Watching the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade is a tradition for many families. I always remember having the parade on the tiny television in my grandparents’ kitchen while I was enlisted to chop or prepare something for our big meal. My sister and I would pick out our favorites from the legendary balloons. It’s nostalgic. For one grandma, the parade has huge significance. Grandma Boop had been trying to be in the parade for more than 30 years, and on her 83rd birthday, her kids gave her the surprise of a lifetime. She doesn’t know what to think or believe at first, but when she gets it, the look on her face is priceless. Read More: This Grandma Danced Her Way Through Life — We Should All Be This Fabulous At 88 I’m sure it was an amazing experience and Grandma Boop really made the most of it. That’s one more thing crossed off the bucket list. Read more: http://www.viralnova.com/thanksgiving-day-parade/
You want explosions? You got ’em. Just watch the teaser trailer for A Good Day to Die Hard, the fifth installment in the action-packed Die Hard series. After the explosions, Bruce Willis channels his inner James Bond as John McClane, squeezing in a nice one-liner: “The double O seven of Plainfield, New Jersey.” Will you watch this Die Hard flick when it comes out Feb. 14? Or is it time for this series to end? BONUS: 295 Movies in One Epic Remix of ‘Baby Got Back’ Read more: http://mashable.com/2012/10/04/a-good-day-to-die-hard-trailer/
Are you ready to view the most remarkable video you’ve seen all month? Strap yourself in, because Making View created the world’s first spherical 360-degree video of a Formula One racer screaming around the Rudskogen facility in Norway. The video was shot using Making View’s ViewCam 360, a spherical lens and video technology that lets viewers watch the video in any direction (except up). You can even take an especially dramatic look straight down at the vehicle as it flies around the track at breakneck speed. It’s easy to control, either with your mouse or with the arrow keys on your keyboard, and you can hit the space bar to stop. We immediately went for the highest quality, but even with an unusually fast broadband connection, we needed to wait for the video to buffer for a while before it will stream smoothly. Oh, and be sure to click the full screen icon for maximum thrillage. Making View is a veteran at creating these 360-degree views, but now it’s venturing into video versions with its ViewCam 360, teaming up with Red Bull for this technological demonstration. We’d say it’s a smashing success. Not only is the video delightfully crisp from all angles, but the audio is dramatic enough to get your heart pounding. It’s been a dramatic few weeks for Red Bull, the caffeinated sugary drink company that can’t seem to get enough of sponsoring way-cool technological extravaganzas. Even this jaw-dropping video doesn’t quite match Red Bull’s previous stunt, the harrowing leap of Felix Baumgartner from the edge of space, 24 miles high. How on earth (or in space) will Red Bull be able to top these two stunts? [via Autoblog] Read more: http://mashable.com/2012/11/01/f1-360-degree-video/
Spike Lee is hopping on the Kickstarter bandwagon to finance his next film. Following the likes of Scrubs star Zach Braff and the creators of Veronica Mars, the acclaimed director is developing an untitled project that will look at humans addicted to blood. Lee calls it “funny, sexy and bloody (and it’s not ‘Blacula’).” “It’s a very different climate now, and the only way to ensure, as an independent filmmaker, that your vision gets on screen, is when you bring the money to the table,” he says in the video, above. On his Kickstarter page, Lee addresses the “faithful” with a long, persuasive letter that describes his love for filmmaking, as well as the troubles that come along with it. “The catch is Filmmaking is an Artform that costs M-O-N-E-Y,” he writes, throwing standard writing conventions out the window. “That is why I’m appealing to the Kindness in your Hearts, to the Faithful who have given me the much needed Love and Support over my 3 decades of Spike Lee Joints.” Present-day Hollywood does not support independent filmmakers, Lee says, adding that the studio-system model discourages creative liberty: I’m not hating, just stating the facts. Super Heroes, Comic Books, 3D Special EFX, Blowing up the Planet Nine Times and Fly through the Air while Transforming is not my Thang. To me it’s not just that these Films are being made but it seems like these are the only films getting made. To The Studios it seems like every Film must be a Home run on a Global scale, a Tent Pole Enterprise, able to spin off Sequel after Sequel after Sequel after Sequel after Sequel after Sequel. I have a different vision of what Cinema can be, a different vision of what some under-served Audiences might want to see. Lee vows — “on my Mother’s Grave and Right Hand to the Almighty” — that every donated dollar will go towards funding the film and not into his pocket. He’s also promising some pretty enticing rewards as incentives to support the project, including autographed items and thank-you tweets. At the time of writing, Lee’s campaign just surpassed the $100,000 mark; he has 28 days left to raise his entire goal of $1.25 million or receive nothing. The filmmaker, renowned for such iconic flicks as Malcolm X and Do the Right Thing, is also getting ready to debut his latest project, Oldboy, a remake of the 2003 Korean thriller of the same name. Will you support Lee? Tell us in the comments, below. Image: Al Bello/Getty Images Read more: http://mashable.com/2013/07/23/spike-lee-kickstarter/
