Over at dvcreators, a blog posting has confirmed what I have been saying for the past two years – that the Internet will be the primary venue by which content will be viewed.

As author Josh Mellicker points out in the article:

internet traffic is skyrocketing, propelled by video.

I’ve been chastised by those who say broadcast TV will always rule the viewership window – these statistics are showing a trend that contradicts this assertion by various detractors.  IN addition, specialized content that will create niche audiences will be an additional reason for this trend to continue.  Now the race is on for developing technologies to allow for full streaming of HD content via broadband internet.

Read the rest of the posting over at dvcreators.net to get the full story on viewing trends and more.

A recent discussion on the NewspaperVideo email list is touching on the flattening of the number of viewers watching video online – but the number of hours is increasing dramatically.

This is a serious issue facing solo vj’s as they look to new distribution methods for their content and one of the issues raised was the “micro-formatting”, or in essence, reducing the size of video content to fit portable devices like iPhones, web enabled PDA’s and other smaller hand held devices.

In April, a PEW study found that 75% of American adults used a mobile phone or web enabled pda and that 10% watched video on that device – that equates to some 9 million viewers of content on mobile devices.  That’s not a number to take lightly – especially for solo video journalists looking to find viable venues for distribution of their content.

With recent price cut’s announced on the iPhone to an affordable $199, that can only mean that consumption of video content will increase dramatically.

The question is – who’s ready as a solo vj to make their content available to those potential viewers?

We have all the tools right now to create compelling content – and it doesn’t require mortgaging your life away in order to do so.  A high quality camera, shotgun mic, wireless lav, recording media and a way to edit your content – the rest is up to your creativity.

This is but one of the delivery methods that is the credo of the Solo VJ paradigm:

Working as a Solo Vj is an entirely new paradigm for independent television and video production for an entirely new world of video content on demand: broadcast, cable, broadband, wireless, cellphone and beyond.

Over at Poynter Institute Online, Al Tompkins had the opportunity to interview Travis Fox of The Washingtonpost.com.

I’ve admired the quality of work Travis is producing these days and have been following his work for the past few months.

One question Al asked falls into line with one of the philosophies I have been speaking on since I began blogging on the Solo Video Journalist Paradigm and the democratization of video content.

The question he asked has to do with the next big step for online video – and Travis believes it is for the ability to take online video and make it available offline.

Quoting Travis’ response to Al’s question from the interview:

“One thing I think we should be looking at is video going offline. Let me explain: We will see the Internet used more as a means of delivery, as opposed to a medium (the Web). At washingtonpost.com, we’ve already seen this in the huge increase of traffic to our various video podcasts on iTunes. Not that podcasts are the future, but the technology of delivering video to several devices, like your phone — and especially your TV — is. I hope some day soon, your Time Warner cable box will allow you to download our videos in true high-definition for viewing on your TV. Our high-def podcast that syncs with the Apple TV is a glimpse into this world. Once this technology becomes more mainstream, we can capitalize on higher TV advertising rates and reach a more comfortable audience, one that sits on a couch at home, not crouches behind a computer at work. In short, it’s the hub model. We are becoming a production company that creates work that goes out in many directions like spokes on a wheel — to your computer, your phone, your TV. And let us not forget, your morning newspaper.”

I’ve been posting on this for close to a year now and the detractors still don’t grasp the concept that content is open and has to be accessible no matter what time of day it is or what device it’s being watched on. The detractors dismiss my posts on this and other topics related to the new paradigm of solo vj’ism, but it seems my perspective has been validated by someone who works in what I would consider the upper echelons of the new paradigm of solo video journalism.

Read Al’s full interview with Travis over on the Poynter Institutes website

Adobe is conducting a web based seminar targeted at those who work in the newspaper industry who are responsible for creating, editing and delivering video content for the web.

From Adobe’s website:

Adobe’s digital video tools and delivery solutions enable newspapers to create and distribute rich, engaging digital video news content to the widest possible Internet audience. We’ll introduce the range of tools (including Production Premium, Premiere Pro, Soundbooth, and Visual Communicator) and review how the integrated tools can streamline your workflows to deliver high quality Flash video or stream live news events to your website, consumer desktops, and mobile devices. (Flash Player, Adobe Media Player, Flash Lite, and Flash Media Server).

From my personal experience, I believe SONY Vegas Pro as being a more efficient application for not only editing video, but audio and motion graphics as well – all within one application. Having said that, I would recommend signing up for this seminar as the information will likely be applicable to competing applications – I need to contact SONY about this…

Podcasting news is reporting that the gap between advertisers & audience is growing.

It’s already apparent that advertisers aren’t sure where to advertise on the Internet, how to advertise in new media or how to measure their success, and they’re spending their money on old media as a result, even though they know traditional advertising is becoming less effective.

According the Podcasting News, “for every $1 advertisers spend on ads in Internet video, they spend $100 on TV ads.”

From what I have observed, advertising campaigns have fallen in line with the lack of solid network programming – treating the viewer as some sort of child, dumbing down the content and the associated advertising that fills the gaps in between.

