The Association of Music Producers (AMP) premiered the short film The Third Millennium: 2000–Present at “AOL AMP’d UP!. Presented by Platform A,” Advertising Week V’s opening night concert at the Nokia Theatre in New York City on Sept. 22. The soundtrack, composed and produced by AMP-member companies, was performed live by an orchestra while the film, an extraordinary montage of images chronicling recent history, screened. Virtually all of the footage for the film was provided by Thought Equity Motion, and Paul Kelly of Beast, New York, edited the piece.
With a running time of five minutes, The Third Millennium chronicles the historic events of the past eight-plus years–from the triumphant New Years’ celebrations of 2000 to the tragic events of 9/11 to the Mars landing and the recent Olympic Games.
“This film is a great collaborative effort, showcasing many talents,” said Lyle Greenfield, president of the national board of AMP, and founder of Bang Music, who crafted the film’s concept. “It’s a unique example of what AMP member companies and composers are capable of–what we do.”
The original music score was composed in collaboration among Liz Myers (Trivers/Myers); Chris Plansker (Yessian Music); Jeff Slutz (Sugarbox); and Ben Zebelman (Octave Music). Each composer scored a portion of the film, with their combined efforts fluidly melding into one cohesive track. Executive producers for the film’s music were PJ Hanke of Sovereign and Jason Menkes of the newly launched COPILOT.
Menkes, VP of AMP’s New York board, noted, “The creative challenge of this project was to provide a consistent narrative while balancing individual expression through writing freedom. We chose these four composers specifically for their unique viewpoints, yet it was equally essential to present this work as a single living piece.”
The soundtrack to the film supports and gives cohesiveness to the moving images. “It was gratifying–and challenging–to be a part of this project and frankly, pretty extraordinary to view all we have lived through in the past eight years,” said Kelly.
The film tapped into Thought Equity Motion’s inventory for archival footage. “We provided 95 percent of the footage for this film–giving the producers nearly 800 clips to select from,” said Thought Equity Motion CEO/founder Kevin Schaff.
“This is a great example of seeing editorial content typically used only in documentaries or news programs in a fresh, creative light,” continued Schaff. “The end result is both entertaining and thought-provoking.”
Since 2006, AMP and the Association of Independent Commercial Producers (AICP) have brought their expertise to the planning of Advertising Week’s opening night celebration (which this year featured performances by OutKast’s Big Boi and N*E*R*D), as well as other entertainment events during The Week.
“But The Third Millennium film,” affirmed Greenfield, “is one ‘event’ that has brought together a full ensemble of creative forces in our industry–live action, still photography, editorial, soundtrack composition, sound design, performance, audio post, It rocks!”
Apple and Google Face UK Investigation Into Mobile Browser Dominance
Apple and Google aren't giving consumers a genuine choice of mobile web browsers, a British watchdog said Friday in a report that recommends they face an investigation under new U.K. digital rules taking effect next year.
The Competition and Markets Authority took aim at Apple, saying the iPhone maker's tactics hold back innovation by stopping rivals from giving users new features like faster webpage loading. Apple does this by restricting progressive web apps, which don't need to be downloaded from an app store and aren't subject to app store commissions, the report said.
"This technology is not able to fully take off on iOS devices," the watchdog said in a provisional report on its investigation into mobile browsers that it opened after an initial study concluded that Apple and Google effectively have a chokehold on "mobile ecosystems."
The CMA's report also found that Apple and Google manipulate the choices given to mobile phone users to make their own browsers "the clearest or easiest option."
And it said that the a revenue-sharing deal between the two U.S. Big Tech companies "significantly reduces their financial incentives" to compete in mobile browsers on Apple's iOS operating system for iPhones.
Both companies said they will "engage constructively" with the CMA.
Apple said it disagreed with the findings and said it was concerned that the recommendations would undermine user privacy and security.
Google said the openness of its Android mobile operating system "has helped to expand choice, reduce prices and democratize access to smartphones and apps" and that it's "committed to open platforms that empower consumers."
It's the latest move by regulators on both sides of the Atlantic to crack down on the... Read More