Stash magazine is the planet’s only monthly video showcase of animation, VFX and motion graphics. Each issue is packed with innovative commercials, broadcast design, music videos, virals, branded content, game cinematics, short films, behind the scenes material plus bonus films and music tracks.
Also tucked inside the case you’ll find a 40-page companion book of color stills, editorials, credits, links and tech notes.

Stash’s 4th anniversary issue is a raucous and volatile celebration. From crooning broken hearts to butt-kicking Chinese monkeys, Stash 48 is a 75-minute adventure in constant inspiration.

Let’s start with the big name special guests, all of whom arrive this month via groundbreaking music videos: Radiohead is here via “House of Cards” shot using lasers instead of cameras; Michael Stipe and REM re-team with Crush for more crunchy exuberance on “Man-sized Wreath”; 80’s icon Grace Jones re-invades pop culture with “Corporate Cannibal” a jarring new effort by Nick Hooker (on the cover); and Gradient Effects puts their heart into “Who’s Gonna Save My Soul” for the Gnarls Barkley industrial complex.

On the commercial front: Joe Kosinski and Digital Domain are back for more brooding and brutality from Delta Squad in the new Gears of War spot; The Gorillaz and Passion Pictures director Pete Candeland monkey-about for BBC Olympic coverage; Bent Image Lab animates everything from gaseous Legos to cranky Russian nesting dolls for Milk; Mr. Hyde makes great CG strides for the Royal Bank of Canada; Psyop cuts up with Santogold; Julian Casablancas, and N.E.R.D. on the “My Drive -Thru” video for Converse; and Commercial wunderguys Smith & Foulkes give us a taste of their first feature film with the trailer for “This Way Up”.

Highlights from the broadcast design section include fresh new MTV branding IDs from Austrian duo Eat My Dear through PostPanic, an inventive series of sponsorship tags for Toyota from Zeitguised, brand new Zune fun from Nando Costa and Nervo, and two breakout MTV show opens from Stash newcomers Ronda.

And speaking of fresh talent, here are the other new kids to watch for on Stash 48: AOKIstudio from Tokyo, Lowerground from Hamburg, Pitch White from Los Angeles, Kristian Labusga from Stuttgart Media University, Prickly Pear from Dublin, Zurich 29 and Editors from Paris and Underground Economy hiding at Sealevel in Venice, California.

As usual there is too much content and too little space to do it all justice so here’s a quick taste of other important new work you’ll find on Stash 48: A52 for Nike, Aardman for Leonard Cheshire Disability, ManvsMachine for Space, Imaginary Forces for the Museum of Modern Art in New York, National Television for Hyundai, Daysview Digital for XGMA and Leftchannel for themselves.

The three BONUS FILMS on Stash make up the fourth installment of our Student Mini-Film Fest and include: “Fallen ” by Wolfram Kampffmeyer and Sascha Geddert from the Filmakademie Baden – Wuerttemberg; “Dive: A Creative Process” by Tyquane Wright at NYU; and “Plant” by Selcuk Ergen from Bournemouth University in the UK.

The BONUS MUSIC on Stash 48 arrives courtesy of the beautiful and talented people at Kemado Records (and our music Editor Steve Marchese) – you’ll find seven MP3s including ear-expanding work from Dungen, Turzi, Langhorne Slim, Danava, TK Webb & The Visions, O’Death and Audionom.

Running time: 75 minutes