Broadband Jungle Blog

Google Content Network rolls out Seth MacFarlane original series

In a novel approach to both online advertising and original content distribution, Google announced a new project with Seth MacFarlane, the creator of the animated series Family Guy. The web-only series entitled Seth MacFarlane’s Cavalcade of Cartoon Comedy will be distributed exclusively through Google AdSense.

An article by Brooks Barnes in the New York Times today outlines the innovative plan:

Google will syndicate the program using its AdSense advertising system to thousands of Web sites that are predetermined to be gathering spots for Mr. MacFarlane’s target audience, typically young men. Instead of placing a static ad on a Web page, Google will place a “Cavalcade” video clip.

Almost too subversive to be true: This could be a very effective way to get original content seen and monetize at the same time. Google calls the new service Google Content Network.

Advertising will be incorporated into the clips in varying ways. In some cases, there will be “preroll” ads, which ask viewers to sit through a TV-style commercial before getting to the video. Some advertisers may opt for a banner to be placed at the bottom of the video clip or a simple “brought to you by” note at the beginning.

Creator Seth MacFarlane receives a percentage of the ad revenue as part of his deal.

But the partnership with Mr. MacFarlane represents a bold step into the distribution business, one that, if successful, will surely send shock waves through the entertainment business. “Cavalcade” is not only from a high-profile Hollywood talent, but also carries a multimillion-dollar production price tag, by far the largest amount spent on original Internet content to date.

Machinima.com

A player dedicated to the genre of Machinima—'machine animation'—created by using low-end consumer real time 3D software found inside computer games.

The site explains the process nicely:
"Machinima creators act out their movies within a computer game. We treat the viewpoint the game gives them as a camera - Shooting Film in a Virtual Reality."

Giving the clips a distinctive computer game feel, the results are stunning. Some of the storylines are breathtaking and highly imaginative, and both the genre and the site have come a long way since Machinima.com launched in January 2000.

Machinima made appearances on the Matrix 4:1 TV-series on the WB, music videos on MTV and a recent Coca Cola commercial; the site also features its own Machinima Film Festival page.

Viewing tips: The Afflicted, a compelling sci-fi drama by Kate Lee at Chat Noir Studios about “a future world in which strong emotions have been genetically eradicated, and humans have become efficient information processors.” The impression that we are experiencing this story from within a computer game makes its impact even more haunting.