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What is the purpose of a movie preview?

Is it to promote awareness of an upcoming film, or is it to entice viewers to go to the theater and spend $10 on a ticket, $10 more on popcorn and soda, $7 for each action figure, $25 for the t-shirt, $15 for the poster, and eventually $30 for the three-disc special collector's edition dvd (pre-ordered, of course)?

I don't remember when movie executives made the decision to include the name and release date at the top of the screen throughout the entirety of every television trailer, but it needs to stop. Have our attention spans really become this embarrassingly short? Are some people really incapable of waiting to the end of a thirty second spot to see the release information?

If you have half-a-minute to make an impression, you should want all eyes on the small collection of images flickering across the screen, and not at the words plastered above them. People get distracted easily enough. Since this post is about film, it's only right I borrow a timeless phrase from the medium. "If you build it, they will come."

Well...if you build a compelling conflict in thirty seconds, the audience will find out when the movie comes out, because they'll be there at the end of the television ad. The inverse is a whole group of viewers who know nothing but a name and date, and have no inclination to see the film because they were too busy glancing up at the annoyance above than seeing anything compelling below.

I understand that in the Information Age marketers are just trying to get their name to cut through the clutter with the hope that merely recognition of the title might compel viewership or further investigation by watching the trailer online, but can 30 seconds of obstructed view really generate greater sales?

If it does...it's only a matter of time before every commercial has a bothersome black banner blotting out the top of the TV screen. And if that happens...it's only a matter of time before my TV has a big hole right in the center from where my shoe went through it.

-- Steve Creswick
Ad Doctor

Late Night Ramblings

All this news of late night television tore open a long-forgotten wound, which had since scabbed over ages ago. Luckily for me, the reason this scar was ripped open was because I found a way to heal it.

When Conan O'Brien left the 12:35am timeslot for 11:35pm, I wasn't sure how to fill that void. His replacement, Jimmy Fallon, has long been seen in my eyes as an incompetent entertainer with no comedic timing or any semblance of a stage presence to keep me from changing the channel. The Roots, who he hired to be his late-night band, are one of my favorite acts and I respect the fact that Fallon introduced the greatest band of all time, Guns N' Roses, at the VMAs with genuine enthusiasm, but the man's musical taste can never make up for his inability to flawlessly deliver a truly funny joke.

My schedule for TV viewing was pretty set for awhile. 11pm-12am I'd watch the Daily Show and the Colbert Report before tuning to CBS where I could watch Letterman interview his guests. Then at 12:35pm, the show I'd been waiting for all along would come on, and the night would be set. When Conan moved to 11:35pm, I had to change my viewing habits, which of course I did for him. Even though I have nothing but respect and admiration for Colbert and Letterman, they'd have to be viewed as either reruns or on DVR.

But what would I watch at 12:35am?

Jimmy Fallon? No.

What about Craig Ferguson? I loved him on the Drew Carey show, but I'd never watched him before, and it didn't occur to start now.

Eventually, I forgot about how comforting it was to have Conan there at 12:35am to keep me company in bed, and stopped looking for a daily replacement. But recently, upon recommendation from a friend, I gave Craig Ferguson a shot. And you know what? He was hilarious. His jokes were great, his improvisations when things didn't go according to plan were priceless, and his interviews were honest, relaxed, and thoroughly entertaining. So I started asking myself, Why haven't I given this guy a chance before?

I began to think about it, and came up with one major issue.

• His Set

The reason I always changed the channel was because the man's studio is so small. It looks like the crowd has to hunch over if they ever think of standing up. Ferguson is also forced to do his monologue standing directly in front of the camera, which is probably psychologically threatening in some way. Not to mention the claustrophobia invoked by the whole combination. And then there's the lighting situation. With everything so dim it borders on depressing, not something a late night comedy show wants to convey.

But regardless, now that I realize how enjoyable his program is I have no choice but to apologize to Mr. Ferguson for never giving him a chance, and make-up for it by giving him my dedicated viewership. I'll just have to hope his success will bring him a studio bigger and brighter than a closet of unused clothes.

And hopefully you'll watch too.

-- Steve Creswick
Ad Doctor

Coo Coo for CoCo? What's next? How about some wild speculation...

$40 million dollars, reportedly, and the undying support of an entire nation. This is what Conan O'Brien received as his severance from NBC's decision to abandon comedy for the sake of God knows what Jay Leno provides--certainly not anything entertaining. But what is next? We know the future of The Tonight Show...it is once again unwatchable and now I can give David Letterman the love and attention he deserves at 11:35pm until Conan settles elsewhere.

Rumors have the Tonight Show Pariah heading to FOX for a substantial deal. It makes sense for FOX to have a late night show of their own to compete with the other major networks (CBS, NBC, and ABC), but after a lifetime of Simpons and Seinfeld syndicated re-runs, a nighttime talk show seems a little out of place.

But where else can Conan go?

Does a late-night show really need to be on one of the big networks to succeed? In the 90's, the Emmy's were dominated by major networks with a few scattered wins from an HBO show here and there. In the new millennium, and continuing on further, cable networks have been showing an increased presence on the awards circuit, and FX, USA, Comedy Central, Showtime, and AMC have all been getting in on the action. Some of the best comedies and dramas are on cable networks, as well as the late-night show that has held the Emmy for that category since 2003, The Daily Show.

But despite The Daily Show's success, it still at best averages under Conan's mark of 2.2 million, and less than half as many viewers as The Late Show(1.5million versus 3.5+ million). Its spin-off, The Colbert Report, averages a similar number. With Conan's deserved cult following, could he average this many viewers on a cable network? I would think so. Could he rival the ratings of Letterman or Leno? Probably not, unfortunately.

For the sake of argument, though, let's defy the conventional wisdom of going where the highest ratings await and try to conceive the best possible product. The popularity and viewership of cable networks is on the rise, so eventually the ratings will be there. It just needs someone to take the leap(no George Lopez does not count because he is neither funny nor on a channel with entertaining original content). So imagine Conan and his unique brand of comedy on FX, following the funniest show on television, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, almost entirely unrestricted. Or better yet, picture a late-night line-up of The Daily Show, The Colbert Report, and Conan O'Brien--two hours of heralded comedy icons every evening.

Now which would you rather do: follow the ten o'clock news and a re-run on FOX, join a growing network in FX and further the evolution of cable TV, or combine forces with two brilliantly successful satirists to form a late-night powerhouse on the aptly named Comedy Central. Options two and three sound exponentially more appealing than the former.

If I were a cable executive at Comedy Central, FX, or a handful of other stations trying to make a splash, I'm calling Conan with the biggest offer my budget can handle, and then some. Because along with the good publicity and popular support, you'll get one hell of a funny man and a franchise to anchor your network for years to come, as cable continues to push the boundaries, and network TV remains stuck making the same formulaic sitcoms and talk shows.

No matter what happens, wherever Conan goes(even if he does delve into pornography), I'm sure he'll succeed and make me laugh in the process.

Where do you think Conan should go?

-- Steve Creswick
Ad Doctor

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