Vision of the Future

            A new type of contact lens is being developed that has LEDs incorporated into them in order to provide a live display of information for the person wearing them. This can be seen at http://www.tomsguide.com/us/1-Pixel-Contact-Lens-HUD-implant,news-13298.html for an explanation of the concept.

            According to the researchers that are quoted at http://physicsworld.com/cws/article/news/2011/nov/23/digital-contact-lenses-come-into-focus, they are predominantly intending these devices to be used in the medical field for quick access to patient information under extreme conditions.

            However, this technology has the potential for wide spread use within the creative fields. An exhibit at the MOMA that can be seen at http://www.thecreatorsproject.com/blog/augmented-reality-art-takes-over-the-moma utilizes a technology called Augmented Reality. This technology makes it possible to use smart devices to see renderings of physical objects in places where they do not actually exist. The same technology is utilized in other methods seen at http://www.intomobile.com/2009/12/03/layar-3-0-puts-3d-objects-in-real-space-guides-you-on-tours-and-does-the-dishes/ where augmented reality is used to give tours, post advertising, and display art in public spaces.

            By combing the digital contacts with augmented reality it would be possible for people to function in a completely virtual environment while operating in reality. This would be particularly interactive if combined with nonphysical motion tracking keyboards.

            The full extent of this would be an empty room that people can enter and sit down at a table. To an outside observer the person would be sitting in an empty room. But, to the person wearing the contacts the room could be decorated in any way they desire. It could be a tropical rainforest, a prohibition era speak-easy, or anything else the imagination could create. A room full of people staring at a blank wall could be watching a live performance of their favorite singer.

            With this technology entertainers could literally perform in multiple locations around the world at the exact same time.

            But, all things come with a price. And in the modern age that price is usually an abundance of advertising. An example can be seen at http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/acrossair-augmented-reality/id348209004?mt=8

            While the technology presents amazing opportunities for both science and the arts, it also presents the opportunity for commercials to be broadcast directly onto your eyeball. Everywhere you look you see advertisements scrawling by in your peripheral vision.

            But, as with any technology we must take the good with the bad. And, the possibilities for the creative advancement that will be possible a definitely worth the minor inconveniences that will pay for the technology to become a reality.

Learning Process

            As I approach the end of graduate school I find myself in the position of reevaluating a great deal of the work that I have done since I first began pursuing a Masters’ Degree in Entertainment Business. Many of my initial assumptions have been left behind in favor of new approaches that I had never even considered before learning more about the business end of the industry.

            For example, after studying the strategies of Daymond John and Robert Herjavec I have come to understand that finding investors is not a matter of simply cranking out a standardized business plan that can be sent out to as many people as possible while I sit in my office with my fingers crossed.

            Investors want to see something tangible. They want physical evidence that the person in charge of a project is personally invested in the production, and willing to put forth the effort to make it a reality. Both Daymond John and Robert Herjavec emphasized that a business plan is only a rough blueprint of what is intended, and that the actions of the project leader are far more important in terms of achieving actual results.

            Taking this information into account I have adjusted my initial strategy accordingly. I have reduced my focus on developing a business plan, simplified the over all design of the business plan, and redoubled my efforts on the tangible aspects of the production company.

            Instead of spending time researching what other production companies have done, I am rewriting the scripts to provide better material for the target audience. Instead of assembling biographies of work history on the people that I would like to hire, I have gone out and recruited the people that I need to get the job done. Instead of writing a lengthy review and budget analysis on soundstage rentals and construction costs, I have opened a business that pays for itself and can be used as a zero cost location for the show.

            This means that I won’t be approaching investors and saying, “I need $3 Million and here is a stack of pie charts explaining what I am going to spend the money on.”  Instead I will be saying, “I have already secured everything that $2.5 Million of the budget would have paid for. If you invest the rest of the money needed you can be the person who gets to come along for the ride and make a lot of money with me.”

