It’s here! The long-awaited Oz Graphix 6 is now available.

In five previous editions, Oz Graphix established itself as the premiere showcase of Australian studio creativity. This sixth edition is packed with work that will inspire and inform. Whether your interest is in graphics, branding, photography, illustration or web design, you’ll find Oz Graphix 6 an essential addition to your library. With its distinctive silver cover, this handsome edition is printed on matt art paper, has sewn sections and a matt laminated cover. This is the perfect gift for yourself, a friend or the studio bookshelf.

Currently available for immediate delivery at the DG Online Store.

Waltz with Bashir. Dir: Ari Folman 2008. Source: Sharmill Films. All rights reserved.

Kate McCurdy

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Nominated for the Palme d’Or at the 2008 Cannes Film Festival, Waltz with Bashir is attracting audiences from all over the globe, if not just for the fascinating content of the film, but for the way it has been presented.

The film is the true story of filmmaker Ari Folman’s journey to recover missing pieces of his memory from the days of the Lebanon War in the mid 1980s. It was first shot as a live action documentary of interviews with Folman and his old friends and comrades from around the world. However, the surreal and unreal images conjured up by the recollection of these events meant that for Folman, it was ‘only natural to transform the quest into animation, full of imagination and fantasy’.

From live-action to animation
Yoni Goodman, Director of Animation on Waltz with Bashir, recalls that the initial interviewing process of the film took about 18 months, while the animation time extended the project’s production time by a year. Folman interviewed ten people who were present during the war, and wrote a script based on their responses. He then interviewed these people a second time, this time filming them and using the script as a guide, and the footage was edited down to a 96 minute video.

‘Once the edited version was ready,’ explains Goodman, ‘David [Polonsky] and myself joined Ari and together we sat down on storyboard meetings, breaking the movie into scenes and shots, deciding which part would be a reconstruction of the memory, which part would be a “talking head”, and which would be a dream or fantasy scene. After those meetings I translated them to storyboard, and my crew created the animatic, which is a sort of high-detailed sketch of the animation. At the end of that process Ari edited the animatic and we sat down and watched the whole movie as an animation sketch, detailed enough for us to give feedback and see if our initial ideas worked or not. After that part was approved, David and his crew began designing and breaking [down] the illustrations for the cutouts animation process.’

Waltz with Bashir. Dir: Ari Folman 2008. Source: Sharmill Films. All rights reserved.

The animation team
Yoni Goodman’s crew began with six animators, but grew to ten, in addition to David Polonsky’s crew of three illustrators, although Goodman describes Polonsky as having ‘drawn eighty percent of the movie by himself’. Responsible and invaluable to Polonsky’s crew was Yaara Buchman, who broke every illustration down into thousands of pieces so that they could be moved and animated.

Rotoscoping vs the Bashir technique
Contrary to industry rumours, the animation in Waltz with Bashir was not achieved through rotoscoping techniques and Goodman actively fights this misconception whenever he can.
‘I’d like to state that the movie has absolutely zero percent rotoscope. Every time one of my animators hears or reads about someone on the other side of the planet saying the movie was in rotoscope, I get a phone call, regardless of the hours.’

Rotoscoping is an animation technique where animators trace over live-action footage, frame-by-frame, to create an animated version of the film movement. The original process involved the projection (rotoscope was the name given to the projection equipment) of images onto a frosted glass panel and these were then redrawn by the animator by hand. These days through the use of digital visual effects, rotoscoping now refers to the technique of manually creating a matte for an element on a live-action plate for compositing over a background. The animators behind Waltz with Bashir feel that the misconception that their animation was created with this technique diminishes the quality of their work. Goodman says that, in a way, this is true.
‘Every movement in this movie was created and invented in the animator’s head, and not copied over live footage. Sometimes we watched the interviews for reference, but we never drew over them. Instead we tried to stylise and re-create them.’

