Could I Get That Song in Elvis, Please?
17/12/11 16:30
I've found an interesting article in an old issue of The New York Times. It tells about a new software where you can create your own artificial singer. Just write the lyrics, determine the tone and length of each syllable, and the machine sings your very own tune.
Vocaloid is the name of the program and is based on a lot of small samples sung by (unknown) singers and collected in a library of all possible syllables. Then a kind of algorithm (an expressions that I hardly know what it means ...) assembles them into comprehensible vocals.
Vocaloid software used in japaneese version of “Poker Face”.
If you search on Youtube you will find many musical examples of Vocaloid, and it sounds ... awful! It probably need some development before the artificial voice can replace a real after all. The NYT author philosophizes about what would happen if even famous singers did have their voices recorded and treated this way. Who would have the copyright to the song? Would the ability be abused?
Abuse or not, I have autotuned Elvis' voice a couple of years ago so that he was singing my song "Now or Never II". There is probably no one who believes that there is an original recording of Elvis, but I can tell it’s more authentic than any Elvis impersonator ever.
I am just about to take the concept one step further and make a music video for the song. As I wrote in an earlier post, it is based on two-dimensional images of Elvis that has turned in to three-dimensional using the software SketchUp. Hoped to present a finished video before New Year, but as I do the work in spare times, not much has happened lately. I'll see what 2012 has to offer, hopefully I have time to finish during next year.
It would be cool if a Hollywood producer one day decides to make a whole new Elvis movie with the a computer generated movie star. “Blue Hawaii Pt. II” would be a great title! ;)
OMG - it's OMD again!
04/12/11 16:30
“Joan of Arc (Maid of Orleans)” was one of two OMD single covers included in Matthew Chojnacki’s book “Put the Needle on the Record”.
Me and Lapantafilm has recieved an early Christmas present from my favorite band OMD. At their official news page they write about our video for Put the Needle on the Record:
“ ... a brilliant stop frame animation advert by Bo Nordin and his wonderful team...”
Speaking of Christmas and OMD, I take the chance to plug my Christmas Rap Version of their come back single If You Want It, that I did last year. It was a part of a remix competition, and my goal with my remix was to be as “out of the box” as possible. The idea to rap over the verses came from two different angles.
The first was the Swedish TV4 show “Så Mycket Bättre” where music artists from different genres interpret each others songs. Rap artist Petter’s takes of the other artists work was often very different from the original, but still recognizable.
Kid Kudi “Simple As” featuring sample from OMD.
The second influense came from the Kid Cudy song Simple As that features a sample from OMD’s ABC Auto Industry. His cool rap put over OMD’s very technical vintage beat was a great inspiration to try rap, but my “swenglish” approach on my remix was probably to much for some OMD puritans. Anyway, when it came to number of downloads I was in front, and some might have thought it had some potential after all, like I read in Taoyoyo’s blog for instance. But it didn’t help - The Christmas Rap story ended outside top 10 in the competition!
Anyway, now it’s online again, as well as some other tracks that previously had some broken links on the Music Page.
Thumbs up from Duran Duran!
23/11/11 16:30
Duran Duran 1981.
Lapantafilm has recieved great comments from Duran Duran!
Two of Duran Duran’s classic cover arts from the eighties are are included in Matthew Chojnacki’s book “Put the Needle on the Record”, the book we have made a promo video for. Rio and I Don’t Want your Love are the single covers taken from Duran Duran, and John Taylor and Andy Taylor’s side project Power Station are also included with the cover art for Communication. On their Official Facebook page they say
”Very cool promo for the book”Put the Needle on the Record (With Nick mention)”
Nick Rhodes is responsible for the afterword in the book, and he sure has his passion for the art work. Perhaps Simon LeBon took this passion one step futher when he got so obsessed of the cover of Rio, so he spent two years trying to find a girl that looked like the woman!
I had heard Girls on film before, but Rio (1983) was the first song I realised was Duran Duran.
And Duran Duran’s passion for girls goes from Girls on Film to their current Girl Panic. The new video, directed by swedish Jonas Åkerlund, is a true homage to The Girl. Super models such as Naomi Campbell, Helena Christensen, Eva Herzigova and Cindy Crawford are replacing the band and tells the story of their career.
