The opening of "Geek Fest" 2010 included a cringe-worthy yet entertaining performance from the FOTB boy band. We then had the pleasure of the event organiser giving his opening speech dropping a few faux pas which caused a twitter storm which eventually led to a full apology later that day. Adobe offered their usual schpiel on Flash Catalyst which was pretty much the same as the first time I heard it about a year ago. I did notice that Andrew Shorten had a new sidekick from the last time we had the pleasure. I wonder if it had anything to do with the inappropriate nakedness during the video demonstration.
The opening credits from Nando Costa were beautiful. He did talk us through the making of this at his session although not as much as I would have liked.
All of the speakers were very inspiring and entertaining.
Grant Skinner
ADHD FTW, LOL!!!
Entertaining opener showing us little snippets of creative outbursts.His theory was to take 30 mins each day to step away from the commercial side of his work and do something for himself.
More about Grant Skinner here:
http://gskinner.com
Andre Michelle - creator of the audiotool:
www.audiotool.com
Some of his other workings can be found here:
http://lab.andre-michelle.com
(nuff said)
Mario Klingsman
Mario was up next also showing us some amazing work but ran out of time to explain more of the interesting bits because he wasted time showing us a video of him building a puzzle and talking about how he had acquired some useless lamps off eBay. I have to admit I found myself nodding off in some parts so was more than happy to see the following speaker.
Hoss Gifford
Things I Have Learned
One of the more controversial speakers to appear at FOTB. He had left a furor at the last venue he attended showing some offensive material so I was looking forward to see his offering this time around. It was both interesting and very entertaining which was much needed after the previous session with Klingsman. Hoss is a lovely bloke and I was lucky to meet him afterward. His slideshow was a mixture of comical quips and excellent advice on work and life. He has worked in the past with one of my favourite comedians Brian Limmond from Limmy's World of Glasgow. I missed the opportunity to ask him about Limmy, we were too tied up in a conversation about The Wire, which seems to be one subject people cant stop talking about once they start.
Hoss's slides to come.
More about the Hoss here:
http://hossgifford.com/
Robert Hodgin
Practice Makes Perfect, So What Are You Practicing?
Felt so lucky to see face to face the man who created one of my favourite things in the world - the iTunes visualiser. Although no one seems to know this as Apple don't allow him to publicise this as his own creation. His work was just beautiful and awe inspiring, not just the technical visualiser masterpieces but his magnetic sculptures were outstanding!
More adventures in processing:
http://www.flight404.com/blog/
Stefan Sagmeister
Design And Happiness
Definitely the highlight for me. He was again a genuinely lovely person to encounter. A tall, gracious individual who kinda looked like Nick Cave. His philosophy, which he admitted worked mostly because he could afford it, was to bring forward some of his retirement time and slot 6 months 'break' time every couple of years into his working life. His work was stunning. I particularly liked the branding work he presented and you can see where this has been 'used' as inspiration for many forms of design we have seen over the past couple of years. His 'jillyfish' story was very funny.
Nick Cave lookalike:
http://www.sagmeister.com
It was a long long day and after a few cheeky vimtos with the mN gang it felt good to slip into the crispy fresh hotel sheets.
Flashy Fortunes and Soda Pop Obsession
The day started with the elevator pitch session which was a little unusual. A mixture of visual and technical elements which appealed more to my colleague Ian (flash guy) than they did to me. Some of them were a little out of place also and one in particular totally useless - but I wont name names, I couldn't get up there in front of that crowd.
Branden Hall
HYPE:Combining Creativity
I have to admit I only attended this session because of his connection with Joshua Davis and I can see why these two collaborate so well together. Both talented and likeable people with a clear distinction of who is the tech side and who controls the aesthetic. Both equally entertaining and inspiring speakers.
Hype here:
http://www.hypeframework.org
Seb Lee-Delisle
What the Flux!?
Certainly one of the most entertaining of all the sessions - not a drowsy eye in the house. His talk focused on the negativity surrounding Flash at the moment. He included points of view from all sides and included an episode of Flashy Fortunes in his set for the lucky player to win a new iPod. I was glad to see more of Seb again in the throwdown.
Seb's blog
http://sebleedelisle.com
Julien Vallée
Storytelling, playfulness and experimentation
All it says in the title. Some sweet motion graphics and interesting ways of working.
More here:
www.jvallee.com
Nando Costa
The Other Side
The creator of this years opening titles. Stunning motion graphics and some cute childhood pics, but went on a bit too long for me and some of the people around me who were flailing after another long day. It also left us in a hurry to get back for the Brendan Dawes session which was the highlight of the day.
Brendan Dawes
Makers of Things
Mr Dawes was kind enough to treat us and his fellow mN gang to a lovely dinner before his session started. Another great session (only to be expected). He featured my favourite thing on the internet this year and possibly of all time - the soda pop guy. Happiest man on the planet. Made my day when I first saw this and was lovely to see him again at FOTB.
Summer Fridays - I wish
The day kicked off with the Jam Throwdown - 6 of the best from the last couple of days. Kinda dull til Seb LD got on stage. Lots of audience participation and audio mashups made an entertaining morning. Got to see some more of Hodgins too - loveLoveLOVE!
Doug McCune
Data Visualization Will Change Your Life
I started out the FOTB experience with a little project of my own to collate the amount of alcohol I consumed over the five days. The project shut down on the first day due mostly to technical issues and my inability to upload data after 3 drinks or more. Forgetfulness and impatience were also key factors. This session re-ignited that idea and me and my fellow Amazer are currently working on this - more to come later. One of the more interesting sessions and I got a lot out it.
Joshua Hirsch
Summer Fridays
The penultimate session of FOTB and a great build up to what happened next. I love their philosophy and outlook. They seem like a small, tight unit, supportive of all things creative and masters at encouragement and nurturing creative minds. I loved the data viz of their office that they created for their 10th anniversary.
I WANT TO WORK WITH THESE PEOPLE!
http://www.bigspaceship.com
Jared Tarbel
The Computational Artifact
The highest of notes to end on. Truly stunning work. I was overcome with all kinds of envy, not just about his talent but how he lived and worked. I've followed his work since www.levitated.net. Pure inspiration. He also gave out some of the best freebies. I managed to get my hands on this little gem thanks to Mr Watson.
We spent the final evening at Pho (pronounced Foo) - a Vietnamese restaurant recommended by the lovely Sir Lancelot. It was the first time I completed a whole meal using chopsticks. I was a little messed up by the end but it was dee-lish.
Before our final departure from Brighton we managed to catch a glimpse of the pier. It was a warm sunny day and I was a little blue to be leaving and heading back to reality and I am already jealous of the Amaze colleague who gets to go next year!
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