LASSETER-SAN ARIGATAŌ (ラセターさん、ありがとう)

This two hour long Documentary narrates the travel Hayao Miyazaki did to the US when he was promoting the release of his latest film Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi (千と千尋の神隠し) known in the US as Spirited Away. 

In it, Miyazaki visits John Lasseter, the American filmmaker he met back in 1987 and whose friendship has grown over the years. Lasseter who founded Pixar by that time, stablished a great relationship with Miyazaki, what led to the recent deal between Ghibli and Disney, owner of Pixar since 2006, to release Studio Ghibli films in America. 

The whole film was created on the first hand as a thank letter to Lasseter, hence the title, and was originally a video made just as a personal gift to him, but later, Studio Ghibli decided to release it commercially on DVD under their label:  'Ghibli Ga Ippai Collection Special'

New Solid State Drive for my Laptop

Some days ago, I came back to my hometown and I took some time to make some changes in my HP6710b laptop. I decided to change the 500GB Hard Disk Drive with a modern Solid State Drive. SSD prices are still high compared with and standard HDDs and as my laptop it's already pretty old I didn't wanted to invest too much on it, so I chose to buy a  OCZ Agility 3 SATA3 2.5" 120GB SSD  for about 100€ (for this price you can have a 1TB regular HDD). Therefore, the storage capacity of my laptop has been reduced from 500 to 120 GB so I externalized all my data and projects and sterted using the new SSD drive for just the OS and all the programs. As I'm always dealing with big amounts of data I'm used to carrying around many external USB HDDs so it's not going to be a big change for me anyway. In the case I buy a new  laptop soon, everything important will already be in external drives, making the migration less painful. I must say the leap to solid state drives it's worth the money. Everything goes smoother, both Windows and demanding programs such as Adobe Photoshop  and Premiere boot much faster than before. 

While doing this process, I started to think on how much data I'm actually dealing with. I'm used to work with small portable HDDs that are more expensive but need no external power. I already have them labeled from 1 to 9, four of which are 1TB, and I'm already running out of space. I also thought on back ups. I should be doing a backup of all my content just in case a Hard Drive crashes, or gets lost or stolen. To do so, I will need at least another 4 HDD of 1TB, which adds 400€ to my budget.

I hope we will all have less storage problems in the future. I just discovered a site where HDD prices and storege capacities are collected and I make this estimation: In the year 2000 a 15GB HDD's price was 150€ approx, that's the equivalent of almost two DVD9 (8,5GB DVDs) and the price per GB was 10€. In 2010 a 1TB (1000GB) HDD was 100€ that means that each GB of data cost 0.1€ and the storing space was equivalent to 125 DL DVDs or 20 Dual Layered Blu-rays. So if this progression continues I have calculated that by the year 2020 we will have 67TB Drives for about 70€ that means 0.0001€ per GB and the equivalent on 8.375 DL DVDs or 1340 Blu-Rays storing capacity. All this in a device that fits in the palm of your hand. That would happen in just 8 years. We will see...

EAMES: The Architect and The Painter

A beautiful documentary about the brilliant design couple Charles and Ray Eames a completely a must-see for anyone interested in design. Official website.

Eames: The Architect and the Painter  Directed by Bill Jersey

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Studio: First Run Features
Format: Color, NTSC, Widescreen
Language: English
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
DVD Release Date: December 13, 2011
Run Time: 82 minutes

The film is already available on Amazon.
US / ES / JP

REM KOOLHAAS: A KIND OF ARCHITECT directed by Markus Heidingsfelder

I opened an account on Arquia Caja de Arquitectos "Architects bank" and they gave me as a present this film about Rem Koolhaas on DVD. As Rem himself describes: "It's the only film about me that I have liked." The edition I have is this one by Fundación Caja de Arquitectos. It's available on other editions in Amazon all over the world.

Rem Koolhaas. A kind of Architect

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Directed by Markus Heidingsfelder
97 minutes

US / ES / JP

Some numbers

I like making databases of the stuff I have. It's a long time I started to collect DVD media and even every time I can, I buy real DVD's sometimes I just download them to the HDD and  then record them to DVD-R media or just leave them there in the HDD. Today I have been updating this database which contains as of today a total number of 915 disc. 138 are located in a 1TB HDD that's almost full already and the rest are on physical optical discs. After some time I have realize that I would really like to have them all on HDDs. They occupy less space and the content is more accessible and portable. The thing is that taking as reference the size of the 138 discs that are on the HDD, I would need 6,6 TB to keep ALL MY DVD MEDIA. Today that is not a big problem, there are already 3TB HDD's for just 150€. The problem is that taking the 777 physical discs to a HDD at an average rate of 25min per disc, and ripping 5 hours a day, it would take 64 days. That's  two months. Next to nothing.

