Plastic Ocean, Ocean Gybe

Wow, I have just scanned through a few blogs and am amazed at the form. I suppose in its very nature, it is egocentric and self centred. I sure have a strange approach comparitively. Yet I can't help but feel that as I become more educated about my web presence, it will come in handy as a place where I can update all of our project's progress'- for whatever that's worth.

The Ocean Gybe www.oceangybe.com expedition started a year or so before we got involved with it. These 3 guys had set sail on an ultimate life adventure, seeking their youth and seizing the day. They dreamt of surf breaks that the average person would never see. Waves that required a dedicated ocean voyage to reach. Having been recently exposed to information about the great Pacific Gyre, they also found a cause they could support with their trip.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Pacific_Garbage_Patch

http://www.ted.com/talks/capt_charles_moore_on_the_seas_of_plastic.html

http://www.surfrider.org/

Yet the less inhabited the shoreline the more concentrated the horrific tragedy of plastic accumulation. Their mission became more and more about this global issue, and today it dominates their thoughts.

And so here I sit with hundreds of these little tapes of their trip up until Brazil this past Spring. Since they have not been shooting in HD, or by any professionally directed standards, the plan is to create an interactive website that incorporates the video content into a map of the expedition.

How perfect it would be if after the storm season passes, they had a full production crew with them shadowing on another ship? The costs vs. flying your crew around are appealing, and the resulting TV series would have an entire web series online that leads audiences to the grand finale- their long anticipated trip through the Pacific Gyre.

And yet that would require a TV commitment. A Canadian Broadcast would also trigger a significant amount of new media grants. Yet with the amendments to the Canadian Television Fund, there is very little incentive for TV programmers to buy documentaries. That is, if any of them were buying instead of filing for bankruptcy or selling their assets at the first opportunity.

http://www.docorg.ca/files/CMF_DOC_press_release_FINAL.pdf

And so, I have signed with E1 Entertainment http://www.entertainmentonegroup.com/ to shop the project, forbidding me to pursue further discussions on the matter. I plan to proceed in the best form possible to salvage the shoot if all fails, while trying to retain a positive attitude within all the industry skepticism.

We've posted the trailer online. Please have a peak, I love feedback.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C_3zpiBzMwA

nextMEDIA

http://www.nextmediaevents.com/banff/

The world of new media is both inspiring and daunting, as I'm sure everyone can agree.

I'd say that this conference has got to be one of the best returns on the dollar I have ever spent. The world races on and we sprint to keep up. As I sit here now, the tabs on my browser peak out expressing my social networking plethora. Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, Hootsuite, and this blog. Sheesh. Not easy to maintain. Something's gotta give.

So to start with, our weekend conference held an exciting debate. Sarah Diamond from OECD made a bold statement about the need for new media funding that is not contingent on a broadcaster license. I almost lept from my seat to kiss her on the mouth. This is a big problem regarding how bass ackwards things are, and NOT forward thinking when they are basing things on the archaic forms of the past.

Then Michael Geist of the University of Ottawa called David Neale from Telus out on Net Neutrality. News to me, but unlike in the US, our ISPs are able to throttle back our internet signal at will if they deem the recipient to be unworthy of the cost of providing it at full speed. Yet they will still charge for the max bps. It seemed Geist wanted an admission of guilt as to whether or not the law was broken when Telus inadvertently blocked access to several sites a few years ago. Neale was so amazingly gracious in his rebuttle and admitted some 'incompetence' on their part. He did deny the claims that Canada trails to world in internet stats, and the jury is still out on whose information is most accurate. I notice today that Bell is launching their own traffic 'shaping' way forward. The regulations debate rolls on.

some great articles on this and similar subjects here http://tmdenton.com/pub/presentations/index.htm

The 2.0 presentation by Alexander Manu was definately a favorite of everyone there- likely due to the amount of laughter he incited. A few of my favorite quotes:

Technology can not be monetized, only behaviour can.

Your desire for coffee created slavery.

Community preceeds the network.

Empowerment is a precondition, and an expectation.

The #1 business model is hope. (Obama anyone?)

And on the last note he makes a beautiful point throughout the talk about the dreamcatcher. A wonderful business model. No one knows if it works, but it holds the promise that it will.

