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Amazon Fresh - Now Home Delivering Top Amazon.com Items

leelefever — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 15:42:49 +0000

Living in Seattle, a test-market for Amazon Fresh, we signed up and never looked back. Ordering groceries online and having them delivered within hours makes going to the grocery store seem like such a pain. With Amazon Fresh, Amazon proved to us they could replace the grocery store experience with home delivered goodness.

Just today, Sachi noticed something new and very interesting on the Amazon Fresh website - a new tab appeared pointing us to "Amazon Now."

On the same page is a small graphic that sums up the idea:

Amazon Now means that you can have the charming Amazon Fresh trucks deliver a Canon HD video camera and a bicycle seat along with your normal milk and eggs. No UPS, no FedEx - just an Amazon supply system that delivers electronics, books, toys, kitchen supplies, etc. along with your groceries.

We thought Amazon Fresh was amazing, but the idea of everything else arriving in those reusable boxes has my mind sufficiently blown. Once you get used to the idea that you don't have to go to the grocery store anymore, making the jump to other shopping experiences is an easy one.

By including non-grocery products of all sorts to Amazon Fresh customers, the company is testing a new system to deliver warehouses of products to the doorsteps of urban dwellers. Amazon Fresh is currently delivering to limited parts of Seattle, but I imagine the service will be expanded soon if it works here. We don't want to see another WebVan or Kozmo.

Read the Amazon Fresh FAQ for more info. I will report back soon on the Amazon Now experience.

Making the Election Video: Behind the Scenes

leelefever — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 20:03:24 +0000

People often ask for a look at how we make the videos. When we were putting together the the "Electing a US President" video, I made a special point to take photos of the process. Here's how it works:

Every video starts with a script. If there is "secret sauce" it happens in writing the script because the script drives the video. We use Google Docs to collaborate until we feel like the script is close to finished. Then, we start looking at a thumbnail storyboard.

I draw the scenes for the thumbnail storyboard. It's our first attempt to represent the visuals.

After a couple of rounds of thumbnails and lots of talking between us, we make a list of all the elements that need to be drawn for the video. At this point, I start drawing and digitizing the images. Of course, with the maps in this video, I resorted to tracing.

Once the images are drawn and digitized, we set up a new storyboard using purely digital images. This way, we can manipulate sizes easily and see how everything fits together. Once we feel confident, we print out the materials and start cutting and coloring.

Sometimes, we leave things laying around and our dog decides to put them in his mouth.

Before shooting the video, we assemble all the materials and take them to the studio. We iterate at every point in the process. The script and visuals change every day.

Once production begins, we follow the storyboard and slowly lay out each scene. Often, scenes are revised on the fly. You can never really see how it will work until you see it on the screen.

Each video is different. Sometimes we go down a road, only to find a dead end. We are both prepared to throw away our work and start over if it doesn't feel right. It's painful, but necessary.

Sachi takes over control once we get to the studio. She runs each scene, the camera, lights, etc. She manages the voice-over and all the post production work. Editing is a huge part of what makes the videos work and those decisions are Sachi's. While she's doing that, I start this process over for the next video.

All these elements come together to create this video (on Vimeo, YouTube and dotSUB):

Making the Election Video: Behind the Scenes

leelefever — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 20:03:24 +0000

I draw the scenes for the thumbnail storyboard. It's our first attempt to represent the visuals.

Sometimes, we leave things laying around and our dog decides to put them in his mouth.

Before shooting the video, we assemble all the materials and take them to the studio. We iterate at every point in the process. The script and visuals change every day.

Once production begins, we follow the storyboard and slowly lay out each scene. Often, scenes are revised on the fly. You can never really see how it will work until you see it on the screen.

Each video is different. Sometimes we go down a road, only to find a dead end. We are both prepared to throw away our work and start over if it doesn't feel right. It's painful, but necessary.

All these elements come together to create this video (on Vimeo, YouTube and dotSUB):

Making the Election Video: Behind the Scenes

leelefever — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 20:03:24 +0000

I draw the scenes for the thumbnail storyboard. It's our first attempt to represent the visuals.

Sometimes, we leave things laying around and our dog decides to put them in his mouth.

Before shooting the video, we assemble all the materials and take them to the studio. We iterate at every point in the process. The script and visuals change every day.

Once production begins, we follow the storyboard and slowly lay out each scene. Often, scenes are revised on the fly. You can never really see how it will work until you see it on the screen.

Each video is different. Sometimes we go down a road, only to find a dead end. We are both prepared to throw away our work and start over if it doesn't feel right. It's painful, but necessary.

