Jonny, Melissa, and Gerry after an evening of editing.

mellissa, gerry t, and jonny goldstein

Originally uploaded by jonny goldstein.

I spent a couple of hours with Melissa and Gerry teaching them how to edit video. I love watching people as they click into video editing. Yeah!

DC Media Makers Happy Hour, Thurs Feb 1: You’re Invited!

DC Media Makers is a group of video blogging enthusiasts from the greater DC area who get together twice a month to talk about video blogging and participate in collaborative video projects. The group was started in late 2006 and newcomers are welcome. This meeting is an informal happy hour. So come be informal and happy. Or come grumpy in a tux. Whatever your style and mood, let’s party.

When: Thurs, Feb 1, 6-30-8:30.

Where:
Ireland’s Four Provinces
3412 Connecticut Ave NW
Washington, District of Columbia, 20008
Located one block south of the Cleveland Park Metro Station On the Red Line.

DC Media Makers cover anti war rally + interview Sean Penn, Susan Sarandon, Rev Jesse Jackson

Andy Carvin interviews activists on behalf of Rocketboom.

Jill Foster films the diverse anti-war messaging by protesters.

Carl Weaver, with DC Metro Stories, interviews activists in a two-part segment here and here.

Expect more from other DC Media Makers soon.

–Like this nugget, for example, Jonny Goldstein followed his cousin, Yanni Goldthtein, Holithtic Healer, around the rally. Needless to say, it was a very holithtic exthperianth.

–Photos by Carl Weaver .

Manifestation of GerryTShow…

GerryT and I have gotten to where we are at now purely by reading and doing some research about blogs, podcasts, and particular programs such as wordpress.com, and of course we can’t neglect to mention Melissa’s on-going trial and error in creating the GerryTShow website out of the free resources available. Our plans are to become much more educated about wordpress so that we may completely immerse ourselves into creating the most interactive, unconventional, relationship focused website (www.GerryT.com). We would like the website to be a place where we learn to upload Audio Podcasts and our Sony Videocamera shots. DCMM group fits into that equation by positively supporting us mentally and technically in the projects that we embrace on our journey. In our Video/Audio Blog learning process, we need to grow from beginner to novice, to expert level within these next few months. If DCMM could help us with the technical jargon and suggest ways to improve the look of our site, and how to do it, we’d be so grateful. Thank you for welcoming us into the DCMM group, a place where learning about video/audio blogging becomes a lifestyle.

Additional thoughts: I think that all the changes in peoples’ ability to make media is incredible. Some of us are programmed as walking robots with a built in super hard drive that uploads so much data, it’s bound to manifest itself into our life. The changes that are happening today in the media world are firing rapidly, so fast that we are incapable of seeing it all at once. I remember from the time I started e-mailing in my undergrad years to the time when iMACS became cool. Can you remember where you were when the IPOD and the Wii entertainment system and Razor Phones seeped and surged their way out into our universe? Something seems to be taking over our brains in what I see is a fascinating revolution of technological manifestation. How crazy is the fact that we live inside our computers?! We look inside them, we talk to them, we write in them, we save in them, we share life from them. What’s interesting really is that since technology is changing at such a rapid pace, it’s difficult for some of us to even keep up with the latest and greatest machines that keep our world spinning in a frenzy of obsessed media making fans. Technically, I have taught myself everything I know about computers just by reading. I’m not quite up to speed as I’d like to be but all it takes is some time, effort and concentrated focus. I would love to videotape a step by step tutorial session on “Creating the InSides of your WordPress.org site” and have it VideoBlogged for all to use as a reference point on our site.

Perhaps we can incorporate that project and make it happen, shall we?

Phil Shapiro Meets Little Red Riding Hoodie

Phil Shapiro Meets Little Red Riding Hoodie

Originally uploaded by jonny goldstein.

Phil Shapiro and an anonymous DC Media Maker came over to chez Jonny Goldstein to practice video editing.

Jan 18 Meeting Recap, Southeast Neighborhood Library

Had another swell meeting at the Southeast Neighborhood Library.

We shared some favorite web videos and broke them down for technique. Andy Carvin showed a cool freeze frame technique, keeping the audio going underneath and materializing text in unexpected parts of the screen.

Several folks showed clips which made use of counterpoint, cutting back and forth between progressing narratives. One of the clips used a soundtrack that pulsed quietly under the highly edited piece, adding to the drama of the piece. It also employed the technique of letting audio from one shot continue even after the visual cut to a different shot, connecting the one visual to the next with sound.

I showed a recent clip of Ryan Hodson’swhere she confronted some construction workers who had catcalled her. Her clip showed the power of handheld shots for putting the viewer in the shoes of the camera person, as well as providing an example of courage in pursuing a story.

Christian remarked he like the use of handheld cameras in some of my videos too, especially closeups of my always entertaining face. Aw, shucks.

Other stuff: We listened to some of one of Gerry T’s raw, unedited, but extremely interesting audio interviews. Gerry has a knack for eliciting juicy information from his subjects. Someone suggested we do a session on interview technique, and I think that’s a great idea, as we have some excellent interviewers attending the group. Personally, I think that would make for a cool DC Media Makers project; we could do a session on interviewing technique, and then we interview each other and do something with that footage.

That brings me to another item of discussion—what kind of collaborative projects would it be fun and productive to do as a group? Andy suggested that we could shoot footage and upload somewhere, from which we could use one of the several free online editing tools on the web to make works.

Jill Foster suggested we meet an hour early at the Southeast Neighborhood Library for the next social meeting to come to an agreement about what to do as a next project, and everyone agreed that would be a good idea.

Eric mentioned a contest for making a short video about global warming that he suggested we could make something for.

I agreed to check with Beth Kanter to see if she needed more helpers for the Video GeekOut at the upcoming Nonprofit Technology Conference which will occur in DC in April

Several people expressed an interest in becoming authors on the DC Media Makers blog, and I have started doing folks since the meeting.

Those are the salient points I can recall from the meeting. See you next time!

 Jonny Goldstein

Next meeting: 7PM Thurs, Jan 18, at Southeast Neighborhood Library

If you:

-love online media, esp video

-or love the idea of video blogs but aren’t sure where to start

-or love learning why people love it

-then call yourself a kindred spirit and join us.

7pm-8:45pm, this Thursday, Jan 18th, at DC library’s Southeast branch, a very-metro-accessible-library, as in steps away from the station at Eastern Market metro, blue/orange line. Wifi abounds.

NOTE: Per the website and librarian staff, parking is very limited, underscore, highlight, bold — limited (http://www.dclibrary.org/branches/soe/). Much better idea to take the Metro.

NOTE TWO: DC Media Makers convene every two weeks (ideally) — alternating between social-fun-beer meet-ups and specific forums for educational discussions in video. Thursday is the latter (but it’s still a fun social crowd) — so if you want to share/brainstorm your specific video projects with the group, please do. Email dcmediamakers[at]gmail[dot]com if you want to present a project or want more info.

Jill Foster Shows her Documentary In Progress

Jill Foster Shows her Documentary IMGP0019

Originally uploaded by carlweaver.

This is from our last first formal meeting, which was held at the Wifi-less, but quaint, Cleveland Park Library. Jill Showed some edited footage from her Living With Geeks project. She was one of several DC Media Makers who presented their work. More pics of the proceedings here.