Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02611702 2014-01-22
SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR SEMANTIC EDITORIAL CONTROL
AND VIDEO/AUDIO EDITING
Field of the Invention
[0002] The present invention relates to the field of media creation and
editing, and more
particularly towards systems and methods for the generation, customization,
and distribution of
media content using semantic criteria.
Background of the Invention
[0003] Media content is created with the goal of having the content viewed,
listened to, or
otherwise received by a target audience. The target audience could be, for
example, the entire
world, a single nation, a region, a city, a neighborhood, or even a specific
individual. However,
distributing the desired content and targeting it to the desired audience is a
difficult process. It is
often difficult to control which consumers receive a specific piece of media
content. As a result,
a distributor or creator of content might have to provide that content to a
larger or smaller area
than desired.
[0004] For example, marketers and advertisers have come to rely on
demographic solutions
to establish patterns and trends about the purchasing habits of their target
audience. Marketers
and advertisers use the derived information to generate observations relating
to their markets,
target individuals to different types of offerings, and select appropriate
media purchases for
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advertising. In the case of video advertising media ¨ e.g., video tapes that
are mailed, Internet
video streams, or broadcast or cable advertising, there are only limited means
to produce
personalized versions of the advertisements or direct marketing information
that directly takes
advantage of information available about the target audience. As such, even
though companies
know a tremendous amount of information about their target audience, the
ability to leverage this
information has been limited by the fundamentals of the broadcast medium, thus
requiring that a
like message be sent to all customers.
[0005] In another example, a marketer and/or advertiser may create a
general advertising
campaign. When a parent company purchases the general campaign from the
marketer and/or
advertiser, the company generally provides the campaign to their field offices
(e.g., a subsidiary
organization) for distribution. Each field office typically hires another
advertising agency to
modify the advertisement based on, for example, the respective market. This
process of
modifying the advertisement is not only expensive, but the message that the
modified
advertisement contains may veer from the general campaign that the parent
organization desired.
In addition, the changes that are made might be made separately, and thus
redundantly by the
different field offices. This is an expensive and ineffective method of
creating and distributing
content.
[0006] Accordingly, there exists a need for systems and methods for content
management
that overcome these and other deficiencies in prior art systems.
Summary of the Invention
[0007] In accordance with the present invention, systems and methods for
generating,
customizing, and/or distributing media content are provided. In particular,
systems and methods
that allow users to manage the editing of media content and make decisions
relating to the media
content based on semantic criteria and other considerations are provided.
[0008] Generally speaking, the present invention allows a user (e.g., an
advertiser, a
marketer, a field office, a subsidiary of a parent company, a cable operator,
etc.) to provide
semantic criteria that may have associated with it particular metadata
characteristics (e.g., male,
female, unknown gender, zip code, type of vehicle, age, race, etc.) to the
media content
management application. For example, the semantic criteria and/or metadata
characteristics may
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relate to an intended audience for the media content. In response, the
application extracts the
metadata characteristics and performs the necessary functions to generate one
or more versions
of media content (e.g., an advertisement). These one or more versions of media
content are
provided to the user. This may be performed by a user that does not have
knowledge of
professional editing/assembly software, such as editing software developed by
Avid Technology,
Inc., Final Cut Pro developed by Apple Computer Inc., intelliSpot or other
assembly software
developed by Visible World, etc. That is, in response to providing semantic
criteria and/or
metadata characteristics, the media content management application may use one
or more of
these professional editing/assembly software or software packages or transmit
the information to
another user (e.g., a Visible World employee) that has knowledge of these
professional
editing/assembly software or software packages or other software to create one
or more versions
of the media content that correspond to the metadata characteristics.
[0009] Professional editing/assembly software requires that users be
familiar with the editing
toolsets of the software as well as the details of the media content, such as
the editing points, the
sequence of the media segments, how audio segments are married to video
segments, how a
background audio track is married to video segments, which media segments may
be customized
and/or replaced, and any other suitable detail relating to the media content.
In addition, the
professional editing/assembly software requires that the user know the
database structure called
by the editing/assembly software or how and which metadata has been married to
the audio
segments, video segments, or any other suitable media segments. The media
content
management application avoids these difficulties of these professional
editing/assembly software
packages because the user is provided with an abstraction in the form of
semantic controls or
semantic criteria. In response to the semantic controls, the semantic controls
are translated into
functions that may be performed by one of these professional editing/assembly
software
packages. Thus, the users of the media content management application is not
required to have
knowledge of the professional editing/assembly software packages or have
knowledge of how
the media content (e.g., an advertisement) is put together. In addition, the
user of the media
content management application is not required to have knowledge of the
structure of the
database accessed by the professional editing/assembly software packages or
how and which
metadata is associated with media segments stored in the database.
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[0010] In addition, the media content management application allows the
user (e.g., an
advertiser) to create a version of media content without having knowledge of
media planning and
placement, dynamic processing, production, and post-production.
[0011] It should be noted that the user and/or the media content management
application are
not required to have a database or a special purpose database that assembles
the versions of
media content. The media content management application avoids this difficulty
by using the
editing/assembly software to generate the versions of media content with the
appropriate media
segments (e.g., portions of audio, portions of video, background audio,
voiceovers, images,
animations, graphics, etc.) and providing the versions of media content to the
user without the
need for having and/or maintaining a special purpose database (e.g., an object
oriented database
with a plurality of media segments, including those media segments not desired
by the user).
The media segments that relate to the semantic criteria and/or metadata
characteristics are used
to generate the versions of media content.
[0012] Using this application, the user may order and receive a finished
version of the media
content. The finished version may be transmitted to a delivery point in any
suitable medium
(e.g., a videotape, a DVD, a CD, an MPEG-2 format, an MPEG-4 format, a
standard definition
format, a high definition format, a media format, a media resolution,
downloaded, etc.).
[0013] In some embodiments, the media content management application may
provide the
user with additional semantic criteria for tailoring the version of the media
content.
[0014] In some embodiments, the media content management application may
transmit the
version of the media content to a delivery point.
[0015] In some embodiments, the media content management application may
transmit the
version of the media content in a particular delivery format.
[0016] In some embodiments, the media content management application may
optimize the
cost of the version of the media content. In some embodiments, the media
content management
application may attach semantic criteria to each version of the media content
to allow the user to
manage the cost of the versions of the media content. The costs associated
with each version of
the media content based on the attached semantic criteria may be provided to
the user. The user
may then select one of the plurality of versions of the media content based at
least in part on the
cost associated with each version of the media content.
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[0017] In some embodiments, the attached semantic criteria are one or more
of Screen
Actors Guild agreement parameters, compensation agreements with talent
personnel, cost of
media for the media content, cost of actors, number of weeks required to
assemble the versions
of the media content, cost of on-camera performers, cost of off-camera
performers, cost of
extras, cost of voiceovers, cost of musicians, cost of music, cost of
delivery, production
implications, talent implications, and delivery implications.
