Resources from Open Video, Crowdsourcing, Open Data Funder Briefing
[Source: January 6, 2011]
As part of our ongoing funder education programming GFEM presented part 2 of a two-part funder briefing, "Open Video, Crowdsourcing, Open Data" on January 6, 2011. This briefing follows on our November webinar (materials are available here: http://gfem.org/node/1098), which focused more broadly on themes of openness and transparency.
Open Video centers on the belief that online video should encourage innovation and free expression, and be woven into the open, participatory web. In its current state video is static -- there is no interaction with the viewer, and platforms and systems create a closed environment that prevents sharing, remixing, and distribution. The Open Video movement calls for an open source and collaborative framework so that online video flourishes and helps advance free expression and cultural participation.
The opportunities to impact culture, creation, distribution, filmmaking, activism, journalism and outreach are profound.
Brett Gaylor's superb "RiP!: A Remix Manifesto" shows the power of the crowd for content creation, distribution, subtitles and re-creation, allowing a small independent film to reach more people in more countries, and in more profound ways, than ever before. The openness of the video process enabled its great success and "longtail" impact.
In terms of activism, journalism and human rights, imagine that interactive Open Video was part of the picture during the Iranian protests of 2009. Real-time mapping, Twitter feeds and subtitled news would have greatly enhanced the coverage available from a closed nation with little journalistic access. Videos shot on students' mobile phones would have been layered with context, history and live streaming updates making the coverage of the protests vastly richer and more meaningful. Open Video can create a robust news environment that bypasses the filter created by mainstream or state-run new outlets because it draws from multiple sources.
Video highlighting humanitarian disasters could include crisis mapping, links to emergency responses, ways to donate and help, as well as international news sources, and eye-witness accounts with subtitles -- all based on rich layering of news and information that communicates with video, just as websites do today.
See links below for a wide-array of Open Video projects and examples.
The full version of Rip! Can be watched online at: http://www.nfb.ca/rip
The demo of the interactive video "popcorn.js technology" can be viewed at here (* note that users will need a modern browser such as Firefox or Google Chrome to view the popcorn presentation)
Links about Universal Subtitles:
http://universalsubtitles.org/
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/2010/12/word-nerding-just-got-easier.html
http://blog.universalsubtitles.org/translation-party-ok-go/
Presenters:
Brett Gaylor / Web-Made Movies
Nicholas Reville / Participatory Culture Foundation
Ben Moskowitz / Open Video Alliance
Geoffrey MacDougall / Mozilla
