Blind's Bits and Pieces

"The film's concept intrigued me because the story deals with issues about healthcare, homelessness, class warfare and seems part of the zeitgeist," says Chris Do, director and founder of the LA-based multimedia design firm Blind. He's referring to a 60-second graphics-based sequence that introduces the low budget film Bits and Pieces. Director Allen Martinez went to Blind for assistance in creating and expository intro that would jump-start the story, and within two weeks had a comic book-inspired, black-and-white illustrated opening that efficiently visualizes the ugly economy of the sci-fi film's plotline. Told through stark drawings, lots of zooms in and out, and occasional splotches of bloody red, the piece is at its strongest when it's least literal. Bodies drifting downward through the sky, for example, underscore the notion of expendability while more overt connections to the voice-over are less effective. Blind played with the fluid movement between literal and figurative very nicely with the award-winning music video for the Gnarls Barkley track Crazy a few years ago. The Rorschach-like colors morph in and out of discernibility, creating a sense of intermittent clarity that nicely echoes the song lyrics. "Projects like this are important to us because we are able to beta-test ideas before using the techniques we learn on larger scaled projects," continues Do, whose company's credits also include a recent effective PSA for Partnership for a Drug-free America, a long list of commercials and other music video pieces.