NEW YORK — About 38% of consumers are watching TV shows online, 36% use their cell phones as entertainment devices and 45% are creating online content like Web sites, music, videos and blogs for others, according to a new-media survey from Deloitte & Touche.

The findings of the online survey of 2,081 U.S. consumers, conducted Oct. 25-31, were provided to The Hollywood Reporter before their official release next month.

The “State of the Media Democracy” notes that in Deloitte’s first edition of the survey just eight months earlier, 24% of consumers used their cell phones as entertainment devices. The current figure soars to 62% among millenials (consumers 13-to-24-years-old) compared with 46% in the previous study conducted Feb. 23-March 6, 2007. And among Generation X consumers (25-to-41-year-olds), the number grew from 47% to 29% in the earlier survey.

About 20% of consumers said they are viewing video content on their cell phones daily or almost daily. [More…]

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I listened to This Week in Media last night and came across this special offer for joining Pixel Corp. this summer:

n development for almost 7 years, the Pixel Corps has nearly 1500 members in 30 countries. The Pixel Corps is designed to create a global production community capable of generating content around the world. It’s not just about acquiring skills…it’s about becoming part of a community. The Pixel Corps blends training, real-world challenges, and community participation to build a development system unlike anything else available. Our goal: To build a highly networked, highly skilled, highly organized group of artists prepared for the next opportunities that emerge in the media field.

	Registration is now open
Three Months - Only $50! (use coupon code: PXC50)
(Plus $50 registration fee for new members)

For the Summer of 2007, we’re offering a “Beta2″ program to test our new training and challenge systems with our membership. We’d like to include as many people as possible. So, we’re offering the Summer Beta2 for only $50! The lowest priced offer in our organization’s history. We hope you join us for a summer packed with training.

The Pixel Corps offers an “All-You-Can-Eat-Approach” to our training. We simply give members more than most can possibly absorb. As a result, many members often focus on only a few of the following features (though they have access to all of them for the same price).

As a new member of the Pixel Corps, you will receive over 90 hours of video training on everything from drawing to photogrammetry to digital mattes.

Our training includes both general concept training as well as specific training for applications including:

• Adobe’s Photoshop and After Effects
• Apple’s Shake
• Maxon’s Cinema 4D
• SoftImage’s XSI
• REALVIZ’s Image Modeler, Stitcher and Matchmover Pro
• 2D3’s Boujou Bullet
• ZaxWerk’s Pro Animator
• Luxology’s Modo
• AutoDesSys’s FormZ…among others.

While some of the training is “Basic” training, much of it consists of production solutions for real problems. Many of the tips and tricks in these videos are hard to find anywhere else at any price. We’re adding new applications this summer and new training every week.

In additional to the weekly video training, members will have access to new online courses at very affordable rates. These courses are a result of members looking for specialized training. We have partnered with some of the top artists in the industry. We’ll kick off the June session with Iain McCaig (Character Designer, Star Wars Episode 1,2 and 3) and Modo Master, Dan Ablan.

Example training:

Photogrammetry - Alex Lindsay

Drawing and Light - Iain McCaig

Blending Mocap - Morgan Bottner

Photo Extraction - Alex Lindsay

Tags: Techniques, Technical, Media Creation, Technology, Tools | No Comments »

I happened upon a few descent resources at Expert Village. This is one of a slew of niche video sites that have been springing up over the years. This site concentrates on the advice of a range of experts. I was disappointed that there was nothing on podcast or field recording, but some of the stuff in the Music section turned out to be pretty good.

The first video series I took a look at was entitled “How to Build a Home Recording Studio“. It is a 15 video series, but don’t let that put you off, the videos tended to be under 2 minutes. In the series, producer Arie Pytel provides a primer on a wide variety of studio basics. Many of these topics are applicable to podcasters as well. Topics such as choosing a mic, studio software, studio computers, equipment connections, mic connections and more were very interesting.

My main beef with the series is the fact Arie Pytel didn’t mic himself when doing the series. It is obvious he used the video mic to capture the sound. As a result, the sound is thin and tinny. This really pushed my buttons during his discussion of microphones.

There are others in the music section of Expert Village you’d want to check out. Some of the content has to be ‘converted’ for podcast use. Think of taking a look at the following:

Tad Donley : How to Set Up a Home Recording Studio: Free Online Music Production Tips

Matt Bodi : Building a Professional Recording Studio :: Professional Tips and Advice

Jesus Cardoso : Techniques for a Music Producer: Using Home Recording Studio Equipment

All of these have certain nuggets in their series. Each subject in the series is titled and so you have a general idea of what will be covered. Generally, each video lasts around 2:00 - 2:30. What I got out of the various series is how much I want/need a dedicated space to do my recording and post-production.

Sigh. Hopefully soon.

Tags: Tips, Video, Technical, Recording, Equipment, Media Creation | No Comments »

OENIGSTEIN, Germany, MAY 8, 2007 (Zenit.org).-
A nonprofit organization is aiming to provide a place where producers and networks can present and find Catholic programming.

The Catholic Radio and Television Network (CRTN) has launched an updated version of its Web site to disseminate programming internationally.

“Catholic networks know that Catholic producers with quality Catholic programming are out there, but they are a bit like stars in the sky — you can see them but you don’t know quite how to reach them,” stated CRTN managing director Mark Riedemann.

“This is particularly true in Latin America where now over half of the Catholic networks exist,” Riedemann added.

CRTN’s updated Web site can now facilitate the presentation, negotiation and distribution of Catholic programming worldwide in a variety of languages.

Spanish services

Riedemann explained, “Interestingly, though not surprising, the strongest growth has come from Latin America. We soon realized that our service, weak in the Spanish language, needed to be updated.

