From Trad to Rad?

NBC is no longer using iTunes to make its content available. However its working on other ways of providing content and spreading its services. NBC Direct is currently in beta but illustrates a modern, practical and flexible approach from NBC. Here is a traditional linear broadcaster reaching out to both VOD and peer-to-peer file sharing to provide a HIGH DEF service. (Techcrunch.)What an awesome combination! The continuing problem of bandwisth presents a problem for companies wanting to provide high resolution video. We guess that people want this - look at the sales of HD TV's. The trad Companies need some way of separating their content from Youtube's frame rate and frame sized reduced output. Quality is their selling point and they therefore put distance between themselves and UGC. If you get paid for your content does that make it professional? Well, YouTube wants to give you some of that crazy Google money. If you make the cut, that is. After half a year of testing out its Partners program with 100 lucky YouTube contributors, YouTube is now accepting applications from all comers. Tell them why they should give you the money and they might enroll you in their revenue-sharing program. If they feel like it.

what's THIS got to do with broadcasting?

Here is a thought provoking piece of video. It attempts to squeeze a huge concept into a small package. Does it make sense to you? Comment...

Free magazine - online

COW Magazine ISSUE 7 -- Nov/Dec 2007.

In this issue of Creative COW Magazine, you will meet one of the men that made Max Headroom such an 80's icon. He'll share strategies and how it all came about, including some of the techniques used. One of the members of the legendary Robert Abel & Associates team takes you inside some of the earliest uses of CGI and how these commercial techniques preceded their later use in the world of film. You will also be taken inside a direct response advertising expert's world and how it works and why. You will also learn how one man made a commercial that you would swear used 3D software but doesn't. You will discover five ways to get control of your billings and make more money with less stress. Watch as one woman handles 11 deadlines a day -- and you thought you had it bad, eh? Learn an artist's secrets for high-end graphics workflows. And take a tour of drive technology of the past, the present and the future. Well worth a look

User generated content

Here's a recent lecture from the man behind the Creative Commons movement that we have discussed in sessions before. He presents an interesting case for changes in copyright control which are needed as a result of technological changes and the way people use media.

Recent 'film' firsts

As we start to see some of the ramifications of the spread of technology on the traditional forms of distribution - whether by broadcast or otherwise - there were a couple of interesting firsts recently. Rune, a movie, was premiered exclusively on the iPod and 'released' exclusively and free via iTunes in September.

"We felt Rune's distribution method should be as timely and as comprehensive as possible, and the burgeoning popularity of video iPod and digital downloads gives any filmmaker unprecedented access to a wide audience," said writer/director Arayana Thomas. "It's the new movie theatre for independent filmmakers."

Download it yourself from iTunes or directly from the creators site.

In the past filmmakers have sort interesting ways to distribute their work as well as promoting their skills. '4 eyed monsters' was released in its entirety on YouTube in June this year.



It joins some other notable web based films such as the 911 documentary 'loose change' (it explores the possibility of a cover up in the coverage of 911) and 'stealthisfilm' (Peer-to-peer distribution). These stories raise all the issues we have looked at over the semester in terms of regulation, controls and freedoms as well as changes to the structure and technology of media distribution. Whats going to happen next? Someone might shoot a film and make it ALL available for download via Peer-toPeer and invite anyone to re-edit it! Well its happened. Bruce McDonald's Tracey Fragments is being offered in exactly this manner. (That's about 36 gigs of rushes and Final Cut Pro files!)