Attending a Virtual Conference

This week a segment in my company is holding a virtual conference- supplanting the usual travel and location arrangements for a schedule of WebEx Meetings and Events.

Now, you might think that this is a good thing- sure, they’re saving a TON of money on T&E, and I won’t have to fly out to California for a week and miss friends and family- but there are a lot of things that I’m going to miss- you know, the things that you do at a conference… Maybe we’re not all as nostalgic about attending conferences as I am, but if you’re the kind of person who saves all those nametags from all the different events you’ve been to- then I’m talkin’ to YOU.

So, I’ve come up with a list of things that I will do this week to get back that “on location” feeling- here’s a list…

- I will wear a name tag all week long. I’ll even put it on one of those tassel-fob things, and enclose it in plastic. I will wonder if the chip inside really tells my boss what sessions I attend!

- I will eat lunch with strangers in the company cafeteria- and purposefully pick food that won’t sit well in my digestive system, so that I can really get that “away from home” feeling…

- I will go out every night this week to either a mediocre local *bump-bump* club (which will be dead, ‘cause it’s Tuesday) or to a hotel bar. I’ll try to act like I can really put ‘em away, but get tired and leave after only a couple of drinks, or total strikeouts with whatever females are around…

- I will show up late to all meetings, starting on Tuesday, due to “food poisoning” (my hangover).

- I will attend all my meetings from the conference room so that I feel like I’m really part of the audience.

- I will wear a suit on Monday, slacks and a collared shirt on Tuesday, and jeans and a “No I will Not Fix Your Computer” t-shirt (the same one) for the other 3 days.

WebCam Background and Lighting Tips...

A few thoughts on how to get the most out of your Webcam...  

- Be Aware of Lighting: Since the sensor on even the highest-quality webcam is pretty darn small when compared to, say, a digicam sensor which, again is small compared to a full-frame 35mm DSLR (or actual 35mm frame) we realistically can’t expect too much in the way of dynamic range.  Therefore, we have to have optimal conditions in place to get a good image- to make us look good. 

- Windows Kill: DON’T sit back-to a window- natural light will overpower anything but powerful studio lights.  DO put the webcam BETWEEN you and the window!  This will let you use the powerful natural light to light the subject- YOU.

who is that masked man?

- Get a desk lamp: either point it at yourself (this is a Key light), or at a cube wall so it bounces some light onto your face (this is a Fill light).  In a normal video shoot, there is the classic “3-point” lighting setup- which includes a Key-, Fill-, and Back-light to isolate the subject from the background- but in lighting for a basic webcam conference, you only really need one good light- if you use an advanced video system, you may want to invest in a more professional lighting package.

standard 3-point lighting for an interview...  only 1/3
needed for our webcam presentations!

- Background Information:  Sometimes its the little things that tell people the most about us...   Make sure that whatever is behind you is clean & clear, and free of debris.  Make sure to remove any dead plants, KISS posters, or old computer junk.  

- Missed Opportunities...  Now that it's blank, how can we use it?..  I like to think of that empty wall as unused advertising space- space for advertising YOU!  Not sure about this one? All you have to do is flick on CNN, MSNBC, FOX, etc to see how all the major news channels interview in front of cityscapes, cool graphics, bustling newsrooms, or libraries of books.  This adds a level of credibility to the speaker, and communicates even more to the audience.  Take a little time to "pretty up" your area, and think about how you can make your own background advertisement out of the artifacts in your office space- diplomas, degrees, books, plants, framed art, accolades or even magazine covers.  

- The Right Stuff- Don't have a web conferencing tool that will support this kind of webcam video?  Check out WebEx.  I know, you've heard this one before, but there's a reason for it- it works!

Don't forget to check out my post on how to have better web meetings...

- Josh

Tips for better WebEx Conferences - Or Video Conferences in General...

People seem to think that because we've called a meeting, everything will just take care of itself. That's where they're wrong! Meetings require leadership - not necessarily Robert's Rules of Order leadership (egad, shudder to think of those hours spent in the Student Senate...) but some kind of direction. Here are a few pointers, from one who is in/part of/attends a LOT of meetings. Heck, I do work for a company that provides a serious meeting platform...

