November 6, 2013
Initial Writing of The Right Spot Blog
Different strokes for different folks! For this uploader, happiness comes with a thousand views. Yes, you are right that my satisfaction as a video maker is a bit shallow. It could be true that any YouTube uploader aspires to make it big and to have a viral video. Of course, I want to be one as well. But I was raised to be contented with what I have. I grew up not having my way all the time. When I have done all the possible legitimate ways to achieve a goal, I let Heaven decide whether I get it or not.
So when making a video, I do the best I could and ask Heaven for viewers to watch the video. Don't be mistaken that I just utter repetitive incantations which will enable my video to charm viewers. Nope, I do not utilize any "hocus pocus" tricks here. I market the video by extensively using the various social media networks available and by looking for possible venues to expose the video.
This marketing activity though does not (and will not) include creating a campaign with a budget. I created something which can be viewed for FREE. Unlike the movies, the paying public indirectly subsidize the advertising campaign. You can call me stingy but I will never be desperate for exposure. Remember, video making should be a fun hobby for me. If I intended video making to become a business then the equation will be entirely different. If a potential viewer chooses not to watch my video then I respect that decision. If the reason is that viewers cannot find my video, then I have to be more creative in finding more ways, channels and sites that will expose my video.
Aside from paying viewers or providing budget for a campaign to entice viewers to watch my video, I also DO NOT have a habit of finding people to add as Google+ and/or Facebook FB friends to possibly SHARE the video. However, my small number of FB friends knew my intention for the use of social media and ,that is, to market my videos. If you are a friend and/or in my circles, then you are always welcome to post and share your stuff. I firmly and always believe in persuasion, initiative and volunteerism. Best things in life are free.
This marketing activity though does not (and will not) include creating a campaign with a budget. I created something which can be viewed for FREE. Unlike the movies, the paying public indirectly subsidize the advertising campaign. You can call me stingy but I will never be desperate for exposure. Remember, video making should be a fun hobby for me. If I intended video making to become a business then the equation will be entirely different. If a potential viewer chooses not to watch my video then I respect that decision. If the reason is that viewers cannot find my video, then I have to be more creative in finding more ways, channels and sites that will expose my video.
Aside from paying viewers or providing budget for a campaign to entice viewers to watch my video, I also DO NOT have a habit of finding people to add as Google+ and/or Facebook FB friends to possibly SHARE the video. However, my small number of FB friends knew my intention for the use of social media and ,that is, to market my videos. If you are a friend and/or in my circles, then you are always welcome to post and share your stuff. I firmly and always believe in persuasion, initiative and volunteerism. Best things in life are free.
Though the negative emotion brought about by the earthquake dwindles, I still have to feel the usual joyful "Christmas" spirit. With the exception of Freddie Aguilar's Anak video featuring Maegan and Jeriko Aguilar in which views jumped from the hundreds (400+) to a thousand plus (1,450) as of today 7th of November 2013 in just 15 days due to an issue which should have remained personal but is haunting the musical icon (an event which illustrates some people's preoccupation to meddle into other people's affairs and to dwell on unnecessary issues and intrigues), there was no other event which has brought positive effect on my video making activity.
My recently uploaded videos are far from my "happiness benchmark". With better video quality and disputable inferior musical content, the recent uploaded videos are only getting so-so number of views. Some would say, the video length could be the culprit. That could be right if my channel is not a concert channel. It is ridiculous to expect and view a three to five minute concert video. They could just opt to watch another channel like "Singles and Covers" which features song-length videos.
Instead of wasting my time mulling over the mediocre view counts and waiting for positivism to come, I am searching for a commercial material which could inspire me to proceed with this hobby of mine. In other words, I am MOVING ON. Part of moving on is retaining the lessons from the past. I was suppose to write my last two or three throwbacks to complete the narration of being The Accidental Video Maker. However, I decided to write about the important lessons which I have learned from my latest videos.
Completing a series of SALUDO HERO Foundation Silver Anniversary Concert videos proved to be cathartic from the negative emotions which was brought about by the destructive shaker in the Central Philippine region weeks ago. Though a potentially strong storm is nearing the Philippines as of this writing, I am hopeful that the destructive impact would be minimal due to the disaster preparedness activities being done by the would-be affected people and their local government units.
Different emotions arise when I look at the thumbnails of the videos. For the SALUDO concert videos, I feel positive even with the "usual" problems in life. If I could just show the faces of the children above in the SALUDO concert (complete artists version) video to somebody experiencing difficulty in life today, probably the person could "wait" for Hope and Help to come. Some of these children could have lost their soldier-father in the line of fire and ,in effect, have lost the opportunity to share precious bonding moments with their dads. But you see, life goes on. Even if these kids are just living behind the legacy of their fathers, they face the uncertain future with HOPE. How many of us can say that our problems right now are more difficult and heavier than what these kids have experienced? It is not appropriate for me to say "Be Brave" but I would rather pose a question - Can we be more hopeful?
