As a non-profit organization dedicated to digging up the most interesting and unusual programs, Cinefamily does an amazing job of presenting the world with exceptionally distinctive, weird, and wonderful films. We firmly support our friends there and their efforts to foster both a spirit of community and a sense of discovery, all the while reinvigorating the movie-going experience.

The telethon features an amazing lineup that includes a show and tell with Spike Jonze, the return of “Jim Henson: Commercials and Experiments!” and appearances by the likes of Benicio Del Toro and Elliott Gould. Oh, and did we mention live music from No Age and Stephin Merritt of the Magnetic Fields?

We’ll also be having a special Masses screening of our 2011 work to wrap things up on Sunday. For more info on that event, check out this post.

Cinefamily’s Fantastic Elastic 24-Hour Holiday Telethon

Saturday, Dec. 17 – Sunday, Dec. 18
611 N. Fairfax Ave.

Or stream online at cinefamily.org/fundraiser

CLICK HERE FOR A FULL LINEUP AND MORE INFO

Our friends and frequent collaborators at dublab are celebrating 12 years of bright vibrations.  dublab is a certified 501(c)(3) non-profit, web radio station, and creative collective celebrating, and relies upon bi-annual Proton Drive fundraisers to raise 40% of their annual operating budget.

From November 1-18th, they will be broadcasting live in order to inspire your support of our creative music mission. You can find the schedule here.
Listen live on the dubstream or visit dublab.com for the full audio/video/chat transmission. Please help spread the word and give a generous PROTON GRANT!

TIERS OF DONATION AND LIST OF PRIZES:

ANY AMOUNT:
+ A HUGE BURST OF BRILLIANT ENERGY RIGHT BACK TO YOU!

$20+
+ DOWNLOAD: LABRAT LABEL LOVES – A COLLECTION OF PRE-RELEASE, SNEAK PEEK SONGS FROM OUR FAVORITE RECORD LABELS.

$50+ (or $10 six month installment plan)
+ DOWNLOAD: LABRAT LABEL LOVES – A COLLECTION OF PRE-RELEASE, SNEAK PEEK SONGS FROM OUR FAVORITE RECORD LABELS.
+ DOWNLOAD: DUBLAB DISCO EDITS – ORIGINAL DANCE FLOOR FLIPS BY OUR EXTENDED FAMILY OF MUSIC MAKERS.

$100+ (or $20 six month installment plan)
+ DOWNLOAD: LABRAT LABEL LOVES – A COLLECTION OF PRE-RELEASE, SNEAK PEEK SONGS FROM OUR FAVORITE RECORD LABELS.
+ DOWNLOAD: DUBLAB DISCO EDITS – ORIGINAL DANCE FLOOR FLIPS BY OUR EXTENDED FAMILY OF MUSIC MAKERS.
+ DUBLAB YOU ARE THE UNIVERSE STICKER DESIGNED BY THOM LAMBERT.
+ DUBLAB OFFICIAL PROTON POWER LAPEL PIN.

$300+ (or $50 six month installment plan)
ALL THE PRIZES FROM THE $100+ LEVEL PLUS…
+ DUBLAB CUSTOM CREATION T-SHIRT SCREEN PRINTED BY HIT+RUN.
+ 2 DADDIES CASSETTE BY SFV ACID & SUZANNE KRAFT.
+ TROPICAZA ¡A MOVER EL BOTE! MIX CD (MOCHILLA).
+ MUCH MORE!

CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE AND DONATE!

This Wednesday November 16th, Masses director Alex Pelly will be part of a screening of short films that “examine what LA means to those that inhabit it, in a program and discussion about our public urban identity” presented by Big City Forum & Cinema Speakeasy. She will be screening her video for “Javelin @ Bob Baker Marionette Theatre,” which captures the band performing a playful electronic set while delicate marionettes masterfully dance across the stage.  Come join us and have a grand ol’ time watching some shorts!

FOR MORE INFO CLICK HERE

We believe that the increased accessibility of cameras to everyone today can potentially give kids the tools they need to create and communicate like never before. That’s why the goal of our event was to provide a unique opportunity for kids to experiment, develop artistically, learn new skills, and expand their worldview by enabling them to see through the lens of filmmaking and music videos.

Throughout the week we did all kinds of stuff, including field trips, live performances, and of course lots of shooting. We raised funds through our Kickstarter (for things like hard drives, food, transportation, etc.) and, because we own most of our own equipment, were able to offer the workshops to kids for free. To cap it all of we even had an end-of-the-week screening at Cinefamily!

We had so much fun that we’re now incorporating our venture into a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization called OMG Everywhere! So if you’d like more information or want to know how you can be involved in the camps, send us an email. And stay tuned for the launch of our website, loaded with videos and coming soon!!

