The Pacific Gyre

I’ve been meaning to blog about this for a while.

Vice TV have done a fascinating 12 part webisode series on The Pacific Gyre, or as they call it 'The toxic Garbage Island'.
I hadn’t heard of it until I came across this.



Head here to check out the rest of the episodes.

A giant horror movie syringe.

For the last 6 months I’ve had the creative juice drained daily from my brain with a giant syringe. I don’t know where it goes, but it doesn’t get injected back into me.

This is the effect that St Kilda Road and it’s Bain Maries has on my creativity.

I can’t handle it anymore.

It’s not until recently, back on the net discovering new things, that I have uncovered the solution to my creative-brain-drain – The Blogosphere. It’s been a long time but it’s the only cure to what I have.

So I’m back.

I’m pretty sure no-one even looks at this Sahara anymore but hopefully, that’s all about to change.

If you are watching, stay tuned for a new look and new content.

Swedish Armed Forces Test

It’s been a looong time since my last post ☹. But I’m back. . . with a test!!

Check out this online test that the Swedish Armed Forces have set up.

It takes a while so do it when you’ve got a bit of time to spare.

Check out my results! Not tooo shabby.

Legs

There's a perfect job for everyone and Ed and I just got ours as a junior team at AJF Partnership.

:)

NavMan and TAC

TAC & NavMan should get together and put blackspots
(a site where there have been a high number of crashes
involving injury or death) on their maps.

Jinx

Well, it's been a while since my last post . . . so Merry Christmas, Happy New Year and all that blah.

The reason for my silence is, firstly I've been super busy tanning at the beach (away from my computer) and secondly because Ed and I have been head down bum up working on our folio and getting interveiws.

Unlike Ed I'm too scared to breath a word about it on my blog in case I Jinx us.

It's such a girl thing; when girls get out of exams they say 'OMG i did sooooo badly' or "I stuffed it up' . . . whinge whinge whinge.

Boys on the other hand are always so cocky, 'Oh yeah, I smashed it', 'Twas a piece of piss'.

So in keeping with tradition I'm not mentioning it or saying anything about it and come out of the interviews saying 'Ohhhhh I dunno . . '.

We'll soon find out.

Backwards Dave

I’ve been meaning to blog about Backwards Dave for a while.

About a month ago he was spending a bit of time chatting to the crew on JJJ. He can phonetically pronounce words backwards.

He doesn’t actually read the words backwards, he reads the word to himself – to see how it sounds – and then pronounces it backwards (as you can see from the clip above).

Unfortunately Sunrise and Fox FM tried to jump on the Backwards Dave bandwagon too. They got it wrong.

Instead of tracking down the cool phonetical genius that is the Australian Backwards Dave – they managed to get a hold of another Backwards Dave. An American guy who holds the world record for the being the quickest to read backwards.

It’s nothing to do with phonetics but with the ability to read backwards.

I don’t know if it was pure coincidence that all three media stations were talking about Backwards Dave between weeks of one another – but all I know is that I wouldn’t put it past ol’ Fox and Sunrise to do some content poaching and actually get it wrong.

Pronouncing words backwards is way cooler than reading backwards.

Fanuary

I wonder what the beaches will be like this summer . . . ??

However I'm more excited for August after I was told today that it could possibly be 'Norgust' (if that's how you spell it) so that women could get their cans out in aid of breast cancer. Or something . . .

It's Movember

Are all the boys hanging 'round your hood looking a little french at the mo?

Well just wait until the end of the month - they'll be looking seriously biker!! Thats right it's Movember!! .

I've been begging my boyfriend to take part, he's hairy so his mo will be Frantastic!! It's purely because I've never pashed anyone with a moustache. But then I found this on Thoughtspurs .



So I’m kinda grateful. But still curious . . . and also very supportive of the cause!

I also think that this little musical number from the Tick is a classic. Very lucky find for the Mo bros.

The Mum Song

I thought this was rather nice.

ARIA subliminal advertising

Did anyone catch this the other night?



I don't know how 'mind controlling' this is but I wonder what the deal between Rove Enterprises and the advertisers really was.

If it doesn’t break the rules, and it’s not subliminal advertising, or a ‘new creative execution’, what the hell is it and what is the point? If it doesn’t do anything? Seems useless to me.

Back online

I’m baaaack.

In the long period of absence from my blog a lot has happened

• I’ve done work experience at Grey.
• Organised the Creative Advertising Graduate Exhibition for RMIT
• Successfully executed the campaign to advertise it
(check out the website)
• Organised a Creative Advertising graduate dinner
• Shot and produced a dvd showcasing the lives of three people from different areas of the communications industry
• Handed in all my uni work
• Launched a new product for Trampoline
(Trampoline ICE – cool name huh)




• Pulled 3 all nighters, lost three kilos

and the ultimate . . .

I have finished uni forever!!

I could be a doctor but no – instead I have two degrees.

1 x Art Degree from the University of M and 1 x punk rocker (aka Creative Advertising) degree from RMIT. And I plan to wear jeans to work for the rest of my life. That’s if anyone hires me (wish me luck).

I have also managed to procure two large scabs on my knees from derby day. Not so good. Some cow pushed me over. She was jealous of my hot new dress.

RMIT AD EXHIBITION 30th OCt - 6th NOV

This is the photo shoot for our campaign for the RMIT E.O.Y Ad Exhibition - THE NEXT AQUISITION.
Alex Aslangul has kindly helped us out!
Stay tuned for who's pictures end up in the frames!!

4 HIRE

Notice i have the exact same facial expression in two of the photos, scary. A child of the digital camera.

