It is hard to imagine whoever is reading this has not seen the short film "Evolution" from the Dove Beauty Campaign. When the video was posted here (on rednow) in July, we mentioned at least 3 million views via YouTube. Now.... that number is estimated somewhere between 15 and 20 million. This same campaign released their latest ad/short film this week with the title "Onslaught" - which will make perfect sense the moment you hit play.

If you ever check out the blog section on this site and happened to catch Eric's "Brands of More" post, you'll recall an intriguing discussion on the "more" concept. Eric makes mention that a desire for "more" can mean one of two things: increasing something that one already has or obtaining something that one does not have. Both are the foundation of consumerism and without the concept, advertising would not exist.

Every so often a certain advertising campaign comes along that transcends marketing. Sure, it's all advertising and the bottom line is still money; however, this does not negate the artistic possibilities of visual communication. The "Bravia Play-Doh" (Bunnies) ad is Sony's third installment to their LCD television campaign. Each ad focuses on the beauty and brilliance of colour (it has primarily remained a European campaign) while elevating the creativity level amongst T.V. advertising along the way. (See Bravia's "Bouncy Ball" ad if you doubt.)

The latest "Play-Doh" creation (below) continues this tradition by revealing a convergence-of-sorts of still and live motion. This is done primarily through the use of claymation - involving over 200 bunnies, 150 cubes, a giant 30 foot rabbit and a 20 foot tall purple wave - all made from 2.5 tonnes of plasticine. Shot in New York City, it took over 40 animators three weeks to obtain over 100,000 stills - all for a mere 90 seconds of viewing pleasure. Darren Walsh headed the animation process alongside production house Passion Pictures. Music has played an integral role in the Bravia series and Sony has chosen the Rolling Stone's "She's a Rainbow" to accompany the bunnies' travels through NYC.

Whether you "wanna revolution," need to cheer up your friend Jude, or hope to find out if you're a walrus, Across the Universe has enough Beatles songs to make a cover band envious. While director Julie Taymor's latest film has been met with comparisons to Moulin Rouge, the only similarity is the use of preexisting song material and the simple fact that both films are musicals. Across the Universe is a musical film based entirely on the music of the Beatles-and as the Beatles would agree, it's all about love. And if love songs are the undoing of this world, then the message of Across the Universe will undo all across every city, border, and, of course, the universe.

Across the Universe brings the spectacle of the stage to a tormented ‘60s that doesn't know how to cope with war and civil unrest. What better way to reflect this inner and external turmoil than to highlight the ‘60s ambiguous need for love. Despite differing views about politics, social change, sexual confusion, and mind expansion, "all you need is love." We might not know how to change the world, but we know we need love, and until we can truly vocalize the specifics of that love, we'll keep speaking in broad terms.

Almost a year ago, I saw a preview of the powerful film, TRADE. It is based upon a New York Times investigation by Peter Landsman, about the horrors of sex trafficking entitled "The Girls Next Door". An avalanche of controversy followed, questioning the veracity of Landesman's reporting. Amidst all the claims of journalistic license or excess, the victims of the sex trade were tragically lost. Evidently, we'd rather argue about how many sex slaves their might be than get involved in stemming the tide.

The cinematic version of Landesman's article, TRADE, arrived at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival with a fair amount of anticipation. Written by acclaimed Motorcycle Diaries scribe, Jose Rivera, directed by young German filmmaker, Marco Kreuzpaintner and starring Kevin Kline, TRADE looked to be an early contender for serious, important film of the year. TRADE's distribution company, LIONSGATE, rode an equally small, independent film like CRASH from the Toronto Film Festival to an Academy Award for Best Picture. Would lightning strike twice for Lionsgate?