Goodman describes the technique he and his animation team devised for Bashir as being a lot of hard work, but ultimately achieves the effect that aligned with Folman’s vision of his film.
‘While rotoscope is a legitimate technique, I’m not very fond of how it’s used in most cases,’ Goodman explains. ‘Most of the time it feels a bit like a Photoshop filter over live footage, and it lacks some spontaneity. Cutout was really our only option in terms of budget and manpower, and we tried to harness the disability of the cutouts technique to our advantage, making a simple and stylised movement, which allowed us to get different and rich results.’

Waltz with Bashir. Dir: Ari Folman 2008. Source: Sharmill Films. All rights reserved.

Software used
The animation crew used Flash for the cutouts animation technique which was specially designed for this project, combining it with traditional animation processes to create the overall effect. A few shots also used 3D for camera movements in some scenes, but this was only used in a limited way. Effects such as smoke and explosions were added by the visual effects department later in the process.

Why animation – Folman’s previous work, and conscious decision for animation
‘Waltz with Bashir was always intended to be an animation,’ Goodman says. ‘This was Ari’s vision from day one, we just sort of gave him the tools to do it. Like he says, if he had done it like an ordinary documentary, it would have been another talking heads and archive footage movie. We wanted to recreate the actual events, and to do more; to give the sense of anxiety, of fear, to really bring out the horrors of war through nightmares and hallucinations, and animation is really the best, and in my opinion, the only way of telling the story as it should be told.’

The effect of the animation style employed in Waltz with Bashir lends the film a surreal and dreamlike quality, while at the same time adding a chilling and moving reality, as well as a sense of history, to each story told by the interviewees. The simple and stylised movement of the characters over the backdrop of war gives the film a gentle pace which allows the audience to absorb and consider what they have seen, before moving on to Folman’s next interview. The film builds towards the end, where the shock of realisation by Ari Folman’s character is akin to the horror of waking from a nightmare only to find that it is real. Waltz with Bashir is intensely powerful with strong subject matter. However it is to the filmmaker’s and particularly his animation team’s credit, that it is also a very watchable and memorable film.

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Nominated for the Palme d’Or at the 2008 Cannes Film Festival, Waltz with Bashir is attracting audiences from all over the globe, if not just for the fascinating content of the film, but for the way it has been presented.

In February 2007, Getty Images purchased iStockphoto for the sum of $50 million. At the time, Getty Images CEO Jonathan Klein was quoted as saying, ‘If someone’s going to cannibalise your business, better it be one of your other businesses.’ What began as a free image-sharing exchange used by graphic designers, has in just seven years has grown into an industry leader in social networking and micro-payment systems, and claims to have become the world’s highest volume seller of stock imagery, audio and video.
The fact that iStockphoto’s success made image library and agency giant Getty Images sit up and take notice is astounding in itself. However, the business rules employed by iStockphoto, which has allowed them to achieve this level of success, is something that no business can afford to ignore: the power of crowdsourcing.

Vector illustrations by Australian iStockphoto Exclusive Artists Che McPherson (chemc) and Russell Tate.

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In February 2007, Getty Images purchased iStockphoto for the sum of $50 million. At the time, Getty Images CEO Jonathan Klein was quoted as saying, ‘If someone’s going to cannibalise your business, better it be one of your other businesses.’ What began as a free image-sharing exchange used by graphic designers, has in just seven years has grown into an industry leader in social networking and micro-payment systems, and claims to have become the world’s highest volume seller of stock imagery, audio and video.
The fact that iStockphoto’s success made image library and agency giant Getty Images sit up and take notice is astounding in itself. However, the business rules employed by iStockphoto, which has allowed them to achieve this level of success, is something that no business can afford to ignore: the power of crowdsourcing.

