Dr. Ron Art Aspires to i am OTHER

Pharrell Williams

Pharrell Williams isn't just the creator of a viral music video, but also the mind behind a multimedia, cross art venture called i am OTHER:

i am OTHER, created by Pharrell Williams, is a creative venture and way of life. We are proud to be different and believe that individuality is the new wealth. This shared philosophy flows through each pillar within the company: music, film, television, apparel, tech and multimedia. 

Brought to you by Pharrell Williams, i am OTHER is dedicated to Thinkers, Innovators, and Outcasts. By celebrating creative people and pursuits of all kinds, we showcase architects of global culture, music, fashion, and the arts.

Pharrell is where I, and Dr. Ron Art in particular, aspire to be.  Not exactly the same things, of course, but underneath it all definitely an abiding love for a wide range of art and for the people who create and enjoy them.

In September 2011, Madeline Bell, an 18 year old health science student from California, sang a beautiful voice performance into her laptop in her dorm room and submitted it to UJAMs international voice casting for Ubisofts Assassin's Creed Theme. During the two weeks of the contest, she was voted into the Top 20 by the public, and a jury consisting of Hans Zimmer, Lorne Balfe and Simon Landry (Ubisoft) chose her as the winner. Three weeks after her performance, this video was shot, showing Madeline blowing everyone away at Hans Zimmers Remote Control Productions studios.

UJAM

UJAM is one of Pharrell's projects, and I'm intrigued by it.  Before sliding full-on into blogging in July last year, I made a ton of videos, mostly for Dr. Ron Art but also for my other ventures: Theory of Algorithms  and The Core Algorithm, Ron Villejo Consulting, and Dr. Ron on the Internet.  One main challenge for me was managing the soundtrack.  I had only a bare bone budget, so my editing tool was Live Movie Maker and my soundtrack options were entirely on YouTube.  But I longed to have my own soundtrack and to manipulate it in a video accordingly.

This musical performance by Madeline Bell for the Assassin's Creed reverberates, for sure, so much so it was goosebumps and flushed cheeks listening to her.  Whoa.  Apparently UJAM offered her the platform to submit her piece for this contest.  At some point, I will return to video-making, and I have definitely flagged UJAM for when I do.