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June 8, 2017

4 Cinematic Techniques Iñárritu Emboldens Us To Try

Can Alejandro González Iñárritu’s “visual poetry” push you outside of your cinematic comfort zone?<p>We are big fans of the never-ending fountain of …
Source: CW’s Flipboard Feed

June 7, 2017

What is the best Prototyping Tool for you?

What is the best Prototyping Tool for you?

What is the best prototyping tool out there? We have asked that question to ourselves and between us many times. The answer is simple, there isn’t one. All the tools out there have their own advantages and disadvantages, the question is which prototyping tool works the best for you? One thing though, we are living at an incredible time and grateful to have so many great tools at our disposal to increase our workflow, achieve better results and collaboration. Maybe it’s just about having your own list of criteria to tackle down.

I’ve tried a lot of prototyping tools and still haven’t touched the surface of what’s out there. During the past couples of years, I have tried Axure, Marvel App, UXPin, Atomic and more. Let me breakdown three prototyping tools that worked pretty well for me and my design needs. Remember there isn’t such thing as one “best” tool that rules them all. Ask yourself questions on the pricing, what it could do on short terms and long terms, what platforms you wanna work on and even what is my workplace is currently using.

Remember there isn’t such thing as one “best” tool that rules them all.

What is the best Prototyping Tool for you?Sketch + InVision

InVision

I love InVision! For many reasons too, but I feel where InVision shines is the fact you can do-it-all under one roof when combined with Sketch or Photoshop. For my case, I use it with Sketch and combined with their plugin Craft. Together into a very powerful tool for the mood-board, prototyping, syncing, free hand (neat!), user-testing and more. Along with their tool, they are pretty active within the community with their blog, announcements, and famous newsletter! They keep adding new features for us to discover which makes them a game-changer in the industry.

Price

  • Free

What is the best Prototyping Tool for you?Principle for Mac

Principle for Mac

Another tool that I really do enjoy and it’s Principle for Mac. Right off the bat, I love the fact that you’re off a pricing of a monthly plan, you purchase it once and it’s yours forever. What’s neat with Principle for Mac is that you can record your prototype then export it as a video or animated GIF. We know how important it is and cool to be able to share your process as a GIF! Another thing that I feel work pretty well with Principle for Mac, you don’t need an internet connection to work on this tool. Being offline can increase your productivity instead of relying on a fast connection.

Price

  • $129USD

What is the best Prototyping Tool for you?Framer

Framer

We have recently featured Framer Design on ABDZ and they highly have the potential to change the game in the near future. Their latest integration of a smart graphics tool and now simple code editor together combines into a very powerful tool. From the auto-layout functions on the interface design to the power of code-based prototyping to the masses. I ordered my copy and I’ll play with it and shares my thoughts on the next article.

Price

  • $15USD/per month

Voilà! Cheers to another quick roundup, hope this will help you to refine your design process. We all have the same goals to achieve greatness and still enjoy ourselves too. Also, it’s never too late to learn new things and discover tools that change your workflow for the better.

More Links

AoiroStudio
Jun 07, 2017

Source: Abduzeedo UI/UX

June 7, 2017

48 hours in virtual reality is not as bad as you might think

It turns out virtual reality can have interesting effects on how you sleep, eat and how you ride on the wing of a biplane. This isn’t everyday VR usage, but it does test the limits of what’s possible when exploring virtual worlds.

The post 48 hours in virtual reality is not as bad as you might think appeared first on Digital Trends.

Source: Digital Trends VR

June 6, 2017

Editorial Design & Branding for Tokyo Bousai

Editorial Design & Branding for Tokyo Bousai

Let’s take a look at this editorial design & branding project for Tokyo Metropolitan Government by Nosigner. There’s a high importance of user friendliness in Japan, this might a good subject for another article but let’s not derail for now. This book has been created to help citizens to be prepared in case of a disaster and has been distributed to 7.5 million households. Two things I love about this design, first the colour to make very distinguishable and the manga comic illustration approach to be super easy to follow. What do you think?

Behind this project, we have the work from Nosigner who is a design firm based in Yokohama, Japan. I love the definition of their name who means: “professionals who design intangible things”. You should definitely follow their Behance.

The Tokyo Metropolitan Government has compiled a manual for disaster defense called “Tokyo Bousai” (English title “Disaster Preparedness Tokyo”). NOSIGNER is in charge of its design and edition collaborating with DENTSU INC. In order to help households get fully prepared for an earthquake directly hitting Tokyo and other various disasters, the book is distributed to 7.5 million households. The stripes with color Yellow and Black as a warning icon will help you to find the book easily even in the case of emergency. Also, illustrated with a manga comic which will give you a simulated experience and easy-to-understand information on how to prepare for and respond to a disaster, it helps to get the attention even from people at the low level of consciousness for disaster defense.

Photo Gallery

Editorial Design & Branding for Tokyo BousaiEditorial Design & Branding for Tokyo BousaiEditorial Design & Branding for Tokyo BousaiEditorial Design & Branding for Tokyo BousaiEditorial Design & Branding for Tokyo BousaiEditorial Design & Branding for Tokyo BousaiEditorial Design & Branding for Tokyo BousaiEditorial Design & Branding for Tokyo BousaiEditorial Design & Branding for Tokyo BousaiEditorial Design & Branding for Tokyo Bousai

 

Credits

  • Art Direction: Eisuke Tachikawa (Nosigner), Ryosuke Sakaki (Dentsu Inc.)
  • Graphic Design: Kaori Hasegawa, Andraditya D.R.(Nosigner)
  • Edition: Ryosuke Sakaki (Dentsu Inc.), Eisuke Tachikawa, Kaori Hasegawa (Nosigner)
  • Illustration: Okamura Yuta
  • Client: Tokyo Metropolitan Government
  • Collaboration: Dentsu Inc.
  • Photo: Kunihiko Sato (Nosigner)

More Links

AoiroStudio
Jun 06, 2017

Source: Abduzeedo Editorial Design

June 6, 2017

5 Freelancer’s Personalities You’ll Meet

From designers to developers; writers to project managers –gigging is in.

The freelance economy is predicted to represent 43% of the workforce by 2020, making it one of the fastest-growing workforces out there, and it’s not limited to just the creative world. Freelancers take all forms, and a recent report by LinkedIn and Intuit suggests that there are 5 types of freelancer “personas” –each with their own drivers and desires.

  1. Side Giggers: see freelancing as a means to make extra cash, and are the most driven by money, compared to the other personas.
  2. Substituters: in the freelance game for temporary work, and don’t see this type of work as a long term thing. They’re least satisfied with gig work, which is often the result of recent job loss.
  3. Business Builders: are focused on building their own business, and pursue freelancing to either supplement or support those efforts. They love the fact that they can be their own boss, and are not the biggest fans of working under someone else.
  4. Career Freelancers: pursue gigs to develop their skills to help them in their careers. The majority of these are millennials and are the most satisfied with freelancing compared to other personas.
  5. Passionistas: value the joy that their work brings them. This group is is a master of their practice, and tends to work less, but earn more, compared to the others.

If you’re a freelancer, which persona do you identify with the most? Comment below!

Learn more about each freelancer persona in the infoGIF below, and then dive into the rich data in part two on the LinkedIn ProFinder blog.

Intuit-freelancer-infogif

Source: Visual News

June 6, 2017

5 WAYS TO CREATE BULLSHIT-FREE CONTENT MARKETING

This article originally appeared on Column Five.

Have you ever slogged through an article only to find out it was a complete waste of time? We all have. The Internet is full of content marketing that is all fluff, no substance, or totally irrelevant. Frankly, too many of us have been guilty of wasting our audience’s time. That’s why content marketing is facing a bullshit epidemic.

WHY IS THERE SO MUCH BAD CONTENT MARKETING?

This industry-wide problem became clear to me after reading Josh Bernoff’s book Writing Without Bullshit. The driving idea behind the book is what Bernoff calls the Iron Imperative: Be more respectful of your reader’s time than your own.

This philosophy seems intuitive, no matter what content we create, but the truth is we have become accustomed to BS, both consuming it and creating it. Why? Bernoff identifies four main reasons:

  1. We got the wrong training in school. We tried to BS our teachers into thinking we knew what we were talking about.
  2. Once we started working in the real world, we were saturated by jargon, from employee manuals to tech babble that only insiders understand.
  3. We soon learned that avoiding risk is critical, and writing clear copy means someone can disagree with us.
  4. No one edits what we read.

