April 28, 2007How Are Dancers Profiting from Their Internet Videos?How have you benefited by posting your dance videos to the Internet? In yesterday's post, I wrote about seven ways that Internet videos can help dancers and dance companies be more successful and generate revenue. Now what I'd like to do is feature specific examples of how dancers are putting their online videos to work. Have you taken advantage of any of the following approaches to profiting from your online dance videos? How have you done this? Do you know of others who have? Do you have suggestions on how to launch a successful online video campaign? Here's a recap from my post of the main ways you can benefit from distributing your dance videos online? 1) Build dance audiences and sell more tickets 2) Increase bookings for your dance company 3) Improve your fundraising efforts and increase donations 4) Generate revenue from ads inserted into your videos 5) Sell online sponsorship to support your Internet video productions 6) Receive revenue from product placements in dance videos 7) Sell your dance videos online of performances and dance instruction Please post a comment or email me directly. I'll feature these stories in my upcoming book on dance videos and the Internet, which I'm in the middle of writing. My publication covers the entire process of how dancers and dance companies can shoot, edit, market and profit from their Internet videos. You can view an extensive archive of blog posts that relate to many different aspects of producing dance videos. Also, if you know of other dancers and dance companies who are using Internet videos in profitable and innovative ways, please let me know about them as well. Thanks for your help! Posted by Doug Fox at 9:22 AM - Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0) April 27, 2007Generating Revenue from Online Dance VideosIn this post I offer an introduction on how to profit from your online dance videos. I start with the more practical approaches – increase ticket sales, bookings and fundraising – and then move on to ways to generate revenue directly from the Internet. Some of these online revenue opportunities are definitely in their formative stages, but I think that they will grow in importance. 1) Audience Acquisition and Ticket Sales One of the most important ways to use your Internet videos is to build audiences for your upcoming performances, dance events, dance classes, fundraisers and related activities. By adding video to your website and/or blog and integrating it into your overall marketing initiatives, you will capture the attention of more prospective audience members and encourage them to buy tickets and attend your programs. 2) Bookings For some reason that I don’t really understand, many dancers and dance companies do not use their Internet presence – website, blog, social networking pages - for making a compelling case for why performing arts venues, theaters, festival organizers and others should book them. If you haven’t done so already, I would recommend adding a section to your website that says “Booking Information.” On this page it is definitely worthwhile to add one or more videos that highlight your offerings. If, say, you perform and teach, why not have one video for each of your different offerings? These videos along with good marketing copy will help presenters and others have a much better understanding of what you do. 3) Fundraising and Donations I don’t mean to sound too depressing here, but I have not seen a single compelling example of a dance company using their dance videos as a component of an integrated online fundraising effort. The best approach to online fundraising is to raise money for a specific upcoming project. You can create a video where the members of you dance company speak directly to the Internet audience explaining the project and your need for contributions. Use a “charity badge” so that visitors can see how much money you’ve raised and can help promote your fundraising efforts on their own websites. And then send out a snail mail and email solicitation encouraging your audience to watch your online video and contribute to your fundraising drive. 4) Monetize Internet Video with Ads An increasing number of video sharing sites offer tools for monetizing (generating revenue from) your videos. There’s no reason not to explore and experiment with these advertising opportunities to see what works and does not work. There are no truly established revenue models for online video. But at the same time, I’m confident that the dance community will figure out over the coming year what types of dance videos are most compelling and what are the best ways to monetize these videos. Imagine the benefits of a world where Internet revenue contributes a significant amount to your annual budget – this is definitely not outside the real of possibilities. 5) Online Sponsorship If you already sell sponsorship packages to your financial supporters, there’s no reason not to expand these packages to your website and video content. In many instances extended exposure on your website, especially in the form of video promotions, can provide your sponsors with greater long-term access to your audience. Online sponsorship support can also enable you to create video documentaries, video access to your rehearsal process and mashup contents that let your audience re-mix your dance videos. And in the process of introducing these online video projects, you will generate more publicity, spur ticket sales and increase bookings. 6) Product Placement This is unexplored territory, but it has always struck me that there are ways to integrate produce placements in online dance videos. The beauty of dance is that movement is a universal language. Ideas and emotions can be conveyed without the use of words. In addition, product placement avoids having to bombard ad-averse Internet audiences from watching 15 or 30-second pre-roll videos that are really annoying. So what better medium than dance is there for promoting different products to a worldwide audience? Just consider the creative service offerings of Pilobolus for starters. The question is how specifically can products be integrated into digital dance videos and who would sell these product placement opportunities to corporate advertisers? This commercialization of dance may not be for everybody, but it does seem like a growth field that can create a new revenue stream for dancers. 7) Digital Content Sales Selling videos directly to consumers over the Internet is very much at this stage an unproven business model. And it may prove to be more challenging than monetizing videos through advertising. The main question is what type of online dance video content will the public actually purchase? Dance instruction seems like a good possibility – especially if it is made available for entire classes as well as individual moves and routines. Dance performances may sell if the video productions are shot in a way that is optimized for online viewing. And dance companies may seek payments in the form of donations for videos of works-in-progress and other programs. Posted by Doug Fox at 12:08 PM - Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0) April 16, 2007Directory of Video Resources for DancersIn this post, I've put together a large list of categorized links to a wide-range of video resources for dancers. VIDEO SHARING You can upload your dance videos to the following video sharing websites: Blip.tv Hi-Definition/High-Quality Video Sites: Upcoming: Article 19 - The Film Room VIDEO CHANNELS AND DISTRIBUTION NETWORKS There are many different approaches you can take to building customized video content, channels and distribution networks: Apple iTunes VIDEO EDITING APPLICATIONS Web-Based Video Editing Applications: PC-Based Video Editing Applications: - Windows: Windows Movie Maker - Mac: MASHUP (MIX) YOUR VIDEOS The following web-based applications can be used to let others create mashups (remixes) your dance videos: Cuts VIDEO ANNOTATION The following web-based applications allow you and your users to highlight sections within a video; add notes and graphics; and tag and link to specific video sections: Bubbleply HOW-TO VIDOES The following websites host and aggregate how-to videos. Dancers can upload or list their dance instruction videos on these sites: 5min SELL YOUR VIDEOS Sell your videos through online video services: Amazon Unbox with CutomFlix MONETIZE VIDEOS WITH VIDEO ADS Different types of ad delivery systems and networks are being developed to incorporate video and ofther ad types in to or along side your videos. Here are three applications to explore: AdBrite INTERNET CONNECTED SET-TOP BOXES We are in the early stages of connecting broadband Internet connections with both PCs and TVs. This development will offer new video distribution opportunities for dancers: Akimbo SENDING LARGE VIDEO FILES Video files can be very large and sending them by email is usually not a good option. Here are different services that let you send large video files to others: AllPeers VIDEO PLAYERS The following video players can be used to watch videos in different formats: Apple QuickTime Player VIDEO SEARCH SITES Search for videos across the Internet: Blinkx VIDEO CONVERSION AND ENCODING In addition to using video editing software programs, you may need additional software to convert and encode your video files into specific formats for video sharing sites and online distribution. Here are some options: Flash: Universal/Multiple Formats: AVS Video (Windows) (See following article on Robin Good's site for more encoding options.) Posted by Doug Fox at 6:53 AM - Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (0) March 20, 2007Tips for Creating Promotional Dance Videos for the InternetI strongly recommend that dance companies create good-quality promotional videos for the web. A good promotional video can: - Motivate more people to attend your performances - Improve fundraising efforts, and - Increase bookings As I write my publication on producing dance videos, I've watched hundreds of videos - mostly on YouTube. Most of these dance videos are simply not good enough and this does not have to be the case. My Tips So here are my initial tips on creating good promotional videos specifically for the Internet: 1) Optimal Video Length 3-5 minutes is a good video length. 2) A Good Tripod is a Must Use a tripod to shoot your video. You'll end up with a much smoother image, which can make a big difference when you convert your video file to a compressed format for the Internet. 3) Use Semi-Professional Video Camcorder or Better If at all possible, use a semi-professional video camcorder. The recorded image will be better than that of consumer camcorders. 4) Videographer Should Know Choreography Upfront The videographer should have a good idea of the choreography upfront - they usually don't. And the videographer should know which sections of the dance piece you want to include in your promotional video. The problem with many dance videos is that the videographer is always guessing what will happen next. This approach leads to many bad videos. The most common mistake is that a videographer zooms in for a close-up and then says "Ops" as the dancer raisers her arms, and her limbs are cut out of the shot. Then the videographer zooms back out in a hurry and the final result looks amateurish. 5) The Perils of Theatrical Lighting Theatrical lighting is a major contributor to making dance videos look terrible. If at all possible, videotape your performance when there's no audience. Increase the stage lights, limit spot lights and limit multi-color gels. Just simple even lighting that is bright enough for your camera but not too bright. Since shooting in audience-free theaters is not usually possible, work with lighting designer to see if you can make slight changes in lighting to improve video quality. And also experiment with exposure settings on your camera. (I'll be writing about exposure, focus, zooming, white balance and other important camera settings in detail in my publication). 6) Get Full-Frame Shots of Dancers You'll probably want a combination of a) full stage shots and b) full-framed dancer shots. For example, you'll want a wide shot of the stage to give viewers the big picture. But when it comes to the Internet, you want a lot of video shots that feature a dancer or dancers taking up a large percentage of the video image. Video on the Internet is usually watched in a small window. If dancers only take up a small percentage of your video clip, then they will appear like ants when they are watched on the Internet. So full body shots are ideal as long as you're not cutting-off any limbs - although cutting-off limbs is a creative choice and I've seen some good creative videos that don't always capture entire arms and legs. 7) Close-Ups Can Work Too Close-ups of specific parts of a dancer's body can work in certain circumstances. For example, doing a close-up of a dancer's legs will easily work for Celtic dances. It just depends upon the type of dance and the choreography. 8) Make Introductory Text Short and Sweet Keep introductory text slides or overlays real short, real simple and include a soundtrack from the beginning of the video. Of course, you can ignore my advice and be more creative. But if you decide to be creative, it ought to be very compelling to avoid problem in following item. 9) Get Right to the Action Don't go for the slow build-up when editing your video. Internet users have itchy trigger fingers. If they're bored they'll stop watching in a fraction of a second. So start your video with some energy and show your dancers having fun (if appropriate). 10) Intro Video Interview with Choreographer and Dancers Better yet, do simple video intro of choreographer and/or dancers talking about what viewers are about to see. This could be 15 to 30 seconds. There's nothing like personal touch when it comes to the Internet. 11) Don't Make Shots Too Short There seems to be a tendency in the promo videos I've watched to cut very quickly from one shot to the next. For example, a video may include 2 seconds of one performance and then 2 seconds from a different performance. I find this very irksome. Why not let me see at least 15 seconds or more of each performance so I can enjoy the dancing just a bit? 12) Skip the Transitions Don't use corny transitions in between each shot. Just edit your video so the viewer is taken from one shot to the next without any fades, wipes, page peels or other transitions. And definitely, don't do any split screens - this very rarely works on the Internet where viewing space is at a premium. 13) Use One Sound Track and Cut on the Beat Whether your promotional video includes footage from one or multiple dance pieces, most video clips I've seen include only one sound track. This makes for a less jarring viewing experience. And on the subject of music, cutting from one shot to the next while synched to the rhythm is often a pretty good idea unless there's some creative reason that you don't want to do this. (This only applies to performances with more than one video camera or when you're editing a video that features multiple dance performances.) 14) Upload Videos to Popular Video Sharing Sites Upload your videos to popular video sharing sites such as YouTube. YouTube offers three important benefits: 1) It gets a huge amount of traffic, 2) you can embed your YouTube videos on your own site or blog, and 3) other people can embed your video on their own websites and blogs, which means you'll get more exposure for your video. 