HelloSpiders

Homebase blog for a group of sites updated by Will Pollard. The hope is to work out how they link together so people can find the bits of interest.

Saturday, July 30, 2016

Lighting tests for better video

Going back in time from recent uploads. I rented some lights from Phoenix Digital, the film production office at the back of the building (Phonic FM is in the basement) and luckily the 24 hours was enough to go to the Bike Shed Bar in the evening, and then the Wild Show nest morning at Phonic and a quick trip to Tech Exeter in the afternoon. Tech Exeter has a meeting room in Southernhay.





So this is reasonable evidence that lighting can work. On the third one it is a bit wobbly but the good thing is that the Phonic studio is viable. 

Previously there has been a choice to make. The lighting is bad in the Phonic studio so this one shifted to black and white.



We have also been to Cafe 55 where the lighting is ok, on this one sound reasonable as well. So there are now options but still depends on budget. Cameras seem to get cheaper or better, lighting still something to hire when needed.



The Tech Exeter meeting space has network sockets and fourteen plugs for electricity so any amount of equipment could be available on a suitable occasion.

Monday, July 25, 2016

Video has arrived in Exeter already, my time line is in loops

Every so often I realise that the future arrives unevenly. This has been pointed out before but I forget. I don't think it has arrived already or some time ago, though this may be true in some other place. Anyway I do not travel that much.

But having been stuck with video in a couple of situations - Networked Learning Conference and Rougemont Global Broadcasting - I am surprised and delighted to find there has just been a Digital Exeter meeting about video. Sorry I missed it but then I also discover I am too late for the meeting on Thursday. I will definitely follow the website more closely and book early for the next one.

The evening was at the Apple Store with talks including AB Motion . Looks very convincing as a way to produce video and a strong marketing case has been made at previous Digital Exeter events ( I was able to get in a couple of times at the City Gate ) Apple has always been the choice of media professionals. I have worked with Windows so far but will reconsider. It looks easy enough to do video for social media / content marketing with the sort of kit you can find at the Apple Store. Not sure about cameras but as explained in previous posts the PopUp Centre for Performance, Bar Management and Camera Studies is always just around the corner. Notice that performance and bar management are part of what happens anyway. The study concentrates on cameras.

So there is a base for video production in Exeter. Some costs of course but the theory around promotion is accepted. Previously the PopUp Centre has claimed that video promoting performance recovers enough through the bar to fund the edit resources before the next event. It may be true but Phonic FM for example has no clear policy on video around benefit events. something may happen but it is still a bit hit and miss.

Academic conferences now use social media for promotion but investment in video production is not always a priority. Probably a hardback book with the collected papers is seen as more significant for the conference reputation. Students are still expected to produce thousands of words though video edit is not supported as a study skill.

Anyway, next step is to work on a sort of chat show connecting guests from marketing / video with music /radio and MOOC / conference. Probably involves borrowing clips from various sources but sound only is ok in Phonic studio near Queen Street Exeter.


Saturday, July 23, 2016

Notes around video, background for #mtwr / #mtw3

The Pop-up Centre for Performance, Bar Management and Camera Studies will meet again somewhere in Exeter in July or August. See Facebook group. This is probably best base for #mtwr - Management theory at Work in Radio. #mtw3 continues as LinkedIn Group but possibly the list and tag in Twitter will be more active.

Continuing cases study in how to move video production to a higher level. Turns out there is a 5000 subscriber threshold to get use of YouTube London studio. So that is a concrete target but may not be realistic any time soon.

So maybe back to text while developing a script. Or low level video such as hangout edit or phone. Below are possible topics

as  #mtwr           Management Theory in Radio    Devon  August

There may not be much transition as in disruption. Comparing this year with last not much seems to have changed.  Phonic is still concentrating on FM studio . Access All Aerials is in a rural setting with distant audience so online suits well. There may be more use of social media around Phonic by different shows. So maybe look at this as middle management. the books on a managers guide to self development are updated more often than the one on a learning company. Maybe we could try looking at the company as static more or less, but more going on around it.

