Abstract:
A method and system for preparing a video advertising insertion clip that utilizes an existing video presentation that currently features and/or will feature virtual product placement. The advertising insertion clip is obtained with minimal additional production resources and overhead in conjunction with a virtual product placement process. By the use of scripts, metadata, and/or equivalent machine-readable instructions or commands, the process can be configured to automatically generate insertion clips for video presentations that are repurposed and/or to be repurposed.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    The present application claims benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application 60/942,212 filed Jun. 6, 2007, which is incorporated in its entirety by reference herein. 
     
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    The present invention relates to video advertisements and, more particularly, to a method and system for preparing and presenting a preview of video placement advertisements. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0003]    A common mode of displaying advertisements during a video presentation is to insert one or more short advertising clips during the natural breaks of the video presentation; or to display as a separate preview thereof. Insertion can be before the video presentation (“pre-roll”), between scenes of the video presentation (“mid-roll”), after the video presentation (“post-roll”), or separate from the video presentation (“preview”). The terms “advertising insertion clip” and “insertion clip” herein denote any of: pre-roll, mid-roll, post-roll, and preview. Insertion clip advertising displays are sometimes combined as part of a unified advertising campaign. Advertising insertion clips are short and typically range in duration from 15 seconds up to 60 seconds. Many video platforms, including TV and the Internet, are suitable for this mode. On the Internet, most of the clips are relatively short, and a pre-roll is typically preferred by advertisers. 
         [0004]    The term “video” herein denotes any visual or audio-visual material or content, and is herein expansively construed to encompass technologies including, but not limited to: cinema, motion pictures, and photography; electronic displays; computer displays; television; video; computer animations and simulations; computer games; and the like. The multiple individual static images of a video are generally denoted as “frames”, and appear in a sequential order predetermined during recording and/or editing. The location of a particular frame in a video can be specified by a number indicating the frame&#39;s position in the sequence, or by the time relative to the start of the video at which the frame appears during playback at a predetermined frame rate. 
         [0005]    The term “video presentation” herein denotes video matter which is the main interest of the viewers thereof. Non-limiting examples of video presentations include: sporting events; concerts; movies; music videos; television shows; and news programming. A video may be recorded on, and played back from, storage media; and/or may be received as signals or data and played back therefrom. Many video presentations are displayed in repeat showings at different times, and the term “preview” therefore herein denotes an advertising display separate from a video presentation, regardless of whether it appears prior to a particular showing of the video presentation or afterwards. The term “clip” herein denotes any section of a video, whether in real-time or in storage, which is intended to be viewed as a whole unit, including, but not limited to a scene of a video presentation or an advertising insertion. 
         [0006]    The trend is toward shorter advertisement insertions, to attain a better hold the viewers&#39; attention, but it is widely felt that even a 15-second advertisement is too long to hold the viewer&#39;s attention. Unfortunately, the options for creating such short advertising clips are limited, while the production cost of a short clip does not diminish in proportion to the clip duration, but tends to remain high. Complicating this problem is a trend whereby viewers of Internet videos mute the sound (such as when viewing in the workplace)—for example, many pre-roll insertions rely on sound as important part of the advertising message. 
         [0007]    A mode of advertising display intended to supplement or replace pre-roll, mid-roll, and post-roll advertisement insertion is “product placement”, a term which herein denotes the placement of an advertised product to appear within a scene of a video presentation itself, rather than before or after or during the natural breaks. A video presentation or clip thereof featuring a product placement is herein denoted as a “product placement clip”. An advertised product featured in a video presentation in the foregoing manner is herein denoted by the term “placed product”. 
         [0008]    The technology of product placement allows products to be placed in either or both of the following ways: (a) physical product placement, whereby a real instance of the placed product is physically present in the setup for a scene during recording of the video presentation; and (b) virtual product placement, whereby an image of the placed product is added to an existing video presentation. 
         [0009]    The term “recording” in the context of creating a video herein denotes the rendering of a physical scene into a representation thereof for subsequent reproduction. Recording may be done with video equipment including, but not limited to: photographic motion picture camera equipment; broadcast television camera equipment; closed-circuit television camera equipment; and computer-based camera equipment. The term “recording” is herein expansively construed to include: broadcast, transmission, or live relay (“real time”) of video; and video placed into storage media including, but not limited to: film; data storage; magnetic storage; optical storage; disk; tape; data network and communications network storage; and flash memory or other semiconductor memory storage. 
