TV and Beyond

In my dream I am sitting on the old rattan chair in the basement den of my childhood home. In this chair, I begin to fall asleep watching the Super Friends. It’s an episode with Aquaman, the lamest one at the Hall of Justice, unless you think, “calling all porpoises” is a Super skill. Asleep now, the walls begin to undulate. Then the ceiling. The den has become an air-filled cube within an aquarium. Pale green and blue light washes over me. Then Aquaman fills my entire field of vision. He is grimacing as little white rings pulse from his forehead. While I can’t decode it, he probably gets that I think he’s lame. I jolt awake, gulping for breath like I had been underwater too long.

Immediately, I am comforted by my return to a normal dream, and the familiar setting of the downstairs TV room. I reach for the remote control before I realize it hasn’t been invented yet, and that’s when I wake up for real.

The Center for Design Studies (www.thecenterfordesignstudy.com) reminds me of my childhood TV room. The brick walls, exposed girders, and the sealed cement floors marries the industrial cool to the warm, communal feel––like the gymnasium at summer camp where you gathered for the Saturday night movie. The high windows on the west side give plenty of late afternoon sun; those to the south provide a commanding view of the downtown Atlanta skyline.

We’re assembled for an AIGA event called TV and Beyond. The topic for the evening is the future. Television’s future. The internet’s future. And interactive content’s future. Our presenters include Jeff Doud of Riot, Art Rochelle of Cartoon Network, Bill Chapman of Turner Entertainment, and Doug Grimmett of Primal Screen.

As these gentlemen presented their work, I am mindful that none of these guys can say for certain what the future holds in the arena of interactive media, but they are all busy doing great work and making a living in the process. Each walks us through some projects and lends insight into areas of potential future growth.

The blurring of the lines for new media content, advertising and product placement is nowhere more apparent than in a spot produced for the Travel Channel. In it, the show’s host promotes the network, her show and its credit card sponsor all in a tightly produced, visually appealing segment. The programming and advertising link were both served by the same vehicle, the so-called “co-branding unit” (CBU).

Just as the TV promo spot has evolved, so has watching cartoons. Cartoon Network’s website is dominated by Flash-based games. In these games, you can become the protagonist of your favorite cartoon, accomplish tasks and get rewards consistent with the theme of the program. This gaming, Art Rochelle contends, increases the brand experience and really endears the cartoon character to the gamer. He cites the two billion games that were played on Cartoon Network’s website last year. As technology advances, Rochelle acknowledges that even his web site’s homepage had to evolve. Those buckets morphed from the 4:3 ratio of yesteryear to the new HDTV 16:9 aspect.

Bill Chapman argued for putting the control of content creation in the hand of the viewer.  Turner offered live chat between viewers and the cast of the show “10 items or less” in order to strengthen the bond between them.

Chapmen acknowledges that the small screens of the ubiquitous mobile devices present a new frontier for content designers. A monumental shift could occur when you place the control of your content in the hands of the user. Turner launched a user-driven piece for the Sports Illustrated swimsuit video. I was not ashamed to say I was aware of this piece. These user-edited collections, or mash-ups, represent another direction for the user to define their own experience within a brand’s space.

Beyond the confines of a screen, architectural exterior content is a new vehicle for brand enhancement. We were shown an installation on Fremont Street in the old downtown Las Vegas (www.vegasexperience.com) seeks to revitalize the area by creating a rich visual environment for visitors. In true Vegas fashion, the 4,500 square feet of visual canvas attracts huge crowds who party under the huge screen and 550,000 watts of sound.

The Boob Tube has come a long, long way from the RCA set with the rabbit ears I used to watch in my den back in Louisville. Best part of all is that I don’t have to get up every five minutes when my Dad tells me to change the channel.