What is Youtube about? What services does Youtube provide?

The above title poses two questions that we are suggested to discuss on our blogs. It's slightly ironic that I am now going to attempt to answer them AFTER I made a Youtube account last week.

This blog post is related to Technical Template Five, a template about what Youtube has to offer people, and also a look into using Youtube as a means to explain, convey or show someone something about a topic of interest (based on a fieldwork experience, OT practice area or a personal interest).

So, here's a wee Youtube video explaining one service: Youtube Creator Institute; pretty epic advertising!

http://www.youtube.com/user/youtube?blend=2&ob=4

Here is a site on the Terms of service for using Youtube:

http://code.google.com/apis/youtube/terms.html

And good old Wikipedia has a nice, easy description for me:

" YouTube is a video-sharing website on which users can upload, share, and view videos, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005.The company is based in San Bruno, California, and uses Adobe Flash Video technology to display a wide variety of user-generated video content, including movie clips, TV clips, and music videos, as well as amateur content such as video blogging and short original videos. Most of the content on YouTube has been uploaded by individuals, although media corporations including CBS, BBC, Vevo, Hulu and other organizations offer some of their material via the site, as part of the YouTube partnership program.
Unregistered users may watch videos, and registered users may upload an unlimited number of videos. Videos that are considered to contain potentially offensive content are available only to registered users 18 and older. In November 2006, YouTube, LLC was bought by Google Inc. for $1.65 billion, and now operates as a subsidiary of Google." (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/YouTube retrieved 28/3/2011)

My topic of interest is going to be Harps and Harp Music. The harp is a fascinating instrument that I will always be in love with, whether I am playing, composing, viewing or listening to other forms of harp music.

So instead of writing a novel (like I normally do) to explain about harps and so forth, I'm going to try and use Youtube material instead.

Here is a clip about the history of harps, this particular woman has many, many videos explaining different contexts that the harp has been played in throughout history (too many to upload all):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cDLjHztyfD8&feature=list_related&playnext=1&list=SPAFDD890C8E48110B

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N9qaik4xdWk&feature=relmfu (this lady is more professional!)

Here is a clip on how to play the harp:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pyFyxTjvtx8&feature=relmfu

Here are some videos demonstrating the MANY variations of harp music: modern, traditional, celtic, alternative, punk, classical ...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3eBnlAfvbqE&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RrDMp0K2qXs&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2U7TDOtfxts&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XZi1NHyL8I0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hjAHUkIfK24&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jMkOYq4lcZE&feature=related

So hopefully this is a good insight into harps and harp music!

Enjoy

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3EtbIWF_ynU

The Task

Activity: Informing Practice. Find a blog or website (either from the course blog or via searching the net) that is being used to inform occupational therapy practice. Make a link to your own blog and post a comment on the following questions.  Any sites found and deemed valuable by students can be added to the course blog.

1. Describe the site and its focus; is about the use of blogging to support professional learning.
2. Who is using the site is there an active membership? OT and health practitioners.
3. What information and support is being shared? Health information and supports.
4. What is your own opinion on the value of this site.

Here's some top OT blogs ... what to choose ...http://mastersinoccupationaltherapy.org/2010/top-50-occupational-therapy-blogs/ 

An awsome post by Merrolee Penman about using blogs as a professional learning tool http://www.hinz.org.nz/journal/2008/06/-The-use-of-blogging-to-support-professional-learning/992

How cool to find something SO relevant to this course and so close to home!!! Merrolee is an academic leader in Occupational Therapy at the Otago Polytechnic. Her articles are used to inform OT students and practitioners, alike. My opinion on the site: VERY valuable. Especially because it helps me to clarify my own wavering perspectives on the using digital technology in OT practice.

Technology + Leisure + Work = ???

Now we have moved on to looking at how technology has impacted on the human occupations of work and leisure and the implications for occupational therapy practice.

Alongside this week's content is an activity to complete. I have chosen:

Activity: Informing Practice

Find a blog or website (either from the course blog or via searching the net) that is being used to inform occupational therapy practice. Make a link to your own blog and post a comment on the following questions.  Any sites found and deemed valuable by students can be added to the course blog.

1. Describe the site and its focus
2. Who is using the site is there an active membership?
3. What information and support is being shared?
4. What is your own opinion on the value of this site.

But before I continue, I have to discuss my opinion on the influence technology has on work and leisure occupations undertaken by people...
Let's describe/define what work means in the occupational context: 

Work is:

Activity producing an enduring object.Work requires self-investment, skill, craft and personal judgment. Work is purposeful and meaningful Work is meaningful. distinct from labour and must be discovered independently from one’s job.
T.F.Green (1968)

 

Leisure is:

 

Leisure, or free time, is time spent away from business, work, and domestic chores. It is also the periods of time before or after necessary activities such as eating, sleeping, attending school, and doing homework.

The distinction between leisure and unavoidable activities is loosely applied, i.e. people sometimes do work-oriented tasks for pleasure as well as for long-term utility.^[1] A distinction may also be drawn between free time and leisure. For example, Situationist International maintains that free time is illusory and rarely free; economic and social forces appropriate free time from the individual and sell it back to them as the commodity known as "leisure. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leisure retrieved 25/3/2011).


As I've previously identified; technology has changed SO many aspects about the way in which people conduct their lives. the impact of technology upon leisure and work may be two of the most significant areas of occupations that have been impacted upon.

Think about it. If you ask a 80 year old what they used to do for a leisurely activity when they were 20 years old, they'd say reading, or craft making or something along those lines. If you asked the next 20year old you came across today, the same question, they'd most likely list activities such as: xbox gaming, online gaming, going on to social network sites, making/taking movies and photos etc. BIG difference. 

