Watch Promo Video

by Amani Channel

This is a true shock. Atlanta freelance news reporter John Cater passed away Tuesday morning.

I haven’t learned why or how he died, but this is sad news. Cater worked for several local Atlanta stations.

I last saw and spoke to him a few months ago at the NABJ Conference in Tampa, Florida. Though I didn’t know him well, I’ll remember his wide smile, his positive outlook, and he was a true broadcast professional.

Before moving to Atlanta, he worked at KDKA-TV and WPCW in Pittsburgh.

The AABJ Website has more information, but this really underscores the fact that you never know when your time may be up.

Live each day to the fullest. We’ll miss you John.

Update: LiveApartmentFire has more information about what happened:

“…an unknown illness hospitalized him at Thanksgiving. An infection developed. He never shook it.” Cater was 32.

#socon10 by Amani Channel
featured in AtlantaDaybook

There’s only one place in the Southeast where you can learn the ins and outs of social media; how it can benefit your business or career; and network with some of the leading thinkers in the community in just one and a half days.

In 2007, I was introduced to SoCon. It was metro Atlanta’s first social media unconference hosted at Kennesaw State University. I had only been blogging and posting videos online for a few months, and had no idea what social media even was.

I spent the weekend video taping the event and interviewing the organizers. By the end, my knowledge and understanding of social media was greatly enhanced. I learned that there is a passionate community of people who are interested in engaging in conversations, networking and building business using online tools.

READ FULL POST & Q&A

Watch SoCon08 Video

By Amani Channel

Watch MLK’s Papers Video

by Amani Channel

Here are a few innovative video products I’ve run across in my online travels:

Ion Twin Video Camera
If you’re looking for a pocket camera that records you and the action at the same time, the “Ion Twin” video camera may be for you.
from BRoll.net

This little “wonder-cam” shoots and records from 2 cameras on opposite sides. That way, you can shoot the all important “action – re-action” with one camera.

GOT OWLE?
I really believe that the iPhone has the potential to change the way videos are produced and shared, and OWLE has a product that takes video production to a more professional level. The device enhances the video, audio, and lighting. A news reporter recently produced a news package using the OWLE at the CES trade show. I could try to explain how it works, but this video does a great job of showing you:

Steady Shots
One of my rules of video production is that you have to keep your shots still. In this age of pocket and cell phone video cameras it can be a challenge. The solution? The “Smoothee.” It is a nifty device that stabilizes iPhone video images.

Some don’t think the video quality of the iPhone warrants an accessory like this, but as an avid iPhone 3Gs video producer, I think it can greatly enhance the video quality.

Since I’m talking about steadicams check out the Flip Float. This is a homemade steadicam created for Flip cameras.

Flip Float (Mini Camera Stabilizer) from ProtoDojo on Vimeo.

Looks pretty cool to me… If only I was more mechanically inclined.

by Amani Channel
#wcatl

I’ve mostly recovered from the WordCamp Atlanta weekend. If you’re new to blogging, WordPress is a robust content management system used by bloggers and businesses. After I created this blog on Blogger, I switched to a custom WordPress template.

I’ve been extremely satisfied with WordPress, but I’ll admit, it’s time for a facelift. WordCamp Atlanta was a great place to connect with the top WordPress professionals in the Southeast. Unfortunately (or fortunately) I did more face-to-face networking than sitting in on sessions.

If you’re interested in learning about the basics of WordPress, check out this SlideShare presentation from Adria Richards (she’s also featured in the video below).

What The Heck Is Wordpress

View more presentations from Adria Richards.

I met a bunch of great people. Some of them include, TarynP and her husband Greg. Shouts out to Jaheed who’s been following me since day one. Also, check out StudioNashVegas, and Chad Parizman… too many folks to give props to.

WordCamp Atlanta blog posts
BellaWebDesign WordCamp Atlanta Podcast (audio)
2thenextlevel – WordCamp Atlanta Day 1, Day 2
Human3rror – Freelancing with WordPress for Newbies
PR1Pro WordPress & SEO

My WordCamp Atlanta Video
I was invited to the event to speak about web videos, specifically mobile vlogging. I spent the last three days editing the video.

I used three cameras to create it: my iPhone 3Gs, a Flip HD Mino, and a Canon ZR-900. Why so many cameras? I used my iPhone to record the intro and outro. The Flip camera was used for the interviews/testimonials, and I used the Canon ZR-900 to shoot my speech.

BTW Kodak makes a compact camera (Zi8) that kicks tail because it has a mic input.

I used both Final Cut and Adobe Premier to edit, and compressed the video using Mpegstreamclip.

I’ll be speaking on a similar topic at SoCon10 at the end of the month, and hope to see you there.

For now, check out my WordCamp Atlanta video.

by Amani Channel
This blog post was part of a presentation for WordCamp Atlanta held on January 8, 9 2010.

