Just found this gem of a pilot from the creators of Acceptable TV and Ben Stiller. It’s a star studded cast and a crazy premise.
Just not too keen on their interpretation of the origins of Paragon. Though we did get our super human powers from an electrical shock through a vintage radio, the rest of the details are a bit exaggerated.
For those of you who haven’t watched cable over the last few weeks, VH1 has launched a new type of TV show called Acceptable TV. Think SNL meets American Idol. The basic premise is that viewers vote for their favorite short skit (called pilots on the show) to be continued throughout the rest of the season.
I said it’s a new type of TV show but really it’s not completely unprecedented. Current TV has been around for since 2005 doing a similar thing, even opening the creation of their advertising to viewers.
For those of you who didn’t know, (like me 2 minutes ago before reading the mental floss blog) the origins of Acceptable TV came from Channel 101 a grass roots event still held in L.A. with the same format. Except the voting viewers are a live audience.
It’s a sign of the times, everything’s going 2.0. Web sites, Superbowl ads, TV programming, .. what’s the next activity that will fall prey to the user-generated revolution? My theory is that it started with those Choose your adventure books. Who knew they’d be so groundbreaking?
I just watched my very first episode of Top Design, the latest in the list of design-related reality shows on Bravo. Watching the usual inter-personal drama ensue made me think, Are these shows really about searching for the next best thing or is it only about entertainment? I used to like watching Project Runway, not just because it’s name didn’t involve the word ‘Top’ in it, but also because I found myself learning about Fashion design and as a result, gaining a new found respect for the people on the show and fashion designers in general. It also helped that my wife’s a fashion designer and she gave her stamp of approval on the skill level of the
participants. But that aside, I began to think that maybe these shows could serve an educational purpose and further the design IQ of the couch potato public, instead of furthering the impression that all designers are egotistical prima donnas. (Even if it’s true we don’t need the public thinking that).
A couple of months ago I happened upon a wonderful new networking site specifically for designers called designerID. Within minutes of uploading my first portfolio images, the creator Brian Hock of Brian Hock Design called me and asked if he could do a video interview with me. Well of course I said yes, and now it’s on the site for all the world to enjoy. I use the term “enjoy” loosely because it’s really long and I think only immediate family would want to sit through the entire ordeal.
I saw on a recent (by recent I mean within the last month) Conan O’Brian show, he had a segment about local TV spots. Of course we’ve known for a while about the glory that exists on local TV as far as commercials are concerned, but every now and then a few gems shine brighter than others.
Here are just 2 of the ones we’ve found.
I use the term “Art” very loosely since I’m referring to sitcoms. Another gem from the mental floss blog and The Washington Post reporting that a pilot based on the GEICO Cavemen has been ordered by ABC.
I’ve been a fan of the GEICO Cavemen ever since the first spot, partly because it seems to be such a softer, more sophisticated sell than most “lowest rates guaranteed” insurance spots. I respect a company that can make fun of itself, especially a company whose industry is notoriously boring, or at the very least not inclined to humor.
This news however begs a few questions:
During the Inspire 07 conference, some friends, who are also motion graphics artists, and I were drooling (as usual) over the great work being shown. But we were differing in our opinions on what factors helped make them so good. Obviously it’s a combination of several conditions, but which ones do you feel are more important than others? Some of the ones we discussed were:
Geography: There were exclusively NY and LA studios presenting at the conference and quite frankly we weren’t surprised. Since I’ve gotten bitten by the mogra bug, I’ve heard that in order to go anywhere in this industry I had to go to one of two places. Does the concentration of the HQ talent pool in larger markets (particularly NY and LA) increase the stakes, allowing competition to drive the standard of work up exponentially more than in smaller markets? I’m of the opinion that location doesn’t matter but I couldn’t deny the challenge it’s been getting the kind of projects we would like here. Is it any easier in places where high quality work is the norm?