DVD - Helmut Newton: Frames from the Edge

Yesterday I watched a  1988 Helmut Newton documentary directed by Adrian Maben. Through many interviews and behind the camera featurettes, Maben depicts perfectly the creative process behind Helmut Newtons awesome photographic works. A must see for anyone interested in photography.

Helmut Newton - Frames from the Edge (1988)

Directed by  Adrian Maben

Image Entertainment

95 minutes / Color / DVD / NTSC /  1.33:1 / English
DVD Release Date: March 19, 2002

re-edited on 2009

Available in Amazon:
US / ES / JP

ART & COPY directed by Doug Pray

I was looking for Lee Clow's work in the net, the guy responsible for the classic Apple 1984 commercial. And I came upon with the documentary Art and Copy directed by Doug Pray about the revolution of advertisement and marketing. It's available on DVD.

Rick Springfield's THE BEAT OF THE LIVE DRUM directed by David Fincher

Today I found a DVD of a 1985 Rick Springfield concert directed by David Fincher. It's always nice to see the first works of such talented directors. I'm waiting for the day in which David Fincher joins Spike Jonze, Michel Gondry, Chris Cunningham and others in the Directors Label series of DVD that showcase the early works of this directors.

Rick Springfield - The Beat of the Live Drum
Directed by David Fincher
Language: English
Studio: Image Entertainment
DVD Release Date: July 2, 2002
Run Time: 71 minutes

Available on Amazon:
US / ES / JP

MEMORIES by Otomo, Morimoto & Okamura

Memories is an animated anthology conformed by three short films by directors Koji Morimoto, Tensai Okamura and Katsuhiro Otomo. This is the first Japanese DVD edition released in 1999 that came in a Laser Disc size box with the original cinema release booklet. Its original price was around 100€ but someone was selling it like new for just 15€ shipping included. So I added another Katsuhiro Otomo related item to my never ending Otomo stuff collection.

MEMORIES【劇場版】

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Bandai Visual
Color / Dolby / Widescreen / 2.35:1 /  142 minutes
Japanese & English subtitles available
DVD Release Date: 1999/03/25

Check the availability on Amazon: US / ES / JP

MUSHISHI directed by Katsuhiro Otomo

Mushishi was released in a collectors box set on 2007, but it was so expensive that I didn't buy it. Today I found it at a bargain price in Amazon Marketplace. The box is awesome, designed with a beautiful paper and combining different textures and transparencies. It includes tho discs and two booklets with the script and many sketches by Otomo himself.

Mushishi DVD BOX

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131 minutes / Color / Dolby / Widescreen
Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
Release Date: 2007/10/26
Check the availability in Amazon Japan

DVD DESIGN | Ecosistema Urbano

We have teamed up with Iñigo Cornago to work on an audiovisual project for Ecosistema Urbano architecture office's upcoming exhibition at the 2nd Biennial of the Canary Islands about Architecture, Art and Landscape. We have collected ten videos created by the office over the last decade and remastered them with  brand new  introductions and menus into a beautiful DVD disc.

The exposition will held from the March 5th to the May 3rd in the Canary islands. More info about the Biennial here.

DESIGN | Projects Jury

There are different Projects class units in Architecture School. Usually when you are in a unit you don't really know what's going on in the others. This year they have decided that once every semester there are going to be some kind of projects jurys in which all the units will present a selection of their best worksand will get feedback from the others. AAGRAFA has been recording those sessions that took place on November 17, 18 and 19. Each day has been collected in two discs, one with the morning session and the other from the afternoon session. The set are now available in ETSAM library with the deposit numbers [V-945], [V-946] and [V-947] respectively. (The artwork shown is the cover of the six DVD pack that collects every session)

DVD DESIGN | Picado-De Blas ¿Redondo?

We have just released another AAGRAFA DVD. A  conference by Architects Picado-De Blas. Available now on ETSAM library with the deposit number [V-958].

WORLD APARTMENT HORROR directed by Katsuhiro Otomo

Based on a manga work written by Katsuhiro Otomo and drawn by Satoshi Kon, World Apartment Horror is the film adaptation directed by Katsuhiro Otomo. I was looking for this DVD for a long time and I've just found it in Amazon Japan Marketplace.

WORLD APARTMENT HORROR

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Directed by Katsuhiro Otomo
SME - Visual Works 

97 minutes / Color / Dolby / Letterboxed /Japanese

Release Date: 2001.08.22

Available in Amazon US / ES / JP

STEAM BOY Starter Kit

Before Katsuhiro Otomo's Steam Boy was released in theaters, a DVD box designed by match55go and titled STEAM BOY Starter Kit came out on June 25, 2004. The set included a short animation film "48 X 61" directed by Rintaro dedicated to Otomo, a talk between Otomo, Rintaro and others, the making of SteamBoy, a promotional clip, a T-shirt designed by Otomo and a sticker with the title logo. I ordered it from Amazon marketplace for few bucks.