[0018] In some embodiments, the attached semantic criteria may be used to
recommend one
of the plurality of versions of the media content to the user (e.g., based on
cost).
[0019] In some embodiments, the media content management application may
provide the
user with a plurality of delivery options, where the delivery options include
a delivery format
that is determined using the selected semantic criteria.
[0020] In some embodiments, the delivery format is one of a videotape, a
DVD, a CD, a high
definition format, a standard definition format, an MPEG-2 format, an MPEG-4
format, a media
format, and a media resolution.
[0021] In some embodiments, the media content management application uses
the semantic
criteria to recommend the delivery format to the user.
[0022] In some embodiments, the media content management application uses
the semantic
criteria to filter out at least one delivery format to the user from a
plurality of delivery formats.
[0023] In some embodiments, the media content management application may
allow the user
to select at least one delivery format from a plurality of delivery formats
for the at least one
version of the media content.
[0024] In some embodiments, the media content management application allows
the user to
select at least one delivery point from a plurality of delivery points for the
version of the media
content.
[0025] In some embodiments, the at least one delivery point is one of a
specific market, a
station, an affiliate, a company, a cable interconnect, a headend, a cable
operator, and an
individual.
[0026] In some embodiments, the media content management application uses
the semantic
criteria to recommend the at least one delivery point to the user.
[0027] In some embodiments, the media content management application uses
the semantic
criteria to filter out the at least one delivery point from the plurality of
delivery points.
CA 02611702 2015-12-10
In some embodiments, the invention provides a computer-implemented method of
providing media
content for an intended audience, the method comprising, by a processor:
providing a user with semantic criteria relating to the media content via a
graphical user interface
presented at a user computing device;
receiving an indication from the user of selected semantic criteria via the
user computing device;
selecting a plurality of media segments based on the selected semantic
criteria, each of the plurality
of media segments being an incomplete part of the media content;
assembling at least one version of the media content from the plurality of
media segments in
accordance with the selected semantic criteria;
transmitting a preview of the at least one version of the media content, the
preview being configured
to be presented through the graphical user interface;
receiving, from the user computing device, an approval for the preview; and
distributing the at least one version of the media content responsive to
receiving the approval.
In another embodiment, the invention provides a computer-implemented method of
providing media
content for an intended audience, the method comprising, by a processor:
providing a user with semantic criteria relating to the media content via a
graphical user interface
presented at a user computing device;
receiving an indication from the user of selected semantic criteria via the
user computing device;
selecting a plurality of media segments based on the selected semantic
criteria, each of the plurality
of media segments being an incomplete part of the media content;
assembling at least one version of the media content from the plurality of
media segments in
accordance with the selected semantic criteria;
providing the user with a plurality of delivery options, wherein the delivery
options comprise a
delivery format determined using the selected semantic criteria and media
preferences of at least one
delivery point, wherein the delivery options include at least two of a high
definition format, a
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standard definition format, an MPEG-2 format, and an MPEG-4 format; and
transmit the at least one version of the media content to the at least one
delivery point.
In another embodiment, the invention provides a system of providing media
content for an intended
audience, the system comprising:
a processor configured to execute a media content management application that
is configured to:
provide a user with semantic criteria relating to the media content via a
graphical user interface
presented at a user computing device;
receive an indication from the user of selected semantic criteria via the user
computing device;
selecting a plurality of media segments based on the selected semantic
criteria, each of the plurality
of media segments being an incomplete part of the media content;
assembling at least one version of the media content from the plurality of
media segments in
accordance with the selected semantic criteria;
transmit a preview of the at least one version of the media content, the
preview being configured to
be presented through the graphical user interface;
receive, from the user computing device, an approval for the preview; and
distribute the at least one version of the media content responsive to
receiving the approval.
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[0028] Thus, there has been outlined, rather broadly, the more important
features of the
invention in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be
better understood, and
in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated.
There are, of course,
additional features of the invention that will be described hereinafter and
which will form the
subject matter of the claims appended hereto.
[0029] In this respect, before explaining at least one embodiment of the
invention in detail, it
is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to
the details of construction
and to the arrangements of the components set forth in the following
description or illustrated in
the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being
practiced and carried
out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and
terminology employed
herein are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as
limiting.
[0030] The scope of the claims should not be limited by the preferred
embodiments set forth in
the examples, but should be given the broadest interpretation consistent with
the description as a
whole.
[0031] These together with other objects of the invention, along with the
various features of
novelty which characterize the invention, are pointed out with particularity
in the claims annexed
to and forming a part of this disclosure. For a better understanding of the
invention, its operating
advantages and the specific objects attained by its uses, reference should be
had to the
accompanying drawings and description matter in which there is illustrated
preferred
embodiments of the invention.
Brief Description of the Drawings
[0032] Various objects, features, and advantages of the present invention
can be more fully
appreciated with reference to the following detailed description of the
invention when considered
in connection with the following drawing, in which like reference numerals
identify like
elements.
[0033] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an illustrative media content
management system on
which a media content management application may be implemented in accordance
with some
embodiments of the present invention.
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LOU34} FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of an illustrative workstation and
server as provided,
for example, in FIG. 1 in accordance with some embodiments of the present
invention.
[0035] FIG. 3 is an illustrative home screen that may be provided in
accordance with some
embodiments of the present invention.
[0036] FIG. 4 is an illustrative customization screen having options for
customizing and
editing media content that may be provided in accordance with some embodiments
of the present
invention.
[0037] FIG. 5 is an illustrative message template that may be provided in
accordance with
some embodiments of the present invention.
[0038] FIG. 6 is an illustrative schematic of the contents of a media
database that may be
provided in accordance with some embodiments of the present invention.
[0039] FIG. 7 is an illustrative planning screen that may be provided in
accordance with
some embodiments of the present invention.
[0040] FIGS. 8-10 are illustrative approval screens having options for
further customizing
one or more versions of media content that may be provided in accordance with
some
embodiments of the present invention.
[0041] FIGS. 11-14 are illustrative screens for ordering the assembly,
production, and
delivery of media content that may be provided in accordance with some
embodiments of the
present invention.
Detailed Description of the Invention
[0042] The following description includes many specific details. The
inclusion of such
details is for the purpose of illustration only and should not be understood
to limit the invention.
Moreover, certain features which are well known in the art are not described
in detail in order to
avoid complication of the subject matter of the present invention. In
addition, it will be
understood that features in one embodiment may be combined with features in
other
Dmbodiments of the invention.
:0043] In accordance with the present invention, systems and methods for
generating,
;ustomizing, and/or distributing media content are provided (hereinafter "the
media content
nanagement application" or "the application"). In particular, systems and
methods that allow
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users to manage the editing of media content and make decisions relating to
the media content
based on semantic criteria and other considerations are provided.