What is crowdsourcing?
Crowdsourcing was first identified by journalist and author of a book on the phenomenon, Jeff Howe, in an article published in Wired, June 2006. On his Crowdsourcing blog, Howe describes crowdsourcing as ‘the act of taking a job traditionally performed by a designated agent (usually an employee) and outsourcing it to an undefined, generally large group of people in the form of an open call’. This new kind of outsourcing capitalises on the power of the collective; people with shared interests and skills getting together to create and design products, solve problems and contribute content.
Significant advocates of crowdsourcing include social networking sites MySpace, Facebook and Second Life, as well as businesses that couldn’t survive without the input from users, such as eBay and, of course, iStockphoto.

How iStockphoto applies the crowdsourcing model
iStockphoto was a prime example of crowdsourcing in Howe’s article and subsequent publication, and is deemed to be a market leader in utilising web communities for business. Traditionally an image-sharing site, iStockphoto has grown into a ever-expanding community with benefits for contributors and consumers alike. Vice-President of Marketing Kelly Thompson recalls how the initial marketing for iStockphoto depended mostly on ‘word of mouth,’ and quickly became popular for contibutors due to the services and rewards offered by the site.

‘iStockphoto was the first site of its kind to pay contributors. It was also the first to show how many times an image had been downloaded, something that other stock image libraries do not freely publicise,’ says Thompson. What grew out of this was a rewards system within iStockphoto where contibutors are given a status relating to how many times their work has been downloaded, leading up to the Diamond level. iStockphoto offers those who have had more than 500 downloads to become ‘Exclusive Artists’. This title reflects not only the high-volume of downloads by the contributor but also that their work is available only through iStockphoto. Australian-based iStockphoto  contributors Russell Tate and Che McPherson are both Exclusive Artists, and both believe that this arrangement is mutually beneficial.

Tastes Like Candy', Che McPherson (chemc). A combination of strong colours and movement make this piece.

iStockphoto ‘Exclusive Artists‘
Che explains that as an Exclusive Artist with iStockphoto, he ‘can’t upload to other royalty free sites,’ but this means that he can ‘focus on creating images rather than uploading to multiple sites.’ This is also the case with Russell who says that his exclusive iStockphoto profile ‘suited me just fine as the last thing I wanted was having to upload to different sites and constantly having to check in with them to see how things were going.’

In addition to being able to easily manage their work through their profile, there are other benefits to the relationship. Che outlines some of the ‘great benefits from iStock, including up to a 100 per cent raise in royalties depending on my canister level (amount of downloads), inspection priority, a contract with Getty Images, plus much more.’ This refers to the fact that Getty Images now accepts iStockphoto Diamond level contributors as Getty photographers. Kelly Thompson says that now that they are a wholly-owned subsidiary of Getty Images, ‘apart from the prestige of being a part of one of the top image libraries in the world, we are delighted to have more to offer loyal iStockphoto photographers.’
The micro-payment system which allows consumers to purchase images starting at $1, via credits, allows anyone access to high-quality images at a low price. Thompson believes iStockphoto has and will strive to continue to have ‘the best quality to price ratio’ in this business.

Russell Tate
Russell Tate is a graphic designer and illustrator based in Sydney with his company MT Generator, which he runs with his wife Catherine at their home studio. He has been an iStockphoto contributor since 2005. With almost 1800 vector illustrations  and over 76,000 downloads from his portfolio, he points out that it’s not as simple as it may appear.
‘Don’t get me wrong, it’s not an easy ride and not everyone gets accepted. I have rejection notices for over 400 images that they have considered not to be up to standard. The bar is high, but you feel a certain satisfaction when a new images is accepted.’

'One trick pony', Russell Tate. I always like this image as it reminded my of myself ...illustrating, designing, answering the phone, running an office, not always an easy task! istock allow you to have your own business cards and I used this image for one of mine this year

Russell happened upon iStockphoto when he was searching for a photograph for a design project, and found iStockphoto.com welcoming and was encouraged that they were interested in submissions from ‘anybody, regardless of location or skill level. I liked the idea that they wanted everything! Any kind of art: slick, grungy, modern, old fashioned, cutting edge, cheesy, high tech, low tech, etc. As long as it was well drawn and well constructed they would consider it for submission to their image library.’