         [0010]    It is noted that virtual product placement may be performed during an editing post-production process on a video presentation in media storage; and also may be performed in real-time on a data stream emanating from a recording of a live event. 
         [0011]    The term “pre-placed video” herein denotes a video presentation with physical product placement. The term “post-placed video” herein denotes a video presentation with virtual product placement. 
         [0012]    Virtual product placement enables the “repurposing” of a video presentation. The term “repurposing” and related forms herein denote the prior-art modification of a pre-existing video presentation by substituting the image of a new placed product for a previous placed product in the pre-existing video presentation, or a placed product where no placed product previously existed in the video presentation. Repurposing allows the same video presentation to be shown in different market areas, where different products, brands, versions, etc., of a product are being marketed. Repurposing can be done at any time once the original production is available, and can be done by parties other than the producer(s) of the original video presentation. 
         [0013]      FIG. 1  is a line illustration of a frame  100  from a prior-art video presentation with product placement. A product  101  is placed within the scene, either via physical product placement or by virtual product placement.  FIG. 2  is a line illustration of a frame  200  from a prior-art repurposed version of the video presentation shown in  FIG. 1 , where an alternative virtually-placed product  201  has been substituted for product  101  in frame  100  of the original video presentation. For example, in one market area, the (fictitious) linguine pasta product branded “Fulmine Linguine” is being marketed, whereas in a different market area (such as in a different country), the (fictitious) linguine pasta product branded “Giuoco Linguine” is being marketed. In the former market area, the video presentation of  FIG. 1  would be shown, whereas in the latter market area, the video presentation of  FIG. 2  would be shown. Otherwise, the original video presentation and the repurposed video presentation are identical. It is noted that fictitious brand names are used in the examples herein are, and are for purposes of illustration only. 
         [0014]    Even when product placement is used in a video presentation, however, it is still desirable to have a related advertising clip of the product that can serve as a pre-roll, mid-roll, post-roll insertion, and/or preview. Currently, however, this requires separate production for the product placement in the video presentation and for the insertion clip(s). Separate production leads to wasteful, duplicated effort, increased production time, and increased cost. 
         [0015]    Therefore, it would be highly advantageous to have a method and system whereby both product placement and insertion clips could be produced together through an integrated process that eliminates duplicated effort and reduces production time and cost. This goal is met by the present invention. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0016]    The present invention is of a method and system for automatic, semi-automatic, or manual composition, preparation, and presentation of, a new advertising insertion clip featuring references to product placement in a video presentation featuring virtual product placement, such that the advertising insertion clip can be used as pre-roll, mid-roll, or post roll with the video presentation, or as a separate preview thereof. 
         [0017]    Advantages of the present invention include: 
         [0018]    Reducing the need to film short commercial advertisements—product placements in video presentations can be used for automatic production of short advertising insertion clips. 
         [0019]    Inherently gives a relevant context to pre-rolls, mid-rolls, and post-rolls displayed with video presentations featuring placed products, thereby solving a bothersome creative challenge. 
         [0020]    Reduced costs when a video presentation is repurposed to feature different placed products. 
         [0021]    According to embodiments of the present invention, an insertion clip is produced as a by-product of virtual product placement in a video presentation. According to further embodiments of the present invention, the procedure for producing an insertion clip during virtual product placement is automated, by means including a scripting language, so that additional insertion clips featuring different placed products can be easily and quickly produced. 
         [0022]    According to embodiments of the present invention, the new advertising insertion clip contains at least one segment of the video presentation featuring a product placement along with a reference to the product placement. Non-limiting examples of references to a product placement include: zoom on the placed product; animations or graphics of the placed product; logo graphics or text related to the placed product; the artwork for the placed virtual product; or any combination thereof. Associated with embodiments of the present invention are opportunities for new models of pricing, business arrangements, reporting, and monetization. 
