Experience 2008 day 3

Petri Kokko from Google is talking about the 'Net, searches, services etc. Not per say anything new, but pretty good looking slides... must do something similar. And a good quote from Charles Leadbeater; if we during the last century were defined by what we have, in this century we'll be defined by what we SHARE. Something to think about!e

Experience 2008

No, it's not a central European country in the mid-30s, it's people at Experience 2008 experiencing different views of the same thing.

I'm attending the Experience 2008 conference in Vaasa Wednesday to Friday (which I probably should, since I was presenting a paper before noon).

Some interesting stuff has been presented and discussed. Prof. Wim Veen from Holland was very much into what he called "Homo Zappiens", the online, multitasking (most often young) person that is the future of mankind. I agree to a certain degree, but I believe prof Veen falls into the same category as many other researchers and people in the industry... There are two kinds of views - the first is that Internet, games, LAN-parties, Twitter, DVB-H, whatever, is crap and unnecessary. The second thinks that all that once was will disappear since kids just interact online nowadays - and the people representing both these groups most often belong to generations before the first IT-generation (of which I am a member, like it or not).

The truth is, I think, somewhere in between. Of course everything will change. Everything always change, sometimes for the better, sometimes for the worse. But just because kids of today watch YouTube clips and chat via MSN instead of watching television doesn't mean that the world will turn itself upside down. We will have kids playing football in the streets, we will have girls playing "home" in the yard, we will have boys running around with their guns playing at cowboys and indians.

And when they grow up, we will have youngsters that like nature. We will have youngsters that love to go swimming. We will have "the old stuff", side by side with the new stuff.

So, a bit more perspective, perhaps.

Right now listening to something pretty interesting from Dr. Kaj Storbacka of Vectia Ltd - experience is bullsh*t, brandbuilding and helping the customer to understand what is going on, that's the key.

Kaj Storbacka presenting stuff at Experience 2008.

Interactive YouTube adventure ahoy!

Well, this very interesting endeavour has been up for a couple of weeks already, and some 400.000 hits it has as well.. but that should not deter you, since this is one of the glimpses of what a part of the future will be like, if we're talking media, cross media, interactivity, great content and compelling stories.

Technically, this is easy as anything. Remember them books that were around ages ago? Fantasy or murder mystery books, which were divided into small parts, each ending with a "If you want to do THIS, go to page 74, but if you want to do THAT, go to page 112!". Then you did, and saw what happened. Mostly, you died, if I remember correctly.

Well, this is much the same, only on YouTube instead. Still, very nicely done. Hats of to you guys!

Interactive storytelling... in a slightly different way

Well, now there is a saviour for all the pople who can't make it home in time for their kids bedtime.

Microsoft and literary agents Chorion have teamed up to create "an online interactive storytelling application on Windows Live Messenger" as reported by C21 Media.

It's basically storybooks that the kids can play around with, touch the pictures etc, while their parents read the book to them over the Internet. There is also, naturally, a live cam feed so parent and child can see each other.

Dear me.

Next up, the virtual hug, and a easily programmed bot that tells your chidlren you really really love them. If it's not programmed in Vista of course, then it will get stuck and ask you for permission to continue.

Mobile television - going anywhere?

We've had DVB-H, we've had DMB, we've had lots of stuff for mobile television. Some of the solutions have been fairly successful, like DMB in South Korea, or have had a strong backing, like DVB-H in many parts of the world. Still, it's not like there would be a consensus on what should be the all-conquering technology.

Now yet another player is emerging on the market - it's NXVisions product, coming out of Dunfermline in Scotland, that will try to enable smart phones to become mobile television sets. The project sounds fairly innovative; it focuses on the new generations of set top boxes and their added processing power, helping them to transcode programs to be streamed or loaded as files onto mobile devices. This then is a bit like Slingshot, but without the need to buy yet another box.

Time will tell if this venture works out, but I wouldn't mind testing one of these thingees... if anyone's got one spare somewhere :)

G-20 accomplishes.... not very much

So, this weekend saw the leaders of the "free" world get together for some nice snacks, a great dinner and some fabulous wine to go with all that.

At the same time the world was eagerly anticipating news from said gettogether, news that would right the wrongs of todays financial market, news that would point towards a better, more viable future for all mankind. Perhaps not news that would taste really good right now, but news that would show that the leaders understood what was happening, and furthermore cared about the hundreds of millions of people who had appointed them leaders.

Well, it was not to be. News? What bloody news? Everything is fine, stop complaining, instead be content - that was the message from the G-20 meeting. For a much better take on it than I can master, go to this blog.

