Posts Tagged ‘ video ’

The Creative Influencer

In our industry, we desire to leave creative fingerprints like celebrities leave handprints in Hollywood concrete.  We are not driven simply by the delivery of ads but by the pursuit of influencing a social impact that outlives a 30 second television spot.   In today’s world, a level of mass creation, experimentation and sharing has produced a new breed of influencers who express bohemian philosophies, disrupt status quo and will certainly make our industry sweat. Ultimately this challenge should only improve how we connect brands to consumers.

The importance of the consumer is really becoming paramount again where it maybe wasn’t for awhile.  Since people are so readily able to express themselves and show what they’re feeling to to massive amounts of people it really does influence the establishment.  Who knows where that will eventually lead.  None of us do.  So it’s really an exciting time to see who the icons of this new era will be – we’ll have to wait and see.

This quote, taken from a Parisian agency video, is from one of various artists who describe their definition of a Creative Influencer. See  the video at this following link:

INFLUENCERS FULL VERSION

2010
11/04
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Cutting the Cord

There is some new research about how many people are opting out of traditional TV viewing.

As online video viewing becomes more popular and professional, long-form content becomes a bigger part of the online video ecosystem, some consumers are finding it easier to cut their cable subscriptions.

I am technically part of the “Opt-outs,” but don’t really fit the demographics.

What is most fascinating is that the article starts out by discussing calculated decision-making but moves into identifying how some have little choice. Just doesn’t match.

Both on-demanders and opt-outs were somewhat younger than other internet users. But while on-demanders tended to be more affluent than average, opt-outs were poorer than any other group. Their online networks were smaller than average, and they were about half as likely as on-demanders to have a Netflix subscription (25% vs. 47%). They owned fewer devices for watching video than any other group, probably because some of them lacked TVs, and they were the least likely group to own a mobile video device.

Seems like they need to reframe the conversation.

2010
10/26
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World of Jenks

Here I go again with another post about a tv show…World of Jenks.

Documentary filmmaker Andrew Jenks is profiling the lives of young people across the country.  He moves in with them for a week and presses them with questions about their lives.  What impresses me about Jenks is that he puts himself in situations that are entirely outside of his world but by the end of just one week, he calls the person he just met a friend and has an understanding of their chunk of life.

I encourage you to watch the fourth episode in the series called “Fifty Fists.”

It’s inspiring to see the struggles and triumphs of these young people.  As people tend to do, they will surprise you in many ways.  And you may learn about lifestyles that are completely outside your realm.

[A quick shout out to MTV:  As a leader in what matters most to young people, I’ve been very impressed with some of the shows they’ve been rolling out.  I believe that this wave of shows that promotes understanding and helping others is a key trend among teens and young adults.  Others to check out:  The Buried Life (What do you want to do before you die?) and If You Really Knew Me (breaking down barriers between people, bringing Challenge Day to high schools across the country).]

Only 24-years-old, Andrew Jenks has already become an accomplished filmmaker.  You may not recognize the name (yet) but you may have heard of one of his other efforts – Room 335.  At 19-years-old, a sophomore in college, Jenks moved into an assisted living facility to gain a “generational understanding” and interact with seniors.

Whether it’s peeking into the lives of others or using your enthusiasm and passion to make things happen, now, I’m learning something new every week.

2010
09/28
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How do we show information?

It’s not enough to just share information, usually it’s about how that information is shown.

I really love to see how our creative and media teams take raw input and turn it into an actual product.  Also, when thinking about how to present information from a research study, focus groups, or to bring a strategy to life, I love to think about different ways to show what we’re saying rather than to just say it or read the words off a piece of paper.

Infographics and me are like *this* but what other interesting ways are people using to display information?

I call this a “best of” pick because, before this blog, our information-sharing was primarily sending articles, links, and fun facts to each other via email.  I’m pretty sure I’ve shared this one before but I’d like to share it again in this public forum – Radiohead’s music video for “House of Cards”:

Now why is this a great representation of information – looks grainy, sketchy, and incomplete.

Here’s the back story behind this video from Google Code:

No cameras or lights were used. Instead two technologies were used to capture 3D images: Geometric Informatics and Velodyne LIDAR. Geometric Informatics scanning systems produce structured light to capture 3D images at close proximity, while a Velodyne Lidar system that uses multiple lasers is used to capture large environments such as landscapes. In this video, 64 lasers rotating and shooting in a 360 degree radius 900 times per minute produced all the exterior scenes.

Watch the making-of video to learn about how the video was made and the various technologies that were used to capture and render 3D data.

