For many years I’ve looked at YouTube as a delivery method for videos I wouldn’t deem as important, I’d use the website sporadically to watch music videos, interviews, gameplay cinematics and other random stuff probably involving cats (now mostly otters) doing cute things. That is until recently.
With YouTube growing and providing more and more features for free I’m starting to see the potential of using YouTube as a more viable form of professional video distribution and social blogging. As YouTube now supports 4K video streaming (4096 x 2304 video resolution), which admittedly there isn’t much demand for given that the IMAX only screens with two 2K projectors at present and the optimum screen size for 4K would need to be 25 feet so at this is all fit for a very specific purpose. Another problem with the 4K streaming would be bandwidth, as streaming a film at its original size of 4K will decimate any bandwidth allowance as you would need well above what is commercially available for the domestic market, though I lack the precise figures at the moment. Maybe in the future when people have the ability to project their computer screens to their 25 feet walls and internet speeds over 1Tb we might able to build our own cinemas, although most of this is pointless without removing the 11 minute cap on YouTube content.
That’s the technical side of YouTube’s ever expanding services, others of which include being able to edit your videos online without the need to buy expensive editing software or succumb to the likes of Windows Movie Maker or iMovie. There is also the ability to add captions and inserts into your videos, allowing you to add little speech bubbles or links to other videos inside a video. In BETA is also a transcription service, which allows you to subtitle the video with just a click of a button, although results are at the moment sketchy at best. With all those new features YouTube blog content has exploded in high production blogs with inserts, captions, along with HD as more and more HD cameras become available for less.
Vlogs (Video blogs) have exploded in popularity and over time some of the good ones are starting to come to my attention. Video blogging and blogging in general have become separate entities entirely. While video bloggers are still seen in the public eye as attention whores with too much time on their hands to edit these videos and put them out there, some of them run their lives around this almost completely . It’s also no secret that those vloggers with eccentric on screen personalities get over 100,000 subscribers and over a million views, plus it helps if you are witty and attractive too.
Having said that, yes I do believe these people are in the ‘attention whore’ category although I do not believe they are doing it for the stereotypical reasons people think of “to become famous”, they simply become famous through ability and showmanship. Otherwise these vloggers wouldn’t have as many followers as they do. As a result these people do become celebrities but only in the world of YouTube. If you think that these people are indeed attention whores then so be it, I’m not going to be the one to change your opinion, I’ve not got an argument to persuade you ready nor do I think I could build one. The only thing I could say to you is to start following a specific bunch of people such as John and Hank Green (Vlogbrothers), Tessa Violet (Meekakitty) and Philip DeFranco.
Their videos which include a lot of jump cuts and interactive anchoring which makes watching the video a very entertaining experience as everything flows and is edited to be entertaining while also removing the probable errors they must make as human beings. With these videos being as entertaining as they are I’m tempted to attempt my own, although given my rather dull life I have decided to take a day where I am doing something people might enjoy watching, so I’m going to attempt to film a 10min blog type endeavour while attending Amecon using the same editing techniques. Even if this goes badly I figured I should at least attempt to fill my YouTube my account with content.
Related Links:
- Vidcon 2010 – http://www.vidocon2010.com (Already took place)
- John and Hank Green – http://www.youtube.com/user/vlogbrothers
- Tessa Violet – http://www.youtube.com/user/meekakitty
- Philip DeFranco - http://www.youtube.com/user/sxephil
