theodore ushev

The 3-dimensional man

I find this image (based on a still from Drux Flux) funny, but it perfectly illustrates the idea behind the film “Drux Flux” – The 1D Man, in 3D…Herbert Marcuse must be spinning in his grave…

Read the full NOW magazine article here:

This blog is in French

A friend of mine asked me – why You don’t write it in French. It is in French, I answered.

I draw and paint in French. My images are in French. Some of them are in Bulgarian, especially the old ones. But also some of the new too. If You have the eyes to see it.

I consider the words here as subtitles. There are for better understanding. The text is full with errors, but I don’t care. I don’t use spell checker. I just subtitle my works.

The text are not important for me – it doesn’t have any meaning. They are descriptive, informative and without feelings. But they are nice signs, well designed, nice forms and shapes. The written words are simply – forms, and designs. As the spoken words are music.

Screening in Quebec city

Auditorium 1, Musée de la civilisation ( 85 rue Dalhousie , Québec )

Mercredi 10 fevrier  – 19h30

Drux Flux (2008, 4 min) et
Tower Bawher (2007, 4 min)
de Theodore Ushev.
Roma
Federico Fellini,
(1972, 128 min) 35mm.

Postpartum drawings

Body in a destructive chair

An article

Article about the web and the cinema in the german magazine Telepolis. It is in German:

http://www.heise.de/tp/r4/artikel/31/31888/1.html

New paintings

Here are some of my recent paintings.

The first sketches for Lipsett diaries

Here are some of the sketches, that I did while just trying to figure out the visual style of the film “Lipsett diaries”. As You can see, the style changed dramaticaly. But in those first research illustrations, I tried just to create, and settle the feeling of the film. At that time I just had a lose idea what the film will be. No script was written yet. I will post some other later.

Maral Mohamedian about the 3d stereolab

Ineresting posting on NFB blog site:

Drux Flux in 3D for web

Here is the 3d version of Drux Flux for web. You need Colorcode glasses to watch it (You can order them for free from NFB site for free.)

Tzaritza #7 on top 20 NFB films for iPhone

Since we released our iPhone app last year, we’re getting an increasing amount of mobile traffic watching NFB films. Here’s a snapshot of the top 20 films people are watching on their iPhones…

1. The Cat Came Back 21901
2. Log Driver’s Waltz 12702
3. Citizen Harold 10481
4. Noël Noël 9875
5. HA’Aki 8930
6. The Sweater 8777
7. Tzaritza 7563
8. Marianne’s Theatre 7088
9. The Big Snit 6387
10. Carts of Darkness 6064
11. Project Grizzly 5902
12. How to Build an Igloo 5477
13. The October Crisis of 1970 5415
14. Uncle Bob’s Hospital Visit 5242
15. Ryan 5015
16. I Want a Dog 4645
17. The True Story of Linda M. 4576
18. Just Another Job 4479

*A “view” is any film that is watched at least 75% of its duration. This is a more rigorous definition of a view than some other online video portals. YouTube records a view every time a video starts playing.

And here is my comment – the fact that a film has more traffic, doesn’t mean it is better. It is like the box-office at the cinema, but without the money.  The traffic doesn’t make a film better or worse. It cannot be a measurement for the art. Only for popularity, which as we know doesn’t mean better art.

An indefinable object of desire

Well. Here is the story. 8 years ago my friend Laurent Rabatel came with the proposition, to make a boutique advertising and design agency. And the first thing was the…logo. I did it. The name Lichen that he gave to the agency was the first, and the only one that came. So was the logo. NO takes. NO doubts. The very same day my daughter was born. Actually, after giving him the file, I was running to the hospital. So for me, Lichen communication and my daughter Alexandra are always part of an indefinable love.

I jumped after into the adventure called moviemaking, and Laurent continued alone the battle with the kitch, the miserable advertising community. 8 years. Lichen established as the uncompromising and the only radical place in Montreal where the advertising doesn’t lick client’s asses, but work in his solemn interest, even if he doesn’t know it. The last fighter for the good taste. And the opposition of “creativity” – cause creativity is a borring cliché, and the only thing that we need is the invention and the arrogancy to be the FIRST!

A reason to continue making animated films

F e r n a n d   L é g e r ,
l e s   C o n s t r u c t e u r s
musée national Fernand Léger, Biot
11 octobre 2009 -12 janvier 2010
vernissage samedi 11 octobre à 11h

Un cycle de films autour des « Constructeurs » de Fernand Léger est
organisé le premier dimanche du mois pendant la durée de l’exposition.
dimanche 7 décembre, 15h
Enthousiasme de Dziga Vertov
Russe / 1931 / Documentaire / 69 mn
Précédé de
Tower bawher de Théodore Ushev
Canada / 2005 / 4 min

Music

Now, as it is official, I can reveal that the soundtrack of Lipsett diaries film is signed by one of the most influential Indy bands from Montreal.
As I was listening almost all the time the music of Godspeed You! Black Emperor, and they side-post-project Set Fire to Flames, it was just natural, that David Bryant provided the music for the film. It consists of never heard before recordings, as well some songs from “Telegraphs in Negative” album, and his new project “Hiss tracts”.
In addition, The Besnard Lakes.