15) Convert Your Videos Properly for YouTube It is very important that before uploading your video to YouTube and other video sharing sites that your video is properly converted to the appropriate file format. For example, YouTube has specific recommendations for how to convert your videos that you can read here. If you follow these guidelines, your online videos will look significantly better. I've just started experimenting with YouTube. I uploaded some dance videos pretty much following the YouTube recommendations and there was usually very little degradation in the quality of the videos. Posted by Doug Fox at 8:09 AM - Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0) March 8, 2007Interviews for Dance and Video PublicationHere's update on interviews I've just completed and will soon conduct for my book on dance, video and the Internet. - This past Tuesday I met with Ludovic Jolivet in Arlington, Virginia right outside of DC. Ludovic is a choreographer, videographer and dance filmmaker with a wealth of expertise and insight about the process of producing videos of dance performances, creating video for projection purposes, and directing dance on camera productions. I recorded our interview, which I think lasted well over an hour. I'm going to transcribe and summarize our discussion and post it soon. - This afternoon I'm interviewing Tim Glenn, assistant professor in the Department of Dance at Florida State University. Tim has an excellent site on Dance Documentation that I'm reading right now. It provides a very comprehensive guide on how to videotape performances for the purpose of study and recreation. - This weekend I'm interviewing Matt Gough who is visiting the US. Matt is a dancer, choreographer, teacher, and dance and technology expert. I've gone to a couple dance performances with him here in DC and it's great getting his insights about the performances. A number of the topics I've covered in my blog that deal with dance and video have resulted from conversations I've had with Matt. Matt is an occasional blogger and everybody should encourage him to blog more so that he can share his thoughts about dance and technology. - And I'll soon be interviewing Matt Mahaney, a dancer with Liz Lerman Dance Exchange, when he returns from performances in Japan. Matt has a lot of experience with dance videography and video editing and he's going to give me an overview of his work. (I do Internet consulting work for Dance Exchange.) How come I interview only guys?? Posted by Doug Fox at 8:33 AM - Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0) March 6, 2007Interview with Article19's Neil Nisbet about Producing Dance VideosThis past Sunday I conducted a telephone interview with Neil Nisbet the editor of Article19, a UK-based online publication that covers contemporary dance. Neil is a former professional dancer and is now a video production specialist and arts journalist focusing on dance performances, dance company promotional media and publishing. This interview was the first of many I will be conducting for my upcoming publication on dance, video and the Internet. During the interview Neil provided an introductory overview of the process of producing dance videos with an emphasis on the approach used by Article19. You can view dance videos on Article19's site that I've always thought were among the best I've seen on the Internet. The recap below is based upon an audio recording I made of my interview with Neil. I did make some editorial changes. (I'll upload the audio file if I can improve the sound quality. There was a lot of background noise and I've had trouble getting rid of it while maintaining decent audio quality. I'll give it another shot and see what I can come up with.) INTERVIEW WITH NEIL NISBET Part I: Planning Stage Live Studio Audience or Empty Theater? An initial question is whether you will videotape a dance performance with or without a live theater audience. Article19 often works in contemporary dance venues that are small to mid-sized theaters - there is not a lot of room to maneuver. So it is often ideal if the performance can be filmed without a live audience, which provides more opportunities to be creative with camera angles and there is more flexibility in terms of positioning the camera. Plus, you won't have audience heads at the bottom of your video. The Challenges Posed by Theatrical Lighting Another challenge with filming with live audiences is that stage lighting is often optimal for the human eye but not for the camera. If the production is bright and well lit, then there's no problem in terms of the camera. But some lighting is very creative - it might be mostly dark and only small sections of the stage are highlighted. This type of lighting can pose challenges for videotaping. When filming in these darker environments, the camera's lighting settings have to be adjusted to take in more light, which, in turn, can slightly degrade image quality. So if you can shoot video during a special session specifically for making the video, then you can adjust the lighting so that it is optimal for the camera and the quality of the final video will usually be improved. Video Camcorders Article19 uses a professional level Cannon XL2 video camera. Some video experts may debate whether this camera is professional. But the images are beautiful. The camera has sophisticated electronics and image capture. And, most importantly, it has a very good lens. Cannon XL2 uses mini DV tapes - a very robust, popular format. Mini DVs are good enough for broadcast and DVDs and definitely for Internet video. Multiple Cameras and Multiple Performances Whether one or more video cameras is used to shoot a performance comes down to a question of money. If a dance company can afford multiple cameras, that does help make the post production process easier. Whether or not you use more than one camera is also determined by the size and layout of the venue. It is better if you can shoot the same performance more than one time. This is especially helpful during the editing process when you want to find the best take of a specific section of the performance. And from a financial standpoint, it can be cheaper to use one camera at multiple performances then have multiple camera operators at one performance. Capturing Sound - If there is no voice or special sound effects during a performance, Article19 tends to dub over the live audio with a pre-recorded audio track since pre-recorded music is usually used. In the case where live music is used or there are other reasons to record the audio in the live setting, the appropriate microphones are set-up as needed. Part II: Shooting Video Camera Angeles One of the most important decisions is where you decide to place your video camera to shoot a performance. This is a creative choice, but Article19 always shoots dance from as flat an angle as possible. Shooting from an elevated position from the back of the theater, for instance, is not recommended. The higher the angle you shoot from, the more that you compress elements of the dance performance such as jumps - a jump does not look like a jump when shot from a high angel. No Close-Ups We don't do a lot of close ups. From our perspective, there's nothing more frustrating for an audience or someone viewing your work on screen, if you zoom in on the upper body of the dancers and only get part of the movement. The choreography was created for multiple dancers and for their entire bodies. The only time close-ups would be taken is when choreography has been created for a specific part of the dancer's body. Article19 shoots in what they call "full frame" mode so that the entire dancer is in the frame. Whether the dancer has their arms up in the air or not is taken into consideration. It is a cardinal sin to cut body parts. How Well Does Choreography Have to Be Known by Camera Operators? If we're doing a commercial shoot, we will have seen the choreography before or at least have seen an overview of the piece so that we know what's going to happen. Because I'm a former professional dancer, I understand choreography and know how dancers will move. So a lot of it is anticipating what's going to happen next. A lot of it is also using common sense. So if you have five dancers on the stage, and they're all spread out, you simply pull back to frame the entire shot. If it's a nice duet between two dancers and the rest of the stage is empty, you focus on them and track them around the stage. That's where the skill comes in. That's the difference between planting a camera and letting it film the entire stage and being able to focus on a solo, a duet or a trio and tracking their movement around the stage. But it is preferable if you know the work upfront. Coordinating Multiple Cameras If you have two cameras, camera one will stay wide or as wide as possible to get all of the dancers on stage. And camera two will be used to focus on specifics or to capture another angle. Again, it very much depends on the type of choreography being shot. Large ensemble pieces require a different approach than a duet. So it's hard to give a single answer to how multiple cameras should be used. But as a general rule, one camera angle is wide and the other camera shoots in full frame mode. Video Camera Settings For theatrical video, you always want to shoot with manual focus and with manual exposure. (Manual exposure refers to setting the iris, which determine how much light enters the lens.) You'll have moments that are very light and moments that are very dark and the exposure has to be adjusted accordingly. A video camera needs to know if you're shooting inside or outside so that the color temperature can be properly calibrated. This calibration is done with the camera's white balance setting. Most cameras have either an automatic white balance setting or a switch that is used to indicate if you're shooting inside or outside. You can tell if the setting for white balance is wrong. If you're indoors and the video material all looks blue in color, you'll know that your camera thinks it is outside. Tripods Always use a very good tripod. Inexpensive tripods with cheap mechanical heads don't move very well, which makes it difficult to follow dancers on stage. So it is worthwhile to spend a little money to buy a good tripod or, alternatively, you can rent a good quality tripod. Good tripods can sometimes make-up for less sophisticated video cameras. Shooting with Multiple Cameras When using multiple cameras, we make sure that the white balance setting is the same for each camera. We usually use the automatic indoor setting because light temperature can changes so much in professional dance performances from blue light to white light, for example. But if there is a problem, we can correct this in post-production. Also you want to use the same cameras and make sure that all of the technical settings are the same. In addition, on higher-end cameras you can lock the time code so that the cameras are in synch. This way when you go into post production, you know that you're looking at the same moment on each video clip of the performance. Part III: Post Production Acquiring Video Material The first stage is acquisition - transferring the video material from the mini DV tapes on to your computer's hard drive. Since the data stored on the tapes is already in digital format, the quality of the video is not degraded when transferred to your computer. Video Editing software Article19 uses Apple's Final Cut Pro 5 on Macs. Creating Promotional Videos If we're shooting for the purpose of creating promo videos and we've shot a performance multiple times, we bring all of the video in their entirety into Final Cut Pro. And generally we sit down with the choreographer or director of the company so that we can make decisions about which are the best parts to take from each performance. Then we combine these segments into a final promotional video. Full Performance Videos When editing a full show from multiple cameras and from multiple performances, there's a fairly complex process of going through the videos one stage at a time. In such instances, one of the performance videos is used as the base for tracking the timing. And then the selected shots from the different performances and cameras are combined together so that it looks like a single show. As you study the videos, your goal is to show a company's work in its best light. That's why filming multiple performances instead of filming one performance with multiple cameras can come to the rescue. By having the video from different performances, you can mix and match the best sequences for your final video. If we're creating a video of a full-length performance, we tend to do a rough cut before sitting down with a choreographer. The process of creating a rough cut takes about a day for an hour long show. Then we meet with the choreographer and determine which cuts are the best - this process usually takes two to three days. Cuts and Dissolves You must always use cuts. And don't use cross dissolves or any of those fancy transitions that come with video editors such as page peels. If you watch a film or TV show, you'll notice that all of the editing is done with simple cuts. Very rarely are cross dissolves or some type of wipe effect used. Keep it really simple - this is the best way to edit and will produce the best videos. On rare occasions you can use some special tricks depending on the work that you are doing. On promo videos we have used cross dissolves - just gradually fading from one shot to another. Output to DVDs and the Internet All dance companies want a DVD with their full-length performance video or a promo video. Article19 no longer outputs to videotape. DVDs can be used for a number of purposes including archival and promotional. And occasionally these videos will be put on the Internet. Posted by Doug Fox at 8:30 AM - Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0) March 5, 2007Reader Input Sought and AppreciatedAs you can tell from a post earlier this morning, I'm now getting to the nitty-gritty of writing a book, probably an e-book, about dance video and the Internet. As I write this publication, I'll be posting the rough draft as I go along. Plus, I'll be sharing summaries of interviews as well as audio podcasts in some cases of these interviews. Yesterday, for example, I conducted an interview with Neil Nisbet, editor of Article19, during which he provided a very helpful introduction to the entire process of producing videos of dance performances. And tomorrow I'm meeting with Ludovic Jolivet a local (Washington, DC area) dance videographer and video dance director. I'll share write-ups about both of these interviews. One of the reasons I'm posting this work-in-progress to my blog is because I would very much appreciate getting the thoughts, suggestions and critiques of readers. The beauty with blogging is that you can quickly reach out to people with different experiences and perspectives - in this case about dance and different uses for dance videos. So as I publish my first draft, I encourage you to share your ideas and reactions, and definitely don't hesitate to let me know if I'm leaving something out or going down the wrong path. Thanks! Doug Fox Posted by Doug Fox at 8:20 AM - Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0) Main Uses for Dance VideosAfter writing what I've been calling the pre-draft version of my upcoming publication on dance, video and the Internet, I'm now writing my first draft. At the heart of this publication are two simple questions: 1) What can you shoot dance video of or for? And, 2) What are the different applications for this video? Here's my answer to these two questions. As always, please let me know what you think and if you'd make any changes or additions. Videos can be shot of and for: - Dance performances - Rehearsals and dress rehearsals - Dance instruction - Interviews - Auditions - Video projections during performances - Documentaries - Dance on camera productions The primary distribution methods for dance videos: - DVDs or other physical format - Digital-only formats that are transmitted via the Internet The main uses and applications for dance videos: 1) Bookings Using video of dance performances and other offerings (educational programs, outreach efforts, workshops, etc.) to increase bookings by presenters. Most commonly this video is distributed on DVDs. Presenters (performing arts venues, theaters, festivals, tour organizers and international programs) will increasingly turn to Internet to watch dance company videos. 2) Audience Development Video of performances, in full or abridged, distributed through one or more online channels to build audiences for upcoming performances. 3) Publicity Videos of performances are an ideal publicity tool whether distributed via DVD or online. Video is currently underused as method of increasing press coverage. Performance videos are especially worthwhile when added to online press releases. 4) Fundraising Whether online or offline, dance video can play an important role in improving the success of fundraising campaigns. There are a number of Web-based fundraising software applications as well as payment tools such as PayPal that can be used with dance videos to seek financial contributions of any size from website visitors. 5) Grant Applications Dance videos - often in DVD format - will increasingly become essential components of grant applications so that funding organizations can watch examples of your work. At some point, this process may move to the Internet, but it may take a while. 6) Sell Videos of Dance Performances When dancers and dance companies sell video of their performances, it is almost always in the form of a DVD. From now into the future, dance companies will begin to explore how to sell their performance videos via the Internet. 7) Sell Dance Instruction Videos As with performances, most dance instruction videos are sold in DVD format. Slowly dance instructors are beginning to experiment with selling instructional videos over the Internet. Alternatively, instructors are exploring other ways to monetize their videos such as by receiving a percentage of advertising revenue from video sharing websites. 8) Video Trailers and Promos Very few dance companies create video trailers for the purpose of promoting upcoming performances via the Internet. With the wide availability of low cost digital cameras and low-cost video editing software, there are no longer roadblocks prohibiting dancers from creating compelling trailers to build audiences and increase bookings. 