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VlogEurope 2007 takes place in a bit over a month, and this will be a post with some of my own brainstorming for this event.

The co-organizers (basically Joel and myself so far) have thought about what to do at VlogEurope this year along with Andreas, and we think it’s about time to Really represent what videoblogs are made around Europe, as well as talking about what is happening in the different countries.

How would this be done?

Firstly, we would like to have “ambassadors” from different countries who could introduce their “national vlogosphere”. what projects are being done? which ones are interesting? what is “the vlog climate” like in their country?

Also, we would like to SHOW some videoblogs from around Europe. Currently, what I am imagining is 30 minute videos that are curated by people which shows videos from - for instance - Finland or Poland. What if you could sit down and enjoy a 30 minute videoblog with videos from Portugal? They had different videos shown at Pixelodeon, curated by people from around the world. I wasn’t there, but I think it would be interesting to have something like that.

Also, VlogEurope 2007 is mostly about the “meat-space”. Meeting other videobloggers. Discussion. Hanging out. Seeing nice things together. Heidelberg is a wonderful city that I have wanted to visit for a long time - all the way back from my 2000-02 years in Mosaic (old www). The University of Heidelberg was one of the shining institutions during the middle ages / renaissance. There are quite a few students in Heidelberg, but I am not sure if their semester has started in primo September.
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So, we need curators for VlogEurope 2007. The role of the curator is to pick an European country, search for videos from that country, and then edit together a collage of videos. We are not sure yet how long we want the collages to be - 30 minutes? 15? 60? But if you are interested in contributing as a curator, let me know by email (raymondmk at gmail.com).

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I have TONS of video scattered around, and I need a way to easier recontextualize them, make new playlists, and so on. The comment by Rupert here spurred me on, and I realize that before I make tons of New material, I just want to be able to shuffle the media easily. Without the ability to shuffle it, tweak it, use some video I took on one occassion together with video from another occassion - - the whole point of my taking all this footage is lost. To me, videoblogging is not just media made for the current. I might ask some important question or show something important in 2005, and in 2009 I might remember the discussion, or the footage, and then I would like to return to it, and recontextualize it (a la text/recontext) maybe?

Earlier, I would use del.icio.us as a way to contextualize footage without having to post it in a blog post with a subject-line and all. Here is one example (note: some of the links are outdated, but you get the point, for instance I would use a tag like “animation”, and then later on I could draw upon those resources) - but alas, i never fully developed this system, and I didnt get to look for other ways to do this.

Brightcove is Very neat. Setting up the player takes a bit of time and is clunky, but I like all the features that are included.

I will definitely play some more with Brightcove Studio, then I will test out Blip.tv’s system further, and compare the two, maybe by a screencast. I should definitely explore the opportunities. Enogh a href-code in html in the post at least.

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Moments from Eco Trance Plant Mystery

So, I made up my mind today to go to a mini-festival tomorrow: Eco Trance Plant Mystery. In the past, I listened quite a lot to psy-trance / goa at times, but I never really got into the subculture of it. I have never done any yoga, but I do meditate sometimes. Mostly simple visualization stuff.

Tomorrow will be interesting. To me, this is primarily a “social trap” - forcing myself to go out there and meet new people. I LOVE chai tea, so when I read about the abundance of Chai at the event, I was sold.

It takes place in northern Zealand, quite far outside Copenhagen, so that will be an interesting trip too.

I plan on taking my camera with me. Maybe get to interview a few people there, and publish it on here if they will let me. Let this videoblog/blog become also sporadic updates on whatever is happening in my local community.

The theme for this weekend’s event is “Tara”, which is “the second cosmic power“. Tara is “divine grace and compassion”.

Looking forward to it. Will be a nice trip outside my usual environment.

I wrote this post. Rupert made this video comment:

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(taking the liberty to link the video in this post)

Now I made this response:

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Trying to get into the habit of just publishing again. With no fear.

I have this paranoia. Who is watching? What do they think? Why are there so few conversations? Is it - simply - because we are all busy with our own creative processes? I suppose so. Whack myself on the finger: Reach out more. React more to what others do. No blog or vlog should be an island of their own, isolated by zillions of miles of cyber emptyness. But I don’t want to make this a vlog/blog news site either. “Look! XYZ made a new video! Go check it out!”. Hmm.

Daytime / Nighttime. Green Light / Red Light:

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Yesterday night i started from scratch with my four-frames video. I encoded this early draft of the first seconds for Michael Meiser though:

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Rupert asked some good questions here. Here is One take on what he said:

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Now, I don’t know where this will take us. If the internet will be outlawed in 2012, or if it will be split into a zillion internets, each with their own economic structure, or if it will be the key to true exchange of opinions across the world. I DO know that we need to be less afraid. All of us.

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I have been thinking about “farming frames” lately. If you are familiar with WoW, you know of the importance of farming. Farming primals, or farming rep, or farming mats for flasks. Now, after quitting that game, I started wondering about ways to farm for frames, and seeing the video I shoot, publish and store as references I can use at a later stage, instead of separate “pieces of pure art” or entertainment created for the spur of the moment.

How often do you remix your own older matieral? Not often, right? Me neither.

There are a few things I need to do.

1) Put more of my old videos on blip.tv and consequently tag them, and tag them well. Hopefully I will then find a way to create a system of reference that I can easily tap into at a later stage.

2) Find a way to publish my more random frame-farming sessions without it interfering too much with my regular audience, who might be more interested in whatever is going on in my life, or who wants more edited material maybe. Maybe just publishing it on blip.tv without linking to it? It would be almost like publishing photos on flickr without linking to the photos or using them on my blog, right?

This video was shot on my way home from a very enjoyable evening, talking about videoblogging. Very meta. I thought a lot about videoblogging as a form of “digital storytelling” then, and I remembered some of the earlier works of JD Lasica, and his focus on digital storytelling.

Am I telling stories with these videos? Is that a primary goal? I like to think of it more as frame-farming now. I just happen to publish them for you all to browse as well - following your own interest.

But that requires a good taxonomy, right?

Another street in Copenhagen, Denmark

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