![]() ![]() But in an industry gradually buried by media convergence, Denning seems at peace with putting the game to rest. Rather than engage with the environmentally unsound, economically inefficient, and physically exhausting trials of the past, we seek to replicate effects rather than worry about form. Mark is a walking embodiment of modern values. I'd much rather turn on the central heating and chuck on a DVD." "Why would I? I'd have to chop wood, get the matches out, and clean the whole area. "I've never used my actual fireplace," he says. I ask Mark to recall the last time he used his actual fireplace at home, and he's taken aback. The fireplace has been flickering away in our periphery during the whole conversation. It's a particularly windy day, and since arriving I've discarded a sweater and jacket. While we're talking I notice that I feel warm. Despite this he tells me a Las Vegas casino plays Sirens on loop at its aqua-themed bar. "Wives would never let their husbands take one home," Mark admits. Sirens, a video of models in bikinis swimming enchantingly underwater, had the most potential but failed to sell at trade shows. ![]() "I haven't actually plotted sales and temperature on a graph, but yes." "We sell a lot of them when there's a cold snap." I ask Toby if he's serious about customers buying fireplace DVDs in winter like they would warm jackets and he nods. Interestingly fireplace DVDs, like mangoes and flu vaccines, are highly seasonal. When I spoke to Toby Chadd, ABC Classics' label manager, about how this has worked for them,he said they couldn't have been happier. But at the same time, he knows that he makes something that people really want.Ī few years back the ABC (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) licensed the fireplace video, which they set to classical music. He laughs about it and it's clear he doesn't take himself too seriously he even included a tongue-in-cheek interview with the director as a bonus feature. Viewers could choose between a roaring log fire or ambient embers, and piano music or natural sounds. In its prime, boxes of these DVDs were being shipped internationally every week. You need a fixed camera position, a good fire, a good glow, nice sound." "People think it's pretty easy, you just set up a camera-but it's fraught with dangers. It took several botched attempts to get it right. After a scouting mission, the model fire was filmed at a house in the Blue Mountains. The project launched under the auspicious name DVD Productions, indicative of a time when the mere act of putting something to disc was cutting edge. Discs, on the other hand, could play endlessly, and that's where Denning made his mark. ![]() Tapes needed to be rewound and replayed, which made them difficult to blend seamlessly into the background. Toward the end of the VHS-dominated 90s, he was looking for ways to get in on the Digital Versatile Disc, and noted a hole in the market of ambient video. "We always have that on." I can't help but think of Kanye West sitting at home listening to Kanye West.ĭenning is a curious kind of opportunist. I gesture to the television, wondering if he put it on because he knew I was coming. He's immediately friendly and patient, eager to chat about his work. ![]() Mark Denning greets me in full graphic designer uniform: horn-rimmed glasses, a vest over a dress shirt, and a sculpted goatee. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Details
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |