// After Manfredi and I discussed the various subject matters that we wanted to focus on and techniques we wanted to work with, we decided to use surrealist imagery as a reference, alongside contemporary cutout and collage mediums. From here we came up with the idea of using silhouettes as a means to juxtapose two points of view onto one image. This allowed various interplays between positive and negative space, and scale and placements.

Practically speaking, Manfredi gave me his original photographs and I brought them to life using this new thematic and approach. The process involved a little bit of experimentation and a few different steps, going back and forward from digital to analogue. Part of the challenge was to find photographs that would work best and making each of them stand out in radically new and interesting ways.

I created most of the sketches from experimenting with images that I photocopied and cut out. Silhouettes and negative space wasn't as obvious for each image, so my results were quite unexpected. From the start, the idea was to create an actual collage and re-photograph it. This meant all of the imagery would belong to the same world, as well as the process adding slight depth and shadows onto the final image. Since I was using juxtaposing photographs, it made sense for each layer to be on separate sheets. After locking out the composition, I prepped and printed each photograph to recreate the montage, basically making a physical layer for each part and spacing each of them on different levels. In the end, we photographed the montages and I reworked the colors digitally, bringing blue tints in and drifting away from fleshy tones to night-like colors.

// Thanks Ariane for this insight into a fascinating project. To see the collaboration in full you can subscribe to Zink magazine here.

// This was my first time at FMX and I was pretty excited, we had a great week ahead of us with presentations from some of the very best in the industry… not to mention our own Tom Raynor with the Guinness Cloud keynote alongside The Mill recruitment keynote and booth and then a final Mill offering with Business Development EP Andy Orrick sharing "If only we knew THEN what we know NOW".

What were your first impressions of FMX?
My first reaction was for the venue, what an amazing building!
Great atmosphere, great public places, free (very fast) Wi-Fi, the entire 4 story building was breathing Visual Effects, filled with small meetings of old veterans, showreel viewings, informal interviews and a lot of students trying to get the best seat in some of the top presentations.

After a quick walk around, and after marking some presentations in the calendar, I joined The Mill and the Campus i12 crew for a quick lunch before checking the first keynotes. We went to a really gorgeous little restaurant with some amazing decor; the entire floor was covered with signs and posters. The food was good but for a vegetarian like me, I was out of luck, but in the land of the meat and sausage I was expecting that already. Speaking of which…



What was the local cuisine offering?
Well... like I said, I am a vegetarian, so I knew I was in some trouble. In one of the restaurants I even had one waiter saying, " oh you are a vegetarian? So sorry Sir, my condolences..." but I was very pleased with the wonderful service. We crewed up with Framestore, Dneg, MPC and Campus i12 for dinner at a restaurant called Willies (yes, that was the name!) and we had a great time, one of the funniest nights in recent memory for me. We ended up going twice to that same restaurant, first because the food was fantastic and second because one of the waitress there was so nice and friendly that we had to come back. Of course it also helped that she was daring Tom and Andy to drink five litres of beer…



Talk us through the first Keynote you attended?
It was the VES Special keynote about Life of PI by Chris Kenny, which was completely packed but luckily there was a live stream outside so people could still come and see the show. Due to demand this was quite regularly the only way to see certain keynotes because of the crowds. You can find some of the amazing breakdowns we saw at FMX in this great FX Guide article. 

Did you meet any upcoming talent to keep an eye out for?
On the second day I went for a little stroll around the schools area and found some impressive reels from some of the best European VFX schools. It's amazing to see so many inspired artists and "new blood" coming up in the next generation of artists.



How were The Mill presentations received at FMX?
The Mill had three presentations at FMX, the first with the talented Tom Raynor talking about our Clio and VES awarded commercial, Guinness Cloud. During an hour we travelled with him on the amazing journey of developing one of the most difficult things to create in 3D: a photo-real cloud that would move, act and show emotion to the spectator. It was truly inspiring to see and without being too technical I have to tip my hat to Tom in how he managed to demonstrate the spirit and workflow of The Mill in his presentation. Our second keynote at FMX was all about the atmosphere and work of The Mill as a group. Talent Manager Joakim Pederson, myself and Tom shared why we love working at The Mill. We showcased our showreel and launched a few 2D and 3D projects alongside a Q&A about how The Mill works. We had a full house, so full in fact that a lot of people were turned away from the venue! Finally Andy Orrick spoke to another heaving room, revealing, "If we knew THEN what we know NOW" a dynamic and revealing talk outlining some of the key lessons picked up within The Mill's history that have helped the business innovate, diversify and constantly deliver the goods at an exacting standard.

