Video Contest?

csx6900 · November 17, 2011, 10:38:44 PM

Hi all-

It seems like almost every railfan gathering or group or whatever has a photography contest, but I would like to submit the idea for a video contest. A lot of people are getting into video more than ever now, and I think that it would be fun for all of us. Plus it opens up new creative outlets.

I would be happy to moderate the contest, or be in charge of it or whatever you guys think is best. But first I would like to see what you guys think. Yay or nay? Ideas? Suggestions?

-Thanks,
Evan Lofback
S-Line Productions

JCagle · November 17, 2011, 11:03:08 PM

As someone that has pondered that idea myself I was left with a few questions about the whole idea.

1) Wouldn't there have to be themes to each contest to keep things fresh?

2) How many people shoot videos with changing themes in them? Most of what you see on the net is a crossing video.

3) From the tech side: Everyone would have to use the same video gallery or hosting service to have the same presentation for each video. (You wouldn't want one to be a link and the other playable in the thread page. You wouldn't want ads on one video intro and no ads on another) Youtube would be the obvious choice I would guess since almost everyone uses it.

4) Would it turn into a contest of who can produce the fanciest video with the most creative titles and that sort of thing? Or would it have to be just a stand alone video without anything other than cuts and minor edits?

5) What would the prize be for winning?

csx6900 · November 18, 2011, 08:06:39 AM

Those are good questions, and some of those things I hadn't thought about. Thanks for the input! Well, I think we can work those issues out with a little effort. I have a few suggestions for some of them, but I'm a bit pressed for time right now so I'll post them when I get home this afternoon. In the mean time, if anyone else has any ideas and questions, please speak up!

-Thanks,
Evan

billworsham · November 18, 2011, 08:52:56 AM

As one who likes to video trains, I would like to see something similar to the monthly photo contest.

My only suggestion would be--just as you can photoshop a pic only so much without putting all the titling and graphics in it as you would a video, I would suggest that the videos be totally video only, with the only sounds being that of what shot in the video and no fancy graphics and such. Just plain video shot in any setting and let the setting speak for itself.

csx6900 · November 18, 2011, 04:28:10 PM

Thanks for the input, Bill!

OK, I will give my ideas for the questions posed by Mr. JCagle.

1) Yes, themes are a great idea.

2) That is where creativity comes in. "Crossing videos" seem to be 99% of what's out there these days, as you pointed out. This gives us a chance to encourage some new tactics, such as long-distance shots or other unique angles. It can all change based on what the theme for the month is.

3) Excellent point. I would say that it all has to be standardized for YouTube. If anyone has a better idea though, I'd like to hear it.

4) Again, I think that it would depend on the theme. Perhaps one month could have a theme similar to "Best Editing," whereas another month may have a theme such as "Classic Motive Power." The former would be judged according to the editing style of the author, whereas the latter would be judged according to the subject matter of the video.

5) I would think the prize would be the same as the photo contest: Have people vote and whoever wins gets their video on the home page. Of course, that is just a suggestion. That is ultimately up to Emmett in the end. I haven't been around very long and don't take pictures, so I spend very little time in the photo contest section. Is there another prize for winning?

As far as Bill's comments, I think that my #4 answers his suggestion pretty well. Limiting a video to just the raw footage also limits the themes that could be addressed. Although some people may not have better titling and graphics as other people, they may have better execution of their shots than the people with graphics. By expanding the things that can be judged each month, each person has a good shot at winning a contest, no matter what section is their expertise in the video field.

How's it sound, guys?

-Evan

JCagle · November 18, 2011, 05:01:22 PM

Putting the winning video on the main page wouldn't be a big deal with them hosted on YouTube. We have a way to embed the videos on the page. The other prize is putting the winner on Facebook. That is an easy thing too. Maybe we could look into doing one contest every 2 months to start out.

