Saturday, February 4, 2012

Video blogging - experiences in the garden, on camera.

So, armed with my handy iPhone, I set out to finish editing and publishing my first try at video blogging.  I am trying in earnest to brand the video blog as 'Bamboo How-To's.'  Definitely learned a few things along the way.  A couple of tips for those gardeners out there trying to impart their garden knowledge to the world using video as the media:

1.  Got to have the right equipment and a fair amount of patience.  A good video camera or smart phone and good editing software is key.  My weapon of choice...  an iPhone and iMovie (a program that is installed on most Macs).  It was bit like riding a bike, lots of trial and error, but eventually got it.

2.  Try to act natural.  Couldn't help to feel like I was a bit stiff on camera.  Weird when your even nervous to be on camera and your the only one there.  Lots of tongue twisting retakes, but eventually got the right shots to make a short informational video that made sense (I hope).

3.  Gardening and making movies may not mix.  We all know gardening is dirty work.  How do you get footage without accidentally shoveling dirt on your camera phone or step on it when you get lost in the act of gardening, truly a relaxing experience for us green thumbs.  Luckily my iPhone survived the journey.

4.  Get creative and use some humor.  I tried to infuse some humor by incorporating the hard gardening reality living in Rocklin.  Digging holes sucks when the ground is filled with river rock.  I made the most of it and showed the angst of gardening in Rocklin, California, where the city's name is no mere coincidence.

Well, I am making a commitment to do at least three or four videos this year, maybe more.  We shall see...

If you want to see more videos in the future, subscribe to our video feed by clicking to our YouTube Channel.

So without further adieu, here is my first Bamboo 'How-To' video now on YouTube.  Enjoy!

Sean
Mad Man Bamboo - Rocklin, CA
(916) 300-6335
www.madmanbamboo.com
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