"This is an almost dizzying mix of video, stop-frame animation and graphics, but it is so well-delivered and so unique that you just can’t help but keep exploring." —juror Jon McVey
"Though slow to load, there’s no denying that this content-rich site makes Montreal seem like one of the most interesting cities on the planet." —juror Toria Emery
Overview: This documentation and exploration of urban life in Montreal is an immersive experience based on twelve, familiar Montreal hot spots. With three ways to navigate (Learn, Watch and Participate), the site digs deep into the city's psyche by going behind the scenes of places people see but never really pay attention to, to discover ordinary people who do extraordinary things. Whether a corner store, the Modern Art Museum or the Mont Royal, it's part of a genuine, current portrait of Montreal.
• Since launch the site's received 115,000 visitors.
• Companion to a television show called MTL12—Montreal divided into twelve mythic representatives of the city.
• This project provided instant international recognition in the Web development community.
Comments by Vianney Tremblay:
Is the audience you were targeting a particularly difficult one to reach? "The show aired on TV5, a French Canadian television station that's part of the TV5 Group—the third largest network after MTV and CNN. Since the general audience for TV5 is a bit older, the goal was to attract a new (mainly 24- to 35-year-old), trendsetting crowd to the network. It worked. The majority of the audience for both the show and the site was comprised of adults and young adults mostly from cities. Our success attracting the audience we were looking for online was due in part to the fact that we were not only careful to recreate the feel of the show, but to take it one step further and offer an added experience."
What would you do differently if you could start the project over? "Because there was no 'actual' client on the account it was difficult to put a stop to our brainstorming sessions. And, since we were our own bosses, it was even more of a challenge to put a stop to our creative juices and make final decisions. In the end, we think it affected the outcome of the project because we might have pushed the integration and programming portion further had we spent less time planning and more time developing. From the start, we wanted to push the envelope, and we did do that, just not as far as we would have liked. Next time, we'll spend less time on brainstorms and save more time for development."