Although Beyonce, Jay Z and Justin Timberlake may run the pop world, it’s the youth that are shaping tomorrow’s musical landscape. With this in mind, Spotify announced its inaugural list of the top 25 artists under 25. The music streaming service pored over number-one hits, volume and growth of streams and shares, as well as viral chart success from the past year to determine who made the cut. See which young artists are dominating this year’s charts, ranked in order by streams below. Spotify has also made a playlist embedded below for your listening pleasure. Spotify’s Top 25 Under 25 1. Avicii The 24-year-old DJ is Spotify’s first artist under 25 to cross the one billion streams threshold. His song “Wake Me Up” is the streaming service’s most-played tack, with more than 240 million streams globally. Video: YouTube, AviciiOfficialVEVO 2. Lorde Though Spotify listeners were streaming the 17-yea-old pop star’s single “Royals” long before it hit mainstream charts, her follow-up single “Team” is on a hot streak with more than 80 million streams and counting. Video: YouTube, LordeVEVO 3. Miley Cyrus Spotify listeners stream Miley’s music more than 1.5 million times a day. The service has seen a near 50/50 split between genders for the pop star’s top hit singles, “We Can’t Stop” and “Wrecking Ball.” Video: YouTube, MileyCyrusVEVO 4. One Direction These U.K. heartthrobs get more than one million streams globally each day. And if you incorrectly assumed that Harry, Liam, Louis, Niall and Zayne are only hits with the ladies, consider than nearly half the listeners of their single “Story of My Life” are men. Video: YouTube, OneDirectionVEVO 5. Taylor Swift Though the queen of country-pop crossovers is 24, her lyrics read like a post from your teenage LiveJournal blog. Though Swift’s last album “Red” was released in late 2012, her music still enjoys about 400,000 streams per day in the U.S., and twice that globally. Video: YouTube, TaylorSwiftVEVO 6. Jason Derulo If you’ve listened to top 40 radio in the last few months, then you’ve likely fallen under the spell of Derulo’s top charting single “Talk Dirty.” The horn-heavy track has been one of Spotify’s top performing tracks this year, coming in at more than 120 million streams. His latest single “Wiggle” featuring Snoop Dogg is gaining traction in the U.S. Video: YouTube, Jason Derulo 7. Ariana Grande The 20-year-old pop diva is well on her way to becoming the next Mariah Carey, with her high-reaching notes and dazzling live performances. Her latest single “Problem” featuring Iggy Azealia is a hit on Spotify. Video: YouTube, ArianaGrandeVevo 8. Hunter Hayes The 22 year-old country singer recently broke the Guinness World Record for the most concerts played in the most cities in 24 hours. His latest single “Invisible” reaches listeners with its anti-bullying stance and heartening delivery. Video: YouTube, hunterhayes 9. Rita Ora This British powerhouse’s latest single “I Will Never Let You Down” is produced by boyfriend Calvin Harris, and is steadily gaining traction with Spotify users. Video: […]
Never afraid to explore the power of web technologies, Grammy-winning rock band Arcade Fire unleashed an interactive music video for “Reflektor.” The video is an open-source Google Chrome experiment that lets viewers use a computer mouse, phone or tablet to toy with the video’s graphics or incorporate their faces into it. People can play with the flashy video effects in the Chrome experiment or on this explanatory website. Director Vincent Morisset filmed the footage in Haiti. The video follows “a young woman who travels between her world and our own.” Two of Arcade Fire’s previous videos used code, as well: 2010’s “We Used to Wait” took your childhood home address, and personalized the experience with Google Maps, while 2011’s “Sprawl II” again tasked viewers to direct by using a webcam or mouse. Here are some details about the web tech used for “Reflektor”: Arcade Fire also released this entirely different, non-interactive version of “Reflektor”: Image: JustaReflektor Read more: http://mashable.com/2013/09/09/arcade-fire-reflektor-video/
You don’t have to travel to New York City this weekend to experience the NYC Pride March. On Sunday, June 29, the city streets will welcome the march, and Mashable has your front-row seats. We’ll be providing coverage, commentary and interviews live from the march route. Tune in right here on Mashable or via the livestream on the Mashable YouTube page beginning Sunday at 12:30 p.m. ET for interviews with Orange Is The New Black‘s Laverne Cox, Frozen‘s Jonathan Groff, National Gay and Lesbian Task Force’s Rea Carey and Kinky Boots‘ Natalie Joy Johnson, among many others attending the march. Influencers and advocacy groups around the world will also join the event remotely through the power of Google+ Hangouts on Air to share their inspiring stories and efforts. The month of June commemorates the Stonewall riots, which took place in New York City in June 1969. Now 45 years later, Pride Month is often observed and celebrated across the U.S. through LGBT Pride marches. To follow the march through social media, keep up with all the action with the #PrideCast hashtag. BONUS: 5 LGBT Influencers Share Their Proudest Moments Read more: http://mashable.com/2014/06/27/nyc-pride-march-livestream/
