This lovely film – shot, edited, written and produced by one of our favorite and most talented VJs Francisco Aliwalas (remember Bikin Car Wash for the NY Post?), was commissioned by neither a tv network nor a newspaper.
It was commissioned by RJ Reynolds, the tobacco company.
But it has nothing to do with tobacco.
And it’s not an ad.
It’s a video about ‘lifestyles’.
RJ Reynolds has lots of money.
And they used to spend it on lots of TV commercials.
If you are as old as I am (and still have your memory intact), you will remember The Marlboro Man and can hum the theme. Or LSMFT – Lucky Strike Means Fine Tobacco (greatest taste that you can buy… lsmft if why…). Or, “You get a lot to like with a Marlboro.. filter, flavor, pack or box.
It’s both amazing and frightening.. the crap that gets stuck in your head.
In any event, there are no more cigarette ads on TV, but the tobacco companies have not give up on video.
Not now, not in a world in which you can put video on the web and be in 2 billion homes instantly and for no cost.
So they are bypassing the ‘old’ ways of distribution and doing it themselves. They commission the content, they put it on their website. Who needs to buy ads?
I think that major corporations will increasingly start running their own video. And why not? In a world in which you can put video on the web, what do you really need an ABC or a CBS for anymore?
It takes about 40 years for the impact of new technologies to percolate out into the general public. But if you are clever, you can see what is coming.
See above.
And by the way, the video is pretty good – for a VJ… or anyone else.
7 Comments
Paul September 17, 2008
Francisco – love your website – particularly the video which streams like a dream. How do you encode it (flash?, quicktime?)
eb September 17, 2008
Thanks for the clarification. There were two different styles and “looks” so it was a bit confusing as to the consistancy.
I did like the polished quality of the last two videos. Nice job!
Francisco Aliwalas September 17, 2008
All the pieces you are screening were shot on my portable camera-audio-lighting package. I shot all using my Sony XDCAM EX1 which is a true HD 1080p camcorder (weights 5 lbs). The first 2 excerpts are for CamelSmokes.com. I had no large crews, in fact, I am lucky to have a Gaffer/PA and hair/makeup on a production. The Camel jobs was a zero crew situation. At the very least, I hope this inspires you to explore this new avenue in video production. It’s a brand new road with seemingly no end in sight!
rosenblumtv September 16, 2008
Hi Eb
I asked Francisco and here is his reply:
” the first 2 pieces are for camel, a promo for an upstart company called Called2Create and the final is a viral music
video for a Barcardi-owned spirit company called Leblon.
Peter Ralph September 16, 2008
check out “Pedigree dogs exposed” on youtube – shot by a young videojournalist. Watched by over 15 million people and set to change the entire dog breeding/showing world (so far after watching the show both the BBC and the RSPCA have totally withdraqwn from Crufts, the largest dog show in the world):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uqYxvlfxvnk
eb September 16, 2008
Perhaps you could clarify. I watched the video – and there were about four or five different videos. There was a coffee artist, and another artist – shot on video. Then there were two video clips back to back that looked like they were professional commercials – shot either on film, or 24p video – higher end quality production. It was a bit confusing distiquishing what this was. Clarification?
Paul September 16, 2008
It’s all nicely shot. But boy, does that latte pourer need to get a life.