In case you missed the latest episode of The Simpsons, here is the only part of the show that really mattered-a strange yet rather touching couch gag by the king of sketchy animated sequences Billy Plympton!
Watch as a bizarro version of Homer struggles with his feelings for both the couch and Marge, with frenetic lines dancing across the screen and an overall style that can only be described as Plymptonian.
–via Geekosystem
Usually the phrase “smoke and mirrors” is used to mean a cheap trick or something deceptive. Here, the only thing smoke and mirrors amounts to is a pretty cool looking music video.
SXSW’s selected music videos featured a mix of techniques and ideas, from men who cry to disco ball-head ballerinas to doing a guitar (that last one is NSFW). Many of the directors were on hand to answer questions after the screening. Most delightful were the anecdotes, like the twenty-four straight hours (and fainting session) required to create Gotye “Somebody That I Used To Know” or the run and gun antics of CHRISTEENE “African Mayonnaise” (“It usually takes security at least three minutes to show up, and the song is three minutes long, so we were able to get what we needed”).
I may sound like a broken record, but I can’t emphasize enough how different it is watching these videos in a theater with a giant screen, powerful sound system, and no distracting laptop or browser windows around. For example, Matt Devine’s Son of Kick “Playing the Villain” was a perfect way to close out the screening. You’re stuck in the dark, a bit exhausted after watching twenty-one videos back to back. The music is LOUD, you have no idea how much time is left in the video, and you’re watching these trapped kids crumble apart with no idea how far it will go. It was brilliant.
The SXSW Best Music Video award went to DANIELS for their escalator ride gone horribly wrong in Battles “My Machine”. The dynamic duo were also in the running for an MTVu Woodie, whose awards ceremony is held in Austin during SXSW. Natasha Pincus’s video for Gotye “Somebody That I Used To Know” was also doubly recognized. Other nominees included Keith Schofield’s Duck Sauce “Big Bad Wolf”, Fleur & Manu’s M83 “Midnight City”, and Kyle Frere’s Major Lazer “Original Don”. The eventual Woodie Winner (and cock blocker of a DANIELS double header) was none other than Drew Barrymore for her celebrity-tastic Warriors-inspired music video for Best Coast “Our Deal”.
Check out all the SXSW Music Videos below. A couple of them are NSFW, and have been marked as such.
The Good The Bad “030” - Directed by Jeppe Kolstrup - NSFW, Seriously.
Porter Robinson “Spitfire” - Directed by Saman Keshavarz -Behind the Scenes
