The series takes animated backdrops, characters, and dialogue bubbles and adds simple movement, sound effects, a very cinematic orchestral soundtrack, and voice-over. It makes for a great translation from page to screen.

The “camerawork” is great too. Aside from forced silhouettes, which can be done in 2D, there are a lot of focus shifts and other 3-D effects that make it very watchable (pun intended).

The first episode is 25 minutes, and is currently free at iTunes, so stop reading what I’m writing and….

iTunes Link: Watchmen Motion Comics

Surely this isn’t news to you. If so, where you been?

Aside from all the great buzz being hyped about this movie, there’s been some great viral online marketing done. First, there was Why So Serious, then Commit Your Friend, and then live events covered by MTV interns (Hollywood and New York).

One thing caught my eye: a trailer recut into what it would look like if The Joker’s After-Effects-competent henchmen got a hold of it.

Ledger aside, it’s a chilling effect on the dark nature of the character and the movie. And to think, someone might say, “Hey, they’re ruining the scenes! They’re literally drawing on what WB spent millions of dollars to shoot and create!”

Let’s learn a lesson from the biggest blockbuster hit of 2008 (yes, bigger than Iron Man): no footage (and no brand) is too precious to not take a chance at telling a compelling story.

If you have trustworthy people with video-editing skills, let them mash up some footage. Let them experiment with your brand in their eyes. After all, they’re already brand ambassadors to their circle. Why not give them some slack on the leash. You might find viral gold.

In it, Alec speaks about the events over this past year (many of which I’ve been present for) that have lead him to the place where he is now. See his list below:

“- I started a blog before I really had anything to say. (But now I do.)
- I filmed a web series for no money before there really was a market for it. (But now there is, and now I have proven expertise.)
- I attended mixers and conferences just to meet people in the online video industry. (And now I know people.)
- I participated on blogs and message boards. (Which led to conversations.)
- I emailed people who were getting publicity. (They were happy to talk to me.)
- I got a gig writing about new media for Script Magazine. (It gave me a legitimate reason to talk to more established people.)“

What I take from Alec’s post is how everything he’s done over the past few years could be seen as a calculated move and set him (and us) up for success, but this list is just a portion of his past work. Alec’s been at his craft for quite some time and ALL of it has had a direct effect on where he is now.

For example, when Alec was working as a web designer fresh out of college, he didn’t know that he would be using those skills to design and build websites for his own online series (and production company). When he was running his improvisational theatre group, he didn’t realize how the exercises would directly influence his writing, directing and producing skills. And finally, when he started this blog, he didn’t realize how writing about new media for the past year would ignite such a passion for this emerging medium, and more importantly, makes him an “expert” in the medium.

Next, throw in my experiences that are mostly in the development, production, and industry relations and the two of us are quite a team. And once we combine our talents and unique experiences, not only does our company worth go up, but we gain leverage over others in the industry. But it would be foolish to think that it happened quickly. We’ve been individually and collectively working on gaining leverage in the industry (whether we knew it or not) for years, and just now I’m seeing it in the producing gigs I’m getting and the shows that Space Shank is selling.

Our goal is to keep on gaining more and more leverage with each project that we work on. The more leverage, the more influence, and the sooner we can start paying our bills with the work we do.

Here are the many ways to accrue leverage:

Money – The king of all leverage – either money to produce your product, or perhaps attaching a person or brand which has the ability to make money
Knowledge – For example: who is looking to buy your type of script?
People/Friends – Whether you have an agent, manager or an executive at a network they often have that inside information.
Timing – Self explanatory and unreliable, but a few people have gotten lucky.
Experience (Age & Wisdom) – If you work in the business long enough, people trust you faster. Or maybe you produced a successful movie before – either financially or critically acclaimed.
Product that’s in Demand – This could be placed under “Timing.” But you could gain leverage this way by thinking ahead or do what many big businesses do: cornering the market
Favors – Self explanatory ;)
Public Relations & Marketing – Doesn’t work all the time, but good PR always helps any goal.
Technology – Specializing in the next useful tools

Although some of these tactics work better than others, what’s important is to be aware of all of them. The next step then is to take a look at your past to see what leverage you’ve already accumulated, then start working more, producing more, participate more, and learn as much as possible.

And here’s why.

Partida Tequila just launched Tequila Confessions, a website featuring personal Tequila stories told in a “man-on-the-street” fashion. The only problem is that the stories that are being “confessed” don’t always paint Tequila in a positive light.

The interviews themselves are funny, but do not highlight the “class” that the Partida website shows. Just read one of their descriptions:

ANEJO

Partida Anejo, aged in American oak one-pass Jack Daniels barrels, reveals an intense flavor that can only come from advanced aging.

With its rich golden color – a mix of ochre and copper tones – the Partida Anejo is packed with zest. Its fruity aroma comes from a light blend of cherry, almond, dried fruit and spices. As for its captivating taste…soft honey fruited tones blended with flavors of banana, chocolate and sweet pear. The result: A spectacular finish. To taste this Tequila’s true flavor, it’s got to be savored.

Now compare to this clip of a “Tequila Confession” where the girl admits, “I fell off a truck and skinned my face up.” She follows that by confessing that she doesn’t drink it anymore (but loves Jaeger bombs), and then tries a shot of Partida and needs to wash it down with some of her boyfriend’s ice cream.

I “LOL”-ed a few times, but it’s not exactly the kind of publicity that most brands want right? But wait…

This reminds me of the Chevy Tahoe user-generated advertising campaign of 2006. Users were encouraged to edit together their own commercials with existing Tahoe footage. The most notable commercials were the ones that spoke of how Tahoe was endangering the earth by needing massive amounts of gasoline.

The bottom line: the campaign received a bunch of publicity (albeit negative) but still Tahoe sales rose.

As a comedy content creator, I want brands to get behind my project without seeing risk. And I’m hoping that a publicity stunt like Partida’s will pay off so we can point to it and say, “we’re not a risk, now write us a check!”

http://www.youthoughtwewouldntnotice.com