What was it like working on The Mill recruitment booth?
On Thursday the mill crew were at the recruitment booth, it was really really busy, we spent about eight hours straight interviewing, talking and sharing with many students, freelancers and industry people. We saw a lot of inspiring showreels and we can see why FMX is such a success story, great talent and great people come from the German VFX schools. At some point we even had a queue, it makes us very proud of The Mill's general recognition from the public.



What will stick with you in the coming year until the next FMX?
I have a hand full of presentations that will stay in my mind for some time. I will never forget the presentation that Ed Ulbrich did about the future of VFX, I was already expecting something great from one of the foremost personalities of VFX today, and I mean the guy is a legend. The CEO of Digital Domain made a fantastic keynote about how the VFX film model should be in the future. According to Ulbrich 49% of the top blockbuster films are VFX driven so he talked about and suggested a full re-think of the future of the VFX business module, starting with changing from a fix bid module through to a co-production module, and for those solely working in film, filling in the work gaps with commercials, virtual production, video games, mobile and even retail, licensing merchandising and theme parks! Very inspirational, and very positive to have new ideas about the future of our VFX business.



Simon French from Framestore, shared with us some interesting CG face replacement presentation about his work in Audrey Hepburn Galaxy Advert. In the same cinema we saw a very "humorist" presentation from "local" VFX Company Unexpected Commercials. Alex & Steffen presented us with some amazing "guerrilla style' commercial making with very unconventional methods and ideas that probably would not be possible in UK or US market. I highly recommend checking up some of there international work here.

Finally, one last note of the amazing keynote made by Greg Mitchell from Epic Games and Hannes Appell from Crytek, if the first one showed us an amazing journey of "guerrilla" style filmmaking in the Gear of War series, the second showed us a super organised and very efficient real-time game engine that is the Cry Engine 3. Epic Games presentation proves that video games are finally becoming a force to be reckoned with regarding narrative and emotional filming-making, although unorthodox in method! Hence the Guerrilla style! 

On the other hand Crytek's presentation blew everyone's mind with the real time capabilities of the Cry Engine 3. I mean I was shocked at the speed and quality of the lighting and effects coming from that engine, for one hour we saw Hannes Appell playing with the engine like it was the most natural thing in the world to have a full CGI photo real environment in real time, with rain, particles, lights, cloth, etc. I think there is a huge potential for VFX companies to use these engines, especially after Hannes showing full EXR multi pass pipelines coming from it. It looks like it is a real game changer and I truly believe real-time graphics will have a huge impact in the future of VFX in the near future.



If you want to know more about my FMX highlights, have a look at these links:

http://www.cgsociety.org/index.php/CGSDiaryPages/fmx2013/

http://www.fxguide.com/quicktakes/fxguides-guide-to-fmx-2013/

http://www.fmx.de/program.html#!/event/956

http://epicgames.com

http://www.fmx.de/program.html#!/event/984

http://www.crytek.com/cryengine/presentations/the-art-and-technology-behind-crysis-3

//Thanks Hugo. Roll on FMX 2014!

How did you first get involved in Blue Caprice?
Blue Caprice started in a slightly unorthodox way. The decision to make the film came about really quickly, I basically woke up one day with the urge to write and shoot a film within 6 months! I then had to find a story to do this and I thought a true story would be a good start. I began researching true crime stories and stumbled across the Washington Beltway sniper incident which immediately resonated with me. I didn't actually follow the real life events when they unfolded in 2002 because I was abroad at the time. However, whilst reading about the events on paper, discovering the dynamic between John Allen Muhammed and Lee Boyd Malvo was fascinating.  I felt it was such a great tragedy. I immediately knew that I wanted the film to just focus on the two people at the heart of the story, and therefore it could be very small in scope



What happened next?
I started with a core crew: screenwriter R.F.I. Porto, director of photography Brian O'Carroll and myself. We were very excited to then shop around for a producer who could help us. I was fortunate that people got very invested fairly quickly in the idea. It was also my dream to have Isaiah Washington involved - I actually reached out to him on Facebook and he loved the script and came on-board! From that point the project grew naturally and alot of people were very enthusiastic about the concept so it drew a lot of great crew from the beginning. The film came together in an organic way, we never got stuck. It was a very smooth ride which has made me very paranoid that I used all my luck up and my next film will be a lot more tricky!

