YouTube is a video sharing website where users can upload, view and share video clips. In November 2006, YouTube, was bought by Google Inc. for 1.65 billion, and is now operated as a subsidiary of Google.
The company is based in San Bruno, California, and uses Adobe Flash Video technology to display a wide variety of user-generated video content, including movie clips, TV clips, and music videos, as well as amateur content such as video blogging and short original videos.
Individuals have uploaded most of the content on YouTube, although media corporations including CBS and the BBC and other organizations offer some of their material via the site. (1)
For me, one of the best things about YouTube, is the sheer number of videos that is on offer. Never before has there been a site whereby you are almost guaranteed to finds the kind of video clip your looking for.
A newer aspect of the YouTube website is the community element whereby people can choose to subscribe to each other videos, create channels and post comments.
Below is a list of resources used within this post
Bibliography
(1) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Youtube
Wednesday, 25 February 2009
Change of Direction
Through research and development, I have decided to change briefs. Originally I intended to go down the route of the ebay viral marketing video. After several weeks of going down numerous dead ends, I have decided to look at another brief.
The new brief that I am going to pursue is the Youtube channel. One of the main reasons why I have decided to pursue this particular brief is due to the fact that there are some key elements that fascinated me.
One of the benefits of this particular briefs, is that there are some strong links to the previous research that I have undertaken. This will continue to provide a solid base in which to develop my idea.
The next step will be to begin researching specifically all the different aspects of the Youtube channel, key elements that have been utilised, and to see if I can come up with an innovative concept.
The new brief that I am going to pursue is the Youtube channel. One of the main reasons why I have decided to pursue this particular brief is due to the fact that there are some key elements that fascinated me.
One of the benefits of this particular briefs, is that there are some strong links to the previous research that I have undertaken. This will continue to provide a solid base in which to develop my idea.
The next step will be to begin researching specifically all the different aspects of the Youtube channel, key elements that have been utilised, and to see if I can come up with an innovative concept.
Sunday, 8 February 2009
Subservient Chicken
“The Subservient Chicken is an advertising program created to promote international fast food restaurant chain Burger King's chicken sandwich and their ‘Have it Your Way’ campaign”. (1)
I think that this is an excellent viral marketing idea. The concept that you can tell the chicken (a man in a chicken suit), to do anything- thus “having it your way” is quite innovative. This gets me thinking in a much wider sense about how a viral marketing campaign can be achieved. It means that its no longer simply limited to purely video clips, or a simple link leading elsewhere.
Another element that I like about the whole subservient idea is that there is a link that allows you to download a mask of a chicken with the instructions “be subservient”. I think that this is a nice play on effect, whereby people can be subservient- film them selves and then upload video- thus spreading the concept virally.
There have been many parodies of this particular theme, all utilising the concept of a subservient character, both in actual video and an interactive environment. Below is a screenshot of the family guy character “stewie” who reacts to a variety of phrases, not only physically, but with audio.
I really like the ideas that have been explored here, and will continue my research and see how far viral marketing can be pushed.
Below is a list of resources used within this post.
Bibliography
(1) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Subservient_Chicken
(2) http://www.subservientchicken.com/
(3) http://www.stewielive.com/
There have been many parodies of this particular theme, all utilising the concept of a subservient character, both in actual video and an interactive environment. Below is a screenshot of the family guy character “stewie” who reacts to a variety of phrases, not only physically, but with audio.
I really like the ideas that have been explored here, and will continue my research and see how far viral marketing can be pushed.
Below is a list of resources used within this post.
Bibliography
(1) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Subservient_Chicken
(2) http://www.subservientchicken.com/
(3) http://www.stewielive.com/
Saturday, 7 February 2009
Sheep Films
“Sheep Films is a website featuring short slapstick comedy films and animations by British filmmaker Dave Packer. The short films often deal with absurd and surreal scenarios in everyday settings, enhanced by special effects”. (1)
Dave Packer has created a wide variety of bizarre situations such as ‘Plant Feed’, which shows an average sized plant being watered; then growing to a humungous size, and in turn watering him back.
I really like the range of work that this filmmaker has created, his underlying concept is always very simple yet effective. The content initially seem to be the same, however there is always a twist- something that the users do not expect, which flips the situation on its head. This is why his clips have become so popular.