         [0023]    Therefore, according to the present invention there is provided a method for producing a video presentation featuring a placed product and an insertion clip featuring a reference to the placed product, the method including: (a) obtaining a recorded video clip for the video presentation, wherein the recorded video clip includes a plurality of recorded video frames; (b) obtaining virtual product artwork for a product placement; (c) obtaining a placed product reference to the placed product; (d) obtaining an insertion clip pattern for the insertion clip, wherein the insertion clip pattern contains at least one product placement reference template, wherein the product placement reference template contains: (e) at least one placed product video frame container for holding a video presentation frame featuring the product placement; and (f) at least one placed product reference container for holding the placed product reference; (g) identifying at least one frame of the plurality of recorded video frames in the recorded video clip for featuring the product placement; (h) injecting the virtual product artwork into the at least one recorded video frame, to produce the video presentation featuring the product placement; (i) selecting at least one frame of the video presentation featuring the product placement for the insertion clip; and (j) injecting the at least one frame of the video presentation featuring the product placement into the placed product video frame container of the product placement reference template in the insertion clip pattern; and (k) injecting the placed product reference into the placed product reference container of the product placement reference template in the insertion clip pattern; to produce the insertion clip featuring a reference to the placed product. 
         [0024]    In addition, according to the present invention there is also provided a method for producing an insertion clip featuring a reference to a placed product from a video presentation featuring a placed product, the method including: (a) obtaining the video presentation featuring the placed product, wherein the video presentation includes a plurality of video presentation frames; (b) obtaining a placed product reference to the placed product; (c) obtaining an insertion clip pattern for the insertion clip, wherein the insertion clip pattern contains at least one product placement reference template, wherein the product placement reference template contains: (d) at least one placed product video frame container for holding a video presentation frame featuring the product placement; and (e) at least one placed product reference container for holding the placed product reference; (f) identifying at least one frame of the plurality of video presentation frames, wherein the at least one frame features the product placement; (g) injecting the at least one frame of the video presentation featuring the product placement into the placed product video frame container of the product placement reference template in the insertion clip pattern; and (h) injecting the placed product reference into the placed product reference container of the product placement reference template in the insertion clip pattern; to produce the insertion clip featuring a reference to the placed product. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
         [0025]    The invention is herein described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein: 
           [0026]      FIG. 1  is a line illustration of a frame from a prior-art video presentation with product placement; 
           [0027]      FIG. 2  is a line illustration of a frame from a prior-art repurposed version of the video presentation frame shown in  FIG. 1 , where an alternative virtually-placed product has been substituted for the product of the original video presentation; 
           [0028]      FIG. 3  conceptually illustrates a product placement reference template for an advertising insertion clip according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0029]      FIG. 4A  shows a frame of an insertion clip produced from the template of  FIG. 3  holding a frame of a video presentation with a placed product, according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0030]      FIG. 4B  shows a frame of an insertion clip produced from the template of  FIG. 3  holding a frame of a video presentation with a placed product, subsequent to that of  FIG. 4A , with a visual effect and reference to the placed product, as provided by an embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0031]      FIG. 5A  shows a frame of an insertion clip produced from the template of  FIG. 3  holding a frame of a video presentation with an alternate placed product, according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0032]      FIG. 5B  shows a frame of an insertion clip produced from the template of  FIG. 3  holding a frame of a video presentation with the alternate placed product, subsequent to that of  FIG. 5A , with a visual effect and reference to the alternate placed product, as provided by an embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0033]      FIG. 6A  conceptually illustrates a production layout for a video presentation with product placement and an insertion clip according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0034]      FIG. 6B  conceptually illustrates a production layout for a video presentation with product placement and an insertion clip according to another embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0035]      FIG. 7  illustrates an insertion clip pattern according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0036]      FIG. 8  is a flowchart of a method for producing a video presentation with product placement and an insertion clip according to an embodiment of the present invention; and 
           [0037]      FIG. 9  is a flowchart of a method for producing an insertion clip for a video presentation featuring product placement according to a further embodiment of the present invention. 
       
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       [0038]    The principles and operation of a method and system according to the present invention may be understood with reference to the drawings and the accompanying description. It is noted that, for the purpose of clarity, the drawings are monochrome line illustrations, rather than photographic illustrations, it being understood that in actual practice the appearance of video displays according to the present invention are not limited to monochrome line graphics. 
         [0039]    It is also understood that the methods described herein are performed at least in part through the use or “data processing apparatus”, which term denotes without limitation: computers; data processors, devices, and systems; device controllers; computer and data networks; workstations; video and image processing equipment; and similar systems embedded in devices and apparatus with imaging, image-capturing, and/or image display capabilities. In particular, the term “data processing apparatus” is herein expansively construed to encompass a capacity to perform data processing operations which are particular to the fields of image processing and video production. 
       Product Placement Reference Templates 
       [0040]      FIG. 3  conceptually illustrates a product placement reference template  300  for an advertising insertion clip according to an embodiment of the present invention. For conciseness, the term “template” is also used herein to denote a product placement reference template, which is a model for creating a video frame for use in an insertion clip according to embodiments of the present invention. 