What were the highs and lows of the process?
In terms of enjoying myself the most, to some degree was post production. I had a great time at The Mill and doing the sound mix at Gigantic. First of all the movie was at the final chapter, so it was really stress-free and enjoyable by this stage… no more potential disasters coming. Secondly, at The Mill we were met with such enthusiasm that it was a really great job just getting everything done well for the sake of the art. It felt luxurious to have these people pay such attention to my film. The same applied for the 3 weeks of sound mixing, we all shared a passion and were on the same vibe. I love writing, scouting, shooting etc but these all of these elements are a little more stressful…



In terms of a low, as I mentioned we were fortunate enough not to have any major problems. However when we went Puerto Rico we only shot for three days, when we should have been there for five days. We managed to pull up the schedule but this was the only time in the shooting where I was literally ripping up pages and pages of the script. I was meant to be shooting in the city in the morning, the mountains in the afternoon and the coast in the evening and we came up against frustrating issues like the sun setting or running out of time so scenes had to be sacrificed. The saving grace was that these were the last three days of filming so I knew we already had a film in the can and these scenes could be lost and it would all still work.

A film-based-on-true-events , especially such tragic ones, must require a sensitive and unique approach. Can you talk me through this challenge?
It was a fluid process as I started writing, although I was aware that every decision I made weighed a tonne. In 90 minutes you can't possibly fit the entire life of the characters. I had so much story to choose from and events I could focus on; was I going to include the killings, the trial, the aftermath…? Everything I left out had a huge impact. I just had to have a moral compass and go from there but it was challenging and I definitely felt the responsibility on my shoulders. It's worth bearing in mind however that my point wasn't to make a bio-pic, we took a lot of liberties and I wanted to bring a more universal approach and for the story to be timeless. By the end of the process the film wasn't so much a real event detailing the actual story, none the less by the nature of the topic and truth behind it, it has a real gravitas and was a heavy project. People came out of the premiere screaming and crying which was very meaningful, Blue Caprice takes a real toll on you as you watch it.



What role did The Mill play in the final result?
We approached The Mill fairly early on when we were still in the middle of the editing process. We were looking for a partner to take on the post production, special effects, retouch, color etc. We were met by such great enthusiasm by the production team with Dee Allen; Danny Morris and of course Damien Van Der Cruyssen; who did the color correction. They became partners in the project and we worked 6 months together on and off, so it was a long and collaborative process.

How was Blue Caprice received at the its premier for Sundance Film Festival?
The film was extremely well received, I was so happy and pleasantly surprised that no one took the film the wrong way. I was expecting some controversy with people misunderstanding the film. The general verdict and review was that everyone said the film doesn't offer a resolution, its an introspective look at the roots of violence.

Talk me through the night at MOMA!
It showed at the opening night of their New Directors, New Films Festival. As a New Yorker it was real honor when they approached me to be recognised and celebrated here. The film has now been picked up by IFC and will hopefully be coming out nationwide across America in October.

Did you catch any other films at Sundance, and if so what particularly caught your attention?
Absolutely! I was extremely impressed and inspired by Upstream Color, the second film from Shane Carruth who directed Primer a few years back. It was an original piece of work, crucial to modern storytelling. As a director it is so exciting when you see someone who's fought to do something new and push the boundaries of film making.

// Thank you Alexandre for this fascinating insight. If this has whet your appetite for more, Alexandre has supplied us with an exclusive clip from Blue Caprice to see before anyone else!

The Mill's EP Business Development Jon Chads headed over alongside London's Head of Production Ben Stallard, who was invited to speak, and here are his thoughts on the inaugural Craften.

1. Top Talk:
Passion Pictures' talk on the BBC Olympic work was a real insight into how brave and great work gets made. The sheer volume of research, boards, tests, research and R&D was staggering to see. The original idea to only feature five sports in the initial spot was quickly forgotten with the final film covering some twenty different sports.  The music composition, created by Elbow developed iteratively as production progressed as apposed to the normal process of having it nailed down up front so that the animators can hit specific dramatic highs and lows. This posed unique problems but also probably pushed the spot further as both really drive the creative action and compliment each other perfectly.

