Never shy away from good news when it’s associated with bad news–at least when the good news is brilliantly crafted shorts and music videos from some of the industry’s best talents.  After much anticipation, last week Flux finally welcomed us back to the heart of Westwood with their screening series at the Hammer Museum.  With the program set weeks ago, who could have known that a day before they were to screen Spike Jonze’s latest short film, its star would spark one of the most talked about celebrity controversies of the year?  Regardless, Flux remained determined to continue with its preview of “Once A Fairytale” despite Kanye West’s recent blacklisting by the general public and colleagues alike, adding more spice to a an already intriguing night of screenings.

Spike and Kanye weren’t the only ones rocking the boat Tuesday night.  The weekend before the premier of their highly awaited animated feature Logorama, H5 broke up, with Francois Alaux and Herve de Crecy venturing out on their own, leaving Ludovic Houpain to continue on as H5.  The masterpiece we were about to view would be the trio’s last hurrah, a work four years in the making which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival.  But what’s a Flux night without a little sensation?

The shortlist:

The Dead Winter – Treat Me Like your Mother
Director: Jonathan Glazer

Neurosonics Audiomedical Labs Inc.
Director: Chris Cairns

Dix (Ten)
Director: BIF

Department of Eagles – No One Does It Like You
Director: Patrick Daughters and Marcel Dzama

Coldplay – Strawberry Swing
Director: Shynola

Grizzly Bear – While You Wait For Others
Directors: Sean Pecknold

We Were Once A Fairytale
Director: Spike Jonze

Logorama
Director: H5

[Flux's indomitable Jonathan Wells.]

The night’s notables:

The evening opened with Jonathan Glazer’s rendition of The Dead Weather’s hit “Treat Me Like Your Mother.”  To be honest, the music video was a little underwhelming for my taste, but I suppose it drew your attention back to the song rather than Jack White and Alison Mosshart firing off automatic weapons at each other in a bordering-ridiculous fashion.  A great reminder of how much this very simple song kicks ass.  Literally.

Additionally, Flux decided to reach out to its community by challenging them create a two-minute epilogue to Glazer’s music video.  The winner gets Jack White’s wardrobe from the video.  [Detailed contest instructions here.]

Shynola’s hand-drawn animation masterpiece of Coldplay’s “Strawberry Swing” very well could have been the runaway highlight of the night.  Regardless of the fact that the video has been around since early summer, all jaws laid wide open on the ground by the time the credits started to roll.  I cannot begin wrap my mind around the excruciating time, planning, and execution the entire project required.  If you haven’t seen the piece yet in all its glory, here it is:

By the time the titles for “We Were Once A Fairytale” flashed across the screen, the audience was on the edge of their seats, curious to see what the short revealed.  For a moment, all the murmuring, whispering, and general Ye bashing was put aside as their undeniable curiosity outweighed their recently inspired distaste for the audacious entertainer.  What we were treated to was a surprisingly vulnerable feature which followed Mr. West through his drug/alcohol induced experience through a crowded club.  It was funny, it was sad, it was emotional.  One couldn’t help but wonder if “Once A Fairytale,” like the pop-inspired yet disarmingly vulnerable 808′s And Heartbreaks, was a fictional but honest window into the real personal struggles that is the life of Kanye West.  It’s safe to say that more than one viewer left the screening reassessing their understanding of the artist–or perhaps more importantly, the man.

“Logorama” did not disappoint.  From start to finish H5′s four year project just got better and better, drawing on familiar icons and a cultural vernacular for a short that dazzled and entertained in ways the audience couldn’t have expected.  Every shot was packed with logos that had you wanting to poke the person sitting next to you to see if they caught what you just noticed.  Definitely a film that requires more than one viewing to fully appreciate its inherent genius.  View the trailer here via Creativity-Online.

Much thanks for Flux and the Hammer Museum for hosting yet another wonderful celebration of talent and creativity.

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For more photos of the event, visit the Flux Screening Flickr.

Photo Credits: Marla Aufmuth [http://www.mcaevents.com]

Flux