Awards season is just around the corner! Many advertising awards programs like the Ad Club’s NORI’s, NYCRAMA’s MOE awards, and the Communicator Awards typically ramp up in the spring time. Entering them can be a daunting and time consuming task. Filling out the entry forms, remembering all the details of a project, writing the objectives, detailing the team involved, tracking down copies of the finals…yeah, it can make you cringe. But maybe this tip will make it less of a chore?
As the year comes to a close you may find yourself packing up all those project files and storing them away. I’m starting this process right now myself. But – this year I’m going to put aside the projects that are in consideration for awards entries next year. When I do this, I’ll make some notes regarding the details of each project.This way, instead of scrambling come deadline time, I’ll have a head start with a lot of the work already done.
Sound good? Perhaps this is something you’ll try along with me?
Be careful not to get too far ahead of yourself because the rules and/or procedures for entering can change from year to year, but simply gathering those important facts can be a big head start.
I admit it. I asked for, and received an Xbox 360 for my birthday. The main reason (or so I thought) was that it can stream movies via Netflix to which I have a subscription. It’s kind of like having a video store in your media room. Just turn on the Xbox, open Netflix and choose a movie to watch. But, since that is not the primary function of the Xbox, I had to try to play a game. After hours of research I settled on Fable II from Lionhead Studios. I must admit that video games certainly have come a long way. This game is amazing as I’m sure many of them are.
The Xbox is hooked up via component input to a 57” TV and the audio is digitally output into a decoder for surround sound which is installed in the room. The game has wonderful sound design and music which takes full advantage of the surround sound, and the graphics are absolutely incredible. It is a totally immersive experience with a long and deep story/plot line that keeps you going and wanting more. Suffice it to say that I have put way too many hours into this game, and I’m only about half way through it.
The other thing that is interesting is that as you walk through the game you see these little colored blobs floating around. Each one has some sort of unique identifier like “947GO” or “PinnyPooker”. It turns out that these are actual people from around the world that are also playing the same game. You can click on them and have them join in your game or befriend them (similar to Facebook) and begin communicating. You can control whether you show these at all, show only people that you’re friends with or show everyone. Since the Xbox is connected to the internet all things are possible. This just reinforces the emergence of what we around here call the ‘Hive Mentality’. The world is getting smaller and is being driven by a community mentality rather than a one-sided corporate mentality. Decisions are being made after communicating with the hive. And the hive is totally accessible – just connect to the internet. That’s a topic for another blog. So far, I have managed to watch one movie. I just need to get one more quest done in Fable II and then I can watch some more…
No, not crunch time for the end of year advertising rush, not for holiday shopping, and not for packing for the trip to grandma’s house. It’s time for the fantasy football playoff season.
Scoff if you want, but fantasy sports, and football in particular, have become big business. It’s an $800 million industry, with over 30 million players in the US and Canada alone. Oh, and those 30 million players have an average household income of $81,000. As you might guess, advertisers have taken notice.
A few years ago, fantasy football websites were relatively corporate-free. Now, my Yahoo league page is sponsored by Tyson Anytizers, features the Toyota Fantasy Blowout of the Week award, and my draft results were presented as the Gillette Complete Grooming Line-Up. FX has even gone and created a (pretty good) TV show about it.
Anyway, after a fantastic come-from-behind victory last week (thanks, Drew Brees!), I’m in position to make the playoffs with a win this weekend (I can squeak in with a loss, too…provided I score enough points to maintain my tiebreaker). Since I play in a 12 team league composed entirely of close, very competitive friends, I desperately want to secure a playoff spot and have a chance to keep fighting for the championship. Besides, I have to keep up with my wife, who already has a playoff spot secured and won the whole thing a couple of years ago. Her trophy is still sitting on the shelf in the family room…mocking me.
So if you play, good luck these next few weeks. And if you don’t, give it a try next year…you might like what you find.
One of the more common challenges we run into at the studio are issues with scripts. We find it very useful to review your scripts in advance of the session. It helps us prepare for the session and alert you to any potential challenges. It also allows us to get a jump start on sourcing SFX and music options which can save you valuable time and money on the day of the session.
