Cool example of what can be done with high-end cameras and remote control helicopters
Filed under: Elsewhere, New Media, Technology, Video
September 30, 2011 • 9:29 pm 1
Elsewhere: Why is Video Hard? Five Shots and Patterns
Never heard of this method before, but it sounds liks something that could jumpstart a lot of beginning new media people. Give it a read! — Douglas
Why is Video Hard? Five Shots and Patterns
[…]
“One of the most famous, and useful of these, is Michael Rosenblum’s “five shot” method that he developed training journalists from the NY Times to the BBC. It’s actually something he’s preached since the late 1990s, and those who are fortunate enough to learn it get an insight into shooting better video, immediately.
I’ve successfully used this in the classroom to teach visual literacy, because it hones in immediately on what’s important. The five shot method always prescribes these, shot in this exact order (my handout here):
- A closeup on the hands of a subject – showing WHAT is happening
- A closeup on the face – WHO is doing it
- A wide shot – WHERE its happening
- An over the shoulder shot (OTS) – linking together the previous three concepts
- An unusual, or side/low shot – providing story-specific context”
Filed under: Elsewhere, In The Field, New Media, Tips
August 19, 2011 • 3:10 pm 0
Elsewhere Online: Web Content Corner With Jenni Powell: 5 Things Not To Do On A Web Project Shoot…And What To Do Instead
My friend, @EditorLiam, pointed out this great article on how to treat your cast and crew, no matter how small your project or shoot. — Douglas
While both the acting unions and the Writer’s Guild now have New Media divisions to set guidelines and rules for the protection their members, generally actual shoots for web-based projects don’t have such guidelines and rules in place. Some choose to run their sets much like television and film sets, as many people working in the web space have TV and film backgrounds. Some projects, especially first-person projects such as lonelygirl15 or the work of Philip DeFranco, don’t require as stringent guidelines because of the bare-bones nature of their sets and crew needed.
Having worked on both film sets when I used to be a filmmaking assistant at the Los Angeles Film School to producing a great number of web shoots from scripted series to the before-mentioned first-person projects, I’ve seen a lot of things that just generally should not be happening.
Filed under: Elsewhere
May 2, 2011 • 8:31 am 1
Podcast Highlight: Podcast Perspective with Steve Riekeberg
My friend, and fellow Friends in Tech Member, Steve Riekeberg recently launched a new podcast about podcasting. If you are looking for great introductory information into the world of podcasting, this is a great place to start. — Douglas
Podcast Perspective is the podcast about everything podcasting and new media, bringing practical tips, tools, and techniques to take your production to the next level. My passion is podcasting and new media! Whether you’re a veteran, or you’re just getting started, I want to help you turn your show in to a great one!
April 15, 2011 • 9:16 am 0
Elsewhere Online: How to get the most out of your iPhone as a reporting tool
Some great advice on using your iPhone for journalism or any new media production, including software and hardware recommendations — Douglas
How to get the most out of your iPhone as a reporting tool
Increasingly, iPhones are becoming acredible, convenient and reliable tool for journalists –both amateur and professional– to use in the field. Mobile reporting was even the topic of a UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism course taught by Jeremy Rue to help journalists learn how to get the most out of reporting from a mobile device.
Filed under: Elsewhere, Hardware, In The Field, iPhone, News, Software
March 31, 2011 • 1:01 pm 1
360 Panoramic Lens for iPhone – New Kickstarter Project
I came across this new Kickstarter project for a 360 Panoramic Lens that allows you to take 360 interactive video on your iPhone 4. A $50 pledge gets you on of the products if the project gets fully funded.
I could see making use of something like this for my Places LA videos where I try to make viewers feel as if they are actually at the location.
What could you do with a lens like this? Let me know in the comments.
Filed under: Elsewhere, Hardware, iPhone, New Media, Software, Technology, Wordpress
March 7, 2011 • 4:42 pm 1
Promote your favorite podcasts and help other listen/watch
From Careers in New Media with Douglas E. Welch…
!
You may have noticed my recent posting series, “Recently Listened Podcasts“. Each week I collect the list of shows I have listened to (or watched, for video shows) and place that in my blog with links back to iTunes.
As someone interested in New Media, may I ask you to do the same on your blog, Facebook, Twitter, etc?