[0044] Generally speaking, the present invention allows a user (e.g., an
advertiser, a
marketer, a field office, a subsidiary of a parent company, a cable operator,
etc.) to provide
semantic criteria that may have associated with it particular metadata
characteristics (e.g., male,
female, unknown gender, zip code, type of vehicle, age, race, etc.) to the
application. For
example, the semantic criteria and/or metadata characteristics may relate to
an intended audience
for the media content. In response, the application extracts the metadata
characteristics and
performs the necessary functions to generate one or more versions of media
content (e.g., an
advertisement). These one or more versions of media content are provided to
the user. This may
be performed by a user that does not have knowledge of professional
editing/assembly software,
such as editing software developed by Avid Technology, Inc., Final Cut Pro
developed by Apple
Computer Inc., intelliSpot or other assembly software developed by Visible
World, etc. That is,
in response to providing semantic criteria and/or metadata characteristics,
the media content
management application may use one or more of these professional
editing/assembly software or
software packages or transmit the information to another user that has
knowledge of these
professional editing/assembly software or software packages to create one or
more versions of
the media content that correspond to the metadata characteristics.
[0045] Professional editing/assembly software requires that users be
familiar with the editing
toolsets of the software as well as the details of the media content, such as
the editing points, the
sequence of the media segments, how audio segments are married to video
segments, how a
background audio track is married to video segments, which media segments may
be customized
and/or replaced, and any other suitable detail relating to the media content.
In addition, the
professional editing/assembly software requires that the user know the
database structure called
3y the editing/assembly software or how and which metadata has been married to
the audio
;egments, video segments, or any other suitable media segments. The media
content
nanagement application avoids these difficulties of these professional
editing/assembly software
)ackages because the user is provided with an abstraction in the form of
semantic controls or
emantic criteria. In response to the semantic controls, the semantic controls
are translated into
unctions that may be performed by one of these professional editing/assembly
software
Packages. Thus, the users of the media content management application is not
required to have
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knowledge of the professional editing/assembly software packages or have
knowledge of how
the media content (e.g., an advertisement) is put together. In addition, the
user of the media
content management application is not required to have knowledge of the
structure of the
database accessed by the professional editing/assembly software packages or
how and which
metadata is associated with media segments stored in the database.
[0046] In addition, the media content management application allows the
user (e.g., an
advertiser) to create a version of media content without having knowledge of
media planning and
placement, dynamic processing, production, and post-production.
[0047] It should be noted that the user is not required to input all of the
necessary metadata
characteristics needed to create the one or more versions of the media
content. For example, the
user may input that the intended audience resides in the zip code "10020." In
response, the
media content management application may not require that the user know any
other information
regarding the intended audience in the zip code "10020." The media content
management
application may obtain the metadata characteristics that correspond to the
intended audience
from another entity, a database, or any other suitable source. For example,
the media content
management application may extract from the inputted zip code of "10020" that
the intended
audience is 60% male and 40% female, 80% have an income level greater than
$100,000, and
60% are Caucasian.
[0048] It should also be noted that the user is not required to have a
database or a special
purpose database that assembles the versions of media content. The media
content management
application avoids this difficulty by using editing/assembly software to
generate the versions of
media content with the appropriate media segments (e.g., portions of audio,
portions of video,
background audio, voiceovers, images, animations, graphics, etc.) and
providing it to the user
without the need for having and/or maintaining a special purpose database
(e.g., an object
oriented database with a plurality of media segments, including those media
segments not
desired by the user). The media segments that relate to the semantic criteria
and/or metadata
characteristics are used to generate the versions of media content.
[0049] Using this application, the user may order and receive a finished
version of the media
content. The finished version may be transmitted to a delivery point in any
suitable medium
(e.g., videotape, DVD, MPEG-2, MPEG-4, standard definition, high definition,
downloaded,
etc.).
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[0050] The following FIGS. 1-14 and their accompanying descriptions provide
detailed
examples of the implementation of the systems and methods of the present
invention.
[0051] FIG. 1 is a generalized schematic diagram of an illustrative media
content
management system 100 on which a media content management application may be
implemented in accordance with some embodiments of the present invention. As
illustrated,
system 100 may include one or more workstations 102. Workstations 102 may be
local to each
other or remote from each other. Workstations 102 are connected by one or more
communications links 104 to a communications network 106 that is linked via a
communications
link 108 to a server 110.
[0052] System 100 may include one or more servers 110. Server 110 may be
any suitable
server for providing access to the media content management application, such
as a processor, a
computer, a data processing device, or a combination of such devices.
Communications network
106 may be any suitable computer network including the Internet, an intranet,
a wide-area
network ("WAN"), a local-area network ("LAN"), a wireless network, a digital
subscriber line
("DSL") network, a frame relay network, an asynchronous transfer mode ("ATM")
network, a
virtual private network ("VPN"), or any combination of any of such networks.
Communications
links 104 and 108 may be any communications links suitable for communicating
data between
workstations 102 and server 110, such as network links, dial-up links,
wireless links, hard-wired
links, any other suitable communications links, or a combination of such
links. Workstations
102 enable a user to access features of the media content management
application. Workstations
102 may be personal computers, laptop computers, mainframe computers, dumb
terminals, data
displays, Internet browsers, personal digital assistants ("PDAs"), two-way
pagers, wireless
terminals, portable telephones, any other suitable access device, or any
combination of such
devices. Workstations 102 and server 110 may be located at any suitable
location. In one
embodiment, workstations 102 and server 110 may be located within an
organization.
Alternatively, workstations 102 and server 110 may be distributed between
multiple
organizations.
[0053] The server and one of the workstations, which are depicted in FIG.
1, are illustrated in
more detail in FIG. 2. Referring to FIG. 2, workstation 102 may include
processor 202, display
204, input device 206, and memory 208, which may be interconnected. In a
preferred
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embodiment, memory 208 contains a storage device for storing a workstation
program for
controlling processor 202.
[0054] Processor 202 uses the workstation program to present on display 204
the application
and the data received through communications link 104 and commands and values
transmitted
by a user of workstation 102. It should also be noted that data received
through communications
link 104 or any other communications links may be received from any suitable
source, such as
WebServices. Input device 206 may be a computer keyboard, a cursor-controller,
dial,
switchbank, lever, or any other suitable input device as would be used by a
designer of input
systems or process control systems.
[0055] Server 110 may include processor 220, display 222, input device 224,
and memory
226, which may be interconnected. In a preferred embodiment, memory 226
contains a storage
device for storing data received through communications link 108 or through
other links, and
also receives commands and values transmitted by one or more users. The
,storage device further
contains a server program for controlling processor 220.
[0056] In some embodiments, the media content management application may
include an
application program interface (not shown), or alternatively, the application
may be resident in the
memory of workstation 102 or server 110. In another suitable embodiment, the
only distribution
to workstation 102 may be a graphical user interface ("GUI") which allows a
user to interact
with the media content management application resident at, for example, server
110.
[0057] In one particular embodiment, the media content management
application may
include client-side software, hardware, or both. For example, the application
may encompass
one or more Web-pages or Web-page portions (e.g., via any suitable encoding,
such as
HyperText Markup Language ("HTML"), Dynamic HyperText Markup Language
("DHTML"),
Extensible Markup Language ("XML"), JavaServer Pages ("JSP"), Active Server
Pages
("ASP"), Cold Fusion, or any other suitable approaches).