So - looks like we're going down, all of us. And something tells me that the leaders leading us towards the abyss will jump off the bandwagon at some point, cheerily waving the rest of us goodbye.

George R R Martin as tv series on HBO? BRING IT ON!!

Just had to post this - looks like HBO are interested in producing a drama series based on one of the best fantasy novel series of the past 20-odd years, George R.R. Martins Game of Thrones series. This according to C21 media, who are reporting that HBO have ordered a pilot for the series, to be able to decide on possible production later on.

Now, as HBO really do pretty nice drama stuff - they're not exactly withholding necessary funding, at least not in project so far - such a series could (and should!) be very interesting.

They're also reporting that Anthony Kiedis (of RHCP fame) is making his childhood into a series for HBO - expect lots of drugs and sex, then :)

Workshopping cross media format

Me and a colleague are holding a workshop on cross media format development in Sweden at the moment.

As a quick reflection from watching the student digging into the depths of how to create a functioning cross media whole, some things do come to mind.

- to create a cross media concept is pretty easy. the hard part is to create a GOOD and COMPELLING cross media concept. Why should anyone bother? If they bother, what's in it for them? If there's something in it for them, are the instructions clear and easy to understand? If everything else is good and jolly, is the story engaging enough?

- it's really easy to get stuck in details, and the wrong details for the most part. These details WILL CHANGE. As long as the premise is sound, the details will come.

- never mind technology. the story is way more important.

- try to find out if anyone else has done something like what you are trying to do. Make yours better, or if that's impossible, do something else.

lots to think about... but that's the path of the format developer :)

Formats and the economical collapse - what will survive?

I don't think anyone hasn't noticed we're heading for a bit of a bump in the road of free market capitalism. And, to be frank, it's not a bump, it's more like the bloody Himalayas and no one knows HOW we're going to get over them and WHAT will lay ahead on the other side of them.

For the television format business, of special interest to me, there should be interesting times ahead. On one hand, we have people saying that as viewers can't afford to travel or have expensive hobbies anymore, television offers a lot of bang for the buck and as such will gain from the economical strain. On the other hand, we have people saying that everyone will have to cut back on everything, and that tv channels will not want to go for anything without a proven track record anymore.

C21 Media has a good take on the situation, pointing out - amongst other things - that MIPCOM this year was more about library sales than production or format deals. At the same time many channels are pushing forward expensive drama to 2010, going for cheaper format-style or factual stuff.

Read it, and be prepared. I'll try to, at least :)

Social media FTW!

Social media is the most hyped up thing since... well, since the last hyped up thing, which was probably User Generated Content (nowadays re-branded as Loser Generated Content) or mobile television or MHP or what have you.

Well, lots of people use social media, be it Facebook or Myspace or Flickr or Jaiku or Orkut or any other of the myriad of available social media out there. Now this, of course, has gotten the attention of a lot of people - how can we make money out of it??

If you're in that niche, you could do worse than familiarizing yourself with almost everything there is to know about social media, here, here and here.

Go ahead - perhaps YOU can make the next killer social media-utilizing app thingee!

Credit crunch biting the entertainment industry as well

I saw an interview by C21 Media from MIPCOM, which took place in Cannes in October (it's a large television industry fair, basically) where people were sitting saying that "in dire times people turn to television, as it's a lot of entertainment for little money". So everything should be looking nice and rosy for the tv-industry, right?

Well, not quite. Today Disney, for example, announced a drop in earning of 13% in the 3rd quarter of 2008. Not to worry, they're still making an obscene amount of money, but declining they are. The German broadcaster ProSieben Sat is planning to introduce cost-cutting measures, to counter faltering ad-sales and problems caused by the global economic decline.

If anyone has read what Karl Denninger says over at Ticker Forum, or what someone like Peter Schiff has been saying for quite some time, you know that this is not going to be just a bump in the road. The US debt is so massive, only a thorough cleansing action can be of any help whatsoever. An such an action will bring a lot of pain - that's just the way it is.

Bottom line is I don't think anyone or anything can avoid being influenced by the global economic situation. Best we can do is prepare and be ready. And eat lots.

Wow... the new MacBook.

Just got my first Mac, and I have to say I'm suitably impressed. As I've never had a Mac before, this felt like a pretty huge step for me. I was looking at moving away from stationary computers to a laptop, but I'd been mainly looking at HP:s dv5t model or perhaps one of the dv-series... but then I saw that a new MacBook was on it's way and.. well, I just had to have one.

