Category: Personal Reflection

Top Viral Videos of 2009

You’ve watched, you’ve laughed, you’ve forwarded them to your friends. These are the top 10 brand-driven videos of the year according to Visible Measures.

Standing at the number one spot with a reach of over 50 million? Those adorable roller-skating babies on the Evian ad.

[Youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XQcVllWpwGs]

Two things that’re almost sure winners in vids – animals and kids. Although I have to admit that watching those babies perform stunts I know they’re physically incapable of at that age irked me a little. The debate in my head on whether it was entirely motion-graphics or whether they filmed actual baby heads and stuck them on animated bodies took away from the cuteness factor.

Ranked at number two with over 26 million in reach is the T-Mobile Dance video.

[Youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VQ3d3KigPQM]

Very fun. Makes me wish I were a part of it. Very fun to watch the prep too. Took place on Jan 15th 2009. Felt sad at the realization that the HTC Dance in Singapore actually came 10 months after. Not as original as I thought, especially since they’re both mobile phone companies. Still can’t beat the one at Oprah’s show though… Huge scale surprise right on the streets of Chicago… the best one in my opinion!

Microsoft Xbox’s Project Natal video takes the number three spot with a reach of over 22 million.

[Youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p2qlHoxPioM%5D

Only two videos in the top ten list gave me the urge to show them to my friends. This was one of them (the other was by Volkswagen). I love how it cuts right to the chase. No babies, no dancing, no outrageous stunts. Just a demonstration of the product and people using it. Very cool.

Check out the full list and stats on Advertising Age here. Thanks to @geekonomics for the tweet.



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by Categories: Learn Something New, Personal Reflection, Short FilmsTags: , , , , , , , Leave a comment

Gripping reality of mental illnesses.

Watching this video made me cry. Probably because it’s a stark reminder of how my parents are quickly aging and the pain I don’t want them to face. I’ve already seen milder examples take place whilst I’ve been home, though they were probably more cases of absent-mindedness than a medical condition. These experiences have served as a reminder for me to be extra patient with them and to keep a lookout for their well-being. I hope my brother, who isn’t a thousand miles away from home like me, will do the same.

Produced for the Alzheimer’s Disease International Conference earlier this year, Going Home gives an incredibly moving account of what it’s like for an individual living with Dementia and how it affects his/her family.

Another simple storyline that’s incredibly effective. Physical and mental disability among people is more real and present than you think. I hope this encourages you to take a moment out of your hectic daily schedule to think about those at home. I hope you’ll make a more conscious effort to look around you. They might not ask for it, but some people close to you could really use a hand.

This video is property of the Alzheimer’s Disease Association (ADA). Thanks to the Health Promotion Board for helping to get the word out. And thanks mum, for e-mailing this to me.

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by Categories: Learn Something New, Personal Reflection, Short Films, Social ChangeTags: , , , , , , , , , 1 Comment

When one door closes, one more always opens.

When Oprah rocked the world with the announcement of the final season of The Oprah Winfrey Show come 2011, a huge grey cloud loomed over many a Chicagoan’s mind. What will the media giant’s departure mean for the city and its people? Will her employees and local suppliers be left stranded and lose their source of income?

Well, the good news is, Harpo Productions is here to stay. In an article on Ruth L. Ratny’s ReelChicago.com, it states that:

“Harpo Productions plans to develop and produce new and continuing shows for syndication, prime time, cable, digital, radio and emerging platforms from Chicago.

The transition to a large assortment of content produced out of the Washington St. studio will be a huge boon for the local industry.

To everyone’s relief, it won’t suffer the loss of millions of dollars worth of annual Harpo business that might have left with Oprah’s departure.”

(read full article here)

I guess that means good news for production peeps like me too. With the focus moving from a single show to an entire network, The Oprah Winfrey Network is bound to lead to the rise in demand for content to fill their slots… 24 hours a day, 7 days a week… you can do the math.

Add that to the stringent content selection process I’m sure she’ll put in place to maintain the positive image of her brand, the content demanded will likely be right in line with the type of production I’m passionate about – social issue media. Nice. Content on air really doesn’t always have to be about sex, drugs and violence. Whether or not I’ll still be in the city to witness these changes, I’m glad that there’ll at least be more positivity on television.

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Do you have enough?

Will our glasses ever be full? Picture by apesara.

One of the strongest statements I came across while making my doc, Beyond The Drive, was that “Ambition is a state of feeling perpetually flawed”. It struck a chord so deep inside me, that it stuck instantly. It’s a constant struggle, isn’t it? The never-ending strife for more. More money. More recognition. More rewards.

When CD Baby founder Derek Silvers decided to give his company away to charity, it sparked a whole wave of questions. Why did he do it?

So with this enlightening explanation, he introduced a whole new perspective to the issue.

Two friends were at a party held at the mansion of a billionaire. One said, “Wow! Look at this place! This guy has everything!” The other said, “Yes, but I have something he’ll never have: enough.”

Not only did he open my eyes to the brilliant idea of putting money into a Charitable Trust, he’s also taught me to question myself from time to time… Do I have enough?

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