         [0041]    Template  300  includes at least one image container  307  for holding a video image. The attributes of image container  307  may be varied for different video appearances. In a non-limiting embodiment of the present invention, image container  307  holds a portion of a frame. In another embodiment, image container  307  holds an entire video frame. In a further embodiment, image container  307  is scaled to hold an entire video frame or portion thereof in an area smaller than the original video frame. In yet another embodiment, image container  307  is the same size as the original video frame. In an associated embodiment, image container  307  can feature video filters and/or overlays. In still another embodiment, template  300  features multiple image containers (not shown). In certain embodiments of the present invention, a video image placed in image container  307  is a frame of a video presentation; in preferred embodiments, the video presentation frame in image container  307  includes at least one placed product. 
         [0042]    Template  300  also includes a reference container  301 , for holding a reference to the video presentation and/or the image in image container  307 . Additional regions for reference containers include a region  303  and a region  305 . Reference container  301  is a text reference to a video presentation with product placement, which in the non-limiting example of  FIG. 3  is a television cooking show. 
         [0043]    The term “container” herein denotes a data structure or displayed representation thereof for receiving audio-visual data of a video clip. A non-limiting example of a container is a blank rectangle in a video frame for receiving an image that is to be displayed in the region of the container. Containers are sometimes filled with dummy data, such as a color, text, or simple pattern, such that the dummy data acts as a default display in the container region, and is replaced when the container is filled with the actual data. 
         [0044]    It is noted that a container&#39;s size and position can change from one frame to the next. Typically associated with a container is metadata descriptive of the container and the properties and attributes thereof, both static (the same for all frames) and dynamic (changing from one frame to another). 
         [0045]    The nature and use of containers (both 2-dimensional and 3-dimensional) for virtual product placements is disclosed in U.S. Provisional Patent Application 60/942,212 of the present inventor, filed Jun. 6, 2007, which is incorporated by reference herein. As noted above, containers are not limited to images; according to embodiments of the present invention, containers can be specified for text, graphics, animations, visual effects, and audio. It is noted that for video frames, an image container may be self-contained within a template for a single frame (the template for the next frame can hold the next video frame, etc.). The same image (a “still” image), however, may be placed in consecutive templates in consecutive frames. For certain containers such as text, graphics, audio, animations, visual effects, aural effects, etc., the contents of a container may extend over a number of consecutive frames in the final video clip. 
         [0046]    Template  300  can be embodied in various forms and formats, including data structures specifying text containers  309 , image containers  311 , graphics containers  311 , and audio containers  315 . A template can exist and be manipulated in display format (as is represented in  FIG. 3  via template  300 ) with associated metadata, or strictly as data by data processing equipment and computer programs therefor. 
         [0047]    It is noted that in practice, a data copy of a template is typically made, and it is the copy which is modified by the insertion of the actual data. The original template itself remains unmodified for future use. Therefore, it is understood that references herein to templates are intended to also relate to copies of the templates. 
         [0048]    Templates may be created via a computer or workstation  321 , and can be created and/or modified by editing as part of the production processes described herein. 
       Effects 
       [0049]    In the previous discussion, it was noted that containers may include effects, and this may be an effect held by a container, or an effect specified by the container&#39;s metadata. The term “effect” herein denotes any created audio/visual content or modification of audio/visual content that is introduced to enhance the viewing experience or to attract the viewer&#39;s attention, including, but not limited to: visual effects, such as pan, zoom, camera angle; color, intensity, or balance alterations; transitions from one scene to another, such as fade, wipe, dissolve; and aural effects such as incidental music, sound effects; voice and voice over; fade-in, fade-out; echo; and the like. 
         [0000]    Insertion Clip Frames from Product Placement Reference Templates 
         [0050]      FIG. 4A  shows a frame  400  of an insertion clip produced from template  300  ( FIG. 3 ) holding a frame image  401  from a video presentation with a placed product  403 , according to an embodiment of the present invention. Frame  400  was produced by injecting frame  401 , suitably scaled and positioned as necessary according to the metadata of image container  307 . The term “inject” and variants thereof herein denote the placing of data into a container, either in as low-level data into a data structure, or as high-level display representations thereof (such as copying, pasting, etc. of images, text, graphics, and so forth). 