Now we’re drowning in meaningless content, which is a huge problem. But it’s also an awesome opportunity for your brand to stand out by creating A+ content.

The first step? Stop the BS and start focusing on creating high-value content that is worth your reader’s time. To get you on the right track, here are five things you can do to take the BS out of your content marketing ASAP.

1) AVOID BUZZWORDS

Wheelhouse. Implementation. These buzzwords have become a plague. Sure, every industry has its jargon, but too often it’s used as a crutch to sound like you know what you’re talking about. Worse, too much jargon can confuse your reader if they don’t actually know what you’re talking about.

Your audience wants to connect with you. They want your knowledge and experience, so write the way you speak—like a human. When you do use the occasional buzzword, make sure you explain what it means. (If you still want your buzzword fix, check out our marketing gibberish generator.)

2) GET TO THE POINT

A good content marketer has one job: To deliver a story or message as succinctly and efficiently as possible. Yet we see so many “thought leaders” drone on and on in 3,000-word articles simply for vanity’s sake. Avoid their mistakes.

  • Be direct.
  • Write to your audience (see #1 above). The content, message, and audience should dictate length and format.
  • Don’t write long posts just for the sake of writing long posts.
  • Channel your innerHemingway. Share a concept as economically as possible.

Remember the Iron Imperative: Consider your audience’s time.

3) USE A REPEATABLE PROCESS

Good content marketing requires the right team, the right ideas, and an efficient process to see those ideas to completion. That means planning, producing, managing, and reviewing content before it goes live.

You can always make adjustments during a project, but having a basic process, which all team members can rely on, will make your life a lot easier—and reduce lag time on projects. (That said, in the interest of efficiency, you should regularly review the way you do things to see if there are ways to improve.)

Also, before you undertake a project, ask yourself if you can reasonably produce it with your existing resources and process. For this reason, wWe ask our clients five questions before we kick off projects:

  1. Why do you want to do this project?
  2. What do you hope to achieve with this project?
  3. Who is your audience, and what are their pain points?
  4. How are we going to approach the project?
  5. When do you need the project finished?

This ensures that the content we create will help achieve the client’s goals—and that production goes as smoothly as possible.

4) CONDUCT PAIN-FREE COLLABORATION

It’s incredibly frustrating to get a ton of last-minute edits a day before launch, from a stakeholder who has just been looped into a project. Likewise, it’s exasperating when you hold a brainstorm with so many stakeholders that you leave three hours later without a single actionable idea.

Finding the right type—and number—of collaborators is crucial. Some people like to be auteurs, but in my opinion, the best creative work tends to involve additional perspectives, experiences, expertise, and creative thinking. Of course, too many cooks in the kitchen is a nightmare.

For our agency, somewhere between two and five people tends to be the sweet spot for good collaboration. Some other rules that help us work together:

  • Establish clear roles.
  • Create a document that contains shared values, as well as aligned goals.
  • Let the best ideas win, regardless of work titles.

Something that might also help is finding out what creative type you are. Once you know what you are, you can learn how to work and communicate with others without wanting to rip your hair out. (This has been an awesome revelation for our team.)

5) EMBRACE ITERATION

Most work that our agency does involves a good amount of iteration at multiple stages. That’s because we believe doing things right is better than doing things quickly.

Our creative director is constantly telling our team to never go with their first idea. First ideas can be good, but if you don’t explore other ideas or carefully vet your initial idea, then you’re selling yourself short.

As Aristotle said, “It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it.”

Don’t be judgmental when starting out on early drafts. Create, write, and draw like a wild person. Then put on your editor’s hat and edit mercilessly.

ALWAYS FOCUS ON VALUE 

Moral of the story: Respect your audience. Focus on delivering high-quality content that will truly help them. That means less BS and a lot more value. The more you demonstrate that you are invested in helping them learn what they need to know, the more they will look to you as a trusted friend and resource, and that’s the ultimate goal.

No matter what you do, always aim to create better content than the average content marketer. Remember: Average is not good. Average is average.

Want more content marketing tips?

Source: Visual News

June 6, 2017

5 Copywriting Tips for UX Designers

5 Copywriting Tips for UX Designers

When Jeff Gothelf, a UX designer, decided to change two simple texts requiring users to sign up, he was trying out something he had read from a psychology book. He wanted to find out how true the text was, and if at all, how it could apply in his UX designing job.