So far (four hours and counting :) I've not been disappointed with anything. It's quite powerful, really nice looking, everything works a treat. Well, there are a lot of stuff I need to learn, of course, but well - it's worth it :)

Fancy a stay?

Why not at this fantastic hotel. What a location!

Election time

Well, if the WORLD was to choose the new leader of the US, the answer would be pretty obvious. Check out how the voting goes and cast your own vote. Almost a million people have already voted, so... Seems like McCains support is strongest in Iraq, Colombia and Eastern Europe, while the rest of the world thinks Barack is the man.

Well, I wouldn't be surprised at all if McCain still won it - for all it's "we're the leader of the free world"-talk, the US is still pretty good att f*cking up elections with silly voting systems, discarded votes, provisional votes etc etc.

If Obama would win, he'd probably stay in power for less than a year before someone would pop a cap in his *ss. That's what happens to Democrat presidents, right? If they're not impeded, that is - an even worse fate.

If you're from the US, please vote. And PLEASE vote sensibly!

Successful tv formats, no 1

1. Protect yourself and protect your idea. Now. Or even better, yesterday.

Good ideas are few and far between, in the rest of the world as well as in the television and cross media industry. That's why so many people flock to the conferences and markets around the world, that's why organizations like C21 can operate their virtual trailer vault, that's why Endemol har grown so huge, and that's why you, with your idea, have a great chance of making an impact on the market.

Remember, however, to be careful. Very very careful.

There's nothing as easily stolen as a good idea. A big organization, like for instance Endemol (and I'm NOT saying they would EVER nick ANY ideas from ANYONE, no sir, it's just and example ;) ) has lots of experienced people working for them. They can spot a good idea, or what's good in the core of an idea, and take it to their creative team immediately. And with their resources, chances are you'll see a format almost identical to your idea being sold and produced worldwide within a few months.

And trust me, if you're just starting out, it's going to take you a bit longer than a few months to get your idea out there.

Even if you manage to sell your idea, your format, into production in a territory, there's no stopping someone else to nick the general idea from you and go do their own stuff. Then, the only resort is to go to court.

So, there is an obvious dilemma. You need to market your idea, but as soon as you start marketing it anyone can nick it.

Now, there are some things to do. You can choose whom to speak and pitch to - some have a better reputation than others. You can ask for an NDA (Non Disclosure Agreement) to be signed before the pitch - although that might not happen, as buyers do not want to be tied by a formal agreement, chances are that you will have to cancel the meeting if you insist on an NDA.

Another way is to join an organization that protects formats - FRAPA is the most well known such organization, and for a fee you can register your ideas with them. This registry comes in handy should anyone rip off your idea straight off, as you then will be able to prove that this was your idea at such and such a time. The counterpart must then prove that the idea was theirs before you had it registered, or pay damages.

The most important thing, though, is to have your format as detailed as possible. This makes it much easier to spot copyright infringements and win a court case at the end of the day.

To conclude - be careful, protect your ideas as best you can, but at the same time be brave. If it's a good idea, you'll get it going.

Successful tv formats, no 2

2. Work on your pitch. And when you've worked on it, work on it some more.

So, there is this great idea. It's TransMedia, it's functioning, it's sanctioned by all the gurus you've brought in on the project, it's been tried and tested and analyzed on the market, you've shot a couple of test pilots and a real, big one, you've edited the material and you've made the trailer. You're all set, right?

Wrong.

There are millions of ideas out there. All of these compete for the attention of the buyers and investors, be they acquisition executives at Channel 4 or some investors willing to finance an online experiment or anything in between.

Everyone who's buying stuff gets pitched a lot of ideas daily. At markets like MIPTV, DISCOP or MIPCOM they get pitched hundreds of ideas. And now you have to, somehow, stand out from the crowd.

That's where the pitch comes in. You pitch your idea to a buyer, try to get their interest, so you can pitch them a little longer pitch. In five or ten seconds - one or two senteces - you should be able to pitch your idea well enough to catch their attention. This then allows you to expand on your idea for one more minute, and if the interest hopefully still is there, you can go into the full-length, 3 minute pitch.

Now - REHEARSE these pitches. They should flow like water, naturally, with confidence. One good advice I heard was that you have to LOVE your idea. It's your idea, it's the greatest ever and you LOVE it! Don't apologize, don't diminish your own idea. It's THE BEST EVER! If they don't like it, it's their task to say so.

Don't overpitch either. Let them in the discussion. Don't assume that they like your idea so much that they want to hear about all the possible problems you have with your format - that's a sure way to talk yourself out of a sale.

