I was wrong: ”Avistid” isn’t cutting-edge – “Bittersweet life” and “Trailer crashers” are

In a number of posts I’ve been defending the “Avis-tid” campaign. I thought the use of top Danish film-directors in high quality to-be-seen-only-on-the-web super-shortfilm productions was cool. Giving great content to users, exploiting the vast broadband-penetration in todays Denmark. “Cutting-edge” I called it.

Today Avistid launched its third film. As was the case with film nr 2, it’s a great super-shortfilm. Very laid back. Very quiet. Deeply ironic.

But it’s not cutting edge. Not even in the films used on websites category. And neither were the two previous films.

Cutting-edge examples of what you can do with movies on the internet allows for much more interaction. Letting the user in control in far more ambitious ways, than to allow him to click the “play”-button.

This I realised Thursday from listening to Lars Bastholm, global creative director at AKQA, speaking at the Danish Internet Award – DIA 06 – event. He pointed to a number of examples of video being used on the internet. Examples, that, this I see now, is truly cutting-edge.

Here’s two different film-trailers examples:

– A Bittersweet Life – trailer
This trailer-version to “A Bittersweet Life” lets the user himself select different scenes from the movie from small rectangular boxes floating around the screen. Then lets the user play small games within the (action) film. And plays a few more scenes. It works: it draws the user into the films universe creating curiosity and excitement. Have a look yourself.

– The Trailer crashers
This trailer – to the “wedding crashers” film – lets you take a photo of yourself, upload it the website, and having the trailer played with yourself in the lead role. Watch me starring in the trailer – and try make your own.

Both these examples shows ways of taking advantages of the internet in far more progressive ways than the Avistid project.

(However the Avistid campaign isn’t over yet. There’s still time to catch up, guys!)