Duke Ellington and I share a birthday today, so to celebrate, here’s a look at how records (remember them?) were made in the 1930s with Duke Ellington’s Orchestra performing Oh Babe, Maybe Someday with Ivie Anderson. “Electrically engraved with the world’s finest entertainment!”.
Happy Birthday Duke!
This was the home of the future, according to a 1956 newspaper illustration.
Okay, so maybe we don’t all land a helicopter on the roof, and you probably shouldn’t be smoking that pipe indoors, but much of this is spot on. Big flat-screen wall-mounted TV, dishwasher, microwave, modernist architecture… and I’m pretty sure that’s an iMac on the right!
Here’s a rare look behind the the scenes at Hutchison-McCarthy Animation Studios. Those hilarious characters you know and love are all products of the imagination of these hard-working fellows. Wacky!
Okay, so we’re not opening an animation studio. Last weekend my buddy and fellow Transformers colleague Shane McCarthy and I attended a Disney themed party. So instead of going as the usual Mickey, Prince Charming, Tigger or Mad Hatter we went as… wait for it… “Disney Animators from the Golden Era of Animation”.
Yesterday I had a bit of fun as an extra in a television miniseries. An adaption of Tim Winton’s novel Cloudstreet, set in 1940s Perth, is currently being filmed and I answered the call for retro looking dudes who could bust a few dance moves.
Dapper gents? L: Me R: Jarrad
It was a long day which started with hair, makeup and costuming. To make things easier I brought my own 1949 vintage suit, which I was fortunate to find in mint condition in a vintage clothing store in Sydney last year. It was perfect for the period and amazingly fits like a glove! There were about 20 extras in the scenes we were shooting and some serious transformations took place. The gents all looked quite dapper and the ladies were all stunning. If only people made the same effort these days!
Preparing the extras
Aside from producing fabulous fonts, like those found in their latest Eames collection, House Industries make the most over-produced, over-the-top, yet beautiful print catalogs. They are one of my favourite design studios and I always look forward to seeing what they do next.