Category Archives: Blogs on Video

Pratfall Spices Up Viral-Video Panel

Guy falls on stage during panel about viral videoSo I took a deliberate spill while hosting a panel at Streaming Media East called “Creating and Promoting Amateur Videos.” Paul Kontonis, CEO of For Your Imagination, screamed like a teenage girl, but was one of few people that realized it was a joke.

The fall is 1 minutes and 9 seconds in. Warning: Per my YouTube video today explaining this, when you do a pratfall that people think is real, you’ve backed yourself into a corner. If you say “I was just kidding,” you simple make it look like you’re saving face. So I didn’t bother to explain.

You actually may want to watch more of this video because it explores what makes a video viral, and how marketers and amateurs can promote their video using online video sites and blogs. It was an all-star cast (except me): Paul Kontonis, CEO, Co-Founder, For Your Imagination; J. Crowley, Founder, Black20; Ben Relles, Founder and CEO, BarelyPolitical.com (the guy who created Obama Girl); and Kip “Kipkay” Kedersha, Viral Video Producer, Metacafe Top Producer.Here are the rest of the Streaming Media Videos, including a session called “Young People’s Attitudes Toward Online Video,” which includes Dylan of Dylan’s Couch (CinemaFreaks on YouTube). And be sure to comment on the “For Your Imagination” blog. Something like “Nalts is a genius. I can’t believe you signed Xgobobeanx and not him.” And thanks to Jennifer and TubeMogul.com for help embedding this (I finally installed a “Raw HTML” WordPress plug-in so I can insert widget thingies and other Web 4.0 things).

YouTube and Implications of Live Video

RedOrbit reports about YouTube’s plans for live video, but most of the discussion since this Sarah Meyers Pop17 scoop (see below) has centered on the implications to networks.

Says RedOrbit: Back in February, US video blogger and self-styled chronicler of online celebrity Sarah Meyers sidled up to the YouTube founder, Steve Chen, at a New York party and secured something of a scoop. When asked by Meyers when YouTube was going to launch live video streaming, Chen said this had been a long-held ambition and one that was about to be fulfilled with the backing of his company’s deep- pocketed new owner. “Live video is just something that we’ve always wanted to do, but we’ve never had the resources to do it correctly,” he said. “Now with Google, we hope to actually do it this year.”

jetsons_l.jpgSarah was focused more on the possibilities of iJustine and other “famous” first adopters of posting their lives live. Then the media turned its curiosity to live television shows appearing on YouTube, which seems to miss the point entirely (especially since we’re all moving to time-shifted television, and the “live” notion seems to be important only when the content is live, or so important we’ll need it to survive the morning’s water-cooler conversation. There’s an irony here, not unlike this image from the Jetsons. While we could envision flying cars, we couldn’t quite conceive that a TV set might get bigger and actually not need antennas.

If done correctly, live YouTube video can have some fairly significant impact on personal communication, and radically change the way we interact remotely (kinda like the telephone did).

Chronic YouTubers routinely meet on Stickam, a site that allows people to meet in “rooms” or conduct live video shows — where select viewers can appear via video while the rest can interact via chat and messaging.

old_phone.jpgAd-supported live video streams could bring videoconferencing to the mainstream. It seems like just yesterday that I used a device and 56K modem so I could show my grandmother in New Orleans our newborn child (who is now almost 10). Now imagine a quick video call to with your teenager, where you can see their surroundings and ensure they’re sober. Could text messaging be a relic? Will a phone call some day seem as archaic as calling an operator to be patched to a neighbor?

Do you know I was invited to that NYC YouTube event in February, and bailed because I got swamped at the day job? Man do I have my priorities wrong. I would have so stalked Chen.

Best WillVideoForFood Commenters

A toast this evening to what keeps WillVideoForFood going even when readership wanes, I spell things incorrectly, or we go stale for a period.

