Best of Staff Picks: January 2017
Timothy Leary wrote his famous words, “Turn on, tune in, and drop out” about an LSD trip. But they might also accurately describe a large part of our job as Vimeo Curators and your job as Vimeo viewers. There already seems to be a lot of crazy stuff on our minds in 2017. So thank goodness for the healthy distraction of our little blue Vimeo players, sucking us in so that we can tune in and drop out of our thoughts for a spell. Our goal is to ensure the content transporting you to a different place and time is top quality, and you’ll be thoroughly captivated. That’s what these “Best of the Month” compilations are for.
Think of our “Best of the Month” posts like a good-time machine, of which we are the inventors and controllers. Do you want to laugh hard today? Definitely check out this music video for Young Thug, which went a bit viral online after it was released. Want to be surprised and delighted like a small child? Play “For Approval.” And to shake your head in awe at the sheer imagination and creativity of some humans (perhaps aliens?!) who sure know how to draw well, please don’t miss “Scavengers.”
Sit down, click play and have fun!
“Scavengers” from Joseph Bennett and Charles Huettner
With a whopping 13 Staff Picks between them, animators Joseph Bennett and Charles Huettner are two Vimeo darlings whose new uploads feel like early Christmas presents. “Scavengers” is one of the most imaginative and insane pieces we’ve seen in a while, and we can’t say enough about the details in this endlessly surprising story of two space explorers (gently) utilizing the flora and fauna of fictional planet Vesta Minor. Words don’t do “Scavengers” justice, so we strongly encourage you to experience Charles and Joseph’s crazy elaborate playground brains for yourself.
“Paper Cut” from Philip Evans
We’ve long been a fan of Philip Evans’ tactile approach to documenting skateboarding. By blending stop-motion photography, animation, and smooth skating from Jak Pietryga, “Paper Cut London” proved to be a slam dunk for action sports in January. Whether you’re into it for the animation, or the skating, it’s safe to say that Evans’ unique approach and skilled execution is one that we’re excited to see develop.
“Dramatic Relationships” from Dustin Guy Defa
This recent Staff Pick Premiere hilariously holds a mirror up to unconscious bias. Ostensibly, the film is about the actresses, because they’re the ones being directed, but in a sly way, filmmaker Dustin Guy Defa says more about himself with his interruptions and sexist remarks. Through a series of fictionalized vignettes Defa confronts the viewer with a variety of scenarios where you must decide what’s dramatic about these relationships.
“For Approval” from Mainframe (North)
Since ancient times, people young and old have been delighted by the illusion of magic and its ability to cleverly subvert their expectations. As 3D animation has evolved to look increasingly realistic, filmmakers are able to take the spectacle of the real to a new level of entertainment. Enter commercial studio Mainframe’s “For Approval,” a super fun compilation of animations that shatter your sense of gravity and physics in under one minute. In a world where reality feels especially heavy right now, this short’s suspension of the real is a welcome, playful break for your mind.
“Glacier Exit” from Raphael Rogers
Raphael Rogers and Paul Rennick set out on a trip to explore the glaciers of Alaska. Instead of adventure, they found a man named Rick Brown, and a story of how climate change is drastically altering our landscape before our eyes. The glaciers that Rick calls home are now disappearing at an alarming rate — it only takes one month for them to recede the same distance that used to take hundreds of years.
We at Vimeo love a travel film that highlights unique landscape, but we found Glacier Exit to be superb in the way that it found a compelling story to match the landscape and educate the viewer.
“Blooms 2: Strobe Animated Sculptures Invented by John Edmark” from John Edmark
Ok, so what you’re about to watch is completely real. These sculptures are not CGI, they are 3D printed sculptures that animate when spun under a strobe light. Get sucked into the stunning golden ratio, phi (ϕ), sculptures created by artist, designer, and inventor John Edmark. Seriously, give this video a spin. It will please your brain.
Quelqu’un d’extraordinaire (An Extraordinary Person) from Monia Chokri / La Distributice de Films
From our January Staff Pick Premieres selection comes “Quelqu’un d’extraordinaire (An Extraordinary Person). This 2014 SXSW Shorts Jury Prize winner from director Monia Chokri tells the story of Sarah, a graduate student who is struggling with her self-described banality. After blacking out the night prior and stumbling through a day of lies and brutal truths, she ultimately learns the confusing lesson of what it means to be exceptional in life. With clever humor and compelling characters, this is definitely one not to be missed.
“Young Thug — Wyclef Jean” from Pomp & Clout
This music video is the perfect example of how to make damn good lemonade when Young Thug gives you a shit ton of lemons. Ryan Staake “co-directed” this “video” with Young Thug, even though Thug never even showed up to set. Staake basically breaks down everything that went wrong over the shoot and somehow comes out at the end with one of the funniest, most memorable music videos of the year.
Five Star from Hank & Booth
Six-time Staff Pick alum Ryan Booth shares an intimate portrait of Brandon Jones, a high school football star on the brink of making one of the most important decisions of his life: where to continue his sports career as one of the top players in the United States. Not many of us know what it feels like to be the absolute best at something, with 41 colleges waiting with bated breath for the announcement of where you will be continuing your education. This emotive, gorgeously filmed Staff Pick Premiere about Brandon’s decision process is so immersive — its 26-minute play time will go by as fast as Brandon on his way to the end zone.
If a month’s worth of Staff Pick hits isn’t enough for you, be sure to browse our Best of the Month Channel.
Originally published at Vimeo.com.
