Channel 9 Behind the Scenes

Following up on a comment charles made, what sort of percentage of the videos you film have to be dropped and never make it onto channel 9?

Stephen.

There needs to be a C9 store. I would love to have a nice polo with the Nine guy on the chest. Or a tshirt. Or something.

Great video, a cool inside look at how videos get made and the techniques used to get such cool videos. Keep up the awesome work guys.

ricodued wrote:

There needs to be a C9 store. I would love to have a nice polo with the Nine guy on the chest. Or a tshirt. Or something.

Great video, a cool inside look at how videos get made and the techniques used to get such cool videos. Keep up the awesome work guys.

I would love a shirt too!

Who are you?! Always a great way to start a video.

I wish I had a white board that big

The following edits are live as I watch this.

EDIT: What's your title Scoble? Man I hope to be in your seat after I get my Doctoral, become an anesthesiologist, get my MBA and spend another 4 or 5 years getting a BS in CS. So let's say... 15+ years lol. ::cries::

EDIT: Scoble did you see those new camcorders with 20GB hard drives in them, that's pretty cool! Might make your job easier.

EDIT: You should get a monopod, like the guy interviewing you is.

EDIT: A nice external mic that straps onto the camcorder would be a GREAT benefit, and they aren't that expensive.

EDIT: Charles looks nothing like I thought he would lol, so that was him in the new Vista Memory Management Going Deep Video!

EDIT: Keep this type of video style! It reminds me of family videos, and this is what channel 9 is all about, creating a sense of family with Microsoft. Atleast that's why I think.

EDIT: How many videos aren't uploaded? Damn lawyers!

EDIT: Yea I spent half my vacation watching Channel 9 videos I missed while I was sitting full of food.

EDIT: Whoa! Awsome bean bag!

EDIT: Does Charles have a blog he maintains often? He seems like a wicked cool guy.

Conclusion: Nice video, it's going to be fun seeing where you're going to be going in this company Robert, not just you but the rest of the C9 team. I really have to thank you for giving people, users, developers, and beginners a sense of what Microsoft is all about.

It's videos like this that make me realise why I Love Channel 9 Videos!

I now prefer the honest unmanaged rawness and feel of these videos, it's also like you get a sense of being in the room too, the next best thing to actually being there.

Just how transparent can you make an organisation? This is the next best thing to being there in the flesh. You just don't see any other vendors doing this right now. It does make Microsoft seem less evil and more human at the coal face.

A very sincerely thanks guys.

BTW loved the idea of Channels ... yep that would be cool.

ricodued wrote:

There needs to be a C9 store. I would love to have a nice polo with the Nine guy on the chest. Or a tshirt. Or something.

This is exactly what I thought when I saw the stuff which was C9 related @ PDC05!!
I want not only polo, but caps, mugs, pens, C9 Guy limited edition gold and stuff like that.
I 'd buy it whatever it cost!!

Channel 9 on a controversial subject? ... Hasn't happened yet, but I hope it does sooner or later.

I'm also supporting the idea of having a Channel 9 online shop with stuff to buy

btw. is there some way to suggest video subjects you (or just post here)?

So your gonna 'do' 2 guys at once Scoble :O

Out of context quotes for the funny

Charles wrote:

PerfectPhase wrote: Following up on a comment charles made, what sort of percentage of the videos you film have to be dropped and never make it onto channel 9?

Very small percentage. Less than 1%. Typically, the only videos that we won't ship are those that we just don't like (that is, they pretty much suck). For other ones, it's about the topic, which may be too sensitive for public viewing for one reason or another.

C

I can only remember two videos out of about 500 that were dropped. One, cause the product's name changed, and another cause they mentioned a competitor too many times and that made people nervous (we reshot both successfully). I've had to edit out some stuff, though. Usually a swear word, competitors, unreleased technology, and stuff like that.

There are times when I wish Robert did use more equipment. Like in those recent Xbox360 roundtable videos the sound was not so good. If he had of used a boom microphone that would have made the video so much better.

koorb wrote:

There are times when I wish Robert did use more equipment. Like in those recent Xbox360 roundtable videos the sound was not so good. If he had of used a boom microphone that would have made the video so much better.

That's what makes the videos so raw and awesome. It's like when someone suggested using Camtasia for the demos. It just doesn't have the same raw feel to it as Scoble's style. If you want to hear Larry Hyrb talk about Xbox 360 and things related, subscribe to Major Nelson's (Larry Hyrb) podcast. It's great.

scobleizer wrote:

I can only remember two videos out of about 500 that were dropped. One, cause the product's name changed, and another cause they mentioned a competitor too many times and that made people nervous (we reshot both successfully). I've had to edit out some stuff, though. Usually a swear word, competitors, unreleased technology, and stuff like that.

Lemme guess -- the vid where a competitor was mentioned too often was the vid about MSN Search.

...Just a random guess...

ricodued wrote:

There needs to be a C9 store. I would love to have a nice polo with the Nine guy on the chest. Or a tshirt. Or something.

Great video, a cool inside look at how videos get made and the techniques used to get such cool videos. Keep up the awesome work guys.

First off, great video guys.  I really enjoyed getting to see a "Director's Cut".

I agree, we need a C9 Store.  I'd buy from it without a doubt.

It would be nice as well to finally get that C9 guy I sent a postcard off for 8 months ago. 

Ken writes about making this video:
http://blogs.msdn.com/klevy/archive/2005/11/28/497663.aspx

Once recorded, I insert the memory card from the camera into a memory stick USB 2.0 reader and copy the file directly, then convert the MPEG4 video to AVI using the included Sony software and then use Movie Maker to put the video together and save as a WMV.