Check out some photos of Crystal Antlers’ time in Mexico here

July 7th marks the first Paper Ships show, a new downtown event taking place the first and third Thursday of every month. When the creators of Paper Ships approached us with an idea for a new downtown event, we were thrilled. We were immediately smitten by their passion for art forms big and small.  After all, their dream for a cinema-meets-concert event seemed right up our alley. We agreed to come on board and, along with our friends at dublab, vowed to do our best to make Paper Ships one of the summer’s coolest events.

The shows will be held at the old LA stock exchange. Once a wood-paneled haven for West-coast Wall Street types, the building has been transformed into a new venue, Exchange LA, in a way that exemplifies everything Paper Ships stands for. Now, with both the amenities of a modern club and the beautiful remnants of an original art deco design, Exchange LA is the poster-child for the re-purposed vintage aesthetic. And, with our own Alex Pelly in charge of visuals, we can almost guarantee that your mind will be blown on a bi-weekly basis.

Though the rest of the Paper Ships shows will have a vintage nautical motif, the first installment is a celebration of ”Beats, Rhymes, and Life,” the soon-to-be-released documentary about one of the most influential groups of the 1990s, A Tribe Called Quest. Michael Rapaport, director of the documentary, will host the evening, at which Phife (of ATCQ) is scheduled to appear. The evening will open with DJ sets from dublab’s Frosty and KCRW’s Garth Trinidad, as well as a rare set by Madlib (of Stones Throw). Peanut Butter Wolf and Prince Paul (of De La Soul) will be bringing their VJ skills to the floor, so get ready for some of the best sights and sounds this summer will ever see.

The inaugural edition of Paper Ships is certainly not to be missed, so come out this Thursday (and every other Thursday after that) and enjoy a fantastic show with us.  Who knows, there may even be a special end-of-the-season event in the works, so watch out!  Check the website (created by our friends over at The Visual Engineers) for current show info.

FOR TICKETS AND EVENT INFO, CLICK HERE

It’s that time of year again – the sun is out, the flowers are blooming, and the college crowd is graduating.  As our interns wander out of our office and into the working world, we’d just like to say congratulations and thank you for all the amazing work they’ve done. We wish them the best of luck in both their lives and careers and can’t wait to see where the future takes them!

Erik Butts (Emerson College) is roadtripping around the country for awhile (with an extra stop in Japan) before coming back to Los Angeles to work.

Judy Craig (UCLA) is sticking around LA, working in the office and getting ready to work at a summer camp in Mexico.

Jack Murgatroyd (USC) is roaming the world, filming his adventures around Europe as we speak, before returning to LA to work.

Sean Newton (USC) is taking his animation skills to Acme Filmworks where he’ll be expanding his talents as an animator and artist.

Haley Stoessl (Boston University) has officially made the move to LA, eager to start working and kickstart her filmmaking career.

Matt Young (UCLA) will be working at Furlined as a creative associate where he will continue to experiment with effects and animation.

Christine Yuan (UCLA) will be working on a feature this summer and shooting several music videos of her own, as well as working in the Masses office.

7pm-11pm

Tickets for the event are $100 (Limited Quantity Available)

JF Chen Loft
941 North Highland Avenue
Los Angeles, CA, 90038

CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT CREATIVE CULTIVATION

The Series’ eighth installment, “The Sky’s Gone Out,” includes live performances, shadow puppetry, video art, and everything in between. With work from our own Matt Amato, Ariana Natale, and the lovely Mia Doi Todd, the event promises to be a whirlwind of a show, so check it out!  After all, what could be more fun than a night that leaves you wondering just when exactly the real performance began?

The event is free and anyone 21+ is welcome.  If you’d like to attend, RSVP to: theseriesLA@gmail.com.  Doors open at 8pm!

The Rooftop at The Standard, Downtown LA
550 South Flower Street, Los Angeles, CA 90071
Doors open 8pm, Show at 9pm, 21+
RSVP to: theseriesLA@gmail.com

Featuring:
Ariana Delawari
Ariana Natale
BKOB
Cristine Diana Tatomer
Drew Denny
DJ Jung Hollywood
Ezra Woods
Idalia Valero
Joseph Matterson
Julz the Huntress
Kennedy Kabasares
Kevin Litrow
Letters vs. Numbers
Majken Christensen
Mandy Kahn
Marilinda Rivera
Matt Amato
Mia Doi Todd
The Movement Movement
Nellie Bethel
Nicole Disson
Russia Hardy
Steven Wendt
Tommy Santee Klaws
VUM

CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT TONALISM

You may already know our friend Mathieu Saura by his working name, Vincent Moon. As co-founder and director of the infamous  Take Away Shows (a series of video podcasts known for their ability to capture the quirky spontaneity of a live musical performance), Mathieu’s a very talented filmmaker with a serious knack for creating great work.  With a motto like “every recording is the tombstone of a live performance,” you would expect Mathieu to treat every project as a true art project, no matter how big or small.  His latest endeavor, Petites Planètes, is no exception to this rule.  As a series of experimental portraits made on the road by Mathieu and his friends, each volume is incredibly intimate and beautiful in some of the most unexpected ways.

