How did they do this???

[pulpwoody]

Here's the kicker, at the end of the video, when he reads the name on the coat, that name is changeable! You go to a website, sign up, and your name appears in the coat. How do you do that on a large scale?

http://video.bigwarmup.com/?firstname=MELINDA&lastname=JENKINS&cm_mmc=usnews

The ladies name is melinda jenkins, so you see her name on the label.

 

[Arson]

Im sure it's coded into the site or player the label in the footage is blank. The shot has some movement to it, but just the minimal movement of her holding the coat. So I'm sure it just overlays a polygon with the fonted name over the player with the tracked motion applied to it.. You can't fast forward the video so there is always 1:20 for it to process the 30 frames based on the name in the url.

That's just my guess.

Altering the name in the url changes the text

http://video.bigwarmup.com/?firstname=BUCK&lastname=SATAN

 

[tflak]

It's using Flash so it's pretty simple to just overlay the name using a SWF that gets the metadata from an external XML file. Change the text for the name in the XML file and the name changes in the overlay. When the SWF appears (and disappears) is easily controlled by markers placed in the video. The Web form feeds the XML file. At least I think this is how it might be done. But I'm no Flash expert.

 

[KevinP]

Yep - easy to do with small piece of flash actionscript in the swf that is playing the video.

The name could be retrieved from xml file but it looks like it is being retrieved by the swf player directly from the url line which is also easy to do. It also moves the text slightly in line with the shot which is what actually sells it.

Good use of a powerful feature and still just scratching the surface of what can be done.

 

[drk3p]

If you want a good laugh, change the name in the address.

 

[pulpwoody]

wow

wow

Thanks for the input folks. Honestly, I've never messed with flash, so I have very little idea about what you are talking about, but I can take your info to people who do and make sense of it. I think I understand the concept: set an in and out point in the video, place a marker of some sort in those in and out points that direct external script(the person's name) to be placed over that shot, repeat. That about right?

 

[KevinP]

Yes you've got it.

To summarise: When you see Flash video (.FLV or .F4V extensions) playing anywhere it is actually being played through a flash player (.swf extension).

That player could just play video from start to finish (linear) and just give you the normal options like stop start pause etc. Or it can be notified in real time when ANY frame in the video is about to be played. Your code associated with that frame then gets executed and does whatever you want - in this case just puts some user defined text on the screen.

Honestly whatever you could imagine doing with video you can do with Flash - it is amazing.

 

[pulpwoody]

Wow, that is pretty cool. It seems like you could devote an entire career and business to just flash stuff with that kind of capability and the knowledge to use it to it's fullest.