ok ok one more thing.....

one more thing I've snatched from Vimeo. I saw a shorter version of this a while back on youtube, without all the people. It seems that this young man has become a bit of a cult hit!

It just makes me smile! Again I recommend the larger screen on Vimeo. Click here.


Where the Hell is Matt? (2008) from Matthew Harding on Vimeo.

Things that I have discovered (4)

What is that I hear you shriek.....
Well I shall reply, it is yet another thing that I have discovered......

Vimeo states that it is a social networking site "connecting people through video". I have spent hours trawling through youtube and other such sites, finding that generally the quality ends up scrambling my head after a while. If you are interested in up and coming filmmakers, shorts, animations, quirky computer effects then Vimeo is a fantastic place to start looking.

Take a little while to find your way around. Have a gander at the "Staff Picks" it just shows how much talent there is out there. The videos are also self uploaded, so you can even get your own work up there. There are some great discussion boards about techniques and equipment.

Other users can comment on your videos and its constructive stuff not the slagging matches you get on other sites.

Yes I am a fan of Vimeo!

Here is an example of what is up on the site. This short (pilot) comes from the HD Channel on the site. It has become quite successful and it scooped up "Best Director" at the New York Television Festival this year.

The Triboro. Watch it here, or even better watch it on a larger screen and in HD on Vimeo! plug plug plug.


The Triboro from Waldom Pictures on Vimeo.

The Future of Broadcasting - Paul Appleby

Paul Appleby is a series producer at the BBC, he has worked on many shows across his 25 year career but a recent example is "Saving Planet Earth" which is an off shoot of the very successful Planet Earth and shows various celebrities visiting endangered animals in the wild. On top of this Paul was even then first person to hire Susan into the dizzy world of television....what a man!

Paul came to talk mainly about Interactive Broadcasting. He is a very audience driven broadcasrer and was quick to point out how the world of interactive broadcasting is bringing the public closer to the programmes they want. More control for the people.

Paul has been working in broadcasting for many years and has seen the evolution of the media. He is becoming more involved with interactive broadcasting. As our televisions switch to digital I feel that this is the future of broadcasting, the kind of broadcasting that we are going to step out of university into, so he was a great person to have in to speak to.

The BBC now broadcasts over 20 different platforms and switching between these platforms is no longer a novelty; it is a common way we consume the media. I am never sure when I'm going to sit and watch television, this means that I am hopeless at watching a series. I'll catch the first episode, get gripped by a thrilling storyline or emotive plot and then find that I'm catching the bus, in the rain, at the other end of town as the second episode is running. Such is life! Now, thanks to the evolution of broadcasting, I can kick back with my lunch a few days later and endulge in the repeat on iplayer. Then I can pause it, grab myself a cup of tea, and carry on watching. It goes without saying that the internet and digital TV has transformed how we choose to watch.

Paul was asked how far he thought this transformation would go and he took a moment to muse over a time in the near future when he hoped we, the public, would be able to use the BBC resources exactly how we want. He used the example of someone wanting a five minute show on Chimpanzees and they'd be able to find it and store it to watch when they desire. He sees developments in broadcasting very much as an evolution. First there is a model, a kind of format created that becomes "the norm". Look how News programmes still follow the basic model of those classic early productions. News reader talking directly to the camera, reports interlaced, finishing with the weather. Then this model is adapted and manipulated to suit the time and the audience. For example, Channel 5 newscasters are much more informal and in some ways approachable. Standing and walking while they present and not even wearing a tie! The concept that television is evolving and keeps its roots is an argument that Paul used to explain why he thinks that sitting down and watching television is not going to disappear. Despite the looming threat of the Internet.

This is something that, personally, I'm not so sure of. Many channels have put a lot of money and effort into keeping their web pages current and the amount of legitimate programmes they upload means that many people are satisfied with simply watching content on the internet. As a new generation, who don't remember a time without the internet, starts to spill into the working world I think that more and more of people will turn away from conventional television. It struck me that, although I own a television, I hardly ever manage to wangle to prestigious position of "remote controller" and usually get out-voted on my programme choices (oh democracy). I therefore don't tend to watch that much television, I usually use iPlayer or similar platforms on the world wide web.


This brings me to a question that I really wanted to ask Paul. With my viewing patterns I don't technically need a television or, for that matter, a TV License but yet I can still legally access BBC content. As people cotton on to this apparent loop-hole the BBC could face losing that vital £139.50 per person. I am in favour of a license fee for Public Service Broadcasting but when I now have a chance to avoid it will I still prove to be such a good citizen and pay up? Either Paul didn't understand my question or he simply didn't know how the BBC were going to tackle this problem, which is understandable. He started talking about how the fee is more a content fee than a license fee. So with this still rattling around in my mind I decided to do some research. It does seem like a problem and at the moment nobody seems to be sure how to tackle it.

Times Online Article : How to dodge TV licence fee: just watch repeats on your computer

In January 2008 Ashley Highfiled, the Director of BBC Future Media and Technology posted this comment on the BBC blog. I agree with his last statement "it's not causing our finance director sleepless nights" but I think his successor may have to invest in some Nytol.


Paul was very passionate and animated. He talked constantly about "The Audience" and I really liked the way he was so driven to provide the people with what they want. He wanted broadcasting to become more of a conversation between public and service provider. Communicating not just broadcasting.