In today’s video we are treaded to a unique look behind the scenes of what it takes to run a monthly magazine in this case it’s Hot Rod magazine. This video almost seemed to be custom made for myself as I’m always looking to bolster my knowledge reservoirs on the topic of automotive print publication.
The tour takes a look at all the different aspects of the Hot Rod brand, which includes the magazine, Web site, video production, events such as Power Tour and Drag Week. Orchestrating and coordinating the multi-faceted madness is Editor-In-Chief David Freiburger, who seemingly never sleeps between long days at the office, and trips to various events around the country, and around the world.
It isn’t the longest video and the time stamp included such items as outtakes which could be skipped, so really its only 5 minutes long. And who can’t justify spending 5 minutes now days to allow themselves to be educated? I know we always can.
UK based Top Gear Magazine has effectively put the magazine world on notice as they ramp up the publicity campaign for their revolutionary, interactive iPad digital magazine app. As you can imagine the magazine world is a highly competitive one where there are many content providers all vying to share the same car related news in a variety of ways.
After viewing the teaser video below, I was taken back by the high level of features included in the app, which allow users to interact with the magazine in a completely different way than a static piece of paper.
There is a plethora of embedded videos and additional pictures are included with each of the more traditional car reviews and news articles. Not to mention the user driven interaction pieces such as dragging your finger around the track to see the cars performance numbers changing in real time. This allows the reader to truly compare the reviewed car corning g’s and acceleration speeds as they enter and exit a turn. A feature not possible in print, helping place the reader in the driver’s seat and allowing them to extract the information they are interested in.
Unlike a lot of car magazines who are all now very busy creating new content for their YouTube channels the top gear YouTube channel is purely show clips and segments from the previous 18 TG seasons. We are hopeful that other videos will be created for the Magzine app which will then tricky down to the YouTube channel but time will tell as TG has the ability to march to the beat of their own drummer. Don’t get me wrong, I am a huge fan of the written word however a picture says a thousand words and in this case a short video says a million. It’s an effective aid that can truly emphasize the journalists pure joy and excitement or even bitter disappointment when test driving a specific vehicle. It is also the reason why I am aware of the top Gear franchise is because it has done such an amazing job at being more than words on a page describing cars, and through the magic of TV can plant you firm in the driver’s seat.
An apps ability to add a simple sound bite of an engine revving is an amazing feature, to offer the end reader while they are relaxing in the comfort of their home. Especially when the reader has only been a custom to hearing the crinkle of pages as they flip past the advertising to get to their next article of interest. Now I’m not saying that these apps are advertising free as a magazine is published to bring in revue. What I am saying however is that the advertising community should also be equally excited as there is now no limit to the type of ads that can be embedded into the app.
Sorry paper magazine but your days are numbered! Since it can only able to provide information to readers on one plane. Where as an electronic magazine or e-mag can almost at times feel like sensory over load. Allowing the reader to pick and choose the multi-media features they’d like to view. If you are a shutter bug then the extra images shot during the shoot can be added to the article and viewed by the reader with the swipe of a finger. If video is more your cup of tea then why not sit back and enjoy a short clip that walks you through the show floor of the latest auto show instead of having to piece together the event from a series of static concept car images.
From whichever side you want to tackle this form of media it is heads and tails better than a traditional print magazine, since it will always be able to provide the user with a more viscerally experience. In fact I am a little worried as Car Rolodex has only been around for nine months and interactive blogging looks like it may already be starting to feel a little out dated when compared to the e-magazine. In a world where content is king I have to tip my hat to the e-magazine and here at Car Rolodex we will embrace the technology with open arms and promise to always provide our followers with our unique brand of content.
Check out the video below and comment on the features of the e-magazine that make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside.
Prestige Imports/Lamborghini Miami and Cinemotive Media proudly presents Project Au79. The Short film producers have indicated that the intention of this video was to show of the high quality work that newly developed Cinemotive Films company. Oh and the film also show cases a hand full of exotic rides ranging from Lamborghini Gallardo’s, and Ferrari 430′s, Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG’s and of course the hopefully one day famous gold wrapped Aventator. We say soon to be famous as the short films vimeo page indicates that the cars owner is hopeful that the car will become its own character allowing worldwide photographers and filmmakers to position the car in there camera lens.
It is a little to ostentatious for our tastes but the Aventador is a stunning car no matter what the colour or sheen.
Did you happen to see the latest Lexus magazine ad in the Oct. 15 Sports Illustrated that suddenly becomes animated and leaps right off the printed page? For the very first time a printed advertisement has the ability to rev an engine, Flash the headlights, and spin its tires all while the background scenery pulses with colour that is synced to a music track.
The ad works by placing the single page of the magazine over top of an iPad that is viewing the Lexus Webpage (Lexus.com/stunning). All that the user has to do is press play and enjoy. The technique is common enough to have a name associated with it, “CinePrint”, yet is not common enough for us to have sampled it before. The majority of traditional CinePrint mashups ads feature print ads that redirect to a digital experience away from the printed page. In this example Lexus has been quoted as saying “CinePrint technology flips that on its head, creating a tactile and visceral connection that brings one closer to the printed page with a multi-sensory experience that combines sight, sound and touch.” Sooo…. Whatever that means we just think it’s freaking cool tech!
