I’m Here

Years ago, as a student, I read Stefan Sagmeister’s list of personal goals. There were heaps of silly ones, but one has remained with me ever since. ‘Touch someone’s heart with a piece of design’. I think that’s a very important goal, and am glad to see so many of us in Motion Design field have achieved it.

That’s precisely what Spike Jonze has done with this. I cried buckets! So I want to make sure you, dear readers, don’t miss it. Hence the upgrade from quickie status.

Similar to ‘Where The Wild Things Are’, this film carries the narrative with a youthful tenderness, a touch of naivete. It may not be subtle or complex, nor intellectual, but that’s exactly why it deeply moved me. Andrew Garfield (of Dr Parnassus’ fame), was brilliant as Sheldon, our protagonist. I have seldom heard such mixture of sincerity and bashfulness come across so clearly in a character’s voice.

Now, about the release format itself. Could this be the future for independent films? Most of us at HQ agree the ‘limited seats’ thing is an unecessary gimmick, but we’re a little divided on the presentation side.  I personally like the cinema-going virtual experience (although I can only put up with it on first viewing). while some others think it’s pretentious and unnecessary. What about you, readers? What do you think?

Regardless, sit back, relax, dim the lights, and snuggle up to enjoy ‘I’m Here’.

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About the author

Lilian Darmono

/ www.liliandarmono.com
Born and raised in Jakarta, Indonesia, Lilian moved to Singapore and eventually Australia for her studies, eventually graduating from Swinburne NID in Prahran, Melbourne. She then worked in print design before deciding to switch to the field of Motion Design in late 2003. Her obsessions include travelling, illustrating, and cats. She is currently in the London leg of her 'Mograph Tour Around The World', and calls Melbourne home.

12 Comments

iamsteve

however its delivered as long as its delivered. spike jonze… win!

erickmercer

It’s such a great piece!
I was surprised about how it took my facebook picture and used it on the pass. It was a pretty interesting way to use a service most people are on. I didn’t invite anyone to watch it with me but i suppose that ‘john doe’ would have been a friend of mine.
I enjoyed the theater part but I did one time click the triangle on the top right and had the screen go off ,the lights come on and me back outside the box office,curiosity killed that cat haha.
It was something different then Vimeo or Youtube in how it’s delivered. It could get pretty old fast but right now in this very moment,it’s perfect!

Lilian Darmono

Curiosity killed this cat too. Exact same thing happened to me. I wish they added ‘Exit’ by that triangle button or something. My broadband happened to drop out on me when I was viewing it for the first time too. PAIN PAIN PAIN, After that, Firefox seemed to think that i have not got the latest flash version installed when I tried to re-connect….

Anyway, I agree with you. Awesome on first try. I also jumped slightly when I saw my profile pic on the pass.

erickmercer

I recall that at some points it was buffering a bit as well as my CometBird telling me about needing to update my flash although it seemed random. I thought it was tied to a sold out show but that’s pretty discouraging if that is true.

mauser319

I liked the format well enough (and LOVED the film), but where it falls short is in portability. If the film’s being offered for free viewing, then there should be a download option! I’d love to DL this film and share it with friends and family who may not have the best displays or computers to enjoy it online. If I were able to download the film, I could watch it on my nice TV instead of my 15.4″ laptop screen.

It’d be one thing if Jonze were monetizing the film’s release with some kind of home video option– paid download, DVD, BluRay, etc (in which case this is most certainly a film I would support)– but giving the film away while still keeping the choke hold on its display parameters seems a little backwards.

Still, FANTASTIC film. I’ve already watched it twice!

Lilian Darmono

I agree with you too, Mauser. All these limits in distribution, I think it’s Absolut’s call. Mr. Jonze, if you’re listening out there, charge us £2 per download, and make your money back that way! I’d totally pay for it…

1983

an amazing film, i was glued to the screen. the character he gets out of the robot dudes is amazing.

the cinema thing is a little gimmicky, but at the same time fun. something different on the web goes a long way. would be good to be able to skip it on a second viewing, maybe it could just cache or just remember your IP etc

one of the best things ive seen for ages though…

kmfix

Awww… It’s like “The Giving Tree” but with robots!

Simon Robson

I really like the film. Watching it felt like a real event, accentuated by the online cinema thing. I don’t think this could be repeated too many times though, without it becoming gimmicky and annoying.

I will say however that i was a little disappointed by the story. All in all it felt a little gooey, and lacking a certain edge. I wanted to know more about why the robots were second class citizens in this world. At one stage i wondered if perhaps the heroine had gone through many male robots, substituting her parts for theirs, like some kind of black widow. I just wanted something else from the narrative. I know this is a love story, but love stories can be edgy and clever too.

Nonetheless an amazing achievement and a great starting concept. There’s only one Spike Jonze…

andrewhake

I must say I am a sucker for the presentation. Loved it! The only real downside his how intensive it is on a machine just a couple years old. I like the idea of limiting access, a lot. Not only does it build interest, it also makes each viewer feel like he/she is getting that more out of the experience.

I am very excited about this. If Spike and gang keep it up we might be able to get 30min ad supported shorts back into the movie theatres, and that is very exciting to me. It would be great for big name directors to promote short films and animated shorts along with their films if they so choose.

Definitely deserved the upgrade!

xpez2000

District Nine, a Michel Gondry film, & Nick and Nora’s infinite playlist…. nice combination.

ciencin

is there any info on how this film was done?
curious to know.. :)

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