From the Solo VJ perspective, this article does bring a ray of hope for those looking to develop a business model to distribute solid, intelligent content that also brings a level of creativity to the medium.

Read the full article and decide for yourself.

Gear isn’t nearly as important as we are led to believe

Read that again -  Gear isn’t nearly as important as we are led to believe

So how does this fit into the Solo VJ paradigm?

Although having quality video acquisition tools is important, I think the future for solo video journalists will lie more in online content distribution – not which high end camera one shoots with – or whether it was edited on a MAC or PC.

PF Bentley, a respected video journalist and trail blazer in the craft of Solo Video Journalism, stated on the Digitaljournalist that:

“In the next few years we will be moving out of broadband and into fiber optic or powerline Web delivery which will enable full HD Web video and network broadcast online. This means that you are going to have to compete for viewers with 5,000 or more “stations” online. You better have some really good stuff to show ’cause you are not the only game in town for ADVERTISING DOLLARS.”

That is forward thinking and a prediction I believe it beginning to come to pass – and one forward thinking Solo video journalists should be working towards.

In my opinion, there should be more concern by Solo VJ’s about their method of content delivery on the web, not which camera, which NLE or whether to deliver to Bluray, HD-DVD, etc.

Lately I’ve been delving into DivX and to be honest, I think it’s a better delivery solution to Flash video in cost for it’s encoding tools, cross platform playback options, overall image quality and utilization of system resources.  Downside is you may have to download its player – big deal.

This is the future for both local and online content distribution in HD from what I have surmised.  I think too many shooters sit on discussion forums and dwell on the gear end of things and forget about how the end product is going to be delivered.  Robin Berg, a professional underwater shooter for broadcast, stated in a recent email to me that he tested the SONY HC7 head to head with the SONY Z1U for Broadcast quality – and his testing showed it can compete with the much larger and expensive Z1U in the right conditions. I chose the HC7′s as my tool for lightweight, high quality video content acquisition for that very reason.

It is my opinion that too many people have become enamored with a larger camera and van loads of other video gear strictly for bragging rights yet don’t take into account their method for content delivery.

The Travel Channel Academy teaches it’s attendees to shoot with consumer grade video cameras, edit on a laptop and teaches them how to market their content to the Travel Channel.  It’s about a lightweight, uncomplicated approach to story telling with a video camera.  This bodes well for online content distribution which is making inroads with entrenched TV News Station Managers, whether the detractors choose to believe it or not.

There is a place for multiperson production crews, but the future lies with experienced one person Solo Video Journalists who can do it all – from conceiving the project, to shooting, editing, narrating, scoring musical soundtrack and delivering to multiple outlets.

That is the Solo VJ paradigm.

A recent article I just read touches on TV news broadcast and it highlights how entrenched traditional broadcast media is with regards to utilizing the internet for video content distribution.

The old school tv station managers are fighting tooth and nail at the idea of transforming their tv news divisions into media news divisions.

It requires a whole new way of thinking, and change is unpleasant for many people who are set in their ways.

Many claim that the web doesn’t have a proven business model – that understandable given the dot-bomb fiasco of the late 90′s. But given that the pace at which technology is changing, and viewership is moving away from tv and to the internet, it may be high time for some of these people to take a chance and jump in with both feet.

This is going to require a new business paradigm, but the changes taking place are moving ahead without stopping.

Solo VJ’s marketing themselves need to understand this as well. Although shooting video is what we want to do, the reality is, this is a business for many, and as such, there needs to be an assessment of other factors such as proper training in multiple disciplines, business sense and a willingness to make mistakes without fear of reprisal.

There are avenues besides traditional broadcast television. It may require building your own brand – if it fails, so what. But if it doesn’t, you may well have created something that will grow into something that is fulfilling – and economically viable.

Either way, the new breed of solo video journalists need to adapt or perish.

Michael Rosenblum has posted what I feel is a crucial commentary that hasn’t been discussed to any real extent – that of the differences between shooting VJ content for the web as opposed to shooting for traditional broadcast television.

There is a difference and I think it needs to be expounded upon as to what I and other Solo Video Journalists do and why we do it.

The bottom line is this – at least for me, I haven’t stated to the best of my knowledge that I wanted to shoot for television broadcast news. I have eluded to the notion that what Solo VJ’s do could very easily translate over to broadcast television.

Web video journalism requires a different mindset – skills, equipment, etc. Even with my past experience as a photojournalist, I still have much to learn – and this May I’ll be participating in a two day Advanced Web Video Journalism Workshop run by Visual Editors that specifically addresses this.

This is a crucial point needing to be looked at.

Solo VJ’s shooting for internet delivery of their content, to a certain extent, have a greater freedom to experiment with shooting techniques to learn what works and what doesn’t – without fear of reprisal as typically exists in TV broadcast news venues.

There has even been the laughable comment that internet broadcasting doesn’t exist. That set into stone for me the GOB (Good Ol’ Boys) club of video shooters that prevent the very industry they want to save from moving into the 21st century. News is being consumed in multiple ways from multiple sources. TV news no longer rules the roost.