MADC Mentorship Winners

Last Thursday the 6 out of the original 10 MADC mentees (4 dropped off) presented their final campaign for Schools4schools at CHE. Everyone presented really well and the judges said that the decision was really hard.

Congratulations must go to Myra Hood (2nd yr RMIT Creative Advertising) for taking Mentor of the Year out. Cat Chen (Swinburne Advertising) took out second place and Amelia Birrel (another 2nd yr Advertising student from RMIT) came third.



This is the second year in a row that Mikey and Evan from Draft FCB have had their mentee win.

All the campaigns were fantastic and the client went away with a whole lot of new ideas. However I must say that I thought the judging was quite controversial especially given the thoughts and comments of the Schools4schools representative.

None of the campaigns were boring or worthless, all had strong ideas that carried and cut through – however the one campaign that answered the brief completely and the one that the client said she would run straight away didn’t win.

Sometimes I wonder whether people are too preoccupied with what they think will win awards and gain recognition in the ad world – as opposed to attract attention and do it’s job in the real world. Don't get me wrong I'm all for winning awards but I also think the whole challenge about advertising IS dealing with the boundaries that your given. That's what makes it so exciting, your always coming up against someone - whether its the client, a teacher, a CD - whoever! You have to push through and get the best idea you can that actually does the job it's meant to do.

I also think the MADC should reconsider the way that they come to the conclusion of who wins, instead of voting they should just have a discussion about which one should win. This is not to say that the winning campaign wasn’t good – it was great.

Amelia, in my eyes you rocked the show with your campaign and should have taken out 1st place. So congratulations for impressing everyone and answering the brief. Lets hope the Schools4schools uses your AWESOME virals and runs your campaign.

You dark horse you!! Neeeeiiigh.

Harder, better, faster, stronger hands!

My brother was watching this last night on youtube! I love it.
I'm just waiting to see it get ripped off in an ad . . . just like OK GO.



Talking about OK GO they cop a mention in this new film clip by Common ft. Lily Allen (my favorite).
Unfortunately Lily is only wearing her signature earings once in this film clip - which I find very disappointing.

XYZ studios with MADC

Last night was the last workshop of the MADC mentorship program that I’m doing at the moment. Over the past 13 weeks we’ve been going to a different business each Thursday night, that all have a part to play in Advertising. We’ve been to Sugar studios (photography), Gastoo (where we actually recorded a radio ad), to Bambra Press (printing), to Iloura (digital/animation post production) and to The Age (for a lecture on Advertising) just to name a few. Last night we went to to XYZ studios. AMAZING.

Not only am I obsessed with their offices and have begged to be invited to their next rooftop party (on the top of the Ritz on Fitzroy St) but if I ever managed to get a job I will be definitely calling on them for some TVC production. They have won some amazing awards for their animated Haviana ad that they did for Clemenger BBDO New York (see below).



Tim Kentley, the founder of XYZ studios, has decided that animation is just not enough and has branched out into directing film – or in this case a video clip. Which is coincidently filmed at the same place as Summer Heights High. And if you take a look at some of the characters that appear in the film clip - you have to wonder if Chris Lilley saw this before he invented the red haired seventh grader or even Jonah form Summer Heights. I wonder if Ja’mie will get pregnant??!!



Tim took us through the process for some of the ads . . . in particular the Honda ad below. I love the use of illustration and the way they think through their processes –it’s exactly how we think and work our way around problems in the lab at uni.



They work hard, do things a little bit differently and are starting to leave some serious footprints in the Ad world.

All and all I have learnt so much from the MADC mentorship program, every time that I come out of a Thursday night work shop my mind is buzzing with ideas and ways I could include them in the campaign I’m currently working on for the MADC competition (which I have to present next week at CHE).

The program has broadened my horizons and understanding of possibilities as well as further inspiring me to get into Advertising. The people who have given up their time to help us out have been especially awesome giving me yet again another reason to keep my head down and work hard to get a job in the industry.

So, thanks to Nicole and Brendan from the MADC for making it possible – and to all the places that let us come in and eat your lollies/chips on a Thursday evening.

Summer Heights High

I hope everyone has been tuning in to Chris Lilley’s new comedy series ‘Summer Heights High’!!! It’s a bit of a laugh . . . however I’m not sure that it measures up to ‘We can be heroes’! In this series my affections have been directed away from lovely Ja’mie and on to the ‘troubled Islander’ Jonah.

Check out some of the footage from the first episode . . . .



This is my favourite scene from we can be heroes! Thinking of using Ja’mie in a campaign at the moment. I can tell you this exactly what use to happen in our assembly!!



This is one of my favourite portrayals of private school girls . . . I can seriously imagine this happening. For those of you that don’t know Ja’mie has been nominated for Australian of the year for sponsoring 85 Sudanese children and they have all dyed in a freak storm . . .

We wish England was Australia

I'm loving this ad at the moment!
Could have done without the ending though . . . but I guess they needed to include the bear. Did Leo Burnett do this one? Anyone . . .

Car Advertising

Talking about urban spam, in New York tens of thousands of motorists have signed up to have their cars and trucks wrapped in advertisements in exchange for stipend up to $800 per month.

The New York Times financial section says that offers are becoming so popular that car owners have been willing to limit where they shop and abide by code of conduct while they are driving. ARD Ventures has studied phenomenen and estimates that motorists and pedestrians see single vehicle's advertising message as many as 70,000 times a day.

Logically it’s the next step after buses and trams . . . I like the buses and trams that are wrapped. . . but every second vehicle - what an eyesore. . . but $800 could go a long way.