When I was back in Amsterdam I gave a Video Blogging Masterclass at the Machouse to a group of young video blog enthusiats. The class was put together by the TF, Theater Festival for the Netherlands and Vlanderen and the Fringe Festival. This week they have an annual Theater Festival in Amsterdam and the students from the Masterclass are making all kinds of videos and posting them on the TF Vlog Site. I love seeing people start to Video Blog for the first time. The smiles and the joy of creation and worldwide publication is a real thrill when they do it. I really hope that they keep it up. In any case check out the site and the vlogs.
Anil posted this video on his blog. It is an interesting video about how the TV Craze started even when we were kids. I remember as a kid, my father was one of the first to have a video camera back in the early 80's. There are videos of me and my brother making music videos, me always trying to grab the camera from my dad, family gatherings, etc. Later in High School friends and I made our own shows and movies together on weekends for fun. I think that my generation has grown up with video. The question is do we really act differently in front of the camera now or have we become so accustomed to it that it is as if our whole lives have become one big reality show with everyone and no one watching. It's no wonder that people nowadays are suffering from something called the Truman Show Disorder. It's where people believe that they are constantly being filmed, everyone friends, family etc. has been replaced by actors, so on and so forth. Is it any wonder when almost every cell phone has the ability to capture video and broadcast it to the world that we feel this paranoia?
So here is my take on it. Unfortunately I don't see it stopping. I don't see it slowing down at all. So how do we cope, how do we maintain our sense of selves rather than the "Show Selves" we wish to portray to the rest of the world? For me personally I do have a "Show GabeMac" that i am on Mobuzz.tv, and another GabeMac offline. Of course there are similarities, but on my own video blogs, the personal ones, I open to the world as well. Such as when i turned 30, my grandmother died, or when Tamara and I broke up. Those are extremely personal videos that I opened to the world. Many friends and family say that I am nuts for doing that, yet at the same time, many online friends have expressed deep appreciation for those videos to me in confidence. Is it safe to do so? Is it right to do so? I don't know. All I know is that it has become a part of my life in sharing and exchanging with the world. Many are afraid that Big Brother is watching all this. In the end, I think it's actually lots of Little Brothers watching, and when everyone's secrets are out in the open, we become aware that everyone has those secrets. Those moments of weakness, pain, joy and love. Of course they are special, but they will no longer become something we have to be ashamed of.
I think the main question to leave you with here is through video blogging are we increasing our EGOs, giving them steroids and loosing our true selves, or will the EGO become so inflated that they burst leaving just a true self and harmony in the end. I'm curious about your feelings. This is all very new folks, and we have a lot of growing up to do and understanding with this new medium.
My Buddy Spike called me up today and was dumbstruck that I moved to Spain. "I guess you can no longer be the Fake dutchie" he said. We talked for a bit and he told me he was on G4's Attack of The Show during Comicon. Always fun to see Spike in his element. For more check out Spike and Mike's website for some great Sick and Twisted animations.
Here's my interview with Spike back in the XOLO days:
If you are into Theater and Video, this is going to be very cool. The TF (Theater Festival) organization is looking for students and creatives to Video Blog the Theater Festival in Amsterdam this September. As training I will be giving a 2 day workshop to at the Machouse in Amsterdam on the 21 and 22 of August to those that want to participate.
We will be going through everything from camera work, sound, live moblogging, review of various video sharing sites and more. It will be 2 days of non-stop Video Blogging tips, tricks and techniques. So if you are interested got to this site for more info or email Carolien Labib [ carolien (AT) tf.nl ] to sign up. The course will be in English, because my Dutch is slipping away. Sign up quickly while there is still space.
About a month ago I had the pleasure to interview Steve Wozniak for mobuzztv. It was for me (an Apple Fanboy) a DREAM COME TRUE! Steve also known as iWoz or Woz is the man responsible for building the first Apple computers. Most people talk about Steve Jobs, but Jobs was the man with the marketing ideas and style. It was Woz that actually designed and built the first Apple and Macintosh computers. Many say Jobs is the Father of Apple and Woz is the Mother of Apple. It was a great way to start my run at mobuzz, to interview a man who has shaped my life and experience with technology in such a big way. I know it sounds like I am ass kissing here, but it really was a honor and something I WILL NEVER FORGET! He was really nice, and someone to follow with his charity work and educational passions. So have a look at the interview and let me know what you think of it.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2FBpvIcbG6Y[/youtube]
As of today I will be the new host of the Dailybuzz on Mobuzz. Anil de Mello is an old friend and he needed a new host fast. He called me last week and asked if I would come down and help him with the show. "Of course!" I said. So I came down to Spain, got a tour, and started filming the shows right away. The whole team here is really fantastic. Spain is a lot of fun. It's perfect for me right now as well. I see this as an opportunity to reset and reload. New scenery, new people, new opportunities, because the last half year both privately and at work at XOLO Media drained me.
Those of you who know me are of course asking, what about XOLO Gabe? I'm still working as an advisor for XOLO, as well as other things. I still enjoy teaching Design for Virtual Theater and Games in Utrecht, working with the guys at cellspace on the Virtual Immortality project, and advising on the new Alternate Reality Game start-up Quest Away. AND I am just really psyched to be working at Mobuzz as well. Life treats you great sometimes! The whole team has really made me feel welcome, and today was really fun to get back into editorial and presenting in this fashion. I hope everyone will enjoy my personality on the show and I get to make a lot of new friends.
Go Vlog Yourself, and I'll see you on the dailybuzz.
P.S. Could anyone recomend some good teach yourself spanish podcasts? Leave a comment.
It was very cool to goto the North last week to give a small workshop in Video Blogging. I saw some old students, met some new ones, and even got some alocoholic beverage which I can only describe as watered down jet fuel. Because I went through the whole process and introduction less than an hour, I flew through the sites as examples and tools that I like to use. I promised everyone I would add it here, so I made a PDF of the keynote project (so no films, but the links are there) so everyone could browse through afterwards.
Now I'm gonna start working on my Socail Gaming and Theater presentations. ;-)
