The Daily Online Video Fix: Dr. Horrible's Sing Along

This is going to be the future of online content. Professional, dynamic and originally web-centric. Love the pacing, performances, lighting and overall production value. It's evident that Joss Whedon really gets what makes the medium work. Hulu's site really is also easy on the eyes. The player is elegant and clean. This is a short blog entry since it is Friday, the debate is on and it's time to step away from computer. I repeat, step away from the computer. Hope everyone has a great weekend!

The Daily Online VIdeo Fix: A Viral Classic

Not sure if you have seen this viral ad, but it has always been a favorite of mine. I remember watching it for the first time and thinking "This is not for real. Or maybe it is...Damn, that was cool!". Quicksilver really knows their audience. Any kid or young adult watching was probably also impressed. They subconsciously tapped into our bad-boy, coolest kid on the block attitude. It doesn't even matter if we really are rebels or hipsters, because deep down we always want to feel like we are, even if others don't see us that way. I know I wanted to get a pair of board-shorts and blow something up after watching this... Okay, maybe I didn't want to get a pair of board-shorts.

I hope we continue to see branded viral ads that continue to impress and keep us on our toes.


Dynamite Surfing - video powered by Metacafe

The Daily Online Video Fix: Hallmark Across America

Here's the pilot I produced and directed for the original online series HALLMARK ACROSS AMERICA.   This premiere episode focuses on MURDER MYSTERY WEEKEND.   Stun Creative hired me for this great gig.  It's been a long time since I had this much fun on a project.  We were in the beautiful town of Langley, Washington.  The town is about an hour north of Seattle on Whidbey Island.   The people were really nice and everyone was very cool with us shooting there.   

I had no idea what to expect going into this...  It's always harder to try and find the story as it unfolds rather that just covering a simple event or competition.  What I mean is that there were multiple narratives to this event - the story being amateur sleuths trying to figure out "who did it".   There are a ton of stories happening all at the same time because  there were thousands of people in town, all trying to figure out who the murderer was over two days...   We needed to find interesting characters to follow within a few hours of shooting or we had no story.  Other festivals, such as Alaska's ice sculpture competition, doesn't really have an unpredictable narrative.   You know it is going to be teams of people carving ice all in a confined area.  All you need to do was document a few teams carving ice and you were good to go. 

It was important to Hallmark not only cover the event, but reveal the personalities of the people participating.   I agreed totally with this.    Getting into personalities is always more fun.  Luckily there were a ton of great characters who came to Langley and we got a ton of video gold.   We were all over the town, running from team to team, trying to follow their stories...  I think this series can be a real winner.   Please check it out by clicking the link below and let me know your thoughts!

HALLMARK ACROSS AMERICA - MURDER MYSTERY WEEKEND  

The Daily Fix: Pressure Drop Online

The Pressure Drop Website is showing the award-winning NYU thesis film.   Ezra Soiferman and I made this film almost 15 years ago and I think it holds up as a classic stoner comedy.   We launched the site in 1996 and still periodically add updates.  I'm so happy that we continue to find an audience for this short and that traffic to the site continues to grow.     Please visit the website, watch the adventures of the original token jew and leave a comment in the "eye say" section!   

Or, if you're too high, just watch below from someone who ripped the embed and posted it on youtube.