However, discussion around the overall stylised look is what really grabbed me. The detailed R&D into how real athletes can move their bodies beyond the norm, how they can achieve such incredible forms and poses for their sport. Passion then had to translate that into the action sequences set against their iconic British backdrops and landmarks, which was a feat in itself. Pete Candeland and the team created such beautiful and stylised looks taking inspiration from everywhere, even utilising cloth simulation software used in the fashion industry for wrapping the costumes and clothes around the characters so it acted according to the movement and pose. An incredible project spanning some six months, probably longer, that required a huge amount of passion and dedication even when an additional sport was thrown in a week before delivery!

2. Best party:
Drinks at the venue on the first night sponsored by Massive Music gave everyone a chance to catch up and see friends from all over Europe.

3. Top Food:
Meh. Amsterdam restaurant service, famous for being a bit dire, lived up to expectation.

4. Highlight:
Just connecting with local and European friends from both production and agency backgrounds. It's becoming a rare occurrence to see all areas from any production come together let alone to talk about it so to have agency creative, producer, production company and post production was great to see. To me it's a huge shame as what pushes us forward to make great work is the exchange of ideas and discussion around great creative work.

A big hat tip must go to Francisco at Ciclope for making it all happen and bringing all of us together for the two days in Amsterdam.  As with all good events you walk away thinking we must try and connect like that more often.

5. Lowlight:
Thursday hangover.

6. What did Ben talk about?
Ben took to the stage with Dav of BBH and Chris from Rattling Stick to talk about how The Guardians epic 'Three Little Pigs' spot came to life. Dav took everyone through how the idea of a timeless fairytale could be a parallel story for open journalism in the digital age came to life. Chris from Ratting Stick then took over and walked the crowd through the practicalities of bringing such an ambitious story to life on what was an incredibly meagre budget. Multiple locations, a ton of extras and an art department that mashed up genres and styles all in, but when there is such a great story to tell and for such an iconic brand a lot of goodwill goes a long way as well as using every trick in the producers black book they pulled off shooting in two very long days.

Then it was Ben's turn to take the audience on a whistle stop tour of The Mill's work. As with all great Mill projects giving the Director the freedom to tell the story is what really matters whilst giving them access to the full tool kit of what we can do. No better example than the animation on the three little pigs who were filmed on set using real costumes loaned from the National Ballets archive. We then stepped in and modelled the heads in 3D allowing complete freedom to the Director and creative team in giving our characters expressions that range from the fully expressive right through to the subtlest tweak of a snout. Our aim is to help tell the story and build emotion in our characters and at the end of the day we want to cover our tracks… so the work speaks for itself.

7. How was Ben's talk received?
Questions followed and it was interesting to hear many people talk about The Mill's role in giving a Director the freedom to shoot what they want and need for a film. Also Ben's stage presence earned him the nickname of The Mill's very own Jeremy Kyle.

 8. Did any key themes arise throughout Craften?
Getting all areas of production from creative, production and post together should happen more often.

Amsterdam coffee shops are still going strong.

1. Introducing… Andrew Sommerville, Producer.

Tell me about your role at The Mill?
I'm a producer, which put simply means that I oversee and run projects that we have from start to finish. The day to day role itself varies depending on the complexity of the project and spans all areas of the Mill - 2D, 3D, design and content.

You've recently relocated to be part of the founding team of Mill Chicago, how did that come about?
I knew some of the team here through visiting Mill NY and had always had an ambition to work in the US. We don't open a new studio everyday and it seemed like a no-brainer to be involved in shaping something new. Also, Batman Begins made Chicago look cool.

Can you sum up The Mill Chicago in four words?
Sexy. Sexy. Sexy. Donuts.

What has been your finest Chicago discovery so far?
Cheese curds. More delicious than they sound.

Who and what inspires you?
This initial draft of this started off pretentiously. But then I realized that I was kidding myself, and the answer is probably just Batman again.

2. Introducing… DJ Miranda, Data Manager

Tell me about your role at The Mill?
I am the Data Manager at the Mill. It encompasses running the Data Lab and making sure all things are accessible to everyone who needs them while helping to maintain an organized structure/system. In addition to being the Data Manager I also work as a Telecine Assistant, Dispatch, and a MCR operator.

