Momentshowing

What is a videoblog?

Ever since we all starting videoblogging as a community in 2004, we have been arguing/discussing/defining the term "videoblog". Richard BF in Australia has continued to maintain a very strong drive of keeping the definition very basic.

Link: The definition of videoblogging as a genre - Richard BF.
His explanation is well thought out.  I'm still processing his logic flow.
In his comments, I already see people who are angry because it leaves them out.

Why do we need definitions?
Well, you don't.
BUT definitions does make it easier to discuss adn evolve an emerging artform, which is what I think videoblogging is.

As always, if you don't like Richard's definition, make your own. Blog about it.
The Conversation.

Amercian King

Chris Weagel's American King is now opened to the public!

It's a documentary of sorts posted twice a week over a period of weeks.
The true story of a young man who has a pretty interesting view on life.
Chris has told me to be as non-specific as possible so I dont taint anyone's expectations.

American King is also the first successfully funded project from HaveMoneyWillVlog.com.
In 4 days, The community raised $1000. This money gives Chris time to get a bunch of videos in the can so he can release videos in a timely fashion. It hopefully also gives Chris a show of support for his great work.

Let me tell you why I like American King:
Daily shows are becoming very popular in the Videoblogging world. I think the TV industry really gets into the idea of short, daily content. I'm personally not so interested because it reminds me of "distraction entertainment". It's the "i'm bored at work. Make me laugh."  There is certainly a place for this kind of video. Topical. Breezy. Light. Fun. It's here and then forgotten. Next thing.

Chris has made a name for himself creating the universe of Human Dog. Like an HBO series,  the story is told in parts. Each part informs the later videos. A rich, complex world is formed. The stortelling of Amercian King assumes that the viewer will follow along and learn the world. Like an HBO show, the story begins and will eventually end. Complexties and subtleties are the highlights.

In my mind, Chris is using videoblogging to create new archetypes. He's making examples of what this new generation believes. Garrett, the star of AK, is not a nice guy. He's likeable if you have a sick sense of humor...which more than a few of us do. We are not always pretty and PC. Will the future look to Dawson's Creek to see how the young kids relate? I hope not, but if we don't make our own visions...Dawson's Creek will be all they have to look at.

Chris Weagel is only 24. Like any young artist, he's just discovering his voice and refining his craft. As a community we can support people who are telling the stories we know to be true. (God knows he will have trouble getting support from traditional outlets.) And in this way, we can help record a different history for the future so they remember us for who we really are.

American King comes out every Tuesday. Subscribe with this RSS feed.

Phil

I'm such a huge fan of Phil Torrone (now at Make Magazine).
He recently posted the above video critiquing a new piece of video software.

I remember his podcasts for Engadget when podcasts Adam Curry and Dave Winer were still best friends.
Phil's style is always low-key and curious.
He is usually underwhelmed by the "wow" of technology...yet gets excited when he sees ways to make the technology his own. This shit is ours to play with. No hype with this kid.
I hope he makes it to Vloggercon.

Super Happy Dev House

Ryan and I went to the 9th gathering of Super Happy Dev House.
It's a semi-regular party put on by David Weekly where developers can work on projects from 7pm-7am.

I love developers.
It's exciting to be around people who feel empowered to build things that solve problems.
Just like I love artists who make the media they want to see.
This is how things change.

But why should I just talk about it?
Ryan and I shot this video to SHOW you.

click here to download

Ryan's world

Ryan and I are leaving New York and moving to San Francisco.
She made an awesome video showing all of our stuff that we sold on ebay and Craig's List.
(Ryan also did most of the work that's why she had all the photos.)

permalink

We sold almost everything we own except for a couple bags of our personal belongings. We really didn't have that much stuff, but it was still a lot of junk. Ryan was creative enough to make something so personal and fun out of our money making scheme. She's good.

All day long, we've been fighting over dumb things. The stress has gotten to us a little.
So as she sleeps and I'm wide awake because I can't sleep....I'm posting this so I can remember how it feels as I'm about to tear up everything I've planted here in NYC and start over.

I'm really not a stranger to picking up and moving, but I made some strong relationships in Manhattan, did some good work, and felt really comfortable probably for the first time in my life.

San Francisco. I'm working with some great guys at FireAnt.tv. Distributing video on the web is the future, and it's good to help build that. The technology challenge is such a small part. What will people's role in it be? Passive viewers or active participants? Or something else. How do people want it to fit together? What do we want it to look like? These are the places I'm excited about jumping into.

Anyway, I'm glad to be doing all this with Ryan. She makes me smarter.

"While I was Art-making"

This post is about a videoblog post I just watched.
But first let me tell you a story.

For the first year of Videoblogging, it was pretty easy to keep up with every regular videoblog on the web. There was one email list where people connected to each other, gossiped, and argued.
This was where we figured about RSS feeds...with enclosures...and the right compression settings.
We learned how to make video for this 320x280 screen, how much of ourselves we could put out there, and tried to find language to explain what we doing.
So we talked a lot and experimented.

