07/12/06 – Variations of the Moving Image

The moving image on today’s web comes in many forms. My ISP (Internet Service Provider) is AOL and as soon as I log in I am confronted by multimedia images. I click on a link to another page and am immediately confronted by animated advertisements encouraging me to buy into Orange phone network. Advertisements have become a very common site on browsers whether on the actual webpage or as a pop up. They vary from full blown mini films, to short animations and flashing images, but there is no doubt they are out to get your attention and to make you buy. Advertising is a lucrative business.I then sign onto MSN messenger, my instant messenger client provided by Microsoft which also has access to my emails. Not only does this have the familiar advertisement at the bottom, but if I choose to talk to a friend who has a webcam, we can instantly have a video conference call (also known as a video conversation) between the two or more of use. All that is required is the latest version of MSN, a webcam at either end and an Internet connection. This is only between two PC’s though and is very basic compared to that which was discussed in an earlier blog, but nonetheless it is video technology used for communication at its simplest.
I then check my emails where I am able not only to receive links to video sites (which will be discussed shortly) but also have video footage sent to me which I can then download onto my computer and watch at my own leisure (on a media player such as Windows) whether it be a home movie or something else.  A visit to MySpace, to check up on my friends, once again allows me to view videos (although this site hosts links to other sites as well as uploading your own here). The videos here may be of anything within reason (i.e. should not offend nor break any laws). It allows for a wide variety of media file formats (asf, .wmv, .mov, .qt, .3g2, .3gp, .3gp2, .3gpp, .gsm, .mpg, .mpeg, .mp4, .m4v, .mp4v, .cmp, .divx, .xvid, .264, .rm, .rmvb, .flv.) and tend to be either music related of video blogs also known as vlogs, of people logging their day to day lives on video and then uploading them to the Internet.  Many of Myspaces’ links come from a site called Youtube. This site, developed in 2005, has a simple yet extremely affective concept. It is a platform which allows for people all across the world to upload video content of all kinds of variety as long as it does not breach the terms and conditions of the site. As a viewer you simply go the website and start browsing. The homepage hosts featured videos as well as popular videos and active channels. You may also browse through categories, channels and communities or through key words or tags.

Videos are screened in a decent size window and can be viewed in full screen. You as the audience are also encouraged to rate and leave comments on the videos which you watch. On the right hand column you are also recommended other similar videos to watch. Thus making the site very addictive and easy to handle. If choosing to use Youtube, you simply create an account and then are able to upload your own videos. Most users are limited to 10 minutes per video, or 100mb. This concept had never been done before, but since has spawned many similar sites such as Google video which not only also allows you to upload your own videos, but allows you to search the entire Internet for relevant videos to your keywords. Once again you can watch these in full screen mode, and are offered other recommendations as well as categories of videos and the top 100 (also through audience rating).  

Then there are podcasts which are generally video or audio files, which are intended to be played on computers and mobile phones, and are watched or listened through RSS feeds. There are also websites such as podcast.net which hosts others podcasts for mainstream viewing. These seem much more basic (especially the audio only feeds) compared with the aforementioned Youtube and Google Video and so lack the multimedia feel of what a computer of phone now can offer. It is therefore clearly obvious why it is not as popular.  Then there are websites such as peekvid, which host links to a number of movies, TV series, cartoons, comedy clips and anime which can be found on the Internet for viewing. In this respect it is slightly more specific in its content. This website however contains many invalid links, and those that do appear tend to be of low quality and in breach of copyright.  Citizen Journalism is another form of user generated content and is discussed further along with examples in the appendix section.  All of the above are different varieties of the way video can and have been used on the Internet, and would not exist without such a platform. These forms of video delivery and purpose are the main forms within the online sphere and almost set a boundary to which I can either build upon and improve, or look further to break out of and adapt. Adaptation however needs to first serve a purpose. All of the types mentioned above can fall into four main categories; information, entertainment, advertising and communication from an audiences point of view. From an author there are also such considerations as creativity, intended meanings and expression of oneself.  All of these need to be taken into account when producing an online product. From the outset I should have it clear in my mind which category I want to fall into.