You've recently relocated to be part of the founding team of Mill Chicago, how did that come about?
Randy McEntee was pretty instrumental in this decision for me. I have worked with him for almost 5 years now and the conversation just came up in passing about us opening a Chicago office. I told Randy that the venture of Chicago would be interesting to me and to try something new and challenge myself is something I would like. He was quite surprised by this as I had spent my whole life in NY and haven't really strayed too far from the pack. I was very flattered by his surprise and excitement regarding me being interested in Chicago. I also decided that I wanted a change in my life and the opportunity to work with like minded people and start another creative arm of the Mill from the ground up was exciting to me. I figured if I was going to make a change what better time than now, with the company I have enjoyed working with since day one.

Can you sum up The Mill Chicago in four words?
NO I CAN NOT! Haha. I think if I had to try and provide a realistic answer to this question I would have to say The Mill Chicago is a group of genuine, creative, collaborative, and fun people.

What has been your finest Chicago discovery so far?
The people here are amazing. Simply put. It isn't as much of a discovery as it is an exposure to a culture of different people. The embrace the city has provided to all of us here so far has been wonderful and it has made the transition of moving from home quite easy.

Who and what inspires you?
Family, and friends are great inspirations to me. I have a half sleeve of tattoo's dedicated to my family for their supportiveness in everything that I have done in my life.

3. Introducing… Bowe King, Head of Design

Tell me about your role at The Mill?
I came to The Mill over 3 years ago during the initial days of the Design department in NY. Seeing Design get off the ground in NY gave me an interesting perspective for building Design here in the Chicago studio. With being the Head of Design my main focus is to cultivate an atmosphere that breeds good design, but my day to day role can jump around a bit as do a lot of relevant artists' roles now a days. I think the days of being technically excellent with one thing are rapidly evaporating; now a days you have to be capable of using a range of industry tools while concurrently being able to develop strong creative opinions. Basically in a position like this you need to have an extremely wide view while also being able to jump in on the micro and focus on some of the details. The balance of those two points of view is one of the main things that attracted me about my role here.

You've recently relocated to be part of the founding team of Mill Chicago, how did that come about?
Well, having so much fun with the early development days in NY for Design, the prospect of not only developing a department but also a whole studio was too tantalizing to pass up. I think because of my initial involvement with NY Design, the Mill liked the idea of me be part of the founding team here, while personally I love being involved with the early days with a project like this. Every single person here is here for one reason; to make an ultra competitive studio that's fun to work in. There are no veils, no egos or attitudes, just an air of excitement and eagerness to go the extra mile. The idea of creating fantastic work while cultivating a creative atmosphere is something we all want to be part of. There can be situations when a group grows so large that you inevitably lose a sense of camaraderie and intimacy. I can say that across the board every person here wants to maintain that ultra strong sense of camaraderie that you only can get with the founding days of a studio.

Can you sum up The Mill Chicago in four words?
Passion, Very Sexy Passion

What has been your finest Chicago discovery so far?
The people -Chicagoans love their city and expect a very high standard of living; other big cities can lose sight of a positive living experience (I can't tell you how many rage fights I've witnessed in the NY subway), but here people seem honestly happy and willing to take their time to do things right (except the drivers)!

The neighborhoods - Something I did not expect was the range of living options in such a close proximity. There are decadent high rise apartments right near 100 year old genuine converted warehouse lofts. There are beautiful brownstones and quiet streets in Old Town and converted firehouses in west loop. Plus brand new inspired architecture all with in a 5 mile radius!

The arts and creative - I'm in love with the amount of competitive art and architecture in this city, it's a totally different flavor from the East coast or West coast, Chicago definitely has its own creative personality.

But by far... the food - LA has some great restaurants, NY has some good chefs, but Chicago has blown me away with the amount of fantastic food available at any given moment. Finding great places to eat is one of my biggest passions; from casual Saturday afternoon finger food to primetime fine dining, so far this City is holding down the fort.