There are two more SALUDO concert videos which strengthened my resolve to overcome the negative emotions brought by recent events. I have already shared my thoughts about the icon violinist John Lesaca video. The following videos struck me in different ways. One is a victorious comeback and the other is a comedic relief ("aliw" as I exactly refer to in the native lingo).
I will always remember the songs by Mr. Gary V and his contemporaries (whom I admire and would love to record as well) since my age is only one or two years older than theirs. In the 1990s, however, I heard a couple of good songs from this musical artist but cannot completely remember them. Suddenly, the guy vanished. Until the SALUDO concert, I did not know that Mr. Chad Borja had thyroid cancer. When he narrated his experience (coincidentally he is also from Cebu which is part of the Central Philippine region), I got interested with his struggle and his triumph over his illness. Well, my channel's airtime is always priority to people and events that can inspire viewers.
Finally, this musical artist not only made me smile but I burst into laughter a couple of times when I was editing and uploading the video. The guy is so "animated" and he is a video maker's delight with the facial expressions and body movements which he makes. Mr. Kleggy Abaya is a true embodiment of his musical genre "Jolly Pop". Some people would dislike his request for the audience to stand up for his song "Discolamon". Well, he got away with it due to a seeming naughty credibility? The segment of Banda ni Kleggy (Kleggy's Band) was FUN. That is quite enough reason to feature him in Konsyerto Pinoy channel.
The SALUDO concert videos which I have enumerated not only provided me insights but also with a fundamental video making lesson which is CHOOSING THE MOST APPROPRIATE RECORDING LOCATION. Technically, this should be the lesson but reality would make it BEING IN THE RIGHT SPOT. From my experience, I would only know that I was in the right spot during video editing. You only get to completely see and hear the recorded video by then. Since there are a lot of uncontrolled factors during recording, you don't get to be in the most appropriate location even the place was your choice.
Unlike studio recording, public recording (in malls, parks, etc.) does not allow you to control audience behavior, stage lighting, audio set-up and the weather. Good thing is that there are competent sound and light technicians and engineers who ensure that the sound and light conditions are OK. To prevent the resulting video from having an unpleasant audio (such as sound blasts and feedback), it is safe to record ,at the least, a distance equivalent to the basketball court ring up to the free throw line area away from the audio system's speakers. Avoid recording directly in front of the loudspeakers and maintain an angle from the speaker. For the lighting component, the various recording devices provide automatic and manual functions . Of course, the video maker must be aware of the limits of his recording device.
In effect, audience behavior poses to be the major stumbling block to a good video aside from the weather.
November 8, 2013
/********************************* Remarks (not an official part of the Blog) ********************************
The Accidental Video Maker had sent feedback that the Konsyerto Pinoy Features: SALUDO Banda NI KLEGGY video cannot be inserted in the blog. No writing activity was done on The Right Spot blog. YouTube/Blogger via Google which received the feedback had rectified the reported bug from this date and onward.
During this time, tropical cyclone or super typhoon Yolanda (international name Haiyan) made several landfalls in the Central Philippine region. This is possible since the Philippines is an archipelago meaning a chain or group of islands. The islands or areas where the eye of the storm made the landfall are (in chronological order):
1. Guiuan of Eastern Samar province (southernmost tip of Samar island)
2. Dulag-Tolosa of Leyte province (Leyte island)
3. Daanbantayan of Cebu province (northern tip of Cebu main island)
4. Bantayan of Cebu province (Bantayan island)
5. Concepcion of Iloilo province (Panay island) and
6. Busuanga of Palawan province (Busuanga island)
Source: Official Philippine Weather Bureau DOST-PAGASA Facebook
********************************************************************************************************************/
November 13, 2013 onward
Weather was the last word in the incomplete version of The Right Spot blog written prior to super typhoon Yolanda. Though the Philippines is also in the right spot for natural calamities such as tropical cyclones, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, etc. , Filipinos do not always make a big deal out of these disasters. They rebuild and creatively search for things to amuse and entertain them after the hard task of rebuilding. This time, however, the country's resiliency will be quite difficult to realize with the magnitude of devastation. The national psyche is still in a grieving mode though personal initiatives and relief efforts signal the start of the rebuild mode.
