By PHIL PRICE
AS A GRAPHIC DESIGNER, I am driven by the desire to create new visual experiences. As a businessman running a digital studio, I am driven to create more efficient working processes and find competitive advantages wherever possible.
I am especially excited about DTV and surrounding technology (streaming audio/video, Internet broadcasting, HDTV, cable modems, video games) because they offer us not just a "hot" new style, but an entirely new, integrated viewing experience. To harness the power of each of these areas is going to take reeducation and restructuring of how we work and think. Broadcasting, advertising, and graphic design are changing and change can be painful. But if we can empower designers with tools that inspire consumers into really wanting and needing digital broadcasting, then the digital revolution will be underway. Here are some ideas to consider:
iDVD. According to the Consumer Electronics Manufacturing Association, sales of players and discs are estimated to be outpacing the initial 18-month launch cycle of the CD and VCR by a factor of 10. The average DVD can hold up to 133 minutes of high-resolution digital video per side using MPEG-2 video compression and offers Dolby Digital (AC-3) surround or Dolby Pro Logic sound. Shouldn’t this be the replacement for the 3/4-inch tape deck? (The advertising industry is single handedly keeping that format alive.) DVD also offers creative possibilities that have hardly been tapped.
iHigh def. "Traditional" TV broadcasters have tried to recreate the traditional business model they’ve always had except this time with high-def digital signals. The good news is that the 1080/24P high-def format that many postproduction, effects and design people are behind is finally a format that makes some sense. It offers 24-frames progressive scan (no fields) just like film.
iBroadcasters. Broadcasters are becoming media companies. Their distribution medium whether by broadcast, cable, satellite, or the Internet will be a digital file containing a variety of media and instructions. Wouldn’t it be great to deliver shows and spots as Quicktime movies (or something like them) that get sent across the Internet or private network? Sure it would, unless you’re a dub house or tape manufacturer.
iAdvertising. The advertising industry is very segmented. A "traditional" agency handles TV, radio, print and another "interactive" agency handles the Internet. Traditional agencies are trying to build and acquire interactive expertise at a frantic pace. Even when they have both abilities, they operate completely independently, both from a creative and media standpoint. Creative thinkers from the interactive side as well as traditional linear creative teams would be needed to create an ad that combined a digital broadcast signal with a broadband Internet connection.
And that’s just the beginning. On the media side, it’s kind of fun to see companies such as Neilson and Arbitron-who have operated using the same basic set of criteria for years-face the challenge of adapting to entirely new models.
As DTV and the Web combine their components with "smart" modems and digital TVs, the evolution of the media viewer/user evolves. How much we can absorb in a short time could perhaps become our biggest limitation. Yet with multiple streams of video combined with optional levels of text and music, the design possibilities are greatly enhanced. A spot could be traditionally linear, interactive, and combine e-commerce all at the same time.
What does this amount to? New design opportunities that offer new business possibilities. Let the fun begin!
Director Jack Begert Joins Biscuit For His First Commercial Representation In U.S. & U.K.
Biscuit Filmworks has added filmmaker Jack Begert to its roster in the U.S. and U.K. This marks Begert’s first representation in advertising, building upon his acclaimed work in music video and film. He is best known for his striking aesthetic and surreal use of visual effects, displayed in his feature film debut Little Death, which won the NEXT Innovator Award at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival. The film stars David Schwimmer, Gaby Hoffman, Dominic Fike, and Talia Ryder, and was produced by Darren Aronofsky.
Miami-born and L.A.-based, the USC Film School graduate began his career in VFX and as an editor. Begert has worked with iconic musical artists including Kendrick Lamar, SZA, Flying Lotus, Childish Gambino, and Olivia Rodrigo, and has independently directed international campaigns for brands such as Apple, Converse, New Era, and Reebok.
Shawn Lacy, founding partner of Biscuit Filmworks, said of Begert, “We are such fans of his work--and of him as a creator, thinker, collaborator, and great guy.”
“My creative approach is often about trying to discover something unexpected in the filmmaking process,” said Begert. “Biscuit is a place where I can bring my own perspective to the work and still feel supported. That philosophy is clear from the talent they represent, and I’m excited to join their roster.”
“Jack’s work blew me away the moment I first saw it,” said Rupert Reynolds-Maclean, managing director at Biscuit Filmworks UK. “He is a modern young director who clearly cares deeply about both craft and the necessity for it in his storytelling. Everything always pushes the narrative forward. We’re looking forward to making great work together.”
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