Your script is the roadmap to a successful project. Serious detours can occur with a poorly planned script. Before your session, take the time to:
● Measure the length of the script – read it aloud while you time it
● Account for additional time used by music and SFX
● Ascertain proper pronunciations
● Prepare possible phrases or words to cut/add if the script is too long/short
● Make it easy to read – double spaced in an easy font
● Check dates, phone numbers, and addresses for accuracy
● Obtain necessary approvals from your attorney or legal department
Now my phone can actually do a lot of the things I wished it could do when I first got it. I can run apps in the background. I can customize the look and feel of the interface. I can browse and manipulate the file system. I can assign custom sounds to just about everything. And come on, doesn’t this:
look sooooooooo much better than this:
The best part is, it was all really easy. The software used to jailbreak the phone is common knowledge on the internet. Its release was reported on major tech sites like Engadget and Lifehacker, and the whole process, from downloading the program, running it, and restarting the phone only took about 5 minutes. Of course, I’ve spent a lot of time since then looking for new (unauthorized) apps, themes, icons and tweaks, but the process itself is fast and simple. Just don’t forget to change your root password.
It’s really a shame that Apple is so obsessed with conformity that they won’t allow their users to branch out a bit and really personalize their devices.
Last night I watched a broadcast of Jeff Beck and his band. This was a film of a live show he did at Ronnie Scott’s jazz club in 2007 and I saw it in HD. It’s rare that I actually sit down and watch an entire concert on TV, but last night was an exception. What captivated me was the simplicity of the whole thing. Here were 4 musicians actually playing the heck out of their instruments. What a rare concept these days. There were no flashing lights, no dancers, no short skirts and high heels, no narcissism, no costumes or make-up, no drama and no auto-tuning. No Wizard of Oz behind the curtain. Just raw musicianship, talent and creativity at their finest. Actual musicians at the top of their game communicating and having fun while doing so. This is something that has become harder and harder to find these days, and it was a real pleasure to experience it while watching this program. It’s important for people like Jeff to continue their mission so that the general public doesn’t forget what real music and musicianship is all about. Of course, he had some special guests sit in like Imogen Heap, Joss Stone and Eric Clapton. They all sounded ok, but kind of watered down the main issue which was hearing Jeff and his band do their thing.
The band consisted of Jeff, Tal Wilkenfeld, Jason Rebello and Vinnie Colaiuta. Check out the clip below if you’re interested.
Michael is currently interning with us as he completes his music degree at UAlbany.
The Monster Mash Album
On the way into the studio yesterday, I heard “The Monster Mash” on 88.3 WVCR. The track, by Bobby “Boris” Pickett and the Crypt Kickers debuted in 1962, where it was a number one on the Billboard Hot 100 for two weeks starting on October 20.
Even though this is a novelty song, it’s got some REALLY great production and in addition to Bobby “Boris” Picket, it features Gary S. Paxton, Leon Russell, Johnny McCrae, Rickie Page, and Terry Berg as the house band “The Crypt Kickers”.
Just listen to the background vocals: “Monster Mash, ah ooh” how could you go wrong?
I bought the whole album of spooky Halloween songs this year, it’s fun! Think 1960’s girl group / Spector / Beach Boys pop music narrated / sung by a faux monster. It’s a win / win situation. Happy Halloween!
Bonus clip: A far out speech from spooky Vincent Price and a video of him singing a disco version of the song!
Double bonus clip: The Beach Boys covering The Monster Mash shortly after the track debuted.
I audibly gasped when I recently heard the Party City radio spot promoting their Halloween costumes. The background was Michael Jackson’s Thriller. My first reaction was ‘oh my god, they stole his song’. After some further research I found out that they indeed did get the rights to the piece – kudos to them for not inviting such an obvious law suit. Here’s a look at the TV version:
Even still it didn’t feel right to me. The man died only months ago. Isn’t there some time span that should pass, even if merely out of respect for his musical contribution to the world? If there isn’t, shouldn’t there be?
Then this morning I saw this story from CNN on dead celebrities. Apparently the real big money kicks in after you kick it!
Earlier this year Cotton Hill recorded an audio version of Ryan Smithson’s memoir “Ghosts of War: The True Story of a 19-Year-Old GI” for HarperCollins Publisher. Cotton Hill’s Aaron Scher engineered the session.
Smithson, a native of East Greenbush, NY, gives us a unique view of his experiences in Iraq and his return home. “It was interesting to get a soldier’s-eye-view of the war in Iraq, and to see what life is like after returning…something we rarely get exposed to.” Scher said. The book was released April 21, 2009.
Start at the end. The road to project completion can sometimes be much clearer if you start at the end. Ask yourself, “What do I need to walk away with and when?” Once your end product is determined, work backwards to outline other milestones in the creation process.
Know your final deliverables as they can take many forms. Would you like a hard copy (audio CD, data CD or DVD) or an electronic copy (.mp3, .wav or .aif)? For spots, who will be trafficking the spots to the stations? When is the project due? Did you allow for approvals? These specifics are sometimes left out or overlooked until the last moment. Knowing these details in advance can influence and streamline the process.
The bottom line – know where you want to end up. It’ll help you figure out the best and most expeditious plan to get there.