I can almost always count on a thoughtful remark or clever quip from you regulars… Marquisdejolie, sukatra, jischinger, Marilyn, Zack Scot, Matt, Nutcheese, xjasongarciax, psychomelody, JimmerSD, Mike Abundo, Peter Coffin, Reubnick, maryann712, themighythor1212. Did I miss anyone? Raising a glass to you cool cats.

Thanks, gang. It would be lonely here without you. Lots of quiet industry readers, but it’s much more fun interacting. Speaking of which, how’s that forum going?

willvideoforfood stats

 

If a guy blogged about a tree alone in a forest, does he make a sound?  

Viral Video YouTube Moshup in Weezer’s “Pork & Beans” Music Video

Weezer Pork and Beans Viral Video MontageSome time ago, we were watching Weezer write a song with his audience on YouTube. His blog even mentioned my little post, resulting in fan traffic that oddly didn’t assault me for making fun of his unibrow.

Well now Weezer’s “Pork and Beans” music video has paid even greater homage to YouTube, and has garnered more than 2 million views in the past few days (and probably well more by the time you read this). It showcases the band performing “Pork and Beans,” alongside Chris Crocker, Mentos’ EepyBird, and even on the face of Dramatic Gopher.

The lyrics are below, and the song contains a rather interesting message about being yourself instead of worrying about what others think. I can only hope the line “Timbaland knows the way to reach the top of the charts” is sarcasm, and that Weezer is being slightly ironic by moshing itself with viral-video cliches, while singing such lyrics as “I don’t give a hoot what you think” and “I’m finally dandy with the me inside.” I’m sure any of the viral “weblebrities” that participated in the May production of this music video can attest to the soul-sucking emptiness of the 14 minutes of viral fame.

Parenthetically, you mighta heard about Weezer’s YouTube channel here on WVFF, but even the smaller, less progressive blogs are finally catching on. It’s even getting mentioned by little bitty bloggers like ValleyWag (which once named me one of the hottest guys of the Internet). But let me tell you, “I don’t give a hoot what they think” because I’m “tickled pink” when I look in the mirror (unless it’s a full length one).

Here’s Valleyway’s nice rundown of all of the viral sensatinos that “Pork and Beans” showcases, from “Numa Numa Kid” to “Charlie the Unicorn.” From “Leave Britney Alone” to “Peanut Butter Jelly Time.” And here’s Weezer.com’s announcement of it:

Shot May 7-10 in North Hollywood, CA, this video features a cast of, well, many! And what a cast! An amazing group of well known ‘Youtube celebs’ was tracked down and flown in so they could do their thing(s) with the Weezer men. Its pretty much impossible to properly describe what went down, so just have a look!

If you can’t recognize more than 75% of these clips, friends, then go to your room and start surfing YouTube’s “most watched” videos immediately. Start with the Weezer references, so you can flex your viral muscle by explaining clips of “Pork and Beans” to your less virally inclined buds and family members on Memorial Day.

I’ve even included the lyrics below, in case you want to sing along like Zack Scott (who has been tracking this closely, as the biggest viral video junkie I know who also is clinically obsessed with Weezer).

A final word. Clever folks, those Weezers. Their hardcore fans will argue the band has never “jumped the shark,” but if they had… what an interesting way to sail behind the collective wind of of other motorcycles zooming like Fonzie over netted sharks (see Happy Days “jump the shark” video, thanks to Mary Quickbowlmana). But at the same time, serving up a meaninfull message about being happy inside instead of through the eyes of fickle fans.

Pork and Beans lyrics:
They say I need some Rogaine (paid promotion?) to put in my hair
Work it out at the gym to fit my underwear
Oakley makes the shades (paid promotion?) that transform a tool
You’d hate for the kids to think, that you lost your cool (self referential?)