STEAMBOY STARTER KIT

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DESIGN | Jose L. de Miguel FLEXION / OBRA

We have just finished digitalizing two films from 1976 in AAGRAFA. The videos by Jose Luis de Miguel, professor of structures in Madrid Architecture School. Available with the deposit number [V-816] in ETSAM Libary.

LAB | DBBP Dragoi Bola Berreskuratzeko Proiektua

Laurogeita hamarreko hamarkadan ETB1-ean ikusten genuen DRAGOI BOLA beste hainbat neska mutikok bezela. Akira Toriyama-k sorturiko komikian onarritutako animazio serie japoniar honen 153 atalak DRAGON BOX delako 25 diskako kutxa baten argitaratuak izan ziren Japonian 2004ko uztailaren 7an, DVD formatuan. Ordurako DRAGOI BOLAren jarraipena den DRAGOI BOLA Z salgai zegoen Japonian, izan ere urte bat lehenago, 25 diskako kutxa bana kaleratu baitzituzten, 2003ko martxoaren 13an DRAGON BALL Z DVD BOX vol 1 eta hile batzuk beranduago 2003ko irailaren 18an DRAGON BALL Z DVD BOX vol 2.

Guztira 75 diskaz osaturiko hiru kutxetan DRAGOI BOLA eta DRAGOI BOLA Z guztia eskuragarri zegoen japonian 2004ko uztailerako; hori bai, japonieraz eta hiru mila euro baino gehiago ordainduta, kutxa bakoitzak 150,000yen balio baitzituen. Bien bitartean geu, ea Dragoi Bola DVD formatuan Euskal Herrira noiz iritsiko desioan eta euskarara bikoiztuta aterako ote zenaren irrikaz.

2005eko otsailean, manga Films ek eta Salvat-ek Dragoi Bola DVD formatuan kaleratuko zutela iragarri zuten, Erderaz eta estatuko hainbat  hizkuntzekin, katalanez, galizieraz eta baita euskaraz ere. Tamalez japonierazko jatorrizko bikoizketa etzuen ekarriko. Serie originalaren 153 atalak 51 DVDtan argitaratzea erabaki zuten, bi asteroko aldizkakotasunez, eta 15 euroko prezioan. Kolekzioak guztira 765 euro kostatuko zituen urte luze batean zehar banatuta. Audio kalitatea nahiko onekoa eta argi eta garbi entzuten zen arren, edizioaren  irudiaren kalitate eskasa eta prezio altua zela eta, interneten erabateko desadostasuna erakutsi zuten jarraitzaileek. Izan ere, Manga Films-ekoek master japoniar berriztuak erabili beharrean telebista autinomikoen airerapenetan erabilitako master zaharrak erabili zituzten eta gaur egungo telebista aparatu eta formatu digitaletan era guztietako zikinkeria eta master zaharren higadura erabat nabarmenak ziren. Hona hemen edizio espainola eta japoniarra alderik alde, DVDtik bertatik ateratako irudiak parekatuta.

Dragoi Bolak DVD formatuan Espainian izandako sarrera kaxkarraren ostean, 2006ko ekainean Selecta Visión-ek DRAGOI BOLA Z master japoniarrekin argitaratuko zuela iragarri zuen autonomietako hizkuntzekin eta baita japonierarekin ere.  Inork etzekien ordea jatorrizko DRAGOI BOLArekin zer gertatuko zen, Manga Filmsek berriz kaleratuko ote zuten master berriak erabilita edo edizio tamalgarri horrekin geratuko ginen betirako.

Urteak igaro eta inongo berririk etzegoenez honen inguruan, nire anaiak eta biok 2007ko gabonetan hasi genuen DRAGOI BOLA BERREZKURATZEKO PROIEKTUA (DBBP). Izan ere Manga Films-en edizioko DVD guztiak kaleraturik zeuden jada eta eskuragarri geneukan materiala erabilita ziur geunden edizio kaxkar hori baino zerbait hobea egin genezakela. Hainbat buruausteren ondoren DVD japoniarretan oinarritutako euskara eta japonierako edizio bat egitea erabaki genuen. DVD japoniarren irudia ez genuenez berriz kodifikatu nahi, kalitaterik gal ez zezan, nolabait lekua bilatu behar genion euskarazko audio pistari DVDetan sar zedin. Horretarako DVD japonairrak hainbat programei esker konputagailuan desegin genituen lehen bizi. Japoniar audioa estereoa 448kbps-etan kodifikatua zegoen, eta erdira, hau da 224kbps kodifikatu ezkero kalitatearen galera apenas nabarituko zen, era horretan euskarazko pista monoaurala 192kbps-etan sar genezakeen soberan zegoen lekuan eta segurtasun margina bat geneukan badaezpada ere. DVD japoniearrek sei atal zekartenez gure edizioak ere sei atal izango zituen. Menuak guztik berregin genituen euskaraz eta atalez-atal edo istorio eran ikusteko aukerak jarri genizkien DVDei. 

