“IF YOU LOOK AT A TV SCREEN YOU SEE ONE PICTURE, BUT IT’S MADE UP OF HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF PIN-SIZED PIXELS. IF YOU THINK OF EACH OF THESE AS A SEPARATE DATA CHANNEL, YOU BEGIN TO IMAGINE INFINITE POSSIBILITIES IN THE FUTURE”
– Marc Caplan (1995)
Marc produced multi-layered images on analogue equipment in 1983. In the early 2000’s he was selling ideas for ‘social, integrated marketing solutions’ and a ‘digital content platform’. Facebook, Youtube & iPhone had yet to launch.
Always taking things to the next level
As an editor in the 1983, Marc created an image that was almost impossible at the time. He figured out a way to make a number of analogue editing suites operate like a digital 3D graphic package on your laptop today. For the magazine cover (above), he wired together 5 large, 1-inch, reel-to-reel Video Tape Machines (VTR above) to make a dodecahedron shape. Then another 7 VTRs to achieve the multi-layered image in one generation – with no loss of picture quality.
It would be years before creating such an image would be affordable. Molinare’s editing suites came to a standstill for a number of days for this award winning result.
Depicting the new era
With the launch of SKY, Marc created imagery for Rupert Murdoch to help British politicians and dignitaries grasp the coming era of multi-channel TV brought about by satellite and then digital broadcasting technology in 1995. The TV sequence above (left/above) would be easily created today, but nearly 30 years ago, creating multiple, moving screens with separate moving images inside each screen, was only something a creative, technological genius with incredible insight could produce. The baby sequence (above right) was a live shoot with moving images in all the TV sets and was one of Marc’s favourite images. The reality of unprecedented viewer choice was still being born.
An organic on-air brand strategy for the multi-channel era
Marc’s aim was to create a fresh new Channel Identity that would also ‘entertain’ viewers between the TV programmes. ‘ORGANIC’ meant the channel’s branding imagery was shaped by the types and aspirations of the target audience and was expressed through numerous entertaining vignettes. The channel branded imagery could then be continually refreshed as audiences and trends evolved, thus keeping viewers loyal to ‘their channel’ in the midst of huge competition. It was a departure from the conventional, logo-only, channel packaging of the previous era. Marc showcased his strategy with SABC’s CCTV channel in 1993 and M-NET’s K-TV in 1996.
Ahead of his time
“I’m blessed with a niche understanding of technologies in broadcasting and broadband. It’s the understanding of these infrastructures that has led to innovating creative marketing solutions, because I can ‘see’ the way to cross-utilise these technologies to produce marketing opportunities that differentiate and offer the consumer something fresh.” – Extract from Marc’s CV 2004
Marc knew that ‘digital’ would bring about an entirely new, global, social communication infrastructure. He knew that ‘convergence’ would eventually link all ‘channels’ more seamlessly together on a ‘digital platform’. Marc could see the vision in the early part of the 21st century, but it would take 15 years before technology and society would manifest it.
“I have been strategising a new broadband platform for the Southern Africa market, as well as many initiatives in the realm of interactive experiences, utilising cellular, SMS, internet and emerging VOIP technologies” – Extract from Marc’s CV 2004