Videoblogging started exploding as big companies like Apple started paying attention.
Podcasters were getting as popular as they could.
Videobloggers started doing amazing things.
Everyone had their own ideas what to do with it.
Andrew Baron started scaring the shit out of commercial TV with Rocketboom by showing that it was possible to get huge audiences with a small financial investment.
Others started just having fun and posting anything that came to mind.
We even started building our own tools(here, here, here, here, here)
The Wild West had begun.
Video on the internet was really here and no one was in control.
No rules.
Nothing to really give guidance as to what would come next.
Anyone could be right.

More email lists sprung up. Everyone's talking and posting videos.
People argued over "what is a videoblog"?
Purists tore apart anything that felt like traditional TV programing. A videoblog had to be personal.
Defenders said that we could do TV better. A videoblog was just a video in a blog.
People explored cool, new formats and styles. Pushing pushing.
Collaboration could thrive.
Evilvlog pissed everyone off.

Money.
Oh, the conversations about how to make money videoblogging.
Ads? Text ads on the page? Ads in the videos? Ads only at the end of videos? Only cool ads from companies I like? Maybe sponsorship? Product placement?
Will accepting money taint a videoblog?
Could you make a really good regular videoblog without being paid?

And all this discussion continues up to this moment.
One of the offshoot Videoblogging lists I'm on is the VlogTheory group.
It's a really great group of people. Small. Lots of brain power.
Long conversations about definitions, possibilities, predictions, visions.
And crap. But I love it all.
Why we talk and write so much about video is funny to me.
I post so few videos now a days...though I write so much.
Yet video is what I love.
I go in cycles because I like my videos to mean something to me.
At times I get so into life that I don't have time to look at it, record it, and reflect.

So I've been watching a lot of other people's videos.
Daniel Liss posted a video tonight to the Vlog Theory list that shows why I love videoblogging.
He demonstrates the difference between theory and practice.
He shows how a videoblog is made in the normal course of a day.
He explores why a videoblog can simultaneously be different from a TV show can borrow the same language.
He also shows himself. This is how we al get smarter.

Just watch it here.

When press is good...

Who says all journalism is bad?

Josh Leo had an article written about him in his local paper in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Here it is.
Josh even put some photos of the paper here and here.
He got some of the props he deserves.

The journalist did a good job understanding what personal videoblogging is all about.
He even has a videoblog now.

Josh Leo is also starting a Node in Grand Rapids. It'll be held at the progressive Community TV station in his city.

VIDEO: Carp Caviar, a collaborative project

Erik Nelson of Bottom Union asked the videobloggers to create a promo for his Carp Caviar month.
Check out his ste to see the other promos. Don't ask me what it's supposed to be...but seems like a good reason to have fun.

Erik is probably one of the most creative videobloggers around, and it was a real pleasure to meet him in Amsterdam in September. Anyone that can get a collaborative videoblog project going is amazing in my book.

Here it is: Carp Caviar.

Ryanne's Video Blog

This past week was Ryanne's one year anniversary videoblogging.
Go check out her special video.

Over the past year, we started dating and even moved in together.
If I look back at the archives of both of our videoblogs, I see how we've grown on each other. We were both desperately trying to find a sustainable alternative to the TV world that both of us came out of.
Blogging with video is the way.

I got to tell you: its a pleasure to watch Ryan in action.
I see how she helps eveyone around with FreeVlog or Node101.
She makes great videos, always documenting and putting it together in meaningful ways. She listens to my crazy ideas and lets me spend hours trying to do them.
She's also beautiful and I love her.

Workshop the method

Randy Wicker is a funny guy because he's always trying to figure out how to ge famous in videoblogging. He's had a long career at throwing himself into traditional media and making sure his voice was heard.

Recenly he said this about videoblogging:

We are all people with stories to share.  We like to think our stories are interesting to others.  Vlogging is an interesting test.  I've done beautiful vlogs that died at birth.  I've done others I thought were mediocre that took off and flew.  I still can't figure out what makes one vlog popular and causes another to get neglected.

"Headlines" sell newspapers and "titles" definitely help to attract viewers to vlogs.  Likewise, having a consistent format like "Drinking with Bob" where viewers knew they are going to get 90 seconds of mad ranting helps to build a following.  Same goes for Rocketboom and other vloggers.

I think of vloggers as being like comics at comedy workshops.  they try various lines and see which ones please the audience and provoke a response.  That is the way they hone their craft.  So vlogging is really a new "trade" or "craft".  Some will be outstanding and others will fail miserably.

The nice thing is that we can continually attempt to improve and reinvent ourselves until we find a niche where we and our public are comfortable coming together.

So here is a good example of how a performer approaches videoblogging.
Unlike me who is simply documenting and archiving my life for myself, Randy wants a big audience. He wants influence.
In this sense, videoblogging is absolutely a craft that must be honed.