There is a lot of great content out there in the New Media world, but it can still be difficult for the average person to find and download shows that might be of interest to them. Help them out by highlighting your favorite shows and, when you can, help them subscribe and listen to podcasts. I often take a few minutes to introduce my computer consulting clients to podcasts whenever I am with them. This is especially true of clients who are purchasing their first iPod, iPhone of iPad. I try to recommend shows that already meet their interests and even give them a quick walk-through of how to find, subscribe, listen and watch to podcasts.
As podcasters and new media professionals, we can all do more to get the word out about great podcast content and help others find shows that can entertain, educate and enlighten.
March 5, 2011 • 12:19 am 1
Video: Crazy Downhill Urban Bike Race Caught On Helmet Cam
Are your sharing your most exciting moments on video? They don’t have to be as exciting as this crazy run in a Chilean bike race, but they should be exciting to you. Are you capturing video at your event, no matter how large are small? Are you sharing what it feels like to be at your event for those who can’t be there in person? Don’t underestimate the power of video to move people to excitement, action or even disgust, when needed.
Sharing video, no matter how basic, creates and bond and starts a conversation. This video gave me a feeling of what it is like to careen down that course. I even shouted out a few times as the rider left a ramp without being able to see the landing. Sure, it would have been really cool to be there, but this video gave me a chance to experience something I will probably never do in person. How cool is that?
Filed under: Elsewhere, In The Field, New Media, Real World Example, Video
January 20, 2011 • 7:30 pm 3
Super Happy Vlog House – This Saturday – Ojai, CA
SHVH Update for Saturday Jan 22, 2011
Here’s an update of schedule and activies for this Saturday’s Super Happy Vlog House.
This is an open and free event where we learn, share and play with web video, blogs and the like. Come and geek out for the day at the beautiful Ojai Digital Dojo with others who are passionate about making video. All levels are welcome, beginners to experts.
There are both scheduled and unstructured activities. Feel free to come for the whole day or just the parts that interest you and fit into your schedule. Drop-in’s are welcome.
Likely Activities (it’s up to you what we do):
- 8am - Jim Joseph‘s coffee and morning geek talk. Jim makes the best coffee. Truly.
- 9am – Alicia’s Ojai Guest House breakfast for those who stay over Friday night or come early on Saturday. Fresh eggs from our chickens. UPDATE: belgium waffles!
- 10am – Welcome and introductions. Self organize the day’s activities.
- 11am – What’s new with HTML5 video? Lots of fun examples.
- Noon – Pot luck lunch and BBQ, hot dogs (beef or vegie), sausages, burgers.
- 1pm – How to add fun video-related features to your web pages using HTML5, CSS3 and jQuery.
- 2pm – Meet the vloggers. Jim Joseph, Chris Ritke and Tyler Suchmann. Chris will be sharing his experiences making the Ojai Artists Video and Jim will be leading a demonstration around ball room dancing music. UPDATE: Social media pioneerDouglas E. Welch said he’s hoping to join us!
- 3pm – Internet Archive Cleanup Day – A tour of the Internet Archive, new features and a call to action.
- 3:30pm 4pm - Vlog walk. Join us for a video walk and visit with local vlogger friends like artist Uta Ritke, plus a stop for a snack or tasty beverage in Meiners Oaks.
- 5pm – Dinner, pot luck. Tri-tip, chicken, pulled pork, fried rice, beans, salad.
- 6pm – Open video and web clinic. Get help with your projects; collaborate with others. Edit and post that cool video you shot today.
- 7pm – Next to Heaven: vlog screenings. Whiskey and cigars, ports and chocolate.
This is a free event. We’ll organize some sort of pot luck lunch and dinner; please bring something or toss a few bucks into the kitty if you can. This is an adult friendly event with wine, beer and frank discussions. Children are welcome if accompanied by an adult.
For additional information, please leave a comment, email markus.sandy@gmail.com or call 805-798-0436.
Overnighters are welcome. First come, first serve on rooms, beds, couches and the RV. Pleanty of room for camping if that is your style and weather permits.
Rain or shine.Labels: ojai digital dojo, supper happy vlog house, vlog
December 22, 2010 • 1:27 pm 1
Elsewhere Online: Vimeo Video School Offers Free Tutorials to Help Improve Your Video Skills [How To]
Just to type of thing I like to share here on New Media Interchange — something to help everyone take advantage of New Media tools. Check it out!