I pray hard and do hope that the rebuild mode will go on full blast to expedite national recovery. Though the other Philippine regions were spared from the storm's wrath, the whole country is quite affected in several ways. Feelings of sympathy, guilt, and frustration abound in the country right now. Aside from empathy, I feel a certain amount of guilt as a video maker when I anticipate the condition to be looking up and search for a video opportunity. I pray for a speedy national recovery to allow myself and other people who share sentiments of sobriety and propriety in light of this catastrophe to resume our tasks and activities without worry and guilt.
As demonstrated by recent conditions, weather can kill an outdoor public event and the corresponding video recording. In general and with the non-extreme cases, weather sets the tone of an outdoor video recording. Weather condition affects recording activities and even recording duration which determines the video length. However, a video maker can still adapt to tolerable weather conditions. This leaves audience behavior as the major obstacle to a good output in public video recording.
Some people are not aware of "Art Appreciation or Viewer Ethics". Here's Mr. Prude again. When watching a concert, show or performance, one need not make a parallel concert or get other people's attention. As a viewer, one must watch, listen and focus his/her attention on the performer. Although we have the freedom to express ourselves like talk to our seatmate and use our cellphone, we need not converse loudly in the middle of a performance and use our mobile phone within the concert area during show time.
As a viewer, it is appropriate to express our admiration of and love for the performer. Clapping and cheering are tolerable actions in public/mall performances. What is not acceptable is watching an artist and scrutinizing all his/her imperfections (from physical looks, attire up to performance). A critic would write about his observations and not talk about these flaws during the performance. Some people think that they are watching a movie in a theater where they can talk with their seatmate and scrutinize the screen actors/actresses from head to toe. What is shameful is when a concert goer attempts to ridicule the performer by talking loudly about the looks, body features and even sexual preferences. From my experience, this happened in respectable malls and not only in outdoor community and provincial shows.
When a video maker records a show, conversation, noise and sounds within a certain range are captured by the recording device. I refer to these as audio nuisances. A laptop video editor which has audio editing functions can eliminate these nuisances at certain times. However, there are inaudible and long (more than half a second) nuisances which cannot be edited by a regular video editor. Thus, the portion with the audio nuisance has to be excluded from the resulting video output.
Aside from verbal activities, another audience behavior which significantly affects the resulting video is audience movement. When people see someone taking a photo or recording a video, they do not walk directly towards the camera and avoid being shot at by posturing down. An exceptional number ,however, would block the recorder's path and would even talk loudly while securing a seat after coming in quite late during a concert. Another case is when a fellow video recorder gets into your frame. As a courtesy, a recorder must be mindful of his immediate surroundings and not block the view of another recorder. Simply put, the performer is the star of the show and the reason for creating a video.
When audience behavior does not significantly alter the resulting video output from the raw footage, then one can say that he/she chose the right spot. As a video maker, the right spot would be in an area near the stage or approximately within the first five rows. From my limited knowledge of recording devices, the zoom feature uses more battery power and shortens recording time. Thus, it follows that one is able to record longer at a distance near the performer.
There is also less shaky movements when recording near the performer rather than at a distance. To prove this point, I have recorded the SALUDO concert videos at different locations. The Banda ni Kleggy was shot near the stage while the Chad Borja and John Lesaca segments were far from the center stage. Also, the SALUDO Concert Full Artist version was recorded at different distances. Part 1 and part 2 were shot far from the stage while part 3 was recorded two and three rows away from the stage.
Again, this blog only provides suggestions in choosing the more appropriate recording location. Personally, when I feel comfortable in my location, I know I am in The Right Spot.
Unlike studio recording, public recording (in malls, parks, etc.) does not allow you to control audience behavior, stage lighting, audio set-up and the weather. Good thing is that there are competent sound and light technicians and engineers who ensure that the sound and light conditions are OK. To prevent the resulting video from having an unpleasant audio (such as sound blasts and feedback), it is safe to record ,at the least, a distance equivalent to the basketball court ring up to the free throw line area away from the audio system's speakers. Avoid recording directly in front of the loudspeakers and maintain an angle from the speaker. For the lighting component, the various recording devices provide automatic and manual functions . Of course, the video maker must be aware of the limits of his recording device.
In effect, audience behavior poses to be the major stumbling block to a good video aside from the weather.
November 8, 2013
Tropical Cyclone/Super Typhoon Yolanda(Haiyan) Battered The Philippines
/********************************* Remarks (not an official part of the Blog) ********************************
The Accidental Video Maker had sent feedback that the Konsyerto Pinoy Features: SALUDO Banda NI KLEGGY video cannot be inserted in the blog. No writing activity was done on The Right Spot blog. YouTube/Blogger via Google which received the feedback had rectified the reported bug from this date and onward.