Che McPherson
Che McPherson  – or chemc as he is known on iStockphoto.com – is based on the Gold Coast, and works in commercial design, illustration, photography and traditional and digital art. He describes himself as ‘constantly jumping from medium to medium for creative input. I draw inspiration from a large cross section of sources and my love of mixed media pretty much defines me as a designer and artist.’ Che has been contributing to iStockphoto since 2003, and has a considered approach to his portfolio. He has uploaded over 300 images but has deactivated a third so that his portfolio now contains just over 200 images.
‘I consider deactivation just like spring cleaning, so I deactivate my files to ensure I have a stronger overall portfolio,’ he says. ‘I’m not sure that makes good business sense, but I feel it’s necessary for growth. I ultimately concentrate more on quality rather than bulk This reflects in sales, with close to 40,000 and growing!’

'The Garden', Che McPherson (chemc). I get a lot of enjoyment from illustrating characters as most of my work is abstract.

Global contributions keep things moving
The iStockphoto community is not restricted to image sharing, but rather the crowdsourcing model is applied site-wide to achieve high-quality content and information. For example, members of iStockphoto such as Che and Russell can submit articles which range from advice on techniques to explorations on creative themes and concepts to interviews with designers. Everyone in the community is encouraged to contribute their knowledge of copyright issues to the iStockphoto Technical Wiki. Like Wikipedia, and indeed the iStockphoto business model in general, this is crowdsourcing working at its best. By handing over the job of researching copyright to the community, the Technical Wiki can stay up-to-date with information from around the world, which is then verified by iStockphoto experts.

How iStockphoto gives back
By applying the crowdsourcing model to the way that the entire company operates, the team at iStockphoto can remain relatively small, with approx 50 members of staff employed at the headquarters at Calgary, Alberta Canada. A further 80 experts operate globally to inspect and approve images and other crowdsourced content, checking for intellectual property and creative and technical quality and integrity. Approximately 40,000 images are submitted to iStockphoto every week and through the help of software applications as well as the collaborative nature of the company and the sense of working as a team, iStockphoto can give their contributors and consumers quick yet considered responses to their submissions.

iStockphoto also actively markets and supports its contributors by providing business cards and viral marketing tools, features their work in iStockphoto advertising and PR programs, and provides intensive educational sessions called iStockalypse and Vectorlypse in locations around the world. The Designer Spotlight section of the website encourages designers who purchase images from iStockphoto for particular projects to submit the completed designs back to appear on iStockphoto.com. Each item includes all the components used to create the design, and allow consumers and contributors alike to see how these images are used everyday.

'Town View Map', Russell Tate. One of the larger files in my portfolio, It took about 2 weeks to draw up.

A strong sense of community
Both Che and Russell believe their iStockphoto profiles have not only allowed them to find potential clients by being able to showcase their work online, but also made them feel part of a significant community and helped them to grow as artists.
‘I think it’s broadened me a little as to the many different styles people use in illustration,’ says Russell. ‘It’s also prompted me to try different styles and approaches…I don’t really know anybody in Australia who is an iStockphoto member (although I know there are plenty of them!) but I keep in contact with about ten people mainly in the USA, and we often alert each other if we see their work online or have a question.’
Che believes that it is a very ‘special’ community. ‘The community means everything to me. I always feel like I am indebted to it and try to give back as much as I can,’ he says. ‘You have this wealth of knowledge from a team of amazingly talented artists who are all willing to share and grow as one. Full marks to the image inspectors, which I feel are at the heart of the community, and always the first to help and nurture contributors.’

For more information on crowdsourcing:
Jeff Howe’s Crowdsourcing blog
Crowdsourcing by Jeff Howe
Wired magazine

iStockphoto links:
iStockphoto.com
Che McPherson (chemc)
Pixel Pimps (Che McPherson)
Russell Tate

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Michael Kai 'This Side Up'. Winner of the Year, Category Winner (Commercial)

Kate McCurdy

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The ACMP Projections competition encourages emerging students, assistants, photographers and photo artists to submit images to gain exposure, raise their profile within the creative community and be recognised as the future of the photographic industry.

