Chris Brogan has decided that he is going to do a bunch of things over this summer, all social media projects. He has started the first project and has made it a collaborative effort. The project is the 100 Comments Challenge and I was invited to participate. Click here to see the fruition of the idea. The question that was sent to me was:
How do we figure out what grabs Internet video viewers and apply it to our own work?
I gave it much thought and finally replied with a answer that reflects my experience and the interactions I have had since the social media network has began to fast forward in a positive way with a burst of new internet shows and social network sites. Now I offer the challenge to you. Stop by the 100 Comments Challenge, read what I had to say about it, leave your answer, and then post the challenge on your blog/website/webpage whatever you may call it. Let’s help get this ball rolling so we can get ourselves ready for Chris’s next challenge.
For those of you who have not heard of Raptor Quest, well,…now you have. It is the film project of Bill (the director) and Bill (the cinematography). That is Bill Whirity, a fellow Columbian from Columbia College and friend who directed and wrote Broke and Zombie Island, and Bill Palmer, who is also a director/writer and a great cinematographer who worked on Zombie Island. According to the Bills, Raptor Quest has been a project in the making for a long time. As you watch their first Raptor Quest Video Blog, you learn that the idea started in 1st grade and is evident by a Crayola drawing that Bill, the director, keeps in his wallet. But you also learn that Bill, the cinematographer, questions Bill, the director, on who was the real artist. So who was the true inspiration behind Raptor Quest, who cares, these guys are so funny you’ll enjoy just taking the journey with them watching their video blogs.
A friend from school Saywer Lahr, who also writes reviews for FilmMonthly.com, reminded me of a great opportunity and great idea that the Independent Film Channel (IFC) has that is called IFC Media Lab. What is IFC Media Lab? It is IFC’s way of letting the people control programming. Great idea, huh. Yes it is. Instead of programming executives deciding what we see, the viewer chooses. A aspiring filmmaker uploads her and/or his film, then the viewer chooses which one they like the best, and then the next month IFC shows how the films ranked from that previous month. From here you are directed to a page where you can see the the winners films online. Now, these are short films and not feature length. So, now you really do not have any excuses when it comes to showing your work. Look at it as a learning experience and just think your film may be the next big thing.