During this time, tropical cyclone or super typhoon Yolanda (international name Haiyan) made several landfalls in the Central Philippine region. This is possible since the Philippines is an archipelago meaning a chain or group of islands. The islands or areas where the eye of the storm made the landfall are (in chronological order):
1. Guiuan of Eastern Samar province (southernmost tip of Samar island)
2. Dulag-Tolosa of Leyte province (Leyte island)
3. Daanbantayan of Cebu province (northern tip of Cebu main island)
4. Bantayan of Cebu province (Bantayan island)
5. Concepcion of Iloilo province (Panay island) and
6. Busuanga of Palawan province (Busuanga island)
Source: Official Philippine Weather Bureau DOST-PAGASA Facebook
********************************************************************************************************************/
November 13, 2013 onward
Completing The Right Spot Blog
Weather was the last word in the incomplete version of The Right Spot blog written prior to super typhoon Yolanda. Though the Philippines is also in the right spot for natural calamities such as tropical cyclones, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, etc. , Filipinos do not always make a big deal out of these disasters. They rebuild and creatively search for things to amuse and entertain them after the hard task of rebuilding. This time, however, the country's resiliency will be quite difficult to realize with the magnitude of devastation. The national psyche is still in a grieving mode though personal initiatives and relief efforts signal the start of the rebuild mode.
I pray hard and do hope that the rebuild mode will go on full blast to expedite national recovery. Though the other Philippine regions were spared from the storm's wrath, the whole country is quite affected in several ways. Feelings of sympathy, guilt, and frustration abound in the country right now. Aside from empathy, I feel a certain amount of guilt as a video maker when I anticipate the condition to be looking up and search for a video opportunity. I pray for a speedy national recovery to allow myself and other people who share sentiments of sobriety and propriety in light of this catastrophe to resume our tasks and activities without worry and guilt.
As demonstrated by recent conditions, weather can kill an outdoor public event and the corresponding video recording. In general and with the non-extreme cases, weather sets the tone of an outdoor video recording. Weather condition affects recording activities and even recording duration which determines the video length. However, a video maker can still adapt to tolerable weather conditions. This leaves audience behavior as the major obstacle to a good output in public video recording.
Some people are not aware of "Art Appreciation or Viewer Ethics". Here's Mr. Prude again. When watching a concert, show or performance, one need not make a parallel concert or get other people's attention. As a viewer, one must watch, listen and focus his/her attention on the performer. Although we have the freedom to express ourselves like talk to our seatmate and use our cellphone, we need not converse loudly in the middle of a performance and use our mobile phone within the concert area during show time.
As a viewer, it is appropriate to express our admiration of and love for the performer. Clapping and cheering are tolerable actions in public/mall performances. What is not acceptable is watching an artist and scrutinizing all his/her imperfections (from physical looks, attire up to performance). A critic would write about his observations and not talk about these flaws during the performance. Some people think that they are watching a movie in a theater where they can talk with their seatmate and scrutinize the screen actors/actresses from head to toe. What is shameful is when a concert goer attempts to ridicule the performer by talking loudly about the looks, body features and even sexual preferences. From my experience, this happened in respectable malls and not only in outdoor community and provincial shows.
When a video maker records a show, conversation, noise and sounds within a certain range are captured by the recording device. I refer to these as audio nuisances. A laptop video editor which has audio editing functions can eliminate these nuisances at certain times. However, there are inaudible and long (more than half a second) nuisances which cannot be edited by a regular video editor. Thus, the portion with the audio nuisance has to be excluded from the resulting video output.
Aside from verbal activities, another audience behavior which significantly affects the resulting video is audience movement. When people see someone taking a photo or recording a video, they do not walk directly towards the camera and avoid being shot at by posturing down. An exceptional number ,however, would block the recorder's path and would even talk loudly while securing a seat after coming in quite late during a concert. Another case is when a fellow video recorder gets into your frame. As a courtesy, a recorder must be mindful of his immediate surroundings and not block the view of another recorder. Simply put, the performer is the star of the show and the reason for creating a video.
When audience behavior does not significantly alter the resulting video output from the raw footage, then one can say that he/she chose the right spot. As a video maker, the right spot would be in an area near the stage or approximately within the first five rows. From my limited knowledge of recording devices, the zoom feature uses more battery power and shortens recording time. Thus, it follows that one is able to record longer at a distance near the performer.
There is also less shaky movements when recording near the performer rather than at a distance. To prove this point, I have recorded the SALUDO concert videos at different locations. The Banda ni Kleggy was shot near the stage while the Chad Borja and John Lesaca segments were far from the center stage. Also, the SALUDO Concert Full Artist version was recorded at different distances. Part 1 and part 2 were shot far from the stage while part 3 was recorded two and three rows away from the stage.
Again, this blog only provides suggestions in choosing the more appropriate recording location. Personally, when I feel comfortable in my location, I know I am in The Right Spot.
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