IanSchafer.com

MySpace Homepage Redesign, Starring Batman.

MySpace Homepage 6-19-08, originally uploaded by Penny Kim.

I really, really like the MySpace redesign. I'm just not a big fan of the execution of The Dark Knight homepage takeover. I don't know...I guess I was just expecting...more.

What do you think?

YouTube Launches Living Legends, Apparently Without an Art Director.

So YouTube launched their original series Living Legends, featuring an introduction from The Rolling Stones (as I was the first to announce here).

So what do I think?

First of all, the art direction on this thing is just not good. If YouTube wants to be a player in the original content space, they are going to have to choose some good fonts and title treatments, and start making these channel pages a whole lot better looking. Ironically, this is something that MySpace is actually doing right. Check out BBC WOrldwide's channel on MySpaceTV as an example of sub-channeling content and integration of community elements.

Secondly, I'm a huge Stones fan, and it just pains me to see Mick Jagger so obviously reading the simplest of lines from cue cards.

Thirdly, when I click on the 'Ask a Question' button, it just opens up a new tab in my browser and reloads the page.

Maybe it's just me, but if you land the Rolling Stones (even in an obvious shill for their new movie), do it right.

Toldja So. Antigua Threatens to OK Piracy.

I wrote about the possibility of this happening back in December. I said it would happen, and it is happening.

Antigua, because of the US's pressure on the WTO to make online poker illegal, is threatening to legalize piracy if a swift decision to end the dispute isn't reached.

Read more about it here and here.

This is the beginning of a veritable you-know-what-storm if Antigua goes ahead with their threat.

‘ The Onion Movie ’ On DVD Soon.

Lots of talk hit the movie trade rags when The Onion scored a deal for a movie.

That was a long time ago.

They actually did make one, and it will be released on DVD, well, soon.

This is totally reminiscent of one of my favorite flicks, Kentucky Fried Movie, from John Landis and David Zucker. Here's the trailer for The Onion Movie:

And for posterity's sake, here's the trailer for Kentucky Fried Movie (ignore the horrible pre-roll):

visit videodetective.com for more info

Reality Mining

MIT's Technology Review just published it's list of 10 Emerging Technologies for 2008. The one piece that resonated with me is Sandy Pentland's exploration into Reality Mining especially in relation to social networking, new media and interactive.

Reality mining "is all about paying attention to patterns in life and using that information to help [with] things like setting privacy patterns, sharing things with people, notifying people–basically, to help you live your life."

This becomes a hot topic for a few reasons. First and foremost is, once again, privacy issues. Data capture is part of our daily lives – credit card usage, cookies on sites, social network profiles, company swipe cards – and as technology continues to slowly infiltrate more of our lives, we become more tolerant and accepting of what information is divulged and distributed. Everyone has see the movies with the FBI trying to trace the criminals phone call with the criminal hanging up just before being caught. However, most people don't think about that even with mobile phones being on all the time A simple Google search on his/her name would surprise a lot of people.


Reality Mining has been a reality for years. And as mobile phones become more prevalent with WI-FI, Bluetooth and GPS-type systems (ala iPhone,) in addition to the laptops we carry around and use, the continual social network is our daily life. And as mobile technology advances, our blip on the grid becomes more prominent. The Human Cyborg ideal continues to press forward. Professor Kevin Warwick first started research into this in 1998 by planting microchips in his arm for recognition of systems in his lab.


The major benefit of Reality Mining is from an anthropological standpoint. How people interact, where they are and when they are. Tying this information into disease outbreaks, advertising models (when a person sees an ad, what do they do right afterwards?) and general healthcare and "human maintenance." Smartex in Italy is working on clothing that does just that.


It's a bit of the God factor (being omnipotent and omniscient) that is also fascinating. Knowing where your friends are at any time, knowing what they're doing, where to get the food your phone knows your craving. It's bringing the idea of Facebook, Google Maps, Dodgeball and other sites into the physical space. The ultimate social network. Maybe even a step closer to SkyNet.


Real-time in real-time. Very meta.

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull Trailer

I watched the true HD version of this in my office, on a big screen, with the lights off, and the sound turned way up.

It was so worth it.

