The Daily Online Video Fix: A Shot of Jewish Humor For The New Year!

Happy Rosh Hashanah!   I thought it would be appropriate to share a couple of memorable online videos that relate to the new year of 5679.

PHONE ATONE is a new comedy that ties in the current race to the white house, while HAPPY ROSH HASHANAH is a hip-hop animation that is meant to get you grooving to temple.  

Both videos were produced by BIRTH-RIGHT, a Jewish organization that funds educational trips to Israel for teenagers and young adults, free of charge.   I think these videos serve as an excellent strategy to get young people interested in Jewish traditions in a fun, modern context that is relatable.   It also shows how original online entertainment can target specific audiences and succeed.   HAPPY ROSH HASHANAH (made in 2006) has over 150,000 views, while PHONE ATONE has over 730,000 views.   

Check out these videos and let me know your thoughts!

Shalom...

The Daily Online Video Fix: Barely Political's Nadar & Obama Girl

I'm not going to say much about this video except that I think this show could be bigger than ALL IN THE FAMILY.  If you are following the viral political videos this election season, you will love this video.  Barely Political knocks it out of the park with this one!  Mazel-Tov!

The Daily Online VIdeo Fix: Zeitgiest, Federal Reserve

I thought the last post may have been a little too flip about the economic disaster facing our country at the moment, so I wanted to post a more sobering online video that may shed some light on one of the most mysterious institutions - The Federal Reserve. I think this clip from the film Zeitgeist does a great job of giving us a background on hot the reserve was formed and how it operates. Even though this film is labeled a conspiracy film, I think it holds a lot of valuable information. The word conspiracy is sometimes used to marginalize the truth and make people think that this type of content is fiction. Sometimes, I wish it was so... As Americans, this is a very rough time and I hope this video can help give us a little understanding of the forces that shape and drive this nation.

The Daily Online Video Fix: Diesel Viral Ad Goes Nuts

With the stock market collapsing and people losing everything, I thought this video may inject some much needed escapism into the day.

Diesel's viral marketing campaign created this shock video. At first glance, it's brilliant, funny and down-right nutty.

The only problem is that it's rip off of Prono Tapados, a publication of 2006 by Paloma Blanco. Hate to be the buzz-kill, but want to keep it real.

Nevertheless, it's still a great example of a creative, edgy video being produced by a big clothing company, even if the idea was stolen from a spanish print ad.


http://view.break.com/577249 - Watch more free videos

CLICK HERE TO SEE HOW IT WAS PLAGIARIZED

Paul Newman: We Will Miss You

Today, at 83, we lost Mr. Newman to cancer.  His legacy will be remembered forever.  His career spanned over six decades and I think he was one of America's greatest actors and humanitarians.  

Thank you for giving us so much.

Below is a short clip from Iconoclasts in 2007, that brings Redford and Newman back together.

  

The Daily Online Video Fix: So Bad It's Amazing

I wanted to share a couple of videos that could be filed under the category - So Bad It's Amazing.

First up is Jonah Sky's "That's What Friends Are For".  It's a piece of classic inadvertent Jewish humor.   The VHS tape of Seth's Bar-Mitzvah was found at Jonah's grandmother's house (she is in the blue/green dress).   I'm not sure if the whole family is tone deaf or everyone is just loaded on Manischewitz and Xanax.   You be the judge.    And if you think I am just some eccentric video junkie who's overdosed on too much online content, there are over 240,000 other video addicts who experimented with the addictive new comedy sub-genre of So Bad It's Amazing.

Next up, is "Who Needs A Movie?", a video that now has over 850,000 views.  John Waters would be proud.  This takes the So Bad It's Amazing sub-genre to another level.   A combination of low-rent graphics and a performance that would make Steven Wright seem jovial, sends this promo video into the comedy stratosphere.   It may almost be worth it to hire these guys just to make sure their "signature voice" gets heard by millions.   I'd love to see some of their finished wedding or business promo videos.  If their clients didn't have a sense of humor, they may have blow their brains out.   Hopefully, no one got hurt and they will be uploaded soon for the world to enjoy!  

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: Studio Visit Webisodes

As promised, here are a few more webisodes from the original online series STUDIO VISIT. The series reveals the creative process of visual artists.  These short documentaries first appeared on Eveo during the Internet revolution of 1999.  Check out my earlier post (Getting Hooked on New Media) for more info about the creation of this show.  Thanks!

The Daily Online Video Fix: Coma on Crackle

Yesterday evening I opened my new issue of Wired magazine and was surprised to find a DVD of COMA, Crackle's new online series directed by P.R. Brown.   Actually, what surprised me was that Sony (who owns Crackle.com) had the balls to promote original online programming in such a big way!  

The show is banking that the star power of Michael Madsen and George Hamilton will drive eyeballs to the series.  The free DVD proves that the studio is committed to spend some major bucks on marketing their series on traditional media platforms, such as print.  I hope it works for them. It definitely got me curious.  I'm sure Fox and Disney's Stage 9 is watching closely to see if Coma is successful.   If so, I'm sure others will be stepping up to the plate soon with their own traditional marketing campaigns.  

I guess the big question really is - how is the show?  My one line reaction on the first episode:  I thought it was huge on style, light on substance.   A lot of work went into this series and it shows. I just wish more time was spent on the story.    That's just my take.  I've included the first episode below so you can make up your own mind.  Enjoy!

From Crackle: Coma, Ep 1: The Blazer