Contact: achannel (at) visualeyemedia.com
(404) 213-2121
Blog: Myurbanreport
Company: Visual Eye Media

Intro Video

A Little About Me

Raised in East Palo Alto, California

Education
Studied broadcasting at the College of San Mateo (TV/Radio) – 1995
Completed broadcasting/news studies at the University of Florida – 1997
University of South Florida Mass Communications graduate student – 2010

Work Experience
1997-’98 WJLA-TV ABC 7 Intern/Assignment Desk
1998-’06 WTVT-TV Fox 13 General Assignment News Reporter
2006-’07 Black Family Channel
2007-’08 Freelance correspondent HDNews, Video Journalist Associated Press
2009-Present Public Broadcasting Atlanta – Community Manager: Lens on Atlanta

Social Media
2006 Created www.myurbanreport.com
Twitter @urbanreporter, @visualeyemedia

Brief Film/TV History Lesson

-”Motion pictures developed gradually from a carnival novelty to one of the most important tools of communication and entertainment, and mass media in the 20th century.” -Wikipedia

1100AD The camera – Pioneered by Alhazen (father of modern optics) authored the Book of Optics- Invented First pin camera
1827 Joseph Nicephore Niepce made the first photographic image with a camera obscura. (About.com)

June 11, 1878 First film – Palo Alto, CA Eadweard Muybridge photographed a horse named “Sallie Gardner” using a series of 24 stereoscopic cameras. Press event.

1911 Broadcast TV – Boris Rosing/Vladimir Kozmich Zworykin created a television system to transmit “very crude images” over wires to the electronic (cathode ray tube or “CRT”) in the receiver.

1927 Philo Farnsworth – First working television system. (Press event on September 1, 1928)

Where are we today?
The power of video is in the hands of the people

Video will enhance your Google search results!

What can you do with video?

Video diary – talk to an audience
Capture and share news, information, and timely moments
Interview experts about a niche topic
How-to, DIY, share personal expertise
Advertising, promotions, & marketing

Creative Ideas
Email greeting
E-newsletter videosnack
Welcome message for Twitter followers

What is a Video Blog?

a Web Log with video

History of Vlogging
2000 Adam Kontras launched a video blog detailing his move to LA.
2004 Yahoo! Videoblogging Group is created
April 23, 2005, the first video was uploaded to YouTube.com
2005 Steve Garfield launched his video blog. “The year of the vlog”
2006 Amani Channel launches myurbanreport.com – The first independent vlog by a TV news professional
2010 Adam Kontras celebrated 10 years of vlogging

Basic Production Process

Traditional video

Plan (preproduction)
Shoot (production)
Edit (post production)
Distribute (broadcast, DVD)

Web Video

Plan
Shoot
Edit
Compress
Distribute (Online)

Equipment

Editing
Windows Movie Maker
iMovie
Pinnacle
Final Cut Express/Pro
Adobe Premier
Avid

Pros and cons of editing
Editing takes time
Create a polished/branded video
Must understand the science of blending visuals with audio and graphics

Pros and cons of uploading raw video
Fast
Some unwanted parts of the video will be included
Harder to brand the video

Video compression is KEY!
Best free software Mpegstreamclip
You must compress your video correctly to maximize the quality while reducing the file size.

How to get a video on your WordPress blog?
WordPress video plugin
Embed Widget (Best)

Video Hosting Platforms

Free
YouTube
Blip
Vimeo
Revver

Exclusive
Brightcove

Open Source
Kaltura

Cell phone video

Qik Cell phone
Kyte Cell phone
TwitVid Cell phone
UStream Live video
Livestream Live video

General Hints
You can email video from most phones to online video communities
Most smart phones have applications that allow you to upload and share video
UStream is the first iPhone app that allows you to stream live, Qik is next

Best practices
Hold the camera still
Wait 2-3 secs after recording to begin speaking, hold the camera and be still for 3-5 after you finish recording
Tag all of your videos
Share, share, share
Be creative, innovative, and have fun!

Questions?

Thank You!

by Amani Channel

If you’ve been seeing a lot of activity from me today on the Twitter #wcatl hash tag, my bad. No, not really.

I’ve been experimenting with a few new ways to use video to connect with the WordCamp Atlanta conference goers.

I stayed up late last night shooting and editing a video for my presentation, and I’ll be finishing up my Keynote presentation this evening.

By now, you should know a little more about me. If not, I created a “hello” video with my iPhone 3gs this morning. I primarily use Kyte.tv because the speed at which the application uploads, and transcodes video, and I really enjoy the widget. I don’t use Kyte for livestreaming.

I’ve been known to drive and shoot, but this time I played it safe in a parking lot.

If there’s anything you’d like me to specifically cover in the session, please leave a comment below.

I want you to get the most out of the time we have together.