Newark tech firm films Monty at Mount Cuba

Tag : Thin Layer Chromatography

The sheriff gallops around the pond on an imaginary horse, followedby a party of faithful guards who obediently clap pineapple halvestogether to simulate the sound of hooves. He stops suddenly,tugging imaginary reins, and pretends to dismount his make-believesteed. Drawing himself up to full height and brushing back hisoff-white cape, he turns to face the camera and delivers his line.
Monty Python devotees around the world would instantly recognizethe scene – and likely chuckle at the pineapple-for-coconutsubstitution.
Python fans that live in the Brandywine Valley will have a special connection to the scene, because this time,the sheriff, his guards and the percussive pineapples are part of ashort spoof, shot at the Mt. Cuba Center in Hockessin to promote the Newark-based technology companyAnaltech.

Part comedy sketch and part commercial, the film demonstratesAnaltech’s signature product – thin layerchromatography plates – by telling the story of Ana L'tech,who uses the company's products to prove to an angry mob and anincompetent sheriff that she is not a witch.

The film will be a viral video – a clip posted on theInternet and shared between techies through e-mail, instantmessages, blogs and websites, said Ken Grant, director of sales andmarketing at Analtech.

Viral videos make a lot of sense for the audience Analtech istrying to capture, Grant said.

“It would not behoove us to take out a 30-second ad duringthe Super Bowl when 99 percent of the audience would say,‘What in the heck is thin layer chromatography?’”he said.

The technology involves using plates made of absorbent materials toseparate different parts of a liquid so the components can betested. Potential customers include crime scene investigators andpharmaceutical companies.
The average person will not rush out to buy the newest thin layerchromatography plates before they go out of style, Grant said, soAnaltech went after a new strategy: memorable advertising that thecompany hopes tech-savvy consumers will freely share at the speedof broadband, because it is so cool.

For the film, Analtech enlisted the help of the Delaware FilmCompany, gathered 50 amateur and professional actors, a collectionof medieval tunics, hoods, capes – and a witch-testing duck,of course.

Actors and crew arrived at the Mt. Cuba Center shortly after sunrise on June 21, set up equipment on the shore ofa small pond surrounded by leafy, green undergrowth, rehearsed,then painstakingly filmed each segment of the video.
Filming was slow, but being involved was incredibly exciting, saidJim Jones of Newark , who played Baldric the Giant. He had never acted before and wasthrilled for the opportunity to be in the commercial.

“Running around the woods wearing crazy costumes, it justseemed like it would be a trip to do,” he said, sitting inthe shade and re-reading the script while other amateur actorsnearby made minor adjustments to their medieval costumes.

Wilmington resident Dan Sutton, who played Sheriff Merck, practiced ridinghis imaginary horse around the pond and delivering his lines withas much arrogance as possible. The idea of a Monty Python-themedviral video appealed to him because thousands of Internet userswill laugh out loud when they see Sheriff Merck trotting across thegrass.

“I don’t know about being famous, per se, but it isinteresting to realize there are going to be people out there Idon’t know who will see my face,” he said.

Viral videos could be the next big thing in marketing, said ChrisStout, the film’s director. The trick to creating asuccessful one is shooting a film that is entertaining, but stillprovides plenty of information, he said.

If done right, the film will circle the globe quickly after itsmid-August release on Analtech's website (www.analtech.com)building brand loyalty among thousands of consumers, said Stout.