Ari Kuschnir Talks to PSFK

m ss ng p eces is a boutique video production house showcasing artists, events, publications, companies, and their inspiration through innovative short film formats that spin through the web.In 2006, m ss ng p eces video work for Coolhunting was voted a top 5 podcast in the world by Time Magazine and in 2007 the Cool Hunting Video series won the first ever video Webby awards. Ari is co-founder of this company leading the way with content developed for our new world. We thought we’d ask him a couple of questions:

You use the web to move between art, film, media and commerce. Do you think there’s a change in the way people consume film and creative work that allows you to produce successfully both on a personal level and a commercial one?

I do think something has changed. Two years ago when the video ipod came out and we started doing the Cool Hunting episodes, it felt really liberating. We could spotlight an artist, or a musician we really liked and create a 3 minute film that doubled as a commercial for them that 50,000 people would see the next week. During our research with the Cool Hunting series we felt comfortable experimenting with narrative structure in ways that would not be possible in a more traditional setting. The experience has inspired us to do projects such as our partnership with Ghostly International where we took one of their artists, Matthew Dear and made mini ‘music video’ vignettes for each song of the album instead of making a 4 minute music video for one song that would most certainly be viewed online.

So I feel certain brands have seen the potential of giving artists and filmmakers a green light to experiment with creativity and then associate their product with the spirit of the video. Enthusiasm is fun to work with and also fun to watch and we always try to position ourselves in situations where it is easy to enjoy what we are doing every step of the way.

 

There are still no rules dictating how online video should function. We feel grateful to be a part of all of the exciting new frontiers that the web is providing for cinema.

And what have you guys been up to recently?

We went to Mexico and shot four films for Don Julio Tequila with the Dotglu arm of KBP that will premier in January 2008 on their first ever global site.

 

My partner Scott Thrift had an idea for an original series which we have been developing with Sundance Channel’s digital department.

 

We are also in post-production on Out of Town season two, a collaboration with Flavorpill and Redken’s Urban Experiment. The second season is a lot more carefree than the first with a series of brief and comedic scenes that give you a peak into small town fun.

 

The worldwide design competition Cut & Paste – has hired us to create a short documentary of the 2007 shows. We’re off to London and Tokyo this month to finish principal photography.

 

I’ve also been exploring live visuals with Something in Spanish, doing a kind of live ‘liquid visuals’ experiment with food coloring and aquarium supplies, we just posted a video of it at www.myspace.com/somethingenspanish. It’s an attempt to create a mood for each song and a way to do ‘motion graphics’ without software.

 

Heeb magazine honored me for the Heeb100!

It’s been almost two years since m ss ng p eces began in its latest incarnation. We’ve made over 160 short films for the internet in that period of time, continually exploring the potential of the m ss ng p eces format and how we can contribute to the evolving and fluid medium that online video is right now.

 

I think we’ve also realized that the key is to create relationships with agencies, labels, brands and artists directly, so the business is shifting away from working with publishers and carrying out their vision, to collaborating directly with a brand or an artist and pitching our own concepts and ideas to potential partners.

You’re rather busy then.. what other filmmakers, artists and creatives do you think are especially noteworthy in terms of innovation and creativity?

I just saw Blade Runner at the Zeigfield last week and it blew my mind, it looked so good! The story, costumes, lighting – they still feel innovative and inspiring! Also, the documentary Deep Water – about a disastrous sailing trip around the world and the male ambition – is one of the best cinematic experiences I’ve had in the past few years.

 

I’ve been listening to Gonzalez ‘Solo Piano’. It’s a beautiful piano record. And I just downloaded the Radiohead album this week, I paid $2 for it and got the zip link to my inbox. Straight from the artist, no record label, no physical copy. That’s an amazing thing. I’m also a big fan of the whole Ed Banger’s Justice and Daft Punk’s French vibe. Their film was interesting and the live show beats anything I’ve seen in years.

 

I also just finished ‘The 4 hour work week’ by Timothy Ferris. It reads like a European lifestyle introduction for the far too busy American work force. I’m interested in trying to fine tune a balance between life and work to the point where we can comfortably take off for a month or two next summer.

Thanks, Ari!

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