From last year we have not yet looked at training around innovation. New products have the problem a) explaining a benefit b) supporting learning how to use it. for example Myriad playout system could be easier than bringing in a computer. But some features are missing. Do they matter and what is the cost?

Worth evaluating Radio 1 Academy. Live Lounge video very high quality. Can similar be possible without a large van parked outside? Will the audience allow a tripod blocking view and still pay for a ticket?  Trial around benefit at Halloween. ( Storyteller may also update performance for #mtw3 as last year at Bike Shed. He is also Standup Philosopher , suitable intro for conference )

as #mtw3  Management Theory at Work 3 , social media phase until F2F sometime

Borrowing works ok. Quite possible to reconstruct an event ( reconstruct as in project something apparently in time roughly as watched )  see playlist done in a couple of hours ( not watched the longer one)






Still concentrating on Design Science. It seems to be easier to understand than quality. As long as it has some sort of learning loop quite a lot can be introduced as seems to fit. In academic journals it turns up both as management and teaching / learning .

A general problem is the style of video that is allowed by organisations. Even assuming a budget is available they can be formal. I realise I am coming from music / performance video above but still think it is a factor to consider.

For example this one on Leadership in the updated ISO 9000




You only need to watch about four minutes before the questions. The approach is fine for people who already work with ISO documents. Is it going to work for busy managers, even if they have fifteen minutes? What other styles are possible?

Just for fun here is my most watched clip. Obviously not the sort of thing any responsible health and safety manager would suggest. Engineers may raise the question of how Toyota maintenance could be expected. But here it is anyway



So this is just a question. What range of style holds enough interest to make a start?

Longer term project to study what kind of studio facility exists on a campus or offices / meeting place. It might be quite formal or else equipment that can move into a space.

I would like to look at Lancaster Uni . It seems there may be a delay with video from the Networked Learning Conference. I did some sort of location shots on the campus. Not sure what can be done to recreate the issues in a sensible time frame. Search and playlists on YouTube turns up something usually.

Get ready for BETT and Learning technologies early next year. Plenty of content from this year. Also looking out for anything on university brands moving online. The MOOC is just an aspect of a larger move. Paid courses are increasing in number. Only OU closing buildings while expanding online. At least I don't know of more examples yet. Networked Learning Conference was linked to Management School, now Education. Eventually issues could loop back to university as business.





Friday, July 22, 2016

Pinned Tweet for current situation

Regarding myself as a brand for the purpose of a couple of MOOCs , although they have stopped at the moment, I am concerned that my tweets have gone all about #corbyn. Used to be the EUref but the most striking thing has been the way that Corbyn was not reported, then blamed for  not "getting through" . A while ago my twitter stats showed me as mostly about tech and learning. Also video but that is just a recent example. So this blog post is to explain a bit more.

Probably i will return to tech and learning sometime soon. I just found this blog post that helps me understand maybe. At least shows I am not a completely isolated case. Jonathan Cook suggests there is a shift going on, some sort of crack in the economy. I would give a bit more space to social media and the changes that follow in politics and media. But his explanation of  Guardian perspective makes a lot of sense.

Maybe the discussion around Corbyn is part of a shift around tech and learning. Not sure how it will turn out.

PS as in the small space Twitter allows, I also contribute to tweets as @wenotno , a sort of radio show for pop / R&B . please send music links there so it is tidy enough to find during show.

Wednesday, July 20, 2016

Video strategy, 5000 subscribers for #mtwr channel with almost no content

I am trying to be ready for the radio show tomorrow. Quick clips for YouTube now mostly sound so the studio is a time slot. Yesterday on @wenotno it seemed clear to be as open as possible, as in not claiming to have set ideas or clear knowledge.




But today something more definite seems possible. The case study for Management Theory at Work in Radio has always been the chance to shift YouTube to subscription income for conference related stuff. Music performance might end up as a mix with advertising, depends on production standards. But the speculation about YouTube Red has never ended up with a definite offer in the UK.

I got interested in a tweet from YouTube UK about a week of training and support in August but when I check it requires over 10,000 subscribers. Now see previous posts, mostly on this blog, for why I have not concentrated on channels so far. Until I can see some way to fund improved production levels i will carry on bodging with the existing channel, just in my name but sometimes called Rougemont Global Broadcasting.

