The directorial duo Holbrooks–Tom Brown and Daniel Grey–of production house Blacklist directed this piece. the first in a series of 15-second motion videos created by innovative artists who visually interpret the music of different performers featured on Rdio, Skype’s streaming music service. Holbrooks’ video is for music artist Gogol Bordello.
The videos are the centerpiece of a “New Music Weekly” campaign and will appear in a variety of paid and earned media channels. The initiative opens doors to discovery of new talent in both music and visual artistry. The campaign will deliver a new 15-second motion art video each Tuesday for 52 weeks that pairs an innovative visual artist with a buzz-worthy track from a new album release. Blacklist artists Holbrooks and Tendril are among the first artists included in the series, taking inspiration from upcoming music from Bordello and Michael Franti, respectively.
“Discovery has always been core to the Rdio experience and we are continually exploring new ways to guide our listeners to new music,” said Shana Fong, marketing & PR manager for Rdio. “Art and music have always been intertwined as creative avenues for expression. Rdio’s New Music Weekly series is a fresh and engaging way to be introduced to independent musicians while simultaneously being exposed to tremendously talented visual artists.”
“We are honored to be a part of this truly innovative campaign,” said Andrew Linsk, executive producer at Blacklist. “Rdio’s New Music Weekly series gives our directors and artists the freedom to express themselves without being burdened by strict marketing objectives, evoking the creative ethos at the heart of our company. What Rdio is doing in curating exciting new music is very much like what we do, tapping the talents of the most compelling visual artists working today. In short, there’s a curatorial synergy.”
Rdio will continue to work with a range of independent visual artists as new pieces are unveiled throughout the 52-week span, including more work from Blacklist artists and additional curatorial partners and companies. The conceptions from Rdio’s New Music Weekly series will appear in a variety of channels, from digital banners to large-screen placements at live music festivals, and will lead viewers back to the Rdio new release section each week to check out more music from the featured musician, along with fresh album releases from additional artists in a wide range of genres.
Review: Writer-Director Mark Anthony Green’s “Opus”
In the new horror movie "Opus," we are introduced to Alfred Moretti, the biggest pop star of the '90s, with 38 No. 1 hits and albums as big as "Thriller," "Hotel California" and "Nebraska." If the name Alfred Moretti sounds more like a personal injury attorney from New Jersey, that's the first sign "Opus" is going to stumble.
John Malkovich leans into his regular off-kilter creepy to play the unlikely pop star at the center of this serious misfire by the A24 studio, a movie that also manages to pull "The Bear" star Ayo Edebiri back to earth. How both could be totally miscast will haunt your dreams.
Writer-director Mark Anthony Green has created a pretty good premise: A massive pop star who went quiet for the better part of three decades reemerges with a new album — his 18th studio LP, called "Caesar's Request" — and invites a select six people to come to his remote Western compound for an album listening weekend. It's like a golden ticket.
Edebiri's Ariel is a one of those invited. She's 27, a writer for a hip music magazine who has been treading water for three years. She's ambitious but has no edge. "Your problem is you're middle," she's told. Unfortunately, her magazine boss is also invited, which means she's just a note-taker. Edebiri's self-conscious, understated humor is wasted here.
It takes Ariel and the rest of the guests — an influencer, a paparazzo, a former journalist-nemesis and a TV personality played by Juliette Lewis, once again cast as the frisky sexpot — way too much time to realize that Moretti has created a cult in the desert. And they're murderous. This is Cameron Crowe's "Almost Famous" crossed with Mark Mylod's "The Menu."
It's always a mistake to get too close a look at the monster in a horror... Read More