[0058] Although the media content management application is described
herein as being
implemented on a workstation and/or server, this is only illustrative. The
application may be
implemented on any suitable platform (e.g., a personal computer ("PC"), a
mainframe computer,
a dumb terminal, a data display, a two-way pager, a wireless terminal, a
portable telephone, a
portable computer, a palmtop computer, an H/PC, an automobile PC, a laptop
computer, a
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personal digital assistant ("PDA"), a combined cellular phone and PDA, etc.)
to provide such
features.
[0059] It will also be understood that the detailed description herein may
be presented in
terms of program procedures executed on a computer or network of computers.
These
procedural descriptions and representations are the means used by those
skilled in the art to most
effectively convey the substance of their work to others skilled in the art.
[0060] A procedure is here, and generally, conceived to be a self-
consistent sequence of
steps leading to a desired result. These steps are those requiring physical
manipulations of
physical quantities. Usually, though not necessarily, these quantities take
the form of electrical
or magnetic signals capable of being stored, transferred, combined, compared
and otherwise
manipulated. It proves convenient at times, principally for reasons of common
usage, to refer to
these signals as bits, values, elements, symbols, characters, terms, numbers,
or the like. It should
be noted, however, that all of these and similar terms are to be associated
with the appropriate
physical quantities and are merely convenient labels applied to these
quantities.
[0061] Further, the manipulations performed are often referred to in terms,
such as adding or
comparing, which are commonly associated with mental operations performed by a
human
operator. No such capability of a human operator is necessary, or desirable in
most cases, in any
of the operations described herein which form part of the present invention;
the operations are
machine operations. Useful machines for performing the operation of the
present invention
include general purpose digital computers or similar devices.
[0062] The present invention also relates to apparatus for performing these
operations. This
apparatus may be specially constructed for the required purpose or it may
comprise a general
purpose computer as selectively activated or reconfigured by a computer
program stored in the
computer. The procedures presented herein are not inherently related to a
particular computer or
other apparatus. Various general purpose machines may be used with programs
written in
accordance with the teachings herein, or it may prove more convenient to
construct more
specialized apparatus to perform the required method steps. The required
structure for a variety
of these machines will appear from the description given.
[0063] The system according to the invention may include a general purpose
computer, or a
specially programmed special purpose computer. The user may interact with the
system via e.g.,
a personal computer or over PDA, e.g., the Internet, an Intranet, etc. Either
of these may be
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implemented as a distributed computer system rather than a single computer.
Similarly, the
communications link may be a dedicated link, a modern over a POTS line, the
Internet and/or
any other method of communicating between computers and/or users. Moreover,
the processing
could be controlled by a software program on one or more computer systems or
processors, or
could even be partially or wholly implemented in hardware.
[0064] Although a single computer may be used, the system according to one
or more
embodiments of the invention is optionally suitably equipped with a multitude
or combination of
processors or storage devices. For example, the computer may be replaced by,
or combined
with, any suitable processing system operative in accordance with the concepts
of embodiments
of the present invention, including sophisticated calculators, hand held,
laptop/notebook, mini,
mainframe and super computers, as well as processing system network
combinations of the
same. Further, portions of the system may be provided in any appropriate
electronic format,
including, for example, provided over a communication line as electronic
signals, provided on
CD and/or DVD, provided on optical disk memory, etc.
[0065] Any presently available or future developed computer software
language and/or
hardware components can be employed in such embodiments of the present
invention. For
example, at least some of the functionality mentioned above could be
implemented using Visual
Basic, C, C++ or any assembly language appropriate in view of the processor
being used. It
could also be written in an object oriented and/or interpretive environment
such as Java and
transported to multiple destinations to various users.
[0066] Turning now to FIG. 3, an illustrative home screen 300 that may be
provided in
accordance with some embodiments of the present invention is displayed. The
media content
management application is designed to provide users with the ability to
efficiently and
conveniently create, customize, and/or distribute media content using semantic
criteria. This
includes, for example, allowing the user to browse through information
relating to media content
(e.g., which media segments are available, which media segments are new,
inventory
information, sales information, sales results, offer information, templates
available for use, etc.).
[0067] As shown in FIG. 3, screen 300 is related to creating, customizing,
and/or distributing
media content relating to automobiles (e.g., automobile commercials). However,
the media
content may relate to any other suitable subject, such as, for example,
travel, electronics, political
campaigns, etc.
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[0068] Screen 300 includes information relating to campaigns, campaign
templates (e.g., a
campaign template for a thirty second commercial for multiple vehicles),
inventory (e.g., newly
delivered cars and the allocation in the Northeast), sales (e.g., third
quarter of 2004 sales results,
year to date sales results, annual sales reports, etc.), offers (e.g., offers
for the months of October
and November, end of the year offers, leasing offers, etc.), and updated media
content (e.g., new
campaign templates available for use, new media content for selection, etc.).
[0069] As shown, screen 300 of FIG. 3 is designed to be provided on a
computer display
(e.g., display 204 of workstation 102 or display 222 of server 110 of FIGS. 1
and 2). However, it
should be noted that the format and contents of the screens that follow may be
modified to
accommodate different platforms, if desired. It should also be noted that
some, all, or
alternatives to the following screens may be provided to a user of the media
content management
application in accordance with the present invention.
[0070] The media content management application may be accessed by various
users
including, but not limited to, an advertiser, a marketer, a user at a field
office, a user at a parent
company, a user at a subsidiary of the parent company, and a user at a cable
operator in order to
create, customize, and/or distribute media content. In some embodiments, the
media content
management application may provide each of these users with different
features. For example,
an advertiser may be permitted to create a variety of versions of a commercial
spot, while a user
at a field office may only be permitted to make certain changes to one or more
commercial spots.
In such an example, the commercial spots created by the advertiser may be
customized by other
users, but in a way that the overall message does not change. Alternatively,
certain users (e.g.,
an advertiser or a marketer) may be permitted to create and/or customize media
content, while
other users (e.g., a user at a field office) may be permitted to purchase or
receive media content.
[0071] The media content management application provides the user with an
interface 340
for creating, customizing, and/or distributing media content. As shown in FIG.
3, the "home"
button is currently selected in interface 340.
[0072] In some embodiments, the media content management application may
allow the user
to select to receive media content. For example, the user may be provided with
an interface
having a plurality of media content. In response to the selection by the user,
the media content
management application may retrieve the media content from a library of media
content and
provide the media content to the user. The library of content may be provided
to the user in the
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form of, for example, a list, a database, or any other suitable approach for
providing content to
the user. Alternatively, the media content management application may provide
the user with
one or more semantic criteria for creating and/or customizing the media
content. Segments (e.g.,
portions of audio, portions of video, background audio, voiceovers, images,
etc.) may be
retrieved from the library of content and assembled to create the media
content using an
editing/assembly software package, an editing/assembly system, or a user that
is capable of using
the editing/assembly software package or editing/assembly system. The user may
preview the
content before purchasing it or at any time during or after the selection and
creation process.