What is he trying to say here? That this is a good workflow where video quality is preserved well enough? Or is he trying to troll for a better solution?

Ken, how about going over with your camera to the Media Maker team and ask them how is Windows Vista going to help you capture directly to MPEG 4, clip the MPEG 4 without any re-compression except for where needed (text/effects inserted) and then with one button publish the edited version for both download and streaming? Of course the last step may involve lossy conversion so the streaming to slower clients is made possible, but now it seems there's mpeg4->avi->wmv->wmv(for streaming). Not exactly optimal when doing video with a laptop HDD.

Now only if the camera would be able to transmit the mpeg4 wireless over to ones laptop (and possibly broadcast from there directly to net).. That'd be cool

What's in the brown Oasis boxes? Nine guys?

In converting MPEG4->AVI->WMV, no video quality is lost that is noticeable at 320x240, you can't tell the difference from the WMV and the original MPEG4. Windows Media Encoder does not support reading MPEG4 which is why the extra step is needed, and I don't know the plans for possible future support for it.

Was that a SimEarth box I saw in Charles' office?  I still have my 5¼" floppies for it!

I'd like to see a few '2-camera' Scoble style interviews in the future.

Need to take it to the next level.

IMO, the 'Scoble Style' conversations are more effective, as oppossed to the Ken Burns or Charlie Rose style.

If possible, please publish the monthly usage metrics.

PocketXP wrote:

I'd like to see a few '2-camera' Scoble style interviews in the future.

Need to take it to the next level.

IMO, the 'Scoble Style' conversations are more effective, as oppossed to the Ken Burns or Charlie Rose style.

I think there are two problems with using a two camera format. First off, it will take longer to edit, thus less videos can be filmed per week/month/whatever. Secondly, it's like Scoble said in the video, with more cameras it starts to make people less apt to just talk as if in regular conversations, sans cameras. It will make them start to talk more like a marketing guy than a dev.

However, there are certain situations in which a two camera format might be worth it and workable. Like in the Larry Hyrb demonstration of the Xbox 360, there could have been a camera at the back of the room and Scoble's regular camera up front getting the close up action. Due to the size of the room, the interviewees are less likely to notice the camera as much since it two cameras won't be up in their faces. It makes people less apt to talk like marketing folk, so, like Scoble said, he can get a more conversational talk going with the interviewee, which, in my opinion, is part of what makes the videos great. With developer offices though, getting two cameras in there with sometimes up to five or six people (not including camera men!) will make things more cramped and they'll notice the cameras more and,  again, will be more apt to talk like marketing people.

At least that is how I interpreted what Scoble was saying. My two cents.

Scoble - has a real good sense of how to do the videos. although sometimes he takes a detour towards RSS, blog blog blogging.

Ken Levy - Nerdy voice that makes it all the more authentic.

Charles Torre - Any relation to Joe Torre, the Yankee skipper?

>> Scoble said in the video, with more cameras it starts to make
>> people less apt to just talk as if in regular conversations,
>> sans cameras

That's a bit of a cop-out.

Scoble and crew have the ability and talent to solve that problem.

They need to figure out a way to do an unobtrusive "two camera" production.

PocketXP wrote:

>> Scoble said in the video, with more cameras it starts to make
>> people less apt to just talk as if in regular conversations,
>> sans cameras

That's a bit of a cop-out.

Scoble and crew have the ability and talent to solve that problem.

They need to figure out a way to do an unobtrusive "two camera" production.

Sorry, you might have misunderstood. I +am+ the crew.

Only one camera is possible.

Robert

why I like C9: as Scoble,  said:  its raw, it real...

I never had any "inside"-look to MS before and this not only shows me 'real people' but I really sympathize with them. It is interesting, educating and funny...

So - from a marketing/PR-perspective - it worked,  but also I get some satisf out of it.

It is funny - when I listen to Scoble talking about his "directing style" it reminds me of Godard,  Truffault, the hole "novelle vague" French Cinema movement - (more than the "Dogma"-Style).

Charles:

Dark is good?!

Yes, I misunderstood.

I assumed that there was someone helping you with the gear.

In any case, I think you and Charles Torre had some good comments on having a two-camera shoot in special cases.

As you say, the grass roots, relaxed conversational style works well.

I think there is a good business opportunity here.

May think it's silly but I think you can productize the channel9 video production services.
It would be fun to see the business scale to other companies or for sports teams.

Charles wrote:

MisterDonut wrote: Charles: Dark is good?!

Certainly. I'm not sure what you are referring to, but, yeah, it's good (and natural) to have a dark side, as long as you don't hurt anybody. Also, dark is as "good" as light. Think about it for a while.

That said, what does your question mean?
C

That was a reference to something you said in the Interview. That was you, right?!

I think I know what is in the boxes.   Btw Robert, the office looks cleaner then when my wife and I stopped by

I liked Ken's camera work - distance, steady camera & the volume levels were all fine with me.  I find sometimes the foreheads dominate interviews and more recently I alt-tab to other applications while listening to channel9 videos and switch back for demos.

I'm glad to see the site is working out. Now that it has established itself as doable I'd like to see a quality levels a little higher so viewers continue to watch - the novelity of the idea is wearing off for me - now we need good interviews [keep launch interviews to a absolute minimal].

I'd like to add that I love screencasts and hope this becomes a large library of howto videos for Visual Studio 2005... maybe we can get some videos about the 'web express' edition since its free for download, seems like a good place for people to start... Charles asking questions & Ken on camera seems a perfect combo for me.

Robert Scoble, what is that brazilian flag doing on your office?