Celebrating a World Premiere at Hot Docs 2017!
Advertising as we knew it is dead. The new age of big data advertising is rooted in hard science, complicated math, and high technology. What was once best guesses and creative leaps, is now precise, targeted surveillance. With no regulations on the books, companies are free to compile reams of personal data on anyone who accesses the internet. Industry insiders are calling this new world of advertising “the wild west.”
You’re Soaking In It reveals the behind—the—scenes process of collecting personal information to design ads that are tailored to influence us at the precise moment we are most ready to spend. Is this the height of invasive efficiency…or simply the price we pay for free internet? (cbc.ca)
Electric Square was tapped early on in the production to lend our expertise in designing a visual language for the film. Working closely with director Scott Harper and editor Roland Schlimme, we devised clever solutions for conveying the concepts of algorithmic learning, and the mechanics of how online advertising works to target individual users. We created animated characters, built digital worlds, added visual effects to live footage, and helped tie everything together with an ominous aesthetic.