iPad and Moving Magazine Covers

This weekend's launch of the Apple iPad marks the first really big step into a whole new world of publishing. Unlike the clumsy architecture of magazine websites, digital forms of our favorite printed publications have the potential to come alive.

VIV Mag Featurette: A Digital Magazine Motion Cover and Feature for the iPad from Alexx Henry on Vimeo.

This is really cool stuff...BUT... the question I have is, "Will visual budgets for cover shoots or spreads that are currently $10 thousand suddenly increase to $50 thousand or way way more?" Certainly, time and expenses are much bigger on a moving production than a normal 5-setups-with-talent in a still studio. The cost for a still photo of a person running on the beach might be $5K but the same shoot in motion could easily reach $35 large. Given the current economic climate for just about every consumer magazine, I tend to doubt it. Maybe this will be reserved for special issues like Vogue's 840-page fall fashion doorstop. I certainly hope it will find much wider use.

Walking on the Moon to Dancing with the Stars

Apparently, Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin has not lost a step since trekking on the moon 41 years ago. At 80-years old, Aldrin has been tagged for a spot on ABC's Dancing with the Stars. It looks like those Nikes did the trick. I might actually watch the show for the first time just to see how he does.