In this age of The Long Tail and The Wisdom of Crowds, one of the most salient aspects of the internet is the prominence of social networks. This includes people of all ages, but particularly the youth markets. For content to become increasingly effective, perhaps it needs to focus less on traditional forms of presentation and embrace more inclusive structures and organic ideas which tap the power of social networks and true interactivity. Creating this type experience would likely convert users who are just looking for information with the speed and efficiency of the web, and encourage them to share it with friends.
VIRTUAL OPPORTUNITIES
MTV’s Leapfrog division created a virtual world for the series Laguna Beach. Almost 300,000 people signed-up in the first ten weeks. The hard-to-reach demographic of teenage girls comprises 55% of members, and 40% of all members are under 17. On average users visit six times a month for 35 minutes per session. In VLB, advertising and products can be integrated into the virtual experience. Users can go dancing at a club, throw a party, change their dollars into the local currency, shop for clothes, or even kick back and watch MTV shows. Why not create a theater where kids can go and watch the latest trailers, then discuss the films? If intrigued, they can click through to the official movie sites.
EDIT A SCENE FROM A HOLLYWOOD MOVIE
This could apply to any film project. In meetings with the producers and director, discuss and determine a scene which was filmed that ultimately won’t make the final cut (usually determined early in the editing process). Editorial should have all the film and takes already digitized – once digitized, these can easily be utilized, transferred or converted to popular formats/codecs if not already in one.
+ Take this complete scene, along with all the coverage/shots, sound, sound fx, music, etc. Make all of these assets available on the website.
+ Hold a contest for users to edit and create their own version of the scene. The remix culture will love to get a chance to edit a scene from an actual Hollywood movie complete with all the assets. Even kids in school have access to basic editing systems these days.
+ Hold a contest and showcase the top finalists, along with an archive of submissions. Have the community vote on the winner. Give a token prize of sorts; the real reward comes in exposure and praise from peers.
+ A special license from Creative Commons would protect assets with certain restrictions the studio is comfortable with, etc. Wired magazine did this last year with a special CD with tracks from many artists.
Web Guru Tim O’Reilly’s Dornfest PowerPoint is a fantastic summation of the “remix” culture and how they are utilizing this phenomenon across a vast array of mediums.
For a continual source of creative inspiration, check out motionographer.
Some hilarious training videos for Microsoft UK by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant:
What new ways can interviews be conducted and still serve the same purpose?
GQ magazine has been exploring some intriguing techniques. Given actor Will Ferrell’s quick mind and wit, they fashioned a typical formulaic interview framework with fill-in-the-blanks to allow Ferrell’s imagination to run wild (with hilarious results). A recent interview with actress Lindsay Lohan was conducted over Blackberry text messages (“the way kids talk these days”). The transcripts were reprinted, and the results were much more candid, revealing and interesting than a formal sit-down interview. These are great techniques for the print medium, but how can we envision new ways to conduct interviews for film? See our article on The Future of EPK/DVD Added Value.