Freemium Funding

All the research I'm doing on the "freemium"funding model for online and mobile devices keep talking about it as if it is new. But in reality, this model has existed since infomercials and trial periods were born. At least, the principle is the same: Let the consumer try the product (one of Everett Rodger's qualities in the diffusion of innovation), then once they're hooked up make them cough up the payment. I remember watching infomercials that not only promised steak knifes, but a 30 day free trial. This idea has transformed when applied to the web and especially mobile devices. Farmville is free to start playing on Facebook, but if you get addicted and can't level up until you earn an item buying that item starts to look like an appealing option. The same idea is applied to mobile devices. Sure you can play Fruit Ninja for free, but you want to play something other than the arcade version? Well just click right here and purchase the version you'd like. Want more colors in DrawSomething, but can't figure out your friend's pictures? No problem, the in-app purchasing allows you to simply click and purchase without ever leaving the game. It is a fascinating way to apply an old idea to new media.

VFX Underway

 

A couple weeks ago I shot a music video and cut the footage together. My two partners and I had been planning it since this summer and it was more than just exciting to see our vision come to life. Production has always been one of my favorite parts of making videos. We have recently started the third phase of completing our video: Post. I have always liked editing, but this project has introduced me to a whole new world of post-production: VFX. I expected to create a couple vfx shots because they are part of a class assignment, but the effect I am currently working on was just to challenge myself. Personally, I love how the effect is turning out and feel extremly accomplished having figured it out with only the aid of an old online tutorial. The screen is black, until the subject 'wisps' into the frame as if a memory or a ghost appearing from the air around him. The effect continues into another shot where his hand finishes appearing just in time to grab the hand of our female lead. As you can see the effect used quite a few layers, which managed to crash the computer I was working on twice (that's what having 4GB of Ram gets you).

In order for this effect to work in the final render of the music video, I have to mask this character out of the shot before this one, which isn't too hard for most of the frames seeing as the two subjects do not interact. However, there are 9 frames I keep ignoring because I know the only way is to Roto (insert scary dramatic music here). Actually, it's not all that bad. I don't get along with the rotobrush all that well, but me and the pen tool have been tight ever since my photoshop days. I am excited to see how this project comes together after compositing the different vfx shots and hope my work pays off. (You ever notice how much effort goes in to 2 minutes of the final video? I try not to think about it...it makes me sad).

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I was instructed to read a book and write a book report for one of my classes this passed weekend, so read I did. While I wished for the simpler days of writing reports on Maniac Magee and Ramona Quimby, I did actually enjoy reading about blogs. The book started way back in Benjamin Franklin's time explaining how newspapers became popular and tracked the same trends to the current state of the blogosphere. To summarize the book in one sentence (though my essay had to be 4 pages), when social change and new technology merge, watch out institutions cause the general public is coming for you!
I heard a speaker this week talk about the desires of different generations. When I was a child the most popular desire was to be in a group or feel part of something. Today's youth want more than anything to be famous. Applying this to the discussion of blogs I can't help but agree with the speaker. Blogs began as a way for people to be heard. Bloggers posted their thoughts and opinons simply because they hoped someone might read them and they could feel connected. Today, everyone has a blog or maybe even a vlog. Everyone posts what they think will gain them followers because it is no longer about being heard by someone, but by everyone. Bloggers give the people what they want instead of writing what they want. It has become a commercial institution, which is the very thing it was created against.
By reading this book (The Rise of the Blogosphere by Aaron Barlow) I feel like this is the cycle of things. Newspapers were started as a way of posting the local gossip, but later became dramatic retellings of the news; whatever would sell the most papers. Youtube used to be a free service to upload videos and watch other's videos, but now you must sit through advertisments. Facebook was once a community solely for 1 campus, but has grown into a company whose profits come majority from ad space.
I wonder what the next big trend will be (and no I don't mean a trend on Twitter) and how long it will take the institutions of the world to find a way and commercialize it. Then again, if the current generation is like the speaker says, they may just commercialize it to begin with.