All these elements come together to create this video (on Vimeo, YouTube and dotSUB):

Making the Election Video: Behind the Scenes

leelefever — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 20:03:24 +0000

I draw the scenes for the thumbnail storyboard. It's our first attempt to represent the visuals.

Sometimes, we leave things laying around and our dog decides to put them in his mouth.

Before shooting the video, we assemble all the materials and take them to the studio. We iterate at every point in the process. The script and visuals change every day.

Once production begins, we follow the storyboard and slowly lay out each scene. Often, scenes are revised on the fly. You can never really see how it will work until you see it on the screen.

Each video is different. Sometimes we go down a road, only to find a dead end. We are both prepared to throw away our work and start over if it doesn't feel right. It's painful, but necessary.

All these elements come together to create this video (on Vimeo, YouTube and dotSUB):

Making the Election Video: Behind the Scenes

leelefever — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 20:03:24 +0000

I draw the scenes for the thumbnail storyboard. It's our first attempt to represent the visuals.

Sometimes, we leave things laying around and our dog decides to put them in his mouth.

Before shooting the video, we assemble all the materials and take them to the studio. We iterate at every point in the process. The script and visuals change every day.

Once production begins, we follow the storyboard and slowly lay out each scene. Often, scenes are revised on the fly. You can never really see how it will work until you see it on the screen.

Each video is different. Sometimes we go down a road, only to find a dead end. We are both prepared to throw away our work and start over if it doesn't feel right. It's painful, but necessary.

All these elements come together to create this video (on Vimeo, YouTube and dotSUB):

Making the Election Video: Behind the Scenes

leelefever — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 20:03:24 +0000

I draw the scenes for the thumbnail storyboard. It's our first attempt to represent the visuals.

Sometimes, we leave things laying around and our dog decides to put them in his mouth.

Before shooting the video, we assemble all the materials and take them to the studio. We iterate at every point in the process. The script and visuals change every day.

Once production begins, we follow the storyboard and slowly lay out each scene. Often, scenes are revised on the fly. You can never really see how it will work until you see it on the screen.

Each video is different. Sometimes we go down a road, only to find a dead end. We are both prepared to throw away our work and start over if it doesn't feel right. It's painful, but necessary.

All these elements come together to create this video (on Vimeo, YouTube and dotSUB):

Making the Election Video: Behind the Scenes

leelefever — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 20:03:24 +0000

I draw the scenes for the thumbnail storyboard. It's our first attempt to represent the visuals.

Sometimes, we leave things laying around and our dog decides to put them in his mouth.

Before shooting the video, we assemble all the materials and take them to the studio. We iterate at every point in the process. The script and visuals change every day.

Once production begins, we follow the storyboard and slowly lay out each scene. Often, scenes are revised on the fly. You can never really see how it will work until you see it on the screen.

Each video is different. Sometimes we go down a road, only to find a dead end. We are both prepared to throw away our work and start over if it doesn't feel right. It's painful, but necessary.

All these elements come together to create this video (on Vimeo, YouTube and dotSUB):

Making the Election Video: Behind the Scenes

leelefever — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 20:03:24 +0000

I draw the scenes for the thumbnail storyboard. It's our first attempt to represent the visuals.

Sometimes, we leave things laying around and our dog decides to put them in his mouth.

Before shooting the video, we assemble all the materials and take them to the studio. We iterate at every point in the process. The script and visuals change every day.

Once production begins, we follow the storyboard and slowly lay out each scene. Often, scenes are revised on the fly. You can never really see how it will work until you see it on the screen.

Each video is different. Sometimes we go down a road, only to find a dead end. We are both prepared to throw away our work and start over if it doesn't feel right. It's painful, but necessary.

All these elements come together to create this video (on Vimeo, YouTube and dotSUB):

Making the Election Video: Behind the Scenes

leelefever — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 20:03:24 +0000

I draw the scenes for the thumbnail storyboard. It's our first attempt to represent the visuals.

Sometimes, we leave things laying around and our dog decides to put them in his mouth.

Before shooting the video, we assemble all the materials and take them to the studio. We iterate at every point in the process. The script and visuals change every day.

Once production begins, we follow the storyboard and slowly lay out each scene. Often, scenes are revised on the fly. You can never really see how it will work until you see it on the screen.

Each video is different. Sometimes we go down a road, only to find a dead end. We are both prepared to throw away our work and start over if it doesn't feel right. It's painful, but necessary.

All these elements come together to create this video (on Vimeo, YouTube and dotSUB):