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Thursday, June 5, 2008

What New Online Video Formats Are Emerging?

In the 1930's and 40's people experimented with creating shows and ad models that would work to make money with the new technology called Television. Radio was king and all the top paid talent like Bob Hope worked on radio shows while new and undiscovered talent tried to hammer out new formats and business models for television.

Sound familiar?

As Television started to take hold radio programs migrated over to TV in the same formats they had been presented in radio but they experience wasn't as good as it was on radio.

Still sound familiar?

Soon new formats developed that took advantage of what Television had to offer and as more smart people from radio learned what worked and what didn't work on TV programs like Twilight Zone were produced and Television got better and better and audiences developed in critical mass. Then people made money. Lots of money.

My Damn Channel's You Suck at Photoshop recently won two Webby Awards - A People's Voice Award for Comedy Long Form or Series and one for HOW-TO AND DIY. You Suck at Photoshop should have won for Best New Online Video Format but I don't think that was a category...yet.

You Suck At Photoshop is a new online video format that breaks new ground by using old theater of the mind tricks from radio and a well crafted comedy subtext story. If you haven't seen You Suck at Photoshop don't be scared that you are going to see a "How To" on Photoshop even though they do cover valuable information about the photo manipulation software but that is not what this online video is about.

You Suck at Photoshop is a breakthrough comedy is presented as a "How To" screencast video series but what it really is, is a trip through the life of a designer who has lost his wife of seven years and is trying to cope with it by teaching Photoshop to strangers online.

You Suck at Photoshop is pure genius. I hope to meet the real "Fat Brian" sometime in the near future. Maybe at the New Media Expo in Las Vegas?

2 comments:

steven edward streight said...

I'm helping local punk band The Skabs with live streaming video. They do a short comedy skit, then present a little news about the band and their sponsor Pabst Blue Ribbon, then launch into a set of music, about 8 songs.

What makes SkabTV better than a real world venue performance?

Well, they probably wouldn't do the comedy bit on stage. But even more so: the fans could not interact so readily as they can via the UstreamTV chat box.

We don't always reply on chat, with the fans, since I'm on active webcam and they are playing music. But I want to assign someone to chat as the show is going on, for this interaction is key.

steven edward streight said...

Oops. I guess I was a bit off topic. So let me say that while I despise black metal music, this is a pretty funny video. I also had a wife long ago who was disloyal, and this hit home in a sad but comical manner.

This comical but educational video methodology is exactly right, especially for the younger set of emerging geniuses.

Good job.