Who and what inspires you?
Passionate, honest and intelligent people. I can't stand laziness or pettiness. This industry demands a certain amount of personal dedication and no one wants to be involved with something that is spawned from fear or pettiness. Fear is definitely the destroyer of creativity so as long as you can surround yourself with honesty, creativity follows.
Personally I try to see as much analog work as I can in order to offset the amount of digital work that I produce myself; live music, theatre and art installations are all major influences in the way I see my work. I make myself go to or be involved with at least one of these things a week, it doesn't sound like much but having consistent moments tactile things helps to keep my vision less digitally narrow.

//Thanks Andy, Bowe and DJ for your fascinating insights. You can take a peek at the first work out of the Chi-suites here with Orbit 'Heights', Kraft 'Transformations' and Orbit 'Polo'.

Mill NY's Mikey Rossiter just graded EPIX's Original Documentary 'Amar'e Stoudemire: In The Moment', charting NBA star Amar'e Stoudemire's early life through to his recent injuries and ambition to win the championship.

Amar'e grew up in a small town in Florida with an estimated population of only twelve thousand people, now he plays basketball for one of the biggest names in the NBA, the New York Knicks. He plays the power forward position and this sums up his drive in life too: his parents divorced when he was two, his father died when he was 12, his mother spent 29.5 years in and out of jail and he had to attend six different high schools (and changed high school basketball team that many times too).

I asked Mikey about how he got involved in the project, his approach and how it differed from commercials.

How did you first get involved in the project?
We were contacted directly by Chris Tuss, the editor of the piece. We have a mutual friend that I've done a few great jobs for who recommended me for long form work. Chris had spent the past year immersed in Amar'e's life and, with the project finally coming to a close, he wanted to bring the piece together with a final grade.

What were the highs and lows of the process?
Honestly, there were no lows. Even with the tight deadline we had a complete blast working on this project. Chris, the editor and Dave Adams, the director of photography, were still excited even after working on it for so long and their enthusiasm proved infectious. From a grading point of view I had a lot of fun with the more surreal sections of the piece. I was pretty much given total creative freedom to do whatever I wanted in these sections and I'd like to think that we ended up in an interesting place, particularly in the childhood flashbacks.

A documentary-based-on-true-events must require a sensitive and unique touch, how does it differ from the projects you normally work on?
It definitely requires a more subtle touch than the music videos and commercials I'm used to. It's much more about unifying the piece than giving it a defining look. I found that when I pushed the picture too far it was detracting from the storytelling. The last thing you want in a documentary is for the look to be too clean or too set up; it just removes the realism from the piece completely. But there were sections which warranted a heavier feel than others, so it was all about finding the right balance between the different scenes that wouldn't feel jarring.

Did grading the work change the way you think about professional basketball?
It definitely made me understand and respect the sheer amount of effort and hard work that goes into being a professional athlete. The grueling training regimes, constantly having to maintain a strict diet ,and being under an incredible amount of pressure to perform certainly opened my eyes to the hard work that goes into being a professional basketball player.

What inspires you?
Seeing talented people do what they love.

Take a look at the trailer here and see the results of Mikey doing what he loves.

The full documentary can be seen only on EPIX and EpixHD.com, here: http://www.epixhd.com/amare-stoudemire-in-the-moment/

 //It was only recently that I happened across Run Keeper in the iTunes App Store, so thought I'd branch out from using Nike+ and try a brave new world.

 4. Run Keeper

Another GPS tracker for the iPhone and Android, giving you all the usual data that you'd expect when running with a mobile device including periodic verbal encouragement from a robotic sounding lady. Once I navigated the slightly glitchy registration process and navigated the UX, I was ready to record a new activity. You can just hit go, and start running and it will record your data, but what I didn't expect was the abundance of options that you can choose from with regards to the type of feedback you get whilst running as well as a host of different targets and training plans that you can set yourself before you start.

You can also choose to pay a monthly or yearly subscription to upgrade your app, so that you can 'broadcast' your activities, supposedly allowing your 'friends and family to watch you live' although how this works exactly, I'm not sure. The pro account also gives you access to a website where you can monitor your data even more carefully, which includes, nutrition, weight, sleep as well as being able to track your lifetime miles across any activity including cycling.

Run Keeper is a very comprehensive app to assist with all levels of running, though I would say it's tailored for the more enthusiastic and keen perambulator and it's possibly in danger of having too many options (I'd be inclined to have a lite vsn available) in there, however if you simply want to monitor and record your running, it does exactly what it says on the tin. One concern is that in comparison with Nike+ I appear to be nearly 35/40 secs per mile slower on Run Keeper, which is worrying. I double checked the map and distance I did, and it seems right, so I'm hoping its an anomaly, though I'm sure we'll find out on the big day in a few days.