            What I have learned, what I have adopted into my personal business strategy, and what I have made the focus of my business plan is to demonstrate that so much of the project has already been accomplished that when investors look at the production they can see that my company will be moving forward with or without them. It is an exciting message to deliver in a weak economy. And, it will draw far more attention than a simple standard approach, because actions speak louder than words.

Daymond John and Robert Herjavec

             Daymond John is a marketing expert who created the fashion brand FUBU. FUBU is a brand targeting urban designs that were previously neglected by other marketing endeavors, and proved to be highly profitable for Mister John. His key to success was in designing a unique and recognizable logo that he was able to place on a wide range of products in order to establish his brand and develop a large following that has lead to $350 million in sales.

            Robert Herjavec is a professional entrepreneur who has amassed a sizable personal fortune through repeatedly founding and selling a variety of companies. As a first generation Canadian immigrant from Yugoslavia he began his business career waiting tables while starting his first technology company out of his basement. With the mass publication of his book “Driven” that stayed on the best sellers list for eight months he is now considered one of the most prominent business experts in the world.

            Daymond John and Robert Herjavec both found places on a syndicated television series called “Shark Tank” where it was their position to judge the business plans, designs, and concepts of hopeful applicants who have submitted their entrepreneurial ideas in the effort towards obtaining funding for their various business endeavors.

            According to Forbes the most important things to remember in designing a business plan are to keep it simple, clear, and professional. According to Business Insider the most important considerations in a business plan are a concise summary, legible material, and avoiding any method of harassing potential investors before the business plan is delivered.

            However, Daymond John has indicated that maintaining personal involvement in a business and finding employees who can cover for any of the owners’ weak points takes greater precedence than establishing a business plan. And, Robert Herjavec has given the advice that,” people spend way too much time on a business plan”. It is Mister Herjavec’s esteemed opinion that a business plan is little more than a theory of slim use as it is impossible to determine the exact data applicable to a given business until that business has been established for a considerable amount of time.

Daymond John

http://daymondjohn.com/about/

Robert Herjavec

http://www.robertherjavec.com/bio.php

Shark Tank

http://abc.go.com/shows/shark-tank/tips/ThemeGallery/777018

Forbes

http://www.forbes.com/sites/martinzwilling/2011/02/04/ten-top-investor-turnoffs-around-business-plans/

Business Insider

http://articles.businessinsider.com/2011-02-05/strategy/30070147_1_business-plan-base-plan-plans-investors

Evolutionary Media

            The growth of digital technology has generated a large number of opinions on the long-term viability of the technological precursors to modern media. In considering the value of the opinions, or the potential for long term viability within the use of digital media, it is important to develop an analysis of previous technology in terms of media as well as what can be conceived of as a media-form to begin with.

            The interesting aspect of this consideration is that media itself is similar to a meme in that it is truly an intangible. Media is simply the transfer or conveyance of information from one source to another. The real discussion is over the potential of various mediums, and how those mediums are utilized to support the existence of media.

            In the current discourse the transfer of media has been changed from print to digital. The medium involved in the first form would be paper. Over the centuries paper has undergone a variety of changes in order to be adapted for various uses and to make use of improved technologies for its manufacture.

            There were numerous mediums used prior to paper including carved wood, engraved stone, systems of braid work, and various uses of beads. However, the true precursor would be vellum. Vellum is a finely processed form of calfskin.

            With vellum being the most technologically advanced form of processed leather it can be seen that the earlier form of medium used for the conveyance of information would have been untreated leather. This base form of the medium can then be viewed simply as information emblazoned upon skin.

            The earliest form of the same methodology would have been the use of tattoos to convey tribal affiliation, social rank, religious alignment, or other forms of pertinent information. The use of tattoos as a medium to convey information is so ancient that it has been found upon some of the oldest human remains.