I hope some day, we’ll get the opportunity to work with the Wild Boys from Birmingham, preferebly with the same models and budget that Jonas Åkerlund had!
Lapantafilm at The Ultimate Eurythmics Website
16/11/11 16:30
The Ultimate Eurythmics Website highlights our video.
The Ultimate Eurythmics Website highlights our video for the Put the Needle on the Record book. In their news post, they say that
“... Eurythmics are featured briefly in this fantastic new animated video produced to produce the book. “
Put the Needle on the Record by Matthew Chojnacki tells the story of the eighties thru hundreds of 7” and 12” singles from the decade. Eurythmics is represented by two 12” covers in the book - Thorn in my side and Revival. The band was one of those who shaped the eighties music with Sweet dreams, There must be an Angel (playing with my heart), Missionary Man and the almost forgotten Sex Crime (Nineteen Eighty-Four) that was the lead single for the soundtrack for 1984, the movie based on George Orwell’s novel. And 1984 was the year I discovered music among other things.
Sex Crime (Nineteen Eighty-Four)
2011 must have been a buzy year for Eurythmics’ Dave Stewart. The super group Superheavy starring Dave Stewart, Mick Jagger, Joss Stone, A.R. Rahman and Damin Marley has done a great song in Miracle Worker.
Put the Needle on the Record: The 1980s at 45 Revolutions Per Minute
02/11/11 16:30
New video for the book “Put The Needle On The Record”.
Lapantafilm had a quite busy time in October. Matthew Chojnacki’s new book “Put the Needle on the Record” needed a promo video, and we have stop motion animated some of the single covers from the book. It is done in the same spirit as our OMD video History of Modern (Part 1) - and the same music is used too!
According to Matthew Chojnacki, this is what the book is about:
“In the 1980s, music defined the moment - ‘Video Killed the Radio Star’ ushered in MTV, ‘Don't You (Forget about Me)’ ruled The Breakfast Club, and ‘I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For’ became the anthem of a generation. But the era was not just about its distinctive music; it was also the most visually provocative era of the last millennium. Every new vinyl single hit the stands wrapped in eye-catching sleeves that reflected the latest trends. Put the Needle on the Record is pop culture historian Matthew Chojnacki's definitive guide to 7- and 12-inch vinyl single artwork from the '80s.
Freeeze frame from the promo video. Photo by Danilo Giannini.
From a dream of a vinyl collection, Chojnacki presents and compares more than 250 vinyl single covers that represent nearly every prominent '80s musician. However, this is not just a pop-cultural feast for the eyes. From hundreds of hours of interviews, Chojnacki allows the designers and visual talent behind Madonna, Prince, Adam Ant, Pink Floyd, Queen, The Clash, Pet Shop Boys, Kate Bush, and more to tell the unheard stories behind the decade's most iconic images. Coupled with exclusive commentary from more than 100 of the '80s biggest musicians, including Annie Lennox, Duran Duran, Run-DMC, Gary Numan, The B-52's, Erasure, OMD, Scorpions, The Knack, and Yoko Ono, this is an authoritative journey back to the songs and images that continue to influence our culture.
Two prominent pop musicians bookend these musical stories: Scissor Sisters' lead singer Jake Shears introduces Chojnacki's work, and Nick Rhodes, keyboardist for seminal '80s pop band Duran Duran, rounds out the collection with the afterword.
Björn van der Blokk prepares a scene.
The book trailer features stop-motion animated scenes inspired by a handful single covers from the book, as well as homages to the vinyl single era. The clip is directed and created by Lapantafilm ( Bo Nordin, Björn Skallström and Danilo Giannini), and the music is taken from the 80's flirting 2011 single History of Modern (Part 1) by OMD.
Put the Needle on the Record is now available! Please go to http://www.matthewchojnacki.com for additional details.
Packshot of the book.
‘1980s single cover art was cheeky, sexy, punchy, and glam. Matthew Chojnacki vividly chronicles the best of the bunch, illuminating the way music looked via comments from rock stars and art directors with a strong eye for the visual.’