Run Keeper:  6.5 sneakers out of 10

5. Nike + GPS

Chances are, that if you've ever run a few miles for more than a handful of occasions, you may have considered using some or all of Nike's techy running gear. Hard to believe that Nike+ is over 7 years old now, with the original release making a big splash back in 2006 (winning multiple awards) as it successfully combined sport & technology (the iPod) and arguably made being able to quantify your exercise, accessible to the average person for the first time. The combination of tracking your run/walk together with being able to combine your favourite music, seems almost mundane now, but yet for me, Nike+ was and is the first place to go for this kind of thing. I used the older vsn, which required a chip in my trainer, which was excellent, but the release of the GPS vsn was a bit of a game changer.

Over time the App has grown and developed, with the Nike+ environment now providing a huge social media platform, which in turn is tied into Twitter and Facebook. I have used Nike+ pretty much exclusively since training, and according to my history, I've racked up nearly 300 miles since starting in Jan. It's very satisfying to look back at your history of runs, and the front end of the App (less so for the website if I'm honest) is seemless and a joy to navigate.

The running experience is very often excellent. You need to remember to turn off the phones wifi as it can interfere with the tracking of your run, but generally speaking, the accuracy is pretty good. On occasion the iPhone itself has let me down (not so unusual any more, looking forward to testing on a Samsung S4) and just had hissy fit and crashed. This lead Nike+ to think I had once done a 5 min mile, which as much as I'd like to believe, is not the case. These anomalies cannot be changed, you can tweak the total mileage, but it doesn't compensate for time/pace, so your data will still be wrong. You can though, if you're a bit OCD (like me) delete the record entirely, which is a shame if you've just bashed out 13 miles (also me).

Other options allow you to set a distance that you're aiming for, select which shoes you are using, get your average pace, track your calories (and Nike Fuel) and of course share your run on the ever present Twitter & Facebook, which I chose to do as it shares the map of your run which can be of interest to your followers (or just your mum like me) and if you like showing off (me again).

Nike+ is the App to beat for run/walk tracking as far as I'm concerned, it's simple enough for beginners and offers a lot for the keen runner. Lets hope my faith is not misplaced as my marathon pace plan is based very heavily on my Nike+ GPS data.

Nike+ 8 sneakers out of 10

BREAKING NEWS!

6. Cardiio

It's late in the day, but when I read that this App was able to accurately measure my heart rate just by looking at me, I admit I mocked it. "What dark magic is this!" I exclaimed. But, of course, I downloaded it anyway, and gave it a bash. Designed by the MIT Media Lab, it uses the camera on your iPhone to measure the light reflected from your face. Every time your heart beats, more blood is pumped into your face, which in turn causes more light to be absorbed and less light reflected back into the camera. Sounds bonkers I know, but I tried it and compared it to my MyZone monitor (see blog 1) and amazingly, it was the same (within a beat or 3), and yes, that screengrab is really mine, eat your heart out Steve Redgrave.

I've only started it using it this week, but I can see that it would be effortless to keep track of your fitness, I also like having my predicted life expectancy compared to random animals.

Cardiio: For pure ease and bonkers science 8.5 sneakers out of 10

//Thanks Neil & GOOD LUCK for Sunday. Just pretend Wile.E.Coyote is chasing you…

1. How did you first get involved in BUGS?

We collaborated with Tom Kuntz in 2011 on the 1^st instalment of BUGS which was displayed at The Sydney Opera House. In the original iteration, we were exclusively the animation partner.

2. This is an epic collaboration between true creative geniuses; can you talk me through how it came to fruition?

I have worked with Tom Kuntz since the early days of the Mill LA. He has helmed some of our most critically acclaimed work. There is a real sense of collaboration when we work with him, so when he approached us at the end of 2012 about a BUGS revival it was a no brainer to participate again. This time he commissioned Dan Deacon, Sonos, and The Mill LA to bring it to life. Our role expanded to include production management, VFX and technology for the project.

3.What role did The Mill play in the final result?

