Category Archives: vlog

More about videoblogging

My videoblog is out of action until I resolve my laptop problems. But I recently received email from a Unitarian Universalist who’s thinking about making some hip new online UU video, and wanted to know how to go about doing it. So in lieu of the usual Friday video, I’ll repeat some of the advice I gave to him, in hopes of tempting more of my readers to start making online video.

Question: What’s a good resource to help a newbie start making videos fast?

Answer: A book worth getting is “Secrets of Videoblogging” — it’s a year old and so a little dated now, but the info on compression (codec) is worth the cover price alone. This book also has a good overview of everything from storyboarding, to legal permissions, to technical stuff.

Once I got that book, I just started making videos. At first, I threw most of them away. But it’s really pretty easy to make a short video. So I guess my advice is to just start making videos and see what happens.

Q: What tools do you recommend for making online video? — camcorders, editing software, hosting sites, etc.

A: I use a consumer-grade camcorder, which is more than adequate for the quality you get once you convert a video file for the Web. I have no worthwhile advice on camcorders, because the models change so fast.

For editing software, I use iMovie ’06 on a Mac platform. (iMovie ’08 is apparently a worthless piece of crap, so be warned!) On a Windows machine, Windows MovieMaker is supposed to be perfectly adequate, and essentially equivalent to iMovie ’06.

I upload videos to blip.tv (www.blip.tv). It’s free, and I think they do a better job than YouTube — but YouTube is more than adequate, and has the potential of getting you lots more traffic.

Q: How about making videos for my church’s Web site?

A: First, look around at some of the videos that other Unitarian Universalist churches put on their Web sites, and you’ll see how easy it is to make really boring videos. Too often, the videos on church Web sites look like they were created by a committee (which they probably were), and they are often insipid and dull. And sermons do not translate well to online video, in my opinion — unless you have a professional videographer doing the work.

Q: Any last thoughts?

A: Remember that it takes a fair amount of time to make an online video! It could take me six hours to make a three minute video (two hours to develop a concept and shoot video, four hours to edit and upload).

Friday video: I’m still alive

(1:51)

Conceptual artist On Kawara did a long-running art piece where every day he sent a postcard (or sometimes a telegram) to various friends, giving the date, and saying “I’m still alive.” For all I know, he’s still doing it. I’ve just compressed the concept, and translated it to new media….

I think conceptual art and progressive religion are vaguely related. Worship in the progressive church looks more like conceptual art or a happening or performance art, whereas more traditional worship in the Western tradition looks more like sacred theatre.

Note: video host blip.tv is defunct, so this video no longer exists.

Friday video: Peace rally

Last Saturday (27 October), I went to the New England Mobilization To End the War in Iraq. It felt — strange. Very 1960’s, and not necessarily in a good way. Ranting through megaphones, hippies, people curiously dressed. Blah.

There was at least one speaker who inspired me, however…. (2:32)

The fellow who inspired me, who is featured at the end of the videoblog post above, is actually from the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee. Unfortunately, I didn’t catch his name. His positive, humane vision stood out among all the shrill-voiced “We’ve got to stop the killing now!” and “No more blood for oil!”

And I don’t want to trash the entire peace movement. Last year’s Christian Peace Witness for Iraq felt meaningful (and they’re already planning another one for March 8th, assuming that the United States is still in Iraq). I like some of what the Quakers are doing. But the old-fashioned 1960’s-style peace rallies have got to go.

(Happy birthdays,Abs!)

Note: video host blip.tv is defunct, so this video no longer exists.

Podcamp Boston 2

Podcamp Boston 2 is over, it was inspiring, and here is one reflection on Podcamp (ban Powerpoint presentations!) along with a little about three inspiring sessions I attended.

Oh, and I really mean it about the non-linearity. (3:46)

Note: video host blip.tv is defunct, so this video no longer exists.

Podcamp Boston 2: day one

Today I went to Podcamp. I learned a lot. People wore lots of black. At lunchtime, I went to a peace really. Then I went back. There were laptops everywhere. There was a lot of cheering going on. Tomorrow I get to go back to Podcamp. Woo, hoo! (0:26, wicked short)

Note: video host blip.tv is defunct, so this video no longer exists.

Freighter

The freighter Green Honduras (a reefer out of Nassau, Bahamas, 420 ft. length overall, gross tonnage 7,743) is in port right now. Looks like they’re unloading fruit, perhaps citrus from Africa. I spent some time this afternoon just standing there watching them unload the cargo, and I made this video to justify wasting all that time spent doing nothing. (2:16)

Note: video host blip.tv is defunct, so this video no longer exists.