Feel free to continue on your nerdquest and link through to all of that great extra information, but if not let me boil it down for ya’ – the images in this video are visualizations of data!  This weren’t scenes filmed but created.  And in doing that, Radiohead has added another layer to their presentation of this song.

Could I possibly count the ways that you can have fun with presenting information and data?  Obviously I’m on my own personal nerdquest to do so.

2010
09/09
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Staycation?

As the economy changed, so did our language around vacation. People began to realize they wanted to take advantage of hard earned vacation from work while spending less; the word staycation became popular. The idea is to stay at home for vacation and focus on local opportunities to relax and explore. Norwegian Cruise Lines has now given us a way to staycation and still see the world. Vacationer channel organizes travel videos in one place by area and gives it an iTunes feel. If you want to see the world for free, here is the place and maybe, just maybe, be inspired for a trip later. I love this idea. I think it could use some refinement, but what a great way to keep inspiring people to learn and grow from the safety of their computer when they don’t feel they can afford to leave home. 

2010
09/09
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The LXD

If you should know one thing about me, it’s that I love dancing to a crazy level.  That’s why I got so excited to find The Legion of Extraordinary Dancers on Hulu (http://www.hulu.com/the-lxd).

But it wasn’t until I really started to dig into this group, watched several of the minisodes on Hulu, and then of course let curiosity get the better of me, that I found the following gem.  Again with TED, here we go:

The video is 17 minutes long and though I do recommend watching the entire thing, here are a few quotes to think about:

When I dance, I want people to question the reality of what they’re seeing – Madd Chadd

It’s never what you do, it how it’s done – Kid David

But it’s not in what they say, though the interviews help you get the dancer’s view on how they do what they do, but the dancing.  The crazy talented dancers doing their thing!

These guys have been everywhere – TED, The Oscars, So You Think You Can Dance, and they have their own show playing on Hulu.  If you really enjoy dancing, you can get lost in the series.

And the reason I’m sharing this here?  It’s almost straight-up inspiration but it’s also that they are storytelling.  All has not been revealed yet, as the story continues to unfold, but there’s quite a bit we can learn from the LXD on how to visually, emotionally, and physically tell a story.  Doesn’t hurt that Jon Chu is behind it all bringing a filmmaker’s perspective.  What we can learn from these incredibly talented dancers is how to move people.

2010
09/01
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Please forgive our learning curves

Being slightly more savvy than the average bear (on our team) about tech, I was asked to demonstrate how to embed video on WordPress by my boss.

He is still learning the blogging machine so I thought I would try it out first so I could troubleshoot what he may be going through. Coming from his favorite video source, TED, I found a video that would not only demonstrate how to embed but also keep us learning as a team.

So this is for you Dave!

2010
08/19
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Marketing Evolution Animation

Yes, the olden days of uni-approach mass marketing are faded, replaced with complexity of media, message and consumer participation.  It’s always amusing to see how marketing companies showcase this evolution for us all in the industry to to scratch our heads and think, “Now what?”  This German agency’s entertaining way of exploring the History of marketing once again reminds us of what we’re facing considering today’s convoluted marketing currents.

[Thanks Mr. Weaver for passing this along]

2010
08/15
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How To Be Alone

A lovely poem – How To Be Alone.

I was drawn to this video for several reasons.  For one, I do live alone and I’d like to believe that I’m making the most of my alone time.  Second, I love to approach new cities or experiences in this way.  A few “rules” that I picked up from this how to on being with yourself:

  1. Embrace it
  2. Start simple
  3. Love oneself
  4. All experience is unique

This seems to me to be very much like our planning/creative process.  Being curious in all things leads to a better outcome than wishing to have things a different way.  When alone do you enjoy it or do you only wish to be with others?

In this time of my life and in this career, this seems to be a great way to live.

2010
08/02
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12-year-old plays Lady Gaga

Greyson Chance Singing Paparazzi

As of now, this (original) video has over 26 million views not counting all of the reposts, etc.

The story:  kid sings like a f’ing rockstar, posts a video of himself on YouTube, becomes an overnight success, is asked to come on to the Ellen show (twice), and who knows all that is going on with him now (record deal, the next Justin Bieber? etc.).

What can we learn from this video?  More and more, people are putting their own products out there for consumption on social networks and it’s paying off big time.  And really, he’s just that good – it’s inspiring to watch this kid.

There’s also something to be said about the power of Gaga here.  Her musicianship came before the outfits; before she started wearing solar systems (here and here) she was pretty normal.

All I have to say is I would gladly take Greyson over Bieber.

2010
06/17
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