⚡️These San Quentin inmates might be the next big filmmakers
PLUS: Touching up Bigfoot and Nessie photos with AI
Clayton Hester
July 31, 2023
Happy Monday, creatives!
It’s another great day to Spark a big idea.
Today, we’re looking at “groundbreaking” radar (more like, see-through-the-ground radar, but hey, I’m trying to be cute).
Meanwhile, has TikTok and Instagram reshaped cinema? Is 9:16 the new standard of film for this generation?
Plus, AI-touchups of Bigfoot and Nessie.
Oh, and a little story of how filmmaking is transforming the lives of inmates at San Quentin.
Everyday’s a chance for transformation.
And if that sounds like saccharine bull crap, that’s just because you’ve yet to find anyone with practical advice on how to become a cutting-edge creative.
Tap the button below to learn more about how CLAY can help you on your mission.
—Clayton
INNOVATING TO DISCOVER
Archaeologists in western England embark on a quest to locate the remains of a famous Victorian-era elephant that once graced the stage of Bostock & Wombwell’s Menagerie, a renowned traveling show.
The show, which drew audiences for over 90 years, brought exotic animals to Victorian crowds.
Named Nancy, the nine-year-old elephant's story took a tragic turn as local tales suggest she fell victim to yew leaf poisoning.
Her final resting place is believed to be near Whitefield's Tabernacle or the Holy Trinity Church.
So, crews are working to find the elephant’s remains using ground-penetrating radar.
It makes you wonder what other pieces of history remain to be discovered with the technology.
I’M VERTICAL
It’s the latest thing in our TikTok generation.
Reframing classic movies into vertical format.
I used AI to expand some scenes from Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark. 🎥✨
— Pietro Schirano (@skirano)
Jul 11, 2023
And it’s causing ire among some cinephiles (though certain replies have been hidden).
Examples also include reframing 2001: A Space Odyssey.
As well as 1988’s Akira.
The creator of the new Akira video says the problem was “it was horizontal, which means on today's vertical screens people would miss out on the insane details (because unfortunately, a lot of people don't rotate their phones to watch horizontal videos, since it interrupts their viewing process and is not really supported by short-format video apps).”
Is this the future of entertainment — a full-stop switch to vertical film?
PURE IMAGINATION
So what does ol’ Sasquatch look like?
One Redditor is re-imagining the iconic Bigfoot picture with AI.
u/jonesaid
He notes though in the comments — this is probably what the Bigfoot mask actually looked like:
u/jonesaid
He didn’t stop there.
He continues on to Nessie, with the famously debunked 1934 photo as his source material.
u/jonesaid
Noting it was probably a little more like this…
u/jonesaid
FILM BEHIND BARS
ForwardThis Productions is a team made up of filmmakers who are incarcerated.
As the Hollywood Reporter writes, for 26-year-old Anthony Gomez and his fellow filmmakers at San Quentin, this is more than just a creative outlet; it's an opportunity to rewrite their narratives.
ForwardThis is the first film and TV production job training program located inside an American prison, with a mission to offer second chances and tackle the cycle of recidivism.
PODCAST RELEASES
Near Allied: “Self-Portraits and Ceilings: Frida Kahlo vs. Pain”
PODCAST ANNOUNCEMENTS
The ways we measure time are all based on the skies above.
In Redshift, I want to tell the story of astronomy according to not only based on the calendars of the sun and moon, but the stars and comets.
New podcast coming out this Thursday: pod.clay.inc
WHAT’S NEXT
Why would you even want to visit the Metaverse?
Maybe to take in an NFT gallery?
The world of digital art and virtual reality are converging on this attraction.
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