THE ARTIST OF OUR GENERATION

JÓNSI

Jón Þór Birgisson has been a collaborator with and frontman for the Icelandic ambient/transcendental rock band Sigur Rós since the group first formed in 1994. The raw energy and naturalistic inspiration that Sigur Rós achieves with their music has been unmatched by any other band in the world. Groups like The Album Leaf and The Books have also ventured to the idea that an abstractly rhythmic core can be layered with sheets eclectic harmonies and tones, but their songs can only tap into so many emotions at a time... Sigur Rós has shown no limitations. From Von (1997) to Með suð í eyrum (2008), this band has remained one of the most cohesive musical collaborations in modern rock... until now.

In the hiatus since their last release in 2008, most members of Sigur Rós have used the time to start families and settle down. Jón, however, has spent the better half of 2009 preparing for what is turning out to be an incredible solo venture under his nickname "Jónsi".

Listen to "Grow Till Tall" by Jónsi on Grooveshark

Jónsi makes being an artist seem effortless. In the official promo video for his new album Go Do you can see the sheer brilliance that he emits through not only his music, but the visual representations he creates for it (both in recording and in performance). And Jónsi knows this, which is why he didn't just stop at the the album and an incredible performances to match - he has created an experimental film that narrates the story of Go Do. The film is called Go Quiet, and it looks as though it will be as much of an experience to watch as Heima was for Sigur Rós.

Watch the promotional video for Go Quiet featuring "Around Us" by Jónsi

FFMP

Randy Finch is an associate professor of film at the University of Central Florida. A few years ago he had a thought: what if college students interested in making films for a living had the opportunity to work hands-on with people who are already doing it? At the same time, Randy took over a class in the UCF film program called The Film Producer. The course was initially designed to focus on the role of a producer as it pertains to the usual raising funds, pulling together the creative team, keeping things organized... blah blah blah.

Randy turned the class inside out with his new idea: the Film Fest Marketing Project.

What the FFMP does is outline a course that works in partnership with a film festival in the same community as the college. Over the last few years the students at UCF in Orlando have worked with the staff, volunteers, and most importantly the filmmakers at the Florida Film Festival. My own experience with this project at the 2010 FFF was one of pure enjoyment and satisfaction. So much so that I've since joined Randy's team to evolve the project for future classes and develop the website so that other universities and film festivals can utilize the FFMP.

The FFMP wears many different hats: it acts as a tool for filmmakers to get their films recognized by a community that they otherwise have no connection to in the weeks (or even months) before the festival. It help the film festival gain more recognition within their community. And most importantly it gives college students an opportunity to display their passion, work ethic, and street smarts to industry professionals, which can lead to connections that are worth a lot more than the cost tuition for three credit hours.