If you asked a 40 - 50 year old what they do for leisure, they may say walking, social networking, catching up with friends over a coffee, blogging etc ... they are at an age where they can still appreciate non-technological leisure activities AND adapt to the leisures that new technologies can provide.


I'm proud to have leisure activities in both realms of life (dare I define life as technological and non-technological realms!), I enjoy reading, writing, drawing, walking, playing music, listening to music on tech devices, taking photographs, social networking, exploring on the internet etc.


Digital technology has influenced work too; "some would say technology has provided us with
more efficiency. We can get through larger amounts of work. Numerous tasks have been
automated and information has become more accessible" (Sunderland, 2007) and I've found some lengthy perspectives below...


Here is a website address (retrieved 25/3/2011) exploring the ways in which technology assists the occupation of work; 

http://www.ehow.com/about_5232120_impact-information-technology-jobs.html 

 

The below website is a CNN snippet about how technology has made leisurely activities more easier (in this day and age):

 http://articles.cnn.com/2007-03-29/us/leisure.overview_1_leisure-time-professor-of-leisure-studies-geoffrey-godbey?_s=PM:US

Other websites explore technology's influence on many aspects of society (including work and leisure): 

 

http://www.benmeadowcroft.com/reports/impact/

http://www.faqs.org/periodicals/201010/2169454741.html

Summary of Tutorials 4 and 5

These two tutorials looked specifically at the mechanics of using digital technology to shoot, edit and upload a film.

We had a play around with cameras, tripods, story-boarding, shooting at different angles, sequencing, lighting, content, soundtrack and editing. It was a lot of fun, because we approached the task of making the movie with humour.

Here are some definitions from the tutorial material (Sunderland, 2011):

HOW TO BUILD A SEQUENCE

Once you have mastered how to get a good picture you can start to put several shots together to make a sequence.  A SEQUENCE is a series of shots which tell a STORY.  EDITIING the separate shot together creates a natural flow.  Each shot advances the story some how.  By putting together a variety of shots with different angles and different shot sizes, interest and detail are provided.

THE BASIC RULE in shooting a sequence is: After every shot, change the SHOT SIZE and/or the CAMERA ANGLE ie. Change camera position.  If you’ve started with a WS, go in for a MS or CU.  If you’ve started with a CU, cut out to a WS etc.  SEQUENCES will look smooth and professional if you observe this basic rule.

STORYBOARDING

Storyboards go back to the very beginnings of cinema, with Sergei Eisenstein using the technique.  In the world of animation, Walt Disney and his staff developed a storyboard system in 1928.  Disney wanted to achieve full animation and for this he needed to produce an enormous number of drawings.  Managing the thousands of drawings and the progress of the project was nearly impossible, so Disney had his artists pin up their drawings on the studio walls.  This way, progress could be checked, and scenes added and discarded with ease.

For our purposes a storyboard is a series of drawings of the proposed film, as it will appear on screen.  These drawings play an important part in the production of any video or film. It is a plan of the end product and is often referred to during production.

Every scene in your film should be planned very carefully. So that when filming begins everybody knows exactly what is to be done and no time is wasted while the director decides what to do (see attached example) and template.

SCRIPTING

The script is the vehicle by which the thoughts and ideas of the author are transmitted to the audience.  In a novel these ideas are communicated with words.  A film or video that consisted of dialogue only would, however, be very dull entertainment. To reap the full benefit of this audiovisual medium the author should include much more than just dialogue in the script.  The script should be the basis for everything that is both heard and seen on the screen.  A good script should look to include the following the following points.

·         Moods and expressions

·         Facial expressions

·         Vocal expressions

·         Movement

·         Interaction with other characters

·         Special effects

·         Sound track instructions

·         Lighting

·         Camera Angles and types of shot

·         Background sound and setting

·         On screen graphics and titles

The more detail the author includes the closer to his her own intention will be the end product; the script should include enough technical information to enable the director to create the visual and audio picture the author wants

When sitting down to write your script you may wish to consider the following points.

1.    What is the major aim of your film

2.    Is this idea relevant to the audience

3.    Develop your lead character/ subject for documentary

4.    Come up with a set-up.  Some interesting situation or objective.  This will help set out the plot.

5.    Map out a beginning middle and end for your plot.

6.    Include subject movements and major activities

Include in the script any special lighting, sound or camera effects.

BASIC LIGHTING CONSIDERATIONS

1. Make sure your main light source is behind the camera.
2. Avoid strong light behind your subject (back light) or they will become a silhouette.
3. If your light source is falling on one side of your subject you may get a harsh shadowy effect.
4. Make sure you have enough light.  Well-lit shots will have more detail and colour (don’t shoot in low light).

EDITING

Each time the record button is turned on and off on a video camera a ‘take’ has been made.  Hundreds and sometimes thousands of ‘takes’ have to be made for a feature film.  Editing of film or videotape is the process of taking out the unwanted and putting into sequence the wanted.  With film this is done physically, with video it is done electronically using two VCRs and an editing desk.  For digital video we have the option of using computer-editing software.

Basic editing principles

·         Don’t labour sequences by making your shots to long, remember shots only need to be long enough to get across the point you are trying to make.

·         If you are putting together an action sequence try to maintain the action by cutting from movement to movement.

·         Try not to jar your shot e.g. don’t make sudden transitions from wide shots to close ups and back if there is no apparent reason for doing so.

·         Use your judgement or the judgement of someone less involved in the process to confirm the flow of your shots.

·         Rules are made to be broken these are just principles, take your time to experiment, this is after all a learning experience.