Technichal Journal

I did not encounter any major technical difficulties for my webcasting assignments during the fall 2010 semester, however there were some expected snags here and there.  When one is using technology, it should be anticipated that minor problems will occur, as technology is never completely reliable.

            From the start of this class, which began with the "What I did this summer" video, I would say that things went smoothly.  I was happy to know that video quality was not so much focused on as the actual content.  All but two of my videos were filmed with my handheld digital camera, the Sony Cyber-Shot, or the built-in camera on my Macbook Pro.  In a few occurrences, I used both devices, so there would be multiple angles in the videos.  By doing so, I avoided awkward cuts of the same view when footage needed to be discarded. 

            I was unsure of what episode topic to would carry out when first launching my web series.  I decided on Reviewing Random Things, as this was very broad idea that could be done weekly.  There was not any trouble thinking of subjects to review.  The products widely ranged from beverages to technology devices.  Oftentimes, I would take my camera into a store and show myself purchasing the product of review for that week's episode, that is if the review was not of a product that I had previously owned.

            I edited all of my videos with Sony Vegas 9, a professional editing program that is only compatible with PC.  About midway through the semester, I started rendering (or exporting in final Cut Pro terminology) using the mp4 codec as opposed to avi or a Quicktime movie.  By doing so, the videos uploaded to Youtube and Blip much faster.  Blogger was used as my show page website, which was very easy to set up and update. 

            There were some complications for the making of the live shows.  The live feed cut out several times during the first recording.  I wish there would have been more preparation for the events, but they did all work and each show had an interactive audience.  I am not completely sure as to where the last live show saved to, but it definitely streamed.