North

 

Svalbard is an archipelago high within the Arctic Circle. The largest of its islands is called Spitsbergen, meaning “pointed mountains.” In 1920 a treaty known as the Svalbard Act was signed by several nations recognising Norwegian sovereignty over the islands, and declaring the whole region a demilitarized zone.

This is a short film about how Svalbard, over the course of recent history, became increasingly linked to developments in climate science, and climate change. Much of the footage was shot whilst on residency in the Arctic Circle in 2010.
It is brief for a subject so large, and lacks the detail of key facts and figures that would provide a much better understanding of the current consensus on climate. Then again, you may perhaps feel it has too many numbers already. It is my hope that regardless of what you make of the content, you will find it beautiful to watch.

Visualizing How a Population Reaches 7 Billion

 

It was just over two centuries ago that the global population was 1 billion — in 1804. But better medicine and improved agriculture resulted in higher life expectancy for children, dramatically increasing the world population.

As higher standards of living and better health care are reaching more parts of the world, the rates of fertility — and population growth — have started to slow down, though the population will continue to grow for the foreseeable future.
U.N. forecasts suggest the world population could hit a peak of 10.1 billion by 2100 before beginning to decline. But exact numbers are hard to come by — just small variations in fertility rates could mean a population of 15 billion by the end of the century.

Good Books - Metamorphosis

  It is not very often that we have the opportunity to create a graphic equivalent of a drug fueled rant bringing all of our collective skills to bear. And it is almost unfathomable that we could actually do something like this and benefit a good cause.

The Buck team dug deep, channeling our inner gonzo, to direct and produce this homage promoting Good Books, the online bookseller that passes all its profits through to Oxfam. A big thanks to String Theory in NZ for bringing us this script, Antfood for their amazing audio stylings, to Thor for giving his voice and to all the artists who made this something we are proud of.

Visit: usegoodbooks.com

DISCLAIMER:
What you will see is an entirely fictional and completely unendorsed representation. [Though we humbly suggest Hunter S Thompson might have liked it.] We are devoted fans paying homage. No disrespect is intended.

CREDITS

Concept by String Theory
Directed by Buck
Creative Director: Ryan Honey
Executive Producer: Maurie Enochson
Producers: Nick Terzich, Alyssa Evans, Emily Rickard
Coordinator: Ben Tucker
Associate Creative Director: Joshua Harvey
CG Supervisor: Doug Wilkinson
Animation Director: Steve Day
Art Director: Joe Mullen
Designers: Joshua Harvey, Joe Mullen, George Fuentes, Trevor Conrad, Jenny Ko, Jon Gorman
2D Animators: Joe Mullen, Harry Teitelman, John MacFarlane, Jamal Otolorin, Joshua Harvey, William Trebutien, Matt Everton, Taik Lee, Tristan Balos, Regis Camargo, Kendra Ryan, George Fuentes, Trevor Conrad, Jahmad Rollins, Matthew Wade
3D Artists: Jens Lindgren, Timm Wagener, Kai Wang, Joao Rema, Albert Omoss, Joshua Harvey, Christine Li, Kelsey Charlton, Ana Luisa Santos
Compositors: Nick Forshee, Alex Perry, Joshua Harvey, Joe Mullen, Moses Journey, Matt Lavoy, Jenny Ko, Helen Hsu, Elizabeth Steinberg, Adam Smith

Music and Sound Design: Antfood
Voiceover Artist: Thor Erickson

Software: Flash, After Effects, Maya