Words are not coming easily to me. They never do as I’m not a great writer but they are especially difficult to find right now because I just learned that one of my students was killed this morning in a two-car accident in Colorado. Alex Taft was on his way to L.A. to begin his career when he was hit head on by another driver. The driver of the other car, Bruce Edmondson, was going east in the westbound lane of I-70. According to the Denver Post, alcohol may have contributed to the accident. Alex, by the way, was wearing a seat belt.
I got to know Alex last fall when he was Professor Schoonmaker’s TA for multi-cam and then I was lucky enough to have Alex as a student of mine in my Production Practicum class this spring.
I liked Alex. He had a lot of nervous energy. Whenever I was talking with him he was always moving something, his hair, his limbs, his feet . . . . always something. But oddly, I never felt uncomfortable about it. That kind of behavior usually makes me nervous but for some reason it never did with Alex.
I liked Alex. He was a nice guy. He did his undergrad at Missouri although I never did learn what he did between undergrad and grad school. I knew he was older and from the newspaper account of the accident I learned he was 28. He seemed older to me.
Even though he was almost always late, I liked having Alex in my class because he was serious funny. What I mean by that is he had this sense about him that he meant business but never in a threatening or competitive way. The project he created, “Bill Wilkins: Family Mechanic” told me a lot about his sense of humor. Alex liked fun and he laughed easily. I’ll get “Bill” on the OTN website as soon as possible so you can all see the talent Alex had.
I also liked Alex because he was from Chicago. He wore his Cubs hat from time to time so I assumed he was a Cubs fan. That tells me a lot about someone. If you know anything about baseball and know anything about the Cubs, you know a little, perhaps a lot, about Alex.
I was really looking forward he hearing from him in the future and him telling me all the really fun and exciting things he was doing. The last thing he said to me at Convocation was that he’d keep in touch with me and let me know what he was up to. I can still hear how he sounds in my head.
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Friday, May 23, 2008
Streaming Media
I just got back from the “Streaming Media East” conference in New York City. I was there to learn more about streaming and what kind of strategies the television industry is making to embrace this distribution platform. And I guess when I say “television industry” I’m really including all forms of video creators from You Tube to the “Big Networks.” Basically, I took away five things from the conference.
First, the “how to stream” part seems to be well established. With more broadband connections, faster computers and more robust delivery mechanisms, streaming has become easier and more ubiquitous.
Second, there are MANY content creators trying to get their videos seen. I cannot begin to list them here; suffice it to say that there are lots and lots of storytellers out there on-line.
Third, there are many businesses trying to make this happen for them. The parade of guest speakers from different companies who create advertising mechanisms, search opportunities and delivery platforms was stunning.
Fourth, the content creators are both eager and reluctant to offer up their content on-line and that’s because . . .
Fifth, while there’s a palpable thirst for content from the consumer everyone is still trying to figure out a way to make money at this.
On-line content has exploded, that’s obvious. It’s everywhere and anywhere and if you create content, you’ve got to get it to multiple sources of viewing: mobile, computer and television because the consumer expects VOD. But what most people don’t understand is that the business model, how all this gets paid for, is still being formed. Millions upon millions (billions?) of dollars are being spent without a good enough return yet to state, “Yes, this is the definitive way we are going to make money at video on-line.” The good news is that they’re all still trying to figure this out and sinking money into this expedition. I’m guessing it won’t be too long before a business model starts to take hold.
One thing is certain; change is coming for the consumer and the creator. Stay tuned.
First, the “how to stream” part seems to be well established. With more broadband connections, faster computers and more robust delivery mechanisms, streaming has become easier and more ubiquitous.
Second, there are MANY content creators trying to get their videos seen. I cannot begin to list them here; suffice it to say that there are lots and lots of storytellers out there on-line.
Third, there are many businesses trying to make this happen for them. The parade of guest speakers from different companies who create advertising mechanisms, search opportunities and delivery platforms was stunning.
Fourth, the content creators are both eager and reluctant to offer up their content on-line and that’s because . . .
Fifth, while there’s a palpable thirst for content from the consumer everyone is still trying to figure out a way to make money at this.
On-line content has exploded, that’s obvious. It’s everywhere and anywhere and if you create content, you’ve got to get it to multiple sources of viewing: mobile, computer and television because the consumer expects VOD. But what most people don’t understand is that the business model, how all this gets paid for, is still being formed. Millions upon millions (billions?) of dollars are being spent without a good enough return yet to state, “Yes, this is the definitive way we are going to make money at video on-line.” The good news is that they’re all still trying to figure this out and sinking money into this expedition. I’m guessing it won’t be too long before a business model starts to take hold.
One thing is certain; change is coming for the consumer and the creator. Stay tuned.
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