Production values debate breaks out during videologger session

I admit I check out Rocketboom now and then. They are rolling in ad $ but I think she keeps a TI 99/4a on her desk as a prop. I get a kick out of that–I had one as a kid, with the speech synth on the side!

Vlog and Blog put the means to create back in the hands of the masses. I write (blog, and poetry) and hope to vlog. Without the finance to produce big budget mainstream film vlog is an opportunity to create and see what reaction occurs.
Similar with blogging, I write to see what reaction I can engender from a potential audience. I have read all sorts of advice on increasing traffic to publicise my blog. I write (I hope) with a fairly high standard of production, trying to remain coherent and interesting. I couldn’t afford to be published many other ways. I read many blogs using the “txt” lexicon (which just give me a headache) that I see no point in even returning to. But there is the measure of the standard. There is the measure of the whole movement. It is all self criticising. If you publish anything and no-one visits or comments then you soon become bored and move on to something else or re-asses your style. If you can afford the production values and want to use them, why not use them. It doesn’t mean that the end product is any better than Joe Bloggs vlogging from his bedroom every Thursday night.

Solid production values can and should coexist with the passion. I don’t shoot photos of friends for anyone but me, but I want them to be the best quality possible. It shows pride in your work, and more importantly, makes your content digestion go down smoother.

I think the point is that content will always trump production values. This is what big media is worried about. As an individual, I can’t compete with Hollywood budgets but, if I’m making something designed for more than just family and friends, I can compete with a good idea. How many 100 million dollar films have everything but a good idea?

The other side of this is that who you are talking to matters. If I put up a video of my kids, I don’t expect anyone but my parents to be interested. For them it’s a kick ass video even if it’s a little shaky or the audio isn’t great.

Here’s a vlog by a guy who teaches programming. The vlog is more the cool interactive stuff that can be done with programming, rather than a how-too, but it has links to his programming syllabus, and the videos are nifty.

http://www.shiffman.net/category/vlog/

The producer of the vlog is Daniel Shiffman who is a researcher at the Interactive Telecommunications Program at ITP.

Meant to say “Who is a researcher at the Interactive Telecommunications Program at NYU.”

Uh hello people…isn’t it true that some of the ‘production values’ problem isn’t due to a lack of whiz-bang geek toys (or a lack of proficiency in using them) but in the talents of the people themselves making them?!?! You know, old school things, like acting, voice-over work, music composition, script/screenwriting, editing, etc. You can’t fully dispense with the importance of the meatware here.

If I go out and shoot a video on DV, no way is it going to be as ‘good’ as say what Ethan Hawke could do on DV (you can check out the film ‘Chelsea Walls’ if you’re interested in the history of DV usage by the industry). I’m not trained in acting, voice work, scoring film or video and even if I’ve got the latest in DV cameras and editing suites etc plus what I thing is an interesting script, I’m going to have a heck of a time competing with pros who know these less technology dependent skills. Plus I don’t have the cred (or should it be old media penetration and saturation) of someone like Ethan so I’m already at a dis advantage in the ‘hit-getting’ contest.

This is not to say that a ‘production-values challenged’ vlog doesn’t have any value, but that maybe the playing field isn’t as level as it should be (especially not once people with name recognition and old media credentials start messing around with the technologies).

My only complaint about the work on C9, which is completely overshadowed by its positives, so please take this complain in persepective is the poor audio.

Its one of the reasons I’m not as eager to view videos there as I once was.

There is nothing more frustrating than not being able to hear someone because

1 – The microphone , assuming there is one, is no where near them

2 – Someone’s shirt is making love to the microphone

3 – There’s some god-awful static , hiss, or other noise in the background

4 – Scoble is laughing (at his own joke).
louder than the speaker who is trying to talk and ignore the inane distraction. (sorry )

Don’t quite agree with you, Mr. Scoble. And, it may be a matter of semantics. In particular, the question is the meaning of “production values.” I see it more a function of the skills to create compelling content, not necessarily exorbitant costs and lengthy meetings tied to production.

I reference this blog and conversation in my blog about the state of podcasts and vlogs here:
http://bradfuller.com/blog/2006/07/11/the-state-of-podcasts-vlogs/

I shot my first documentary with myself and another guy. It was on VHS with a on board mike except for the talking head. It was edited on a straight cuts only non-digital tape to tape machine. It won the Directors Prize at The Illinois Film & Video Festival & got on the David Wolper/IDA Student reel. NOt to brag because I have sort of allowed my career to go downhill but I have to say story is 90%. I go to Blockbuster and see these qo million dollar bore-fests and although it is even hard to make a bad movie, if you were going to get 10 million wouldn’t you want to make one from the heart and if you don’t have it your heart, get a screenplay from someone who has something to say.
Make films about what you know. But in the end I wished I had done a 90 minute film on this subject and shot it on 35mm. However in documentary , subjects tend to shut down in front of big crews.