We brought the band back together so to speak, with myself producing, and animators Greg Park and Dan Lang on the box! They rocked it last time, so I knew they'd be up for it again.  Tom designs the bugs, and Greg + Dan bring them to life through rigging and animation to set tracks by Dan Deacon. We also added some new people to the crew!  Editor, Luke Kraman stitched sequences together to allow Tom to have some creative control over the randomized BUG playback madness. Technical Innovations Manager, Tawfeeq Martin came on board in the early phases to create a blueprint to the installation.

Tawfeeq commented "Being able to contribute from concept has been an exciting opportunity to showcase the Mill's technical innovation sense that compliments our creative talent. My approach was a network manageable solution that could very easily be taken on the road. Mix in an A/V box with some out of box thinking and then a space-time continuum may very well have been defied. Some software tinkering allowed us to randomly trigger infinite combinations of video and audio samples, but more importantly maintain time and beat sync. The result is a continually evolving and immersive sensory experience that truly comes to life through the SONOS PLAYBAR."

4.What were the highs and lows of the process?

It was amazing to work with peers on an artistic collaboration with a sponsor who promotes innovation. Sonos was a great partner, and their speakers being ace didn't hurt… Working with Tom in a non-traditional capacity was rewarding for all involved. Balancing schedules of everyone was a challenge, but that is often the case with busy talents.

5.How was the exhibition received at the opening night at Sonos Studios?

It was awesome to observe people's positive response to the exhibit, as it's unique for our work to launch in a live setting. Sonos Studios was designed to have site-specific installations, so they have a little underground following. That in combination with fans of Tom Kuntz and Dan Deacon, allowed for a great 200+ crowd the whole night who were all genuinely excited to see a live jam session. When Dan Deacon + Friends played a myriad of instruments alongside the BUGS performing in their monoliths, it was an entertaining and transfixing experience. The BUGS continue to live in the space for another few weeks at Sonos Studio, but the night of the launch they came alive with human interaction.

6.What is the plan next for Bugs?

BUGS is an interesting concept at its core, and lends itself to evolving further. We would jump on the opportunity to take it to the next level if it presented itself!

7.How do you feel in general about creepy crawlies..?

I know a mother isn't supposed to play favorites, but Bug 5 has a special place in my heart.  Don't tell the others!

//Thanks Ari & Tawfeeq for this exclusive insight. If you couldn't make it down to Sonos Studios, lead animator Greg Park was on hand to film this time-lapse experience of the opening night.

Championed by Creative Director Phil Crowe, this spring saw the first ever Fonzarelli prize at Mill LA. The prize was born from a very simple idea, a t-shirt design competition, which then underwent cross department pollination with key input from a team of tech-minds; Chris Bayol (3D Artist) Tawfeeq Martin and Mattias Andersson (Engineers) who set about making the initial idea into a more integrated and sophisticated process. Their determination to create a system never seen before was un-wavering.

A template was designed for the submissions where the competition entries could be realized. This template was then uploaded to a microsite where the team devised a script that would automatically UV Map the design onto a t-shirt, which sat on a CG created dressmakers dummy.

After uploading their t-shirt creation, a full 360-turntable of the design was created enabling each entry to be seen and fully realized. This was then submitted for the internal-online vote that whittled down from 66 designs into a top 5.  The top three were selected by a representative from each dept, with the winner being announced on the night of the all-company gathering for the monthly showcase of work and news….

1st Place "SPRUNG" Becky Porter - digital compositor.

"The Mill logo breaking into monarch butterflies was the first idea I had upon reading the brief. I wanted to design something wearable and a little unusual. This is why I chose to put the main print on the back and justified to the base of the t shirt. It's like the small butterfly on the front is the tease and the reverse with the logo reveal is the pay off."

"I was shocked at how excited I was when I got the email that I was in the top 5, and really got a thrill from the competition. I'm happy that the design has been chosen, and can't wait to see it go to print, though I must confess I voted for Andy's fish."

2nd Place "SPRING" Amy Graham - Jr Designer.

3rd Place "MILL EARTH" - Chris Bayol, 3D.

The Fonzarelli award presented to Becky was a 3d print of the actual cg render!

All in all this was a fully integrated approach maximizing the talent of engineers, creative and designers alike resulting in a never-seen-before software and a host of new Mill t-shirts once Becky's winning design is printed and paraded around the LA studio… so keep your eyes peeled for them and the next design competition in July.