This is the same philosophy that I would like to incorporate into my own viral marketing video, I want to have something that users do not expect, or do not believe would happen- and in turn surprise them.
I cannot do Dave Packer any justice on this blog due to the to the sheer quantity of videos that has been created. Too see a wider variety of video that he has to offer, please refer to the bibliography for more links.
Below is a list of resources used within this post.
Bibliography
(1) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sheep_Films
(2) http://www.youtube.com/user/sheepfilms
(3) http://sheepfilms.co.uk/
Dave Packer has created a wide variety of bizarre situations such as ‘Plant Feed’, which shows an average sized plant being watered; then growing to a humungous size, and in turn watering him back.
I really like the range of work that this filmmaker has created, his underlying concept is always very simple yet effective. The content initially seem to be the same, however there is always a twist- something that the users do not expect, which flips the situation on its head. This is why his clips have become so popular.
This is the same philosophy that I would like to incorporate into my own viral marketing video, I want to have something that users do not expect, or do not believe would happen- and in turn surprise them.
I cannot do Dave Packer any justice on this blog due to the to the sheer quantity of videos that has been created. Too see a wider variety of video that he has to offer, please refer to the bibliography for more links.
Below is a list of resources used within this post.
Bibliography
(1) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sheep_Films
(2) http://www.youtube.com/user/sheepfilms
(3) http://sheepfilms.co.uk/
AnimNation
“AnimNation is run by Brighton-based freelance animator and director Sarah Bird - providing a range of animation and digital design services for broadcast, corporate and online clients”. (1)
I met Sarah, who works for AnimNation, she gave us some inside information about how companies operate in terms of hiring prospective employees. She showed us a wide variety of works that had been submitted to her ranging from highly executed work to poorly created designs. The worked ranged from innovative CD designs, and unique ways of displaying their works to blank CD’s, and cover letters with their ink running out.
Looking at the wide variety of work that is submitted was very informative; it gave me a glimpse, at how to approach the relevant companies, what to do and how to go about it. This talk also made me think deeper about focusing on my specialist’s area, and making sure all of my work were relevant for that particular field.
Below is a list of resources used within this post.
Bibliography
(1) http://www.animnation.co.uk/index.html
Looking at the wide variety of work that is submitted was very informative; it gave me a glimpse, at how to approach the relevant companies, what to do and how to go about it. This talk also made me think deeper about focusing on my specialist’s area, and making sure all of my work were relevant for that particular field.
Below is a list of resources used within this post.
Bibliography
(1) http://www.animnation.co.uk/index.html
Friday, 6 February 2009
Post Global Warming Survival Kit
The ‘Post Global Warming Survival Kit’ was one of the interactive installations that had the biggest impact on me. This was set up so that the users entering the space were confronted with a pitch-black environment. Their only method of sight was night vision goggles. The fact that I had to delve into the unknown and discover what lay in front of me was very intriguing.
The room itself was quite spartan, with fumes being projected on the walls and a solitary caravan in the centre of the room. Below is a snippet taken from the transmediale site explaining in detail what the cultural context used within this installation.
“Increasing social inequality, aggravation of living standards, short-sighted environmental policy and the violation of human rights are all facts pointing to the increasing extremes of the conditions of life. These conditions are not cultural dysfunctions, but are fundamentally connected to the processes of global capital to systematically exploit the environment.”(1)
I think that the whole concept of social inequality, and a literal sense of short sighted, used in relation to night vision was quite innovative. I think that actually getting users walking around in an interactive environment, allows them to explore with all their senses, rather than having a film showing the same things. Overall I feel that this was a very successful piece.
Below is a list of resources used within this post.
Bibliography
(1) http://www.transmediale.de/en/re-articulating-scenarios-environmental-catastroph-en
The room itself was quite spartan, with fumes being projected on the walls and a solitary caravan in the centre of the room. Below is a snippet taken from the transmediale site explaining in detail what the cultural context used within this installation.