The result was a 30% increase in paid signups that led him to cite copywriting as the secret weapon for UX.

Where UX Design and Copywriting Tips Merge

A UX designer and Copywriter may differ greatly in their daily tasks and overall functions. But as many people and organizations are realizing, and you will too, there is plenty that UX designers can learn from copywriters. The art of crafting words to influence a purchasing decision or subscription status is truer today than it was years ago.

While a good website design is sufficient to keep new visitors a few moments longer on a site, it is not enough to convert them into buyers or subscribers. Interesting and high quality copy is also required to earn money selling online.

This is because when you have poor written copy, no one will be interested to know what you are selling. And the worst part, you might never know that your copy is the problem. Only 4% of an organization’s customers give feedback about their experience. 96% never voice their concerns and 91% will not return

On the other hand, if your copy is compelling, a visitor will be more willing to learn more about your products and services. This is possible through tapping into the mind of the user, which is one thing a UX Designer and Copywriter have in common.

So how can UX Designers integrate copywriting tips into their work? Below are a few ways how this is possible.

How UX Designers Can Tap Into Copywriting for their Benefit

1. Know who the website’s audience is

Before a copywriter starts to write, he or she ensures they understand their target audience fully. In copywriting, don’t assume the characteristics of your audience. If you do, you’ll end up with a high quality copy that is meaningless.

When trying to communicate to an audience through text, there is no direct opportunity for follow up questions. So when your copy does not communicate your intentions, there is no time to explain what you mean or what you want to happen.

The same is true with UX designers. As you make a website and include copy to go with the design, remember to write to a particular audience. Otherwise, you will end up with a top notch website design that does not convert visitors into buyers or subscribers.

2. Understand that visitors are potential buyers

When a copywriter is creating test for someone starting a blog or an existing one, they consider every visitor as a potential customer. Copywriters don’t write because the site needs a new blog post or article. They write with intent to sell a product or service and to provoke a particular action.

As a UX designer, this too should be your approach. Don’t think about the site’s audience and potential visitors as just people who can be convinced to do something. Consider them to be potential customers and make sure your text speaks to them directly.

For instance, when Jeff Gothelf changed the label “Premium Membership” to “I’m serious about my job search”, he had potential subscribers in mind. The first one was directed at random visitors, while the second one spoke to a specific caliber of visitors.

So, does the copy you used when designing that website you are proud of resonate with potential buyers and subscribers?

3. Perfect writing to one person

While someone who is learning how to create a website is hoping to attract numerous visitors, this does not mean that copy should be directed at a crowd. Copywriters create copy that resonates with readers because they have perfected the art of speaking to one person.

That’s why you will find the most popular article pieces using the pronoun “you” a lot. As a UX designer, you too should adopt this writing style. While your copy may not include as many words as that of a copywriter, personalizing a message to one person makes site visitors feel special.

And when potential customers feel they have been treated well or special by organizations, they are more likely to purchase whatever service or product is being sold. 70% of buying experiences are based on how the customer feels they are being treated.

 

Can you notice the use of “you” in the text above? It speaks directly on one person, making each individual feel cared about. This brings us back to the art of tapping into someone’s mind and using appealing text to influence their decisions.

4. Connect with your users at a personal level

Copywriters make it their business to understand who their audiences are, tailor content specifically to them and ensure their needs are met. As a UX designer, you need to design a website that not only impresses visitors, but also makes them want to take action.

What is the best way to achieve this? It’s by sharing a personal connection with your users. Forget about what UX concepts dictate about copy and try to adopt your user’s language. As I mentioned earlier, users appreciate personalized text than they do general.

They need to feel that you care and using their language is the most effective way. If you find this particular function challenging, you can always consider hiring freelancing services where you get to work with a competent copywriter.

5. Don’t just communicate the what, include the why

Without even knowing it, most UX designers fail at converting visitors because they focus on elements instead of advantages. A visitor to a site does not subscribe to receive emails because there was a prompt telling them “click here to receive our emails”.

They subscribe because of a told promise like “Click here to subscribe and receive more uplifting blog posts.” Users need to know why they are being told to buy a certain product or service. They also need to know what’s in it for them, or rather, what they gain in the process.

In Conclusion

A well-converting design cannot ever be complete if the copy is wanting.

