Neistat's guide to videoblogging

[VIDEO] I've only posted one other Casey Neistat video here on this blog in the and it wasn't that long ago - just last month in fact. That earlier video posted to YouTube on May 20, 2019 shows an expensive NYC apartment high above the city. It was cool to see a unit under construction in a skyscraper. If only someone had done something similar when the former John Hancock Building was first constructed.

Well Neistat I've learned is a very famous YouTuber and perhaps the above video would help those of you who want to be famous YouTubers. Neistat is a self-taught filmmaker and yes there's a video with regards to him stating that he's a high school dropout. I will always encourage young people to stay in school and do very well, however, to do some of the things you want to do in life school isn't always necessary.

For example, if you have a willingness to DIY - do it yourself - to learn on your own you don't have to go to film school. The tools you can use to create your own masterpiece is right in front of you. If you have a computer you can get some inexpensive film editing software. Of course as far as filming start with the camera on your smartphone - iPhone or Android. If you don't want to use your phone find an inexpensive camera that allows you to shoot video.

I've been interesting in doing my own videography for years and I'm still learning. While I only use the iMovie app on my phone which Neistant references in this video, I'm eager to learn other editing software that are on the market. If you want to have an understanding of something it's OK to make mistakes. It's always a learning process....

Semi-related - Videoblogging: A YouTuber's process...

Mark Dice: CNN Targets YouTube

[VIDEO] I suppose soon we'll need to either find or create the alternative to YouTube. It took years for that site to develop into what it is today. Just as easily for Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram.

When I saw the headline I couldn't believe Mark Dice was defending YouTube as he often states that due to some changes in moderation and ad algorithms some channels - well right-wing or conservative channels - are being demonitized. One of my favorite channels from Shawn Woods is going through this and there's nothing political about his channel, he just often shows various traps for a variety of rodents.

Dice however is blatantly political and is capable of trolling. He's certainly an entertaining right-wing YouTube pundit and is probably one of many who probably isn't able to truly use his channel to monetize to its potential. Besides he has over 1.2 million subscribers and with my small channel I'd like that. Of course that's provided that YouTube will still remain a site where everyday people can still post their videos whatever they maybe.

Which I might add one thing you'll see in the vid above is the return of traditional celebrities. So perhaps the mainstream media is only looking to regain the power that they have begun to lose. Evidently only the legacy media whether newspapers, broadcast media, or Hollywood should be able to determine who can rise or fall. People aren't allowed to bypass those channels if you will!

Have blog will travel?

I published another version of this post over at My Mind's Eye on Thursday. So today's post will be slightly different. It was video I shot going through Arizona on the way to California.

[VIDEO] Unlike the other video which shows the landscape outside of the train through the windows of the observation lounge, this video is of the inside of the consist that most Amtrak passengers will have access to. Seems to be a fitting video to give you an idea of what you can expect aboard a train. I shot this on the way to the west coast in 2016 aboard the Southwest Chief.

I start off in a coach car on the lower level where I take a shot of the rolling landscape. I head up stairs where you see the coach accommodations before heading towards the observation lounge. The observation lounge is where many passengers sit around to look at the landscape or often socialize with other passengers. What I didn't document was the cafe downstairs where passengers can purchase snacks and beverages from the lounge attendant.

Beyond the observation lounge is the dining car where passengers take their meals. If you have coach accommodations your meals are extra, when I travel by coach I wouldn't be as willing to eat in the dining car. They won't cost an arm and a leg but often they're not cheap. However, you will at least have breakfast, lunch and dinner and often require a reservation. As you may see in another video shared here on this blog, the seating is often communal meaning you will be meeting your fellow passengers as you take your mean. Well that is assuming you're not seating with a young person who is more interested in their mobile phones as happened at one point during my trip....

Anyway if you travel by coach you will have to pay for your meals, however, if you have a sleeper car accommodation meals are complimentary. The accommodation fee for a sleeper is what pays for your meals although think of a dining car as a restaurant. You may not have to pay out of pocket for your meals, however, you still should tip your server just to let them know you like the service. I would like to explain at length making your train reservations at a later time.

Beyond the dining car are the sleepers here I go through two of them until I had downstairs to look out both sides of the train at the rolling landscape. On this trip I was in a roomette with my mother and it was definitely cramped space. It was adequate though I would've liked my own roomette just didn't work out for this trip. The cramped space meant I'd have to take the upper bunk while my mother slept on the lower bunk. At least there were another place on the car for other carry-ons that it wouldn't be feasible to put in the roomette. I would like to explain the sleeper accommodation also at a later time.

This three minute video in a nutshell is documentation of riding a long-distance Amtrak train.

