New York in Motion Premiere

For anyone who’s spent any time in New York City, you know it’s a place brimming with creativity. More specifically, though, it’s become a hotbed for the discipline of “motion design” (or “motion graphics,” depending on your taste).

Director Graham Elliot made this development the subject of his new documentary, “New York in Motion,” premiering the evening before F5: Thursday, April 14th at 7pm in the SVA Theater. It’s free and open to the public. For more details and to RSVP, go here.

Elliot’s statement about his film:

“Motion Graphics”, the term used for the industry I work and teach in, encompasses a large extent of the way we communicate today. It translates, itinfluences and thus ultimately creates an ever-growing part of our shared reality.That makes it pretty powerful. Yet the term itself seems curiously vague. What actually is “Motion Graphics”? What “makes it tick” and who are the peoplecreating so much of the vocabulary in our cultural discourse today?

It also struck me as very interesting that especially in the last decade, New York has become a bustling center of Motion Graphics. Why is it that an industry whose product seems so engaged in a virtual existence, still is prone to develop such a physical concentration in a geographic location?

In my quest to find answers I reached out to the people behind the screens and scenes that surround us. I interviewed more than 50 of the most influential players in the field and I met a diverse group of fascinating individuals and collectives on an exciting journey: Tuned into the ever-changing state of the artof technology, yet more importantly keeping a finger on the pulse of our shared sensibilities, their work both mirrors and transforms our personal and cultural awareness. And, constantly pushing the boundaries, their drive, talent, insightand creativity proves as inspiring as their work itself.

I hope this film succeeds in capturing some of the essence behind the power of this exciting medium and the incredible energy that infuses this city and this industry, Motion Graphics.