If you’re looking to get started with your new video camera or just refine your skills, Vimeo’s just launched their Video School with some excellent tutorials from Vimeo users and pros alike.
I’ve always had a special place in my heart for Vimeo. They offer a nice, simple video service with a cool community and some amazing content. Last night I received an email from Vimeo about their new effort to help you make some of that amazing content: Vimeo Video School.
Vimeo Video School Offers Free Tutorials to Help Improve Your Video Skills [How To] via Lifehacker .
Filed under: Elsewhere, New Media Prescription
November 21, 2010 • 12:10 am 3
New Media Gift Guide #10: Blue Microphones Yeti USB Microphone
NMI Founder, Douglas E. Welch, is running a New Media Gift Guide on his Careers in New Media blog. Here is #10 in the guide, with links to all the past items.
#10 Blue Microphones Yeti USB Microphone
I was reading the Podcasters mailing list this week and saw mention the the Blue Snowball mic I mentioned earlier is being discontinued. This new USB microphone, the Yeti, is taking its place in the product line and has some good reviews. One major enhancement is the inclusion of an headphone jack to allow real-time monitoring when you are recording. This is a limitation of USB mics in that trying to monitor them through the computer induces a delay in the audio and makes it nearly impossible to listen to yourself while you record.
Certainly worth checking it out and I plan on doing that as soon as I can.
All Gift Guide Recommendations:
- # 9 Rode VideoMic Directional Video Condenser Microphone
- # 8 Apple Final Cut Express Video Editing Software
- # 7 GoPro HD HERO Camera – Wearable 1080p HD Video and Still Photo Camera
- # 6 Samson C01U Condenser Microphone
- # 5 Podcasting for Dummies
- # 4 Blue Microphones Snowball USB Microphone
- # 3 Joby GP1 Gorillapod Flexible Tripod
- # 2 Flip UltraHD Video Camera
- # 1 Zoom H1 Handy Portable Digital Recorder
October 12, 2010 • 8:10 pm 2
Ignore ALL New Media advice — maybe even this
From Careers in New Media with Douglas E. Welch
After 6 years of podcasting and a deep immersion into the New Media world I find myself wondering if we all need to stop listening to New Media pundits and just GET ON WITH IT!
As with any new trend, meme, idea, service, product, whatever — there will always be those who think themselves experts in exactly how it should be done. You must post 1.4 Twitter messages each day, each being only 120 characters (to allow for Retweets and blog 2, 500-word blog posts each day, each with a call to action and comments specifically written to your target niche., etc, etc, etc.
Talk about sucking the life out of something!
My own advice, which you are — of course — free to ignore, is to “DO” New Media in whatever way seems fit, in whatever method seems fun or useful, on whatever time frame fits your schedule, directed at whatever audience you care to address. JUST DO IT!
Following too much advice can be more damaging than following too little. Each new pundit, each new expert hones and grinds New Media in their image. They take all that was new and exciting about New Media and turn it into yet another widget that can be commoditized and sold. They reduce the power of these new tools down to a lowest common denominator that seeks to serve everyone, but only seeks to serve them with mediocrity.
What good is it if you simply get better and better and doing what everyone else is doing? If you use New Media tools like everyone else in the crowd you become just one more anonymous figure within that crowd. New Media gives us the ability to stand out from the crowd, find our audience and make a difference in the world. Why squander it being the same as everyone else?
Every new idea goes through this phase? Goth was cool and edgy, now it can be bought in the mall. Punk music was loud and downright dangerous, now its commoditized just like Top 40 pop. Blogging used to be cool and cutting edge, now many do it with the same energy and excitement as a burned out accountant might bring.
Start with yourself when you develop your New Media projects. Sure, you can find some interesting ideas among the pundits, but when the advice starts to make everything look the same you would do better to think about how you can make your work different. Different is where new things happen. Different is where big success lies. Different is what keeps you from being swallowed by the big ocean of mediocrity.
What do YOU want out of New Media? How are YOU going to achieve it? What are YOU going to do? After all, if you are just going to do the same as everyone else — why do it at all?
