Common Craft Blog
CBS's "Fast Draw" Whiteboard Explanations
By leelefever on February 18, 2008 - 3:25pm
CBS is starting to integrate whiteboard-based explantions into the news. We first heard about it being used on the show Sunday Morning, where I imagine the lighter content seemed more appropriate. Thanks to Ron for the pointer to this video.
Just recently, the same team of Josh Landis and Mitch Butler were paired with Katie Couric on the Evening News to explain the superdelegates. You can see the video on this post.
It will be interesting to watch how the mainstream media reacts to these presentations. The New York Times published an article today called "Dumb or Just Fun?" and started the article with this paragraph:
Critics who regularly bemoan the dumbing down of television news would most likely have been enraged by the sight, on a recent weekday, of animated characters on an evening newscast explaining the political power wielded by superdelegates.
Dumb or Just Fun? Those are the only two choices? What about effective? What about innovative?
Personally I'm happy to see CBS experimenting with the whiteboard-based style. Of course we wonder if Common Craft was an inspiration, but we're not going to assume anything. If anything we're excited to see the format take shape.
We're believers that we all (including the evening news) need better explanations and more levity. Josh Landis and Mitch Butler, whose speaking style reminds me a bit of "Troy McClure" from the Simpsons, are raising the visibility of simple-yet-powerful explanations.
What do you think?
dry erase markers/erasers
I love the addition to the show!!! I am the inventor of the eraser caps for the dry erase markers and notice Josh Landis and Mitch Butler were using markers with out erasers!!! I would like to donate erasers for their dry erase markers for the cause. I Just need to know where to send them. Can I send them to CBS attn: Josh Landis and Mitch Butler?
Julia
KleenSlate Concepts
209-588-0375
CBS Fast Draw: a good start, but....
Hi Lee,
Like you, I'm happy that CBS had the guts to go with Josh and Mitch. Without a doubt, the whiteboard approach to explaining complexity is the right way to go. (Just ask UPS.)
That said, I had a sinking feeling watching the superdelegates clip: too cute, too over-produced, too smiley. All the reasons why businesspeople frown on "cartoons" as a decision-making tool.
"Something that entertaining can't possibly be getting to the real issue," is the common refrain from the Wall Street crowd. Or "if you dumb it down so much that they can understand it in Peoria, it must be superficial to the point of being dangerously misleading." Maybe.
But those aren't the problems I have with Fast Draw as we see it in these early days. The real problem is this: hand-drawn explanations are extraordinarily powerful but only when THEY ARE DRAWN LIVE.
Seeing smiling Josh and Mitch on stage explaining a drawing they created and overproduced in advance undermines the whole point. (Not to mention the gratuitous smoke and bouncy music -- come on, guys, if this is serious, at least don't actively make it look like a joke.)
For the magic to work -- and for we the audience to really *believe* that we're understanding it, we need to see the picture created live. So CBS, if you're going to go for it, just put the whiteboard right on the stage and let Mitch draw on it right *now*.
Yes, that will mean a less detailed picture (good!); yes, that will mean no smoke and music (better!); yes, it will be risky (best!), but that's how the magic will happen.
If you're going to go for the human-drawn touch, let it feel human.
CBS
The first week I saw it I said to my wife, "Oh, they must have hired the guys from Common Craft to do these."
CBS Common Craft
I agree with both Dan and Ken. The growing use of simple visuals to explain complex stuff really works. The CBS case seems inspired by the common craft format. I second Dans point - it is too polished. When made live, more or less "unplugged" there is an authentic feel to it. This is lost in the CBS.