Each 30-second spot features an interview with an authentic iCast member who represents a segment of the target audience. "Cauleen" is a filmmaker, "Mick" a music fanatic, and "DJ Qbert" one of the world's best known turntablists.

These are just three of the individuals comprising the iCast community which is encouraged to post, view, and comment on art, music and film at www.icast.com.

"iCast.com is a virtual loft space where artists and fans can express themselves and bask in the work of fellow site members," says DiNoto Lee creative/art director Chris Van Oosterhout. "It's a community that celebrates 'the culture of me' and our advertising campaign grew naturally out of that notion."

During the bidding process, director/designer Stefan Smith of Miss Jones, Santa Monica, shot a spec spot on video with colleague and independent filmmaker Nage Canchola as the subject. Anxious to demonstrate his understanding of the project, Smith then forwarded a collage to the agency illustrating the subject's directorial vision using stream-of-consciousness soundbites, layered with images of videostreaming and emblems of the digital world.

Miss Jones was awarded the campaign which Smith executed from the storyboarding of its principal characters through to shooting the live-action and finally to Flame.

At the center of each spot is the notion that the artist creates his or her own universe. The subjects provide their own testimonials as if speaking to an interviewer off-camera. The non-confrontational approach is designed to celebrate individualism.

"They wanted to push the individual," explains Smith. "The idea was more to entice people to go to the site rather than try to encapsulate all of the features and benefits of being at the site."

Recognizing the technological savvy of the target audience, the director/designer was intent on portraying the medium according to its current functionality rather than accentuate future capabilities often employed to mystify the Web experience.

"[The agency] wanted it to be real," says Smith. "They were aware that people see right through false statements, especially when you're doing something in this format. A lot of things in the windows are done imperfectly to reflect that the medium is still being developed. It's not all shiny and new; it's real in its representation."

"The people we're talking to are used to a fast pace of absorbing information," continues Smith. "I think a lot of the people who are interested in this type of Web site already understand a lot of it."

Together with DP Aaron Bowen, Smith opted for a natural approach recreating as much in-camera as possible. "DJ Qbert" shows the scratcher in his element transmitting his music through cyberspace with CG turntables and 3D speakers amid images of graffiti and Japanese animation.

"I shot little musical notes on transparency in a water tank so they float around like a snow globe," beams Smith. "There's no rhyme or reason. In the final spot it looks like they're digitizing and streaming in and out of his hands."

The fan "Mick" was digitized in Flame to create an electronic ghosting effect. Designer Mark Wurtz further enhanced the spot, creating graphics with After Effects and animating elements to coincide with the testimonial. "Normally animation is very methodical," says Wurtz. "This was straight off the cuff. I do a lot of cartooning, and one of the creatives had an idea to use a character similar to Rat Fink. Next thing I know I'm sketching these crazy little characters and animating them for the Mick spot. It pops over his shoulder."

"I was trying to illustrate the Internet in an original way," says Smith while referencing "Cauleen." "To me this is what the Internet is: a mish-mash of news, [a chance to view] someone's movie, read an email and a banner ad all at the same time."

"It was really meant to be an authentic campaign," concludes the designer/director, "and that's why the people are featured up front rather than the product. The product is really who's there."

>WEB.FILES

icast> www.icast.com

Miss Jones> www.missjones.com

DiNoto Lee> www.dinotolee.com