- Michael Musto, The Village Voice
‘Put the Needle on the Record proves that the '80s wasn't the decade that taste forgot - but rather the era where single cover artwork came of age and caught up with its LP predecessor...before CDs changed the landscape for good.’
- Jason Draper, Record Collector Magazine
‘The 1980s. The spin point of a time where the collision of art, culture, class, nation, and government was fueled by the steroids of technology. Put the Needle on the Record is a great read on an era that many consider the new '60s.’
- Chuck D, Public Enemy”
My nerdiest OMD Tribute - EVER!
20/09/11 16:30
This post has been edited the 12th of October 2011
I have just completed a new song - “Dancing Like Œ Windmill” . It is a pure nostalgic trip to the swinging eighties in general, and to OMD in particular. Lyrically it’s a three act story about the obsession of that obscure eighties pop band told from different angles. Besides OMD there is a lot of inspirations from other eighties pop acts.
The calm piano chorus intro building up to the cresendo where the uptempo kicks in is inspired of A-ha’s “The Sun Always Shines On TV”. The chorus melody has a typical Katy Perry structure - first a main melody containing the title of the song, then a deepening explanation and finally the title again ( yes, I know Katy Perry is not a eighties artist, but at least she is born in the eighties...).
The first verse where the “hero” reveal his secret passion has borrowed it’s structure from the swedish band Adolphson&Falk’s Mer Jul. The female story told in verse two is a bit like the middle eight of Magnus Uggla’s “4 Sekunder”.
The middle eight lyrics are some really nerdy references to different OMD songs. Please send me a message if you can find out where they comes from!
The Human League are also present in the use of LINN drum sounds and the “Don’t You Want Me” duet structure.
This is my first track that has been professionally mastered. Thanks to Robin Schmidt at the 24-96 Mastering for his great work!
Without any doubts this is my nerdiest OMD tribute - EVER!
The song can also be heard and downloaded at:
http://soundcloud.com/bonordin/bo-nordin-dancing-like-a
I have just completed a new song - “Dancing Like Œ Windmill” . It is a pure nostalgic trip to the swinging eighties in general, and to OMD in particular. Lyrically it’s a three act story about the obsession of that obscure eighties pop band told from different angles. Besides OMD there is a lot of inspirations from other eighties pop acts.
The calm piano chorus intro building up to the cresendo where the uptempo kicks in is inspired of A-ha’s “The Sun Always Shines On TV”. The chorus melody has a typical Katy Perry structure - first a main melody containing the title of the song, then a deepening explanation and finally the title again ( yes, I know Katy Perry is not a eighties artist, but at least she is born in the eighties...).
The first verse where the “hero” reveal his secret passion has borrowed it’s structure from the swedish band Adolphson&Falk’s Mer Jul. The female story told in verse two is a bit like the middle eight of Magnus Uggla’s “4 Sekunder”.
The middle eight lyrics are some really nerdy references to different OMD songs. Please send me a message if you can find out where they comes from!
The Human League are also present in the use of LINN drum sounds and the “Don’t You Want Me” duet structure.
This is my first track that has been professionally mastered. Thanks to Robin Schmidt at the 24-96 Mastering for his great work!
Without any doubts this is my nerdiest OMD tribute - EVER!
The song can also be heard and downloaded at:
http://soundcloud.com/bonordin/bo-nordin-dancing-like-a
Elvis 2.0 - Work in progress
25/08/11 16:30
Here is a work-in-progress of a animation featuring a digitally reborn Elvis Presley. I have used 2D footage of Elvis and converted them to 3D using the free and easy-to-use software SketchUp. By 3D modelling Elvis in SketchUp, and then use the Photo match function, it was possible to make him move. Since it is just possible to do camera moves and no animation in SketchUp, I had to do a lot post production in After Effects.
Besides that, there are some collage technic headturns as well, and I think you can figure out how they are made. Both technics are meant to reflect the technic used to create this “new” Elvis song. It is built up of hundreds of Elvis samples, stretched and pitched in Melodyne ( the leading auto tune software) to fit the song.
