The Facebook Group

I created the facebook group to help get the word out there about the videos. I am going to put up some posters during the next week that will hopefully get some more people to watch them. So far, the hookup video is leading the way with over 150 views, so I am on my way towards the 500 view mark.

I had people come up to me last night and comment on the videos which I thought was pretty cool. One guys in the video said that he enjoyed it and that it was pretty good. My other friend mentioned that she had seen it and had loved the part with her friends. I think people can relate to it because they go to the school and know some of the people in the video.

Rough Draft and Viral Videos

Well, I learned a little about viral videos today, namely how the idea started off as advertisements, and simply spread to video with the spawn of high broadband internet.

In more exciting news, I put together a rough draft of a full video. It is a compilation of the number 4 videos. I don't have an intro, and some of the sound is a little off, but I like the order of the clips. This stuff takes a long freggin time for about 3-4 mins of output video. Oh yea, I also rearranged the storage of video clips so now they are sorted by topic instead of interview. I am also realizing that if you thought that last line was interesting you have no sense of what is interesting because I thought it was dull and boring. Actually, it is kind of like the status update on facebook, you probably read it and then realized you do not care at all, at all.

Tales from an Editor

The editing process began today at exactly 2:52pm in the ITS media lab. That place is a look high tech nook in the middle of an extremely high tech building. There are four computers with more media connections at each one than anyone could ever really need. It took me twenty minutes to figure out how to get started, but once I started I was like a rock on a hill, I rolled down. (Did anyone notice my genius simile there? I thought it was pretty good.)

So basically this is what I did today:
1. I had exactly 54 minutes worth of interview time from at least 20 different people that I need to break up into individual interviews.

2. I then broke up those individual interviews into each question. Yes, I know, breathtaking.

I got through the first 11 interviews, or 28 minutes of film. I should finish the rest on Thursday and then the splicing and true editing will begin.

Many Interviews Completed

I think my co-pro and I conducted over 15 interviews tonight. We interviewed every type of person in every place. I learned a lot in my adventure tonight.

1. 86.3% of people at Pomona are awkward, especially when they have a camera thrown in their face. Many people answer questions in two words and clam up when the camera turns on.

2. Interviewing friends in pairs is awesome. Friends have a tendency to feed off of each other and answer in complete thoughts and sentences. Furthermore, they offer longer answers and do not seem as frightened by the camera.

3. People take the questions to literally for the most part. The off the cuff, kind of strange, responses we got ended up being the best.

4. People are usually in a rush when they are walking around and it is better to initiate a conversation with someone who is sitting down.

5. I hope this ends up being as funny as it was to hear these responses. Also, as a side note, interviews in the bathroom are strange and should not be repeated.

Interview 1 and 2 complete

Well I got my first two interviews out of the way this weekend. The first one was awkward to say the least. Let me try and give some context to these. So I brought the camera to the water polo game I was working out; I figured I would interview my co-workers. We are acquaintances, but not really good friends and one is a senior and the other is junior. Basically, I figured it would be a good start because it would give me some grade variation and not have them be complete strangers.

So, when I say awkward I don't mean horribly bad, never talk to them again, just strange. The answers were all shorter then I would have liked, which is probably just a factor of having a video camera shoved in your face. So while the process was strange, I think I got some decent footage. I got the semi-strange location I wanted, not some fabricated interview room, and the responses to the questions were decent. All and all I learned more than I gained in footage, but thats the way the cookie crumbles.

Dinner Conversation = Great Idea

Well, last night I ate dinner with my co-pro (Co-Producer) and a bunch of friends and we came up with a great idea to interview people: the bathroom. Now, this might seem strange / weird / creepy and I think that this idea warrants that kind of response. However, it will also be quite possibly the funniest part of the whole series. We can hold toilet paper ransom for answers to questions. Think of all the possibilities...

P.S. - Filming starts tomorrow.

I am I Genius? Maybe...

Butter me up, I'm on a roll

What does Pomona have that no other campus has? The one thing that makes this institution the best on earth? Something that has to be more illegal than drugs? The thing that keeps from doing homework? I don't even need to watch tv because it makes my computer the TV. Yes, I am talking about the network. What presentation of Pomona would be complete without some input on the network. 3/4 of the campus is nowhere near being wireless, yet we can boast of having approximately 73.2% of all the video material a college student could ever need (not to mention apps, games, and music). Basically, we pay $40,000 to have access to the network.

