Conversations about media content using moving images

Ridley Scott Films series for Philips

When Ridley Scott lends his name and weight to a production you can be pretty sure it is going to be big. This series of short films to showcase a Philips flatscreen TV is an elaborate venture. Five directors have been commissioned to produce a short film, of about five minutes duration. Each film features the same dialogue - obscurely existential involving unicorns.

Non of the movies refers directly to either Philips or the television set. The movies are viewed within a frame that is the set in question. Initially that seems like a crude intrusion but, ultimately the quality of the content is sufficiently high that it can be forgiven and you soon ignore it in the same way you would a real set. The promotional line is: There are a million ways to tell a story, only one way to watch one.

As part of the programme Philips invite users to generate their own movie based on the same directorial criteria and script requirements in return for the opportunity to win some impressive prizes. The user generated content strategy is obviously a play for more durable engagement with the audience over time and ongoing association with the filmic experience.

It will be interesting to see the results this campaign generates.