The Bell Event 2012: Aurora, the Dream Factory

This year, once again, I acted as Creative Director of the Bell Gala in support of CAMH. Called "Aurora: The Dream Factory," the event was produced by my friends and wonderfully creative colleagues at Circo de Bakuza. It featured projections and animation created by the uncanny Felix and Paul, a host of talented dancers and live musicians, and the work of my IN THE COOLER star, the clown René Bazinet, as well as the Canadian singer Suzie McNeil. As usual, the music written, arranged and performed by my buddy Robert Marchand was 50% of what you saw — and what you saw was fun, beautiful, absurd and moving. Here are some photos from various rehearsals on site at the Direct Energy Center at Toronto's Canadian National Exhibition, where the event took place.

This wonderful video summing up the event has just been added to Vimeo:


http://vimeo.com/59754985

The Human Fly generates press

 Marvel’s ‘The Human Fly’ is getting his own movie  

From Film Drunk  06.27.12

Written by Vince Mancini 

So if a fly was human... he'd ride motorcycles? With The Avengers crossing $600 million domestically this week and surpassing the billion dollar mark worldwide (now the number three highest-grossing film of all time, behind Titanic and Avatar) you can bet your stinky ass everyone in Hollywood is running around trying to find the next superhero movie. In fact, I’d go so far as to say that any exec who wasn’t planning on it would probably get fired. So what’s next? How about everyone’s favorite comic book, The Human Fly. What? Don’t look at me like that, I know you own every issue. A Human Fly comic, based on real-life stuntman Joe Ramacieri, was licensed and published by Marvel from 1977-1979. Over its 19-issue run and in various other Marvel comics, the Human Fly had run-ins with Spider-Man and Daredevil, among others in the Marvel stable. Alan Brewer and Steven Goldmann picked up the reverted rights on the property recently. Eisenberg-Fisher Productions, which is based on the Paramount lot, will executive produce the proposed indie, with financing said to be coming from private-equity sources. Goldmann is poised to direct. Brewer, along with James Reach, will produce. Tony Babinski, Cirque Du Soleil’s in-house historian, wrote the Montreal-based screenplay. [Deadline] Whoa whoa whoa, time the f**k out: Cirque Du Soleil has an “in-house historian?” Screw the human fly, that’s the guy I want to see the movie about. I like to imagine him wearing glasses, sitting at his desk trying to do his research while naked gay trapeze artists fly by above him eating fire and dripping sweat and astroglide all over his priceless scrolls.”No, not my scrolls!” he’d yell. Here’s the rundown on The Human Fly from the site the producers run: Inspired by true events, this is the story of Joe Ramacieri and his buddies, the guys behind the quasi-legendary and mysterious 1970s figure they christened The Human Fly. Joe’s only wish was to do something big, become famous, and never have to work in the family business, a sausage factory. After something has become so pervasive as a euphemism, it’s weird hearing it used literally, like that a sausage factory is a real place, or that a Dutch oven is a real thing you cook with. I can imagine someone looking down at a recipe going “what the hell? They want me to fart on some onions?” His life was changed forever when he met “Hollywood Ron,” whose only wish in life was to be “the greatest daredevil who ever lived.” Yes, the Human Fly rode on the back of jet planes, and attempted to beat Evel Knieval’s record by jumping over 27 school buses at Montreal’s Olympic Stadium, became the star of his own Marvel comics series, and a man celebrated on television and in print who rubbed shoulders with the great and not-so-great. Ultimately the man beneath the mask was more nuts then [sic] sane, more con man than stuntman… an accident waiting to happen. Unfortunately for Joe it was all on his dime. The Human Fly is a colorful and boisterously comic look at group of guys who just want to be famous for something and how they set out to do it. Well that explains it. If he wore tights and fought aliens, you can bet Marvel would still own the rights.

Tony's note: I am not Cirque's "in-house historian," though I do know quite a few sweaty circus artists — gay, pretty gay, not-so-gay, and not gay at all. 

C2mtl - a couple of shots

C2mtl Looming

My life hasn't been quiet since January - just subject to NDAs. But I can talk about this. Next week, C2mtl begins. I worked on the initial concept a couple of years ago, and am happy to see it becoming a reality. In the last few weeks, I've been acting as Creative Director of evening events with Circo de Bakuza, including the Illumination Party on May 24. This has involved many interesting meetings with some very talented people at the Psi Centre, Moment Factory, Boogie Studio and Cirque du Soleil, all of whom are making important contributions. I've also been helping to shape some presentations by a couple of key players at Sid Lee. This week, I started mentoring the young people in the Sid Lee Boot Camp, who will be presenting their work for the RED foundation during the conference. There's a good article about the event on the Tourism Montreal event here:

Snack Box wins big at the Retail Design Awards

The Snack Box project picked up three awards at the Retail Design Award's annual ceremony in New York City last night (January 16, 2012.) First Prize Innovation, First Prize Sustainability, and Best Store. Very nice! (I'm pictured at right holding the award backward, next to Michel Dubuc and Stephane Bernier of Aedifica.)

AJAX: Up and running

Here's a great video about the Ajax Experience project. I was on this baby from the pitch through video content, and learned a lot working with gsm and the various Lees on it. As always, its incredible to see something leap off the page and take shape in the real world.

SID LEE ARCHITECTURE | The Ajax Experience from sidlee on Vimeo.