I finally got the InterKnowlogy Windows 7 WPF Touch and Microsoft Surface Applications at the 2009 Country Music Association Awards video into production. 

See it in the Silverlight player on the InterKnowlogy site here or watch the video on YouTube here.  If you want the mega WMV file, you’ll need to write me an email (TimHuck@InterKnowlogy.com)

Gory Details:

Making the video was relatively straightforward, although it took a ton of editing work.  The challenge was widdling down all the content.  The Microsoft and InterKnowlogy folks at the event took tons of great stills and videos of all the stars and their interactions with our 3 applications:

1. A Windows 7 WPF multi-touch Jukebox Application – This is a truly distributed multi-touch Jukebox application that runs on a number of Windows Devices.  At the CMA gig, it ran on HP Touchsmarts running Windows 7 and on a Microsoft Surface.  Users of the application choose songs (by touch) and add them to the JukeBox Playlist.  One of the devices is the “playing jukebox device” and it plays the songs in the order they are submitted.  There are other rules involved in the way the songs are played, deleted, prioritized, etc. and WCF handles all that and the transactions between the “client machines” submitting songs.

2. The Microsoft Surface equivalent of the Jukebox Application – There is a reason that the Surface is expensive.  it’s touch recognition and response is unparalleled in the industry as of date….which makes the Jukebox application, although functionally identical to it’s Windows 7 WPF brother, just that much better on the Microsoft Surface.

3. The History of the Country Music Award Winners Surface application.  There is a reason an application development firm like InterKnowlogy keeps winning awards for design and user experience: It is applications like this.  In this application, a timeline is presented over the image of guitar strings and frets.  As you scroll the timeline through multi-touch, you choose a length of time in the past and see which country music starts one which awards at the CMAs.

The biggest delay was getting a blessing from the Record label, Carolwood Records (ultimately Disney).  Great People; I think we just underestimated the time and process involved in getting a blessing to use the music.  For many reasons, not the least of which is how much they adored the Surface and our applications, we chose up and coming mega-stars “Love and Theft”,  I cut the first version of the video, with their hit song, “Runaway”.  I’m not a country music fan, but when you listen to this tune (which is more like mainstream rock) you’ll see why even i bought it.  great song! 

Well, i cut the video tailored to that song in terms of duration and even used shots of that song on the jukebox in the video and many shots of the band.  I was 95% done when the word came down from the record company:  They wanted me to use a song called “Don’t Wake Me” instead of “Runaway”.  I assume because it is the next hit song from their album.  I wanted to stab myself in the eye, because i had to redo the video.  Even though i still suck at making these videos I am getting better.  And i’m pleased with the way it turned out.  I made a couple little edits to it last night thanks to good suggestions from Brad Cunningham.

Now it’s on to the next video: InterKnowlogy Windows 7 WPF touch applications….