It can also never convert visitors and leads into customers or subscribers. By understanding the art of copywriting, UX designers can offer more value to website owners.

Looking for more ideas like this? Learn more at Metapress and X3 Digital, or connect with Alex Jasin directly on Twitter, Medium and LinkedIn. Read more of Jasin’s writing on Business Insider, Entrepreneur, The Huffington Post, Internet Retailer, The Next Web and other major publications.

* Cover image by Cathryn Lavery

guest
Jun 06, 2017

Source: Abduzeedo UI/UX

June 5, 2017

80s-Inspired Abstract Illustrations

80s-Inspired Abstract Illustrations

Hah! The 80s, a beautiful era that never ceases to come back and to bring us back memories from the past, where everything was wildly different. Let’s take a look at France-based visual artist/art director named Quentin Deronzier. His art is a mixture of a trippy colour palette and yet abstract to make us feel like we are in a middle of sci-fi world, like the Omni Magazine. I just love his style and can’t help to appreciate the level of experimentation, hope you will like it too!

Behind this art is the work from Quentin Deronzier who is a visual artist and art director based in Annecy, France. You should definitely check out his Behance where you can see more of his latest experiements/work.

Photo Gallery

80s-Inspired Abstract Illustrations80s-Inspired Abstract Illustrations80s-Inspired Abstract Illustrations80s-Inspired Abstract Illustrations80s-Inspired Abstract Illustrations80s-Inspired Abstract Illustrations80s-Inspired Abstract Illustrations80s-Inspired Abstract Illustrations80s-Inspired Abstract Illustrations80s-Inspired Abstract Illustrations80s-Inspired Abstract Illustrations80s-Inspired Abstract Illustrations

 

More Links

AoiroStudio
Jun 05, 2017

Source: Abduzeedo Illustration

June 5, 2017

Creative Work Relies On Failure

This article originally appeared on Hubspot

Everyone wants to be creative, yet many of us are too fearful to pursue our most creative ideas. Why? Our fearful reaction is not a matter of choice — it’s often a knee-jerk reaction that can be attributed to our biology.

According to Adobe’s State of Create report, “At work, there is tension between creativity and productivity.” That could have something to do with previous research indicating that there’s a natural association of uncertainty with ideas labeled as “creative,” and that makes a lot of people uncomfortable.

So when you’re pursuing a creative path, this hurdle can feel insurmountable. How do you tackle and, ultimately, dismantle it?

Creativity vs. Fear of Failure

In my experience — and that of many creative professionals — the most familiar form of fear come is really that of failure. It’s a hesitancy to branch outside the norm and risk exposing yourself to the judgment of others. But that fear alone is not what inhibits your path to creativity. Not acknowledging is what’s truly damaging. Nelson Mandela summarized that notion quite well:

I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.”

The traditional narrative about the creative process tends to leave out fear. We hear about and romanticize the lone genius’ bursts of inspiration but that isn’t always accurate. As David and Tom Kelley note in Creative Confidence, “A widely held myth suggests that creative geniuses rarely fail.” They go on to cite UC Davis Professor of Psychology Keith Simonton, who found that many of the world’s most famous creative people — like composer Wolfgang Mozart and scientist Charles Darwin don’t give up at the first sign of failure. Rather, they keep experimenting until they find what works.

That’s one of the things that makes fear a necessary and important part of creative work — learning how to work with it. Unfortunately, in many organizations, fear tends to dominate, often stifling what could have been some of our most creative work. Only 4 in 10 employees would even describe themselves as creative, and out of those who do, less than half think they’re “living up to their creative potential.” Those are forms of fear, and even if you’re not aware of it, you’ve likely let it take control before.

But how do you recognize it? Here are some familiar “traps” you might be falling into.

Letting Fear Hinder Your Creativity

Scenario

In the middle of a brainstorm, someone pitches an off-the-wall idea that the whole team thinks is edgy and hilarious. These ideas are often followed by a flurry of enthusiastic statements that start with things like, “what if we….” or, “imagine if…”. Despite the team’s excitement, you decide the client will think it’s too offbeat, so you pitch your safer — a.k.a., less creative — plan B.