9) Sell Video Dance (dance on camera) Productions There are many dance on camera film festivals held every year around the globe. Dance on camera or video dance productions are those made for the screen as opposed to the performance stage. At this point the producers of these dance films have not yet experimented with efforts to sell their work online. But we will probably soon see experiments in this area. 10) Video for Your Website Dance videos uploaded to websites can be used for many of the purposes described above including for increasing bookings, audience development, fundraising and other applications. These videos can be hosted on the dance company's website or on video sharing sites such as YouTube. These dance videos can take different forms, but video promos are probably the most valuable. 11) Video for Blogs and Social Networking Sites Blogs offer a community-oriented environment for sharing different types of dance videos with visitors including performance clips, promotional videos and videos from rehearsals. Rehearsal and interview videos can be used to engage visitors in online conversations about the creative process and to seek feedback from readers/viewers. 12) Social Networking and Video Sharing Sites Dance video on social networking sites such as MySpace or video sharing sites such as YouTube, provide additional avenues for promoting your dance company, building audiences for upcoming performances and networking with other dancers. 13) Dance Videos for Mashups User-generated content continues to grow at a rapid pace. Internet users like to see videos created by amateurs. Dancers and dance companies can take advantage of this trend by creating opportunities for their fans and others to create and upload their own video mixes (called mashups) that feature your dance videos edited in different ways. Users can also add their own clips to the final videos that they submit. 14) Videos for Mobile and Wireless Devices An increasing number of dancers now have video iPods and other devices on which they can store dance videos. As more and more mobile phones, portable game consoles and other small-screen devices support video, it will become increasingly important to create dance video clips for these devices. Users will download videos from the Internet to their small video playback systems, watch the clips on the road, wirelessly share the videos with their friends, and connect their portable players to TVs to show on larger screens. 15) Monetize on Add Supported Networks One of the emerging ad-supported models for online video is for video sharing sites to pay content creators a percentage of ad revenue or a flat fee. Dancers will take advantage of this revenue stream by uploading performance videos, promo videos and instructional clips to these video hosting services. 16) New Frontiers in Video Distribution We are already seeing an explosion in the growth of online video. But we are still very much in the early stages. Over the next year, higher and higher quality video will be made available via the Internet. Plus, there will be more end-users customization tools so that users can create their own content channels, and there will be more options for linking high-speed Internet connections with your TV sets. All of these developments will create new markets for different types of dance videos. 17) Archival and Documentation Videos At the same time, traditional applications for video will continue to be important. A large percentage of dancers and dance companies shoot video of their performances for archival purposes and this video content is often not seen by those outside of the dance company. This archival video footage can be shot simply to make a recording or it can be used for documenting a dance piece that will be studied and performed at a later date. 18) Dance Auditions An increasing number of dancers will create audition videos. These videos can be submitted as part of an application for an academic program or used for a dance audition. Very rarely will dance video auditions be used instead of a live audition, but it is possible when necessary. Most common, audition videos will be used to make a first cut. 19) Video Projection During Performances and for Installations A good number of dance performances include projected video segments that are shown on projection screens during a dance. This video can take many forms including dancers performing in different environments, interviews with choreographers and dancers, and more abstract possibilities as well. The projected video can also be generated by dancers in real-time in responsive or interactive dance environments. Dance video can also be incorporated into installations in different settings. 20) Dance Documentaries Dance documentaries can take many forms and can be shot for different mediums. A low-budget documentary can be shot by a dance company and posted to the Web. A more elaborate documentary can be made primarily for DVD distribution. And video production companies can produce dance documentaries for TV and other purposes. 21) Learning Dance Routines Dance students can increasingly shoot video of routines taught in class. These routines may simply be for class room instruction purposes only, or they may be studied for performance purposes. 22) Educational Collaboration There are many ways that dance videos can be shared online for educational purposes. I've written a number of times about the possibilities of large-scale "tagging" projects that are built upon thousands of dancers or dance students categorizing entire videos or parts of videos. This categorization effort can help dancers, dance students and educators better understand the relationship and connections among different styles and forms of dance. Posted by Doug Fox at 5:29 AM - Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0) February 25, 2007Now Conducting Interviews with Dance Companies and Dance VideographersAs I mentioned in my previous post, I'm writing a publication about dance, video and the Internet. You can visit the following page for "dance video book" to read 17 articles I've written since December about this topic. In these video-focused posts, I offer many suggestions for how dance videos can be put to work for marketing, revenue-generation, educational, creative, fundraising and other purposes. But for dancers and dance companies to take advantage of these many opportunities, they first need good quality dance videos. So the first section of this publication will be devoted to what it takes to produce top-notch dance videos. To research this section, I am now conducting interviews with dance companies, dance videographers and others with expertise in any and all aspects of producing videos. If you have experience and expertise in this area or have suggestions for people I should interview, please send me an email. I'm especially interested in conducting interviews with dancers and dance videographers in the Washington, DC or New York City areas. This way I can conduct interviews face-to-face and also see examples of how dance videos are produced in pre-production, production and post-production stages. But at the same time, don't hesitate to contact me if you are not in DC or NYC. While the primary focus of this section is on video of dance performances, there are a number of other types of dance-related videos that you may want to create. So this chapter will also provide coverage of how to produce vides of and for: - Interviews (with choreographers and dancers, for example) - Rehearsals - Promotional trailers - Marketing and publicity - Dance instruction - Documentaries - Archival and documentation - Auditions - Fundraising - Websites, blogs and video sharing sites, and - Mobile and wireless devices I look forward to the thoughts and suggestions of readers. Posted by Doug Fox at 11:18 AM - Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0) E-Book on Dance, Video and the InternetI'm in the early stages of writing a publication about dance, video and the Internet. Since last December, I've been in what I'm calling pre-draft mode and I've written 17 posts that relate to this topic. Below, I've included links to all of these articles. Or you can click on this link for "dance video book" and read all of these posts on a single page. Here are links: - "Building a Derivative Dance Culture" (February 22, 2007) - "Dancers Making Money on Expert Village" (February 16, 2007) - "Presenters Begin to Embrace Video as Marketing Tool" (February 15, 2007) - "Dance Videos Go Mobile" (February 14, 2007) - "Sliding into Copyright Chaos?" (February 8, 2007) - "The Limits of Video for Learning Dance Routines" (January 26, 2007) - "Facilitating the Booking of Dance Companies with Online Video" (January 16, 2007) - "Choreographic Collaboration Using Digital Video" (January 11, 2007) - "Video Sharing Sites Contribute to Spread of Dance Crazes" (January 10, 2007) - "Selling Dance DVDs and Downloadable Videos" (January 9, 2007) - "Dancing for a Better World" (January 05, 2007) - "Social Media, Dance Videos and the Future of Auditions" (December 21, 2006) - "Deep Tagging, Linking and Searching" (December 19, 2006) - "Generating Revenue with Dance Videos" (December 18, 2006) - "Ushering in a New Era in Multimedia Dance Criticism" (December 14, 2006) - "Increase Dance Coverage with Multimedia Releases and Open Rehearsals" (December 13, 2006) - "10 Ways to Use Online Dance Videos" (December 12, 2007) Posted by Doug Fox at 10:17 AM - Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0) February 22, 2007Building a Derivative Dance CultureOn the Creative Commons blog, I came across a post about an "Open Art" show that is taking place now at the University of Florida. A student group, Florida Free Culture, is hosting this show in which the art work on display is made available under what is called a Creative Commons "Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0" license. What this means is that anybody can download the images of the artwork, which are in a Flickr photo pool, and then modify or remix these images to create altered or augmented versions of the original. For example, one of these images could be edited and modified in a photo editing software program to create a more abstract version of the initial photograph. In essence, users who download these digital images from the show are given permission under this Creative Commons license to create derivative works. From a copyright standpoint, a "derivative work" is a complicated concept that I don't fully understand. But I take the general premise behind this term as being a new work (book, artwork, choreography, etc.) that is built upon an existing work. One of the things I realized about the Flickr pool is that all the photos are uploaded by the same person. I would have thought that an "Open Art" show organized by a group of students would have included work from a number of different contributors. But, in the end, it doesn't really matter since I just wanted to use this Creative Commons art show as a possible model for dance. Creating a Derivative Dance Festival An understandable tendency for choreographers and dancers is to protect their work from a legal standpoint, or, at least, ensure that choreography is not replicated without the express written consent of the artist or dance company. But why don't we just turn these standard rules upside down and see what happens? Why not host a dance festival in your town or city where all the dance performances are licensed under Creative Commons so that anybody can create and distribute derivative versions of the works in digital and/or live formats? And one of the stipulations would be that derivative works would properly recognize the original creator. It would be up to the festival organizer and dance companies whether derivative works could be created just for non-commercial purposes or also for commercial purposes. (Here's a link to the different types of CC licenses). From a Practical Standpoint, What Does this CC-Licensed Event Mean? Here's a rundown: - All dance performances at the festival are recorded and the video is uploaded to a video sharing site. If there's a two camera shoot, the raw footage from each camera might be uploaded. The music tracks can be uploaded as well as separate audio files. Obviously a deal has to be arranged with the owners of the music - maybe under a CC license as well. - Internet users are now free to do what they want with the video and audio files. They can edit the videos, insert their own dance footage and make any other creative changes and additions that they want. Then they can upload and share their finished works. (There happens to be an excellent overview in yesterday's TechCrunch of online video editing applications. So it's easier than ever for dance fans to edit video footage.) - Derivative works can be created in the offline world as well. A dance teacher might incorporate part of a performance in whole or part into a dance routine that is taught during a class. Or a dance company might use one of the festival dance works as the basis for one of their new pieces. In either the class or performance setting, the original artist would have to be recognized under the terms of the CC license. What Are the Advantages of this Licensing Approach? - Dancers and dance fans will be able to use your work as the basis for further exploration and creativity. They are no longer just passive observers of your work (I think this is my mantra after saying this a hundred times in previous posts). They can create their own dance videos and/or work in a very direct, physical manner with your choreography. - All participants in the dance festival will get a lot of exposure and recognition at a very low cost. This CC licensing approach is very viral in nature. In other words, since users - dancers and non-dancers - can experiment with your creations and create new works, they will be highly inclined to share what they've done with others. They might embed their new video on their blog or social networking profile, or they might upload their video to a video sharing site. - The likely result is that you will get more exposure for your dance company and increase the likelihood that you will get more bookings in the future and larger audiences as well. Plus, since the Internet is an important part of this proposed CC licensing approach, there is also the possibility that you can sell or monetize your work through online channels. Posted by Doug Fox at 7:02 AM - Permalink | Comments (5) | TrackBacks (0) February 16, 2007Dancers Making Money on Expert VillageI came across a website ExpertVillage that features how-to videos on many different topics. This site pays experts and filmmakers to create instructional videos. According to their application form, the average assignment pays $300, but, they say, you can make up to $30,000 per year - whether that's realistic or not, I don't know. If you do a search for "dance" on Expert Village, you'll come across hundreds of listings for dance related videos as well as articles. Belly Dancing with Sahira Belly dancer and instructor Sahira (her profile on Expert Village and her website) has 20 short video clips on Expert Village. Of the two I've watched so far, one was just over a minute and the other was about a minute and a half. Neither included a music track - I'm wondering if that's because of licensing issues and expenses. Here's what Sahira's video collection looks like on Expert Village:  Here's Sahira in a clip titled "The Figure Eight with Hips Move: Egyptian Belly Dancing." The above video is the second top rated video on Expert Village - but I can't tell how many votes it received. Her video "Egyptian Belly Dancing: Putting Moves Together Three" is on the third page of the most viewed videos. No other dance videos is more popular, but there are yoga and pilates videos that have more views. Posted by Doug Fox at 5:30 AM - Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0) February 15, 2007Presenters Begin to Embrace Video as Marketing ToolPerforming arts venues are beginning to do a much better job of incorporating video and audio programs into their online marketing materials. From my perspective, not having video clips so that website visitors can watch dance previews or past performances makes absolutely no sense. So it's nice to see more video, which, if used properly, can help increase ticket sales. Here are examples of how performing arts centers are using dance videos - and in one instance an audio podcasts - on their websites: At the George Washington University's Lisner Auditorium, you can watch a video of the flamenco dancer Sara Baras who's performing tonight and tomorrow. For performances through this Sunday of "Edward Scissorhands" at the Kennedy Center, you can link to videos on the Edward Scissorhands website which feature director/choreographer Matthew Bourne and show clips from this theatrical production. For performances of American Ballet Theatre through the weekend at Sadler's Wells, you can scroll down to the bottom of this promotional page to watch a video from ABT - the contents of the video are unfortunately not described but it's a nice video. For Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater performances later this month that are part of the Cal Performances series at the University of California, Berkley, you can watch video excerpts and listen to an excellent audio podcast. This extended audio interview is with veteran Alvin Ailey dancer Renee Robinson. We definitely need more interviews like this one with dancers and choreographers. (You can listen to the other podcasts that are part of this season of programs at Cal Performances.) Posted by Doug Fox at 5:25 AM - Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0) February 14, 2007Dance Videos Go MobileWe are about to see a huge increase in the use of portable devices for the playback and recording of dance videos. Many cell phones, MP3 players, portable game consoles and other devices now integrate small video screens and allow users to make video recordings of anything they wish. Here's an overview of some of the main ways that mobile video will be used by dancers: 1) More dance performances will be videotaped - with or without the permission of artists. And this video will end-up instantly on YouTube and other video sharing sites. The challenge of stopping unauthorized videotaping will increasingly be a problem since you can't always tell whose making a recording in the first place. 