What Do the YouTube Changes Mean?

February 22, 2018 in Web Video, Social Media

YouTube recently kicked a ton of people and companies out of its partner program. This program was useful if you wanted to monetize your videos, add external links, or taking advantage of other interactivity...

Officially, the changes were made to fight "bad actors." People who were abusing the YouTube system and monetizing content they didn't own (a well as other problems. This blog post explains a lot of it.

I got this email today for one of my pages (not one I use often).

As of today, your channel, rhedpixeltv will no longer have access to monetization tools associated with YPP because it doesn’t meet the new threshold of 4,000 hours of watch time within the past 12 months and 1,000 subscribers. If you meet the new threshold at some point in the future, you'll be automatically re-evaluated for YPP. The reviews typically take 1-2 weeks.

The truth is it sounds scarier than it really is.

What's gone

The ability to make money from YouTube advertisements. This doesn't affect me but does others.
The ability to link to your own webpage from a video (a major bummer). But YouTube says they will add this ability soon for all users.

What stays

Ability to live stream
Ability to brand your channel
Ability to use cards and annotations

So this really seems to be a block against people making money of they don't reach a certain tier. I get it... the economy and overall ad revenue coming into YouTube has changed. They made some switches to be more profitable.

This video explains it well:

So the short version... Stay Calm and Stream On.

Here are some useful FAQs — https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/72851#FA

Higher Quality Encodes with Variable Bit Rate Encoding

March 02, 2015 in Adobe, Web Video, Video

When time is on your side and you’re looking for the highest quality compression, then you want to go with variable bit rate encoding. Working with high quality encoding is time consuming but worth the time. Join Jason Osder in this course as he takes you through the necessary steps to properly encode using the variable bit rate method.

Adobe Premiere Pro Working with Photoshop: Higher Quality Encodes with Variable Bit Rate Encoding

To learn more, Jason Osder has created an exciting course called: Premiere Pro Guru: Outputs and Media Encoder with Lynda.com http://www.lynda.com/Premiere-Pro-tutorials/use-codecs/149702/154476-4.html

Outputting video is one of the most important yet misunderstood parts of the creative process. If you work with Adobe Premiere Pro, it's critical to understand how to choose a format, convert frame rates, and work with Media. In this course Jason Osder covers encoding 101 and shows you how to access Media Encoder from inside Premiere Pro or as a stand-alone program, create an efficient export workflow and encode for formats such as broadcast, DVD or Blu-ray, YouTube, and mobile devices.

Topics in this course include:

Understanding compression terminology
Exporting directly from Premiere Pro
Using the Media Encoder interface
Outputting media for Apple and Android devices
Adjusting settings
Automating compression workflows

You can check out the class here - http://www.lynda.com/Premiere-Pro-tutorials/use-codecs/149702/154476-4.html

Essential Gear for Recording Interviews

February 09, 2015 in DSLR Video, Web Video, Video

When conducting an on-camera interview, having the essential gear it crucial. In this course I’ll explore each piece of gear that plays an important role for the production of the interview, including the camera package, audio recording device and client production monitor to name a few.

Production of Video Interviews: Essential Gear

To learn more, I've created a new course with communication specialist Amy DeLouise called Art of the Interviews for Lynda.com

http://www.lynda.com/Video-Shooting-Video-tutorials/Essential-gear/141499/155877-4.html

There is a real art to conducting an on camera interview. Doing research and prep work ahead of time is huge. Join me and communication specialist Amy DeLouise as we team up to show you how the pros prepare for, organize, and conduct great video interviews. Learn about performing background research before you "set foot on set," positioning the subject in front of the camera, building trust, avoiding common mistakes in questioning, capturing secondary audio for use in a podcast, and much more. Amy brings years of interviewing expertise to this important subject, while I offer tips that will help make editing easier and reduce the amount of money spent in post-production.

Topics in this course include:

Planning interview goals
Anticipating interviewee's answers
Conducting background research
Scheduling interviews
Building rapport
Teasing out supporting points
Getting transcripts
Avoiding obstacles with challenging interview subjects

You can check out the class here - http://www.lynda.com/Video-Shooting-Video-tutorials/Essential-gear/141499/155877-4.html

Creating a Story Arc with your Questions for an Interview

February 04, 2015 in DSLR Video, Video, Web Video

You want to create an experience for your interviewee and one of the most effective ways to do that is through a story arc, where the interview questions form a beginning, middle and end. Building up to your key points is a great way to keep the interviewee engaged and you’ll most likely get the sound bites you want. Communication specialist Amy DeLouise and I will share some helpful strategies for building the story arc with your interview questions.

During the Interview: Creating a Story Arc with your Questions

To learn more, I've created a new course with communication specialist Amy DeLouise called Art of the Interviews for Lynda.com

http://www.lynda.com/Video-Shooting-Video-tutorials/Creating-story-arc-your-questions/141499/155890-4.html

There is a real art to conducting an on-camera interview. Doing research and prep work ahead of time is huge. Join me and communication specialist Amy DeLouise as we team up to show you how the pros prepare for, organize, and conduct great video interviews. Learn about performing background research before you "set foot on set," positioning the subject in front of the camera, building trust, avoiding common mistakes in questioning, capturing secondary audio for use in a podcast, and much more. Amy brings years of interviewing expertise to this important subject, while I offer tips that will help make editing easier and reduce the amount of money spent in post-production.

Topics in this course include:

Planning interview goals
Anticipating interviewee's answers
Conducting background research
Scheduling interviews
Building rapport
Teasing out supporting points
Getting transcripts
Avoiding obstacles with challenging interview subjects

You can check out the class here - http://www.lynda.com/Video-Shooting-Video-tutorials/Creating-story-arc-your-questions/141499/155890-4.html

Monetizing Your Web Video

November 16, 2014 in Web Video, Business

I recently presented on this topic at a conference for NAB in New York. There is a lot of information about trends and business in here.

Monetizing Your Web Video from Richard Harrington

There are many different approaches to publishing content online… but without a source for funding you can’t go for very long. In this course successful digital publisher Rich Harrington will walk you through many different options to monetize content. Learn what it takes to sell your content in several online stores, explore sponsorship options, and also learn about companion sales. If you’ve always wanted to get your show or film out there, this class will help you see a return on your hard work.

I’ve Never Watched a Video That Couldn’t Benefit From Being Shorter

February 15, 2014 in Business, Web Video, Video

The primary place video is watched these days is on mobile devices. This means small screens and lots of distractions. Add in changes in the human attention span, and I can’t emphaize enough to keep the total run time low to avoid viewer fatigue.

Here’s a simple idea: Keep your videos short. It is better to have five 3-minute videos than one 15-minute episode. I try to keep most client videos to less than 10 minutes (in fact less than 5 in almost all cases).

With the rise of the web, videos tend to be consumed during things like work breaks, downtime, and airplane flights. Others will use them during commutes on the morning train or the subway. Think of video as portable, on-demand learning or entertainment.

Here are some strategies to keeping the runtime down:

Limit the number of topics covered. How may points do you need to make? I try to stick to one (with a hard limit of three).
Can the video be split? If a topic runs too long, look to see if you can create shorter segments that stand alone. This way the viewer can download Part 1 and start watching it while they’re waiting for the rest to download or be released. There’s nothing wrong with multiple parts.
Get a fresh opinion. Show the video to other people and note when they first look away from their screen or at their watch. That’s when they started to get bored.

Shorter is better….

How to Publish Video to the Web

June 27, 2013 in Adobe, Video, Web Video

I explain how to export video from your nonlinear editor to make sure your movie is ready for the web. From the extensive DPBestflow site I highly recommend.