When you focus on what seems like the safer path and make decisions purely based on risk-avoidance, you lose sight of supporting your actual objective. That’s common in group dynamics, and even has a name: Groupthink, which occurs “when a group values harmony and coherence over accurate analysis and critical evaluation,” according to Psychology Today. It’s often masked as rational thinking, but playing it safe is actually the enemy of good creative work — the more you stay in the same place, the less effective your work becomes. Conversely, doing good creative work requires comfort with risk.

Letting Fear Dictate Your Creativity

Scenario

Your competitor releases a new product or service, or updates its branding/website, thereby staking its claim as the industry leader. Your fear of being outshined prompts a response focused solely on beating your competition, instead of doing what’s going to benefit your customers — and therefore, your business — the most.

While most people are aware that their respective brands must constantly innovate and evolve, letting fear control your efforts is also dangerous. When fear fuels your motivation and objectives, your work can become less meaningful due to a lack of passion or enthusiasm behind it. Plus, spending an unbalanced amount of time trying to keep up on every trend saps your resources and focus. When you succumb to fear, you often end up paying the price in the long run, with results like a bad user experience or looking like a copycat. As Karen Martin wrote in her book The Outstanding Organization, “When everything is a priority, nothing is a priority.”

Why You Need Failure

Yes, there is a right way to fail. When you creatively experiment — just as Mozart and Darwin did — there are times that you will fail. But when you fail in this manner, you learn from it. For this reason, it is important to accept and even honor your creative failures. View them not as a hindrance to creative success, but as a powerful conduit that gets you closer to your goal next time around. Accept that failure is an option, and one that you are quite capable of recovering from, with the right perspective.

In my experience, the only way to overcome your fear — or at least prevent it from sabotaging your day-to-day — is to reframe it. When you think of the framework for failure, replace the word “failure” with “learn.” That approach encourages confidence and a willingness to learn, which are vital for high-quality creative work.

At my company, C5, our vision is to help build a world where everyone can have a healthy and fulfilled life. We take this mission seriously in the work we create, the clients we work with, and the way we interact with each other. But “healthy” and “fulfilled” don’t have to translate to “rainbows and sunshine.” Fulfillment really comes from the fruit of your labor, which only grows through hard work and, sometimes, results that you weren’t hoping for. Knowing that, we believe that sometimes rising to the challenge is its own reward.

In our organization, we are pursuing an effort to remove unnecessary sources of fear and anxiety from how we approach our work. Letting our creativity come to front doesn’t mean we do things flippantly, take uncalculated risks, or play roulette. But we do cultivate environments in which we can take intentional risks.

We’ve outlined some of the pieces that, to us, comprise a calculated risk.

Determining Objectives of the Situation at Hand

Naturally, your actions are influenced by your goals. But creativity can always be cultivated within confines. In fact, structure is often beneficial. Just because you have always done something one way, doesn’t mean it’s the only way to do it. When strategizing how best to achieve a goal, consider alternate solutions, try new methods, and conducts A/B tests. For example, when Microsoft Internet Explorer requested an infographic from our agency, we ended up pitching a video concept, instead, because we felt it would deliver the message more effectively. The client agreed, and the “Child of the ‘90s” spot we created for them garnered over 49 million views.

Learning to Operate From a Place of Conviction and Commitment

If you have a unique or unusual creative idea, lead with confidence. Whether you’re pitching it to a client or trying to secure budget from management, if you drown in self-doubt at every stage, it’s likely to show. You should certainly listen to valid objections, but remember that passion and enthusiasm are contagious. Again — Microsoft would have surely rejected our pitch had we not made a well-supported, confident case for it.

Allowing the Freedom to Fail, Learn, and Grow

Nurturing an environment that not only encourages but demands experimentation is vital to push your creative boundaries. You can help cultivate this at every touch point in your organization, whether it means building out longer timelines, schedule regular out-of-the-box brainstorms, or encourage employees to work on their own passion projects. Pushing your team to experiment will only benefit you. Our agency has even closed up shop for a “hack day,” during which everyone — from accountants to designers — collaborated on creative solutions in a consequence-free environment.

Be Brave

As you face creative challenges, I encourage you not to give into fear — in fact, give it a chance. Without fear, there is no bravery. And without bravery, no risks are taken. And you can’t improve if you aren’t taking risks. Learn from what doesn’t work, and use it to build something even better.

