Create your own viral video

It is the folk art of the 21st century in the modern world. People from all around the globe are sitting in front of their home computers, turning on their cameras, and producing homemade videos for distribution to friends and on the Internet.

This is viral video at its most infective. Let’s step back to June 16 of last year to see how deeply these videos have entrenched themselves in the culture of the Information Age. That is the day that the infamous LonelyGirl15 posted her first video snippet on YouTube.

For those of you who haven’t been watching, www.youtube.com is the most widely embraced site for posting home video, among other things. It has spawned more than a few crises and scandals, but should be remembered as the first and biggest venue dedicated to the desktop video producer. One user, LonelyGirl15, seemed like an average user, posting a running video commentary on life as she saw it.

Thousands of people looked in on the affairs of LonelyGirl15 daily, convinced that she was a real person telling real stories. But as time passed, a few industrious viewers determined that she was a fraud, a wannabe actress who was part of a production company attempting to make some kind of artistic statement at the expense of viewers’ credulity. The event made international news for a few weeks before things calmed down.

But the real story here is the popularity of amateur, or seemingly amateur, video over the Internet.

If you take the time to browse a few amateur video websites, you will find everything from household pets acting cute to daredevil minors acting stupid. This video phenomenon brought you the Diet Coke and Mentos extravaganza (www.youtube.com/watch?v=hKoB0MHVBvM), the Beatbox Parrot (www.youtube.com/watch?v=UnFV-fvgOu0) and the best funny cats clip in recorded history. (www.youtube.com/watch?v=BHJ9eUkjWgY)

Right now you may be thinking that you have a few good video ideas on the back burner. What, you wonder, is preventing you from being the next overnight sensation in the fast-paced world of viral video? For many, the answer is simple: They simply do not know how to make their first movie.

Before you get your big Hollywood break or answer the call to make Coca Cola’s 2008 Super Bowl commercial, you will need to get your video-making talents into the public eye. Even if you never made as much as a flip book before, by the end of this column, you will be ready to make your own home video.

What you need

For now, let’s take a look at the hardware and software you will need to begin production. You may already own the appropriate program. Handy utilities like Windows Movie Maker in Windows XP and iMovie on the Macintosh platform are included on many computers, making the road to the director’s chair that much shorter.

If you are planning to upload the finished product to a website, be sure the software you choose can save the video to an accessible format like .wmv, .mov, .mpg or .avi. This also comes in handy when e-mailing clips to family and friends who may not be inclined to seek out your website to watch Pomeroy the Pomeranian dance on a beach ball.

The next step is to capture your action. That is accomplished through some form of video camera. Many of you already own webcams or home video setups that are equipped to perform this task. Those who are not will be happy to know that inexpensive solutions are readily available. Bundles including Plug and Play USB webcams and video processing software can easily be found for about $30. Check the system requirements against your computer before making a purchase.

The plug-in cams are easily operated. You should be able to grasp the general principles of capturing video in just a few minutes. If you are totally new to this, consider acquiring equipment from a vendor who offers some sort of technical support or find a helpful soul online.

Those of you with more elaborate video setups will be able to import higher quality home video to the computer. This is a two-edged sword. While the images created in this method are a good bit more highly resolved, they are also considerably larger.

One of the cardinal rules of creating good online video is to keep things short and sweet. Nobody is likely to sit through a ten-minute video of you recounting the last out of the 1980 World Series no matter how dramatic the performance.

Ready for editing

At this point you should be seated at your computer with some form of raw video on your hard drive that was captured from a webcam or imported over USB or FireWire interface from a digital video camera. Analog sources can also be imported, but it may entail purchasing a special card for the computer and connecting an old VCR to it. This may be worthwhile if you would like to convert old home movies on videotape to DVD.

This is the point in the process where you get to edit the video and hone it into the finished masterpiece envisioned back at step one. With a little practice you can cut out all those sections where your eyes are closed, add subtitles, lay in a background soundtrack, and even dub over dialogue. The possibilities are limited only by your creativity and by the capacities of your home computer. Each piece of software is different, and each exhibits its own learning curve, so be prepared to make a few trial runs before hitting the big time.

Windows XP users may find the Windows Movie Maker tutorial at www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/moviemaker/default.mspx helpful. Mac users can get help with their iMovie projects by visiting www.apple.com/support/imovie/tutorial/. Additionally, there are many fine books available to help users of any level gain familiarity with the video editing process.

Using the KISS method of video production, shoot a short first film, something just a couple of minutes long and well under the 10 MB size limit imposed by many e-mail servers. Keeping things in this range can make it much easier to distribute it to family and friends and post on websites.

That last function is actually quite easy. To upload your latest work to YouTube, all you need to do is access the website. Look for the Upload Videos link in the top right-hand corner of your screen, click it, and follow the simple directions.

Protect your privacy

The usual caveats apply even more strongly in home video. Consider the possible repercussions carefully before uploading personal video to the Internet. The loss of privacy can be staggering, maybe even frightening. Consider making a new e-mail address and identity just for your video operations, and be very, careful not to disclose any personal information in the video. This even includes automobile license plates that can appear in the background and get traced back to you.

If you are brave, now is the time to hit the upload button and wait for the feedback. Do not be discouraged if your first effort does not elicit an invitation to Hollywood. You may still be the next big thing; it may just be a matter of taking the time to perfect your new craft.

I am truly anxious to have a look at some of the videos created by readers of The Wire and Untangled Web. If you are already in production, send your URLs to me via e-mail to granese@juno.com. Anyone who creates a few frames after reading this column is especially encouraged to reply, and special attention will be paid to cute domestic animals, especially parrots.