You can get an idea of the experience in the clip below, although the real thing is surely more impressive. Some critics are saying that it’s just a glorified video, but trust us it isn’t, it is so much more in our opinion. The way the print Advertisement has the ability to project light through the printed page is an extremely novel concept. In a way, it’s almost like a print version of the amazing projection mapping promotional 3-D events that we reported on last year.
If you are interested in viewing the examples of 3D projection art you can see the Hyundai Accent or the Lexus CT200h 3D art projects at those related hyper links.
Hey Everyone, sorry for the radio silence since Canadian thanksgiving but my kids gave me the flu so I haven’t exactly been up to blogging. I am however starting to right the ship an I came across this fun video of two high-performance electric go karts from Pole Position Raceway speed through the Destiny USA mall in Syracuse, New York during open hours. Now tell me that this isn’t something that you’ve always dreamt about doing.
Below is the shorten version of the video however if you interested in watching the entire 7:45 minutes of it hit the hyper link below the video.
Cheers to good health and I hope to have something little more meaty for you all tomorrow.
Stephen Brooks FILMS offers us a superb short documentary telling the story of the “California Look”, a style that emerged in the ’60s and that has influenced many tuners over time, particularly Volkswagen enthusiasts. An interesting video to say the least however I don’t think I could every be a Beatle fan as I don’t own a set of ovaries. It’s a long one but I absolutely love the opening music as it is the same as the opening scene in my Son’s favorite movie for the time being Red Bulls “Art of Flight”
It’s a long one, so we won’t curse you if you bail out early. I know I did around the 3 minute mark
Acura has paired its 2013 ILX with the band Metric on its U.S. tour. To keep people as intrigued outside the concert as they are inside, Acura turned the ILX into an LED art car with a 3D display where there should have been an interior.
Creating the LED light show took 4,600 hours that was for the installation of 7,500 individually controllable LEDs activated by more than 1,100 lines of programming. The state of the art projection mapping and LED display lights worked together to give a 3D experience inside the car. Check out the video of this Acura ILX car installation. You can watch it in action in the video below.
I am a huge nerd for factory tour videos and this one created by motor trend magazine of the Ferrari Factory is no different. I have watched a similar national geographic video back in the day that was looking at the production of the 599 and 430. So it was a nice treat to see that this one was focusing on the two newest Ferrari’s the F12Berlinetta and the 456 Italia.
Motor Trend writes, “A tour of Ferrari’s Maranello factory is a rare treat, usually one extended only to Ferrari owners. A tour without limits on photographs and video is almost unheard of, and we were just granted unfettered access for both. Come along for an inside look at the sprawling Ferrari factory following the launch of the new F12berlinetta.”
Codemasters has announced that the highly anticipated follow-up to its 2008 hit game GRID will be released in the summer of 2013. Imaginatively named GRID 2, the new game will feature “a selection of handpicked automotive icons spanning four decades and three continents,” racing “on beautiful city streets, licensed circuits or knife-edge mountain roads.”
Either way the cars are all top notice and the graphics are out of this world amazing. I can’t wait to load this one into my nephews Xbox 360 and give it a rip. Check it out below.
Beginning production almost 40 years ago, the E21-generation 3 Series arrived in Europe by 1975 as a replacement for BMW’s venerable 2002. The first 3 Series shared a few design cues with its predecessor, including the single round headlights and slender two-piece grille. Later in the E21’s production run, the model would adopt the familiar dual-round headlight look, which remains one of BMW’s trademarks today. Six years after the E21’s introduction, BMW produced its 1 millionth 3 Series. By 1982, the E30-generation model arrived. Though this generation is now famous for serving as the basis for the first high-performance M3 model, BMW also notes the E30 evolved the 3 Series’ styling with rounder (though still boxy) lines, and marks the introduction of the wider, flatter dual-kidney grille. The E30 was also the first 3 Series to be offered with a diesel in Europe.
With the E36 generation in 1990, the 3 Series received a more streamlined profile, and enclosed its dual-round headlights in a glass (or plastic on U.S. models) housing. The E36 M3 got a high-revving inline-six engine, while non-M models grew the 3 Series’ body style range to include sedan, coupe, convertible, wagon, and hatchback versions. The E46 evolved the model’s styling, as well as its performance and tech features when it was introduced in Europe in 1998. That generation is also notable for producing the first all-wheel-drive 3 Series.
Things begin to look more modern with the arrival of the fifth-generation 3 Series, the E90, in 2005. With a rounder design, and more powerful engine options across the range, the E90 brought the 3 Series up to date for the mid-2000s. That brings us to the present day, and the 2012 BMW 3 Series. Though the new model has just arrived, it already appears it may become another benchmark.
Check out the video below to learn about the full history of the 3 Series.
We would like to thank Motor Trend for the content of this article.
