Juard Van Dijkhorst

My postings here (though not gathering of future topics) has fallen off, and I’ll probably forgo maintaining this for a bit.

I have another venture I’m working on that isn’t directly related to the media and will be consumed with that and trying to get everything ready for a 2011 launch.

Thanks

I’m not referring to the internet (though the early knee-jerk reactions by the industry were similar) but television in the 1950′s and 60′s. In response to rapidly dwindling audiences the movie industry developed wide-screen formats (yay!), smell-o-vision, vibrating seats, 3D movies, and put more effort into the developing of more vivid color film stocks. Film as a spectacle become a solid if not infallible box office draw.

Though pumping in the smells of swamps for horror films did little but hasten the death of smell-o-vision, the other improvements to one degree or another have stayed with us.

I enjoy spectacles (historical epics foremost among them) as much as the next person but have found no amount of explosions, motorcycles ramming helicopters :groan:, or effects can polish a lackluster story. So it was with certain resignation I went to view Avatar. And though I was not disappointed in my expected disappointment with the writing (think Aliens meets Dances with Wolves) I did rather enjoy the use of 3D. It seems to have graduated from the gratuitous “oh let’s poke you in the eye with this object” to being used for additional depth in scenes.

For certain genres and if applied with sense this could lend to untick in box office. I’d be very keen to see Hubble 3D.  That being said, I’m not sure that the buzz about 3D TV’s at this year’s CES is justified. The big budget shows may be able to pull it off, but the shooting (and even viewing) styles of the television (and internet) mediums do not lend themselves to the spectacle. Quick turn around demands alone may dilute the experience enough to wear novelty thin. That being said certain shorter mediums such as the music video would be an interesting experience.

I do however have diobolical plans for smell-o-vision.

J. Ewan Van Dijkhorst

In partial penance I’m going to post some of the more interesting links gathered during my hiatus and maybe revisit them later for an more in depth analysis.

I visit sites such as notcot, slashfilm, and dvxuser on a regular basis. Though I may be aware that certain brands (such as VW)  support  the communities I visit, it’s not often that I bother to  click on advertisements. How do the sites I frequent pay their staff and continue providing me with content I value? I’d like to in the coming months get a bit more in depth into profit models for websites..

Flash applications can now be modified for use on the I-phone. Indirect it may be but it’s still a step in the right direction.

With all the talk of streamlining the health-care industry here in the states, the ability to keep in touch with and serve remote areas is yet another upside of our hyper-connectivity.

I’ll post some of the redesign concepts down the line, but until time allows to convert it to flash I’ll be posting more of my work here.

DDB UK discusses TV and Internet advertising. The accompanying video is more of a plug for the VW GTI than an in depth discussion but certainly worth a watch for Mr. Fox’s insight (and recommended like videos).

The BBC also has an breakdown of great online ads an analysis of overall campaign effectiveness would be great interest.

A recent piece (the specific source to be updated later, I believe NPR? eludes me) pointed out that buying advertising for an episode of the Simpsons on Hulu was significantly more expensive than doing so during it’s network premiere. This wouldn’t necessarily be an indicator of effectiveness but rather taking into account the limited advertising space and likelihood that audiences will stay tuned (it’s not as easy to DVR past Hulu’s ads).

This may also be in large part due to budget cuts and the perceived notion of the internet being more economical to conduct a campaign. Things will get far more interesting when the two mediums are properly integrated. Using TV to spur interest in an ARG and translating that into a dedicated brand following would be ace.

J. Ewan Van Dijkhorst

There are also a fair amount of links and articles I’d like to share and break down.