[0073] Referring back to FIG. 3, in response to the user selecting the
"preview" button of
interface 340, the media content management application provides the user with
an illustrative
creation screen 400 (FIG. 4). In some embodiments, the media content
management application
may provide the user with a list of campaigns (e.g., an advertising campaign
for automobiles, an
advertising campaign for a politician, etc.) or a list of generated media
content. In response to
selecting a particular campaign or particular media content, the media content
management
application may provide the user with screen 400 to customize the media
content using semantic
criteria.
[0074] In some embodiments, the media content management application may
provide the
user with one or more semantic criteria (e.g., in the form of questions or
options) relating to the
media content. Using the responses to the semantic criteria, the media content
management
application provides the user with semantic editorial control. For example,
the media content
management application may provide the user with one or more abstract
questions for
information relating to gender, affluence, ethnicity, geography, advertisement
style, type of offer,
etc. Based on the responses to each of the questions, the media content
management application
may use an editing/assembly software package to determine which media segments
are
associated with the responses, retrieve the corresponding media segments,
and/or assemble the
one or more versions of the media content.
[0075] In one example, the media content management application may provide
the user
with the question "What is the offer?" In response to the user inputting that
a 20% off offer
should be conveyed in the media content, the media content management
application may
perform the routines necessary to create media content that conveys such a
message. For
example, the media content management application may associate such a
response with the
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media segments relating to 20% off sales offers (e.g., an audio segment
describing the offer, a
video segment describing the offer, a soundtrack to go along with the offer,
disclaimers that are
to be displayed along with the offer, how the media segments are sequenced,
how the audio
segments are married to the video segments, which segments overlap, how the
background audio
track is married to the video segments, etc.). The media content management
application may
transmit the semantic criteria to an editing/assembly software package, an
editing/assembly
system, or a user of the editing/assembly software package or editing/assembly
system that
constructs a version of the media content for the user.
[0076] As shown in FIG. 4, screen 400 provides the user with a list of
semantic criteria 420
relating to the media content to be created. Using screen 400 or any other
suitable interface, the
media content management application allows the user to manage the editing of
media content
and make decisions relating to the media content (or version of the media
content) based on
semantic criteria. Semantic criteria 420 may include, for example, options
relating to the style of
the advertisement, options relating to the event, options relating to the type
of vehicle, options
relating to the model of the vehicle, options relating to the offer, options
relating to the gender of
the target audience (e.g., male or female), options relating to the affluence
of the target audience
(e.g., income greater than $70,000), options relating to the ethnicity of the
target audience (e.g.,
Caucasian, African-American, Hispanic, Asian, etc.), options relating to the
geography of the
target audience (e.g., Northeast, South, Europe, Asia, etc.), etc. Any other
suitable criteria may
also be provided. For example, criteria relating to the target audience's
likes and dislikes (e.g.,
the audience likes sports-related commercials, the audience likes
advertisements with dogs in it,
etc.) may be provided.
[0077] For example, as shown in FIG. 4, the media content management
application may
allow a user, such as an advertiser, to respond to the questions having
semantic criteria. The
responses to the semantic criteria (e.g., semantic criteria 420) may be used
by the media content
management application to perform the necessary functions to generate one or
more version of
media content. For example, in response to the user indicating that the
intended audience has the
gender "Male," the media content management application may use this semantic
criteria to
determine which media segments may be used for constructing the version of the
media content.
In one example, the media content management application may provide the
semantic criteria
and/or metadata characteristics (e.g., male) to an editing/assembly software
package or a user of
=
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the editing/assembly software package. The editing/assembly software package
may be used to
retrieve media segments relating to the semantic criteria and/or metadata
characteristics and
assemble one or more versions of the media content.
[0078] Professional editing/assembly software (e.g., editing software
developed by Avid
Technology, Inc., Final Cut Pro developed by Apple Computer Inc., intelliSpot
or other
assembly software developed by Visible World, etc.) requires that users be
familiar with the
editing toolsets of the software as well as the details of the media content,
such as the editing
points, the sequence of the media segments, how audio segments are married to
video segments,
how a background audio track is married to video segments, which media
segments may be
customized and/or replaced, and any other suitable detail relating to the
media content. In
addition, the professional editing/assembly software requires that the user
know the database
structure called by the editing/assembly software or how and which metadata
has been married to
the audio segments, video segments, or any other suitable media segments. It
should be noted
that the media content management application avoids these difficulties
because the user is
provided with an abstraction in the form of semantic controls or semantic
criteria. In response to
the semantic criteria, the semantic criteria are translated into functions
that may be performed by
one of these professional editing/assembly software packages. In response to
providing semantic
criteria, the media content management application may use one or more of
these professional
editing/assembly software packages or transmit the information to another user
that has
knowledge of these editing/assembly software packages to create one or more
versions of the
media content that correspond to the metadata characteristics. Thus, the users
of the media
content management application are not required to have knowledge of the
professional
editing/assembly software packages or have knowledge of how the media content
(e.g.,
advertisement) is put together. In addition, the user of the media content
management
application is not required to have knowledge of the structure of the database
accessed by the
professional editing/assembly software packages or how and which metadata is
associated with
media segments stored in the database.
[0079] In some embodiments, the media content management application may
use the
semantic criteria provided by the user to obtain additional information about
the intended
audience of the version of the media content. For example, the user may input
that the intended
audience resides in the zip code "10020" in the "Geography" field of FIG. 4.
In response, the
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media content management application may not require that the user know any
other information
regarding the intended audience in the zip code "10020." The media content
management
application may obtain the metadata characteristics that correspond to the
intended audience
from another entity, a database, or any other suitable source. For example,
the media content
management application may extract from the inputted zip code of "10020" that
the intended
audience is 60% male and 40% female, 80% has an income level greater than
$100,000, and
60% is Caucasian. In another example, the media content management application
may retrieve
the information from a different source (e.g., from the United States Census
Bureau website,
from a market demographics website, from a marketing database, etc.).
[0080] In some embodiments, the media content management application may
allow the user
to indicate whether certain semantic criteria are variables for creating or
customizing the media
content. As shown in FIG. 4, the user may select "NO" for at least one of the
semantic
criteria 420. In response, those semantic criteria may not be considered a
variable in creating or
customizing the media content. For example, in response to the user selecting
"NO" for the
gender semantic criteria, the media content management application may select
default audio
and/or video segments from a database that are not directed towards a
particular gender (gender
neutral or gender unknown).
[0081] Accordingly, in response to the user responding to one or more of
semantic criteria
420, the media content management application may assemble media content that
the user may
preview. In response to selecting a preview button 440, the media content
management
, application may display the version of the media content in a window 460.
Using semantic
criteria, the media content management application allows user to preview and
order finished
versions of the media content for delivery.