I’mma do the things that I wanna do
I ain’t got a thing to prove to you
I’ll eat my candy with the pork and beans
Excuse my manners if I make a scene
I ain’t gonna wear the clothes that you like
I’m finally dandy with the me inside (good, guys- I am the soul behnid the unibrow)
One look in the mirror and I’m tickled pink
I don’t give a hoot about what you think

Everyone likes to dance to a happy song
(Hey, hey) With a catchy chorus and beat so they can sing along
(Hey, hey) Timbaland knows the way to reach the top of the charts
Maybe if I work with him I can perfect the art

I’mma do the things that I wanna do
I ain’t got a thing to prove to you
I’ll eat my candy with the pork and beans (which has more sugar than candy)
Excuse my manners if I make a scene
I ain’t gonna wear the clothes that you like
I’m finally dandy with the me inside
One look in the mirror and I’m tickled pink
I don’t give a hoot about what you think
No I don’t care I don’t care

I’mma do the things that I wanna do
I ain’t got a thing to prove to you
I’ll eat my candy with the pork and beans
Excuse my manners if I make a scene
I ain’t gonna wear the clothes that you like
I’m finally dandy with the me inside
One look in the mirror and I’m tickled pink
I don’t give a hoot about what you think
Totally different?

How to Win a Contest (Case Study)

ZackScott, one of my favorite fearless video creators, returns for a guest blog post about winning a recent Xlntads ProQuo contest (disclaimer: Zack and I both contribute to Xlntads as members of a “creative advisor board, and he wins contests while I think about them). Zack told me yesterday, “I’m hoping people think I’m such an asshole when they read it.” See article below, and then click “more” to read some of the techniques Zack deployed.

Zack Scott has a big headHey party people. It’s the Zack Scott again. If you keep up with XLNTads, you might know that I recently won one of the ten prizes for the ProQuo contest that recently ended. I can’t take all of the credit though. My friend Samuel Seide and I both worked hard on putting together a cool video titled “Sick Mailbox.” I’ve decided to write this guest post so that I can give you a behind-the-scenes look at making the video.

I don’t know the exact reasons why our video was a winner, but hopefully analyzing the creative process will provide some insight. Maybe you’ll even find some of this information helpful when it comes to making your own videos. The main requirement of the contest was for the video to be funny while pointing out that ProQuo can help stop physical junk mail.

So my main goal was simply to make a funny video and then worry about how to squeeze the message in later.

proquo mailbox parodySamuel and I initially conceived a talking mailbox that vents its personal frustrations about junk mail. It didn’t really sound like a winning formula on its own, but we figured we could make it really cheesy and go for the “it’s funny because it’s so lame” type of humor. We then decided the mailbox should be sick of junk mail. Literally. And then we’d give him medicine. This turned out to be a great idea because the medicine could be ProQuo! Then the compact florescent light bulbs in our heads lit up, and we decided to do a spoof of those corny pharmaceutical commercials. I think we got a little mercury poisoning. When you see the video, it’s obvious that it is a pharmaceutical commercial spoof. But it may be interesting to know that we didn’t start working and scripting with that in mind. In fact, if I were watching the video for the first time, I would think the talking mailbox was a result of the pharmaceutical concept, not the other way around. I ended up being really pleased with what we did because it all fell together quite nicely. The pharmaceutical concept gave us a great template for a lot of different types of humor. I’m not sure how original it is to portray a product as something else entirely, but it did give us some creative leeway. If you haven’t watched the video yet, watch it now to avoid the spoilers below! 

Note: To read Zack’s techniques, click “more” below.

Continue reading How to Win a Contest (Case Study)

A Plea for Videos Featuring On-Air Talent Rants & Outtakes

Dear production team,

camera man maskedFor years you’ve quietly enjoyed that old Beta tape packed with outtakes of your abusive talent — sharing it only with select friends after dinner (and a cheaper version of the beer your talent drinks on his bloated network expense account). Now you’re seeing your production-crew comrades upload clips of nutcase anchors to YouTube, where the whole world can bask in the wonderfulness of moments. Moments you remember well… like Bill O’Reilly losing his cool.