2) It will become a simple process to record video with a cell phone and then send the video to video sharing and social networking sites within seconds. 3) With the increase in portable media devices, more and more dancers (professionals, students, social dancers, teachers and others) will always have their favorite dance videos with them so they can show to friends and colleagues. 4) Or, as wireless Internet connections continue to improve in speed and reliability, streaming video files to portable devices will become more convenient. 5) Many more rehearsals and works-in-progress will be recorded for study by choreographers and dancers, and for posting online. 6) With the increase in online dance videos, it will be easier for choreographers to download videos related to their current project for study and analysis. In addition, choreographers can then playback these downloaded videos from their portable media devices to share with dancers. 7) Hot dance trends will spread faster than ever since people at clubs and other dance venues can easily videotape new moves and share them with people around the globe. 8) There will be experimentation with porting dance instruction videos to small mobile screens. It will take time to figure out the optimal way to create these instructional videos for limited screen spaces. 9) As more people shoot dance videos and upload them to video sharing sites, social networking sites and topic-specific forums, it will become relatively easy for fans of any and all dance styles to find the types of videos - performance, social dancing or instructional - that they're looking for. 10) The quality of video playback and recording for portable devices will improve significantly over the next 12 months. This increase in video quality will mean that dance videos can effectively be outputted to different devices including computer monitors, HD TVs and other screen types. 11) Video editing tools will be built into portable media devices. But in many instances, users will just shoot video and either upload it or share with friends without any or much editing. 12) Many students of ballroom, belly dancing and social dances will bring a portable video recorder to videotape routines taught during class so that they can master them outside of class. 13) Portable video will make it easier and more likely than ever before that dance styles from around the world will be integrated and mixed with each other to create new types of dance. 14) Choreographers/producers of video dance works (dance on camera) will make their films available for small screen devices. 15) Dance companies, instructors, video dance creators and others will experiment with different models for selling their videos - for mobile devices and PC playback - at low-cost via the Internet. 16) Dance students at colleges and universities will not go to class or rehearsal without a portable video recorder and a lot of time will be spent analyzing and editing these videos. 17) Performing arts venues, theaters and festival organizers will make better use of dance videos to promote upcoming performances, and these marketing videos will be available for small screen video players. 18) As a result of more videos created with mobile recording devices, new web-based information sources will arise. Eventually we will see a dedicated wiki-like application that includes thousands of organized links to all forms and styles of dance from the past and present. Plus, social media sites will be built around dance videos that people will share, recommend and rate. Posted by Doug Fox at 5:50 AM - Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0) February 8, 2007Sliding into Copyright Chaos?As more dance videos are uploaded to the web - especially to sites such as YouTube, will more choreographers seek copyright protection for their dances? And, once obtaining copyrights for their work, will rights holders proceed to scourer video sharing sites in search of those infringing on their intellectual property rights? And will we end-up with many more lawsuits in the dance world? The answer is a definitive yes. Read "'Electric Slide' on Slippery DMCA Slope" on Cnet News. Richard Silver filed a copyright in 2004 for the "Electric Slide" dance. Silver is now issuing takedown orders to anybody who is uploading video that supposedly infringes on his copyright - he considers a video showing a few seconds of the Electric Slide dance at a wedding party a violation of his copyright. Here's the Electric Slide website - it is annoying beyond belief. Click here to see a letter sent by Silver seeking the removal of online videos that include his dance. And here are two bloggers who responded to Silver's takedown orders - I recommend reading each post and the comments: - "The Electric Slide vs. Lathan" on Roblathan.com - "Well, I guess I won't be doing the electric slide any time soon" on qDot's blog. The Dance Community Should Address These Important Issues I believe that the initial questions I pose in my opening paragraph should start to be addressed by the dance community this year so that the "dance industry" does not get blindsided like the music industry was five years ago. By "dance industry" I'm referring to anybody and everybody whose livelihood and business is tied to dance. The big music labels and recording artists got caught flat-footed (I guess the dance world wouldn't want that :-)!) by Napster and rampant unauthorized copying and distribution of digital music. By the time that the music industry responded, the game was over, CD sales plummeted and they had to play catch-up with the Internet to figure out how they would make money from online distribution. While we'll never know exactly what would have happened if the big players in the music business took a more proactive role early on in terms of figuring out how music ought to be distributed and sold online, and exploring ways to protect the intellectual property interests of artists, one thing is fairly certain, they would have at least had a bigger say and influence over what did happen. Today, the dance industry stands at the same precipice the music industry did five years ago: dancers, choreographers and other performing artists are going to increasingly have difficulty stopping people from shooting videos of their work. More and more people have small mobile phones that record video. And unless presenters and dance companies intend to implement draconian measures - such as full-body searches for consumer electronic equipment - when patrons walk into a theater, it will become more and more difficult to stop illegal video taping of dance performances. (Even museums can't stop visitors from taking snapshots with camera phones in broad daylight). Plus, anybody can perform any dance piece, make a video and upload it to the Internet. And these illegal videos are going to end-up in one place: YouTube. The increased availability of unauthorized video will inevitably lead more dance creators to seek copyright protection for their work and this, in turn, will lead to many more legal confrontations and lawsuits. A Call to Action The dance industry still has a small-time frame in which action can be taken. I strongly recommend that the dance community immediately starts a dialogue about how to protect the creative work of choreographers and dancers. In addition, it is important to consider a number of different approaches to licensing creative work whether it is for commercial or non-commercial purposes. And this should all be done in the context of figuring out how choreographers, dancers and dance companies can not only control the use of their work, but also begin to benefit financially from online distribution. And here is the big silver lining. Considering different copyright and licensing approaches is not just about preventing unauthorized use of one's dances, it is also about helping choreographers, dancers and dance companies create significant new revenue streams for their creative output. Posted by Doug Fox at 6:35 AM - Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (0) January 26, 2007The Limits of Video for Learning Dance RoutinesThere's one type of dance video that I'm glad I don't have access to - video of the choreography that's taught at the end of dance classes. I'm always impressed by how dancers in the jazz and modern classes I take can watch the teacher demonstrate a series of dance moves and then perform the new choreography right on the spot. When I started taking Beginner 1 and 2 drop-in classes at Joy of Motion the choreography completely overwhelmed me to the point where I couldn't even figure out what direction to move in and I forgot the difference between my left and right side - essentially that meant I ran into people. Now I'm beginning to get the hang of seeing the choreography demonstrated and then performing it. I'm not saying I'm close to getting the technique down. I just mean that either my mind or body or both capture the overall structure and form of the choreography - so I generally know the moves and direction of the piece. I'm actually pretty amazed that I've picked-up this skill because it seemed impossible to do just a few months ago. In yesterday's jazz class with Maurice Johnson, he taught a new piece of choreography. My technique has a long way to go and I can't yet focus on the music, but I know the routine well enough that I can practice it over the next week in preparation for next Thursday's class. And while I'm thinking through the choreography from Maurice's class, I'm delighted that I don't have video to watch of his routine. The video would help me improve my technique and I could quickly learn how the moves were synchronized with the music, but it would be counter-productive in terms of mastering the most important skill for new dancers, which seems to me to be to develop muscle and brain memory for capturing and recreating dance movements. Part of the process of working on a routine in between classes is being able to figure out how to fill-in the missing parts - even if I'm just thinking through the piece in my mind. While I know the routine pretty well from last night's class, there are still sections that I have to figure out. And I'd rather figure out these gaps on my own than have a video clip to turn to. The possible downsize to my video-free approach to learning choreography - the standard approach to learning choreography - is that my technique will not improve that quickly. But I don't really look at it that way. Within a few more months my ability to capture and perform routines will be much better and I'll be able to start focusing on technique even during the first day that the new choreography is taught. By the way, once I write about four more posts about last week's APAP conference, I'll get back to the remaining sections of my draft for my upcoming e-book on dance and video. Posted by Doug Fox at 1:34 PM - Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBacks (0) January 16, 2007Facilitating the Booking of Dance Companies with Online VideoSince I'll be attending the Association of Performing Arts Presenters' 50th Annual Members Conference later this week, I thought I'd focus in this post on how the Internet can be used to enhance the booking process. The APAP event is a face-to-face marketplace where a large number of presenters (performing arts venues, theater and festival organizers) and performing arts groups (dancers, theater companies and musicians) meet to network, perform and book groups for upcoming performances. My primary question is how can the Internet be used by both presenters and performance groups to facilitate and improve the booking process? In addition, I'd like to explore whether the Internet can be a substitute for presenter conferences that take place around the country. My Answers - As things stand today, most dance companies do a poor job of using their websites to help presenters learn about their companies, performances and programs. Dance companies would greatly help their efforts to get more bookings if they added a "Booking" section to their website that provided clear and comprehensive background about their offerings to presenters. This section of a dance company's website should definitely include good quality video clips so that presenters can quickly see examples of your performances and related work. - Organizers of presenter conferences/events - both those serving regional and national constituencies - should consider upgrading their online pre-event scheduling and screening tools to help presenters hone in on those acts that are likely to be the best fit for what they are looking for. For example, if presenters could search for specific types of performance groups prior to an event and watch video clips of these selected groups, they could make better use of the limited time that they spend at an event. - The Internet will emerge as an important medium for bringing presenters and dance companies together once a much larger number of performance groups post multimedia content (primarily video) that shows examples of their offerings. In addition, new search engine strategies will need to be implemented so that presenters can search for performance groups across multiple websites and video sharing sites. - In order to book groups that are likely to attract the largest audiences, presenters will embrace event-focused social networking sites where likely audience members share their preferences for various performance groups. In other words, presenters will begin to work more closely with actual ticket buyers to help decide which groups to book. - As mobile Internet devices continue to proliferate and video quality for small screens makes dramatic improvements, presenters will have real-time access to a parallel virtual resource as they meet with dance companies and watch live showcases. To give a personal example, when I'm engaged in a conversation about a movie or book, I'm often using Google on my Internet-enabled cell phone to look up director names and authors. Essentially like millions of other people, I'm having a real-time conversation and simultaneously access a parallel virtual resource to access specific types of information. So the same scenario will soon apply at presenter events. Presenters will be watching a live showcase of a dance company while using their mobile devices to access online videos and other content about this same dance company. This type of multitasking may drive some people crazy, but it is definitely where we are heading. Can the Internet Substitute for Presenter Conferences And to answer my second question about whether the Internet will be a substitute for presenter conferences: my answer is no and yes. In one sense, there is no substitute for face-to-face encounters. Presenters are booking acts to perform live on stage. So the best way to evaluate a group is to see them perform live. A video is nice, but a dance company could do ten takes before getting a performance right. So presenters want to see the real thing with their own eyes. At the same time, the importance of the Internet - especially the availability of performance video clips - cannot be overlooked. Presenters can: - Find and evaluate specific types of dance companies more quickly than ever before - Identify the interests of audiences through social networking sites (essentially this is a low cost approach to conducting both qualitative and quantitative research that one day may prove to be quite accurate) - Conduct extensive pre-conference research to evaluate possible groups before attending a presenter conference, and - Have access to a real-time, parallel virtual