            To understand the potential for long-term viability in current and new mediums of media distribution we must look at the lifecycle of the earlier mediums. The most specifically relevant factor in this lifecycle would be intent.

            Each medium begins its life with minor distribution that is focused on communicating information of specific information that is deemed to be highly important. The second stage for each medium is the expansion of distribution. The interesting fact in each case is that as distribution expands the social importance of the information being communicated decreases.

            The final stage in the existence of each medium occurs after the media has transferred to a new methodology of distribution. This stage is art.

            Just as tattooing and vellum have transferred to this final state where they are in the singular hands of artists, so we now see paper following the same path. Art stores sell hand-made paper. There are schools that teach the techniques of hand binding books. Even museums maintain displays of items wrought from paper.

            With this understanding we can see that artists are a key component to maintaining the heritage of technology and the memory of our species. This also provides a glimpse into the future.

            While we cannot yet predict what the next medium of media distribution will be, we can see that the social relevance of information being distributed in digital format has lapsed in importance in conjunction with a small select group of enthusiasts continuing to work with outmoded components of the technology.

            Just as all previous mediums have become designated as forms of artistic merit, we can now look forward to seeing the existing digital medium becoming elevated to the same level of creative expression when new forms and mediums come into play. 

Digital Pyre

            Reporters Without Boarders is an amazing independent organization based out of France that works to maintain international freedom of the press and supports the pursuit of independent non-regulated media throughout the world.

            As a component of this noble effort they release an annual report that details the level of censorship enforced by the governments of every nation, country, and regime. Additionally, this report includes a list of countries that are described as “enemies of the internet”.

            “Enemies of the internet” include countries that block sites, threaten those who attempt to utilize mass media, and actively restrict digital communications such as has been done in:

•    Bahrain

•    Belarus

•    Burma

•    China

•    Cuba

•    Iran

•    North Korea

•    Saudi Arabia

•    Syria

•    Turkmenistan

•    Uzbekistan

There is also a second list described as “under surveillance”. This list is technically more benign than the “enemies of the internet”, however it can be construed as representing a far greater level of ominous intent.

            The reason this second list is insidiously upsetting is due to the major nations that have been included, and the reasons for their inclusion. Representing primary nations that should be considered safe havens for free speech are France (the geographical home of Reporters Without Boarders) and Australia. The addition of Australia resulted from the wide spread use of a content filtering system that was intended to prevent the spread of child pornography. However, its’ development and function are too nonspecific to be considered as strictly existing for the enforcement of the single well intentioned concept that was used to justify its’ creation.

            The existence of this material then leads to the attempts to pass Internet restricting legislation within the United States. The latest effort to push this material consisted of a law called SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act).

            This law faced a drastic public outcry due to its’ capacity to allow the government to indiscriminately delete any online content without any form of trial or justification. Ostensibly the law was intended to prevent the spread of Internet based copyright violation. However, it had the same level of nonspecific flexibility as the system that got Australia placed on the “under surveillance” list.

            This means that had the law passed the United States would be placed on the list as well. The United States has long been considered to be the ultimate supporting nation of free speech. The nation takes great pride in this fact. And yet, the U.S. nearly joined the list of nations that hold little regard for such an important principle.

            Fortunately, the citizens of the U.S. were able to use their right to free speech in order to prevent the law from being passed. And, with the aid of organizations such as Reporters Without Boarders the citizens of every nation shall one day be able to enjoy the same capacities.

Cooper, Charlie (2012). Meet the ‘Enemies of the Internet’ 2012. Retrieved April 1, 2012 from http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-57395455-93/meet-the-enemies-of-the-internet-2012/

http://en.rsf.org/beset-by-online-surveillance-and-12-03-2012,42061.html

http://issuu.com/rsf_webmaster/docs/rapport-internet2012_ang/3

http://unofficialnetworks.com/internet-censorship-bill-congress-today-protect-ip-act-53427/

http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c112:H.R.3261:

    <iframe src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/31100268?byline=0&amp;portrait=0" width="400" height="300" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe>

Standardized Liability

            Business people often like to compare themselves to large carnivorous animals. This is meant to give an impression of strength and power. However, they never seem to notice that the vicious animals that they compare themselves with are either endangered or hunted for sport.

