As the 2006 competition draws to a close, I
look back on the outstanding entry field in
awe. Simply put, I am blown away at the level
of work that is out there and how designers
and developers continue to reinvent new ways
to use technology to achieve their marketing
and communication goals. As a tribute, we conducted
interviews to share more information about the
winning individual or firm responsible for creating
the best of category entries in the 2006 competition.
IQ
INTERACTIVE WINNERS INTERVIEW
Q. Give us a background of
your company.
IQ started as a TV production
company in 1995 and quickly began to experiment
ahead of the curve with video online. Now that
broadband speeds have caught up with our vision,
we’re one of the leading agencies creating
truly interactive video experiences online.
Q. What is your approach
to developing interactive media solutions?
We look at every interactive solution from
a TV/video viewpoint. Where others are coming
from print backgrounds, we are utilizing our
knowledge of motion video and animation to create
experiences.
Q. What was the creative
inspiration for your winning project?
The whole thing was really remarkable. The
Freedom of the Seas ship had not been built
yet. We said, “Then why not build it digitally?”
So that’s exactly what we did.
Q. What technologies were involved
with making the project?
The actors were shot on HD
using green screen technology. We took those
video elements and composited them using After
Effects into actual 3D renderings of the ships
main sections. Flash designers then treated
each scene, animated the action of objects,
and handled all transitions and zoom functions.
Q. What were the biggest
challenges to making the project and how did
you overcome them?
We couldn’t do what normally would be
done – like go shoot film on the actual
ship – so we overcame the challenges very
carefully.
Q. Did the project achieve
its goals?
The client has had a lot of success and press
surrounding the site. Their rooms on the ship
are booked through the rest of this year and
the Presidential Suites are booked through 2008.
From a technology and creative point of view,
we exceeded all expectations as well. There
are always going to be ways to improve something
like this but for taking on a project that had
never been done before we’d say it’s
achieved its goals.
Q. Where do you / your
team turn for creative inspiration?
We have an incredible group of hardworking
creative people that find inspiration in a lot
of different ways. The company promotes that
sort of free thinking. But the collaboration
of our team within itself and the fact that
it’s kind of like a family probably provides
the most inspiration.
Q. What trends do you
see in interactive media production today?
Everyone is talking about how pre-roll is
going to take over. I think it’s just
a natural use of the space when all this linear
video is coming to digital. But IQ is talking
about non-linear video experiences where you
can choose the next scene to watch. This kind
of bigger branded experience is where a lot
of money will be spent very soon. In line with
that, you’ll see more and more agencies
being looked at as actual content creators instead
of just spot producers.
Q. What are some of your
favorite websites?
We all admire a lot of work. There are a lot
of people doing some amazing stuff in this space.
A recent favorite from the IQ internal blog:
http://www.nike.com/nikeplus/
Q. What projects are you working on now?
We’ll have some big projects coming out
this summer for some big companies – including
more cruise line work.
