Chocolate. Everyone loves it. But is there a dark side? This documentary film produced by Danish journalist Miki Mistrati explores the dark side of chocolate. Is it produced with child and labor trafficked children? And, if so, will it change how we feel about it? And more importantly, will it impact how we consume this tasty treat?
At T2 + Back Alley Films our love for documentaries and the people who produce them is endless. The Dark Side of Chocolate is no exception. It’s a compelling piece, expertly executed and, most importantly, inspires thought and conversation.
Doritos and Pepsi MAX dominated in the consumer-generated videos that got attention during Super Bowl 45. And Kansas City got a piece of that national attention, albeit in a small way, courtesy of a Leawood native who was a big winner. Contestants were vying for some $5 Million in prizes and the resultant media attention could pretty much be considered priceless in terms of the ability to leverage it into more great opportunities.
This was the first time that Pepsi and Doritos partnered for an event and Crash the Super Bowl was a huge success. Not only did the contest garner a record number of fan submissions, it also generated an unprecedented number of consumer votes. Just goes to show the power of the consumer and how the creative landscape has changed. Not only do consumers want to watch great spots, they want to be a part of the process of not only creating them, but also selecting the winners.
Brad Bosley, a 28 year-old Leawood, Kansas native is the creative talent behind Pepsi MAX’s “Love Hurts” Super Bowl spot. He wrote and directed the spot for about $800 and took home 5th place in the competition. That was no small feat, considering there were more than 5,600 entrants, representing the most ever in a single year of competition.
The winning ads (in alphabetical order) were:
• “First Date” (Pepsi MAX) by Nick Simotas
• “House Sitting” (Doritos) by Tynesha Williams
• “Love Hurts” (Pepsi MAX) by Brad Bosley
• “Pug Attack” (Doritos) by JR Burningham
• “The Best Part” (Doritos) by Tyler Dixon
• “Torpedo Cooler” (Pepsi MAX) by Brendan Hayward
It’s also no small feat that out of the top 5 most popular ads identified by USA Today’s AdMeter, that two were spots created by consumers.
It was great to hear Brad interviewed on KCTV5 this morning and share that the inspiration for his spot was his grandparents. He said that his grandmother had always been somewhat aggressive with his grandfather, and known to kick him under the table if he tried to eat something that wasn’t good for him. I’d say Brad figured out a great way to not only honor and memorialize his grandparents, but to make one heck of an impression in front of millions of viewers the world over.
Here are the ads ranked in the Top 10 by USA Today’s AdMeter and the full list is available here.
The Experience Design team at T2 + Back Alley films was honored to work with the Kansas City Area Development Council and create an experience for attendees of the 2010 Annual KCADC Luncheon. The theme of the luncheon was Celebrating Creativity in Kansas City and that left us plenty of things to be inspired by.
The presentation was grand. It spanned the entire length of the interior wall of the Grand Ballroom of the Kansas City Convention Center. We used six different projectors to project the images onto the wall and the combined final image was visually stunning – 300 feet long and over 30 feet tall.
Reading a blog post on Mashable about innovative ways for realtors to broaden their customer bases and integrate social media more effectively into their business prospecting efforts lead us to Occipital’s iPhone app, 360 Panoramic.
The images you can get using 360 Panoramic are stitched together in real time without any effort from you (bonus!) and can be a quick and easy way to add dimension to a website, landing page or some other customer experience that you want to make more impactful and interactive. This app doesn’t replace the need for web video, but definitely has a wide range of applications. And the DIY factor is huge.
Here’s a video showing how it works:
Now, go experiment. And if you do, let us know how you like it!
If you’re reading our blog, you might already know what we do. But just in case you don’t, T2 + Back Alley Films is a digital media company located in the Crossroads Art District in Kansas City that provides a full service offering from digital strategy through delivery. Think. Create. Deliver. It’s more than just a tagline, it’s what we do.
And please don’t make the mistake of thinking that just because we’re located in the Midwest that amazing design doesn’t happen here. It does – and we can prove it. Enough said.
Our specialties include 2D and 3D motion graphics design, editorial, experiential design, augmented reality, mobile app design and other forms of new media design. Additionally, through Back Alley Films, we produce digital content across all media platforms, including original films and documentaries. We like to get our hands in every detail of the storytelling process and are not afraid of pushing the envelope. Every aspect of our business is about creativity and we believe collaboration is the formula for success for any company today.
We’re looking for a truly passionate leader to inspire and guide our group of young and talented designers. Someone who totally gets how critical creative storytelling is — to us and to our clients. And understands how to translate that story into design. And, of course, you need to be able to pitch creative to internal and external business partners and be a part of the process of continually building and growing the business.
This is a Creative Director position and reports directly to the CEO. If you’re interested in the position, we would love to hear from you. We think that some of the things you need to be adept at (that aren’t specifically mentioned above) include:
At least 10 years of relevant experience in motion design
Bachelor’s Degree or higher in Fine Arts, Film, Graphic Design, or Digital Media Design
Extensive understanding of interactive and moving media
Proven hands-on knowledge of AfterEffects, Photoshop, Illustrator, Maya / Cinema 4D and Flash
Ability to solve problems quickly, collaboratively and intuitively
Experience in strategic planning and execution
Strong people management to provide clear creative direction and to motivate and inspire the creative team
Submit your resume to trogers at t2.tv and include a link to your online motion design reel. Please make sure your experience is appropriate to the position. We can’t wait to hear from you!
T2 + Back Alley Films is a visual design and storytelling company. For more information, please visit our sites at t2.tv and backalleyfilms.com or call 800-471-6554.