         [0051]      FIG. 4B  shows a frame  402  of the insertion clip subsequent to frame  400  ( FIG. 4A ), having a frame image  405  from the video presentation with placed product  403  in image container  307  instead of frame image  401 . Placed product  403  may appear visually different. In addition placed product artwork  409  also appears in a reference container, with a visual effect  407 . That is, placed product artwork  409  is used as a reference to the placed product in the video presentation. The arrow of visual effect  407  indicates that artwork  409  is animated to appear to emerge and enlarge from the image of placed product  403 . 
         [0052]    An advertising insertion as illustrated in  FIG. 4A and 4B  is highly effective as a pre-roll, mid-roll, and post-roll, because the effect of seeing the product placement in the video presentation is enhanced, and viewers will be more aware of the product placement. The addition of appropriate text can actively increase the level of interest in the product (e.g., “spot the product in the video . . . ”). In the case of a pre-roll, viewers will anticipate the product placement and pay more attention when the placement appears. In a mid-roll, it will renew their attention to the product placement. And in a post-roll, it will remind them of the product placement and keep the brand in their minds. 
         [0053]      FIG. 5A  of an insertion frame  500  parallels insertion frame  400  ( FIG. 4A ), but with a frame image  501  featuring an alternate placed product  503  injected during a repurposing procedure. An advantage of the present invention is that insertion frame  500  can be generated automatically without requiring a separate production process (as discussed below). 
         [0054]    Likewise,  FIG. 5B  shows a frame  502  of the insertion clip subsequent to frame  500  ( FIG. 5A ), having a frame image  505  from the video presentation with placed product  503  in image container  307  instead of frame image  401 . Placed product  503  may appear visually different. In addition placed product artwork  509  also appears in a reference container, with a visual effect  507 . That is, placed product artwork  509  is used as a reference to the placed product in the video presentation. The arrow of visual effect  507  indicates that artwork  509  is animated to appear to emerge and enlarge from the image of placed product  503 . 
       Production of Insertion Clips 
       [0055]      FIG. 6A  conceptually illustrates a production layout for insertion clips according to an embodiment of the present invention, wherein the production of the insertion clips is an adjunct to the production of a video presentation with product placement. 
         [0056]    Artwork  601  for a product to be placed is input to a virtual product placement process  605 . Artwork  603  for an alternate product to be placed is shown to be available for subsequent repurposing. In an embodiment of the present invention, virtual product placement process  605  is automated by the use of a product placement script  613  which contains data processing commands and instructions, particularly relating to image processing and video production. The term “script” herein denotes a machine-readable document written in a scripting language, and which is intelligible to those familiar therewith. Scripting languages based on the Extensible Markup Language (“XML”) are known in the art and may be configured to be suitable for this embodiment of the present invention. It is also well-known that alternative specifications for a process can be prepared which are equivalent to a script, and therefore the use of product placement script  613  in the present capacity is non-limiting. 
         [0057]    In virtual product placement  605 , artwork  601  is injected into a recorded video presentation  607 . In general, frames  609 A,  609 B,  609 C,  609 D,  609 E,  609 F,  609 G, and  609 H are injected with different aspects of artwork  601 . In  FIG. 6A , in a non-limiting example, frame  609 D is not injected with any artwork. In the other frames, artwork  601  is suitably altered by data processing operations to accommodate the changing position, size, aspect, etc., of the container into which the artwork is injected. Methods for doing so, and for utilizing containers and placing images therein are known in the art, and are also disclosed in U.S. Provisional Patent Application 60/942,212 of the present inventor, filed Jun. 6, 2007, which is incorporated by reference herein. 
         [0058]    In any case, it is necessary to select and identify the frames for product placement. Identification of frames can be done by placing data in the frames, such as a container; by inserting an appropriate container in the frames for receiving place products; and/or by setting attributes or parameters in frame metadata. Identification of a sequence of frames (herein denoted as a “segment”), as well as a region within a single frame or set of frames (with an arbitrary region size and shape, down to the pixel level) can also be done via the use of metadata. 
         [0059]    In an adjunct insertion clip assembly process  611 , selected frames—herein illustrated in a non-limiting example as frames  609 A,  609 B,  609 C,  609 E,  609 F,  609 G, and  609 H (omitting frame  609 D, which does not feature virtual product placement)—are injected into an insertion clip pattern  615  (discussed below) to produce an advertising insertion clip  617  according to an insertion clip assembly script  619 . The foregoing comments regarding scripts and scripting language apply in this case also, so the use of assembly script  619  is non-limiting. In particular, in another embodiment of the present invention, an insertion script schedule is utilized in place of assembly script  619  (also discussed below). 