I have started two channels though just as a test. #mtwr for Management theory at Work in Radio, and RGB2 for improved music performance etc. Looking at the info about the YouTube studio in London it seems you could get some use of it if you had 5000 subscribers. So there is a target. Meanwhile i am doing playlists with content borrowed from other channels. Maybe I can invite them to join a project. Maybe the linking bits will make enough for a channel to get some subscriptions.

Not sure but I will try to formulate something before tomorrow. I sit in for the storyteller 9-10 then the wild show. www.phonic.fm or 106.8 near Exeter UK.

Still sounds very vague I know, but something will shift with video sometime soon. Could be YouTube, they seem to be stuck in talks with music labels, small scale conference stuff will follow somehow.

Monday, July 18, 2016

Notes on sort of chat show around Management Theory at Work in Radio ( July / August )


This may repeat previous posts but they do change a bit. Please contact directly for an update.

Radio shows continue in July, mostly expanded, then some gaps in August unless there are prerecorded versions.

The Goethe Institute MOOC about Arts Management is almost over and I am trying to relate the content back to previous projects. Management Theory at Work in Radio can be repeated as in a visit to the Bike Shed Theatre but now exists mostly as edits of previous material with some linking updates.


This playlist is a test -mtwr 2016 test-  and was put together quite quickly. I have watched most of them, the longer ones to come back to later. They are mostly from USA, perhaps in the UK we have to wait a while. No sign of YouTube RED for example so subs income just a myth.

Summer is a bit of a break but may be a time to clarify some things. Radio may seem to be static. Phonic FM continues to concentrate on FM as a base. Access All Aerials is just on Spreaker but we promote them a bit on the Wild Show and @wenotno. Management will not often comment in public about any policy decisions. We may find speculation from somewhere else though.

Checking social media the best place to put links seems to be the Facebook Page for the Pop Up Centre for Bar Management, Performance and Camera Studies .  The direction may turn towards subscriptions eventually but meanwhile most video production depends on some sort of promotion.

Assuming there is a convincing update on Management Theory at Work then working back there could be an update on Management Theory at Work #3 . This needs a real location and a video budget. Maybe the Youtube studio could help. Somewhere in London, not sure. Possibly not far from the Work Foundation. A campus would need reasonable studio though in theory cameras can be mobile. YouTube studio as an aim has the benefit that it is a bit of a fantasy. They seem to worry about channels and volume. A small scale conference based on linking clips and talking heads may not interest them all at once. If it did things would have shifted anyway so a campus studio might have happened anyway.

There is a Twitter list for #mtw3 so this will be updated.

Probably the radio discussion will be mostly about design science rather than quality. It just seems to fit better. Search YouTube for Design Science DJ to find previous clips. Some padding but there is a base here for something. Last year we were able to edit a genuine clip and Design Science remains a possible link between business and teaching. Can be expanded later.

Holidays and day trips to feature canals. Could be another location for linking copy. Exeter - Topsham , Lancaster - Kendal , rehearsal for the Bow Creek - King's Cross walk post BETT 2017 though this will face danger from cyclists so may just be in a studio somewhere close by.

Sunday, July 17, 2016

Phonic FM, notes for shows rest of July

This post is partly about Management Theory at Work in Radio, a sort of conference from this time last year.

Also examples of content, sound and video, for shows. these will include bits and pieces of theory but are also case studies. So it may fit together without too many clunky links.

The storyteller is away so I am starting early on a Thursday. I usually do the first half hour or so of the Wild Show but next two weeks - 21st and 28th - I will start at 9 ( Chris arrives about 10.30 ) so guests welcome or links to sound clips etc.

The management theory is about how to morph from for example FM radio to streaming / social media. ( actually theory can be about any sort of transition but this is an edit)

Unsolved issue - how to move to a solid production budget for video. Next test the Halloween Phonic FM Benefit with Widseth, Deor the collection of masks and some subtle lighting effects. Meanwhile looking back on Wonderful Women Sing, tattoo events and the Sound of the Sirens.

