Despite myriad innovations over the years, our experience of television generally remains limited to two senses: sight and sound. However, an intriguing new product aims to change that, bringing smell in to the mix without Smell-O-Vision's complex and expensive need for gases and pipes (for TV deals, see our pick of the best Samsung Serif TV prices).
The Australian streaming platform Binge has launched Scene:Scents, specially crafted candles designed to release smells that match the scenes in a TV show. There are candles for three series so far. A collection for Colin From Accounts series 1 is described as combining scents such as eucalyptus, lemon myrtle, tonka Bean, freshly cut grass, aftershave and – er – 'dog piss'.
BINGE Original: Scene Scents | Smell the Future Today | BINGE - YouTube
Devised with the agency Thinkerbell, there are also candles designed to accompany the series Strife and The Twelve. Different scents are layered in precise quantities so that they release during different scenes in each episode, be that the smell of Aussie Suburbia or a vet's office.
Binge marketing director Fiona King said: “The Scene:Scents candles are a game changer for entertainment buffs, enhancing home viewing with scents that bring iconic TV moments to life. Fans are able to experience the hilariously meet-cute from Colin From Accounts in all its messy, funny glory, complete with vet smells and dog pee - yes, really!"
A pack of Binge's Scene:Scents (Image credit: Binge)
Tom Wenborn, executive creative tinker at Thinkerbell, said: “Candles that smell like obscure things aren’t new. But candles that smell like individual scenes from your favourite shows, precisely layered around a wick that has been produced to burn at an exact speed is kind of fun. While BINGE continues to raise the bar in entertainment quality, initiatives like Scene:Scents aim to revolutionise the way you experience watching."
A poster advertising Binge's Scene:Scents (Image credit: Binge)
Will they catch on? Smell-O-Vision and AromaRama never really took off, partly because of their cost and complexity, and disappointing experiments in cinemas in the early 1960s. The film Scent of Mystery was widely panned because smells would be too weak in certain parts of the cinema, would mix together or would reach people after the corresponding scene had passed. Scented candles seem like a much more practical approach, making use of a more low-fi technology that many people already use in the home. Whether they really release on time, and whether people see them as anything more than a novelty, is another matter.
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Joe is a regular freelance journalist and editor at Creative Bloq. He writes news, features and buying guides and keeps track of the best equipment and software for creatives, from video editing programs to monitors and accessories. A veteran news writer and photographer, he now works as a project manager at the London and Buenos Aires-based design, production and branding agency Hermana Creatives. There he manages a team of designers, photographers and video editors who specialise in producing visual content and design assets for the hospitality sector. He also dances Argentine tango.
