Del Close's Eleven Commandments of Improvisation→

Another great post from Open Culture, Del Close's Eleven Commandments of Improvisation: 

1. You are all supporting actors.
2. Always check your impulses.
3. Never enter a scene unless you are NEEDED.
4. Save your fellow actor, don’t worry about the piece.
5. Your prime responsibility is to support.
6. Work at the top of your brains at all times.
7. Never underestimate or condescend to your audience.
8. No jokes (unless it is tipped in front that it is a joke.)
9. Trust… trust your fellow actors to support you; trust them to come through if you lay something heavy on them; trust yourself.
10. Avoid judging what is going down except in terms of whether it needs help (either by entering or cutting), what can best follow, or how you can support it imaginatively if your support is called for.
11. LISTEN

They apply to all creative endeavors.  

The Whitney Museum New Graphic Identity

The Whitney Museum has a new mark: a dynamic W that responds to the artworks and words around it. Designed by Experimental Jetset, the new graphic identity embraces the inventive spirit of the Museum, and signals other changes afoot as the Whitney prepares to move to its new building in 2015. Be sure to check out the case study. 

Made by Hand: The Bike Maker

​The fifth Made by Hand film turns to bike maker Ezra Caldwell (Fast Boy Cycles), who was diagnosed with cancer in 2008. When the cancer threatens to shatter his love of bikes, Ezra survives by documenting his illness as thoroughly as his craft.

This particular edition of the series is profoundly moving. It resonated with me very much, in particular how Ezra's dislike of dance changed his life. ​

A project from Bureau of Common Goods, Made by Hand is a short film series celebrating the people who make things by hand— sustainably, locally, and with a love for their craft.

​

Previously on Made by Hand:
​The Cigar Shop
​The Beekeeper
​The Knife Maker
​The Distiller

Musicals are booming→

The Economist: ​

Musicals have odds like venture capital: only one in ten makes money, and two out of ten lose it all. The hits, however, are huge. “Cats” probably made a 3,500% return for its initial investors. Since it debuted in London 27 years ago “The Phantom of the Opera”, a musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber, has grossed $5.6 billion worldwide, more than any film or television show. 

The Film before The Film

“THE FILM before THE FILM” is a short documentary that traces the evolution of title design through the history of film. This short film was a research project at the BTK (Berliner Technische Kunsthochschule) that takes a look at pioneers like Saul Bass, Maurice Binder and Kyle Cooper by showing the transitions from early film credits to the inclusion of digital techniques, a resurgence of old-school style, and filmmakers' love of typography in space.

​Add this one to the long list of favorite things related to opening title sequences.