No major budget so far for video production but the Wonderful Women Sing playlist has worked ok, mostly by including clips from other sources. I did some early video for the Sirens and they now have many much better ones. I hope to find out more about their productions ahead of next Phoenix gig. There have been a couple of tattoo events but I have lost track of the names and the next one. One problem is branding clips to Phonic music genres / shows.

Last year the "conference" was a day as part of Dark Times , a week in August at the Bike shed Theatre and Bar. This year the location will shut completely after August 5th. But there could be a visit before the end of July. LinkedIn post from last year is still a good guide to the topics.

So sorry if this makes even less sense than usual. Please listen to the shows for real time explanation.

@wenotno on a Tuesday is mostly music though I can slip in some sensible talk when @jonathanmahy is in relax mode

University focus is moving online, UK included

This post is just opinion really. Not sure if this is the best blog to put it in. Could be Learn9 where I keep up with quality ideas and learning. Probably will link later from readG where I react and respond to the print Guardian. Peter Scott has so far avoided writing about the MOOC as a topic or much related to it. He did say he intended not to, that was about it and a while ago.

Post BREXIT things may speed up a bit and there could be some breaks in situations that appear stable. The UK research will still get funding but the topics could be a bit isolated. Probably the digital aspects of education will get less attention from the ancient universities and the London research intensive / posh. But my guess is that EU projects will continue to connect with global innovation.

Could speed up if academics leave the UK for better locations. Also UK may put more energy into online from a practical point of view to get round travel restrictions.

Links

Peter Scott

Michael Arthur


mentions on Andrew Marr show, UK academics getting phone calls already.

Friday, July 15, 2016

Link to Learn 9

There is a post in Learn9 with a guide to the Goethe MOOC on Arts Management. This relates to the post on a marketing plan for Rougemont Global Broadcasting.

Gradually these blogs may come together. The Learn9 one started with quality but this is also implicit in the Goethe MOOC. More later when it connects a bit better. At least I have an outline now of what the MOOC was about. Structure not obvious when you start out.

Wednesday, July 13, 2016

Marketing Plan - Rougemont Global Broadcasting for #GoetheMooc

I have gone way off track lately but this post is a rough marketing plan for Rougement Global Broadcasting as a set of YouTube channels. The Mooc on Arts Management is coming to an end and we are formally asked to consider our own actual situation. as explained previously I have roughly been doing this anyway. the learning sets never really got going and I have not had time to consider the case studies in any detail.

The course has encouraged me to look at transition as loops or slight adjustments that move forward and back. So I am not expecting a sudden digital shift and phases of some inertia seem more normal. Rougemont Global Broadcasting has been a personal channel on YouTube and for the last year or so I have been trying to move it to a level of improved production standards. YouTube suggest channels so there is now RGB2 for music and performance, MTWR for Management Theory at Work in Radio. Neither have any uploads as yet as I have continued with low level clips in the original channel and also playlists made up of video from other sources with occasional linking clips.

The delay is mostly because YouTube has still not launched YouTube Red in the UK. In the USA it is now possible to get some share of subscription income so adverts can be avoided. I think this is the only way for an academic / conference channel such as Management Theory at Work in Radio. Even for a music audience the ads are very annoying. It seems the delay may be around the copyright situation for music. It may sort out but meanwhile just a few tests are possible.

The linking clips are mostly sound from radio shows at Phonic FM. The basement studio is fairly dark so video is difficult. There could be an investment in renting some lights. this is a low risk way of improving production.

For Halloween there will be an evening of storytelling, a benefit for Phonic FM, and this could be recorded. There could be some better kit used for the video and a launch of RGB2. Even exploring this will raise the possibility of another level for future events. The storyteller has also performed as part of Management Theory at Work in Radio so this could be updated later.  

The radio shows are now being edited for an online archive - Access All Aerials . A more complex marketing plan would involve them and their base at Seale Hayne. Also other shows on Phonic FM and activity at the Phoenix Arts Centre where Phonic FM is based. But this is for later, maybe involving them in a future MOOC.

So that's it, just long enough to keep up the blog. Not much action intended, mostly being ready when things turn up.