What we're getting into.

I’ve just spent two days at
the NAB (National Association of Broadcasters) Convention, the annual gathering
of all things video and I think it’s safe to predict the next wave of
technology to consume us all is 3-D. Every major vendor and a lot of smaller ones
are making a major push into 3-D.

Walking the floors of the
convention it’s hard to believe that movies ever existed before 3-D. I’ve seen
the future and it has 2 more dimensions than Sarah Palin.

Sony showcased a 40-foot tall
LED monitor playing live sports that was stunning. JVC, Canon, Panasonic and
the other major players all had a major 3-D presence and it’s easy to
understand why they’ve staked so much on the new trend. The technology is
impressive and the imagery is beautiful. The effect, when produced properly, is
truly immersive. I think we’re beyond the gimmickry of the 1960s when actors
threw spears at the camera. 3-D works best when you have a multi-layered,
richly textured setting, producing an immersive environment that places the viewer
inside the world they’re watching.

For example, the Masters Golf tournament, broadcast in 3-D was fantastic. Deep
focus video of the beautiful Augusta National golf course, with its crowds
moving in the foreground and background coupled with the ball coming straight
at you produces a viewing experience unlike one you’ve seen before.

Besides sports I think the
early adopters will be corporate clients. I can see how a client would love to
embrace this immersive technology into their next live event. It’s a
complicated process: double the size of your production crew, two focus
pullers, two ADs, data wranglers, etc., and the post-production workflow can
be very intense. But the end-result is well worth it.

Other highlights from NAB: Adobe’s new CS5 has some very cool features. Autodesk’s new Smoke for Mac is
fantastic. And walking by the Microsoft booth I heard several announcements,
each introducing the product that will kill the iPad, iPhone, Kindle, Google,
TiVo, Firefox, iTunes, DVDs and whooping cough. I think I saw a demo that
“…promises to kill Betamax as a format once and for all.”

The other big trend was the
love affair that the world has with Digital SLR cameras, specifically Canon’s
5D, 7D, and the new 1D. Great digital cameras that can capture full HD video.
And with the full size sensor on the 5D it delivers the shallow depth-of-field
and low-light sensitivity that video cameras have been chasing for years. At an
entry-level price of $800 for the 1D and $2,800 for the 5D, the new DSLR is a
game changer.

At the end of the day they’re
all promising the same thing, new ways to capture pretty pictures. They’re big
promises but it still comes back to creating pictures that are interesting
enough to capture and ones that tell the story that needs to be told.

Technology changes but the basic needs remain
steadfast – what’s the story, and how do we tell it? I wish they had an app for
that. Maybe next year.

Many of you may have heard or seen “Viral” marketing campaigns by businesses seeking to inexpensively promote themselves or their products and/or services over the Internet, specifically viral video campaigns. Viral marketing and viral advertising, as defined by Wikipedia, refers to “techniques that use pre-existing social networks to produce increases in brand awareness or to achieve other marketing objectives (such as product sales) through self-replicating viral processes, analogous to the spread of pathological and computer viruses. It can be word-of-mouth, delivered or enhanced by the network effects of the Internet. Viral marketing is a marketing phenomenon that facilitates and encourages people to pass along a marketing message voluntarily.”

Samsung Omnia (i900) Unboxing

I
believe design is definitely one of the tools we have in our
save-the-world arsenal and the good news is I’m not the only one. I’ve
just discovered Design 21, a “Social Design Network.” The site is a partnership between UNESCO and the merchandise company Felissimo.
Design 21’s mission is to “inspire social activism” through design and
the site has some great features to support this mission. Members can
post design-oriented profiles, blog, show work samples and reveal
organizational affiliations that surface who they are and what they’re
into. In addition to the design-focused profile feature, there are
articles on a variety of topics, like an interview with economist
Jeffrey Sachs on how designers can contribute to the global goal of
ending extreme poverty. The site also brings together designers and
non-profits through the hosting of design competitions, and an “Act” area in which socially conscious organizations can list project descriptions and request pro bono support. The design by Area 17
is clean and inviting, and the site in general is just a pleasure to
engage with.
Design 21 is a fantastic illustration of the promise of Web 2.0 empowering communities to create change. My only concern now is finding the time to dig into all the exciting content and join the conversation.

Web banners are challenging. People are just as used to them now as they are billboards, magazine ads, TV spots and everything else. So grabbing attention is an art.

This banner, part of an anti-crystal meth campaign, does an exceptional job of getting through the clutter with a very authentic-looking real-time/web cam approach to getting the message across. When the guy first sits down, he even adjusts the cam and the picture shifts. Very cool. The teaser, shown here, grabs your attention and compels you to click – and doing so launches the message.

It’s a great look, a great approach for the audience, a great use of the medium, and a great execution. Would that all communication was this clear and compelling.

Sean Dunn, one of Groove’s founding partners, had an interesting experience not too long ago that really brought home the power of all this Web 2.0 stuff and how it converts brand conversation from monologue to dialogue.

While blogging last week and posting comments about the presidential campaign, he reached out to someone named Peter. They started a dialogue. No matter what you think of the debate – and who you align with politically or morally – it was clear from their lively debate that he had this person in a real dialogue. So, he looked to Google to learn a little more about Peter. This is what he found:

“Peter H. Wehner served until March 2007 as Deputy Assistant to the President and Director of Strategic Initiatives, running the White House Office of Strategic Initiatives. He was a Bush speechwriter who worked for William Kristol when he was chief of staff to then-Education Secretary William J. Bennett.“

With nothing more than his computer and cable, he was debating a White House insider! As Sean says, “A voter like me would never have had access to the inner circle of any other presidency at any other moment in time. This man was debating me on health care, abortion, taxes, etc. My debate will go on – and he will do his best to change my mind.”

Think of the power shift this implies. CEOs like Jonathan Schwartz at Sun blog every day. We all need to understand the true power at our fingertips – the power to reach out, in real time, to real people. Who knows where it could lead or what connections you could make?

It truly is a whole new ball game.