Better Internet Video

I’ve always wondered if I’d ever be confident enough to appear on live TV and today I found out that it’s not quite as nerve-racking as I feared. Public speaking (without having an interviewer to ask questions) is probably scarier, so I definitely owe a debt of gratitude to Toastmasters for helping me conquer my fears of being in the spotlight. What are your fears? Have any of them kept you from putting yourself out there in a YouTube video?

I’ve seen so many cheesy wedding videos with cheap graphics and awful transitions that I’ve had to be clear with people that I’m not a wedding videographer. Recently, however, I’ve been blown away by the incredibly high quality that wedding videos have taken. Before, when I heard talk of wedding video I think of the worst possible quality. But now, there’s almost been a 180-degree shift. Okay, yeah, I’ll say it: wedding video is actually cool.

1. The biggest reason for higher production value is the invention of digital still cameras (DSLR’s) that can shoot video, which allow a highly skilled photographer to now double as a highly skilled cinematographer.
2. The second reason why I believe that producing wedding video is no longer career suicide for a video producer: YouTube has given us a license to be as funky and creative as we like. With the popularity of dancing bride-and-groom videos, it’s clear that fun is in.
3. Even if you’re not an event videographer, you can still be part of a couple’s wedding festivities with carefully crafted videos that can play before during the reception or to announce the wedding to family and friends.

YouTube is a goldmine for quirky, irreverent and candid-camera videos, but what about when you’re craving something on par with the movies and shows you have saved on your TiVo? Finding new and edgy entertainment-based content on the web can require a lot of patience to sift through all the stuff that’s out there. That’s where Vimeo sets itself apart, staking a place for filmmakers to showcase their short films without being lost among all the video slideshows, video blogs and screen capture videos that seem to dominate the web. Check out Vimeo’s list of their 25 favorite videos of 2009 and you’ll feel like you’ve just gotten a free ticket for a short film festival. To all aspiring filmmakers out there: prepare to be inspired.

In recent news, it was announced that YouTube is now the 2nd most popular search engine on the web. What’s that mean? It means YouTube has topped out Yahoo, Bing and every other search engine on the web and is now 2nd only to Google. Let’s face it, YouTube is everywhere and it’s being embraced by people from all walks of life from around the world. That idea of YouTube as the voice of “Main Street” was taken even further yesterday when President Obama did an interview with questions taken directly from the webcams of YouTube users. Watching this I kept thinking about what an exciting time it is to be online and to have the opportunity to have your voice heard.

Starting today, FreeEnterprise.com is hosting an exciting contest to award the person who can give the create the most compelling example of why they represent Free Enterprise. I love this contest because it’s right in line with the reason I created BIV, to help the dreamers dream big — whether it be an aspiring filmmaker or a business person looking to tap into the power of YouTube. The videos don’t need to be professionally done to win the contest. The most important thing is to having compelling content that will help the video go viral. The 25 most viral videos will then be narrowed down by a panel of judges. See their website (above) for full contest rules. Deadline for entries is April 9, 2010. Word to the wise: the sooner you submit your video, the sooner you can begin your viral marketing campaign to help it go viral.

I have to hand it to Domino’s. They’ve really taken the idea of social media and led the charge by embracing the 2-way conversation of Web 2.0 and using it to build a better business. This is a conservation I often have with my video production clients when they’re hesitant about making the move toward social media and letting public opinions become visible for the world to see. Negative comments and criticism isn’t something to fear but embrace. Now, while this video by Domino’s is a little bit salesy and a little bit long (3 minutes is now agreed by many experts to be the max length for effective web video), I love this video. I love the way Domino’s embraces their warts and all and made this “documentary” feel like the story of an underdog triumphing all in spite of the odds.

What are your thoughts? Does this video make you want to eat their pizza or tell your friends about them, or better yet, does it make you want to see Part 2 of the video?

Anyone who’s followed the trends of social media can tell you– it pays to be yourself. And what does that mean exactly? In my humble definition, being yourself means being authentic, transparent, self-deprecating, etc. Another idea that was reinforced for me in this video is that social media success also means giving up control and letting your fans take the reigns so your message can take on a life of its own. Click play on the video above to see how a silly name like “Mr. Splashy Pants” can accomplish more than an organization could have ever hoped for by taking themselves oh-so-seriously. What are your thoughts? Does this video connect ideas together of anything you’ve read, heard or experienced?

Camcorders like the Flip Mino fit in the palm of your hand, are great for traveling, easy to use and cost under $200. So, what could be the downside? The potential problem with these awesome and tiny cameras is that they produce tiny (i.e. compressed) file sizes, which can often be difficult to deal with when it comes time to edit them with a NLE (non-linear editor). Now, if your plan is to upload video to the web without doing any editing at all, the question of NLE compatibility won’t be an issue. If you are planning on editing your footage, please read on…

Because these camcorders shoot in a compressed format, not all editing software will recognize the footage when you try to import it in. Here’s one user who found a list of workarounds for his Flip Mino HD. Before buying your camcorder, I would try doing a google search for “importing [insert camcorder name here] footage into [insert editing program here]“. If all else fails, just save the receipt and be prepared to return the camcorder if there are workarounds that are too big of a headache than you you want to deal with.

In 2007, the most viewed YouTube videos were mostly user-generated content. In 2008, the Top 10 list saw a lot of music videos with high production value making the list. In this recap for 2009, you’ll see that user-generated content still has merit when it comes to producing a video with the potential to go viral. To quote Hubspot, the authors of the book Inbound Marketing, the key to going viral is to produce “remarkable” content and because the social media world is all about authenticity, it’s always good to show transparency whenever possible.

For the full list of the top 9 videos of 2009 and one writer’s thoughts on the keys to viral video success, check out this blog post by Reel SEO.

Here’s the YouTube sensation that’s been all the buzz lately. Videos like this are one of the major reasons why BetterInternetVideo.com was created. If a guy in Uruguay can post a video on a Thursday and have his inbox full of emails from Hollywood producers the following Monday, then it’s clear that anyone can make it in the entertainment industry and YouTube is no longer just a spot for amateur videos of our cat. It’s also a place to put our best foot forward and get recognized, regardless of what industry we’re in. Fede Alvarez, we salute you!

According to his post on a forum for CG Society, it took him one year of post-production to create all the visual effects in this video. The software he used was Premiere, After Effects, Photoshop, 3dMax, Boujou, Glu3d and FumeFx. He also gives credit to aparato.tv for the detail work in the robots.