The full version of the video will be released late this year. Meanwhile, the song itself can be heard at https://soundcloud.com/bonordin/now-or-never-ii
Back to the roots
18/07/11 16:30
At last my first printed work appeared after 31 years in oblivion. In 1980 I participated in a drawing competition in the comic magazine Bobo and got my troll published. I was of course very proud, and the prize, a t-shirt with a Bobo Scene I tenderly nursed for many years.
The troll bear Bobo was a Swedish comic magazine that was released between 1978-1989. The comic strip was designed and narrated by Lars Mortimer, who is now more famous for the moose Hälge, who in addition to the appearence in many newspapers also appear on different stuff in the souvenir shops.
The Bobo magazine was aimed for younger kids than I was back in 1980, but I was already childish as a child!
Edit:
I was actually the No. 1 winner in this comp, and I won a ice hockey game. The t-shirt price must have been in an later comp. Thanks to Anders Skallström for finding the old comic magazine and pointing this out!
Rihanna vs Rickfors
19/06/11 16:30
My latest mashup featuring Rihanna vs Rickfors -
"Only Girl vs Vingar"!
No one can have missed that Rihanna's "Only Girl (in the World)" topped the chart lists all over the world 2010-2011.
The song is written by Cristyle, Sandy Wee and Stargate. The latter is a producer team from Rickfors' neighbour country Norway, and perhaps the verses from his "Vingar" has influenced the team when they wrote "Only Girl (in the World)".
The Swedish rock singer, songwriter and guitarist Mikael Rickfors released "Vingar" 1989 and is probably his most well known hit. He started his career in the late sixties and became the lead singer of the Brittish band The Hollies in the early seventies. Solo projects followed after that as well as the band Grymlings, a Swedish version of The Traveling Wilburys,
You can also listen and download the mashup HERE!
World Premiere!
27/05/11 16:30
Last night, my students at the secondary school of aestheticians Eksjö premiere on their graduation films. The atmosphere was at its peak during the film show, and many old and new faces appeared in the audience. Check out the trailer for their movies Here.
Message from Andy McCluskey
02/05/11 16:30
Andy McCluskey, lead singer and songwriter of OMD, talks about our video in a new interview by Pat Fetty. Listen to the clip here: McC_talks_about_the_video
The whole interview (75 minutes) can be heard at Pat Fetty´s OMD fansite: http://www.omdweb.com/hom/interview2/
Also, the lifestyle magazine React writes about us in their latest issue. Take a look at page 12-13 here: React (in swedish).
More Movies!
31/03/11 16:30
Lapantafilm
Marknadsför din sida också
The Movie page has been updated with several clips of what we have done over the years.
Also, don’t forget to join us on Facebook!
Marknadsför din sida också
The Movie page has been updated with several clips of what we have done over the years.
Also, don’t forget to join us on Facebook!
Reportage from local media
22/02/11 16:29
We have recieved some local media attention about the new official OMD video. See the TV4 reportage (above) and read the newspaper Jönköping Nu and Jnytt articles.
Several blogs and net papers are writing about it as well - So hip it hurts, Simply Synth and Elbows to mention a few.
Edit: Breaking news on teletext @ TV4!
Edit 2: two more interesting blogs - Totally Vivid and Der A-mann.
Lapantafilm do the official OMD video
15/02/11 16:29
Lapantafilm (Me, Björn Skallström and Danilo Giannini) do the official video for OMD’s forthcoming single “History of Modern (part 1)”!
A music video competition was announced late December at the Genero tv site, and among the six finalists our video was selected as the winner. From the Genero tv site following feedback is taken:
OMD have chosen the winner of the History of Modern (Pt 1) competition. Congratulations to Lapantafilm whose video was picked as the winner and will now receive £2,000. Check the feedback from OMD and Genero on the finalist videos and the winner choice below.
http://genero.tv/watch-video/27746/ - Lapantafilm (Sweden): The sheer volume of work that has gone into this is incredible. So many different film animation styles. A very creative mixture of stop frame animation, modelling, drawing, film capture. A serious collection of OMD references.. some of which are incredibly subtle, some not. The ideas are a varied and effective as the many different techniques. There were several really strong entries but this is the clear winner.
In the Mood
03/01/11 16:29
Hoping that 2011 is gonna be at great year, here is OMD´s “History of Modern (Part 1)” The Mood Version