This is an email I sent out on 8/29/06 to a few people to let them know what I thought was going on with online video.
I was so excited driving home about this message that I couldn't wait to get inside to write it -- I'm sitting in my car right now! Two warnings before I start:
- I am VERY passionate about user created video, so this email will be a bit excited
- To that end, I'm going to provide a simple Summary at the bottom if I get boring - feel free to skip ahead and just watch what you want
Over the past year or so, User Created Video has taken off on the internet. It's gone from a small group of very technical people talking to another small group of technical people to a world-wide phenomenon. This change isn't the result of any one thing, but is, in the words of David Weinberger, many Small Pieces Loosely Joined. Cheap cameras, Flash version 8, YouTube, Broadband internet, etc. But this email isn't about technology, it's about the emerging narrative of "Internet video". For me, it all starts with "Rocketboom" (http://www.rocketboom.com). A daily 3-minute video blog (vlog) originally hosted by Amanda Cogdon. It was focused on technology - with a pretty host and quirky editing style. After a very rapid rise in popularity, it leveled off then sort-of fell off. It has a new host now, and is trying to stay relevant. It's narrative style might be described as 6 o'clock news meets boingboing (the most popular blog on the internet). Then I found ZeFrank's "The Show" (http://zefrank.com/theshow). Ze is an aspiring actor / part-time computer developer with a "tilted" sense of humor. Here is where things start to get REALLY interesting. Ze's narrative style is less structured then Rocketboom's with quick edits and multiple Points of view (Ze talks to himself a lot). In-jokes (duckies, sports racers, etc etc) abound, but the first-time viewer can jump in anywhere and be entertained without the back-story. I think this is one of the reasons he's so successful (All the big bloggers watch him, and he's had a few articles written about him in big time places - like the New York Times). Seth Godin wrote a post about how blogging (and by extension video blogging) presents a unique challenge, because your audience comes in to your story in the middle (http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2006/08/in_the_middle_s.html). I think Twin Peaks (the drama by David Lynch in the early 90's) failed in part due to it's requirement that you had to see every episode before the current one to know what was going on. All good blogs (video and otherwise) are the exact opposite. If you watch Ze Frank today, you might not get all the jokes, but if he's your style, you'll still be entertained. If he really strikes a chord with you, you go back and watch his old stuff and you're instantly in a club "on the inside". Which brings us to our next shift. Ze Frank, as intimate as he is, is still "produced" content. He spends a lot of time on each episode and I get the feeling of watching WITH other people (probably because most of the time I am - I have everyone in the office into Ze). When I watch renetto or geriatric1927, I feel like they're talking directly to me. I found renetto (http://youtube.com/profile?user=renetto) one day on YouTube and was hooked right away. His first videos were of a character he did with this strange voice and slightly "off" persona. After a bunch of those videos, he "came out" as Paul Robinette, a successful painter, inventor and musician. Then the most unbelievable thing to me happened - he went BACK to the character. That was great! To me, this breaks all the rules of conventional story-telling. By bringing us all in on the joke, he brought us all closer. One other thing - since Feburary, I've been filming a video blog of our own at work. I do the camera and the boss (Gary) is the personality. Wine Library TV (http://tv.winelibrary.com/)
Now here is the coolest part (if you're still with me!), these are the people who speak to ME! You will be different (not may be, WILL be) and there is someone out there, hopefully several someones, who will talk to you. They're easy to find. Go to youtube (or google video, or vimeo, or revver, etc) and start watching the video blogs. Find someone you think is interesting and watch more then one of their videos. Then subscribe to them and watch their story evolve and unfold.
Here are a few "watershed" moments in Video Blogging to me (watching them all the way through will take a lot of time, feel free to skip around, but they're all dear to my heart):
Ze Frank one day started acting like he had a staff of people helping him make "The Show". (He's a bit dirty at times) http://www.zefrank.com/theshow/archives/2006/05/053106.html
how people have ideas and never act on them, making the idea more and more ideal in their mind until they are too scared to try it, else it won't live up to it's mental ghost - he called these "Brain Crack". http://www.zefrank.com/theshow/archives/2006/07/071106.html
(this one to me is HUGE). A little back story. Ze decided to have a "I know me some ugly myspace contest" where his viewers would make and vote on the most ugly myspace page possible. Simple and dumb right? Not at all. About 1/4th through this video, he explains why "ugly" myspace is one of the most important things in the history of art/communications ever. (It's also from my mother's birthday!) http://www.zefrank.com/theshow/archives/2006/07/071406.html (a note about the cheeseburgers, it's a joke going back a few days before this video)
To me, the most "fun" winelibrary tv episode. It was a lot of fun to film. http://tv.winelibrary.com/2006/08/03/new-york-state-wines-and-a-tour-episode-64/
One of the first renetto videos I ever saw - the one that got me hooked on him (I was in tears watching this I laughed so hard) http://youtube.com/watch?v=iD3TK7Iv1hM
Renetto revealing himself http://youtube.com/watch?v=8Sm1XLivzXg
Renetto asking his viewership (which at this time was MUCH MUCH smaller then it is now) about who they were and what their story was http://youtube.com/watch?v=vCTffbgTQxg and HIS response to his own question (very good!) http://youtube.com/watch?v=EUbeyEi45MY&mode=related&search= (he sped it up to get more in!)
geriatric1927 (an 80 year old man from england) responds to renetto's Who are you (who who, who who) video http://youtube.com/watch?v=tFO2OFG9mI4&mode=related&search= This is one of the most watched videos EVER on youtube. He clearly has a lot to say, and a lot of people want to hear it.
I could go on all day with other videos, but I'll stop here, and hopefully you'll send me some videos that speak to you! I believe, without a doubt, that the course we're on with youtube and internet video is changing the world in a profound way. Like the printing press, the old rules of authorship are out the window and for such a low cost (time and money) ANYONE can be the next Dan Rather, or Rowen and Martin.
[Summary] Some important videos. Renetto http://youtube.com/watch?v=vCTffbgTQxg ZeFrank http://www.zefrank.com/theshow/archives/2006/07/071406.html geriatric1927 http://youtube.com/watch?v=tFO2OFG9mI4&mode=related&search=
Thanks for reading. I hope I've communicated my feelings on this subject well enough. And THANK YOU. Feel free to pass this along to anyone. If you'd like to talk to me more about this feel free to call me, or email me kastner@gmail.com