Every year a group of the world's elite designers and technologists take to the shores of Brighton Beach to meld their minds into one creative energy - known as FLASH ON THE BEACH.. Each year one artist is commissioned to create the title sequence for the conference - and munkowitz humbly accepted the invitation to create something spectacular for the 2011 event... A breakdown can be found here: http://work.gmunk.com/1747233/Flash-On-The-Beach FOTB Titles Credit list Director: Bradley G Munkowitz Executive Producer: Matt Winkel Director of Photography: Kevin Gosselin Assistant Director: Lloyd DeSouza Assistant Creative Director: Nick Losq Choreographer: Kitty McNamee Assistant Choreographer: Hunter Hamilton Dance Principal Male: Zak Ryan Schlegel Dance Reaper: Mecca Vazie Andrews Dance Gazelle 1: Reshma Gajjar Dance Gazelle 2: Tara Avise Dance Fireball: Denna Thomsen Wardrobe/Costume: Mindy Le Brock Wardrobe/Costume: Diana Contreras Makeup: Heiddis Ros Reynisdotti Makeup: Janna Velasquez Hair: Sean James Visual Production: BLACK SWAN (http://www.blackswan.tv) Executive Producer: Matt Winkel Producer: Lloyd DeSouza Creative Director: Nick Losq Design Director: Bradley G Munkowitz VFX Supervisor: Chris Clyne Typography Designer: Brian Gossett Editor: Bradley G Munkowitz Music / Sound Design: Keith Ruggiero (http://www.soundsred.com) Lead Animation: Bradley G Munkowitz Colorist / Finishing: Bradley G Munkowitz Process Photography: Nick Losq, Brandon Guthrie Live Action Production: Rabbit Content (http://www.rabbitcontent.com) CEO/Executive Producer: Douglas Howell Executive Producer: Joby Barnhart Chief Financial Officer: Eric Filler Lighting Production: Embrace The Void (http://embraceitdesign.com) Lighting Lead: Kyle Ruebsmaen Lighting Lead: Michael Fullman Master Stripper: Chris Clyne Lead Ball Assembler: Nick Losq MC Butt Clamper: Matt Winkel Master Scissor Lift Operator: Lloyd DeSouza Lead Balls Leveler: Bradley G Munkowitz King Crimp: Kevin Gosselin CAMERA: Kevin Gosselin Camera (http://kevingosselin.com) STAGE: Ben Kitay Studios LENSES/EASY RIG: Indie Rentals CAMERA ACC: Sammy's Camera THE INSPIRATION The initial inspiration was to take graphic pixelated light sequencing and integrate it into a live-action modern dance piece. This ultimately translated into building a unique LED light grid that would serve as the primary light source for the talent below. Immediately, A narrative evolved: a creative soul searches for inspiration as he faces manifestations of his inner ghosts. The LED grid provided a captivating device to parallel the emotion while the dancers ultimately led the viewer through this unforgettable journey. THE TREATMENT The Creative Process: Our hero is going through an inner turmoil that manifests in a dramatic interaction with his demons and muses. This is ultimately a personification of the creative process - the dire search for inspiration and the clarity to propel. The three seductresses that descend upon him represent the various stages of his awakening. The first is doubt and indecision - represented by the REAPER. She challenges him and he is eventually is forced into submission as she envelopes him, enabling his insecurity. The second set of seductresses are twin GAZELLES who play a back and forth. They are the conflicting ideas that float in a the head of an artist as he tries to manifest his turmoil into inspired focus. The last seductress is the FIREBALL. She is the spark that lights the fire in the artist to create something beautiful. It is pure passion, a coming together of the artist and his muse.. Throughout this awakening process his clouded vision is purified by the lights above to usher in the physical and mental clarity of his inspired self. THE LED GRID LED Grid Build: Faced with the daunting task of building a unique LED light grid, the Black Swan team, along with lighting design team Embrace the Void, took to the skies in lifts to rig 169 LED lights to a grid. Every four to six bulbs were linked to a distro and decoder box that transmitted data to the LEDS corresponding the the lights. Each Decoder needed to be properly linked, then run through a master box that was wired to an MBOX interface to run original LED sequences created by Munkowitz. The arduous process took two full days to wire properly and set up, but in the end was worth the effort. LED Grid Illumination: The story, though abstract, is still an emotional one for our hero. In order to translate the movements of the dancers with the lights of the LED grid, original patterns were created by munko to parallel the movements. Over the course of weeks each individual light bulb was programmed, from color to luminosity, to create a visual tapestry that matched both the ebb and flow of the music. Additionally, it added to the tension and release of the dancers and they explored the space and each other. Essentially LIGHT was the production design for our characters to explore, and their l