Next up, Mike Farrell from Youthography shared some facts about the Millenial generation. This demographic is very ellusive to the old gaurd. They resist all things created by the establishment and generally opose brands and advertising. Yet they are willing to support a company that they believe is congruent with their values. Enter the world of sponsored programming. Glee for me, as we are looking at an environmental project targeting this audience that could use some valuable sponsorship. Hmm. Encouraging. www.oceangybe.com

The Bell New Media fund presented http://www.bellfundbliki.ca/ and Omni was used as a test case for the assembled panel to advise on their online approach for Buffalo Air- a series being produced for History Television. Hmmm, thinks I. Our Exec Prod said that when she sold http://www.theimmortalbeaver.com/ to History it wasn't really what they were doing and they took it on more as a favour to her. Yet they went on to buy the Flightpath series, and now this. Did our project bring the enthusiastic aviation audience to the forefront for them with our strong viewership numbers? One would like to think. Anyways, the interim site for this project can be found at http://www.iflewthenorth.com/

RSS feeds, mobile content, podcasts, viewing trends, platforms, applications, metrics, Google's brilliant Adsense, brands, engagement, disruption. My notes are extensive.

The final hurrah was likened to the openning debate. A standoff between Dave Purdy of Rogers and Eric Klinker from Bit Torrent. It was cute to see Dave hurling sideways jabs at Eric regarding the legalities of peer to peer. I have to say that the organizers did an amazing thing by bringing the spectrum of the industry on stage together. Not your average fluff stuff of talks full of everything you already knew.

My noteworthy quote from this fight: Technology is likened to gravity. You can't have an argument with gravity. - Klinker

Generally the theme of the conference would be the challenge of catering to an audience and a generation that wants to watch their video on their own time, when they want it, in the place of their choosing. Sounds like a spoiled kid, but I guess it is becomming our right as audience members more and more.

Winner of best online brand went deservedly to http://www.bitchinlifestyle.tv/ Check out what these guys have done, amazing work in the genre!

Rockie Mountain Roads

After the dead red path of Pine
Blazened by the beetle's wrath

5000ft above the peculiar heat at sea level

Majestic peaks painted in ice
sheer and steep
Feed our radiant jade river

It thrashes along with us
braided with road and traintrack
carved through epic rock and furry forest

hours of delicate glaciers watch over our journey
and we breathe their crispness
breath after breath, mile after mile

Petals in Estonia

TRAILER http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J-o4cf2qWlM&feature=channel_page

Your wonderful documentary PETALS - JOURNEY INTO SELF DISCOVERY is nominated to compete in frame of the 23rd Pärnu International Documentary Film Festival for the Estonian People’s Award. It means that the film will be broadcast on Estonian Television during the festival week (in a one evening from Sunday, July 5th through Saturday, July 11th). Last evening of the festival, after the airing of the last documentary of seven competing films, the TV-audience all over our country is welcome to call to the studio and to give points.

After voting process the president of country or the minister of culture will make award to the director of the best film. It happens the tenth time already and we do hope that the Estonian people make a right choise this time, too. Would be very nice to have all seven authors in Pärnu in person.Due to very complicated financial situation we are unable to cover Your travel expenses. If You’ll find possible to come to Pärnu, we are ready to provide You with a nice summer hotel. But, please let us know ASAP your resident country and town where do you live. Maybe we can get some sponsor tickets from our national airline Estonia Air.

As one of our traditions is to introduce authors of competing films before transmission on TV, we would like ask You in following.We would like to record a short interview with You which will shown before Your competition screening on ETV. Could You be so nice as organize a shooting on video (DVcam or DV) of Your quite close-up portrait when Mark Soosaar, head of the festival, is asking questings on telephone and You are answering to these questions which concern crerative process of Your film.We are on our behalf shooting Mr. Soosaar at the same time. From the footage of both cassettes will be edited a 6 – 7 minutes long clip to be shown on Estonian TV before screening of Your film.If You like the idea, please, dont hesitate to tell us – which date is the best to call You and to record the distant interview.We would like to receive the 7 cassettes from 7 authors latest during the last week of June. There must be an editing and subtitling time left for the first broadcast which takes place in July 5th.

CordiallyVaiko Edur, Head of programs of the 23rd Pärnu International Documentary Film Festival

Next Media

Packing for a roadtrip through the glorious Rockies, I'm really excited about this weekend's conference.

http://www.nextmediaevents.com/banff/schedule.php

This is all about the Ocean Gybe expedition for me, and I hope we'll find those magic people who will help craft the online series that will ultimately bring an international audience to address an issue that can not wait for our attention any longer.

Our new trailer is online now. Please visit the current site to view: www.oceangybe.com