Introduction to Citizen Media
Case Studies:
Swajana is a collection of video vignettes which offer a glimpse into daily life in India. Recent shows have covered spiritual pilgrimages, after-school programs, and a nearby flour mill.
EpicFu is a weekly internet television show which covers internet culture from a global perspective.
Alive in Mexico is one of the only bilingual Internet video shows, showing life in Mexico to local and global audiences.
Make your own movie or Internet TV show
In this video produced by Jay Dedman, Thai blogger Chiranuch explains how to publish video to the internet at a workshop in Bangkok.
Ten years ago almost all movies and television shows were made in Hollywood, California. To watch a movie you had to buy an expensive ticket at the movie theater. Many people had dreams of becoming a famous actor, actress, or director, but we had neither the money nor equipment to realize our dreams.
Today everything has changed. For just US $100 now anyone can make a television show and distribute it online. All you need is a video camera, a computer, an internet connection, and an idea for a show.
In the accompanying guide titled “How to Make Internet TV” we will explain exactly how you can start your own Internet TV show and offer some tips about how to make the most compelling videos. We will also talk about ways in which you can use your mobile phones to record short video clips and then publish those clips to the internet. Some news websites are even offering small amounts of money to people who capture video of news-worthy events on their cell phones.
But first a warning
While video is lots of fun to make and watch, it is also much more time consuming to produce and publish to the web. Because internet connections are still slow in much of the world, it takes many people over two hours to download a single internet TV show. Obviously, this excludes anyone who accesses the internet at a cyber-cafe. On the other hand, it usually takes no longer than 5 - 10 seconds to view a weblog. And if you’re using a RSS reader like Google Reader, then in just a few seconds you are able to read the latest content from hundreds or even thousands of blogs.
In other words, think about what you are trying to accomplish and who are you trying to reach? What is the objective of your Internet TV show and are you able to achieve those same goals using a combination of photos and text?