October 7, 2010 • 6:24 pm 1
Elsewhere Online: Facebook’s Blog Import Broken, RSS Graffiti Fixes It
Facebook’s Blog Import Broken, RSS Graffiti Fixes It
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I had posted recently on both my own profile, and the Page that I created for fans of the sitethat the Facebook blog import to Notes feature has been broken for a little while now, and so new blog posts here were not getting added over there.
Well, thanks to a mention on a mailing list by Kreg Steppe, today I discovered a neat little Facebook app called RSS Graffiti. It not only fixed the problem by taking an RSS feed and posting items as they appear on the appropriate Facebook walls, it actually goes one better, by allowing me to enter more than one feed to be posted. Previously, I had to use Yahoo Pipes to create a combined feed in order for two blog’s posts to get posted to a fan page wall, now I can easily do it with RSS Graffiti.
Plus, it seems to work pretty flawlessly, which has never been true of Facebook’s own importer!
Related posts:
- LegalTech RSS FeedHere’s the feed to the Yahoo Pipe I’m using the…
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Related posts brought to you byYet Another Related Posts Plugin.
From The Many Faces of Mike McBride via Facebook’s Blog Import Broken, RSS Graffiti Fixes It.
October 4, 2010 • 1:23 pm 0
Elsewhere Online: WGA Awards Adds Two New Media Categories
Good to see New Media folks garnering some recognition. I expect more award possibilities in the future, too. — Douglas
WGA Awards Adds Two New Media Categories
by Joshua Cohen on October 3rd, 2010In 2009, the WGA East started getting serious about digital media. The then 58-year-old labor union representing writers in motion pictures, television, cable, and broadcast news, began acquiring new media signatories in order to bring web content creators into the fold. By the first half of 2010, the WGA East welcomed at least 43 individuals or companies creating online entertainment into its organization.
September 22, 2010 • 8:32 pm 0
Video: Dot. The world’s smallest stop-motion animation character shot on a Nokia N8
What a great little production. I am always amazed at how much work goes into stop-action animation and doing it at this scale just seems crazy. Here is the info from YouTube.
“Professor Fletcher’s invention of the CellScope, which is a Nokia device with a microscope attachment, was the inspiration for a teeny-tiny film created by Sumo Science at Aardman. It stars a 9mm girl called Dot as she struggles through a microscopic world. All the minuscule detail was shot using CellScope technology and a Nokia N8, with its 12 megapixel camera and Carl Zeiss optics.
See more projects and how the ‘Dot’ film was made at http://www.nokia.com/nseries or http://www.facebook.com/nokia”
Take 1:37 to put a little joy into your life today! (SMILE)
Filed under: Elsewhere, New Media, News, Show, Technology, Video
September 4, 2010 • 12:39 pm 0
Question: WordPress — Is it hype?
This post originally appeared in Careers in New Media…
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NMI Founder, Douglas E. Welch, gets a lot of questions every day and here is a one from today…
- Q: Seth Godin uses TypePad. Is WordPress hyped VS a Reg. Website and using Typepad as your blog platform? I like WP but seems like it has to be watched like a hawk for it not to freeze up or slow down. What will this cost me in WP maintenence fees.
- A: Hmmm, is WordPress hyped? I don’t think so. It does what I need it to do. There is certainly some personal choice and preference involved. I don’t use TypePad myself, but many people seem to, so it must have something going for it.
I find WordPress easy to maintain and manage and the number of plugins available for it make it quite extensible, even for someone like me who really isn’t a programmer, although technology-savvy. I do like having my own install of WordPress on my own web host, as opposed to having my blog hosted elsewhere — at least for my own personal blogs. I do use WordPress.com extensively for other, shared project blogs, though. I even have one blog still hosted at Blogger.com, where I started.
Speed is more a function of your web host and the number of plugins/features you have installed on your WordPress site. As with anything, installing too much cruft can slow it down. I find that the amount of traffic you have is more a concern than the actual software though. WordPress has caching plugins available to help in high-load environments., though, so that can help if you have a really popular web site.
I don’t find I have to “watch it like a hawk” to keep it running. In fact, I don’t think I have ever had a problem with WordPress other than those I have caused myself through badly configured plugins or themes. You should be able to maintain WordPress by yourself, as typically it only involves clicking a few buttons and waiting for the upgrade. In fact, I always recommend that bloggers know how to control and maintain their own blogs, rather than relying on someone else — especially if that person is charging by the hour for basic maintenance.
