learning center -- overview

blip.tv/learning/summary

concept(s)

concept

A Show is a series of videos that are tied together by consistent branding, style, and release schedule.
Shows are different from viral videos, friends/family videos, or music videos, because they are recognizable as a series of related videos and often have powerful online communities of fans.
A Show on blip.tv can be distributed to hundreds of millions of potential viewers for free using blip.tv's tools. See Concept for details.

tool(s)

blip.tv account, pro or free. A free account has everything you need. Pro accounts have scheduled publishing, private videos, and automatic creation of additional formats.
A computer that can edit video and has enough free space on the hard drive. iMovie (Mac) or MovieMaker (PC) free editing software. Quicktime Pro on a PC or Mac. Basic graphic editing software. High-speed Internet connection for upload/viewing.
A camera: Start with a <$1000 camera that has mic and headphone jacks, and works well with your computer and editing software. CNET's Editor's Pick/Budget Camcorders. See Tools for details.

produce

Pre-production: Content is king. Got concept? Got a script? Notes? Questions to ask? A story? Listen to storyteller Ira Glass's advice for video bloggers.
Production: Audio is King. Get good sound with an external mic. Compose using the Rule of Thirds. Use a tripod. Make sure there's lots of light. Take some good stills to make thumbnails from. Follow Kodak's top ten tips for photographers.
Post-production: Organize your media. Use descriptive file and folder names. Learn to use cuts, dissolves and fades as commas, periods, and sentences in the language of film. Make unique thumbnails. Back-up your work. See Produce for details.

export(s)

For your upload, we recommend using QuickTime on a Mac or PC to make 640 pixel wide, 30 frames per second, AAC audio, ".mov" files. We'll make a Flash version and leave your original upload untouched.
Make a full quality master of every episode. You'll need it later to go to higher resolution as technology improves.
Back-up your files consistently, but only what you don't want to lose. See Export for details.

distribute

Upload one video to your blip.tv account and configure your Show Page. Write good descriptions. Categorize your upload. Select Creative Common's licensing. Tag, each, video, with, commas, separating, key, words. In the "Distribute" dashboard, configure and set up accounts in all the locations you want to distribute.
Blip.tv has the best RSS (subscription) and distribution tools in the business. You can get on iTunes Podcasts with your original untouched, hi-resolution uploads. Our Show Player will get your show and its past episodes on your blogs, Web sites, and the major social networking sites (MySpace/Facebook) with the flick of a check box, or the paste of some code. We also of course support all the geeky RSS tech you can think of.
Consider Community. Blip.tv lets people comment on each video, but you may want a larger social network for your show. Several successful shows on blip.tv use the free service Ning.com. See Distribute for details.

community

Join other show producers in peer communities such as Yahoo Video Blogging group.
Enable discussion, comments, and chat on your show's main site. Respond, respect, and ask viewers to submit content.
Protect your viewers' personal information and safety. See Community for details.

advertising

We split any money made from ads on your show 50/50. Blip.tv enables you to have ads or sponsors before a video (pre-roll) during (overlay) or after (post-roll).
Start by enabling the Blip Blend in the Advertising Dashboard. Build traffic! Then give us a call. We love to get sponsors for shows that have developed a large, or loyal audience. When starting out, look around your home town for local sponsors.
We strongly urge you to gather promotional materials (i.e. a large and small logo, generic thumbnail, hi-res 30 second trailer, one-sheet of descriptions, cast/crew, contacts). If you get a copy to us, we can more easily promote your show, should opportunity present itself. See Advertise for details.

top 11 mistakes

mistake(s)

What? Use an external mic.
Who? Why? When? Brand and market consistently!
Make nice clear original uploads using QuickTime. See Top 11 Mistakes.

veterans speak

veteran(s)

Short interviews with show producers, hosts, editors, and writers. Go To Veterans Speak.

link(s)

You'll notice two types of links in the Learning Center. One type is blue and leads to pages on blip.tv. One type is underlined and leads to pages on other Web sites. Like this:

Local link: Go To Links.
Outside link: See Video # 3 "Production Basics"

[] readme course(s) preface I 1 2 II 3 4 III 5 6 7 IV 8 9 10 V 11 12 afterthought(s) appendix reference(s) example(s) resource(s) _

You may not copy or print any of this material without explicit permission of the author or the publisher. In case of other copyright issues, contact the author.

learning center -- overview

concept(s)

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tool(s)

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produce

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export(s)

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distribute

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community

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advertising

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top 11 mistakes

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veterans speak

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link(s)

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