The Value of a Single Second

MontBlanc is hosting a contest, in honor of the 190th anniversary of the invention of the chronograph.

I'm not sure what this has to do with pens, except for the fact that chronograph literally means "time-writer," nevertheless, the contest is in full swing.

This contest fascinates me because in order to enter, you must submit a film of your own making...
but it can't last more than a second in length.

24 lousy frames, 29.97 at best.  What can you capture in that single, perfect, moment in time? And is it even enough to register on one's consciousness when viewed?

Entitled "The Beauty of a Second," the contest is being presented by renowned filmmaker Wim Wenders. Here is MontBlanc's film promoting the contest.

What would your perfect second be?

Fodder for ideation

Here are this year's Emmy nominees for Best Commercial. Which one would you choose?

Thinking outside the bucket

A few years back, Fallon, Minneapolis created a spot for PBS that I fell in love with.

Yes, it had loads of rich textures and great locations. There are some interesting camera angles, and the casting was superb.  But it was the storytelling that was the star.

Of course, those who know me know I'm a sucker for "outside the box" -- or, in this case, bucket -- thinking.

Just For Fun

Remember the hugely successful IKEA cats spot, "Happy Inside"? The one where they released, like, a gazillion cats onto an IKEA showroom floor?

Well now they're created an IKEA CAT-alogue. Sorry, I know it's not video/film, but still. It's fun stuff.

And, it's cats.

Click on the Cat-alogue cover below to launch.

Check it out: this kitchen spread has a tag line, "Easy wipe laminate surfaces make messy mouse-work a thing of the past." (okay so I'm easily amused.)

An Immersive Experience

Today, video/film is used as an element of a marketing experience rather than the standalone advertising piece it once was. And often it's the smaller boutique agencies that are setting the creative pace.

Take [wire]stone for example. They excel in creating immersive experiences for some of the biggest names in the industry. And they do it impressively.

They were recently contracted to market Boeing's new fleet of 737s, creating a 17 gigapixel multidimensional photo of the plane by seamlessly integrating over 20,000 images. Then they made it interactive through Kinect so users can view from rivet to blue sky via body gestures.

Their reel is impressive.

Ans once on their site, you gotta check out their mashup of Saturday Night Live and Beyond the Comics. It's a new media property that Fred Wolf, former head writer for SNL, asked [wire]stone to help develop.  Think 21st century Sunday funnies with an edge.

Not a traditional post for this blog

...but it's for a good cause, takes only one minute of your time, and can help to save the lives of hundreds of animals.

A Capella University alumnus I know has an opportunity to win a $10,000 grant for Wayside Waifs, Missouri's largest No Kill animal shelter. But in order to win, we need your help.

Winners will be chosen first by popular vote on youtube. Only the top candidates will be reviewed by Capella before awarding the grant money.

Please go vote - daily!

Here's what to look for:

Once on the site, scroll down to the "Community Submissions" section. We're one of 18 videos entered into the competition.

Ours looks like this:

And here's the link:  http://www.youtube.com/user/CapellaInspires


And...THANK YOU!!!

Going Dutch with Multimedia Creativity

I know this might be stretching the concept of multimedia a bit, but this was too fun not to share. Dutch Standard Prices Company, one of Holland's oldest and most ubiquitous retail chains (think CVS or 7-Eleven) has an online store.

Click the photo below to launch, and then do nothing. Don't click anything, just watch and enjoy.