[0082] It should be noted that the media segments include, for example,
graphics (e.g., text,
images, background filler, visual objects, visual effects, etc.), video
segments, audio segments
(e.g., synthesized speech, music, background sounds, etc.), animations, etc.
While these media
segments used in assembling the one or more versions of the media content may
be retrieved
from a database, it should also be noted that the user or the media content
management
application is not required to have a database that assembles the versions of
media content. The
media content management application avoids this difficulty by using an
editing/assembly
software package that generates the versions of media content with the
appropriate media
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segments (e.g., portions of audio, portions of video, background audio,
voiceovers, images,
animations, graphics, etc.) and provides the versions of media content to the
user without the
need for having and/or maintaining a special purpose database (e.g., an object
oriented database
with a plurality of media segments, including those media segments not desired
by the user).
The media segments that relate to the semantic criteria and/or metadata
characteristics are used
by the editing/assembly software package to generate the versions of media
content.
[0083] It should be also noted that media segments and other elements may
have metadata
associated with them in terms of relative or absolute fit with one or more
semantic criteria. For
example, in response to a price change, the media content management
application or an
editing/assembly software package may retrieve one or more different pieces of
corresponding
video segments and one or more different pieces of corresponding audio
segments with rules on
placement, synchronization of audio with video, and a change in the background
music track. In
another example, each media segment may have one or more metadata tags
associated with it
and, in response to receiving semantic criteria with corresponding metadata
characteristics, the
editing/assembly software package may retrieve media segments having the
corresponding
metadata characteristics. The semantic criteria may affect how media content
is sequenced, the
primary audio segments and how it is married to the video segments, the
background audio track
and how it is married to the video segments, etc..
[0084] It should further be noted that the media content management
application may use an
editing/assembly software package or any other suitable software to assemble a
plurality of
versions of the media content that the user may preview, each of which are in
accordance with
the user's responses to the one or more semantic criteria 420. The user may
preview and select
one or more of the media content for distribution. In another embodiment, the
media content
management application may allow the user to select additional options (e.g.,
options 420) to
more narrowly tailor the one or more versions of the media content.
[0085] Alternatively, in some embodiments, the media content management
application may
provide the user with a variety of media segments that correspond to the
semantic criteria for
selection by the user to construct the customized version of media content.
For example, the
media content management application may provide the user with a variety of
customized media
content, where each has different media segments, and the user may select at
least one of the
customized media content. In another example, the media content management
application may
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provide the user with a list or a display of media segments, where the user
may select one or
more of the media segments for incorporation into the resulting customized
media content.
[0086] FIGS. 5 and 6 show an illustrative message template 500 and the
contents 600 of a
database that may be provided in accordance with some embodiments of the
present invention.
The message template 500 describes a framework to create and assemble media
content for the
target audience. The message template may include sequences 520, such as
insertable sequences
(e.g., insertable audio and/or video media segments) and/or predefined
sequences. For example,
predefined sequences may be inserted into the message template 500 that do not
vary between
different versions of the media content. In addition, the message template 500
may include rules
for selection and combination of media segments and other resources to
generate the media
content.
[0087] It should be noted that the message template of the present
invention 500 is not
limited to orthogonal assembling of media segments. One or more elements of
the media content
are capable of being controlled and combined using various approaches to
provide customized
media content. For example, a background scene, such as a geographic
landscape, is selected
from one database and used as a common background throughout the playback of
the media
content, while insertable video segments are added to the media content at
certain positions.
[0088] The design of the message template may be determined using
information from the
campaign, information from the default message (e.g., non-customized media
content), etc.
[0089] In response to indications from the user, the media content
management application
may create media content for a particular market, company, or individual. For
example, the
media content management application may use an editing/assembly software
package to obtain
particular media segments and/or media information from one or more databases
and assemble
media content to be distributed to an audience. It should be noted that the
database accessed by
the media content management application or the editing/assembly software
package may be any
suitable storage device for storing advertisement information, audio segments,
video segments,
sequences, any other suitable media segments, and any other suitable
information that may be
used to generate media content. The database may be a special media database
that is accessed
by the media content management application or the editing/assembly software
package. The
database may be untethered to the media content management application, the
editing/assembly
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software package, the cable operator, the headend, the network provider,
and/or any other
suitable entity.
[0090] It should be also noted that these sequences and media segments may
be stored on
high capacity, high speed servers, databases, or any suitable storage device
capable of delivering
these sequences and media segments in "real time" or "near real time" for
production and
assembly on the fly.
[0091] Editing/assembly software packages and features for creating
personalized messages
based on user information are described in, for example, commonly-owned,
commonly-assigned
U.S. Patent Application No. 09/545,524, filed April 7, 2000.
[0092] In some embodiments, the media content management application may
also use or
attach semantic criteria and/or metadata characteristics to more narrowly
tailor or customize the
versions of media content.
[0093] Referring to FIG. 7, in response to the user previewing the
assembled version of the
media content, the media content management application provides the user with
an illustrative
planning screen 700 that may be provided in accordance with some embodiments
of the present
invention. As shown in interface 340, the "plan" button is currently selected.
[0094] In some embodiments, the media content management application may
provide the
user with an opportunity to preview versions of the media content based on
selected options, edit
and/or customize the media content, and approve media content to be produced.
In some
embodiments, the media content management application will dynamically
calculate the product
and delivery costs for the approved media content. The media content
management application
may provide the user with alternatives and/or optimize the version of media
content based on
cost. For example, one version of the media content may provide a video clip
using an actor,
while another version of the media content may provide a video clip using a
cartoon character.
Each version of the media content may have a different cost associated with it
(for example, due
to the cost of hiring an actor or the Screen Actors Guild agreement for on-
camera performers
associated with the video clip).
[0095] As shown in FIG. 7, the media content management application
provides the user
with parameters 720 and 725. Parameters 720 and 725 may allow the user to
further customize
the version of media content based on additional semantic criteria. Based on
the parameters
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selected by the user or by the media content management application, certain
additional semantic
criteria may be provided to the user for customizing the version of media
content. For example,.
the parameters "Media Plan" and "Zone Data" are provided in FIG. 5. "Zone
Data" may relate
to demographics for the region the media content is to be transmitted.
Accordingly, the
parameter "Zone Data" may provide the user with demographics options, such as
gender options,
income options, ethnicity options, etc.
[0096] In some embodiments, the media content management application allows
the user to
import parameters from other sources (e.g., parameters 730 and 735). For
example, the user may
import "Zone Data" parameters 735 from another campaign. In another example,
importing
"Zone Data" parameters 735 may include retrieving demographic information from
a different
source (e.g., from the United States Census Bureau website, from a market
demographics
website, from a marketing database, etc.).
[00971 As shown in FIG. 7, the media content management application
provides the user
with a listing of programs 740 for each provider (e.g., broadcast programs,
cable zones, cable
programs, etc.). In response to selecting a provider or type of program, the
media content
management application may display the listing of programs 740. Each listed
program 750 may
include program information, such as channel name, broadcast time, title of
the program, type of
program, and/or any other suitable information. The user may select to
associate the customized
version of media content to the program 750 by, for example, selecting a check
box 765. Upon
approval of the media content, the media content may be assembled, produced,
and distributed to
the appropriate entity for playback during the selected program 750.
