WInnebago Man: From VHS to YouTube to Cult Hero

WARNING: EXTREME LANGUAGE USED IN CLIPS!

In 1988, a Winnebago Salesman named Jack Rebney went to shoot some promotional videos promoting the features of the new Winnebago Itasca Sunflyer models. It turned out to be one of those days when nothing goes right. Rebney had to do numerous retakes and expressed his frustration in outbursts that would make a sailor blush. Little did he know that the cameraman would keep these outtakes, and pass them to a friend or two on VHS tape.

The outbursts were so entertaining, the tapes were copied and shared and copied and shared, and Rebney became known as the Angriest Man in the World, or simply, The Winnebago Man. And, although already earning a cult following, The Winnebago Man video was the perfect kind of thing for the new video sharing service, YouTube. Rebney went VIRAL.

REPEAT - WARNING: EXTREME LANGUAGE USED IN CLIPS!

But what happens to Viral Video Stars like Rebney? Filmmaker Ben Steinbauer set off to see if the Winnebago Man could be found, and to learn what happened to him. The result is a full-length documentary film that premiered at SXSW and released in 2009. You can now see the whole bittersweet story of what happened to Jack Rebney by watching "The Winnebago Man" - (It's on Amazon and Netflix!)

Hitchcock as Media Innovator

Over the summer I took a course on the films of Alfred Hitchcock from Ball State University and Turner Classic Movies. Did I find something that tied into our approach to new media? You bet your Bates Motel I did! Here is a mini-presentation I gave during the Fan Panels in the course. Note the principles in common with our course discussions on "What Makes New Media NEW."

Putting the Tour to the Test: refining the VR Experience

This week, our students are reviewing their "Beta" version of the VR Tour and making notes for improving the final version. Each student (along with outside reviewers) will share comments in their blog to be discussed in class, and will work together to address these issues in the VR Photo Shooting Plan.

One outside reviewer shared these thoughts:

• Take more shots of Dixie Lodge student center, such as the billiards area, loung area, etc.
• Take shots of other areas of of Dixie Lodge, such as mail room, student services, etc.
• Take shots of other computer labs in Hamrick.
• Take a shot of classroom in Montgomery.
• Take a shot upstairs in Library.
• Enter into the main floor entrance in Winnie Davis.
• Take a shot of classroom in Winnie Davis.

Ready, Aim, Shoot Video

In addition to working in VR this term, CM 412 Students have already produced several video pieces including: imitating a "series opener," using freegal footage for a themed piece, and a video vocabulary of shot types. They have also been reading the book "How to Shoot Video That Doesn't Suck," by Steve Stockman.

Movies are made with the MIND, not the camera or editing software!

Before they launch into producing video pieces for themselves and their clients, they are refreshing themselves on some basic concepts from our text that will help them "make movies with their minds" before shooting a frame. They will share "17 Nuggets of Video Making Truth" in their blogs, gleaning one principle, motto or concept from each of the first 17 chapters of our text.

And then, storyboarding, shots lists, and shooting begins for our final projects!

My take on 17 “Before the Shoot” Tidbits from How to Shoot Video that Doesn’t Suck by Steve Stockman:

1.       Here we are now, entertain us!
2.       Have a clearly understood purpose.
3.       Tell a STORY.
4.       Get new creative ideas.
5.       Create for the Audience.
6.       Simple Storylines work best.
7.       Storyboard (in your head.)
8.       Every shot is a story within the story.
9.       Keep it Short, Stupid.
10.   Don’t tell too much.
11.   Prepare a Pitch for your video.
12.   Understand what your type of video does best.
13.   Understand the basic elements of your video type.
14.   Remove the guesswork, script it out.
15.   Get the most out of the least amount of words.
16.   “Unplanned” is not a good word.
17.   A shot list before shooting is like a grocery list before shopping.

Limestone College Campus VR Tour - Beta Version

Comm 412 students will roll out the Beta version of the Campus VR Tour on Friday, February 24 at the OpenHouse session. Here is a sneak peek of their prototype:



To see this VR Tour on yoru mobile device, laptop, desktop or in your Cardboard or Daydream or other VR headset, CLICK HERE.
To see this VR Tour in your GearVR headset, CLICK HERE. 

Composing in 3D, 360, and Virtual Reality

We will be combining our learning, experiences and skills to build a Virtual reality Tour of the campus using TheViewer. Here is an idea of how the program interface "works" as a tour builder:

We plan to release the Beta version of the tour on Friday, February 24 at the Open House Session in Hamrick Hall Room 127. This Beta version will focus on the central campus and buildings facing the quad.

Students will use their Class Website to see more of the information, tutorials, and guidelines on composing in this dynamic emerging medium.

Making Movies!

Students will use Premiere Pro (and provided video, audio and photos) to recreate the 25-second introduction to a fictitious documentary called "Baseball: America's Pasttime."

In doing so, students will demonstrate their learning of the program interface, importing collateral, using photos, layers, timeline, transitions, effects, editing clips before and after insertion to the timeline, titling, the Ken Burns effect, and exporting to various video formats (in this case, a format suitable for YouTube.)

They will upload their videos to YouTube and embed them in their blogs (or upload them directly to their blogs) with additional prose commentary on the process.

(In follow-up projects, students will create a sample of camera shots, and a brief tutorial on tips to make video better.)

Students will build on the instruction in the classroom, but can find additional support at sites like these:

Adobe has some helpful links to instructions and video tutorials to help you get started HERE.

A couple of tutorials you might have particular interest in are these:

1. Managing & Viewing Assets
2. Dynamic Slide Shows (aka the "Ken Burns Effect")

MORE HELP Available at the Course Website!