Flashier Flash

If you're in to cool Flash, not to say a little weirdness, check out We Fail. Just let the site play. And wear your Sunday Pants.

Flashy Flash

In my constant search for good, creative ideas and communication techniques, I came across two very good web sites employing Flash. See what you think.

Royal Caribbean's Freedom of the Seas boat build and promotional site.
The Buddy Group

The Royal Caribbean site hits a homerun in immersing the viewer in the features of it's new ocean liner.

The Buddy Group cleverly incorporates interactivity and navigation in video and static elements. This site is Campy in more ways than one, but just try to resist exploring its navigation. The Buddy Group's Flash-enabled site required Flash 8.

Both do a good job of showing you capabilities, not just telling.

Chapter 2: The Velvet Hammer

This post goes back to the large orientation project I'm working on for Major Retail. You might recall that ProdCoX and I pitched a hard-fought battle to win the contract for this project. The entire time we felt that if we won the contract, the project would be a nightmare because of Major Retail's internal politics and bureaucracy.

That hunch has proven true. The project has not advanced, and we've only had one meeting with Major Retail and the other involved party, an HR consulting firm (Big HR) that is assembling the overall program. I believe I also cautioned in Chapter One about the possibility of this project spawning a 2-headed monster. Who is going to lead the overall effort to create this content? It looks like it will be Big HR.

One other outstanding issue is the fact that no one has yet chosen the creative direction for the project. We pitched four or five very solid creative concepts.

Cue the fun.

As a freelancer, I take jobs when they come along. I rarely enjoy the luxury of cherry picking only the jobs I want. And I've been fortunate to have been busy all year. Right now, I'm booked through December.

Conflict arises when a client such as ProdCoX gets the green light from Major Retail to begin the project. And that's what happened this week. Major Retail and Big HR decided that Phase One of the Project should be completed by March. This decision is entirely arbitrary. It looks good on the calendar. But, the decision makers don't have anything to do with production of the videos. They don't know what's involved, or how long it will take.

Anyway, since we were never given any kind of go-ahead on this project since we got the contract in August, I took other jobs.

So today, Maven calls and says, "It's go time." I told her, "I'm booked until December." She comes back with, "Maybe we need to look at someone else to produce this."

This line came out way too fast. I happened to spend some time at ProdCoX's place last week finally completing the Talking Head video. By the way, the talking head did not stay in the picture. Maven kept coming into the suite and whispering to the editor and to other staffers. This is a sure sign that you're about to be jerked around. Sure enough, the jerking started this week.

Maven informed me on the phone that a hot-shot producer out of Nashville walked into her office the day before and left her his reel. She said he made it clear that he couldn't write, but he could produce, direct and edit. She gave me his website and I punched it as we spoke. On his site he featured publicity-type photos of Alan Jackson and Kenny Chesney, and a female country artist I didn't recognize.

That was my first hunch that we had a problem. His client list included some big names, but was sufficiently vague. A casual eye would easily be taken by the celebrity photos and the implied connection to them. A discerning eye spotted a hint of deception. It's a favorite trick of many in production to cram every elbow-brushing-with-fame project onto reels and resumes. That's what I thought I was looking at. In other words, this guy could have been a grip, or assistant editor, on a music video for some big-name star. But unless you ask, you'll think he wrote, produced, directed, edited, and distributed the entire project singlehandedly. My other hunch was that this guy's presentation was all over-achieving "happy talk." It felt like a bunch of fluff, and exactly the kind of bait clients swallow whole.

Midwestern production companies always foam at the mouth to latch onto some Hollywood, or New York, or Chicago, or Nashville producer/director type. For some reason, these type people really impress middle-American widget makers who want a $10,000.00 industrial video. I've seen this scenario play out probably 6 or 8 times in 12 years. This guy blows into town from whatever big market. Generally , this is why he landed here: he a.) got burned out b.) was forced out of c.) couldn't make it in whatever market he was in. There's no shame in not making it. Those are very tough markets, no doubt. And, sometimes family pressures force creatives to move to friendlier climes.

Once they emigrate, they bang around town for a year or two, and then a.) they get bored and go away b.) they make everybody mad and go away c.) they just vanish.

ProdCoX has a habit of panicking. They're also always looking for someone flashy and shiny, which is fine. But when they panic and look for a replacement, it's a bad combination. Needless to say, I could hear the foam forming in Maven's mouth as she talked about this guy.

I don't mind so much getting supplanted by a superior talent. I do mind getting replaced as a knee-jerk reaction by an unproven talent with a dubious record. I'm also upset at the prospect of getting edged out of a project in which I contributed to winning. Maven clearly had been machinating on this drama for some time. She's very good with the, "It's not you. It's us. We don't want to get anybody else, but you're so busy. Which is good for you. This is not what I want to do at all. We'd rather work with you." The Velvet Hammer.

I found myself almost buying this. Then, it hit me. She couldn't wait to bring in a lil' Nashville Razzle-Dazzle. In a situation like this, you don't want to get defensive. You don't want to sound territorial or terrorized. I tried to keep cool about it, and realized that ProdCoX is going to do what they're going to do. I also realized that if I fought too hard, Maven might keep me on as punishment, as a set-up for failure. And even if I executed perfectly, she and her bosses would never be happy.

Parting Shots

I decided to plant a few seeds with Maven. I told her I'd really question Mr. Nashville regarding what his specific role was in each spot on his reel. I also expressed my doubts about anyone who emigrated, exiled, etc., to this market from a major market. (This might have cut a little too close to the bone, because Maven is one of these people.) She got kind of quiet when I made this comment. It was calculated on my part. A small gamble.

She also wanted budget numbers to give to the client. By Monday. It was just then Thursday afternoon. I told her it was virtually impossible to estimate this project without a script, much less a creative direction. At best it would be irresponsible and amateurish because no one can possible anticapte with any certainty a majority of the costs without an approved script. She said she was going to present them with something.

Wrap Up

Is there a lesson to impart from this experience? I doubt it. I think keeping cool is probably the best unsolicited advice. If you push too hard, you might get what you want, but at a steep price.

In preparing rough budget numbers I accepted the fact that this job was bigger than just one producer. I welcome a division of labor, so long as the associate producers are experienced, credible, and reliable.

More posts to come.

2 Good Shorts

I caught 2 good short films tonight on Sundance Channel that I recommend.

Mott Music

Underdog

Cornbread

I think my favorite food is cornbread. But it has to be cornbread made with "White Lily" brand cornmeal. I don't bake it, mind you. But a big hunk of cornbread slathered with butter, not margarin, now that's eatin'.