[0098] For each selected program to distribute media content, the media
content management
application may dynamically calculate the associated costs and display the
associated costs in
cost interface 770. The costs may be an estimate to generate one or more
pieces of media
content and deliver the media content to the appropriate entities. The costs
may include, for
example, media costs, production costs, delivery costs, etc. The costs
provided in cost interface
770 may allow the user to use the media content management application to
optimize the cost of
the version of media content. For example, the media content management
application provides
the user with the opportunity to optimize the cost of the version of media
content without having
knowledge of the different costs associated with creating and delivering the
version of media
content (e.g., the user does not need to know of the cost of providing the
version of media
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content into MPEG-2 or MPEG-4, the user does not need to know of the Screen
Actors Wild
agreement parameters or overriding compensation agreements with specific
talent personnel, the
user does not need to know of the production implications for generating the
version of media
content, etc.).
[0099] In some embodiments, the media content management application may
allow the user
to further customize the version of the media content for the particular
program using one or
more semantic criteria (e.g., in the form of questions or options). Using the
responses to the
semantic criteria, the media content management application provides the user
with additional
semantic editorial control. For example, the media content management
application may provide
the user with one or more abstract questions for information relating to
gender, affluence,
ethnicity, geography, advertisement style, type of offer, etc. Based on the
responses to each of
the questions, the media content management application may transmit the
semantic criteria to an
editing/assembly software package, an editing/assembly system, or a user of an
editing/assembly
software package or editing/assembly system to further tailor and/or construct
the one or more
versions of the media content for the user. By selecting one of the preview
buttons 760 of FIG.
7, the media content management application may provide the user with
illustrative approval
screens 800 of FIG. 8, 900 of FIG. 9, and 1000 of FIG. 10 in accordance with
some
embodiments of the present invention.
[0100] As shown in screens 800, 900, and 1000, the media content management
application
may provide the user with additional semantic criteria (e.g., the options and
information on
statistics, demographic information, etc. shown in FIGS. 8-10) for tailoring
the version of media
content. For example, in approval screen 800 of FIG. 8, the user is provided
with category 810
of "Broadcast Programs" and semantic criteria 820 relating to gender, income,
and ethnicity. As
shown, the media content management application may provide the user with
additional
semantic criteria. For example, the media content management application may
inform the user
that Caucasian males with an income of less than $70,000 is the intended
audience of the media
content. The media content management application may obtain demographic
information to
determine how the user should further customize the version of the media
content. In another
example, the media content management application may default to selections
based on the
demographic information. When the media content management application
determines that the
region the user is providing the media content to is primarily Caucasian males
(e.g., 61% males
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and 81% Caucasian as shown in FIG. 8), the media content management
application may
automatically default to those options.
[0101] Using screens 800, 900, 1000, or any other suitable interface, the
media content
management application allows the user to manage the editing of media content
and make
decision relating to the media content (or version of the media content) based
on semantic
criteria. Semantic criteria may include, for example, options relating to the
style of the
advertisement, options relating to the event, options relating to the type of
vehicle, options
relating to the model of the vehicle, options relating to the offer, options
relating to the gender of
the target audience (e.g., male or female), options relating to the affluence
of the target audience
(e.g., income greater than $70,000), options relating to the ethnicity of the
target audience (e.g.,
Caucasian, African-American, Hispanic, Asian, etc.), options relating to the
geography of the
target audience (e.g., Northeast, South, Europe, Asia, etc.), etc. Any other
suitable criteria may
also be provided. For example, criteria relating to the target audience's
likes and dislikes (e.g.,
the audience likes sports-related commercials, the audience likes
advertisements with dogs in it,
etc.) may be provided.
[0102] Again, professional editing/assembly software (e.g., editing
software developed by
Avid Technology, Inc., Final Cut Pro developed by Apple Computer Inc.,
intelliSpot or other
assembly software developed by Visible World, etc.) requires that users be
familiar with the
editing toolsets of the software package as well as the details of the media
content, such as the
editing points, the sequence of the media segments, how audio segments are
married to video
segments, how a background audio track is married to video segments, which
media segments
may be customized and/or replaced, and any other suitable detail relating to
the media content.
In addition, the professional editing/assembly software requires that the user
know the database
structure called by the editing/assembly software or how and which metadata
has been married to
the audio segments, video segments, or any other suitable media segments. It
should be noted
that the media content management application avoids this difficulty because
the user is provided
with an abstraction in the form of semantic controls or semantic criteria. In
response to the
semantic criteria, the semantic criteria are translated into functions that
may be performed by one
of these professional editing/assembly software packages. In response to
providing semantic
criteria, the media content management application may use one or more of
these professional
editing/assembly software packages or transmit the information to another user
that has
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knowledge of these editing/assembly software packages to create and/or tailor
one or more
versions of the media content that correspond to the metadata characteristics.
Thus, the users of
the media content management application are not required to have knowledge of
the
professional editing/assembly software packages or have knowledge of how the
media content
(e.g., advertisement) is put together. In addition, the user of the media
content management
application is not required to have knowledge of the structure of the database
accessed by the
professional editing/assembly software packages or how and which metadata is
associated with
media segments stored in the database.
[0103] In some embodiments, the media content management application may
use such
semantic criteria to determine that the user has appropriately targeted the
media content. For
example, the media content management application may determine that the media
content is
best suited for Caucasian males with an income level of less than $70,000. In
response, the
media content management application may place this information along with the
other semantic
criteria that the user has selected for customizing the version of media
content.
[0104] In some embodiments, the media content management application may
use such
information to automatically correct the options selected by the user. For
example, based on
demographic information or any other suitable targeting or marketing
information, the media
content management application may adjust the options selected by the user to
improve the
=
targeting to the intended audience.
[0105] Referring back to FIG. 8, in response to the user responding to one
or more of the
additional semantic criteria, the media content management application uses
the additional
semantic criteria 820 to tailor and customize the version of the media content
that the user may
preview. Using a button or an interface, such as preview button 830, the user
may preview the
customized version of the media content in preview window 840. To approve the
customized
version of the media content, the media content management application
provides the user with
an approval button 850.
[0106] It should be noted that the additional semantic criteria 820, 920,
and 1020 in
FIGS. 8-10 may be any suitable criteria. In some embodiments, semantic
criteria 820 for
broadcast programs may be different than semantic criteria 920 for cable
zones. Any suitable
semantic criteria for customizing the versions of media content may be
provided by the media
content management application.
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[0107] In response to approving one or more versions of the media content,
the media
content management application may provide the user with the ordering screens
shown in
FIGS. 11-14.
