Archive for October, 2010

Behind the Scenes of CSI: Part 2

Posted by Leslie Morgan in I Design Your Eyes on October 29, 2010

About six weeks ago I had the opportunity to go behind the scenes of the television show CSI.  I headed out to the Zoic Studios sound stages and caught all the action on set.  I spoke to Rik Shorten, VFX Supervisor along with Derek Smith, Lead Artist for the series.  They took me through the steps of what it takes to create the VFX you see each Thursday night at 9pm when the show airs on CBS.  The episode I got to check out was episode 3, Blood Moon about the CSI team tracking down the killer of a gruesome murder where the victim was decapitated with a hatchet.  DNA on the victim leads the CSI team to a vampire and werewolf convention in Las Vegas and the team goes on the hunt for the killer.  There was definitely a great deal of blood, and body parts the day I was on set, but that seems pretty standard any day on the set of CSI.  Check out the video below, which takes you behind the scenes of the long running series.

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I Want My MTV? Not anymore!

Posted by Leslie Morgan in I Design Your Eyes on October 26, 2010

I love music.  In a former life I think I was a rock star.  In this life I am one, but only in my shower.  My entire life I have been obsessed with music and music videos.  I am going to date myself a little, but I actually remember a time when MTV played music videos.  If you know who Martha Quinn is you know what I am talking about.  Today with the wonders of such reality shows as Jersey Shore, music videos have become a thing of the past at least on MTV.  Music television is no more, but fortunately today we have a little Internet site known as YouTube where the music video is very much alive and well.  One of the coolest recent phenomenon’s to come out of YouTube is emerging singer/ songwriters and bands that have had the opportunity to be discovered on the site.  I am not just talking about Bieber fever either. Though he is a prime example of a musical career launched, but many independent artists are getting the chance to be discovered as well.  Read the rest of this entry »

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Zoic Studios works with award winning director Tarsem Singh

Posted by Leslie Morgan in I Design Your Eyes on October 19, 2010

Recently, Zoic Studios had the pleasure of working with award winning commercial director Tarsem Singh, best known for directing the feature films The Cell and The Fall as well as the upcoming feature Immortals about the Greek warrior Theseus.  Zoic worked with Tarsem on a new commercial spot for the sophisticated Las Vegas hotel, The Cosmopolitan that opens in December of this year.  Leslie Ekker, Creative Director of Commercials for Zoic Studios had the pleasure of working with Tarsem on the spot.  However, it is not Ekker’s first time collaborating with the director. Read the rest of this entry »

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Ron Moon’s Rub a Dub Playlist: October Playlist of the Month

Posted by Ron in I Design Your Eyes on October 15, 2010

It was July 1986. My older brother returned home from summer camp with a cassette tape clutched tightly in his palm. After being away for two weeks, he ran past me and into his room, slamming the door behind him. Two minutes later, I started to hear a tranquilizing beat coming from his bedroom. I crept up slowly, sat on the floor, and put my head to his door. What was so important that my brother had to hear this song before acknowledging my existence? I closed my eyes and within the first 10 seconds my head was bobbing to the beat of the music. I didn’t realize it, but I was listening to my first Reggae song. The tape was Bob Marley’s LEGEND, and the song was Buffalo Soldier.
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An Outdoor Adventure with Zoic Studios: Hiking Grouse Grind

Posted by Leslie Morgan in I Design Your Eyes on October 12, 2010

Back in August Loni Peristere, Co-Founder and Co-Executive Creative Director of Zoic Studios was up in Vancouver directing a commercial. Yours truly had the opportunity to go behind the scenes of that commercial spot and I can’t wait to show everyone how amazing the on set experience was. However, I am not here to tell you about that just yet. I am here to tell you about a really fantastic place that Loni got to check out when he went up to Vancouver.

Loni along with VFX Producer Ian Unterreiner, Terence Reilly, VP of Marketing for Famous Footwear, Andy Anema, Art Director for Campbell Mithun and Nancy Liss, Account Management Supervisor for Campbell Mithun went on quite an adventure. They all hiked up one of Vancouver’s most renowned and challenging trails, The Grouse Grind. Located about thirty minutes outside of the city, the trail climbs 2800 feet of elevation in about 1.8 miles and is open from June through October depending on weather conditions. The trail opened in 1983 and is composed almost entirely of stairs cut from the rock and soil of the mountainside. Sections of the trail that are quite steep are lined with rope and hikers will often use the rope to haul themselves up the difficult portion of the trail. On average it takes most people about an hour to complete the hike. Once completed, hikers are given a stunning view of the city and surrounding areas. There is a restaurant and refreshment options as well as a Gondola that will take hikers back to the bottom of the mountain. It is advised that those who dare to hike the trail be in decent physical shape and bring plenty of water and snacks. Apparently, the first fifteen minutes are the most challenging and if you can get past the first quarter mile you will be able to complete the hike.

However, don’t take my word for it. Check out this video below where Loni gives you a firsthand look at his experience hiking Grouse Grind.

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#140conf

Posted by Leslie Morgan in I Design Your Eyes on October 8, 2010

Hey IDYE readers. This past week I had the opportunity to check out the #140conf.

For those unaware, the conference was created by entrepreneur Jeff Pulver, pioneer of the VoIP industry and a leader in the emerging TV on the Net industry. Basically he co-founded a little service called Vonage.

The 140 Conference is essentially a conference about social media for social media enthusiasts.  Obviously much of what is discussed is related to Twitter and everyone in attendance displays their Twitter handle with pride.  Literally everyone who attends the conference wears a laminated badge with their picture and Twitter handle as a way to easily connect with one another.  The conference took place October 4 and 5 at the Music Box Theater in Hollywood and there are now conferences held all over the world, including Tel Aviv, Barcelona, London and New York as well as San Francisco, Detroit, and Boston.
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