About ACMP and Trampoline
The competition is run by Trampoline in association with Sony. Trampoline is a non-profit organisation committed to the development and promotion of professional photography, formed in 2003 a part of the ACMP (Association of Australian Commercial and Media Photographers). The aim of the organisation is to ‘bring together, inspire and educate emerging photographers through events, seminars, forums and competitions – such as Projections – specifically targeted towards students of photography, photographer’s assistants, emerging photographers and photo artists.’

Projections, now in its fifth year, covers three categories: Commercial, Editorial and Art. The entries are series based, and there are three category winners and one Winner of the Year. In ACMP Projections ’08, the category winners were Ben Thomas (Art), Cara Bowerman (Editorial) and Michael Kai (Commercial).

Commercial photography
Michael Kai, was also awarded Winner of the Year for his series entitled This Side Up. Featuring ‘optical illusions, designed alternatives and manipulated room perceptions’, German-born Kai’s photographs ask the viewer to look again, and reconsider how they view the world.
‘Apart from being entertaining,’ he explains, ‘the intention of the series is to encourage viewers to wonder: “Is the world really the way I see it? Is it the way I believe that I see it? Or is it only a mental construction of how I perceive the environment?”’

Ben Thomas 'Cityshrinker'. Category Winner (Art)

Art photography
Cityshrinker, Ben Thomas’s winning series in the Art category, also presents the familiar world in an unfamilar way. Beginning as a jazz trumpeter, he graduated from the International Design Effects and Animation School in Adelaide before choosing to view his new life in Melbourne life through a camera lens. Like Kai, he also believes in questioning reality.
‘You see amazing things every day,’ says Thomas. ‘My aim is to give that feeling of newness with each shot I take. My method is to take what was once large and shrink it down to model size. To take the familiar and get you thinking even if for a second, “Wait a minute, is that…”’

Editorial photography
The winner of the Editorial category was freelance photographer, Cara Bowerman. Specialising in documentary photography and photojournalism, her work focuses on people and the relationship they have with the places they inhabit. She is currently undertaking a comprehensive documentary study of Chewton, a small town in the Victorian Goldfields.
Her series, Deni Ute Muster, captures the annual two-day festival in the rural town of Deniliquin in New South Wales, which has claimed the Guinness World Record title for the largest parade of utes in the world. Bowerman recalls that ‘in 2007, the town welcomed 6325 utes and more than 18,000 people to admire this icon in the outback.’

Cara Bowerman 'Deni Ute Muster'. Category Winner (Editorial)

The complete list of finalists and their work, including photographers Rodney Dekker, Yiwen Yao, Wren and Hayden Golder can be viewed on the ACMP Projections website.

The 2009 Projections competition call for entries is now open.
Projections ’09, like this year’s competition, is sponsored by Saatchi & Saatchi, Adobe, Capture Magazine, Gekko, Momento, Sun Studios and Crumpler, and winners will receive prizes from each sponsor.
For more information, visit the ACMP Projections website.
www.theprojections.com

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The ACMP Projections competition encourages emerging students, assistants, photographers and photo artists to submit images to gain exposure, raise their profile within the creative community and be recognised as the future of the photographic industry.

Bruno Novelli, better known as 9li, is a Brazilian artist whose works are equally as extraordinary visually as they are in meaning. His current exhibition META, explores themes about spiritism, alchemy and metaphysics, as well as his own life experiences.

Bruno Novelli

Caroline McCurdy

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Bruno Novelli, better known as 9li, is a Brazilian artist whose works are equally as extraordinary visually as they are in meaning. His current exhibition META, explores themes about spiritism, alchemy and metaphysics, as well as his own life experiences.