Vlogging

YouTube.com

 Over the years I've written about those videoblogs that have been created over the years. These days videoblog aren't just blogs set up to exhibit videos now it's a YouTube channel. YouTube channels have grown in prominence over the years to the point where there's currently some activity on my YouTube channel.

There are some videos being posted that are more current and lately I wanted to upload some footage from my 2016 vacation on Amtrak's Southwest Chief to Los Angeles, California with jaunts to Las Vegas, Nevada and Grand Canyon, Arizona. Nothing groundbreaking or exciting just forcing myself to share some of the memories I created for myself over the years. That means I don't expect many of those videos to go viral.

To share these videos I may post some of them here though I had created a blog for that purpose to show photos and videos the new My Mind's Eye. Perhaps I'll have a feed in the sidebar - to replace the space a Feedjit widget used to take up - so that you can see what's new there although nothing much has been new there for a while.

I suppose you can say although I do have a YouTube channel I still want to create a platform similar to those long ago vlogs that I used to be a fan of. Of course I wanted to do some of the stuff they did, however, I feel as if I lack the talent and patience for editing. And the same for being creative like creating title cards or watermarks. Perhaps I'll get there and do all of those things the best way I knew how, just bear in mind this "blogmaster" is not a professional videographer.

As of late I have been using my iPhone to record videos (I've owned three generations of iPhones since 2012). Since 2015 I have utilized Olloclip to shoot photos and videos that have greatly enhanced my snapshots and videos. I should show you the difference between wide-angles, fish eye, or telephoto and then just use the lense on my iPhone that isn't enhanced.

Since about 2007 or 2008 I've also owned a mini-DV Sony Camcorder and from that time to now I see how firewire has fallen out of favor. If I owned the new generations of digital camcorders (or as I've learned I could just find a good still camera to shoot video) I could just used a simple USB process to upload video to a PC. As of now I have to figure out how to upload video from my mini-DV tapes without firewire.

Another thing I would like to do is find some editing software. Perhaps edit footage from my mini-DV tapes or edit iPhone videos. Now that I have a Windows 10 machine they don't seem to have a native complimentary video editing program that Windows machines from XP to Vista would provide. Even then those complimentary programs won't recognize an iPhone video which are typically MP4 or MOV.
  
I have some work to do on this but with some time or patience and a willingness to learn my YouTube channel will be a lot more active than it used to be. It doesn't matter to me if I don't get 100K subscribers and get that nice plaque and congrats from someone at YouTube. Just post for my own enjoyment and see what happens.

YouTube channel to watch

[VIDEO] One of the reasons I became interested in model trains again was the many videos on YouTube featuring model trains. Jim Zimmerlin has over 100K subscribers to his channel because he shared videos of his G-scale trains and he's into cruises. Zimmerlin's most recent videos have been about cruise ships he's traveled on or even about to travel on.

If I was serious about my YouTube channel it would mostly be along the same lines. It would share my interests particularly travel or model trains. I've been trying to find some footage that I had shot on my iPhone of my trip in 2016 to California. Perhaps it's time invest in a real camcorder and then familiarize myself with some video editing equipment.

Of course I have thought about doing videos that were more political in nature, but as it so happens. Politics is important however so are developing hobbies outside of politics. This can include photography, videography and model trains.

Meanwhile I recommend you subscribe to Jim Zimmerlin perhaps after he's done doing videos of cruise ships and his cruises, he'll start posting more about his model trains.

What should be on tap here?

You know there have been times I furiously attempted to post just about every day of the week. Lately sometimes I just don't post for a significant period of time. Most of the time work keeps me for posting regularly and sometimes there isn't good material for me to post.

For this most part this is considered a political blog with me as a blogger using this as a soap box platform of sorts. Yeah there are other subjects posted here such as entertainment, technology, or whatever. The beauty of this place is that it's for me to do as I would see fit. It can be as random as necessary!

Someone suggested I do podcasts here. No one really reads or likes to read anyway. That's certainly understandable and in fact I have thought about doing video blogs here - well actually I did one here. Most of my material are boring for the most part.

In fact I do have a YouTube channel. There's not a lot on it and there's a lot to learn about uploading, editing, or even rendering. Indeed the reason you may not see more vids from me is because while uploading is easy there is a general disdain or lack of patience on my part for rendering and editing videos. If it was up to me the videos would be posted raw and they probably will be! Sometimes I need to be a perfectionist and would like to emulate some of what is found out there amongst other "videobloggers" out there on the net. Though at some point it was recognized that well I need my own style!

In any case, perhaps you will see some videos displayed here that I have made. It's unlikely this blog will produce a podcast that is me sitting in from of a microphone talking. Plus surely it would be more interesting if there was more of a conversation than just me talking and that means finding a person to have an interesting conversation with!