Sent from my HTC EVO 4G using Jreb Mobile powered by Tapatalk.

csx6900 · November 18, 2011, 05:22:00 PM

Quote from: JCagle on November 18, 2011, 05:01:22 PM
Putting the winning video on the main page wouldn't be a big deal with them hosted on YouTube. We have a way to embed the videos on the page. The other prize is putting the winner on Facebook. That is an easy thing too. Maybe we could look into doing one contest every 2 months to start out.

Well, I don't know what else could be used as a prize. I think of it more as a fun, friendly competition than a way to just win something. But I suppose the prize is a way to get more people to contribute.

Two months sounds good to me. What do we need to do to make it happen? Just start a thread?

EDIT: One thing about posting to YouTube versus posting to YouTube and linking it on JREB is that having a JREB link gets you more views for the video. It could also lead to more subscribers, favorites, etc.

-Evan

billworsham · November 18, 2011, 05:26:27 PM

Csx6900 I appreciate your feedback...if I don't have a video that meets the qualifications for the theme being judged that month, then I simply don't enter the contest that month.

On another note, we will have far less videographers than we do photographers, so we would just need to see how many would participate in a 'pilot' contest for two or three months to get a good assessment of participation of videographers.

Michael Knight · November 21, 2011, 10:57:17 AM

I think this is an idea with some potential, but the points Jason brought up do need to be kept in mind. Likewise, since all are not savvy at video editing, the criteria for selection should be based on content quality rather than fancy effects, on screen graphics, etc.

Since taking over the reigns of the Photography section, Jason has done a great job of adding video discussion to the board, and I'm sure he'll also do a great job handling video contests if such a feature ultimately gets added.

csx6900 · November 21, 2011, 01:52:33 PM

Thanks for the input, Michael. Yes, I agree that the majority of the video contest themes should focus around the content rather than the editing or effects, but I think it would be nice to have a "best edited" theme (or something of the sort) every now and then... Just for those of us that enjoy the editing process. But like I said, we don't have to do it very often since it's not everybody's cup of tea.

So who would be responsible for starting such a contest?

-Evan

JCagle · November 21, 2011, 04:04:17 PM

I would say let's see how viable the idea is before we start it out. The beginning of the year seems like a logical time to start it out to me. The whole thing sort of came to fruition over the weekend, so give us some time to talk some stuff out on the admin side. When we get ready to kick it off we will get an area started for it.

Sent from my HTC EVO 4G using Jreb Mobile powered by Tapatalk.

JCagle · November 21, 2011, 04:06:37 PM

On a side note right now we don't have the software going to host the videos on our side. Were looking at some things possibly in the future to make that happen, but we could convert the means of entry at that time.

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csx6900 · November 21, 2011, 05:52:50 PM

Sounds good! Thanks for the update, guys! I look forward to seeing what y'all come up with.

-Evan

csx6900 · January 04, 2012, 10:20:20 PM

Hey guys-

Hate to bump an old thread, but I was just wondering what this progress was on this project, if any. Jason mentioned possibly starting up the video contest at the beginning of this year, so I was wondering if that is still the general idea.

-Thanks,
Evan

ARandall70 · January 06, 2012, 03:05:39 PM

As I shoot alot of video myself, this would be interesting to me. I think its always great to foster some creativity in video shooting, as opposed to every shot being at a crossing with the train so in your face you cant really take in the whole scene.

I do have a question, would the contest be open to all types of videos? I mean that many, like myself, publish individual videos of each train, and others publish long videos of numerous trains at many locations over say, a day trip, a week, or a month.

Hopefully this contest is started soon, seems like it could be a lot of fun.

csx6900 · January 06, 2012, 04:35:50 PM

Thanks, Anthony.

I would guess that there would be contest themes like what we do with the picture contest. Specifically referencing your question, I think that one theme could be "Best Compilation" when multiple trains in one video are involved, or just alternate between single shots and compilations for each month.

For example:

January contest: Best Power Compilation
February contest: Best Scenery Single

...and so on and so forth. Again, this is just a suggestion. Ultimately the decision(s) would be up to the moderators.

-Evan