Be prepared for questions, answer them honestly - and if you don't know, say so. Don't try to fool anyone, that's a good way of not getting another meeting when you have a new idea to pitch.

Lastly - ALWAYS think of the next step! When finishing a meeting, be sure to suggest an action plan - if they liked your idea, make an agreement to talk next week about how to proceed. If they didn't, wish them well and enquire about if they want to hear about new ideas in the future - that'll basically give you permission to confront them again, with your next BRILLIANT idea that you just LOVE!

Good luck once again :)

Successful tv formats, no 3

3. A pilot is a pilot is a pilot - and you need one!

Now it's about time to get down to the real stuff with regards to the idea you have. What you want to do is shoot some kind of pilot, so as to have something to show people when you want to market your idea. Format ideas have been sold as paper formats, or even as an idea written on a napkin (or at least that how legend would have it). Truth is, however, if the buyer doesn't know you and trust you, you need to show that you have a good idea and that you can deliver. So - a pilot is a good thing

A pilot can be anything from you setting up an old HandyCam in your home or your office, engaging a few friends or colleagues to play the different parts of your format (game show contestants, interviewees or what have you) to renting a television studio with a built set and a seven-camera HD production. This pilot should, however, be the pilot that you can show to people, to buyers, and get their interest.

What you should do BEFORE this pilot, however, is a number of smaller pilots. Just test the ideas you have, shoot the different parts of the show at home, try out ideas, get a feel for if your ideas work as well as you think or not. This will serve you well when it's time to shoot the real pilot. Not only that, it'll save you money in the end, and probably make you more in the long run.

When you have shot your pilot, take some extra shots of even more exciting situations with the people on the set. This is for the 1 minute trailer that you'll also have to make, since it'll be a much better way to reach many potential buyers.

Recap - take your idea, shoot small pilots, as many as needed. These are used to TEST your ideas. Make one big pilot. This one is used to SHOW your idea. And take extra shots for a trailer. Good luck!

Formats - no longer the commodity of only a few

I'll continue the series on how to create a successful tv format tomorrow (since I KNOW y'all can't wait..., right? :) but in the meanwhile I thought I'd point out something quite interesting.

Back in the days - and we're talking early 2000s now - formats could come from the US, the UK or Holland (thanks to Endemol of course). Formats from any other part of the globe were few and far between, and channels and producers were reluctant to pick up new formats from sources they did not know. An age-old truth that - channels really really want to have the next big thing that no one has seen before, be groundbreaking and interesting. They just want to see the ratings of the format first.. :)

Today this has all changed, a fact that gives hope to format developers like me from fringe countries like Finland. The world IS smaller, the format world decidedly so. At this years C21/FRAPA Format Awards the awards went all over the world!

The best game show format went to The Encounter (Koz in Turkish), a format from Sera Film in Turkey. It is based on a combination between drama and game show, where two contestants are thrown into a fictional mafia world and have to manage a quiz show there to get away with a shitload of cash.

The best factual entertainment format went to Born to be wild, from Broadcasters, the Finnish subsidiary of Zodiak Television. That one is about getting old people (over 70 at least) to form a choir and sing true rock'n'roll. Hats off to Saku for bringing this format forth!

And of course, the scripted format award went to Caracol TV from Colombia for their scripted format about drug-running. Since telenovelas came to the fore, South America has really been up there when it comes to making exportable scripted formats.

What I'm saying is that the format world is now wide open. A good format can come from anywhere, and everyone is prepared for that. Without further ado, I will now go and create a great format. Be well! :)

....apparently not really yet :)

With Dow Jones holding up nicely on the back of the latest housing figures in the US, it looks like it'll be a while before the world ends.

Nice though, I did get up a bit early and I am a bit tired atm.

until later.

The end of the world as we know it?

So, today should be the day when it all goes to hell. The end of the capitalist world as we've come to know and love (or hate) for the past decades.

Nikkei is down, Finland is down, Hong Kong is down 12%.. and as it is not only the stock markets that are in trouble, it's the very life we are living, we will be in for some major changes.

In a way I'm happy. We should get back to basics, to communities, to REAL LIFE goddamit.

In the meanwhile, read the excellent Karl Denningers take on it all from last Saturday. Whomever is elected president of the US should hold the responsible parties RESPONSIBLE! Favourite quote: "A capitalist society is one in which those who make bad decisions fail and go bankrupt, not one in which those who fail are rescued by taxpayer money."

Tin foil hat on, seat belts fastened... here we go!