This post brought to you by Arlee Bird at Tossing It Out:
Today I had originally planned to post about the negatives of the A to Z, but instead something else came to my attention which I wanted to get your opinions on before I continued with the Challenge evaluation. I will discuss the bad next Monday.
Something else we'd like some feedback on:
Here's a link that was brought to my attention through my Google Alerts for "Blogging from A to Z Video Challenge"You might enjoy checking this out. I found it to be quite a surprise. I've never seen a YouTube notice like this which includes not only all of the entries for the A to Z Video Contest, but also many links to blogs that have something to do with the A to Z April Challenge. Check thisout. Your blog may have been included. Have you seen something like this from YouTube before?
So far in the Reflections or the evaluations posts I haven't read anything about the A to Z Video Contest. I'll tell you more of my thoughts about the contest in a couple of weeks, but perhaps you can tell us yours in today's comments. Did you pay much attention to the Video Contest? Do you think it added value to the Challenge? Were the video promos that were later linked to on Twitter, Facebook, and elsewhere effective in reaching those unaware of the Challenge?
Did you watch any of the videos? If you missed them, you can find them at YouTube or at the A to Z Video Challenge. How did you like this year's video entries? What suggestions would you give to the entrants?
Would you be interested in submitting a video for a future contest? Would quality prizes such as gift cards, video related equipment, cash, or something else be a greater incentive to participate in a contest of this nature?
What suggestions do you have concerning a video contest for the A to Z Challenge? Are there other types of pre-April contests we might consider to bring more attention to the A to Z Challenge?
Now that you're signed up for April you've got 2 months to get ready for it. This is a great time to make a video to enter into the A to Z Video Promo Contest. Make a short video about the A to Z April Challenge and submit it to us. Check the above tabs for more details. And to provide some helpful tips on video ideas we have Nicole from The Madlab Post with us.
Easy Production Ideas for A to Z Video Challenge Entries – Part 1
Contrary to what some bloggers who are Blogging from A to Z in April may believe, making a video for the A to Z Promo Contest that is open now, is pretty easy. It’s 2012! Meaning, you don’t need rolls of 8mm film and conversion equipment to submit something to the A to Z Video Challenge. All you need is a video recording device. Don’t have a camcorder? That’s ok too.
In this day and age, you probably own at least one gadget that has the capabilities to give you a two minute long video recording, such as an iPhone, iPod, Digital Camera (you know, the ones you use to take digital photos of your vacation or kid’s birthday party with? If you have a newer model, as in the last 5 years or so, it should have a video recording feature), Flipcam, Android phone with video capability, DSLR with video capability or a webcam…yes, I said a webcam, but before you either get your undies in a bunch or start losing them to get ready for your closeup because you’re such an exhibitionist, read on as I unpack a box of the simplest ways for Bloggers participating in the A to Z challenge to make a video promo for this event….webcam not included!
It’s all in the Live Shots
Make a video that features everything you want all in one shot, or rather, one recording. You just press the record button, record all you need to get in the video…in 2 minutes or less, of course, and be done with it. It does not matter what you choose to be the subject of your live shot nor does it matter what you record, so long as everything is included to convey the message that you want to get across to viewers.
You can record yourself talking to the camera, similar to the style in which one would record a live video podcast or TV contest entry. For those of you who are camera shy, like me, you also have the option to let the world or your surroundings speak for you. Record your pets or an area of beautiful scenery in your town and then signage to convey the message of your video. Want music? Play a song on your radio in the background while recording the video. Don’t have a radio? Fine. Put a CD into your DVD player and turn on the TV to let the sound play through the speakers in the background. Problem solved!
Have kids? Great! Let them be the star of the live shot and instruct them to talk about the A to Z challenge or the alphabet in general. You can also use props to spice up your live shot so that it doesn’t look like a talking head from the local news broadcast, boring viewers to death. That is of course, unless you want to have a talking head video as your live shot. There are ways to make this work without being boring.
You can either record a simple video testimonial, talking about your previous experience with the A to Z challenge, why you plan to blog from A to Z in April or what your exact blogging strategy is to complete the challenge and come out on the other side in one piece…OR…you can find one of those silly Bobble head toys (they make a lot of them for NFL players) and record the bobble head while you act as the voice in the background. The live shot approach works well for those using digital cameras or video camcorders that can be easily connected to a computer for sending to a hard drive and/or then uploading to YouTube or other online video website of your choosing.
Stay tuned for more ideas for the folks among you who want to take it a step further and get all fancy with recorded footage! In the meantime, if you need inspiration or need to see examples of how simple yet powerful one shot or live shot video recordings can be, just check out some of the “My Secrets” uploads on YouTube. This one made by Kaline Bran almost moved me to tears.