But you say to yourself, “I may get in trouble if I upload this.” Nonsense. You’ve long since left the domineering and horrid grip of that crack pot. YouTube is anonymous, and it would take an act of God for your former network to get a warrant to even track the ISP from which the clip came (and it would be cost prohibitive, if not bad PR for them to take it further). Don’t let your oppressive talent control you from the grave.

Perhaps you struggle with the ethics of it. To that, you’ll come to your own decision. But consider the utilitarian approach — the minor suffering you inflict upon your former captive will be more than offset by the joy it brings to countless viewers. And keep in mind such moments as when:

  • He sent you for coffee and failed to appreciate your degree. Then he complained about the temperature or lack of cream and/or sugar.
  • He bitched about the fact that you couldn’t get more information to him by air time. What information gathering had he done before he took full credit?
  • She noticed every bad thing that surrounded her, but never got your name right.
  • When the network suits showed up, did he once acknowledge your effort behind the scenes?
  • How about the fit he threw when the mike wasn’t working? Or because he had to wait 4 minutes for you to adjust the lighting so he wouldn’t later complain that you made him look fat?
  • The list goes on. My imagination couldn’t concoct what you have on tape.

Holding a grudge, dear friend, is like drinking poison and expecting your abusive on-air talent to suffer. They’ve long since forgotten you and the torture they inflicted. Now you need to release it. Try years of therapy for catharsis, or one simple upload.

Just set up an anonymous account on YouTube, and upload it! Then post it below by using the video URL when you put in your comment username and URL. Within days the clip will go viral, it will be ripped, and you can then look beyond those dark years of oppression.

Bill O’reilly rapWhile you’re converting that Beta to something you can upload, enjoy this O’Reilly mix (courtesy of Marquisdejolie). It’s as funny as Barely Political’s version

Says the floor director to O’Reilly in Barely Political’s O’Reilly remix: “I’ll bounce this binder off that half-inflated basketball you call a face… screw this up again and we’ll send you over to Fox News.”

Streaming Media East (NYC) on Tuesday, May 20

I’ll be moderating a panel for Streaming Media East tomorrow (Tuesday, May 20) at the NYC Hilton. The topic is “Creating and Promoting Amateur and Viral Videos” (A103) 1:45 PM – 2:30 PM

The session explores what makes a video viral and how marketers and amateurs can promote their video using online video sites and blogs. Proven industry experts reveal what works and what doesn’t — often counterintuitive advice that has helped them garner millions of viewers for one-hit wonders and serialized content. Come see firsthand examples from some of the best viral videos creators on the web and learn how they have created an online audience.

  • Moderator: Kevin Nalts, Product Director, Industry blogger, WillVideoForFood.com
  • Presenters…
  • Paul Kontonis, CEO, Co-Founder, For Your Imagination
  • J. Crowley, Founder, Black20
  • Ben Relles, Founder and CEO, BarelyPolitical.com (Obama Girl Creator)
  • Kip “Kipkay” Kedersha, Viral Video Producer, Metacafe Top Producer

Wish me luck. If you come, ask me a ridiculous question. And I’ll report back some highlights.

It’s Your Fault if You’re Bored Online

tilzy.tv tracks episodic online video contentNow it’s your fault if you’re bored online and can’t find anything good to watch (besides Nalts crap).

Tilzy.tv aggregates and lists a lot of the top episodic programming, and may especially helpful as a transition drug to online-video. Especially for you noobs who still think television is more interesting.

The name, branding and tagline “guide to television on the web” a oddly retro, but that’s the point we suppose.

Good content as well as stories, like this recent news about Rabbit Bites getting sponsored by Purina. You go, Bunns and Chou Chou!

Should You Buy an AppleTV? Only if You’re an iTunes and YouTube Junkie

appletv review cheap amazonI’ve had an AppleTV for a while, and I was amused by New Media Minute‘s video report that is almost entirely positive on the AppleTV except for some criticism of the the manual search process (source: webvideoreport).

Don’t get me wrong. I really enjoy my AppleTV (Amazon carries the 40GB for $224, 160GB for $324… yes I put in an affiliate link, so sue me). But I only started using it after it was a desk ornament for months.