resource of high-quality videos via a new generation of mobile devices. There are also two additional factors that will make the Internet an invaluable tool for dance companies seeking more bookings (which means all dance companies): - Traditional presenters are not the only organizations that book dancers. With the growth of product placements - partly due to our TiVo-obsessed culture where more and more people ignore commercials - dance may become an ideal way to promote a broad range of consumer products. And, - It is likely that new forms of revenue-generating distribution options will emerge for dance performances, dance-focused TV shows and dance instruction as broadband, IPTV, file sharing and mobile video continues to expand the market for high-quality video. Upcoming Post: Background, Resources and Examples The above is a summary of research I've been conducting about how the Internet may transform how presenters evaluate and book performance groups. In an upcoming post (probably once I get back from APAP), I'll provide background about how I reached my conclusions, related websites and applications that are worth exploring, and specific examples of existing online resources that bring presenters and performance groups together. Posted by Doug Fox at 11:08 AM - Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0) January 11, 2007Choreographic Collaboration Using Digital VideoHas the way that choreographers and dancers share and analyze dances and moves been transformed by digital video? Here are detailed versions of this question: - When a choreographer and dancers are rehearsing, what percentage of the time do they shoot video to share and analyze the dance among themselves? How is this video shared? Do they watch it together or does somebody edit the video and then share it online? - To follow-up on the above question: Does the use of digital video for analyzing dance-works-in-progress change the nature of how dances are created? Is something lost or is something gained? - How frequently do choreographers and dancers share dance videos of finished works or works-in-progress with their colleagues in the same city or around the globe? Are dancers now working more closely with or seek advice from other dancers (dancers they are not currently working with or dancers they have never worked with) because it is easy to shoot, edit and share video? - How have rehearsals changed when dancers have to travel long distances to practice together in the same studio? For instance, is it possible for there to be fewer rehearsals because video can be shared with dancers as a work is developed? Or is there really no substitute for working together in the same studio? - To what extent is video used with iPods and other portable video players? Are choreographers and dancers using these mobile devices to quickly recall and review earlier rehearsals? - Are dancers posting videos of rehearsals and finished works to video sharing sites and dance-specific forums for the specific purpose of getting on-going feedback from the public? - What is the likelihood that collaborative video editing applications will be used by dancers separated by distance to work together on dance choreography? Take a look at video editing software SyncvUE that can be used in conjunction with Skype. Posted by Doug Fox at 2:12 PM - Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0) January 10, 2007Video Sharing Sites Contribute to Spread of Dance CrazesIn today's Baltimoresun.com, you can read an article by Abigail Tucker about how popular video sharing sites are transforming how new dance moves and fads spread from one city to the next. In "SquarePants, cool dance," Tucker starts by focusing on the SpongeBob dance, which started in Baltimore and then quickly caught on in clubs throughout the country. (You can go to YouTube and search for "SpongeBob dance" to find videos). I'm quoted in this article about how I see video sharing sites and video-enabled cell phones contributing to the rapid dissemination of new dances. I'm going to do more research about this topic. I think it's interesting to think about how widely-available and inexpensive video technologies will impact how popular dance styles and crazes proliferate. Will the impact be felt just at clubs or will performing arts dances also be influenced by the large-scale embrace of digital video? Posted by Doug Fox at 9:25 AM - Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0) January 9, 2007Selling Dance DVDs and Downloadable VideosI've always been curious why choreographers, dancers, dance companies and teachers have not experimented more with different approaches to selling videos of their work online. But I'm especially curious to know why creators of dance on camera works have not tried to sell their films through online channels. There are many dance film festivals that take place every year around the globe, yet it seems that very few of these films are sold online in DVD format or as downloadable videos. If there's an audience for these film festivals, there has to be a potentially larger audience online. On the DV Guru blog, I came across a story, "Distribution made easy: CustomFlix and Amazon how-to" by Sheila Ward. This post describes a turnkey service offered by CustomFlix that helps you package and sell your videos either in DVD format or as video downloads through Amazon's new Unbox offering. Visit this page to learn about the specifics of this video download service and the revenue split. What I like about this CustomFlix offering is that everything can be taken care of for you. DVDs are burned as needed, they offer DVD design services and they integrate their offering with Amazon's Unbox service. But a potential roadblock is that the minimum length for a downloadable video is 20 minutes and dance films can easily be shorter than this. However, I'm assuming that if you used the Unbox service, you could sign-up for the Amazon affiliate program and generate additional revenue every time that a visitor to your website clicks on a link to purchase your DVD or downloadable video through Amazon. If you use Unbox, Customflix or any other services for selling your dance videos online, I'd like to hear how well they work for you. Are you selling dance DVDs or downloadable videos? And how are you promoting your videos? Posted by Doug Fox at 10:04 AM - Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (0) January 5, 2007Dancing for a Better WorldHere's how dancers around the globe can join together to raise hundreds of thousands of dollars a month to support worthwhile causes while simultaneously generating financial support for their dance careers and creative explorations. A few months ago, Peter DiMuro, producing artistic director for Liz Lerman Dance Exchange, told me about "Postcard Dances," which were popular during the 60s. If somebody wanted to see a dance that dealt with a specific topic, they would write the description of the desired dance on the back of a postcard and mail it to a specific address. Then, a dancer or dance company would choreograph a piece in response to the postcard request. How the mechanics of this process actually worked I'm not sure about - if somebody in Los Angeles requested a dance that was created by dancers in New York, how did the postcard writer actually see the dance? I have to ask Peter about this. In any case, I've been thinking about this idea of Postcard Dances in the context of the Internet. What would happen if we put out an online call for a specific type of dance performance? Say, we wrote that we were looking for 3-minute original dance works that addressed (in a concrete or abstract manner) specific topics such as poverty, healthcare and disease, violence and genocide, environment and global warming, or many other pressing issues of our time. Dancers around the world could then make a video of themselves or their dance companies performing this theme-specific work and then submit it to a designated website. Visitors to this site could then watch hundreds of excellent dance videos that addressed specific issues. This would be my Internet version of Postcard Dances. Once a video library of dances is created for each cause, the next question is how do we go about monetizing this undertaking? In other words, how do we raise money for different charitable efforts? If the first requested dance piece deals with global poverty, then we need to find a way to raise money for organizations that are dedicated to combating poverty. Here's how revenue could be generated from both advertising revenue and donations: First, by encouraging large numbers of dancers to submit videos that address specific issues, there will be hundreds of engaging dance performances accessible at a single online location. These videos will attract a large audience (with the help of a corresponding marketing effort). Second, there are an increasing number of video applications and services that enable video creators to monetize their videos in different ways. This morning I was learning about In Video from AdBrite. In Video is a customized video player that you can embed on your website. This video player shows your videos along with advertisements in a "split-screen" so that the video watching experience is not interrupted. Video producers split the ad revenue with AdBrite (I don't know what specifics are of the revenue share). So if hundreds of dance videos are aggregated for each cause, thousands of hours of videos will be watched which will generate a good revenue stream from advertising. [InVideo story via TechCrunch] Third, this archive of dance videos can also serve as a compelling vehicle for seeking donations from individuals and corporations. This morning I was reading another post, "The Power of One," in Maryann Devine's Smarts & Culture blog. Maryann writes about a successful online fundraising effort conducted by Beth Kanter that uses "fundraising widgets" or "charity badges" for seeking donations. Clearly, as the story makes clear, there is more to fundraising than simply using the latest Internet tools, but it's intriguing to see how these applications can be put to good use. To learn more about charity badges, visit Network for Giving on Yahoo. So by using charity badges as part of a compelling fundraising effort, donations can add up for worthwhile causes even when contributions are made in relatively small increments. Beth Kanter rasied $49,537 from 745 donors for educational programs in Cambodia in just three weeks. Forth, both the In Video player and the charity badges have a viral component. So visitors to the dance video site who watch the videos can take any of the videos and put them on their own websites and blogs. Ads are also shown on these distributed videos, which mean that ad revenue continues to be generated no matter where the videos are played. Plus, visitors to the dance video site can also be encouraged to put the charity badges on their own websites as well. This means that an increasingly larger and larger audience of Internet users will be encouraged to make donations. Plus, if say 200 dancers submit videos for a specific cause, all of these dancers will be encouraged to place their videos and charity badges on their respective websites, blogs and MySpace pages. This type of distributed marketing will significantly increase the audience for the dance videos - increasing ad revenue and donations. Fifth, dancers should also be compensated for their dance video contributions. Some type of overall revenue share program should be created so that of all the revenue and donations generated, a specific percentage goes to the contributing dancers. Then, a formula would have to be created to determine what percentage of the dancers' revenue pool each dancer or dance company would receive. Maybe it's based on the number of views or maybe it's just an even split for each dance contributor. That's my game plan. I think it would work. A note about In Video and specific charity badges. I've never used In Video or any of the charity badges or fundraising applications. So I'm just using them in this story as examples of what is possible. Posted by Doug Fox at 9:50 AM - Permalink | Comments (5) | TrackBacks (0) December 21, 2006Social Media, Dance Videos and the Future of AuditionsAs things stand today, the Internet is used in only the most limited way for dance auditions - the one exception is the posting of dates and locations for upcoming auditions. There are very, very few dancers who post audition videos on the web and there are almost no producers of music videos, theatrical productions, TV shows or dance companies that turn to the Internet to find new dance talent. But this situation is about to change. And my guess is that by the end of 2007 many dancers will be creating audition videos specifically for the web. I think there are a number of developments that will have contributed to this likely development: 1) Reality shows featuring competitions among participants are hugely popular and increasingly embrace the Internet to build audiences, share behind-the-scenes videos and, in some cases, seek user contributions. American Idol is the most obvious example. 2) Dance has gone mainstream with hit shows such as ABC's "Dancing with the Stars" and Fox's "So You Think You Can Dance." 3) Social media, as highlighted in Time's Person of the Year - "You" - has also gone mainstream meaning that millions of people have embraced the idea of creating and uploading their own videos. 4) We're seeing the initial growth in hybrid programs that combine different media and stages. The upcoming TV show Grease, which will premiere on NBC in January, will be a reality show to find the leads for a new Broadway production of this popular musical. The Stand Up or Sit Down comic contest on MySpace sought user submissions and the winning comics got to perform in Las Vegas. (My post about this contest). And, 5) Maybe most important, popular sites such as YouTube are already being used by casting agents and others to encourage dancers to submit video auditions. I provide links below to some of these online dance auditions. Types of Internet-Based Dance Auditions Online dance auditions will take two main forms: open and closed. An open audition will be a completely public affair. Dancers upload their dance videos and the public watches and, maybe, votes on their favorite videos. The producers may then whittle down the list of finalists and ask fans to choose the winner. A closed audition would take place when a booking agent, for example, wants to attract a large pool of talent but doesn't want to share the submissions with competitors or the public. My guess is that the first model will be more popular and will often be tied to TV programs, Broadway shows and concerts. Will fewer dance auditions take place for music videos, theatrical productions, TV shows, and dance companies as a result of an increase in online auditions? Not in most cases. Virtual auditions simply provide a way to reach a larger pool of talent that booking agents might not otherwise have known about. And for dancers, they get to participate in auditions that they might never have traveled to. But in instances where auditions take place exclusively online, clearly there will not be traditional live auditions. Overall, video auditions will not really work unless the quality of submitted videos goes way up. I've taken a look at a number of uploaded dance audition videos and the technical quality (production value) of the videos is usually horrendous. The lighting is too low, the image of the dancer is too small and the sound quality is terrible. So all participants in this process will want to learn how to create good quality videos - a topic I'll soon write about. Online Dance Audition Links Here are some interesting websites I came across related to new developments in online dance auditions that usually feature user-submitted videos. Actually, one of the links is for a casting company that creates online audition profiles of dancers and the last example is an audition for an upcoming drama series that is worth looking at. - The Flaming Lips created a dance contest on YouTube where they invited fans to submit dance audition videotapes. Winners get to dance on stage with Flaming Lips at a New Year's concert. Here's video invite to contest from Flaming Lips. It hurt me to watch these videos. - KoldCast is a start-up company that encouragers aspiring entertainers to post their videos in a YouTube group in response to casting calls. There are no submissions at this point. - Here's a YouTube group for a film called "How They Dance." The producer is seeking dance audition videos from non-professional dancers. The 3 audition videos are actually from the live audition. They are not uploaded by users. - Stefy will be creating a fan version of their music video "Hey School Boy." They've been holding a contest, "15 Seconds of Fame with STEFY," in conjunction with MTV2 on YouTube, seeking dance submissions from people who want to be featured in this video. The 5 top video auditions will be selected. There