The new automated upgrade utilities built into WordPress make it almost a plug and play environment. Most web hosts have a one/two-click install for WordPress, making it even easier.
Overall, I like WordPress, both self-hosted and hosted at WordPress.com. It serves me well and I regularly recommend it to others.
Do you have a question? Why not drop me a line? Use the Comments link above, send email to me@douglasewelch.com or call the voice mail line at 818-804-5049
Filed under: Elsewhere, Member, New Media, Opinion, Question and Answer, Software, Wordpress
September 3, 2010 • 11:31 am 0
Question: How do I make automatic backups of my WordPress blog database?
This post originally appeared in Careers in New Media…
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NMI Founder, Douglas E. Welch gets lots of New Media questions every day and here is a one from today…
- Q: How do I easily backup my WordPress database (the file that holds all your posts, comments, etc). Why should you backup your WordPress Database? If not, am I in danger of losing all my blog posts due to hacking, upgrade issues or other technical mistakes?.
- A: Yes, failing to backup your WordPress database could lead to the loss of all your blog content if there is an issue. There are a variety of ways to backup your WordPress database. The usual method is to use the database manager page at your web host’s site to manually run a backup to a text file and then download the text file. Doesn’t sound very easy or fun, does it. When I switched over to WordPress a few years ago I was determined to find an easier, and more automatic way, to do backups.
Enter WordPress Database Backup, a free WordPress plugin available from austinmatzko.com.
On each of your self-hosted WordPress blogs, download and install this plugin and then activate it via the WordPress Dashboard. Once installed, you can force an immediate backup that can be downloaded to your local computer or, and I prefer this method, an automatic backup which wakes up and then emails the backup file. I keep a separate Gmail account just for this purpose.
Now, whenever there is a WordPress upgrade, I check to make sure there was a recent automatic backup and then proceed with the upgrade, secure in the knowledge that all my content is safe.
Do you have a question? Why not drop Douglas a line? Use the Comments link above, send email to me@douglasewelch.com or call the voice mail line at 818-804-5049.
Filed under: Elsewhere, Member, New Media, Question and Answer, Real World Example, Wordpress
August 27, 2010 • 11:17 am 0
Turning your Passion into your Personal Brand at Sizzlecaster.com
NMI Founder, Douglas E. Welch, did a short interview via Skype video today with Tracy Pattin of Sizzlecaster.com. Tracy is starting this new show and business to help with “Turning your Passion into your Personal Brand.” They talk about the how and way of moving forward with your own personal branding.
You can find Tracy’s complete blog post at Sizzlecaster.com.
August 16, 2010 • 11:57 pm 0
Show recommendation: FilmRiot from Revision3
This post originally appeared in “Careers in New Media“…
I had some open time in the last few days and I have spent some time finding sites and shows that can help you make your New Media projects even better.
The first show I am highlighting is FilmRiot from Revision3. The production quality is quite high and the content is very good. There is a bit of silliness in each episode, but in reviewing several episodes I found some really good hints, tips and tricks you can put to use today. Embedded below is a recent episode entitled “Turn Your Tripod Into a Dolly or Jib!: Learn how to use your tripod as a dolly or jib, then learn about using different camera techniques to enhance your story.” These are simple hints, but for those of us working on small budgets and with heavy time constraints, they can quickly bump up the quality of our projects.
You can subscribe to FilmRiot and download previous episodes from the FilmRiot site.
Filed under: Elsewhere, New Media, podcast, Show, Tips, Video
March 31, 2010 • 3:30 pm 1
Elsewhere Online: How Adam Carolla Became a Podcast Superstar from Fast Company
Fast Company has an interesting story on Adam Corolla and his turn to podcasting after the ending of his traditional radio show. This is an interesting look inside the world of entertainment-oriented podcasting — podcasts that seek to make money as entertainment in their own right, as opposed to shows used to support a company, product or service.
How Adam Carolla Became a Podcast Superstar
BY: ELLEN MCGIRTApril 1, 2010
Adam Carolla is a master builder who created this glass office. His next project? Building his podcast network to profitability. | Photographs by Jeff Minton
Radio-and-TV personality Adam Carolla stumbled into podcasting and immediately became its No. 1 star. Now he’s launching his own broadcasting network. Inside the messy birth of a new medium.
Filed under: Elsewhere, New Media, Real World Example