Blur

This passed week I embarked on the challenge of Action Shots in Photography class. I discovered I'd much rather take pictures of motion blur than of stop action. Going against the grain is very appealing to me, probably because I love to break rules. But, as all my professors stress, I break them for a reason. This is the same for Motion Blur; forcing a still image to move. I liked to experiment with panning my camera while adjusting the shutter speed for some interesting shots. My personal favorite involved me hanging out the window of my boat/Buick while I photographed the road before me.
This photography assignment came at a perfect time in my life because it kind of personifies where I'm at. I feel like I'm always moving, or at least the pieces of my metaphorical life chess game are always moving. I'm moving full speed ahead into my future, but I'm not quite sure what that future is just yet. There is a big difference from the pictures I took and how I view my life, however. I refuse to let the things I pass by be a blur. I will enjoy every second of my college years and take the time to make memories and friendships.
I love photography and videography and am excited for every project I get to work on...segue to my excited rant about this weekend. Over the next three days I'm shooting a music video and I could not be more excited! There are a lot of pieces that will be moving around for this project to come together the way I want it to, but I'm ready for the challenge (This would have been a better post if I knew anything about chess, but alas...I'm a checkers player). Anyways, expect an update (maybe a photo..maybe even another motion blur photo!) from the video shoot next week and an exciting report on the book I recently read for one of my Media classes. It's subject: Blogs...(cue laugh track for irony).

Campaign Pains

       I work in the Mediaplex of the university I attend (Feel no shame in not knowing what that is, the students that wonder into it usually don't know either). Basically I sell anything you would need for a pintrest project, watch people use a laminator, check out video equipment and the Big Kahuna: Print Jobs. So when I heard it was time for Freshmen Class Council I knew I was in for a long night of work. Freshmen love to print campaign posters. Not just 1 or 2 for the Student Center, but endless amounts for the entire campus. I charge them money for these, so I know how much their spending (aka Too much). The interesting part of this experience is that it truley is just the freshmen.
        Upperclassmen don't bother with the entire campus because they understand where people focus. Sure they print out 2 for the Student Center, but then they take their campaign to the best free source of publicity there is: The Internet. Who doesn't have a facebook these days? #EveryonesOnTwitter. Reaching the student body where they spend the most time procrastinating is an easy way to not only ask for a vote, but to ask what the voters want. It's truely a new way to look at the world of marketing and Cedarville upperclassmen aren't the only ones embracing it. Many well known companies have started blogs, facebooks, forums and twitter accounts to keep in touch with their customers. Reviews are at our fingertips, ideas can be passed around the world in minutes, big time corporations are listening to advice from the little guy. In this age of communication anything is possible. Who knows, maybe one day the freshmen will adapt this groundswell strategy. Then I won't spend my nights unjamming the printer and refilling the cardstock. Ah to dream.

Get Smart...TV

This week I dove headfirst into the history of broadcast television. Some key notes I found: TVs are no longer analog! It's not just an American thing (for all those who remember those annoying commercials) if anything we're trying to keep up. Europe was the first to start the transition to Digital TV and the whole world followed. If a country hasn't completed the transition then they are in the middle of it...everyone except India...which is random. Anyways, apart from the transition to digital TV, the next big step for broadcast is Smart TV. Some of these have already started circulating the commercial market, but they are expected to be in every household within the next five years. The idea is that OTT (over the top services such as Hulu and Netflix) have started to take over the television market, so instead of linear TV trying to keep up, it's going to converge. It's genius! If you can't beat 'em, join 'em! No wonder they are called Smart TVs. 

I think that's where all technology is headed anyways, consolidated into one device - or having all of our devices connected. It's already started with our phones and mp3 players, calendars and books...why not broadcast television? I am all for this next step in technological progression! I can't wait to tweet about a commercial for twitter whilst surfing Facebook and watching the Social Network...all on the same device!

Jacque

Introductions

First things first. My name is Jacquelin Long. Hello! Just to clarify...my full name is Jacquelin so when I shorten it and go by Jacque it is still pronounced "jackie" (Not the french Jacques). There's no real reason it's spelled that way but pure laziness...just take off the -lin.

I'm a Broadcasting and Digital Media Major with Minors in Photography, Motion Graphics and Bible at Cedarville University (Say that three times fast). I have never kept a diary, or written in a journal, nor have I kept a blog. The inner workings of my brain are too complex for even me to articulate sometimes so I've kept them where they belong. I've kept them secret and kept them safe (if you get that reference you get two points! Keep track cause we'll tally them at the end and the winner gets to feel special)

I will be keeping up with this blog and letting yall in on some cool technology I find. I am also in the midst of filming a music video so you'll probably be hearing a lot about that process as well. This is not only my first blog, but this semester will be my first experience with special effects. I'm going to try and get through the course without any scars, but knowing how clumsy I am (and the fact I've already managed to smash my finger while typing this) I'll settle for just some bumps and bruises.

Jacque