Now that the Spark is finally video enabled, I think it’s high time we talked about what sort of local video and audio content we’d all actually like to see. While the basic reason for getting a camera was to create some kind of public record of City Council (and, eventually, County Council and other public meetings), we’re certainly not limited to that sort of coverage.
In brainstorming about this with Christopher George yesterday, we came up with a half-dozen or so ideas that would be easy enough to do with the minimal equipment we have available. These were nothing fancy — anyone with a digital camcorder, a computer and internet access could do them — but very few people seem to be.
Here are some of the ideas we tossed around …
- A weekly news wrap up and commentary, revisiting some of the stuff we’ve talked about on the Spark that week, and perhaps working in clips from TV news as well.
- A weekly podcast talking about various local issues, done in a community-radio style. This would probably be a round-up of news and cultural topics, as well as discussion about them. And we’d probably want a variety of guests each week.
- A local arts vlog, attending art openings and various events to showcase the not-insignificant arts scene in town.
- A DIY music show, featuring local acts playing a few songs and briefly intervewing the musicians themselves. (We may have to limit this to acoustic performers until we get better equipment, however.)
- A local/regional beer vlog, sampling RJ Rockers’ brews along with those from other regional craft breweries.
- An interview show, talking to a local official, luminary or the like each week.
Combine these with the idea that we can syndicate and promote vlogs and podcasts by other local contributors, and you start to see how broad and far-ranging the idea can be. Someone else could take any one of these ideas, do it on their own, and we could still help promote it via the Spark.
This brings us to the Big Idea: What sort of local vlogs and podcasts would you like to see?
Remember, this is brainstorm, which means there are no bad ideas. Impractical ones, sure, but even the most bizarre ideas can serve as inspiration for more practical ones.
Steve Shanafelt
Quality not quantity. There’s so much vloging out there already, unless it’s really compelling, I’m afraid it will be more of the same. (I rarely bother to watch a vlog, unless I know ahead of time the content will be worth my time, or the guy is really cute — puppy dog eyes help).
And … I’m hoping this direction doesn’t distract you guys from your writing. What has drawn me to The Spark was you guys superb ability to craft a word. I hope you realize that you are unique in that way. I’d hate to see that lost in the race to the latest new craze,
Given how long it takes us to even render a video, I think we’ll probably be focusing on the written word for quite a while. But I’d like to do at least one video a week of some kind, and I’m more thinking about how we can open up the project to bring non-writers into it. As it stands now, we’re really a text-only club.
But a once-a-week podcast, say, and a vlog here and there could be a lot of fun. And if someone “steals” one of my precious, precious ideas and runs with it in a way that we can both benefit, all the better.
“And … I’m hoping this direction doesn’t distract you guys from your writing. What has drawn me to The Spark was you guys superb ability to craft a word.”
First, thanks for the props on the writing. Second, I don’t think you have very much to worry about at all when it comes to the video thing.
Speaking personally, I hate being in front of a camera, and while I’m sure that eventually I won’t mind it so much, I doubt I’ll ever truly love it. I am, first and foremost, a writer, and I don’t intend to let anything take the place of that.
What I hope this new facet of the Spark accomplishes is to encourage more people to participate in what’s going on here. Not everybody can write, but maybe they’re really good in front of a camera or with a microphone. I like fresh and interesting in all shades of media, and while I doubt I’ll be doing anything particularly fresh or interesting on the podcast or vlog, I’m sure somebody out there can.
I should also note that I LOATHE being filmed or photographed. There are whole years of my life that have passed where there is no photographic evidence of my existence, and I’m just fine with that. But, as I so often note on columns like Weekending and Big Idea, I’m reluctant to ask anyone to do something I don’t have the guts to do myself.
So, if I want to see more people doing locally relevant multimedia work, vlogs, podcasts and citizen journalism using something other than text, I’ve got to demonstrate that it can be done. If I’m lucky, someone else in the community will scoff at my pitiful efforts and do everything they can to show me up, creating a great new project in the process.
I am 100% about the podcast. Before my laptop shat the bed (pardon my French) I was all about some shoutcast internet radio. Myself and a buddy had a little station going on at Greenville Tech where we would stream indie music and talk about things that happened in the dorm.
Eventually figured out a way to get ‘callers’ into the show by getting one of those multi-line phones from OfficeMax and turning the speaker phone on, and placing it right next to the microphone.
Ad hoc radio at it’s best. If you do the podcast thing, defintely let me know, I’d love to be in that.
Absolutely. Maybe we can arrange a meeting of interested folks somewhere this week or early next? Maybe at Little River?
I’m game for later this week but if other folks can’t commit, I’m flexible. Here’s something else to think about. I can’t remember if someone mentioned it on the forums here, or if it was somewhere else but there was an idea of a dedicated sitting/listening room for local bands to play.
Well, fate would have it that there is a building on Southport Rd/Hwy 221 near my dad’s house that would be absolutely perfect for this sort of venue. The building used to have apartments but the landlord sold it, everyone moved out and now it’s sitting there being advertised as office space.
I’ve had it in my head for quite a while to save up some cash, buy that building and turn it into a listening pub, similar to Coffee Underground’s downstairs listening room and turning the upstairs into a mixed media studio. Something to think about. One of these days, if time doesn’t run out I might actively pursue that idea.
I’m cool with whenever. It’ll be good to toss around some ideas for a podcast.
You know, we could record the meeting and let that be the first podcast. It would be a podcast about what kind of podcast we should make. That would actually be kind of cool … or potentially terrible.
Maybe we make that a Gold member-only kind of content if it’s really bad. Like, “If you want to hear us embarrass ourselves, you’re gonna have to pay.”
hahahahaha
tomorrow morning or Friday morning I can show up. Or after 7 on Thursday…I can ALWAYS get some Little River coffee.
Give me some time to get my machine put back together, and I can do some audio production; intro music etc.
How does Friday (tomorrow) at 11 a.m. at Little River strike everyone for a meeting time to brainstorm a podcast?
I’m game.
I thought I’d be able to, but I’m actually going to be busy doing a little work tomorrow. Hate to miss it, but I’m sure I’ll catch up with you guys later.
I will be there in spirit. When I first started catching up on these comments, I was hoping to go, but alas the day job awaits. Have to work until 3. Boo.
I will do my best to be there.
Why not take your camera and record the white smoke pouring out of the stack on top of Little River?
Then, move downstream and ask people what they smell?
After that you could interview the owner and ask him about the content of that smoke.
Or are your haunts off limits?
Dang it Mike stop talking about Little River Coffee. You got me craving some real bad now. Good thing I have some Guatemalan blend in my fridge for in the morning. It was roasted this week….yum.
I could get some footage of some other white smoke, of the kind that comes out of normal chimneys this time of year. There are several who have wood burning stoves near me and that smoke can take on a fog like quality. Add someone burning leaves and that smoke can play naughty games with my asthma decorated lungs.
for the record I am a recent new addict…err I mean convert to locally roasted coffee. I’ve been on premises exactly 7 times, but twice they were closed…dang it. Nothing like standing outside the door of a place that serves something so good and having to settle for something of the fast food variety.
Very interesting that vlogs are taking off so much. I would not be suprised to see vlogs.mobi to launch their idea on cell phones.