Growing Up
Bruno Novelli spent his childhood in Porto Alegre, in a neighborhood called Navegantes. He describes is as ‘that kind of neighborhood filled by big company’s sheds, a kind of industrial district. During the week it was pretty busy, but on weekends it was pretty calm, almost empty.’
Growing up in a place lacking in visual stimulation, Bruno created his own landscape.
‘I had to use my imagination a lot to create my own world. I used to find industrial garbage and have fun with that, it was a mix of natural and industrial influences. I remember I used to hear a singular bird singing at the morning mixed with sounds of big machines. It’s a huge contrast.’ This contrast is something which can been seen in his works today, where the natural and industrial elements move alongside one another. The contrasting themes are constructed harmoniously in some works, while others display a lot more energy, shown through the combination of the figures’ poses and intensity in the amount of detail.

At 17 years of age, Bruno decided to take on drawing as ‘a path for my life on earth’. He dropped out of design school as he felt it was a place ‘where I have to repeat and not to learn. I just don’t feel good in a place where you have no space to manifest what you really believe’. Now, ten years later, he will finish his formal qualifications by the end of 2008, with visions to teach in the future.

'Intergalactic Bugio'. Acrylic and India ink on archival Arches paper, 27.5” x 20.5” ©Bruno 9Li, META exhibition, photos courtesy Anno Domini gallery

Outside Brazil
Only in the past few years has Bruno’s work reached a wider audience. In 2007 he made his debut with an exhibition in the US, which he recalls as ‘an amazing experience…It was like the first step out of Brazil’. From here his work has been shown in several other countries and also led to a tour of Japan supported by Planet Patrol (a UK project of music and arts). On this tour he visited Tokyo, Osaka and Fukuoka, doing ‘live painting’.

Technique
All of Bruno’s works are hand-generated. ‘My work is based on drawings on paper. Specially 100% cotton papers and good professional Indian Ink and acrylic paint.’
Bruno has created works on both small and large scale, from small canvases to murals on the sides of buildings around the world. He states that he has no real preference for what size his canvas will be.
‘The structure of my work starts to be developed on paper…so to do that on a big wall is basically a scale difference for me. Of course it’s completely different then making a drawing in my studio, but the idea is structured in the drawing. What happens in the street is that there are many different influences in the process, like the intensity of the city, all people, police…I wish I could paint more on the street, but I’ve been spending a lot of energy on exhibits in galleries.’

Bruno Novelli ©Bruno 9Li, META exhibition, photos courtesy Anno Domini gallery

Themes
The elements Bruno explores are equally as intricate and detailed as the way they are displayed visually. He explains, ‘I’ve studied many subjects that I believe make deep sense for me. Many old texts from different philosophers and illuminated people can give us the idea of unity. I believe that we are all part of an unthinkable structure of nature. We are all connected on earth. As Chico Xavier said before, “We are immortal spirits, sons of God – each one being an original world created by God”.’
Bruno’s work displays these deeply fueled philosophies in such a complex design that it can feel almost overwhelming to the viewer. However on closer inspection the beauty of how all the elements work together is realised through the shape and colour, the subjects and their surroundings, allowing one to enjoy becoming immersed in the work itself.
With such perplexing, metaphysical concepts involved in the inspiration of the works, Bruno explains, at the core the motivation is actually quite simple. ‘I could list many different things that inspire me, but in the end, what makes me keep going forward is the mystery around us all, what is beyond all routine’s things.’

Future
In 2009, Bruno will be exhibiting work in two solo exhibitions in Europe in Milan and Copenhagen. After experiencing quite a hectic time of exhibitions and attention this year, Bruno reveals that he would like to take things at a more relaxed pace for now.
‘I’m focusing on taking things more calm next year. To be silent in my studio, producing a lot but with no deadlines; I’ll focus on my work for collectors’ commissions instead of all my efforts for exhibits. Let’s see what comes in the future. I hope me and my friends will be healthy in body and spirit, always learning.’

Anno Domini gallery

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HORT is a Berlin-based studio that works in all fields of graphic design, specialising in pure creativity.

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