4D Powers the Web World of Director David Lynch

From his Academy Award nominated Mulholland Drive to the television series Twin Peaks, director David Lynch has gained a strong following for his unique cinematic vision, one that consistently stands out among those found in other films. Lynch’s Web site, DavidLynch.com now brings his artistic originality to life on the Internet. The site is composed of a number of innovative features such as chat, postcards, and an e-commerce store, all of which are further strengthened by Lynch’s creativity as a filmmaker. Eric Bassett, the managing consultant of DavidLynch.com, knew that a strong, seamless combination of technologies was needed to match the powerful ideas that would be presented on the David Lynch Web site. "DavidLynch.com features original content by David Lynch, produced exclusively for the Internet," said Bassett. "We knew that we needed a solution that could handle the diverse features we wanted to implement in a powerful, reliable way."

DavidLynch.com uses 4D to bring creativity on the Web to an entirely new level. With a wealth of compelling content and artwork backed by a dynamic Web environment, the site boasts features including an online store, chat rooms, electronic greeting cards, and much more, which have all been built with 4D technologies. "Our entire presence is delivered by 4D," notes Bassett. "We use 4D Server to host our database and custom Internet application. These applications then interface with 4D Business Kit to run the David Lynch online store, and our Web servers are all running 4D WebSTAR. We also use 4D Portal to deliver our Chat and Postcards solutions." With a seamlessly integrated package that includes features ranging from chat rooms to an e-commerce store, 4D has delivered the Web technologies needed to power the online presence of one of today’s most innovative filmmakers and artists.

Handling 750,000 Hits a Day with 4D WebSTAR

The popularity of David Lynch and his work can be seen in the large amount of traffic that the David Lynch Web site receives on a daily basis. The speed, stability, and security of the 4D WebSTAR Internet Server Suite helps DavidLynch.com handle this traffic volume with ease and stability. "We get about 750,000 hits a day and the servers are doing great," said Bassett. "The site utilizes a total of four 4D WebSTAR servers, along with the QuickDNS network tool, a plug-in for multi-platform, DNS management. The speed and performance of the 4D WebSTAR solution have been perfect, and as you know, security is never an issue with 4D WebSTAR."

4D Portal Lets Members Chat and Send Greeting Cards

4D Portal, a free Web portal tool for information management, is the backbone of two of the site’s most popular features — chat and postcards. DavidLynch.com hosts two chat rooms that have played an integral role in bringing the entire David Lynch community together online (including David Lynch himself on occasion). "The feedback has been great, and chat is the lifeline of our site," raves Bassett. "4D Portal was great to develop in because it allowed us to create a very customized experience."

The electronic greeting cards of DavidLynch.com are created entirely with the 4D Portal postcard feature. The flexibility of the 4D Portal solution enabled Bassett to easily customize each postcard to display original David Lynch artwork ranging from drawings on napkins to sketches on matchbooks, and more. "Implementing art into the David Lynch postcards was one of the most in-depth things we did with 4D Portal. We integrated the postcards into Flash and completely changed the look of the out-of-the-box portal postcards. Once again, 4D Portal’s flexibility allowed us to do this."

4D Business Kit Presents: The David Lynch Store and Original Series

From DVDs and CDs to t-shirts and coffee cups, the David Lynch Store gives fans the ultimate place to shop for all things David Lynch. The store was built entirely with 4D Business Kit (4DBK), the turnkey e-commerce solution that includes a Web server, optimized Web language, database, and more. 4DBK provided Bassett with a strong combination of features, including flexibility, ease of use, and value. Combining 4DBK with programs such as Flash enabled Bassett to make the David Lynch store as creative and visually stimulating as the rest of the site. "4DBK’s integration with Flash proved to be invaluable to us. We were able to use the 4DBK backend and easily integrate it into our Flash pages." In addition, the easy-to-use interface was key to managing the store efficiently. "4DBK has made us more efficient because the product is so user-friendly," he continues. "The interface is very intuitive and has allowed all levels of our staff to interact with our e-commerce solution. And any time you can host multiple, state-of-the-art online stores with a single package, you are getting a great value."

The Original Series feature on DavidLynch.com allows site members to view original David Lynch creations on a pay-per-view basis. The latest addition to Original Series is the "The DavidLynch.com Cannes Diary," which documents Lynch’s trip to the famed Cannes Film Festival. The pay-per-view system runs on a combination of 4D, 4DBK, and 4D WebSTAR, which allows the site to securely charge visitors for exclusive content.

Already a legend in the world of film and television, David Lynch is also making a mark on the Web with DavidLynch.com. With a winning combination of 4D, 4D WebSTAR, 4D Portal, and 4D Business Kit technologies, the David Lynch Web site brings the groundbreaking artistry of David Lynch online in variety of unforgettable forms and expressions.

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