This blog while it's my own personal soap box as stated earlier is largely a hobby for me. And there are other hobbies that I either wish to take up or already do. Perhaps that should be seen on this blog as well.

Also I do have some more footage that should see the light of day and I still have a video camera and that's also worth sharing here in the near future!

Momentshowing: Political Video

Jay Dedman and another vlogger, Schlomo are to moderate a panel on the impact of web based video on the political conversation. I hope he has more when it happens. The date is March 5, 2008, however you might want to see his post for more details.

Steve Garfield's Super Tuesday Coverage Plans With The UpTake

Steve Garfield is getting ready for his coverage of SuperTuesday. Videoblogging is starting to go into the realm of live internet broadcasting! Very cool really.

It's been a long time since I've actually followed a videoblog...

You can call them vlogs if you want. Videoblogging sounds better. If I even do one I might come up with a better name for one of those.

Anyway there is a blog where you can keep up with news about videoblogging called the Vlog Press Kit. A collection of stories and links with regards to the vloggosphere. The authors there hope to be able to help journalist learn a little more about videoblogging.

BTW, I haven't followed this scene too often because since "discovering" it in 2005 when I first started blogging, the scene has slowed down considerably. Kind of unfortunate but I suppose when it comes to one-man (or one-lady or one-person) it's basically very easy to do. That's not to say they don't produce.

Here's a videoblog I saw today and maybe you have some space at home to build a personal museum of stuff. This segment is courtesy of Lo-Fi St. Louis.

Also Videoblogging week is coming up next week during between the 1st and 7th of April. Have your broadband internet connections ready!!!!

Hmm, another videoblog related post...

Well check out my "videoblog" over at My Mind's Eye. A video experiment of sorts except that it's actually original. I made good on my promise to provide some video of my California vacation in 2005. And expect there to be more video, I just can't tell you when I will be finished editing the video and when I'll actually post them online.

Hopefully I'll do more video and not just of vacations. Indeed not just for the sake of frivolity. Right now I'm just in the stage to experiment and really figure out what I need to do with video. I probably won't show off like I've seen so many out in the vloggosphere.

BTW, one of my favorite videoblogs from last year The Southern Video Blog hasn't posted but one video this year. A good one with a message. He seemed to have a good year in 2005 and then all the sudden he stopped posting video. And since August of last year he's only posted two including one back in June of this year.

So for those of you reading this blog, I want you to have a look at the archives. If you like what you see let him know that YOU want to see more. Hopefully he will respond. If he doesn't well there must be some other things going on in his life.

I really hope that you enjoy what he presents.

Just a thought

This will be a momentary diversion. No news of the day just something from my own mind.

Sometimes I've though about going into the arts. What gets me excited is mainly getting involved with photography and film. A couple of developments have caused me to go into the direction of making movies.

See in 2003 a pair of websites became the place to be on the internet. Grassroots journalism and activism at its best. First there was BrainTerminal.com and then there was ProtestWarrior.com. Those two websites have brought things to light that were never touched upon by the mainstream media. There have always been charges that the mainstream media have been biased towards the left but that's not to see these sites aren't biased they are very biased. However, it's safe to say that their angles exposes what the mainstream media won't.

Those two site have different histories. First off BrainTerminal is mainly a writing site. Full of op-eds and informative essays. There is a foray into photojournalism too but it is mainly a editorial site. Evan Coyne Maloney did something different in February of 2003 by deciding to take a camera into a anti war rally in NYC and exposed them for not being the majority opinion of most Americans. Today he now takes a camera to a university near you to expose political correctness on American campuses.

Then there are the Protest Warriors. At about the same time as Evan's breakthrough. Alan Lipton and Kfir Alfia decided to make up satirical signs and march with the anti-war protestors in San Francisco. They even took pictures and made it a point to call as many conservative talk show hosts to discuss their infiltration. Today they continue to needle the anti-war movement or I should call them leftist protestors even as recently as the past inaugural.

Ultimately the next month, just before the war the left was protesting had started, Evan, Alan, and Kfir would make a joint effort and document more leftist/anti-war demonstrations in San Francisco. They both came out with videos about their experience on the left coast. First Evan made a sequel to Protesting the Protestors, then another video about anti-semitism in the peace marches, and then of course one featuring the Protest Warriors. ProtestWarrior made their own film in addition to taking more pictures of their latest infiltration.

To say the least this impressed me but what does this have to do with me. Well I suppose I've thought much about being a conservative Spike Lee and/or a black Michael Moore. All I need is a good camcorder, a powerful computer to edit my footage, and perhaps a little training. Plus this could go with what I have discussed with some of my friends, taking command of the black image.