         [0060]    Similar to the situation discussed previously regarding templates, it is noted that in practice, a data copy of a video presentation is typically made, and it is the copy which is modified by the product placement. The original video presentation itself typically remains unmodified. This is the case not only when the video presentation is stored on media for future playback, but may also apply when the video presentation is transmitted live, and the transmission stream is split into live “copies” of the “original” stream. Therefore, it is understood that references herein to video presentations for modification are intended to also relate to copies of the video presentations. 
         [0061]      FIG. 6B  conceptually illustrates a production layout for insertion clips according to another embodiment of the present invention, wherein the production of the insertion clips is integrated into the production of a video presentation with product placement. The arrangement illustrated in  FIG. 6B  is functionally equivalent to that illustrated in  FIG. 6A . 
         [0062]    In  FIG. 6B , a virtual product placement and insertion clip assembly process  663  takes a video presentation  651  and injects artwork  601  into frames  653 A,  653 B,  653 C,  653 E,  653 F,  653 G, and  653 H (omitting frame  653 D, which does not feature virtual product placement) according to a product placement and insertion clip assembly script  665 . At the same time, these frames are also injected into insertion clip pattern  615  to produce an advertising insertion clip  671 . 
         [0063]    The featured embodiments of the present invention integrate the two production efforts for the video presentation with product placement and the insertion clip referencing the product placement in the video presentation, and thereby achieve economy by preventing wasteful duplication of effort. In embodiments illustrated in  FIG. 6A  and in  FIG. 6B , both a video presentation featuring product placement, and an advertising insertion clip referencing the video presentation and the placed product are produced from a combined process. 
       Insertion Clip Patterns 
       [0064]    Insertion clip pattern  615  has been referenced in  FIG. 6A  and  FIG. 6B  as a basis for assembling insertion clips  617  and  671  respectively. According to embodiments of the present invention, an insertion clip pattern is a video clip containing at least one product placement reference template into which a placed product from a video presentation is injected. The insertion clip pattern is a model from which an insertion clip is produced according to embodiments of the present invention, such that the insertion clip contains references to the placed product in the context of the video presentation. 
         [0065]      FIG. 7  illustrates an insertion clip pattern  701  with template-holding frames  703 A,  703 B,  703 C,  703 D,  703 E,  703 F,  703 G,  703 H, and possibly others (as indicated by the ellipsis . . . ). 
         [0066]    Insertion pattern  701  can be embodied in various forms and formats, including data structures specifying templates  709  and effects data  711 . The process of injecting selected video frames into the image containers of the templates and references into the reference containers of the templates can be specified by an insertion clip assembly script  707  and/or by an insertion clip schedule  705 . According to an embodiment of the present invention, an insertion clip schedule is a data structure with the contents of the template containers as a function of location in the insertion clip pattern, such as by frame number. In certain cases, an insertion clip schedule would be simpler to use, but would not necessarily have the flexibility that an insertion clip assembly script might have. The two data structures do not necessarily convey precisely the same information, and in an embodiment of the present invention, the two are used together for optimal compactness and flexibility. 
         [0067]    An insertion pattern can exist and be manipulated in display format (as is represented in  FIG. 7  via insertion clip pattern  701 ) with associated metadata, or strictly as data by data processing equipment and computer programs therefor. 
         [0068]    It is noted that in practice, a data copy of an insertion clip pattern is typically made, and it is the copy which is modified by the insertion of the actual data. The original insertion clip pattern itself remains unmodified for future use. Therefore, it is understood that references herein to insertion clip patterns are intended to also relate to copies thereof. 
         [0069]    Insertion clip patterns may be created via a computer or workstation  721 , and can be created and/or modified by editing as part of the production processes described herein. 
         [0000]    Method for Producing a Video Presentation featuring a Product Placement Along With an Insertion Clip 
         [0070]      FIG. 8  is a flowchart of a method according to an embodiment of the present invention, whereby a video presentation featuring a product placement is produced along with an advertising insertion clip that references the product placement in the context of the video presentation. 