Music legend Dolly Parton is going to contribute four original songs to the independent film, Olive, the first feature film shot entirely on a cell phone. Olive is the story of a little girl who changes the lives of three people, all without speaking a word. It also stars two-time Academy Award nominee Gena Rowlands Although Olive was shot entirely on a Nokia N8 camera (which at the time was the only full 1080p cell phone camera on the market), the film doesn’t have a “cell phone video” look. Co-directors Hooman Khalili and Pat Gilles retrofitted 35mm lens from a film camera from the 1940s and placed it atop the sensor on the N8. This allowed the directors to have full control over depth-of-field and other focal controls essential to creating a great looking motion picture. You can watch the first five minutes of the film below, to see just how good the video is. Dolly Signs On I had the opportunity to see the film two weeks ago, at a private screening in New York City, and walked away from the film truly impressed. I wasn’t the only one. Khalili spoke at METal International earlier this year in an effort to promote the film. That led to a chance encounter with Dolly Parton. After watching Olive, Parton was so impressed, she committed to writing four original songs for the film. The songs were recorded at Kent Wells Studios just outside Nashville earlier this month. It’s looking like the songs might be released alongside Parton’s upcoming memoir which is set for release later this year. From Democratized Filmmaking to Democratized Distribution For the team behind Olive, Parton’s support is an affirmation of the idea that filmmaking and film distribution can be democratized. Khalili told me that part of the impetus in deciding to use a cell phone, rather than a traditional digital video camera, for the project was to save cost. For an aerial shot, the small size of the phone’s camera allowed the shot to be done atop a remote controlled helicopter, rather than from a real helicopter which could cost thousands of dollars. The next step is distribution. The Olive producers — which include former-Facebook executive Chris Kelly — are actively speaking with a number of studios and distribution shops to get the film out to viewers. After seeing the film, I think it’s target audience is likely women and families. I see it playing very well in middle America and on the Hallmark Channel or other family outlets. The Olive team wants to make the film available in a video-on-demand basis, ideally partnering with Vudu and Walmart for distribution. We think this approach would make sense both in terms of the audience and as a way to showcase the power of digital distribution. The Modern Independent Film In the age of Kickstarter, digital distribution and low-cost/high-quality video sensors, the world of independent filmmaking has drastically changed. Back in December, Ed Burns told me that Twitter has fundamentally […]
Hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons stars in a new digital short for “Battle For Your Ballot,” a non-partisan grassroots movement raising awareness about voter suppression. The video is the first in a series of PSA-style YouTube clips from The BRPR Group. The movement’s website, BattleForYourBallot.com, will house the videos, inform viewers about their voting rights and let people report voter irregularities by submitting audio, videos or photos. “We want to utilize the followings of celebrities and high-profile individuals with fans who are most effected by voter suppression tactics — younger voters and minority voters,” BRPR Group’s agency director Christopher Renz tells Mashable. He says the next figures in the movement will be a politician and Hispanic celebrity. The website also details state-by-state information for voters, including rights as an employee on Election Day and a list of necessary documents to bring to the polls. “This is not about a red or a blue state, Republican or Democrat,” says Gerard Bush, co-founder and chief creative director of The BRPR Group, who also has a prominent role in the video. “It’s actually not partisan at all; it is about the most valued right of every American citizen to have our voices heard at the ballot box.” Read more: http://mashable.com/2012/10/01/battle-for-your-ballot/
A YouTuber that goes by Kelly Murphy recently uploaded a GoPro video of herself snowboarding. Filming yourself doing such a thing may not be odd, but what she captured in the background will certainly give you chills. She was getting ready to head down a mountain (complete with adorable singing) when she accidentally filmed a bear getting ready to attack. Her video description was: OMG! I was going through my snowboarding videos and I found a bear chasing me!!! I nearly got eaten!!! This was at Hakuba 47 in Japan, filmed yesterday! Be careful people!!! Annnnd this is what can happen out in nature. Many online are claiming the video is fake (which is entirely possible). Even if this video is the result of clever editing and CGI, news outlets are picking it up. “Kelly’s” YouTube channel only has three videos (and all are of this snowboarding adventure). Odds are, the video is fake. However, it looks real enough to be a reminder of one thing: nature is scary. If you’re out by yourself hiking, snowboarding, or looking for the Blair Witch, make sure to take your cell phone and self-defense tools! Read more: http://www.viralnova.com/snowboarding-bear-attack/