“Increasing social inequality, aggravation of living standards, short-sighted environmental policy and the violation of human rights are all facts pointing to the increasing extremes of the conditions of life. These conditions are not cultural dysfunctions, but are fundamentally connected to the processes of global capital to systematically exploit the environment.”(1)
I think that the whole concept of social inequality, and a literal sense of short sighted, used in relation to night vision was quite innovative. I think that actually getting users walking around in an interactive environment, allows them to explore with all their senses, rather than having a film showing the same things. Overall I feel that this was a very successful piece.
Below is a list of resources used within this post.
Bibliography
(1) http://www.transmediale.de/en/re-articulating-scenarios-environmental-catastroph-en
The Poster Children
Another piece that made an impression on me was ‘The Poster Children’. This was displayed on a four monitors with a panoramic scene of icebergs floating in the sea. The scene showed polar bears eating meat, and children shooting at random pieces of ice.
“The Poster Children is a suite of animated, multi-monitor pieces influenced by the narrative and cartoon-like formats of Asian screen and scroll paintings. In this panoramic animation, two representative groups at the top of the food chain – people and polar bears – share a dystopian landscape comprised of slow-moving icebergs and piles of e-waste. They both exist next to each other as a symbol of distinct social issues, and both are natural enemies at the same time.”
On my first viewing I didn’t particularly like it, I thought it was slow and dull. Looking at it a second time, it began to grow on me- I liked the colours used, and felt that this was one of the few pieces at this conference that was truly digital media.
Below is a list of resources used within this post.
Bibliography
(1) http://www.transmediale.de/en/node/407
“The Poster Children is a suite of animated, multi-monitor pieces influenced by the narrative and cartoon-like formats of Asian screen and scroll paintings. In this panoramic animation, two representative groups at the top of the food chain – people and polar bears – share a dystopian landscape comprised of slow-moving icebergs and piles of e-waste. They both exist next to each other as a symbol of distinct social issues, and both are natural enemies at the same time.”
On my first viewing I didn’t particularly like it, I thought it was slow and dull. Looking at it a second time, it began to grow on me- I liked the colours used, and felt that this was one of the few pieces at this conference that was truly digital media.
Below is a list of resources used within this post.
Bibliography
(1) http://www.transmediale.de/en/node/407
Six Apartments
One of the pieces that really stood out for me was a video project called ‘Six Apartments’ by Reynold Reynolds. The content in the video was quite shocking due to the fact that it showed graphic footage of objects biodegrading. I thought that this pieces was very interesting, however it resonated with me much more once I found out about the cultural and critical elements the worked behind it.
“Reynolds’s video installation Six Apartments is a poetic narration of resignation and decline which documents the life of six people in their apartments. The inhabitants live isolated, unaware of each other, without drama – they eat, sleep, watch television – even though their lives are overshadowed by mass media generated problems of the larger world and the upcoming ecological crisis.” (1)
I thought that the concept that people are so wrapped up in their own everyday lives that they don’t realise what they are doing, or indeed what was happening around them was very provocative. I think that this has strengthened my belief that a good concept can make anything work.
Below is a list of resources used within this post.
Bibliography
(1) http://www.transmediale.de/en/nominatedworks-main
“Reynolds’s video installation Six Apartments is a poetic narration of resignation and decline which documents the life of six people in their apartments. The inhabitants live isolated, unaware of each other, without drama – they eat, sleep, watch television – even though their lives are overshadowed by mass media generated problems of the larger world and the upcoming ecological crisis.” (1)
Below is a list of resources used within this post.
Bibliography
(1) http://www.transmediale.de/en/nominatedworks-main
transmediale
transmediale is a design conference based in Berlin where people collaborate together to create a variety of designs. The theme used this year was based on global warming. At first I was slightly dubious about this particular concept due to the fact that I felt this would limit the type of stuff that would be seen. Below is some in-depth information about this conference.
“transmediale is an international festival for contemporary art and digital culture. Located in Berlin, it presents advanced artistic positions reflecting on the socio-cultural impact of new technologies. It seeks out artistic practices that not only respond to scientific or technical developments, but that try to shape the way in which we think about and experience these technologies.”(1)
I really liked the fact that I was exposed to an eclectic mixture of work that I normally wouldn’t normally encounter. On the downside however I did feel that most of the work were more conceptually strong rather than technically strong.
