New Creativity Prompts New Values BY ELAINE CANTWELL, CREATIVE DIRECTOR, SPARK
The History channel is producing more promos for programming such as “WWII in HD” and “Pawn Stars” using an internal tool called “VeeClips.”
“We are all doing more for less, and doing it faster, better, with a bigger smile than ever.”
-John Myers
efficiently. Indeed, software vendors like Adobe and Wiredrive, as well as home-spun solutions like History’s file-sharing tool are becoming de rigueur in the halls of production. Adobe’s tools are already omnipresent in the creative suites of Hollywood; now many producers and networks are also using Adobe Connect to work jointly on videos and photos in real-time. Then there’s Wiredrive, a data asset management tool that lets producers and creators share projects in various stages and receive input from others. Such tools are also eliminating wasteful portions of the creative process, like making dubs, popping them in envelope, shipping them, and of course, waiting. In addition to freeing up time, collaborative tools are also a conduit to new forms of storytelling and creativity, such as through Facebook’s Mass Animation project that brought animators together online to create a movie short releasing this fall. “With our internal tool, we can show video, share video, write show notes, create project folders, and execute rights on them,” Nolan explained. “So, I can create a folder just my team can see, or share with external partners, get feedback on or just have people view without criticism.” New tools also include easily accessible social ones like Skype and Twitter, as well as the device everyone has — a cell phone. The connective tissue is clients and colleagues are using both high-end and commonplace tools to contribute from their iPhones, computers or wherever they may be. Continued > > >
The digital age has brought about radical change in how the business sees entertainment content and how audiences are entertained. With no more primary source or platform, there is no truly dominant media brand. In today’s digital age, everything we do and touch in our daily lives, in every aspect, is multifaceted. This constant state of change and discovery, fueled by technology and exploited by visionaries, is what defines today’s creative challenge. Alvin Toffler hit the nail on the head when he wrote: “Change is non-linear and can go backwards, forwards and sideways.” Change is what guides the brand strategy, and change is where the creative solution may be found. From a technology and design perspective, creatives need to be comfortable working in a constant state of change, remaining flexible in their ideas and ready to adapt to whatever comes along, often in a moment’s notice. Most of us recognize that technology spurs our creativity and becomes another tool in expanding our creative art or expression. The more challenging aspect, however, is developing a keen understanding of how the digital age changes lifestyles and behaviors and what will be valued creatively moving forward. Digital technology impacts consumer behavioral patterns and those patterns, in turn, impact how entertainment content is delivered to the viewer in a never-ending circle. Brand evolution is also affected by the marketplace, competition and challenges. If the brand essence remains strong within the changing environment in which it lives, the audience will likely follow it across platforms. As long as the brand lives where the audience is, and considers them along the way, the journey is one that brand and audience take together. Creative problem solvers must explore faster and solve quicker. But, this need for speed can lead to some pitfalls. They can be too quick to dismiss potential ideas that on the surface may not appear to be the right solution. This impatience eliminates the opportunity to find the “diamond in the rough” by not allowing an idea to percolate long enough to come into its own. But with new understanding in brain plasticity and how we receive information, creatives now know that the message can be more permanently embedded in our consciousness, depending on its delivery. The brain patterns created using new technology set in motion a desire to receive information a particular way. Consumers want more simultaneous stimulation because it triggers familiar pleasure zones in the brain. Therefore, the message sticks. The impact the media has on the message is incredible. Creatives must follow the technology path and see how it is changing behavior because that is where your message will live next. In the end, however, the key to any successful brand is a solid foundation. Everything that happens to a brand after that singular moment of creative birth challenges the very foundation on which it is built. A brand does not live in a vacuum. It is a living, breathing entity that is affected by everything around it. It needs to be solid yet flexible. It needs to evolve yet have a clear, consistent message. It requires commitment and compromise. Technology certainly helps the solution or creative idea come to life, but it still all comes down to the creative idea, and that idea is generated by the most powerful tool ever made — the human brain. O FALL 2009 | 25