All systems go!

Things in the roll7 office have been very busy, with our exciting new project Focus Pocus kicking off in fine style.

John Ribbins has been compiling huge lists of spells, rewards and magic, as well as planning the whole thing in (wonderful new software) MS Project. Also, we think John may have a problem. He has been playing Super Meat Boy far too much, and can barely differentiate between the real world and the 'meat' one.

John Parsons and Ollie have been working closely together, developing server applications. They work in a darkened room like squirrels burying nuts, and only come out for lunch time zombie annihilation. Lots of games coming up soon! Sometimes we briefly chat to them over a cup of tea, but they pretty much only converse in PHP and machine code these days.

Danny has sourced all the sound effects for Focus Pocus, with an ostrich noise being particularly troublesome (anyone else having issues getting ostrich noises should try pitching a squirrel noise down by 50% - apparently very accurate). Danny has also designed the demo level and started to program the Bertrum Fiddle game for inky fingered animation duo Seb and Joe. You can watch the genius animation of Bertrum here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H3k_UWoAH50

I have been working on a pitch all week, and also helping John R with some wizard upgragdes. 'Jimothy's wand of utter negativity', anyone? Didn't think so....but then, neither did Jimothy.

Musical fun

Feeling musical? Check out these very cool sites to sate your appetite:

Make your own musical creation in this brilliant and hypnotic site. There are 20 Youtube videos of people playing various instruments in the key of B flat. You can start as many or as few of the clips as you like at any time and you end up with a beautiful ensemble piece.

http://www.inbflat.net/

Contribute art to a living, moving and ever evolving video of Johnny Cash. You will be provided with one frame from the video, onto which you overlay your art using their custom built drawing tool. Each frame is integrated into the video to form a truly stunning collective whole.

http://www.thejohnnycashproject.com/#

This is fun. Simple soundboard from Daft Punk's Harder Better Faster Stronger.

http://www.dothedaft.com/idaft/

We're back!

Hey, it has been a long, long time coming - but we have finally sorted our online presence...

New Website - www.roll7.co.uk - New Twitter @roll_7 - New FacebookPage http://www.facebook.com/pages/Roll7/166512376711596

We have been busy in the lab here, working on various digital delights, our agency has taken on a number of exciting digital projects - some out and about, others in the pipeline...
Our Software and Research side has grown substantially too, with new partnerships with Goldsmith's University and UCL. We are working on a number of projects using NeuroSky (see the showreel on our website for more info).


The team has grown too, from the stable 3 to a more sturdy 9. We welcome Zoe, Danny, Charlie, Jon, Seb and Tom to the fray...
Looking forward to using this page to update you with the odd tid-bit about our work and the 'digital third sector' - but mainly fun news from the world of Digital Innovation and Geekery...
Hope all is well with you and yours,

Roll7 Team - Nov 2010

Guerrilla Marketing

This week I 'ave been mostly looking at some cool examples of Guerrilla Marketing and clever advertising campaigns. I may be slightly behind the times, but these are worth checking out if you missed them first time around.

The best campaigns are often the most thought provoking. This example about feeding the hungry of South Africa is such a simple and cheap idea, but the message really gets through.

This next one demonstrates how a simple yet funny idea can really draw attention. You would definitely be telling your mates about this if you walked past it.

Another example of injecting a fun element into an advertising campaign is this clever one by Volkswagen, who installed a slide down the stairs of a train station to encourage people to try the 'fast lane'. This would really add a bit of fun to your daily commute!

http://bit.ly/aB6N5T

Inventiveness is firmly stamped on this record player made out of cardboard which fits into an envelope. It was sent in the post to creative directors all across America.

Massively creative, quirky and an effective technical demonstration, this is genius.

http://bit.ly/94dWSN

The guys in this next video thought they were going to get more than they bargained for from a girl on Chatroullette. They did, but not in the way they expected at all. The results are hilarious, and a great example of inventive marketing.

http://bit.ly/cCCfDn

Welcome new Roll7ers!

This week we say hello to Charlie and John!

Charlie will be working on research and development for both the agency and software side of the business. Coming from a Web Consultancy background, Charlie will be delivering strategy both for roll7 and for our client's projects. Watch out web!

John, a most splendid programmer, will be working on our Neurocog project 'Focus Pocus'. He will be working alongside Senior Programmer Ollie Edgington to develop the application's infrastructure.

Looks like we are going to need a bigger boat!