Source: Visual News

June 4, 2017

How ‘Wonder Woman’ Shattered Box Office Records

Patty Jenkins’ “Wonder Woman” (Warner Bros.) starring Gal Gadot dominated the weekend box office with a $100-million record performance that drew media hoopla as the best-ever female-directed wide release. But that achievement is not the only news out of the weekend Top Ten box office. D.C Comics’ newest entry soared on multiple levels — see below — but DreamWorks Animation’s “Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie” (20th Century Fox) also exceeded expectations.

But one week alone won’t set the summer box office to rights. Neither of last week’s weak openers, “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales” (Disney) and “Baywatch” (Paramount), will have box-office legs. And the five holdovers in the bottom half of the Top Ten took in a miserable $11 million altogether.

The Top Ten

1. Wonder Woman (Warner Bros.) NEW – Cinemascore: A; Metacritic: 76; Est. budget: $249 million

$100,505,000 in 4,165 theaters; PTA (per theater average): $24,131; Cumulative: $100,505,000

2. Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie (20th Century Fox) NEW – Cinemascore: B+; Metacritic: 70; Est. budget: $38 million

$23,500,000 in 3,434 theaters; PTA: $6,843; Cumulative: $23,500,000

3. Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales  (Disney) Week; Last weekend #1

$21,613,000 (-66%) in 4,276 theaters (no change); PTA: $5,054; Cumulative: $114,622,000

4. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (Disney)  Week 5; Last weekend #2

$9,733,000 (-54%) in 3,507 theaters (-364); PTA: $2,775; Cumulative: $355,474,000

5. Baywatch (Paramount) Week 2; Last weekend #3

$8,500,000 (-54%) in 3,647 theaters (no change); PTA: $2,331; Cumulative: $41,724,000

6. Alien: Covenant (20th Century Fox) Week 3; Last weekend #4

$4,000,000 (-62%) in 2,660 theaters (-1,112); PTA: $1,504; Cumulative: $67,219,000

7. Everything, Everything (Warner Bros.) Week 3; Last weekend #5

$3,320,000 (-45%) in 2,375 theaters (-476); PTA: $1,398; Cumulative: $28,302,000

8. Snatched (20th Century Fox) Week 4; Last weekend #7

$1,340,000 (-66%) in 1,625 theaters (-1,023); PTA: $825; Cumulative: $43,868,000

9. Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul (20th Century Fox) Week 3; Last weekend #6

$1,220,000 (-73%) in 2,088 theaters (-1,086); PTA: $584; Cumulative: $17,825,000

10. King Arthur: Legend of the Sword (Warner Bros.) Week 4; Last weekend #8

$1,170,000 (-65%) in 1,222 theaters (-1,281); PTA: $957; Cumulative: $37,173,000

Wonder Woman

“Wonder Woman”

The Takeaways

“Wonder Woman” Sets Records 

Jenkins’ “Wonder Woman” opened to just over $100 million, a first for a woman director even with adjusted grosses. While 40 films in adjusted numbers have taken in over $100 million, this weekend opening figure is higher than any Kathryn Bigelow title in her long career.

Here’s what “Wonder Woman” achieved:

“Wonder Woman” outperformed several DC/Marvel superhero origin myths.

They include Tim Burton’s 1989 “Batman” reboot ($90 million), “X-Men” ($89 million), “Doctor Strange” ($85 million), and “Captain America: The First Avenger” and “Thor,” both of which opened to $72 million. “Wonder Woman” came in only a few million behind “Guardians of the Galaxy” ($103 million).

Looking at the adjusted numbers puts “Wonder Woman” at $20 million below “Iron Man” rather than ahead when it is unadjusted. But “Iron Man” along with “The Avengers” is the gold standard of comic book franchises. Doing more than 80 per cent as good as the first “Iron Man” is a huge achievement for any initial sub-franchise entry.

This shows that the male-dominated superhero universe could use a lift from a witty woman director and her global movie star.

Only a few live-action franchises with female leads opened better.

Franchises “Twilight” and “Hunger Games,” Disney’s “Beauty and the Beast” and “Alice in Wonderland” opened to higher numbers. That’s heady territory. The first “Twilight” directed by Catherine Hardwicke, if you adjust the opening, launched the series with an $86 million weekend. “Wonder Woman” also beats Sam Taylor-Johnson’s pre-sold bestseller adaptation “Fifty Shades of Grey” by about the same margin.

