Decoding the Messages Behind the Message

The NY Times reports that the Feds are launching a new campaign to help educate kids about advertising. A sample ad is at the left, for eco-friendly jeans made by an imaginary company. This ad and others are similar to those used to target kids, and I guess all of us.

As noted in the Times article, the government enlisted the aid of Scholastic, the educational publishing company and Fleishman-Hillard to create the ads, a website and game to help kids decode ad messages and "become critical thinkers."

Over the years I've spent a lot of time crafting messages for persuasive media, political campaigns and issue ads. So I've learned first hand how powerful a medium video can be to deliver those messages. And while kids are certainly a lot more media savvy in some ways, they and all of us are susceptible to the subtle messages so often embedded in advertising. We're so used to them, they don't even register in our consciousness.

As the lines have become blurred between fact and fiction, news and advertisements, political rhetoric and reality, etc. the ability to think critically is more important than ever. Nobody likes to be manipulated. So I'm glad that we're making an effort to help kids understand the motives and messages behind the message.

Apple's iPad

From what I've read about the new iPad, I think there's maybe more there than meets the eye. It certainly offers new hope for the publishing industry. Lots of change already starting there. So much has been written about it, but here's a link to a thoughtful piece about Apple's new device that puts it in a very interesting perspective.

Copenhagen

I can't really say that when we won the competition to produce the State Department's video on America's response to climate change that we fully appreciated all that we were getting into. The project as described was to be mostly interviews and the timeline very tight (about two months to get it done).

But we presented a different approach, suggesting that going on site, hearing from real people and seeing first hand some of the public and private initiatives around the country would be very powerful. And a potent message to counter the skeptics who felt that the United States had been asleep at the wheel on this issue.

Yes, the quick turnaround and complicated subject was a challenge, but an exciting one. We sent two producers to different sites around the country to capture a glimpse of the state of the art of weatherization initiatives, solar, wind, and nuclear power, cellugesic biofuels, carbon capture and storage, the future of electric cars and hydraulic hybrid technology, smart grids, and the like. And we had to become instant experts on those and other subjects. And while all that was going on, events made the content areas a constantly shifting target. But the entire GVI staff pitched in to make it happen, and our client tells us from Copenhagen that the video has been very well received. You can check it out for yourself on Youtube.

Esquire is Augmenting Reality

Okay, so if reality isn't real and varied enough for you, Esquire Magazine has come up with a whole new way to experience their magazine. You can read it, of course. But you can use their cool new augmented reality feature to watch magazine induced videos. Just follow the link to learn all about it. And even though they're really really excited about how you can shape your Esquire user experience, of course, someone else actually conceived, shot and edited the videos. And do you really want Robert Downey yelling stuff at you? Well, maybe you do. And it is pretty cool that you can imbed one format within another (we've been doing text on a video screen forever. So why not video on a text page?) Anyway, you can check it out, or read a longer piece about it in the Advertising column at the Wall Street Journal.

Up in the Air

Ever wonder about how they shoot in all those airport and airplane scenes for TV and film? Well, instead of complicated maneuvers miles above terra firma, or wading through a mountain of redtape to shoot in an actual airport, they're actuallyworking on an airplane set at one of two companies: Air Hollywood or Aero Mock-Ups. Hollywood and documentary producers go there to shoot everything airline, from baggage screenings to cockpit dramas to crowded jet interiors. You can read all about it at the Wall Street Journal travel section. Or watch a fun video intro to what they offer at the Air Hollywood site. It gives you a whole new perspective on air travel...

Capturing the Stillness

The New York Times' Chang Lee has another breakthrough with his piece on Wonjun Park, an artist suffering with cancer at the end of his days. Chang Lee's video on the NYT Lens site is beautiful in its simplicity and moving in its silences. It sets the tone with comments by Park anticipating the ending of his life, as we see him submitting to another round of chemotherapy "My body started to leave my spirit."

Feeling numbed by Western medicines' attack on the cancer in his body, we see Park struggling to give meaning to his life through his art. Perhaps that is how he will be able to honor his spirit.

Once again in his Second Chance series, Chang Lee mixes photography and video to create an indelible portrait. But most profound are the moments of stillness and his use of photography to stop time and allow us to reflect, just as Park is reflecting on his art and life and art. They beautifully interwoven in this video haiku.

Women in Film and Video

This week WIFV DC celebrated their 30th anniversary. I was just starting out as a film editor back then and remember very well when it started. It was just a handful of women who came together to help other women in a business that was totally male dominated at the time. 30 years later it's a vital organization with over a thousand members who generate millions of dollars in projects through out the Washington Metropolitan area. It's still a great meeting place for those starting out as well as seasoned professionals. And a wonderful example of the concept, "if you build it they will come."