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One click and you’re done

Published on November 8, 2010 by loreleimathias2 Comments

Just a small observation this Monday morning, that there seems to be a new creative format doing the rounds.

That of the Clever-and-witty-copy-plus-big-button idea.

Example: this very funny campaign for Obama, built to remind people what he’s achieved.
www.whatthefuckhasobamadonesofar.com

Which reminded us of the addictive and brilliant:

http://whatthefuckismysocialmediastrategy.com/

Which is a similar format to this:

http://www.volkswagen.co.uk/justification-generator

Is it just a passing fad, or a new media format, to add to the homepage takeover, banner et.al. ?

They’re quite fun to play, and quite quick to do (we imagine). We’re just wondering how many more there will be, and whether we need to be coining a name for them all?

Howard’s Way

Published on October 25, 2010 by loreleimathiasLeave a comment

Last Thursday was the 26 Annual Speech at the British Library.
(What’s 26?)

Past speakers have been Phil Collins (no, not that one) and Oona King. This year the speech was given by a slightly-more-hoarse-than-usual Howard Jacobson. Hoarse on account of his recent whirlwind of post Booker-winning interviews. In the twenty-seventh year of his career, he’s a man who, in Allison Pearson’s words, ‘flirts dangerously with language…’ and ‘makes love with sentences’.

Despite having had about two hours sleep in the last week, the man was funny, eloquent and utterly inspiring. He spoke on a range of issues – from his winning book The Finkler Question (which only took him a year to write), to religion, the notion of ‘plot’, and to the joys of jealousy. Throughout his whole speech, there were countless gems of utter wisdom – I haven’t heard a speaker as mind-blowingly eloquent since Stephen Fry. So here are just a few Jacobson gems from the night:

“I’m not interested in plot. But this is a story. Our being in this room, talking to each other.”

“I
like to find comedy where it should not be. The taste of death in the
laughter. Squeeze the laughter out of desperation. That’s the best kind
of laugh.’

“We are all thin-skinned. Otherwise we would not be writers.”

“Giving compliments that you have a gift for writing can actually give you that gift.”

“Without Thou shalt not commit adultery adultery’s not worth committing.”

“If you’re involved in language, the Judeo-Christian god is important. He spoke some good words.”

“I like to take myself where I wouldn’t normally go. This is the stuff of our humanity. Sex, belief, death. As a fiction writer I’m committed to uncertainty. I question everything.”

“Characters. I don’t know who they are until they come into the book. I don’t know what’s going to happen.”

“Reading another writer reminds you that your own words get stale.”

“That’s what comedy is – it’s the sheer accuracy of the description. Finding exactly the right word. The best comedy is verbal.”

“If sentence 1 isn’t right, I can’t write sentence 2.”

“I am the sum of their different natures. Mother was quiet and read books. Father was an entertainer and never read a book in his life.”

This last one reminded me of something I’ve always wondered about children of divorce. If your parents didn’t get on, or were incompatible for whatever reason – but you’re made up of half of both of them – surely that means that you’re fundamentally unbalanced in some way? Or at least, full of conflicting personality traits…?! Conversely, are the people who’s parents stay together more harmonious beings? Jacobson’s comment that ‘we are our parent’s battleground’ would support that idea in a way. ‘They’re so different,’ he said of his own ‘But at the same time, I want to be each of them.’

After the talk, Mr Jacobson was signing copies of The Finkler Question. I asked him what one bit of advice he would give to someone writing a book now?

His answer was, instead of getting bogged down with detail, just start writing without any regard for the plot – just ‘relax it, let it go, set it free’. Which, when you’re so often taught to think about plotting, structure and planning, is quite a refreshing, liberating thought.

Above all, he says, ‘your touch must be light’. If you don’t force it, your characters will go where you don’t exist – have thoughts you never would have had. Then, you’ve gone beyond the writing, and you’ve let the characters take over, take on a life of their own.

On a less serious note, here is a more furry way to decide the next Booker Prize winner: The Bunny Booker.

3D Projection Mapping onto the Toyota Auris Hybrid

Published on October 13, 2010 by loreleimathiasLeave a comment

In a break from the norm, we thought we’d do a post about our latest work. So instead of our usual ramblings, this is going to be about our new campaign for the Toyota Auris.

Some months ago, we got a brief to make a stir about the new Auris Hybrid. To communicate that this is a vehicle which recycles its energy as it drives – meaning you get your energy back. This car looks like an ordinary hatchback (as opposed to some hybrids, which look like hybrids). So we wanted to both showcase the incredible energy, but also play into this element of hidden energy and surprise.

So
the idea was to park the car in a normal, everyday location, and then use projection mapping to showcase the Hybrid
technology inside it, coming out as if by magic. So as people walked past it on the night, it appeared to come alive. The 3D projection shows the car transforming; it’s bodywork peeling back, (iron man style), to reveal a glowing blue light, which symbolizes the car’s Hybrid energy.

The blue light then escapes from the car and ‘energises’ objects in
the surrounding environment – before going back into the car, demonstrating how the Auris Hybrid gets its energy back. Ultimately, we hoped this would be an innovative way to showcase
an innovative car. And, to make people realise that this energy is extraordinary – by showing it doing extraordinary things.

Happily, we got quite a big crowd on the night of the stunt. Even a passing random musician, who decided to play his guitar in front of the car. After the stunt all the photos, vidoes and tweets that happened as a result were then pulled into the campaign’s hub site.

You can see the resulting film here if you like. And for people interested in the 28,000,000 pixels of texture and 200,000 lumens of power- side of things, there is the Making Of video.

Not to sound like we’re at the Oscars or anything, but we wanted to put the credits up to thank everyone who made this project happen. So here comes a shamelessly long list of credits.

All that’s left to say is please forgive this one indulgent, work-related blog. Promise a return to normal service after this.

Roll Credits.

Creative Director – Seb Royce

Creative Team – Lol and Nat (with help from Adam, Lewis and Fraser)

Production Director – Julie Hart

Senior Producer – Tony Coppola

Account Director – Jess Burvill

Account Manager – Alex (the Jenarator) Jena

Head of Innovation- Dom O’Brien

Innovation Director – Andy Kinsella

Planners – Michaeljon Alexander-?Scott & Katie White

Production and Post Production – Superglue