Intermission

Yesterday, we went with a friend of mine on a vernissage of a big exhibition at Canadian Centre of Architecture, in Montreal. I was very surprised to see that Drux Flux was currated and played on it. Together with films of Lazslo Moholy Naggi, Robert Breer, McLaren, Viking Eggeling…
Well, it is my style – never know where my works are or playing at. The evening was great, a lot of people, the party after that was smashing (and the VJ had a lot of matterial to play with, haha – I enjoyed Drux Flux images, mixed with some Ultravox style footages, and “Coeur de pirrate” remixes.
The exhibition “Intermission:Films from a Heroic Future” is open at CCA, Montreal, untill 28 February 2010.
For detailed schedule, see here

David Gilmour promos

Last Years were so hectic, that I usually forget what I did, not to mention that I absolutely have no time to promote myself, and post everything that I do on my site. But sometimes and somehow, this work comes out again. In 2007 I worked with the famous UK design agency “Stylo Rouge” on a series of animations, promos, spots for David Gilmour album “On an Island”.
Here are some of the ads that came from this collaboration:
UK TV commercial

There where 7 or 8 like this. But I like the Czech spot:)

More of the animations are on the DVD “Remember That Night – Live at the Royal Allbert Hall”, and his site.

2010 manifesto of animation – first comes first!

Exactly 10 Years ago, a group of designers wrote the First Comes First design manifesto.
So, a little bit later, there is the FCF manifesto of the animation.
1. Draw at least one drawing a day.
2. Read at least 10 pages of a fiction book per day.
3. Have sex at least once a day.
4. Run or exercise at least 30 min. per day.
5. Don’t touch anything ugly. It destroys Your sense of aesthetic.
6. Don’t do stupid jobs only for money.
7. Don’t drink cheap wine. Don’t eat in cheap restaurants, no fast food! Don’t think about Your rent. Meprise Your Landlord, Your Boss, Your Depute, Your President, Your King and Queen.
8. If You buy a car – nothing less than a new and expensive one. Better ecological hybrid. Everything less is a garbage.
9. Don’t watch Cartoon Network, or any other Cartoons, don’t watch Disney films – it is dangerous for Your brain.
10. Always remember – a “G-Star” jacket or “7…” jeans is allways more valuable than Your film, no mater how many Years, months, or seconds You’ve spent on it.
and the additional, the most important:
11. Don’t take seriously this manifesto. You have to be insane to believe in all those things…

20 Years ago

At this day. The communism just got down. Like this – click. It was a happy day – didn’t believe it first. It seemed that it is there forever. No signs of falling and freedom. Some ecological demonstrations, after that out teacher of perspective named us fachists…
I was with my teachers at the academy, when they told me at the lunch – it seems that the dictator is down. We got drunk. It marked the beginning of 2 Years, that I’ve spent on the barricades, drawing posters, organizing strikes, meetings, occupations, and even participating in a really violent act of attacking a governmental building, fire on it, excited in an anarchistic drunkenness from the sudden freedom. Who needed art in those days – instead of painting models of old women and naked models, I was painting posters, and slogans for demonstrations, and spending my year on the streets with the lumpen proletariat of the marginals and all time losers. The beautiful times of the holly freedom, when You can see a cop, or Your boss, or Your teacher, or any authorities on the street, and to pee on his shoes and tell him that You just fucked his sister, and he would say – thank You. Henry David Thoreau was my writer, and everything was pure excitement. 20 Years ago. All the important happenings in my life happens in November. The fall of the communism, my daughter was born in November, I first met my wife in November. My film is going to be finished in November… I love Novembers!

Bad state of mind

Recently I posted some postings, that I don’t find relevant anymore. It is not a comment blog – it is portfolio blog. Mistake – I admit! So, no more shits – only art! Shits are for the real life!

The font

My favorite font:
Akzidenz Grotesk

Akzidenz-Grotesk is a realist sans-serif typeface originally released by the H. Berthold AG type foundry in 1896 under the title Accidenz-Grotesk.^[1] It was the first sans serif typeface to be widely used and influenced many later neo-grotesque typefaces. Max Miedinger at the Haas Foundry used it as a model for the typeface Neue Haas Grotesk released in 1957, and renamed Helvetica in 1960. Miedinger sought to refine the typeface making it more even and unified. Two other releases from 1957, Adrian Frutiger’s Univers and Bauer and Baum’s Folio, take inspiration from Akzidenz-Grotesk.

Akzidenz Grotesk, totally by chance was used as title and credit font in all of Artur Lipsett films…

NFB iPhone application

The new National Film Board application for iTouch and iPhone is ready for download.
Today it was 6th most downloaded application on iTune!
So – Go to iTunes, download it, it is free. And You can watch all NFB films on it, wherever You go. Including mine;) Including the stereo 3d version of Drux Flux, using Colorcode glasses (the Colorcode glasses You can order there for free!)