the guys who peaked in high school.

blokes punching above their weight.

very funny

a pretty cool ad for NBA TV.   i really like the use of old footage and highlights mixed in with newer clips.

Whenever I’m watching a game with friends and this ad comes on, everyone stops and watches.  Sports fans love retro highlights, dramatic music, and a wide variety of players.  This ad holds a fans attention very well, making me curious what they’re advertising for.

Spalding does this well too.

multiple players, old and new, quick transitions, and an unknown company behind it all.  I like the ad and it holds my attention as well.  I also really like getting to see a bit of each player’s personality when they’re at the line.

Lastly, here’s a cool MJ ad i stumbled onto. (it takes a few seconds to get started).

after seeing people frustrated with classes, questioning their major, and asking “why do i need to know this?”, I thought I would share my outlook on school.

I think the most useful and influential aspects of school, and College in particular, are learning about yourself and trying a variety of things to realize what you’re interested in.

I came to U of O convinced that I was going to focus on Sports Business and work for a professional sports team. After taking a variety of classes and learning about myself, I’ve realized thats not for me.  Now I’m thinking I’m more interested in advertising and the creative process.  Maybe I’ll work in the travel industry for a while.

I feel like college is a great time for kids to learn about themselves.  you’re living without parents, taking responsibility, and dealing with the whole wave of change that comes from being independent and making your own decisions.  Nobody forces you to go to class.  nobody cracks down on you to do your work.  its on you.  but i love that.  i’ve learned a lot lately about my strengths and weaknesses, where i want to improve.  thats what I’m getting out of school.

man, I love college.

So i went to the new James Bond movie, Quantum of Solace, over thanksgiving break. Not a bad movie by the way. I didn’t really hear great reviews from my friends but I liked the movie. Regardless, I’m writing about it because I really liked the opening credits and the art/graphics involved. I’ve been really interested in the creative aspect of art lately. How people come up with ideas, the brainstorming process. I think its all pretty interesting and fun to be a part of. As i watched the James Bond silhouette walk across a desert, i thought to myself, who thinks of this? This bond movie has nothing to do with a desert but it still was a very cool intro and fun to watch. Check it out:

Another site got me thinking about art and digital media. This is a site rating the latest top movie posters. Looks like they would be fun to think of and make. I’m thinking about taking a digital art workshop or some sort of art class soon because of this.

http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2008/11/19/40-exquisite-independent-film-posters/

a few days ago i saw a Dos Equis commercial that made me stop and appreciate the work that had gone into the clip. The campaign for Dos Equis revolves around “the most interesting man in the world” who does extraordinary things and at the end he recommends Dos Equis beer. I thought the clip was clever and pretty funny. At the end, i wondered how the ad agency (Euro RSCG) had come up with the idea. Did it start with the notion of someone recommending the beer and then grew from there? How did they decide to make up this man rather than the traditional route of using a celebrity or known character? I think its a great campaign and it makes me want to work in advertising even more. I’ve listed two of the main ads below as well as a shorter clip of “the most interesting man in the world…[and his opinions] on rollerblading”.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y9GYocBqGyA&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o8ZHjcQZ15g&feature=related

http://staythirstymyfriends.com/

so i go to nike.com ready to look at some shoes online and on the home page is this video titled “Courage”.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=pit0zG1vswM

to start off, i noticed the song choice. “All These Things That I’ve Done” by The Killers. I actually have that part of the song (“i’ve got soul but i’m not a soldier”) as one of my ringtones. One of my favorite bands.

The video is about “stories of triumph”. The campaign includes LeBron James, Bill Bowerman, John McEnroe, and Cristiano Ronaldo among others. One prominent example of LeBron’s passion and triumph come from his performance in the 2007 Eastern Conference Finals over the pistons (scoring 29 of the cavs final 30 points in game 5).

I like the quick succession of images throughout the video, creating an almost overwhelming feel. I like the quick cuts of a cheetah, liu xiang and then carl lewis. i liked the few images of prefontaine thrown in there too. I notice something new each time i watch it. This is something i want to do as a career. I want to make these creative, inspirational videos.