“Petites Planètes is not an archival project. Petites Planètes is a challenge towards diverse forms of creations, to find new forms of expression. Hybrids.” -Petites Planètes

As of right now, two installments have been released.  The first, a portrait of Brazilian musician Tom Zé, documents the Tropicália legend as he serenades the city of Sao Pãulo.  The second captures Icelandic talent Ólöf Arnalds as she wanders the streets of Chinatown, New York spreading her music and exploring the city.  Four more installments are set for release in the coming weeks, so keep your eyes peeled for them.

Another great thing is the fact that the project is available for unlimited streaming and download under a Creative Commons license.  Mathieu, who strongly believes in grass-roots funding, has managed to avoid the normal tangle of film financing by funding his project completely through donations.  If you love the film (and we’re sure you will), please feel free to donate here.

FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT PETITES PLANÈTES, CHECK OUT THE WEBSITE HERE

Produced by our friend Danielle Hinde (of Doomsday Entertainment) and directed by Alex Stapleton (whose documentary on Roger Corman has been selected for Cannes), this brand-new documentary gives us an inside peek at the world of the artists we’ve heard so much of yet know so little about.  It chronicles the ongoing Art in the Streets exhibit at the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA), the largest exhibit of street art ever.  While making the film Alex and Danielle basically lived at the museum, gathering all kinds of great footage to document both the exhibit and the specific processes of the artists themselves.  

The documentary is having its official premiere on Tuesday, May 24 at the Egyptian Theatre followed by a Q&A with director Alex Stapleton. If you can’t make it, be sure to stay tuned for more info about the giant online premiere that’s soon to come!

Featuring: Martha Cooper, Lee Quiñones, Fab 5 Freddy, Shepard Fairey, Banksy, Mode2, EINE, Risk, Revok, Mr. Cartoon, ESPO, Henry Chalfant, Gusmano Cesaretti, Chaz Bojorquez, C.R. Stecyk III, Futura, Retna, Ed Templeton, Swoon, Neck Face, Geoff McFetridge, Aaron Rose, Jeffrey Deitch, Barry McGee, Os Gemeos, Kenny Scharf, Spike Jonze


CLICK HERE TO CHECK OUT THE ART IN THE STREETS EXHIBIT AT MOCA

On March 11, 2011, Japan was hit by one of the most devastating disasters in recent history.  While half the world slept, a 9.0 earthquake struck the eastern coast of Japan with such force that it caused the earth to spin faster than it ever has before.  The earthquake and its aftershocks triggered a series of events that have continued to overwhelm our friends overseas.  We could give you numbers, such as how many people have been evacuated or how high the radiation levels are, but they all point to the same thing: what people really need is hope.  That’s why we’re so excited about Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is: A Musical Collaboration to Support Disaster Relief in Japan. Masses director Matt Amato has collaborated with Elliott Sellers to create video art for the fundraiser, hosted by Mischa Barton.  Tickets are $12 at the door and all proceeds go to the American Red Cross, so come out and join us tonight at the Bootleg Theatre from 8pm-midnight!

Performances By:
Corridor
The Goldberg Sisters
Taylor Locke
Hands
The Venus Illuminato

Looking for the perfect way to kick off your Cinco de Mayo shenanigans?!  Well there truly is no better way to celebrate than with a good ol’ hit from Nortec Collective.  Having performed a live set on KCRW just this morning, Nortec’s music is just as fresh and funky  as ever.  This particular video just so happens to surge with the electricity and pizazz so characteristic of Nortec’s sound.  In other words, “Polaris” is the perfect way to get your dose of funk for the day.  So check out this fresh-from-the-Masses-archives classic, directed by Matt Amato, and get ready to get your cinco on!

WATCH POLARIS BY NORTEC COLLECTIVE HERE

My good friend Nicki Nevlin, the bassist in Light FM, asked me if I could put together a video in less than two weeks on a super limited budget in preparation for their show at SXSW.  She also said the band members didn’t really move around all that much, so a performance video probably wouldn’t be that exciting.  Given that we only had one day to shoot, and that I’d just spent four intensive months on a video that involved two types of animation and live action, all I could think of doing was a performance video, but the trick was making it interesting.