The bottom line is that if you’re an avid iTunes user (music and movies) and a YouTube junkie, you’ll wonder how you survived without this puppy. If not, you may want to buy a used one (not too less expensive), or wait for a future version which will presumably offer more functionality, content and certainly more storage and speed.

What I dig:

  1. tv in bedGroovin’ with the concept of a device that feeds on existing broadband without another annoying monthly charge. It gives me access to my downstairs Mac via my bedroom television! My wife is not as excited that I’m watching my favorite YouTubers before dozing off.
  2. I find the interface quite elegant (albeit spartan), and a recent redesign improved it and addressed some of my previous criticisms. I chew the remote, though, so I’d like one that was a little more sturdy.
  3. I love laying down while I catch up on YouTube videos, but I mostly resign to surfing the “highest rated” section because it’s so much easier than digging into my favorite creators through the clunky account options. The “top rated” section of YouTube is unfortunately also loaded with a lot of music videos that are simply ads for cell phone ringers, and the animated parodies seem to represent 50% of the top 70 list (oddly it doesn’t list the top 100).

Here’s what AppleTV needs to do before I’d recommend it for broader use…

  1. Make it easier to synch. I’m fairly computer literate but it doesn’t seem to pick up a lot of my media.
  2. Start the clock on my rentals when I start the movie. Not when I rent it.
  3. Improve the selection of movies for sale (it’s as robust as that of a fish & bait store in a small Southern town). I was at a lousy hotel in Nashville Saturday night, and the pay-per-view selection was dramatically better. Mac: Integrate with Netflix or Blockbuster and you’ll have a gem (okay- tough one to work out, but a girl can dream).
  4. YouTube via AppleTV needs a lot of work… four key considerations:

youtube on appletv

  • Allow me subscribe to more than a dozen or so creators. Show me their videos in thumbnails, and sort them by most recent. Keep these populated without as many errors (it’s buggy). To track my favorite creators I needed to set up a new account called appletvofnalts. I’m missing a lot of my favorite creators unfortunately.
  • I’d like to comment. I’m not crazy about the remote/keyboard, but I’d like the option. And I’d like to enlarge descriptions of videos so I can read them without sitting up.
  • Give the search functionality (and “related videos”) the same juice that YouTube gives it on the site. It appears these features are “watered down” for AppleTV.
  • When I find a good creator I want to subscribe. I can’t, so I end up favoriting the video in hopes I’ll remember to subscribe when I’m at my desktop.

AppleTV won’t yet replace your DVR or your cable TV, but it’s a nice alternative when you’re sick of the overcomplicated and slow Verizon Fios media box that doesn’t want to play any of the shows you recorded on the media base that’s downstairs because the poor man’s unit upstairs can’t handle HDTV. I love the access to YouTube, which represents about 80 percent of my use (followed by an occasional movie or television show).

Please take this seriously, Mac. There are a lot of us that want to see this model proliferate, and we’re ready to promote it to our YouTube audiences (for a modest price, naturally… we can’t live on food alone). More users means more content, and I look forward to being able to share recommendations and preferences with friends.

Media Stereotypes Online-Video Clichés

There’s no question that traditional media tends to characterize online video — and YouTube in particular — as a cute fad. Certainly the bulk of the stories are about the “one hit wonders,” Internet clichés, and sensational hits like Chris Crocker, Sneezing Pandas, laughing babies and Star Wars Kid.

When I saw some recent Comedy Central parodies, I actually got a little frustrated that comedy writers are captivated with the drama prairie dog, and misses the more interesting trends:

The boys on Southpark were right that the distribution channel is still far from a mature monetization model. But it’s getting more interesting and obviously an important trend and not a fad.

spoof of traditional media’s coverage of youtubeAs I was thinking about all this, I felt compelled to spoof my somewhat defensive reaction. So here’s me taking this argument to an absurd extreme. Attacking media for stereotypes, only to resort to groveling for an SNL deal with Lauren Michaels.