are 27 video auditions to date. - Scene Interactive has an online casting service that features dancer profiles with videos. Producers and directors can be given password access to the full service to review profiles and watch videos - that's what the website says. But it appears that there's public access to all of the profiles. To have a profile created for you, there's a $50 set-up fee and then a $9.95 monthly charge. I watched some of the dancer videos. The images of the dancers seem too small to me to get a good enough view, but I like the plain white background. - The Interior is an upcoming drama series. There is currently an online casting call for a number of the roles. Anybody who would like to can submit an audition for one of the lead roles. To submit a video, you can download a page from the script or create your own scene and then upload your video to the production's YouTube Group. There are 270 audition videos. Posted by Doug Fox at 8:02 AM - Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0) December 19, 2006Deep Tagging, Linking and SearchingDeep tagging of video clips may not grab you as the most exciting topic in the world, but it could prove invaluable for everybody involved in dance. In this post, I'd like to define "deep tagging." Explain why it's important for dance and describe a handful of ways that it can be used. Plus, I'll link to posts I've written earlier about tagging. And then, at the end of this post, you'll find links to video applications that support deep tagging or offer related functionality. First, some definitions and then I'll follow with possible applications dance. Definitions Tagging: Most social media sites allow users to "tag" multimedia content. For example, if you upload a video to YouTube, you can add keywords that describe the content you've just added. For a dance video, you may use the tags "dance" and "modern." The benefits of user tagging are that large numbers of files are quickly tagged and it becomes possible for visitors to search for videos by these keywords. The opposite of user tagging would be if a website publisher took sole responsibility for categorizing all content so that users could then conduct searches. With this latter approach, there is not a lot of flexibility, it takes a lot of time to implement, and users don't get to structure content in the way they want to. Deep Tagging: If you go beyond adding tags to describe an entire video, and start tagging individual sections of a video, you have deep tagging. There are a number of video applications that allow you to do this. So you could tag just an "arabesque" in a dance video by tagging it "arabesque". Now users who are looking for a video example of an arabesque don't have to watch an entire video just to find this specific movement. They simply plug-in the word that describes the movement they are looking for and will be taken to the specific location within the video. Deep Searching: I've just described an example of "deep searching" above. Instead of conducting a search for keywords or tags that describe an entire video, you conduct searches for tags that describe specific sections of a video and then get taken to the desired portion of the video clip. This saves a lot of time because you don't have to watch a five-minute video to find a five-second section that you happen to be looking for. Deep Linking: Once you've tagged a portion of a video or found a tagged section of a video you find interesting, you may want to share the link with others. So you could put this link on your website or blog, or embed it in an email message. Now when users click on the link, they will be taken not to the start of the video but to the portion of the video that you want them to watch. Deep Commenting: Many video sites let users add their own comments about videos. A more powerful tool is if users can place comments (text, audio and, even, video) at designated points within a video. So if a dance critic wanted to discuss their thoughts about a 10-second section of a dance clip, they could do that so that viewers can see exactly what the writer is discussing. Deep Tagging Possibilities for Dance Most spheres of dance would benefit by embracing deep tagging: - Educating Dance Audiences In my post "Educating Dance Audiences with Video Annotation" I discuss a number of specific video applications that can be used to add deep tags to sections of dance videos. By using such tools, dance audiences could learn significantly more about dance in almost no time. - New Approaches to Dance Criticism In my post "Ushering in a New Era in Multimedia Dance Criticism" I offer my thoughts on how dance critics can transform how they write about dance by incorporating tagged video clips into their stories. - Enhancing Promotional Videos If you put a video on your website, blog or MySpace page of an upcoming performance, you may want to consider deep tagging this video to help give audiences more background and insight about this work. I think it would be great if I could read about an upcoming performance and then after reading each paragraph, I could click on a link to watch a section of a larger video that corresponds to the text I had just read. Words, by themselves, can never do justice when video is available. With deep tagging tools, there is no reason why this cannot be done. - Opportunities for College and University Dance Programs I've never taken a college course in dance, but any university program devoted to the study of dance history and choreography has to provide students with the opportunity to learn about the evolution of dance styles and the influence that different eras of dance had on subsequent periods. Standard approaches to studying this historical progression of dance forms and styles must be pretty time consuming and occasionally tedious. So while traditional research may always be required - going to archives and libraries that house videos of important performances, for example - there are new ways to perform similar types of research that will probably prove equally worthwhile if not even more helpful. My suggestion may sound impractical, but please consider it for a moment. Around the globe there are a large number of dance programs at colleges and universities. There are thus thousands upon thousands of students studying dance choreography and composition and making videos of their work. These dance pieces cover all types and styles of dance that have been performed over the centuries. So why not create a shared, online video archive of all student dance videos from all participating dance programs from around the world? Every year thousands of new videos would be added to this database. And dance students participating in these programs would have unlimited access to this online video library. Now add deep tagging, searching, linking and commenting capabilities to this video library. You will now have one of the most powerful educational tools ever created for the study of dance. And you could even add a video editing and remixing tool so that students could combine sections of different videos into new videos to show progressions, tell stories and provide new insights about the relationship of different dance forms and styles. - The Global Dance Project In a post I wrote, "Global Historical Dance Video Project," I described my desire to see a large-scale initiative to create an online library of dance videos that showcased all styles and forms of dance. In many ways this project is a public version of what I just described when discussing how dance programs at colleges and universities can collaborate with each other. In this instance, I'm talking about a completely public, open project. There might be a centralized database in which users would create profiles about dance videos that were stored somewhere on the web. Users would then be able to tag each video or parts of each video so that other users could easily linked to specific styles and forms of dance. It would be great if this type of video library were created. Since I recently started swing dancing, I'd like an easy way to compare and understand different styles of swing dance and get a better idea of what the historical progression of styles has been over the past 80 years or so. As things stand on the web today, it is just about impossible to find good videos that show the difference between the Jitterbug, Lindy and other forms of swing dance. Tools and Technologies I'm going to write new posts soon about various video applications, but I wanted to provide some initial links here: - In the post I mentioned above, "Educating Dance Audiences," I link to a number of online video applications that allow you to add deep tags, links and comments to your videos. - In addition to applications listed in the above story, you can also take a look at SceneMaker and Coull.tv. - To make video remixes/mashups, take a look at Jumpcut and Eyespot. Also, take a look at this Dove mashup competition web site that has what looks like a good set of customized video editing and mashup tools. (You can't use these tools for your own purposes. I just think Dove did a good job). - For online collaborative video editing, you can explore SyncVUE. - The best possible development would be if somebody created a visual search tool for dance videos. For example, say you had a 5-10 second video clip of yourself performing a dance phrase and you wanted to find other dance videos that included similar movements. You could enter this video clip into a search engine and on the results page you would see a list of dance videos that included matches. By match I mean that the videos contained a sequence of movements that were almost identical to or relatively similar to the sequence in your 5-10 second video. I don't know what research has been done in this area, but it would be great to find out what has been done to date. In the static image world (photos), one site I know of is Riya that is used for matching images of products, people and objects. So you can select a person's face in a picture and then find all pictures in which this same person appears. Posted by Doug Fox at 2:47 PM - Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0) December 18, 2006Generating Revenue with Dance VideosContinuing my series of stories about dance and video, I'd like to devote this post to different ways to use online video to generate direct and indirect revenue. Some of the ideas I suggest below are more practical than others. I figured I'd try to come up with as many ideas as possible and then, later on, focus on those that seem the most feasible. 1) Sell More Tickets The number one use of online dance video is to sell more tickets for upcoming dance performances. But I think that the dance community is at the very early stages of figuring out the optimal way to use online video to motivate viewers to buy tickets. I start with a number of questions: - What does an ideal promotional dance video look like? Do you show clips from the stage performance that you are promoting or from dress rehearsals? Do you include interviews with choreographers and dancers? How long should these videos be? And what type of promotional pitch should be made in these videos. Do you know I have never seen a performance dance video that had a voice over or a talking head actually encouraging video viewers to buy tickets. - How do you integrate these videos into your website along with the text descriptions of your upcoming performances? Overall, I think most dance websites do not do justice to the performances that they promote. For starters, I usually do not find sufficient information about a performance on a website to even make a decision about whether to go or not. So part of the issue, from a marketing perspective, doesn't pertain to videos. It's simply making written information about performances at least as accessible and comprehensive as a program guide that is distributed to audience members at performances. Then, the next issue is how to go about integrating video with these enhanced online descriptions. - The next issue has to do with video quality. If you want to include excerpts from a performance or dress rehearsal, how do you go about shooting a video when the lighting conditions, for one, are optimized for a live audience and not video viewers? I've seen a lot of dance videos where the lighting and other production elements were fairly poor. So it's important to figure out how to create compelling videos given some of the technical and production challenges that may be faced. - Finally, why should dancers and dance companies spend time and money on producing good quality, promotional videos for the Internet when they may not have any financial incentive to do so? I do not know too much about the contracts entered into between dance companies and presenters, but my guess is that dance companies usually do not generate extra revenue by helping to promote a performance unless they are presenting their own work. So if there is no financial motivation, how can a dance company justify spending extra time and money on producing good quality videos for the Internet? Are there new ways that dance companies and presenters can collaborate so good quality online video can be produced that might help attract larger audiences? - And finally, finally, video challenges are compounded both by contractual and intellectual property issues. For dancers who are part of a union, the contracts between dancers and dance companies tend to impose many limitations on how video can be used for promotional purposes. Essentially, these restrictions are so limiting that, I think, dance companies, dancers and everybody else involved in dance productions lose out on using the Internet as a powerful marketing platform. Then, there are additional issues relating to intellectual property. Many people contribute to a performance. There are many questions about how each artist or group of artists gets properly compensated for artistic output when video of a production is made available online. You have the choreography, the dancers, lighting, set design, costumes and music - that's a lot of people and interests to take into consideration. 2) Sell dance Videos and Dance Instruction Theoretically, there is a huge untapped market for the online sale of downloadable dance performance videos, video dance/dance on camera works, and dance instruction. I'm optimistic that there must be a way for dancers, instructors, dance companies and video dance directors/producers to generate modest to significant revenue through online sales even if we have no proven models to follow at this time and nobody has made any money at this to date. Of course, I'm happy to be proven wrong if you have success stories to share. The reason why I'm optimistic is because there is a huge Internet audience and dance videos can be sold very inexpensively in order to generate decent revenue. If you produce an appealing video and sell it for something like $2.99 a copy, revenue can add-up if you can figure out how to target the right audience. What will be the big sellers? I'd guess the number one seller will be dance instruction videos - if they are effective at teaching students what they want/need to learn. I've looked at many dance instruction DVDs, and, almost across the board, I have not liked them. So a lot of thought has to be given to how to create instructional videos that beginning to advanced students will really benefit from. And they have to be priced so that first-time buyers, in particular, will be encouraged to make an impulse purchasing decision. Now to tamper the optimism I just shared about selling performances and video dance productions. Will dance fans really buy these videos online? If more and more dance videos are made available for free on the Internet, why would people buy downloadable videos? I don't really have an answer to this question yet. I think we have to start by considering a number of different types of performances (including TV shows) to see what might sell. Are TV viewers going online and buying episodes of "Dancing with the Stars" - if they are available for sale? Would families buy downloadable versions of the "Nutcracker"? At what price would these videos sell? On Google Video, I found some examples of dance videos that are available for sale. Take a look at "African Dance: Sand, Drum, and Shostakovich." You can watch a low-resolution version for free. A high-quality version is available for $19.95 and a day pass for the high-quality version is available for $9.95. I enjoyed watching the free version of this video. But why should I buy the high-quality one? Can I burn it to a DVD disk and watch it on my computer or TV? And if I can't, what's the motivation? Even though I obviously don't know what will sell and not sell, I'm still surprised that video dance creators (also called dance on camera productions - I never know what to call these films) have not tried to sell their dance videos online. They already have the film or digital video versions of their work, which are often shown at dance film-specific festivals. So why not experiment with online sales to see if revenue can be generated? There are a number of e-commerce systems and it is not difficult to start selling digital work online. In the near future, I hope to explore various e-commerce options for digital video sales. 