In a column crafted almost entirely with the printed word, I have to pause this month to pay homage to the virtues of the moving image without words.

Like the silent era, where film began, video or film without dialog can have an almost primal impact on our emotions, like a picture book devoured in earliest childhood before we learned to read. If the wordless film in question is well written, directed, shot, edited and polished, like The Red Balloon, it can be transporting.

A few likely and unlikely recent examples have had this effect on me, from the video “Where in the Hell is Matt?” (www.vimeo.com/1211060) that went viral in early summer, to Pixar’s eloquent tale WALL-E, told mostly through images and a nuanced soundtrack.

And then there is “The Comcast Experience” project, featured in our cover story. The oversized and chameleon-like Barco screen (above), which contracts and expands into various overlapping or seamless live-action and photo-real CGI vignettes in Philadelphia’s Comcast Center lobby, is the obvious centerpiece here. But beautifully crafted and compelling content is the star. As director David Niles says, this is no billboard or simple piece of digital signage. Every story within this whimsically mixed piece of high-def entertainment has a character-driven purpose. The vignettes never combine or repeat in the same way throughout the day, captivating passersby without dialog or even music (the music in your head, or just your iPod, can fill that void).

According to a recent article in the Philadelphia Inquirer, a mix of tourists, college students and those who work in the building or nearby have congregated daily in the lobby since “The Comcast Experience” opened in June just to watch what happens next. They’ve called it cool, amazing, fantastic, even invigorating. In July, Comcast rewarded devotees by showing 10- to 15-minute specials of the best of “The Comcast Experience” once every hour on Saturdays and Sundays. You can watch Barco’s video of “The Comcast Experience” here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=KRaRfeCxzr4.

But if you’re lucky enough to live in or be passing through Philly, you need to stop in and see it for yourself. In the meantime, turn to page 24 and find out (through words and pictures) just how David Niles and his team pulled off this amazing feat.

– Beth Marchant, Editor-in-Chief

bmarchant@accessintel.com