Inksie is a brand, online community, and shop based on well-designed products and the culture that embodies them. The hub of our organization consists of new designers and veterans alike, excited to create, distribute, and vote on works of art around the world.
Juice is Inksie’s experimental podcast. It’s a mix of electronic and analog sounds, with both ambient and lyrical songs that create a cohesive listening experience. The Inksie Team curates and mixes Juice (semi) monthly and commissions custom artwork.
I understand this was shot for a production company you are both involved with named Thunderball Productions. Who else is involved with this company and what inspired its creation?
I would describe Thunderball as more of a collective. It is basically the group banner that my friend Cameron Beyl and I have been creating film work under since 1997. I think we hold onto it today to feel unified despite working on opposite ends of the country now, and to continue the idea of building this thing that we’ve had literally since childhood. Now, our growing network of artistic collaborators loosely make up what we see as Thunderball Productions.
Why did you decide to shoot a film for Jennie Wayne and why did you select the song My Own Home?
I’ve moved around a lot, and I’m very sentimental when it comes to cities I’ve lived in and places I once called home. I felt like I really understood the sentiment of Jennie’s song. And in film, I’m possessed by environment. So, My Own Home seemed perfect.
James Houston is an filmmaker and artist from Glasgow, Scotland. He has been featured throughout numerous print publications and his work has appeared on hundreds of different blogs. Many of his films are characterized by a colorful, retro aesthetic. Mr. Houston was kind enough to answer a few of our questions regarding his films and filmmaking process.
Your degree is in graphic design; traditionally, most people would associate this with print/web design. I have seen some prints you have made, but it seems that film dominates the work found in your portfolio. What initially sparked your interest in film and how long have you been actively creating films?
I almost failed my penultimate year at art school. I didn’t have a great love for creating typography or layout although I’ll always have an admiration for the work of others who do it well. I asked my tutors (Steve Rigley & Jo Petty) if I could go off on my own and try some video experimentation. Luckily, they welcomed the idea and I haven’t opened InDesign since. That was in 2008, the same year that I created the Radiohead video. I owe a lot of thanks to Steve & Jo at GSA for allowing me to take that risk.
What inspired you to create Big Ideas (don’t get any), and what exactly did the conceptual process entail?
It was never intended to be a Radioheadproject. Dr. Roland Shregle from Ganjatron.net wrote a tutorial back in the dark ages of the Internet on how to replace a default sound file that’s inside every HP scanner. The original file is Fur Elise and was intended as an Easter egg for early technology enthusiasts. I couldn’t help but notice the excellent bass sound and so the next logical step was to find other instruments that would accompany my bassist. Look Around You probably inspired the final treatment.
Juice is Inksie’s experimental podcast of the latest and hottest tracks. It’s a mix of electronic and analog sounds, with both ambient and lyrical songs that create a cohesive listening experience. The Inksie Creative Board curates and mixes Juice monthly and commissions custom artwork.
Colorcubic created the artwork for the first installment of Juice. The three-dimensional rendered juice box takes its inspiration from Polish poster designers and the name of Inksie’s podcast, “Juice.”
The Brazillian studio, 3bits has re-imagined the history of contemporary electronic with Sync/lost. An installation piece brought to life by two projectors and three subjects armed with Wii-motes and headphones. It guides them through the formation and evolution of prolific electronic genres as well as their sub-genre counterparts.
In developing this installation, their stated intentions:
The project’s objective is to create an interface where users can view all the connections between the main styles of electronic music through visual and audible feedback. The choice is individual and leads to a collective consequence in the spatial visualization of information.
Vincent Moon has been producing an exquisite series of videos for three years now called “Take Away Shows” on his site also known as La Blogotheque. These caught my interest late last year and I’ve watched through almost all of them (I believe there are over 100 now). Most of these are indie-esque bands and are shot in locations all over the world. I had forgotten about this series of films until today when I noticed a post on Pitchfork about Phoenix (a magnificent French electronic-indie-rock-etc.-etc. band). I was really excited since I have been really into the band lately and that this filmmaker has finally put together some films featuring them.
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