I want to understand the history
A timeline from the first paid film screenings and TV commercials to festivals and video platforms.
an independent magazine about media, advertising and viral experiments
Carvspiano — a magazine about media, advertising and viral experiments
A video in which something spectacularly falls, explodes or breaks can travel around the internet in a matter of days. Behind such footage there is almost always a script, a crew, careful planning and safety measures. Carvspiano is an independent magazine about how spectacle advertising and on-camera experiments are made, how advertising and media have evolved, who works in the creative industry and how viewers can tell a staged video from documentary footage.
A good viral video looks like an accident. Our job is to show how much work goes into that accident.
Where to start
I want to break down a video
A step-by-step campaign breakdown and a table of signs that set a staged video apart from documentary footage.
I'm curious about the professions
Who comes up with, shoots and keeps safe a spectacular video, and how to read a campaign's credits.
I follow festivals
How industry festivals and awards work and how to check whether an award really existed.
Magazine sections
- Articles
Magazine topics: spectacle advertising, on-camera experiments, media literacy, festivals, professions and history. Plus the article catalogue.
- History
A timeline from the first paid film screenings of 1895 to video platforms and viral videos.
- People and credits
The roles behind an advertising video and how to read a campaign's credits.
- Collections
Themed collections of magazine sections for getting started with a topic.
- Events
Advertising industry festivals, conferences and awards: how they work and how to verify an award.
- Breakdowns
How to break down an advertising campaign step by step and tell a staged video from documentary footage.
- Archive
The magazine's sections and what is known about this domain's earlier content.
How to break down a viral video in five steps
Find the original source
Work out where the video first appeared: on the creator's channel, the brand's channel or in a news story. Unattributed re-uploads often lose context and labels.
Check the date and the author
Old videos are often passed off as new. Compare the publication date and see who is credited as the author or rights holder.
Look for "ad" and "staged" labels
The description, credits or the video itself may state that it is advertising or a dramatisation. The absence of a label does not prove the opposite.
Watch the behind-the-scenes footage
Staged videos often come with making-of material: set preparation, safety rigs, equipment. It explains a lot about how the effect was achieved.
Spell out what the video is selling
Ask yourself what idea or product the viewer is meant to remember. In advertising, spectacle almost always serves that idea rather than existing for its own sake.
Frequently asked questions
Is this the website of the advertising campaign that used to be here?
No. The domain appears to have been used for a promotional project in the past. The current magazine is not connected with it, does not reproduce its content and does not know who owned it.
Do you publish rankings of agencies and campaigns?
No. We do not compile rankings, quote reach figures or retell unverified stories about awards. We only explain how the industry works and where to check information.
Can I recreate a stunt from a video?
No. Spectacular stunts are performed by professionals on a prepared set with safety measures in place. Attempting them yourself is dangerous.
Where do your historical facts come from?
From organisations' official histories, museum and library collections and encyclopedic sources. Source lists are given at the bottom of every page.
About the project
Carvspiano is an independent magazine about media, advertising and viral experiments for English-speaking readers. This domain appears to have been used for a promotional project in the past. The current magazine is not connected with it and does not reproduce its content.
We write about how spectacular videos are conceived and shot, how advertising travelled from the cinema to the social media feed, which professions stand behind a campaign, how industry festivals work and how viewers can make sense of what they see. We do not name names or credit campaigns with achievements that cannot be verified: where there is no information, we say so.
Related sections
- History
A timeline from the first paid film screenings of 1895 to video platforms and viral videos.
- Breakdowns
How to break down an advertising campaign step by step and tell a staged video from documentary footage.
- Articles
Magazine topics: spectacle advertising, on-camera experiments, media literacy, festivals, professions and history. Plus the article catalogue.
Sources
- Institut Lumière
- Smithsonian / Library of Congress (history of TV advertising)
- Cannes Lions — official festival history
- Encyclopedic sources on media history
Historical information is based on publicly available official and encyclopedic sources. Festival rules, categories and entry conditions change — check them on the organisers' official websites.