Horrela, gaur, 2008ko maiatzaren 16an Dragoi Bolaren lehen diska berregiten bukatu dugu. Prozezu luzea izan da, DVDen barne  estruktura  ulertu eta anitz programa berri erabiltzen ere ikasi behar izan dugu, baina behin lehenengoa eginda, prozesu guztia sistematizatu dugunez bigarrena egitea askoz errexago gertatuko zaigu dudarik gabe.

Proiektu honetan buru belarri genbiltzala, Dragoi Bolaren atalak YouTube-ra igotzea ez zitzaugula ezer kostatzen bururatu zitzaigun. YouTube-k 10 minutuko bideoak besterik ez dituen arren igotzen uzten. Halabeharrez, Dragoi Bolaren atalak hasierako eta bukaerako kantuak kenduta, bi zatitan banaturik daude beti eta nahikoa dira 10 minutu zati hauetako bakoitza igotzeko. Beraz edozein momentutan YouTubeko kanala itxiko digutelaren jakinaren gainean gauden arren, guk ez bait daukagu seriearen egile eskubiderik, egin beharreko gauza bat dela iruditu zaigu Dragoi Bola YouTube-n euskaraz jartzea eta horrela mundu guztira zabaltzea euskara bera. DBBProeiktua kanala estreinatu genuenean Dragoi Bola bertan topa daitekeen  euskarara itzulitako serie bakarra zen. Euskara ikastea helburu duen edozeinendako, txikitako Son Gokuren abenturak berriro bizi nahi dituenarendako eta nola ez jarraitzaile berri ororendako. 

DESIGN | SEGUÍ / SANTONJA

This old VHS, recorded in my first year in Madrid Architecture School. Javier Seguí and Ricardo Santonja made a kind of interactive class using camcorders and projectors to find cool frames and stuff. Today, five years later was finally released in DVD and is available in the ETSAM Library.

Clase Interactiva Javier Segui / Ricardo Santonja

29 min. /Deposit Number [V-819]

AKIRA DVD Special Edition

I just received a superb edition of AKIRA on DVD, the 1989 anime film directed by Katsuhiro Otomo. This japanese gorgeous box set includes the film with English and Japanese audio tracks and English subtitles, a second disc with plenty of bonus material and a 800 page book with the complete storyboard of the film drawn by Otomo himself. This edition is out of stock but you can always check out the Amazon Japan Marketplace.

Some of the videos included in the bonus disc, explain the processes called Quick Action Recording, a technic used during production to check the animation.

DESIGN | Rafael Moneo lectures from 1995

DVD collection design for AAGRAFA from a series of lectures given by architect Rafael Moneo at Círculo de Bellas Artes in Madrid in the 3rd Biennial of Spanish Architecture that took place in 1995. 

Those are probably the DVD covers I'm most proud of, above all the ones I did all this years in AAGRAFA. This time we had to digitalize a bunch of old VHS tapes containing lectures given by Rafael Moneo at the III Biennial of Spanish Architecture in Círculo de Bellas Artes on 1995. Each of the lectures focused on a architect so I decided it would be cool to meld Moneo's face with each of the architects he was speaking about. If you really like architecture talks, all this six lectures are a are a must watch. Believe me, they are really, really interesting. Available now on ETSAM libary.  -Ioannes

III. Bienal  de Arquitectura española
Ciclo de conferencias en el círculo de Bellas artes
Principios diversos en seis arquitectos contemporaneos

DISC 1
Rafael Moneo: James stirling
1995-XI-14 / 110 min / Deposit number [V-808]

DISC 2
Rafael Moneo: Aldo Rossi
1995-XI-15 / 95 min / Deposit number [V-809]

DISC 3
Rafael Moneo: Peter Eisenman
1995-XI-16 / 118 min / Deposit number [V-810]

DISC 4
Rafael Moneo: Alvaro Siza
1995-XI-21/ 112 min / Deposit number [V-811]

DISC 5
Rafael Moneo: Frank Gehry
1995-XI-22 / 118 min / Deposit number [V-812]

DISC 6
Rafael Moneo: Rem Koolhass
1995-XI-23 / 121 min / Deposit number [V-813]

Vist the website: https://aaandnn.com/design/moneo/