            In nature the most successful animals are scavengers. This can be seen in any populated area that has been overrun by squirrels, rats, raccoons, and mice. The larger and more complex an area becomes the better the scavengers seem to do.

            The reason for this is adaptation. The carnivores that seem so impressive are adapted to live in a standardized and stable environment with a set amount of resources upon which to draw. Whenever there is a change in that environment, or the nature of the resources, the carnivores die out almost instantly.

            Scavengers are forced, by their very nature, to constantly adapt to changing resources and environments. Since they never know what they will have to work with they require intelligence, versatility, and creativity in order to constantly find uses for whatever they have available to work with. Because of this the things that kill off the large predators rarely affect them.

            This analogy is particularly relevant to the production industry in the modern era of economic and technological change. With fiscal resources at an absolute minimum, and a technological environment that is drastically different than anything seen before, it is incredibly easy to see the correlation between large businesses and large predators. Neither is able to adapt easily to a change in resources or environment.

            This also means that smaller ventures that are willing to try radically new approaches in order to adapt to the changing business environment have an enormous edge resulting from their willingness to act like scavengers in order to obtain resources and their creative adaptability in finding new uses for the available resources.

            This means that by the end of the decade we should see a radicle power shift in the production industry and the business community. The carnivores are all going to disappear. And, the long-term survivors will be those with the greatest ability to adapt, change, invent, and push the boundaries of what is considered standardized practice.

The A-List

            There is a lot of talk in the production industry about the need to have an A-List celebrity attached to a project in order to obtain funding. This is a bit misleading.

            First, most people do not understand exactly what an A-List celebrity is. There is a general understanding that an A-List celebrity is someone extremely well known, and therefore marketable. But, the term actually comes from a complex system of measurement invented by an entertainment journalist named James Ulmer.

            The Ulmer Scale is a rating system designed to quantify an actor’s value to a production. It includes an analysis of professional demeanor, public image, historical box office success, willingness to travel in order to promote a film, and their over-all versatility in handling different roles.

            An actor’s placement on the Ulmer Scale then determines their marketability in terms of a score similar to a person’s credit score. These scores are then broken down into subcategories that are given letter grades.

            The top percentage, and highest paid, are categorized as the A-List. Slightly lesser known actors, new faces in the industry, and pop stars that may not last are then categorized as the B-List. The C-List is then populated by working actors with a solid body of work that are recognizable, but are easily forgotten.

            The final category of marketable talent is the D-List. This is an unusual category because it contains smaller celebrities with little market value, but they tend to be incredibly vocal about their ranking. This is the List that tends to contain the majority of comedians, stand-up acts, live performers, and general extroverted personalities. While their pay scale is at the bottom and their marketability is ranked as minimal they still manage to maintain a cult status that is nearly as great as the reputations associated with A-List celebrities.

            The flaw in the Ulmer Scale is that it is based on a broad generalization of the production industry as a whole. It can only determine an actor’s value to a production that is designed for standardized mass media exposure. There is no inherent methodology within the Ulmer Scale for determining an actor’s value to a production that has a specific target demographic.

            For example, a romantic comedy that targets an LGBT audience would benefit more from signing Ellen DeGeneres than it would from signing Will Smith. Or, similarly, a production designed to target a young Latino audience would benefit more from including Jessica Alba than a well know A-List actor like Danny DeVito. 

            Therefore, the importance of having an A-List actor attached to your production in order to obtain financing is not exactly a rule so much as it is a guideline. You must be able to analyze your production in advance in order to determine what actor would be the most valuable to your production as an individual business venture, not just to the industry as a whole.