“At first I considered separating the system in two — an English service for the English and Spanish for the Spanish market — but through communication with Latin American colleagues it became clear that for them the greatest threat was to be locked into their own markets with little cross-border communication and presentation opportunities.”

He continued, “Consequently, we developed a search engine system in which all programs in all languages relating to that topic appear. This will allow Catholic television networks the opportunity to select from a broad spectrum of available programming.”

The CRTN Web site, financially supported by the Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need, also provides information on Catholic media funding opportunities, production resources, a Catholic radio and television data bank and an archive image exchange.

Martin Fontanari, director of marketing, information and development for Aid to the Church in Need, said that it “has been
supporting the work of CRTN for many years, as we understand the growing urgency for the re-evangelization of the developed and developing world, and that Catholic media is an increasingly fundamental part of this process.”

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My wife sent me a link today from the Wall Street Journal Online. It deals specifically about Fora.tv but winds its way into the discussion of content.

I like the last paragraph of the article:

Great, gripping documentaries, such as the PBS “Nova” series or some of the latest BBC imports are expensive to produce, which is why we see them so infrequently on television and not at all online, at least not as original programming. But the Web is supposed to be all about boundless choice. For folks who get tired of short clips of dogs chasing their tale, their choices are beginning to multiply.

The podosphere does need to be about diversity. Not for its own sake, but to offer the listener choices. These choices not only mean a difference in subject, but a difference in quality of presentation.

I have been asked to be a “guest lecturer” at a class at Franciscan University of Steubenville. Dr. Jim Coyle has been doing a great job of teaching these students not only the technical aspects of podcasting, but the art of storytelling as well. I have been listening to their projects that are available online.

What I noticed is there is a lot of energy and ideas. Over time, the students have experimented with different techniques both in recording and editing. The projects are very interesting from a technical point of view. I have listened to about 2/3 of them at this point. What I have noticed, by-and-large, is the lack of reflection. There is a lot exposition - the telling of stories. There is not enough reflection on what the stories mean to them and how the event(s) changed them.

I remember listening to an interview with Julie Snyder who is the Senior Producer of the This American Life Radio Program and Executive Producer of the TV show. She mentioned how she received a great story. She just thought it was great. It was funny, poignant, and powerful. The only thing, she reflected, was there was no lasting impact on the person who told the story. It didn’t change them, or their life in any apprecable way. In effect, it was an anecdote one would tell at a party. While these can be fun or interesting, they are not the stuff of feature stories.

As Ira Glass has said, the pace of his stories are anecdote, anecdote, reflection. No more than two stories before a search for meaning. Next time you listen to This American Life, see if you can pick up this rhythm.

By-the-way, I had the chance to watch an episode of This American Life on Showtime while I was out of town last weekend. Wow, it almost makes me want to get cable, just so I can watch the show. It was awesome.

PS. If you got to the This American Life page on Showtime, you can watch the first episode of the TV version.

Kewl. Very, very kewl.

Tags: Video, Storytelling, This American Life, Franciscan University of Steubenville, Media Creation, Kewl, Jim Coyle | 1 Comment »

I found this article to be intriguing. I am not a fan of entertainment based religion, but at the same time I am in favor of using media in the most effective ways possible.

Innovative Christian leaders presented highly successful church media projects at the world’s largest Christian communications convention to demonstrate how risk taking with media by a church can lead to the Gospel reaching more people.

The session, entitled “Mushroom Eaters: Churches Taking Risks with Media (And Living to Tell About it),” takes its name from the label Erwin McManus gave himself. McManus, lead pastor of Mosaic Church in Los Angeles, Calif., describes himself as a “mushroom eater” – one willing to take a risk so that those who follow may benefit from – or avoid – his experience. [More…]

One of the things that I found interesting was the sense of being willing to take risks. We need to be willing to try and fail in trying media. It is in the trying and failing that we can get a better idea of what will work. We Catholics have always been innovators, we must be willing to push the envelope.

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I came across this resource and wanted to pass it on. Before you get too excited, it is only available for Linux distributions and Mac. It does seem monster kewl though. This is what the website has to say about the software:

Ardour is a digital audio workstation. You can use it to record, edit and mix multi-track audio. Produce your own CD’s. Mix video soundtracks. Experiment with new ideas about music and sound. Generate sound installations for 12 speaker gallery shows.

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Tags: Podcast, Podcasting, Resources, Media Creation | No Comments »

MIT has unveiled a free programming platform for kids called Scratch. It provides an set of objects with which you can manipulate items on the screen call sprites. Scratch introduces essential programming concepts while allowing the user to experiment, control images, move items and create. It is an addictive program that encourages exploration and fosters creativity.

It seems, though, that the main audience is 3rd-8th grade. As an adult, I found Scratch to be an enjoyable platform. I could see any grade/age enjoying it.

I haven’t yet explored the software enough to see what formats the software exports to, and what formats it allows you to import (both for sound and graphic files).

I’m stoked, because Scratch makes it simple to introduce young people into media creation.

If you are curious, take a look at this video. Again, the program is free. You can download it here.

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Last month President Bush traveled to Philadelphia to voice support for nuclear power as a means to produce greater power in the United States. This is something many environmental groups are opposed to. Greenpeace was one such organization. They decided to produce a press release to oppose the President’s support.

The press release sent to the Philadelphia Enquirer was not as complete as Greenpeace would have hoped. The section below is an exact quote with the original emphasis:

“In the twenty years since the Chernobyl tragedy, the world’s worst nuclear accident, there have been nearly [FILL IN ALARMIST AND ARMAGEDDONIST FACTOID HERE].”

Well, isn’t that special. Who says all publicity is good publicity?

When writing a press release, remember this simple admonition: “Let’s be careful out there”!

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whoops woops press release Greenpeace marketing mistake nuclear power

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