Sunday, May 22, 2011

Lazy Sunday # 170: The Character Project

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Great artists are always looking for something new and exciting and innovative to prime their creative juices.

Among two of my favorite film artists are director brothers Ridley and Tony Scott, who, between them, are responsible for some of the finest films in contemporary cinema.

The older of the two, Ridley, has given us  "The Deullists", "Alien", "Blade Runner", "Legend", "Thelma and Louise", "Black Hawk Down", "Hannibal", "Kingdom of Heaven", "American Gangster", "Body of Lies" and "Robin Hood". Each so unlike the others they could be mistaken for the work of a completely different director.

Tony Scott's films include "Top Gun", "Beverly Hills Cop II", "The Last Boy Scout", "True Romance", "Crimson Tide", "Enemy of the State", "Spy Game", "Man on Fire", "Deja Vu", "The Taking of Pelham 1-2-3", and "Unstoppable". Again works less known for a specific directorial style than their individual cinematic impact.

In addition to their films, both brothers are widely known for their documentaries, commercials, music videos and producing the hit TV series series "Numb3rs" and "The Good Wife".

That would seem enough to keep most artists busy. But last year the brothers took on Youtube's innovative "Life in a Day", a documentary incorporating footage shot by YouTube users from around the world on 24 July 2010.

And now they are behind USA Network's equally innovative The Character Project.

The Character Project, is an artistic initiative in which talented filmmakers were commissioned to create short films exploring unique American characters through the moving image.

It's the kind of project that not only entertains and unearths new talent, but inspires other artists and shows what a TV network committed to building an audience can accomplish.

Here's a sample. Enjoy your Sunday!

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Ooops! Apparently this week's offering plays improperly in some bowsers. So find it here -- and then check out some of the others!

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