[0108] Referring to FIG. 11, the media content management application may
dynamically
calculate the production costs for creating the one or more versions of the
media content. The
production costs may be based on, for example, the media segments used in the
version of the
media content, the time required to assemble and produce the media content,
etc. As shown in
FIG. 11, the media content management application may provide the user with an
estimate for
producing these customized versions of media content and compare that estimate
with the
estimated cost for creating customized versions of media content without using
the media
content management application (e.g., hiring an advertising agency to produce
multiple versions
of the media content). These estimated production costs are displayed in
interface 1120.
[0109] In some embodiments, the media content management application may
provide the
user with the opportunity to optimize the version of media content by cost.
Using the ordering
screens shown in FIGS. 11-14, the media content management application may
attach other
metadata with the version of the media content. For example, the ordering
screens may provide
the user with multiple versions of the media content and provide the user with
the metadata
associated with each of the versions. One version of the media content may
inform the user that
a particular actor performs a scene in the media content. That version has
associated costs for
hiring that actor (e.g., Screen Actors Guild agreement parameters or
overriding compensation
agreements with specific talent personnel) and other costs related to the
particular actor. It
should be noted that the media content management application provides the
user with these cost
estimates without the requiring the user to be familiar with these agreements
or associated costs.
In addition, the media content management application may allow the user to
select a version of
the media content based on its associated cost. In response, the media content
management
application may transmit the cost information, semantic criteria, and/or
associated metadata to
the editing/assembly software package to assemble the version of the media
content.
[0110] In some embodiments, the media content management application may
itemize the
product costs such that the user may be provided with estimates for producing
each of the
versions of media content. The media content management application may allow
the user to
select one or more of the itemized costs. These selected costs may be
transmitted to an
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editing/assembly software package, where the selected costs are translated and
used to assemble
the version of media content. For example, in response to the user approving
the cost estimate
for an on-camera performer, the editing/assembly software package may
interpret the approved
cost estimate, retrieve media segments having the on-camera performer (e.g., a
video clip that
includes the on-camera performer), and assembles the version of the media
content.
[0111] As shown in FIG. 12, the media content management application may
generate an
estimate of talent costs associated with generating the one or more versions
of media content.
Talent costs may include costs associated with hiring on-camera performers,
off-camOra
performers, extras, performers for voiceovers, musicians, etc. These talent
costs may be based
on, for example, Screen Actors Guild agreement parameters or agreements with
specific talent
personnel. These talent costs are displayed in interface 1210.
[0112] In some embodiments, the media content management application may
provide the
user with the opportunity to select and/or optimize delivery options for
transmitting the version
of media content. That is, without the need for appreciating costs associated
with delivering the
version of media content, the media content management application allows the
user to select a
medium for the version of media content, one or more delivery point for the
version of media
content, etc.
[0113] As shown in FIG. 13, the media content management application may
allow the user
to select delivery options. The media content management application may allow
the user to
select from one or more delivery points. These delivery points may include,
for example,
specific markets (e.g., Northeast, Atlanta, Chicago, etc.), stations and
affiliates (e.g., KCNC
(CBS) Denver, WABC (ABC) New York, etc.), companies, cable interconnects,
types of
individuals (e.g., via an e-mail list), or actual individuals for distribution
of the media content.
[0114] In some embodiments, the media content management application may
recommend
which delivery points should receive the version of the media content. For
example, the media
content management application may provide a listing of delivery points that
have demographic
information corresponding to the targeting information selected for the media
content. In
another example, the media content management application may use the
previously inputted
semantic criteria to generate an optimized list of delivery points.
[0115] In some embodiments, the media content management application may
use the
previously inputted semantic criteria to generate a list of delivery points
(where metadata is
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associated with each delivery point), where the metadata from the listed
delivery points matches
the metadata characteristics associated with the previously inputted semantic
criteria. For
example, the media content management application may extract metadata
characteristics from
the previously inputted semantic criteria. The metadata characteristics may be
used by the media
content management application to filter a list of available delivery points
(e.g., WABC New
York or all delivery points in New York have the metadata characteristics of
greater than 50%
Male and a majority of households have an income of greater than $100,000).
[0116] In addition to selecting delivery points, the media content
management application
may allow the user to select the format that the media content is to be
delivered to the delivery
point. These formats may include, for example, MPEG-2, MPEG-4, videotape
(VHS), DVD,
standard definition media (DV, DVCPRO, DVCAM, Uncompressed SD, etc.), high
definition
media (e.g., HDV, XDCAM HD, DVCPRO HD, Uncompressed HD, etc.), other media
formats,
other media resolutions, etc. For example, the station KCNC (CBS) Denver may
receive the
media content in the form of a videotape, while the station WABC (ABC) New
York may
download the media content from a server or database. In another example, the
station KCNC
(CBS) Denver may receive the version of media content in standard definition,
while the station
WABC (ABC) New York may receive the version of media content in high
definition and
standard definition.
[0117] In some embodiments, the media content management application may
optimize the
user's selections. For example, the media content management application may
determine the
media format preferences, requirements, and other information relating to the
station that the
user has selected to receive the version of media content. The media content
management
application may determine that WABC (ABC) New York requires that versions of
media content
be received in both standard definition and high definition. The media content
management
application may also determine that WABC (ABC) New York prefers that the
versions of media
content be provided in MPEG-2 format. The media content management application
may also
determine that WABC (ABC) New York requires that a videotape of the media
content be sent to
a particular address. In response to the determinations, the media content
management
application may pre-select the user's available selections for the particular
delivery point (e.g.,
only standard definition and videotape). Alternatively, the media content
management
application may prohibit the user from selecting options that are not within
the requirements of
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the delivery point (e.g., the user cannot select standard definition because
the particular delivery
point only accepts media content in high definition).
[0118] Accordingly, the media content management application provides the
user with a
number of options for delivering the version of media content with the user
having to know
about the requirements and/or preferences of a particular delivery point.
[0119] Once the media content and delivery points have been selected by the
user, the media
content management application may provide the user with a confirmation screen
1200.
Confirmation screen may request that the user review the campaign plan,
customized options,
delivery specifications, and other information before ordering that the
customized versions of
media content be assembled, produced, and delivered to the selected delivery
points
(confirmation area 1410). The user may also be provided with a total estimated
cost area 1420
that displays the estimated media, production, delivery, and total costs
associated with
assembling, producing, and delivering the customized versions of media
content. Upon selecting
a "Process Order" button, the order is placed.
[0120] The media content management application provides users with the
ability to create
or select from a variety of media content that is ready for delivery to an
intended audience.
[0121] As described hereinabove, the media content management application
of the present
invention may allow users to generate, customize, and/or distribute media
content using semantic
criteria. One of ordinary skill would know how to utilize standard algorithms
to implement the
processes of the present invention based on the information provided in this
application.
[0122] It is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its
application to the details
of construction and to the arrangements of the components set forth in the
following description
or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments
and of being
practiced and carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that
the phraseology and
terminology employed herein are for the purpose of description and should not
be regarded as
limiting.
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[0124]
The scope of the claims should not be limited by the preferred embodiments set
forth
in the examples, but should be given the broadest interpretation consistent
with the description as
a whole.
