Tag Archives: video

We are (digitally) open

We had our second digital open house in 2 years last night. 9 students were there, 2 crew and 7 presenters, but there were many more that were showcased in videos, and involved in music and artwork to help make the show possible. It was definitely a student-made production.

This year the presentation relied heavily on audience participation. One of our seniors opened the show then manned the back end of our online form where people watching could answer questions. Then he and our host decided who would answer the question. We had 3 stations set up with microphones, one for the host, one for students, and one for teachers.

Doing this live with 3 camera views, 5 microphones, and a program that bounced back and forth between these based on audience question… live, is no easy task. On top of that there were videos scheduled, and when each person spoke, their names would come up with a slick animated graphic, designed by a student.

Anyone that has tried to run a live event would know just how challenging this would be to run. And our students did a fantastic job! It’s awesome to be able to work with these students and our team of teachers. And hopefully our open house will draw more great students to the school.

Old home movies

Recently my wife had our home made DVD (digital) tapes converted to MP4 so that we could watch them on our computers. Last night we watched a few. The videos ranged from 15-20 years ago. With my daughters now at 21 and almost 19, it was a wonderful trip down memory lane.

Taking videos like these really dropped off after those early years. I think this was a combination of two things happening. First, the kids were older and in school, which made for changes in the dynamics at home. Next, the iphone came out and suddenly you always had a video camera available. However, as convenient as this was, it also made me less likely to record everyday activities, when I knew that I’d also have my recorder ‘right there with me’ the next time. So, video became reserved for happy birthday wishes, and graduations, and ‘special’ experiences like these.

When I was watching these videos last night, I was so thankful for the experiences I recorded. I was sharing snippets with my parents and siblings, laughing with my family, and making comments about how young my wife and I, and my parents and siblings, looked. Moments in time captured and then re-lived.

With the advent of 3D video and fully developed 360° immersive cameras, I wonder what home movies of the future will look like? Will we be able to put on some immersive goggles and enter a scene from the past? Will we be able to enter a scene, turn our heads and see the expression on our own faces as we take the video? What will the experience of looking at ‘old’ home made videos look like for our grandkids?

It’s exciting to think how the experience could be different in the future, but for now, I’m quite grateful for what we do have. It’s nice to have easier access to our old videos, and we are going to enjoy the fond memories for years to come.

TikTok creativity

It’s interesting to watch how TikTok is exploding with new users of all ages, producing creative work.

Here are a few examples of original posts: 1, 2, 3, 4,5.

Then there is an incredible, understanding of permission to share your own version of that work. You’ll see a joke trend, then realize that that wasn’t the first place it was shared.

Then you’ll see someone duet a video, (share a TikTok side-by-side), and often that duet might be more popular than the original. When that happens, the original poster isn’t disappointed, but rather appreciative of the added exposure. Here is a fun example where rather than dueting (new word?) to do what was intended, the person made a parody that was far more successful. And this was the response of the original TikTok-er.

You’ll also see some incredible collaborations on TikTok. What I find interesting is that much of this original work is inspired by a copy culture… a sharing and expanding of creative ideas. Sometimes this is just blatant copying. Sometimes it’s copying with a very creative adaptation, and sometimes it’s just pure parody for a laugh.

I think we can learn a lot about creativity in a place where copying work that came before it is celebrated. The reality is that it is hard to be originally creative, but not as hard to be creative based on someone else’s work.

Use video to monitor slow progress

I broke my knee cap in late February. This is an injury with a minimum 6 week recovery. I’m well past 3 months, and while I was fortunate to have suffered very little with pain since about the second day after the injury, I still can’t run on it. Last Sunday I had a video physio appointment and I’m now on a daily regimen of strengthening exercises. I’m already seeing improvements in strength and balance but I know this will still take a while.

I’ve also been working on handstands for a while now. I had hoped that before the end of last month I would have been able to hold a 30 second, unsupported handstand. I’ve built up my strength and am now at the point where I can easily hold my weight for that amount of time (and more). However, the balance of an unsupported handstand is very challenging. I’m still a ways away from my goal. My physio gave me a tip, and I’ve got a new exercise to build up strength and balance using my forearms. I’m already seeing progress, but it is slow.

Slow progress is to be expected, but it can still feel frustrating at times. Day to day the improvements aren’t always noticeable. One thing I’ve noticed with my handstands is that video helps. Video allows me to see where I’ve come from, and how much I’ve improved. This is very helpful to inspire me to keep going, even when the progress continues to be slow.

https://twitter.com/datruss/status/1243331006767210497?s=20

https://twitter.com/datruss/status/1249596233078829056?s=20

4 Tips for Microsoft Teams Video Meetings

Here is a quick video that I created with 4 tips for running video meetings in Microsoft Teams.

Here is a shortened slide show:

 

And here is a PDF Version: PDF-4-Quick-Tips-for-Microsoft-Teams-Video-Meetings-by-David-Truss. This includes a link to my post: Having Back Channel Support in an Online Video Class.

The first 3 tips are very basic, but I think thoughtful implementation of a good ‘backchanneller’ is something even seasoned presenters can benefit from.

I enjoy creating and sharing videos. My last one, though instructional, was a bit more creative. This one was focused on getting the information out while being both fast and informative. As always, feedback appreciated.

Sometimes features are actually bugs

I am not a fan of vertical (portrait) video. It’s not just an aesthetic, it’s wasted real estate. Seldom does more room above and below a subject being filmed give you as much information as more room to the left and to the right. That said, we will end up watching vertical videos that people choose to take. If you are one of these people taking vertical video, please do me a big favour: Do NOT use the Apple iMovie ‘feature’ that fills the black sidebars on a vertical video viewed horizontally with a magnified, blurry copy of the video.

This is a bug, not a feature. It actually takes away from the video. It’s a distraction. Worse yet, it creates a horizontal video with the side bars out of the vertical video so that even if you watch the video vertically, then the video is even smaller.

Here is a vertical music video:
Billie Eilish – bad guy (Vertical Video)

It was an intentional choice to film the video this way. Here is a horizontal screenshot of the video:

And since she left the video as vertical and didn’t fill the sides, or worse fill the sides with distractions, here is a screenshot of the video viewed vertically:

And here is the video vertically if she had forced the video to be horizontal after the fact:

I didn’t share any images with the sides blurred, but just know that this is even worse. Sometimes features that are added are actually bugs, they don’t make things any better no matter how they are used.

Here are some public service announcements regarding the tragedy and horror of using vertical videos! 😜

And one more short one, but the cover image has a swear word not seen in the video, so I’ll just link to it.