Patty Jenkins on the set of “Wonder Woman”

Warner Bros.

Strong word of mouth pushed “Wonder Woman” at the weekend box office. 

“Wonder Woman”‘s eight per cent Saturday drop is at the low end of second full-day decreases among similar initial entries in recent years (since the advent of Thursday night shows added on to Friday numbers). D.C. Comics’ “Suicide Squad” last August went down 40 per cent on day two. “Deadpool,” a major word-of-mouth success, fell ten per cent. “Wonder Woman”‘s Saturday is only $2.5 million below the first Saturday for “Suicide,” which opened $25-million bigger on its initial Thursday night and Friday.

That can be attributed to strong word of mouth, early overcoming of some male fanboy resistance and a higher adult turnout. Warners reports that 47 per cent of the audience was 35 and older. That’s terrific for the genre. But they also give the gender breakdown as 52-48 female. That’s higher for women. But unlike most female-character driven films, it’s close to equal. That’s another breakthrough.

The international box office was strong.

Foreign, considered to be a question mark, came through fine. So far, with several notable countries yet to open, “Wonder Woman” has passed $122 million overseas. That’s at the same level or ahead of most superhero entries. And this is an even more important development than its domestic result.

This means that the film has a much greater potential — including substantial repeat viewings — which could propel it to an unusual three times multiple for a film that opens this high. That would get it to around $300 million domestic total and more than double that worldwide.

That’s the number to watch. Jenkins will easily score the biggest unadjusted gross for a female-directed film. But if this reaches $303 million, it will match the (adjusted) record for a live-action movie directed by a woman currently held by Amy Heckerling’s “Look Who’s Talking” back in 1989. Worldwide, the adjusted figure to top is Phyllida Lloyd’s “Mamma Mia!” which took in around $700 million.

Captain Underpants

A Strong Rebound Led By Two New Films

The weekend’s $175 million Top Ten total marks a 42 per cent increase from last year’s post-Memorial Day weekend. That’s the best for the date since at least 2009. It does come in part from distributors taking advantage of a play date that usually is squeezed between the holiday and the slightly more desirable following week (as school vacations take hold in earnest).

The spark comes from both of the openers hitting their target audiences with results strong enough to make them look, unlike most other openers since “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2.” The weakness in box office of late has come not only from some disappointing initial results but also lack of sustained interest.

Both “Wonder Woman” and “Captain Underpants” gained from pre-set content brand awareness but also strong reviews (at a time when studios are trying to blame critic aggregate sites for damage to their releases) and most importantly some freshness amid the tired formula familiarity.

“Captain Underpants” Scores Before “Cars 3”

While its $24-million first weekend is just a fraction of what many animated features from top producers like Disney, Pixar, Universal, Fox and Dreamworks usually see, it’s a credible total.

That’s because its $38 million budget is far below the cost of most animated studio titles. Indeed, “Captain Underpants” marks the least expensive DreamWorks computer-animated movie ever. Based on a popular kids book series (its heroes are fourth graders), it doesn’t have the presell or broader appeal of bigger entries.

On the other hand, after a strong Friday the next day’s gross only climbed 11 per cent, quite low for a family release. Perhaps contributing to that was a 54 to 46 per cent boy-girl ratio.

“Underpants” can stick around for a while — summer vacation will support more than one animated film. But Disney/Pixar’s “Cars 3” in two weeks will quickly dominate this audience.

"Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales"

“Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales”

Holdovers

The fifth “Pirates of the Caribbean” installment plummeted 66 per cent, way below franchise standards. It could end up 40 per cent lower than the weakest (2011’s fourth) entry in domestic returns. Foreign is another story, where its $386 million so far is the lion’s share of a half billion return to date. So Disney might be inclined to try again, even though next time domestic returns could struggle to meet this dismal figure.

“Baywatch” fell less — 54 per cent — but now will stretch to reach even $60 million domestic. Just another in a string of disappointments for Paramount.

Only “Everything, Everything” managed to keep its drop under 50 per cent (last weekend did include an elevated holiday weekend Sunday) with a 44 per cent fall that should give it a chance to stick around a little longer.

Adding insult to injury on two studio tentpole bellyflops are “Alien: Covenant” with a 62 per cent third week drop and a 65 per cent drop for “King Arthur.”

Source: IndieWire film