

(h/t:  MI6:  The Home of James Bond 007)

Escape from Bland Original Title Sequences

This is one of those, “Boy, if we only had some kind of TARDIS-ish time-travel device” instances.  In this case, we’d go back, splice this opening title sequence onto a master print of, say, John Carpenter’s Escape From New York, and stick around long enough see everyone’s reaction.

Sadly, there’s no TARDIS available (yet, anyhow), but we do have incredibly gifted young designers who can re-imagine and rebuild their versions of opening title designs.  Here’s Icy Easty’s rendition of the one for Escape From New York.

John Carpenter, give this kid a job.  You’ll know what to do with him.

 

(h/t:  The Art of the Title)

Superhero Portrayals – Compare and Contrast

So who is or was a better Superman?  Christopher Reeve, who defined the role in the 70s and 80s, or Henry Cavill, who stars in Man of Steel?  Why was Lou Ferrigno a better Hulk than. . .well, a computer-generated rendition?  Find out here.

How Napoleon Dynamite Can Teach Instructional Design

When developing online tutorial movies – no matter what tool you use – there’s always the question of how long graphics and text should stay on the screen in order for the viewer to see them, understand them, and take the necessary action.

A good example of how long to hold graphics and text on the screen, even when they’re both the same element, is the opening credit sequence to Napoleon Dynamite.

Note how long the graphic elements appear before they’re removed, even the complicated ones like the production designer’s name on a tube of lip balm, and the writers’ names on pencils.

Put it into practice and show off your mad instructional design skills.  Because, as Napoleon says, “. . .girls only want boyfriends who have great skills” (something I’m sure that’s applicable no matter what your relationship status is).

Take a look at Art of the Title to see how this sequence was made.

Colour Your World

Or at least the web page or app you’re designing with the newest version of Adobe Kuler.  Play with different color combinations and themes, and check out the ones that others have created to share.

And, yes, this blog title is a rip off of the Chicago song “Colour My World,” written by James Pankow, one of the few songs ever written where the lyrics do not rhyme.

Your (Early Wee-Hours) Sunday Morning Dose of Spandau Ballet

The slow-dance favorite at many a prom:  “True.”

“. . .I did it just the same.”

Saturday marks the 64th anniversary of the publication of George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four.  Few books have had such an impact on our world, even fewer have been so misunderstood.    Here’s a visual guide to its covers through the years.

A Two-Minute Major Life Lesson

Mostly, watch what you say.  It’s The Crunch Bird, from 1971.