3) Creating Hybrid Sponsorship Revenue One possible approach to increasing financial support from your larger corporate sponsors is to provide extended opportunities for online video exposure for these companies. This additional promotional opportunity would augment the coverage they already receive in program guides, from the stage and through traditional offline channels. For example, if corporate sponsors are given recognition on your website, it is often in the form of short text descriptions and a corporate logo. I'm sure many companies would appreciate more exposure for their products and services, and they would like to share more background information about why they contribute to and support your programs. The best way to provide this expanded coverage is through video. You could have a dedicated page on your website where visitors could learn about corporate supporters as well as watch videos of executives from these companies discussing why they support the performing arts and why they specifically contribute to your dance performances. This type of video would be compelling -- especially if it's done in a classy way that is not too promotional. Once again I've never seen this done before. Most corporations have the resources to produce good quality videos and I'm sure they would be delighted to create such videos in which they discuss how they contribute to fostering the arts in their local communities. So what I'm exploring in this section is whether financial contributions can be increased by providing supporters with enhanced multimedia opportunities to talk directly to your web visitors about how they support the arts. I think that there is a good chance this will work. 4) Using Video to Enhance Fundraising Efforts There are an emerging crop of web-based applications that are designed to help not-for-profits generate contributions - often in small increments - from online donations. You can read "How to Use the Internet for Group Fundraising," which provides links to a number of fundraising tools. [via NetSquared] Another approach to online fundraising is to use your own account on PayPal or another service that makes it easy to process online payments. If you use PayPal instead of the applications listed in the above article, you don't have to pay a cut of contributed revenue to a third party. But these fundraising applications may be worth exploring if you think that they can help you reach a larger audience of potential donors. I have come across some dance company websites that encourage visitors to make donations. Overall, I am not at all impressed with these solicitation efforts. If I did not otherwise know about the dance company, I would not make a contribution based on the provided information. So I think that a first step to enhancing these online fundraising efforts is to consider adding video that features members of your dance company talking about your company, your upcoming performances, educational efforts, outreach initiatives and other activities as well as making specific requests for contributions. So far I have not seen video used in such a manner and I think it has the potential to be very helpful in increasing donations. 5) New Crop Video Applications Pay for Content This suggestion may be a long-shot but it definitely points to an online trend. On the Mashable, there is a December 14th post, "19 Ways to Make Social Sites Pay," that describes how content creators can get paid for their work by posting it to Web 2.0 applications. The first part of this article, "Cash for Videos," explores which video hosting sites will pay for your videos. These video sites support a range of different financial models. Some will split advertising revenue. Others will pay a flat fee. And others will pay you based upon the number of views. The big question is what type of interest is there in dance videos and what types of dance videos will prove to be the most popular - and thus most lucrative. Do you have to produce "An Evolution of Dance" video to generate revenue? Or, can other dance videos actually help you make money? 6) Jumping into User Generated Video Instead of hosting videos on third-party sites in order to generate revenue, you can also host your videos and the video contributions of others to create a new revenue stream. The latest hot trend on the Internet is the growth in the culture of participation and consumer generated media (CGM). Time Magazine recognized this trend by making their Person of the Year "You" - all of us, the power of everybody to contribute their own stories. So if you are interested in creating opportunities for your website visitors to contribute their own stories and dance videos, there are ways to do this at no cost to you. Plus, you can generate revenue from this initiative as well. The VideoEgg application allows users to edit and contribute video. You can create a customized version of VideoEgg that is accessible via your website so that users can contribute specific types of videos. VideoEgg than adds video ads to pay for this service and splits the ad revenue with you. You can read more about VideoEgg in a post "Behind the Scenes with VideoEgg" in The Next Net. I see pros and cons with this VideoEgg revenue model. On the upside, you can enter the user-generated media revolution with no money and you can generate ad revenue at the same time. But on the downside, it does not appear that you have any control over what ads are played and how obtrusive these ads will be. I would find this approach more compelling if you had control over which ads played, how long the ads are and when the ads are played (pre-roll or post roll - before or after the videos run). Plus, it would be even better if there was a way to sell your own video ads and add them to the inventory as you choose. 7) The Future of Product Placement Can dance harness the power of product placement in videos to create new revenue streams? In October, ClickZ published an article, "Technology Enables Product Placement in CGM," (consumer generated media) that discusses a methodology for embedding links in videos - CGM videos. So, for example, you could be watching a music video and admire the shirt the lead singer is wearing. If the shirt is highlighted, you can click on it to be taken to an e-commerce site where you can learn about and buy the shirt of his back. This ClickZ article specifically discusses Entertainment Media Works and an embedded product placement video technology called "plinking" (product linking). Unfortunately, there is just about no public description of "Plinking" on the Entertainment Media Works website - very strange. So embedding product placement links in dance videos may not be around the corner, but it does strike me as offering intriguing possibilities when it does become mainstream. Advertisers need a way to move away from traditional advertising that many people just tune out. So the question is how do advertisers embed their products directly in entertainment content? This is exactly what sponsors have been doing with product placement in movies, TV shows and now computer games and virtual worlds. Why not do it for dance where clothing and accessories seem like the most obvious possibilities for product placement? Take a look at the Hanes commercial featuring dancers from Momix. (Getting to this ad takes a little extra work because Hanes scrolls its ads across the screen too quickly. So you have to find the image of a dancer (I think there're two of them) and then click on the image to get to the ad.) These ads don't have embedded links. But I think it gives you an idea of what the possibilities might be. In an online video, Momix could be performing a dance wearing clothes from an advertiser. At any time you could click on any of the clothing items and purchase them in your choice of style and color. The dancers or dance company could receive a cut every time a purchase is made or simply receive a flat fee for the product placement. 8) Getting Booked by Presenters There are presenter booking events where presenters and dance companies get together so that performing arts venues, dance festivals and others can meet with and book dance companies. It seems to me that much of this process could move to the Internet if presenters could access better quality video of dance companies online. As things stand now, if I were a presenter I would not be able to make booking decisions via the web because of a lack of good quality video and the scarcity of video in general. I'd have to meet dance companies and/or their representatives face-to-face, and request DVD versions of their work. I haven't spoken with presenters about what goes into the booking decision-making process, but I would like to know what they would want in terms of online video to help facilitate this process. Maybe it would be beneficial if a password-protected site were created where presenters could access full-length, high-quality videos of the dance companies they were considering for possible bookings. This way dance companies would not have to make complete versions of their work available to the public. And presenters wouldn't have to spend a lot of time requesting DVDs from dance companies. How such an initiative would be supported from a financial standpoint, I'm not sure. But presenters and dance companies do spend money on attending presenter conferences and creating an online version would, overall, cost less money. But as with most things, a combination of a password-protected website for previewing dance videos as well as an opportunity to meet face-to-face would probably be the optimal approach. 9) Dance Videos Go Mobile What are the prospects for mobile video as it relates to dance? Will students download dance instructions videos to their mobile devices? Will dancers in different cities download choreography to their cell phones in order to collaborate on dance works at a distance? Will dance fans watch dance performances on their iPods? Will anybody make any money at this? I have absolutely no idea. But the wireless market for video is growing and there is a lot of hype about the possibilities. So, at some point, mobile phone users will start to create, distribute, sell and share all types of dance videos. The challenge, as always, will be to create an economic model that actually makes sense for dancers, instructors and dance companies or there won't be a lot of activity in the mobile video arena except for sharing and collaboration (non-revenue generating activities), which is not a bad thing. As I write this, the only possibility that makes sense to me is that the dance videos that people do buy can be viewed on multiple platforms. So maybe I would buy dance instruction videos via my mobile device and then watch them on the small screen. But at any time, I could watch a better quality version of the same video on my PC or TV. I could not see buying dance videos that could only be played back on a mobile device - it would seem pointless to be limited to such a tiny screen. 10) Dance Video Aggregation and Distribution I've always been intrigued by Brightcove, a video hosting and syndication service that enables video producers to create a TV-like station for the web. If you set-up a video channel on Brightcove, you can also use their ad network to generate revenue and bloggers and website owners can take your videos and place them on their own sites. Mashable has a good article, "Brightcove Launches YouTube-Style Video Marketplace," that provides more background about this service. About a month ago, I came across Dance Channel TV, a video site that uses the Brightcove infrastructure for hosting videos and selling pre-roll ads. You can either access Dance Channel TV on its own website or you can watch the same video content directly on Brightcove. If you go back to the Dance Channel TV site, you'll notice that dance videos are broken down by style and that ads run before each video. So far, except for the home page which runs an AOL ad, every time I visit a different channel I'm presented with the same Sheraton hotel ad, which I must have seen about 5 times by now. I'm guessing that Brightcove is not selling a lot of ads to run on its network or this would not have happened. I don't know all the details, but it appears that each time that an ad runs Dance Channel TV gets a cut. There is also a "trailers" section of the site that appears to provide links to only YouTube dance videos. The YouTube videos are separate from the Brightcove video ad network. I'm intrigued by Dance Channel TV, but I think that there are limitations with this site. First, there are very few videos. The video quality is not very good. And there is no background description about the uploaded videos or links to websites to learn more about the videos. Plus, I don't understand why creators of dance videos should upload their videos to this site. Why provide your own videos so that Dance Channel TV will generate revenue from ads while you will not get paid anything? But I do like the fact that using Brightcove, unlike VideoEgg above, Dance Channel TV can sell video ads directly to sponsors. 11) Licensing Choreography Online For the past few months, I've been wondering if there is a way to create an online marketplace for the inexpensive licensing of dance choreography. Except for a limited number of classic ballet and modern works and maybe some popular Broadway shows, there is very little licensing of dance choreography. (I'm guessing here a bit about what is actually licensed today - I have to learn more about this topic). Why not create an online service where choreographers could upload videos of their work along with the types of licenses that are available for reproducing this work. A slight variation of this service would be that all choreography would first be evaluated to ensure that it met certain standards - however these standards are determined. Then, dance companies, teachers (of children, teens and adults) and anybody else could search and review the choreography to find dance pieces that they wanted to produce. It would probably make sense for the video clips to be a couple of minutes in length to give a solid flavor for the work without giving everything away. If a person expressed interest in licensing the work, then they would be given full access to the video upon request. The advantage with this type of licensing marketplace for dance choreography is that the fees are low so that anybody involved in dance can afford to license the choreography while choreographers and dance companies can generate an additional revenue stream. Posted by Doug Fox at 7:04 AM - Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0) December 14, 2006Ushering in a New Era in Multimedia Dance CriticismThe problem with today's dance criticism is that it's all about the words. As long as there has been dance criticism it has been delivered almost exclusively in print format - primarily through local newspapers. In light of the fact that digital video is pervasive, easy to create, and relatively inexpensive, I would like to propose that dance writers consider new approaches to online dance criticism that incorporate video footage in addition to the written word. This type of multimedia criticism would be much more engaging, would provide significantly more educational value, and would make dance more accessible to a much wider audience. Some Background about My Proposal I'm relatively new to dance. I've been taking jazz and modern dance classes over the past year and a half -- I usually take about 2-3 classes per week. Yet after all of this dancing as well as going to dance performances, I often do not understand some sections of the dance reviews that I read. I especially have trouble understanding descriptions of dance movement -- I simply do not have enough background yet and it would have helped if I also took ballet classes. My problems with dance writing could be instantly solved if dance critics incorporated ample video footage into their dance reviews and stories. And clearly, if I'm challenged by some dance reviews, than those with even less exposure do dance or no exposure are probably in the realm of clueless, which means that they don't read any dance criticism of any sort. So my first question is why isn't every (or most) description of movement (as well as sets, costumes or other visual elements of dance productions) accompanied by a video clip? If I could see video clips of those sections that a writer thought worthwhile to highlight, I would understand exactly what they were describing and I'd get an instant education as well. New video applications would help facilitate the process of enabling dance writers to share specific sections of a dance with readers/viewers. In a November 10th post, "Educating