         [0071]    In a step  801  a recorded video clip  802  for the video presentation is obtained. It is noted that recorded video clip  802  may be either stored on storage media for future playback, or may be a transmission or feed of video content that is being recorded live. In a step  803  virtual product artwork  805  is obtained. It is noted that virtual product artwork  805  may be pre-existing virtual artwork stored locally, or may be obtained from an artwork provider on an as-needed basis. In a step  809  an insertion clip pattern  811  is obtained along with an insertion assembly script  813  and/or an insertion clip schedule  815 . It is noted that insertion clip pattern  811  and/or assembly script  813 , and/or insertion clip schedule  815  may be pre-existing in storage, or may be obtained on an as-needed basis from outside sources. In addition, one or more of these may be generated and/or edited during the video presentation/insertion clip production process according to this method. It is noted that steps  801 ,  803 , and  809  may be done simultaneously, or in any convenient order. In a step  817 , placed product references  807  are obtained, such as text, graphics, audio, effects, and so forth as previously described. It is noted that placed product references  807  may depend on the data requirements of insertion clip pattern  811  and the templates therein. 
         [0072]    Then, in a step  819 , the frames in the video presentation which are to feature product placement are identified as product placement frames  821 . The manner in which frames are identified has been previously discussed. Following this, the virtual product (artwork  805 ) is injected into selected product placement frames  821  in a step  823  to produce a video presentation  829  featuring product placement, which is delivered in a step  825 . 
         [0073]    Next, in a step  827  product placement frames  821  (with placed product artwork  805  injected thereinto) are selected and combined for the insertion clip, and in a step  831 , these are injected into the templates of insertion clip pattern  811  according to insertion assembly script  813 . Then in a step  833 , placed product references  807  are injected into the templates of insertion clip pattern  811  to produce an insertion clip  837 , which is delivered in a step  835 . 
       Method for Dynamically Producing an Insertion Clip Referencing a Pre-Existing Video Presentation Featuring a Product Placement 
       [0074]      FIG. 9  is a flowchart of a method according to an embodiment of the present invention for producing an insertion clip that references a pre-existing video presentation featuring a product placement. 
         [0075]    In a step  901  a pre-existing video presentation  929  is obtained. It is noted that pre-existing video presentation  929  may be either stored on storage media for future playback, or may be a transmission or feed of video content that was recorded live and processed for product placement in real-time. In a step  903  virtual product artwork  905  is obtained. It is noted that virtual product artwork  905  may be pre-existing virtual artwork stored locally, or may be obtained from an artwork provider on an as-needed basis. In a step  909  an insertion clip pattern  911  is obtained along with an insertion assembly script  913  and/or an insertion clip schedule  915 . It is noted that insertion clip pattern  911  and/or assembly script  913 , and/or insertion clip schedule  915  may be pre-existing in storage, or may be obtained on an as-needed basis from outside sources. In addition, one or more of these may be generated and/or edited during the insertion clip production process according to this method. It is noted that steps  901 ,  903 , and  909  may be done simultaneously, or in any convenient order. In a step  917 , placed product references  907  are obtained, such as text, graphics, audio, effects, and so forth as previously described. It is noted that placed product references  907  may depend on the data requirements of insertion clip pattern  911  and the templates therein. 
         [0076]    In a step  919 , the frames of video presentation  929  featuring product placement are identified as product placement frames  921 . 
         [0077]    Next, in a step  927  product placement frames  921  (with placed product artwork  905  injected thereinto) are selected and combined for the insertion clip, and in a step  931 , these are injected into the templates of insertion clip pattern  911  according to insertion assembly script  913 . Then in a step  933 , placed product references  907  are injected into the templates of insertion clip pattern  911  to produce an insertion clip  937 , which is delivered in a step  935 . 
         [0078]    A further embodiment of the present invention provides a computer program product for performing the foregoing methods or any variant derived therefrom. The term “computer program product” herein denotes a set of executable commands for a computer, which is incorporated within machine-readable media including, but not limited to: magnetic media; optical media; computer memory; semiconductor memory storage; flash memory storage; and a computer network. The terms “perform”, “performing”, etc., when used with reference to a computer program product herein denote the action of a computer when executing the computer program product, as if the computer program product were performing the actions. The term “computer” herein denotes any data processing apparatus capable of executing, and/or configured to execute the set of executable commands to perform the foregoing methods, including, but not limited to: computers; workstations; servers; gateways; routers; switches; networks; processors; and controllers. 
         [0079]    While the present invention has been described with respect to a limited number of embodiments, it will be appreciated that many variations, modifications and other applications of the invention may be made.