Does it matter?
The hook of a memorable song
The need to tell an original story
Thousands of competitors
How do we cut thru the clutter?
Grab eyeballs and iPods?
The crucial technology is star power.
Here's an iconic still from Singing In The Rain, featuring Cyd Charisse and Gene Kelly. Their encounter takes place in a fantasy sequence, a complete departure from the narrative storyline of the movie. Told in wordless dance, gesture and pantomime, Charisse and Kelly perform one of the most memorable achievements in screen history, the thrill and disillusionment of romance – combining Broadway, burlesque, kabuki, musical comedy, ballet, and a surreal salute to Salvador Dali.
It doesn't advance the plot of the movie. It could have been cut, never conceived or executed. But this 5-minute fantasy sequence sizzles with sexual tension, life lessons, and exaltation of joy. Subtract the tour de force cameo by Cyd Charisse, and Singing In The Rain is a flat joke, nothing left but cornball slapstick and predictable schmaltz.
Star power. Unexpected. Astounding to behold.
Blinky lights and stuff
We know quite a bit about nuts and bolts hardware. In 1972, Duck pioneered ½" and ¾" video production. We were first adopters of
1" open reel B-format and C-format videotape, Dolby 24-track.
We shot 35mm for Budweiser, 16mm for RTL and George Lucas. Learned to cope with three kinds of Edit Decision List software.
Our repertoire of production tricks grew with foreground miniatures, forced perspective, sync rolls, component video, RGB color correction, Silicon Graphics animation, Paintbox/Harry, 4:2:2 digital mastering, Fairlight and Roland.
1989: corporate videos for IBM, TRW, FedEx
1990: London Underground needed a fiber optic network
1991: Luxembourg needed a film studio
1995: Disney hired us to troubleshoot D-1, D-2, D-3, D-5 transfers, closed captioning, THX mastering, and a new format called DVD
2001: We move into web marketing SEO and MP3
2003: Linux, php, Avid Pro Tools
We've seen a lot of technology come and go. The business virtue of good planning and professional execution always make sense.