Dance Audiences with Video Annotation," I wrote about how a new crop of video editing tools can be used to highlight specific parts of a video clip and then generate links to direct users to these sections. (This week I came across another social video tagging software program called SceneMaker by Gotuit that looks intriguing. Like many of the video applications I covered in my post about video annotation, this software allows lets you to tag and link to specific parts of the video. [via Read/WriteWeb]) And this type of multimedia dance writing can become even more intriguing as more and more dance video is made available online. As hundreds or thousands of users begin to tag different sections of video in order to identify specific styles or movements, dance writers will be able to link to other video clips that have some connection to the review they are currently writing. So for example, a writer could say, "After you watch the video clip below (from work currently being reviewed), you can watch these two other videos that show how this movement phrase was influenced by two earlier productions of this piece." This capacity to link to specific sections of other videos stored somewhere on the web is very powerful and can provide new types of insight about dance that really have not been considered before. What Would This Take? First, dance writers and critics have to believe it is worth exploring multimedia approaches to dance criticism. As of yet, I have never come across articles and discussions exploring this topic. It would be good to see the Dance Critics Association, for example, discuss these possibilities. Second, I'm essentially talking about online writing since that's the only way to link readers to video clips. Which raises the question of how dance writers would get paid if their multimedia dance coverage only appears online? Will more people access these multimedia dance stories, which would enable more ads to be sold and thus create a potential revenue stream for dance writers? Third, dance companies have to be actively involved in facilitating a new era in multimedia dance writing. Dance writers can only incorporate lots of video if the video is made available to them. What obstacles currently prohibit dance companies from sharing this video? Lack of interest? Contractual issues? Copyright concerns? Other issues? These issues would all have to be addressed. Fourth, am I talking about dance criticism or dance education? I'm writing my proposal from a very specific point of view - I want to learn as much about dance as possible. I don't know what percentage of the audience for this type of multimedia dance criticism would access this material for the purpose of deciding whether they want to see a performance versus a desire simply learn more about dance. Or, possibly, for other purposes. But in terms of building a larger readership, adding an accessible educational component to dance criticism may prove to be very worthwhile. Fifth, for the last part of my proposal - wide-spread tagging of large numbers of video clips so that writers can link to similar styles and movements - I don't know whether this will really happen. A lot of dance companies would have to make their videos available free of change and a large number of users would have to tag sections of these videos. Please let me know what you think. What would it take to usher in a new era in multimedia dance criticism? And if multimedia dance criticism does take hold, what would it look like? Would it be similar to what I describe above or would it take a completely different form? Posted by Doug Fox at 10:59 AM - Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBacks (0) December 13, 2006Increase Dance Coverage with Multimedia Releases and Open RehearsalsIt is challenging to get press coverage for dance performances. In recent years, this situation has become even more difficult for dance companies and presenters because many publications have reduced or discontinued their coverage of dance. Given this challenging media environment, how can those responsible for generating press coverage ensure that as many articles as possible are written about their upcoming dance performances? In this post, I'd like to offer my answer to this question. I'd be delighted to hear your thoughts and reactions as well. Do you agree or disagree with my recommendation? What are your recommendations for increasing coverage of upcoming dance performances? Game Plan for Increasing Press Coverage and Generating More Buzz Initial Premises 1) If fewer dance critics are writing previews and reviews of dance for large-circulation print publications, then it's necessary to reach out to other journalists such as theater and arts critics as well as journalists who write about the themes you address in your dance pieces. 2) Publicity campaigns are not just for print publications and are not just for professional journalists. There are thousands of websites and blogs that may be interested in covering your upcoming and current dance performances. Also, it's helpful to keep in mind that many bloggers are not traditional writers and are not just looking for standard press releases - more about what they are looking for below. 3) Dance is visual. So the best way to generate interest in dance is by making online video and pictures available to anybody who wants to cover your dance performances. Action Plan Part I: Create a Multimedia Press Release Press releases that promote dance performances don't do justice to the art of dance. Dance is, of course, about motion in space. So why not add videos and other multimedia content to your releases so that recipients can have instant visual access to your work? So my first recommendation is that dance companies and presenters create their own customized version of a "social media press release." Earlier this year, public relations firm, Shift Communications, introduced what it called a "social media press release." You can view a PDF template of this new type of press release and you can view an actual example. (I wrote about this new type of press release earlier this year.) You'll notice that when you look at the PDF template that this release format gets right to the point. First you'll see bullet points that highlight key news developments in an easy-to-digest manner, and then follows relevant multimedia content. These multimedia links are critical for dance. If you want to grab the attention of journalists, videos and pictures are much more likely to capture their attention as opposed to plain text. I do not believe that dance companies and presenters are well served by placing a line at the end of a release that says, "Pictures are available upon request." The multimedia content ought to be front and center as the example of a Social Media Press Release shows. There are many types of videos that you can make available: - Interviews with artistic director and dancers You'll want to put both the videos and pictures on your website (or a third-party websites that hosts videos and pictures) so that journalists have instant access to this multimedia content. A word about creating multimedia press releases that appeal to writers who do not write about dance. One of my points at the beginning of this post is that fewer newspapers are including articles about dance. So as you prepare your press releases and corresponding video content, a lot of thought should be devoted to story angles that are broad enough in nature that they will appeal to any and all writers covering theater, the arts, entertainment and, possibly, topics outside of the arts all together. Part II: Use Popular Video and Picture Hosting Websites Since you'll be creating and uploading videos and pictures so that they are accessible to the press, it is also worthwhile to place this multimedia content on popular video (YouTube and Google Video, for example) and photo (Flickr, for example) sites. Plus if you visit the following article, you can find a huge list of video hosting applications. There are four main reasons to place your videos and pictures on the more popular video and photo sites: - More people will come across your multimedia content and thus learn about your upcoming performances. - Many of these sites make it easy for anybody to embed these multimedia files on their own blogs and websites. For example, newspapers are beginning to embed videos directly with the text versions of articles that appear on their websites. If you upload an engaging video to YouTube or another video hosting service, it is very easy for an online newspaper to place this video directly on their website. Readers will find the stories about your dance company more engaging than just reading text alone. - But your audience does not consist only of professional journalists. Your multimedia content is likely to be of interest to bloggers who write about dance, theater, the arts and entertainment. Plus, bloggers who write about topics related to the themes of your dance may be interested too. For example, if your work deals with environmental issues, there are many bloggers who might be interested in providing coverage of your performance - especially if they can easily add video and pictures directly to their own blogs. - For practical reasons, you may not want to put large video and picture files on your own website if you're not certain that your website will be reliable for this type of high bandwidth content. Part III: Dress Rehearsals for Local Photographers and Videographers If you invite photographers from local news organizations to take pictures of dress rehearsals, why not open these events to both professional and amateur photographers and videographers? Imagine that 10, 20 or more amateur photographers and videographers came to your dress rehearsal to take lots of pictures and videos. This multimedia content would then be posted to blogs, websites, video and picture hosting websites as well as personal pages on social networking sites such as MySpace. Plus, you could encourage everybody who creates online content to use the same tags to identify your dance performance. For example, the tag "holidaydanceinbaltimore2006" - well, you could probably come up with something more specific. But the main point is that if everybody uses the same tag, you can easily link to all the videos and pictures from your own website. Your website visitors could click on a link that would, for example, take them to all videos from your dress rehearsal that have been uploaded to YouTube or another video hosting service. There are potential problems to this open rehearsal idea. First, there may be copyright issues to deal with. And, second, the quality of some of the videos and pictures may be terrible - whether or not this potential quality issue makes this open rehearsal idea a bad idea is up to you. The upside is that you can generate a lot of publicity. Summary That's my recommendation for increasing publicity for upcoming dance performances in an environment when the amount of space devoted to dance coverage in traditional publications is dwindling. Let me know what you think. Posted by Doug Fox at 7:46 AM - Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (0) December 12, 200610 Ways to Use Online Dance VideosThe global dance community is in the relatively early stages of embracing online video. I think it's very likely that we will soon see an explosion in the use of video by dancers, dance companies, writers, educators, presenters and others connected to dance. In this post, I'd like to offer my thoughts about the main ways that video is being used or can be used by dancers. I will be exploring all of these topics in greater depth in the near future. Plus, I'll be writing about a number of different video tools and applications. If you'd like, please share your thoughts about which of the below uses of videos will be most important (or least important) to dancers and dance companies. Or, are there other uses of video that I did not include? Plus, how are you using dance videos today? Video and Dance: 1) Multimedia press releases: Direct links to dance videos can be included in press releases so that dance writers and others can instantly watch clips of performances and, possibly, embed these videos in their online stories. These same videos can be used by bloggers and other non-traditional journalists. 2) New era of dance writing and criticism: In the age of video, it makes no sense for dance reviews to be all text. It would be nice to see explorations by dance writers and critics of how they can incorporate video into their reviews in order to develop new approaches to dance criticism. 3) Deep tagging offers intriguing possibilities: There are a number of web-based, video editing applications that allow users to tag one or more segments within a single video clip. This means that there are new ways to explore, document and share dance videos that have barely been contemplated before. Deep tagging will have ramifications in education, marketing, dance criticism, and remote collaboration among choreographers and dancers. 4) New frontiers in dance education: Deep tagging holds the possibility of revolutionizing the study of dance - no exaggeration! As more and more videos are available online and as the concept and use of deep tagging spreads, it becomes possible for educators and students to make connections that would have been virtually impossible to make before these developments. For example, a dance student could conduct a search for specific tags to identify a specific movement phrase and receive a list of all video segments that are identified by these tags. Clearly, a lot of work must be done before the dance community reaches that type of distributed collaboration, but it is a possibility. 5) Dance classes embrace video: I haven't seen this in performing arts dance classes, but I have seen this in social dance classes: At a point during a dance class, the instructor invites students to videotape a piece of choreography so that students can study and practice it in between dance classes. Sometimes I would really like to videotape the routine we learn in the modern dance classes I take. But, at the same time, I think it would be partially counter-productive since part of learning to dance is developing the capacity to process and recall movement and video might slow down the development of this skill. That said, there are probably a number of ways that video can be used in support of dance classes for students of all ages. 6) Choreography at a distance: Choreographers and dancers are not always able to meet together for extended periods of time. So videos of rehearsals play an increasingly important role as artists work together while separated by hundreds or thousands of miles. Today it's easy to shoot video, do a quick edit and share it with choreographers and dancers who are not in the same city. 7) Presenters turn to online video: Presenters - such as performing arts venues and dance festival organizers - are always looking for dance companies to book for future performances. As of today, online video is underused in this arena. As more dance companies post good quality dance videos online, it will be easier for presenters to make booking decisions without meeting dance companies face-to-face. 8) Using videos to get auditions: I've seen applications for performing arts schools and university programs where dancers are asked to include a video audition on DVD or videocassette. But I haven't seen that many websites lately where dancers create a profile and upload an audition video - they actually may be out there, I just haven't looked for awhile. Then, once dancers upload their videos, dance companies, shows, music video producers and others looking to book dancers could review the online auditions of dancers. I'm skeptical about how well this could work, but maybe good quality web-based applications can be developed that are used by a large number of dancers so that those booking dancers have a wide pool of dancers to choose from. 9) Promoting upcoming dance performances: The most popular use of dance video today is to promote dance companies and thus upcoming dance performances. Dancers and dance companies upload videos to their websites, blogs, MySpace pages as well as to popular video hosting sites in order to create more awareness for their work and performances. 10) New revenue model: How can dancers and instructors generate additional revenue with the help of digital video? One way is to sell dance performances, classes and video dance productions online. This market is in its very, very early stages. While there is still need for lots more experimentation, there's no reason that the market for online sales of dance videos cannot grow significantly. In addition to selling videos directly to customers, other revenue models can be explored such as providing videos for free in conjunction with banner and video ads. Posted by Doug Fox at 7:49 AM - Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0) |
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