Viral Videos and Progressive Politics
One of the seminars I attended at Netroots Nation was called “Inclusive Footage – How Viral Vdeos are Impacting Progressive Politics”
The term “exclusive footage” is a hallmark of mainstream media, dating back to the earliest days of broadcasting. With the advent of the Internet and YouTube, exclusive footage is rapidly being replaced by inclusive footage, or video taht traverses the globe faster than any singtle media outlet can control. As seen in footage from Iranian protesters, video has escaped the confines and control of governments and the media, and now anyone with a camera and PC can produce and distribute video worldwide.
The panelists were Cenk Yugur (of The Young Turks), Andy Cobb (whom I enjoyed meeting at a party later), Sem Seder, and Jason Barnett. The panel was moderated by Matthew Filipowicz.
As the panel spoke, they showed several videos that they had been involved in making. I managed to snag the urls of most of them, and they are here for your viewing pleasure. Some are funny, some are serious, but they all utilize the internet to get messages out to the masses. Video blogging at its best.
So, pop some corn and enjoy the tapas platter of progressive viral videos. My notes from the seminar are below. I will get everything I’ve experienced this week “out there” eventually! Thanks for your understanding, and thanks again for making this trip possible for me.
If you are interested in creating videos, learn to understand YouTube. They do advertising. When you partner with them, you make money.
The internet means we don’t need to rely on the old media any more. A green screen is really cheap. You can build a set and make it happen. Young Turks has a small crew of 5 people. Don’t worry too much about what the pros worry about. Don’t obsess about stuff, just do it. The audience doesn’t care about anything but content in a somewhat entertaining way. The pros have to worry about every little detail, you don’t.
Andy Cobb – You’re trying to be funny for an audience you care about. You won’t make a lot of money at first, but you are working for a cause you believe in. The blogosphere has been very supportive of posting his material. Youtube is a forgiving medium. It’s just a matter of getting out there and doing it. Look for news items that strike you as funny and go for it.
Jason Burnett – Just do it. He started with no money, and no budget. The entry level is really low. Start off with a cheap camera. For instance, go to the City Council meeting…that can be just as helpful to your local community as bigger stories are. Telling those stories is important. People are willing to help cross promote your stuff. Local things may have an important effect nationally if the same local things are happening multiple places at the same time, like the Town Hall meetings.
Cenk Yugur – Listen to audience in the comment section or emails. They are usually not wrong. They can tell you what you’re doing right and where you can improve.
Sam Seder – The message has to be timely. Know your audience. Find a balance between what’s funny and what has political efficacy.
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Anyone out there with videos you think would work on Mudflats? Please send me links. I may not post all of them, but feel free to pass them my way. Word bloggers and video bloggers are, and will continue to be powerful tools for change. Let’s do it.
Awesome AKM, I’m a do it yourselfer type person, I LOVE you tube how to videos and I’m grateful for them. If anyone needs to know how to do something just do a search and it’s most likely on youtube. I had no clue a person made money by how many times it’s viewed. Interesting.
Enough of the train wreck, I believe you posted a comment on a fairly inexpensive video camera back when Netroots began, would you please post that again.
This is exciting and fascinating.
These are great videos and great ideas! I’ll vouch that this is the future alright. My teenage kids have already made their own videos and put them on YouTube–several years ago!
I love the fact that the volunteers get incredible stories and footage not available from other sources. This will help counter the “official [untrue] story” with police improprieties–like the Sheriff/Alcoholic Beverage Commission raid on the Rainbow Lounge in Ft. Worth Texas.
LOL! I love these videos and saw most of them when they first came out. Seeing them again all at once really helps to tell a part of our political history; in a funny but kind of sad way.
So like… if I put vids of the cat swatting the dog onto youtube, you’ll post them?? ohhh… the ideas, the ideas.
trini — i am with you on the livestreaming from the phone. amazing.
and about rachel and deception — i don’t think that is the venue for that story at all…….rachel is our best political commentator today and we need to keep it pure and focused on the major issues of the obama administration — not the muck of personal stories…..just sayin’
I like the part about how you can use a phone to directly stream to a server so that when the police confiscate the phone, they can’t get the video. Brilliant!
Thank God for the techies hwo have the know how
AKM, this is great stuff. Very illuminating. As Enough said, the key is to organise. I watched the last one twice. That Fox guy is an outright liar!
i went to the Youtube 101 training on Wed before Netroots — they used the Flip Camera and i have to say it is awesomely easy……also we manipulated the video feed using Windows Movie Maker (free on most computers and already loaded), as well as Vegas Movie Maker (sony product for about 80 bucks and up) http://www.sonycreativesoftware.com/products/vegasfamily.asp
drag and drop video editing with fairly intuitive text block inserts….can also make movies with still photos by stretching the timeline for each picture and textbox. includes ability to overlay text…..all very similar to powerpoint options.
then just add music and voila – you have yurself a jammin’ youtube to torture your fav congress critter.
SarahPac google banner ad was on the second video embed !!!! just sayin’
OTT – awesome insight from Uptake on organizing.
way to go, Video the new frontier,if a picture is worth a thousand words imagine the worth of a video!
I loved the RNC Talking Points video. Very funny!
I meant to add–esp. since we’ve been involved with one short documentary and are working on another, much longer one. Not political, either one, but interesting to track the views of the one that’s done and on YouTube. We truly do live in a small world, thanks to the internet.
WOW, very cool look at changing media.