The song was so kinetic that I figured the best way to balance the band’s um…”stasis ” in the performance arena was to have a lot of movement in the camera.  Given the jerky way the song moved, still photographs kept coming to mind.  Stills could be slowed down, sped up, and shifted around in order, while providing the frantic, electrified movement the song needed.

We filmed it all in about four hours at a friend’s empty loft downtown.  At its inception, the idea seemed pretty straight forward and easy, something I could knock out in a day, but dealing with thousands of still photographs and no musical accompaniment turned the simple idea into something nearer to a complex math equation.

-Chris Coats

WATCH LIGHT FM’S “MERCY” HERE

I wanted to create a new way to blend performance with narrative. I started listening to what it was I felt the band was trying to say with their piece and how, as an outsider, I could enter their world and paint on the canvas they had created. I have always been a firm believer in complimenting a piece rather then overwhelming it for the sake of visual tricks or gimmicks. Therefore I felt it necessary to not draw directly from what they were “saying” but what they were showing, in an emotional sense.

After the band approved the project I was fortunate enough to build a strong team that helped me to create the vision that had entered my mind. My cinematographer Chris Saul did an expert job of capturing the precise tones I wanted to progress the video. I felt that the location for this piece was essential to creating the atmospheric moods I wanted. We shot at Zorthian Ranch which rests high above Los Angeles in the mountains of Altadena. For me, I feel that a shoot needs to be premeditated but also accepting of improvisation, and the location allowed for this to happen. My gaffer Axel Lanzenberg threw a random piece of corrugated metal in front of one of the lights during the performance and created the wonderful honeycomb effect. My entire crew was allowing their creative juices to flow and that’s what I think filmmaking is all about, combining great minds and being able to move an audience.

-Abram Pineda-Fischer

WATCH ABRAM’S VIDEO FOR SISTER CRAYON’S “I’M STILL THE SAME PERSON” HERE

-Matt

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE CLIP

Wednesday, April 27, dublab collides with dub club for a 2 room sound fest at the Echoplex.  From dub and dance hall to bass and riddim, Headcharge will feature world class artists from Jamaica to Japan.  Our own Masses Lab director Alex Pelly will be mixing live video at the event, along with Miko Revereza.

In the Echo, dublab features Duppy Gun Productions, Punky Reggae Party DJs, Danny Holloway, Tom Chasteen, and renowned Frosty.

In the Echoplex, dub club presents reggae legend David Rodigan, Japanese DJ crew Mighty Crown, Shinehead, Firgo Digital with Kiddy Ranks, and more!

9pm-2am / 21+

$10 before 10pm, $15 after 10pm
Advance tickets $10 from ticketweb.com

Entrance through the Echoplex
1154 Glendale blvd.
Echo Park
dubclubla.com

CLICK HERE FOR THE ORIGINAL PRESS RELEASE AND MORE INFO

If you’re a Los Angeles-based fan of Explosions In The Sky, you may have noticed that their April 30^th concert at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery sold out in 72 hours.  Lucky for us, the concert will now be preceded by an outdoor art and listening event that just so happens to be absolutely free!

On Saturday, April 23^rd, Hollywood Forever will be hosting Explosions In The Sky’s Taking Care: 6 Visual Interpretations.  The installation centers around the six songs on the upcoming album Take Care, Take Care, Take Care, each of which will be premiered on loud speakers throughout the cemetery.  Seeing as the band is known for their self-described “cathartic mini-symphonies,” you won’t want to miss the chance to hear the album 3 days before it’s officially released.

But it gets better!  Six artists (including our own Matt Amato) have been asked to create a visual response to a song that will then play alongside the music, making the installation not only a fantastic sonic experience, but also an astounding visual one, too!

[Here’s a look at the tracks along with the artists interpreting them]

“Last Known Surroundings” -Matthew Lessner
“Human Qualities” -James Fields
“Trembling Hands” -Matt Amato
“Be Comfortable, Creature” -Jesse Fleming
“Postcard from 1952″ -Chris Lipomi
“Let Me Back In” -Alexis Disselkoen

So if you love Explosions, visual art, and eerie places, you should probably save this date.  For more information, look here.   Gates open at 8pm and the cemetery closes at 11pm.  Though tickets are free there is a limited supply, so RSVP HERE to secure your spot.

Raul B. Fernandez’s “One Man Band,” featuring Grant Leuchtner, will be screened at TEDxUSC on April 12.  An exciting conference dedicated to “Ideas Worth Spreading,” TED delivers talks and multimedia presentations relating to technology, entertainment, design, and more.

One Man Band was originally shot with two cameras to create 3D.   A clever short too unique to spoil, see it for yourself!

IN 2D

IN 3D (put your glasses on!)

CLICK FOR MORE INFO ON TEDxUSC