I should get paid to come up with this stuff, or at least get a decent grade ;)

I Think I Had a Revelation

I blinded myself from what I wanted to do. All I had to do was take a step back to realize what the true essence of my project is about. The title of my blog, Pomona Secrets, summarizes what I want to do; I just did not put two and two together. My thoughts were so concentrated on figuring out a series of videos that every college student could relate to, but was experienced by students on campus. With that thought in mind, I came up with the ideas for asking where to sit in class and who to sit next to. It also led me to the idea to ask what types of secret concoctions people created in the dining halls with limited ingredients. Try to make the videos transcend colleges ended up limiting my perspective. I have, however, overcome my limitations.

Why do I love Pomona? What does Pomona mean to me? These questions are Pomona specific, because they have the word Pomona in them. But they also transcend the college experience. When someone says “I love Pomona because…” they are also saying “I love college because…” With that in mind, I realized what makes Pomona unique will also somewhat blend into other college experiences. I have come up with this
for my extended list of possible topics to discuss with students:

1. What do you think about sponsor groups?
a. What are the unwritten rules of sponsor groups?
b. Any stories?

2. What’s a friend crush?
a. Have you acted on one?
b. How do you act on one?
c. Any awkward stories?

3. What dining hall do you like?
a. What’s the best one on all of the campuses?
b. Do you eat lunch in the dining halls?
i. Do you have a dining buddy?
ii. Ever sat with a random person for a meal?

4. Are the new buildings and renovations worth it?
a. What’s your favorite place on campus?
b. What’s the best party of the year?
c. What rule or regulation would you change if you had the power?

5. Are there rules on interclass socializing? (Interclass = Between grades)

I centered the questions on the Pomona experience, but anyone of college age can understand and relate to them. I am I genius? Maybe. Will I get some good stories? Hopefully. Can I pull it off? We will see now won’t we…

YouTube has been set up

I have just setup my YouTube channel for this project. Right now it has my exploits as a High School senor, which I think are classic, but I am kinda biased. The process of setting up the account was nothing special, but I could not decide whether or not to give them all of my information. I know I have my likeness on the internet now, but I blanked out all the names, so I have some sort of privacy, right?...

Interview Supplement

I have probably been watching too much of The Office this weekend, but I want to add some random interviews to the process. Maybe by throwing in random questions about nothing and filming responses I could make a decent outtake video.

I have always wanted to make a TV Show and maybe this could be my secret backdoor entrance into the business...

Let the Ideas Flow

Well, now that my adventure has begun let me let you into my thought process. This blog accompanies a series of YouTube videos that will be created in the near future. I wanted to somehow incorporate my life with the video, but still have them be funny/interesting/ridiculous. I am going to blog about what I do for the movies (editing, filiming, etc..), updates on any ratings / views I get for the videos, how I go about advertising the movies, and anything else that seems relevant to my project.

Here is the dialogue my co-producer and I have had over the past couple of days. Because this is an e-mail discussion, you don't have the ideas we came up with over dinner the past couple of days. We originally had a couple of ideas for music videos, followed by a techno dance party, then something like pulling pranks on friends. Then, like a bolt of lightening from east texas, it hit me in an econ review session:

Subject: Idea for YouTube
three part series.

First part: Random interviews with people about how they choose their
seat position, i.e. - in the front of the classroom versus the back and
left versus right. any stories
Second Part: who they choose to sit next to in class. friends vs.
stranger, girls vs. boys, any stories
Part Three: ?? Something about something stupid everyone on campus does
but never realizes. What time people go to dinner maybe?? Maybe we could
splice a bunch of random comments and outtakes from the first into
something that makes no sense, but is funny.

Let me know what you think.
-Bumpkins
Subject: RE: Idea for YouTube
Yo I'm definitely up for it. I think it's a great idea. Of course we're
gonna have to figure out some logistics like filming during a class. We
definitely could get some funny shit though. I'm thinking about a voice
over of some kid's thoughts while we film him as he sits in class. Or
some shit
And for part three I have a couple ideas:
1) a party- how do you decide where you stand? Dance? Move? Not look
awkward?
2) cafeteria- are you allowed to sit alone at the cafeteria? And we just
ask people that and see what they say
-d
Subject: RE: Idea for YouTube
o baby! I'll plan some shit out over spring break. I was gonna bring my
camera back because it is crappy and I feel that would fit well with
youtube. Do you how I would go about asking the school to use one of
theirs in case I need multiple cameras, or what have you?
-Bumpkins
Subject: RE: Idea for YouTube
I don't have a camera, but you can borrow them from pitzer or Scripps or
maybe Pomona. You have to be on the list though so you should ask your
prof whats up.
I'm pumped homes
-d

Pomona College is located in southern California; it is a small liberal arts school. I am putting this project together for my Intro To New Media Studies class. Please give me any feedback or any ideas you have for a YouTube video we haven't come up with yet, or a place where I can learn how to dominate the YouTube rankings.