What is it about the character of Indiana Jones that makes Harrison Ford remember that he has a personality? Don't answer that. Ignorance is bliss.

And hey, Yahoo. I know you're busy right now, but a way to grab embed code directly from the player above wouldn't hurt.

Want To Work @ Deep Focus? We ’ re Looking For an Account Director.

Deep Focus is looking for the best Account Director in the world to work in our NYC office.

Seriously. I mean it. I want the best Account Director ever.

I also want someone that fits this description (reprinted from my interview with AgencySpy):

I want people that are sponges — people that can soak up information and then wring it out in puddles of genius. People that can tell me the most recent non-fiction book they’ve read. People that understand (and write) blogs. People that know what the EFF is. People that can quote movies and can DJ. People that can compare sneakers with me. People that know creative is just art unless it’s put in the right context and seen by the right people. People that can admit they are wrong. People that know the difference between “its” and “it’s”. People that can beat me in Rock Band. People that have opinions. People that want to rise up-ah. People that believe they can make a difference. People that are willing to use their powers for good — not evil. People who realize that they are consumers too. People that want to be in advertising because they hate advertising. People that are english, psychology, computer science or math majors. People who know who Lee Majors is. People who can not only learn, but teach. People that can lead. And people that are probably reading this right now. Yeah. You.

Check out the job description I just posted here, and apply through linkedin.

Jackass Movie To Be Offered Free Online. Deep Focus Is Very Involved.

The news is all over the trades today about the new Jackass movie, Jackass 2.5, being launched online.

As the NY Times reports...

Paramount Pictures is lurching onto the Web with its “Jackass” franchise, with what it says will be the first studio-backed feature film to have its premiere online. And the studio hopes the result will be considerably more pleasurable than the old MTV show’s trademark shot to the groin — perhaps by paving the way for more profit-making Web-only material.

On Dec. 19, the studio will make “Jackass 2.5” available in connection with Blockbuster’s Movielink service. The hour-plus film has original material and previously unseen outtakes from the second “Jackass” movie in 2006. The new movie, made for less than $2 million, will stream for free but will have 15- or 30-second commercials before and after it plays.

TechCrunch likes the strategy's potential...

The move is said in part to be a curtain raiser for the new online home for Jackass, “Jackass World” that will officially launch February 6.

As much as it sounds like a marketing ploy from Paramount, any move to debut a movie online for free has got to be a positive in the overall progression from the traditional media model to one that reflects the realities of the internet age. Of course it will take all of about 5 seconds for the movie to be ripped from the site and put onto BitTorrent, but maybe at least in this example, Paramount, unlike many of its competitors, may not be jackass’s after all.

And I agree. In fact, I agree so much, that Deep Focus has been involved in this effort for quite some time now. We will be handling the online marketing around this effort, and are proud to be involved with the very forward-thinking folks at MTV, Paramount, and Blockbuster, Mr. Knoxville, amongst others.

In the meantime, wet your whistle with this, the trailer for for the new film filled with outtakes and new and deleted scenes from previous Jackass movies. And kids, don't try any of this at home.

Jack Myers: TV/Movie Websites Generate Highest Online Ad Attentiveness.

According to the new Myers Emotional Connections™ Research Report on Audience Attentiveness to Advertising, websites visited for TV and/or Movie information generate the highest awareness of advertising among all age groups except 55+.

Forty-five percent of teens 15 to 17, 41% of adults 18 to 24 and 33% of adults 25 to 54 who visit websites say they are likely to pay attention to ads appearing at TV and movie sites.

What is also very interesting about this report is that ads on these types of websites perform better attention-wise (31.10%) than those ads on TV (28.40%).

Newspapers rank first in advertising effectiveness, but my hunch is that is because readership skews much older, and less of other media (especially digital) is being consumed.

What does this mean? If your brand is purchasing media, make sure your media buyers have an understanding of the TV/Movie-related online behaviors of your target audiences.

LA Times Features the Year ’ s Best in Online Movie Marketing

The LA Times does a bit of a feature on some of best in 2007 movie marketing tactics online. Check it out by clicking here.

Among the 10 films mentioned in this piece, I'm proud to say that Deep Focus was at least partially involved with of 4 of their online campaigns.

Congrats to all of our clients featured in this piece!