“There is no greater natural resource than the human imagination.”
That’s the tagline to four Video On Demand (VOD) short films that will ultimately drive traffic to ge.com/imaginationtheater. The shorts–two animated (The Crossing and Samurai), two shot live action (Cubicle and Birth)–kick off “GE’s Imagination Theater,” a creative venue conceived by BBDO creative chieftains David Lubars, Bill Bruce and Don Schneider. The films debuted on Time Warner Digital Cable VOD and are later posted on the aforementioned GE Web site. (See news story in this issue for project details.)
The aforementioned tagline is most apropos in that BBDO New York’s creative artisans across the board each had to come up with at least one idea for a film, according to Schneider, executive creative director of BBDO New York.
“Creative people are all frustrated filmmakers at heart,” observed Schneider. “We love what we do but it’s invigorating to get the chance to go beyond it, to take the gloves off and be purely creative about making film. The only parameter was that somehow each film had to depict ‘Imagination At Work’ [G.E.’s now well established campaign mantra created by BBDO]. It couldn’t just be some kaleidoscope of imagination on film. The work aspect had to be a part of it.
“We had some people coming up with five, six, seven ideas each,” continued Schneider. “We had to sift through many great ideas to come up with the first four films…And now people are lining up, waiting for the next batch.”
Judy Hu, GE’s global executive director for advertising and branding, related, “What David, Bill and Don did was great from a client’s viewpoint. They opened up the assignment to all of their creatives. Of course, every client wants to see a range of wonderful work, and that’s what we got. At the same time, the process was an inspiration for their creative staff. The only parameters were tight budgets, and that the work have a sense of humor, an optimistic, positive attitude in line with GE’s commitment to imagination. For us, it was a positive departure from other new media trends–like having consumers produce their own ads, or let’s hire an expensive Hollywood producer/creative team. It was terrific to let your agency do what it does best.”
From a branding perspective, Schneider noted that the project has proved to be most gratifying. “When we started the GE ‘Imagination At Work’ campaign in broadcast three-and-a-half years ago, GE was known for its core competencies in making jet engines, freight trains and household appliances, but it had never been positioned as an imagination company. Imagination is something we wanted GE to own. And that imagination branding for GE has taken hold, first through the traditional form of commercialmaking, then with the ‘One Second Theater’ [on TiVo] and now moving into the VOD platform with inventive content.”
Schneider added that the agency didn’t hesitate to seek out resources in the spotmaking community (including such shops as HSI, Green Dot Films and The Directors Bureau) for the shorts. “There’s an incredible amount of talent in the commercial business,” he said, “and like our creative guys, they’re hungry to show what they can do beyond what they normally are involved in. ”
House Calls Via TV and Streamers: A Rundown of The Season’s Doctor Dramas
No matter your ailment, there are plenty of TV doctors waiting to treat you right now on a selection of channels and streamers.
Whether it's Noah Wyle putting on his stethoscope for the first time since "ER," Morris Chestnut graduating to head doctor, Molly Parker making her debut in scrubs or Joshua Jackson trading death for life on a luxury cruise, new American hospital dramas have something for everyone.
There's also an outsider trying to make a difference in "Berlin ER," as Haley Louise Jones plays the new boss of a struggling German hospital's emergency department. The show's doors slide open to patients Wednesday on Apple TV+.
These shows all contain the DNA of classic hospital dramas โ and this guide will help you get the TV treatment you need.
"Berlin ER"
Dr. Suzanna "Zanna" Parker has been sent to run the Krank, which is only just being held together by hardened โ and authority-resistant โ medical staff and supplies from a sex shop. The result is an unflinching drama set in an underfunded, underappreciated and understaffed emergency department, where the staff is as traumatized as the patients, but hide it much better.
From former real-life ER doc Samuel Jefferson and also starring Slavko Popadiฤ, ลafak ลengรผl, Aram Tafreshian and Samirah Breuer, the German-language show is not for the faint of heart.
Jones says she eventually got used to the blood and gore on the set.
"It's gruesome in the beginning, highly unnerving. And then at some point, it's just the most normal thing in the world," she explains. "That's flesh. That's the rest of someone's leg, you know, let's just move on and have coffee or whatever."
As it's set in the German clubbing capital, the whole city... Read More