FAQ

Where did you learn to shoot/edit? In 1999 my good pal Steve introduced me to his childhood friend Marcus. Marcus told me he was going to make a movie, and asked if I would like to help. I thought this idea was hilarious, because a regular person can't make a movie on the weekends in his back yard. Boy was I wrong. Marcus, Steve, and I figured out on our own how to plan, shoot, re-shoot, and edit with digital video. Eventually I studied computer graphics design in graduate school, specializing in DV. What kind of camera/software do you use? Most of my vlog posts are shot with the simple video feature on my Canon Powershot S50 digital still camera. Occasionally I borrow a Canon GL2. I edit in Final Cut Pro, which I think is the cat's pajamas. LiveType and Soundtrack Pro are also indispensable. Oh, and without Apple Compressor, I would be utterly lost. How did you get into videoblogging? In Fall 2004 I discovered podcasting and thought it was super groovy, but I wondered why no one was doing the same sort of thing with video (lots of people were, I just didn't know). One day I heard a podcast that mentioned "vlogging." Intrigued, I Googled the word, and up came this video. I had no idea what I was looking at, but kept poking around, and 6 hours later I was hooked. Are you the same guy who does the blog about vlogging with the weird name? Yes, I also run Vlognik, a place where I try to make sense out of the changes in how media is created and distributed (especially video) by writing about it. It's a tad eggheady, because I like to analyze things and make connections between ideas, but I also invite response and discussion. It's not for everyone, but if you like to think too much about things, check it out if you get a chance! How did you do that thing in that vlog that time? I get many questions about how I do particular editing tricks, what's the meaning of certain videos, how I got my cat to do some particular thing, where or how something was shot, etc. I will try to come up with a way of organizing those questions and posting answers to them somewhere on this site. If you have suggestions about how I can do this in a way that's easy to use, let me know!