As I posted recently on the Home Theater Personal Computer (HTPC), viewers will not only obtain news content from TV, but web connected HTPC’s which will be able to acquire content from the internet – either streaming or in downloadable form, allowing for a more diverse range of news sources. In addition, the news will start becoming less neutral (and neutered) and will begin to take on more of a viewers political perspective that will allow the news outlet to target their content – and advertising – to that particular demographic. Technology is already being implemented that allows the viewing of streamed DVD quality – and even High Definition – movies over the internet – that same technology is going to allow news content from numerous sources to be consumed in the same way.

As much as I detest it – Fox News (I prefer to call it Fox Noise) has already established this practice – being known for its conservitive perspective on the news. Whether one agrees with Fox News or not, they have established a viewer base that allows them to distribute news and advertising content targeted specifically for their viewer audience.

The advent of internet broadcasting, which includes audio and video podcasting, opens the doors for citizen reporting in ways never seen in the history of mankind. It is our responsibility as journalists – whether professionally or as citizens, to report it with as much accuracy as possible.
These are very interesting times indeed.

Recently I was approached to bring my skills as an Immersive Video Journalist to a series related to the ocean realm being pitched to Chinese National TV. It would entail working in a lean production team that models after the Solo VJ paradigm – one presenter, one producer and myself shooting all content both above and underwater.

Maintaining contact with the producer, he recently confided that his contacts in China responded with lukewarm enthusiasm. Not being one to stand by the sidelines and hope the traditional means of creating and broadcasting content was the only way, I made a generalized concept pitch to the producer and host and found the initial response to be lukewarm. There is the notion that to be successful one has to vie for the attentions of traditional channels of distribution.

I’ve been told on more than one occasion that I am too forward thinking – seeing and striving for opportunities that are even past the bleeding edge. Now Adobe has a major initiative for being an all in one solution for creating and delivering content via the Internet that, if implemented correctly, will drastically change the face of content delivery – even in HD.

I recently posted another piece here on my blog about pitching the concept and how to think outside the box regarding content distribution.

At what point do we succumb to the continued onslaught of technology to the point of overload. Not only do we have to be the best visual content creators we can be, we now are tasked with being technology savvy. It doesn’t’ help when the tools we use are on a short as a nine month turnover cycle.

Maybe I’m just old enough to see this as a means of increasing the consumption of manufactured goods and that there is sufficiency in what one has – and I am seeking additional input from those whom I respect in the profession to lend their insights about this topic.

I’ll be posting more as I continue my research into this topic.

Recently I was approached to bring my skills as an Immersive Video Journalist to a series related to the ocean realm being pitched to Chinese National TV. It would entail working in a Solo VJ manner – one presenter, one producer and myself shooting all content both above and underwater.

Maintaining contact with the producer, he recently confided that his contacts in China responded with lukewarm enthusiasm. Not being one to stand by the sidelines and hope the traditional means of creating and broadcasting content was the only way, I made a detailed concept pitch to the producer and presenter:

“What about direct Internet broadcasting with paid ad spots in each episode?

Concept: Each episode is produced, edited and then broadcast via the net with a few 10 – 20 second paid ad spots interspersed that would help underwrite the cost of producing each episode. Since the internet provides a virtually unlimited audience, the primary form of promoting the series would be via discussion forums and press releases. In addition, this removes any need to acquire video gear to meet restrictive broadcast standards – I have two 3 chip SD cameras and a housing as well as HID lighting that could be utilized in shooting each episode. I can edit as well as encode for the internet. Then there is the ability to utilize viral video marketing by uploading teaser trailers to YouTube, Google Video and other video sharing sites that would promote the full series. In addition, make full DVD’s sans commercials available for sale to also help offset the cost of production.

Why go this route: Read this NY Times article about the potential here. In addition, David Dunkley-Gyimah, a colleague and internet mentor of mine who is a major proponent of the Solo VJ/Internet broadcast paradigm has several blog postings regarding this movement. Read his profile from Apples website here

Some of his blog postings:

1. HD Podcast TV
2. Brightcove personal Videojournalism films
3. Future of TV – how to siphon off TV – tip 101
4. The secret of TV-Net success. What the TV agents say

There are other postings, but I think you’ll get a sense of where he sees this heading. He is one of the biggest advocates for the move to the internet and his credentials speak about what he sees happening with content on the internet.

In addition, what about making the series available for download from iTunes? This would be another revenue stream as well as outlet.“Many of the traditional detractors would snidely comment that this is a fantasy and that the only way to properly produce a series like this is to go through traditional media outlets. I disagree and maybe its the fact that I look at things from a bleeding edge perspective – but why can’t this be done? What if it is a fear of this hasn’t been done like this before and so we have no way of determining its potential for success?

This is understandable but it brings with it the potential of BEING successful based upon its distribution concept.

I’m going to continue looking at this model, and seeking advice from those who think outside the box and at some point will crack through the barriers of traditional convention and then the way we look at content distribution will be altered.