One of the surprisingly elements of the conference were the daily lectures on different aspects of global warming, in particular the one I found interesting was the Lecture on Deep North in which they talked in-depth about the repercussions of what we as a human race have done to our planet, and how long it would take “realistically”, to solve thee problems.
Below is a list of resources used within this post.
Bibliography
(1) http://www.transmediale.de/
“transmediale is an international festival for contemporary art and digital culture. Located in Berlin, it presents advanced artistic positions reflecting on the socio-cultural impact of new technologies. It seeks out artistic practices that not only respond to scientific or technical developments, but that try to shape the way in which we think about and experience these technologies.”(1)
I really liked the fact that I was exposed to an eclectic mixture of work that I normally wouldn’t normally encounter. On the downside however I did feel that most of the work were more conceptually strong rather than technically strong.
One of the surprisingly elements of the conference were the daily lectures on different aspects of global warming, in particular the one I found interesting was the Lecture on Deep North in which they talked in-depth about the repercussions of what we as a human race have done to our planet, and how long it would take “realistically”, to solve thee problems.
Below is a list of resources used within this post.
Bibliography
(1) http://www.transmediale.de/
PSYPO Design
New York City-based PSYOP is an inspiring culmination of creativity, collaboration and production focused on providing visual solutions in motion for the advertising & marketing, video gaming, broadcast and music video industries. (1)
Whilst researching the definition of the name “PSYOP”. I found out that it was a psychological operation used by the military to influence a target audience's value systems, belief, emotions, and behaviour. In their website they have gone in depth into the definition of the term. They state that this is because it is a time when consumers are bombarded with more messages form more media then ever before”.
Overall I really like the style of this company. The work created is wide ranging from car companies such as Ford right the way through to established drinks companies such as Coca Cola. I’ve noticed that with a lot of their work there is a lot of underlying history and meaning has been used, and is not created purely because of aesthetics.
One of the most memorable pieces of work is the Coca-Cola-Happiness Factory. This is not only a very unique advert, but also very well known as it has been shown on TV.
This is a very interesting concept due to the fact they have taken a very mundane process of getting a can out of a vending machine, and have managed to portray the process of the coin going in- to the drink coming out as a “magical journey”.
Below is another clip of their work. This one is for Fanta, titled Fanta Play: Let Them Play. This is another televised advert for Fanta, which uses a using much simpler colour palette. The monochromatic tones, really brings out the vivid orange colours
Overall I really like the style of this particular company. I also like the way that they are not tied down to any particular style. The works created range from sketching hand drawn animation to lifelike 3d motion graphics.Below is a list of resources used within this post.
Bibliography
(1) http://www.dexigner.com/directory/cat/Broadcast_Design/Companies.html
(2) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychological_operations
(3) http://www.psyop.tv/
Whilst researching the definition of the name “PSYOP”. I found out that it was a psychological operation used by the military to influence a target audience's value systems, belief, emotions, and behaviour. In their website they have gone in depth into the definition of the term. They state that this is because it is a time when consumers are bombarded with more messages form more media then ever before”.
Overall I really like the style of this company. The work created is wide ranging from car companies such as Ford right the way through to established drinks companies such as Coca Cola. I’ve noticed that with a lot of their work there is a lot of underlying history and meaning has been used, and is not created purely because of aesthetics.
One of the most memorable pieces of work is the Coca-Cola-Happiness Factory. This is not only a very unique advert, but also very well known as it has been shown on TV.
This is a very interesting concept due to the fact they have taken a very mundane process of getting a can out of a vending machine, and have managed to portray the process of the coin going in- to the drink coming out as a “magical journey”.
Coca-Cola-Happiness Factory
Below is another clip of their work. This one is for Fanta, titled Fanta Play: Let Them Play. This is another televised advert for Fanta, which uses a using much simpler colour palette. The monochromatic tones, really brings out the vivid orange colours
Fanta Play: Let Them Play
Overall I really like the style of this particular company. I also like the way that they are not tied down to any particular style. The works created range from sketching hand drawn animation to lifelike 3d motion graphics.Below is a list of resources used within this post.
Bibliography
(1) http://www.dexigner.com/directory/cat/Broadcast_Design/Companies.html
(2) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychological_operations
(3) http://www.psyop.tv/
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