1. Bring an Agenda (what are we here to do???) Regardless of what the format is - Powerpoint, Keynote, Notepad, etc - make up some kind of bullet list. People LIKE bullets. They like things synthesized for their consumption- the salient, important points. Outline the basic framework of what's supposed to happen in the meeting, and show it to everyone.

2. Show Yourself! - Use your web conferencing tool's video option. This lends seriousness and credibility - if you're not willing to show yourself, it makes people wonder what color your pajamas are (the ones that you're obviously sitting at home in, in front of the television no doubt!). Don't have camera options with your web conference? Get WebEx.

3. Annotate (Draw & Text on the Screen!) Use the marker and text tools to highlight and outline what is important. Change and adjust the agenda, or add to it as people make comments. You can also let your attendees use these tools simultaneously for brainstorming & planning sessions. For example, in our team meetings there is a specific agenda item called "feedback." Our manager opens up a blank slide, and turns on the annotation tools for everyone- then asks us to throw out words and ideas about how he can help us be more successful- with the idea that nothing is off-limits, but that if you put up something heavy, just be ready to discuss!

4. Follow-Through - on movie sets there is a dedicated person who watches for continuity- IE to make sure that props, wardrobe and makeup are consistent from scene to scene. In meetings we need to have similar people- someone who's specific job it is to make sure we have targets set for what happens next. Don't forget to either snap a quick screenshot or record important points of the meeting. If your conferencing provider doesn't offer this option, you can always click "Print Screen" (it's above the number pad) and then Control-V to Paste it into either Word or Powerpoint as a captured image. Also, there are tons of free screen capture tools out there that let you record directly from your desktop, and end up with a video. You can use some of the converter tools from my earlier post to convert to other formats.

5. Encourage Participation - ASK QUESTIONS! "does that make sense," "are we all on board," "does anyone have any questions," "do you think that's a good idea?"

RedOne vs Canon 5D Mk2

Pretty cool. I'm not sure which one I'd rather have...

Stuff for DSLR cinematography...

Useful (FREE) Video Converter Programs

Any Video Converter-

Convert from anything (AVI or WMV, Quicktime, etc) to almost anything else.  It’s got really easy controls- just pick your original file, then select the device/type of output you desire, and click convert.  Doesn’t get much easier than this!!!

 

Input formats:

avi, asf, mov, rm, rmvb, flv, mkv, mpg, 3gp, m4v, vob, YouTube videos

Output formats:

avi, wmv, mp4, 3gp, wmv, flv, MPEG-1 and MPEG-2, mpg (PAL or NTSC)

 

http://www.any-video-converter.com/products/for_video_free/

 

 

 

DVD Decrypter-

 

Simply pop a DVD into your computer, then right-click – select “decrypt with DVD Decrypter” (or whatever it says!) and let this program do its work.  You’ll end up with a folder of “VOB” files, which are playable in some NERO DVD player programs.  Use Handbrake (below) to convert these folders into useable standard-format (decent quality) AVI files for playback in your Windows Media player…

 

http://www.mrbass.org/dvdrip/SetupDVDDecrypter_3.5.4.0.exe

 

 

Handbrake-

Primary use is to convert from DVD “VOB” files (entire folders of a ripped DVD) to avi files or Apple formats like M4V, etc.  For PC users, this is great because you can easily convert a whole DVD (3-4 gigs) into a 500MB file, which is much more transportable/storeable – IE your collection isn’t going to eat up entire hard drives… 

Input Formats:

  Any DVD-like source: VIDEO_TS folder, DVD image or real DVD (unencrypted--protection methods including CSS are not supported internally and must be handled externally with third-party software and libraries), and some .VOB and .TS files

  Most any multimedia file it can get libavformat to read and libavcodec to decode.

Output Formats:

  File format: MP4, MKV, AVI or OGM

  Video: MPEG-4, H.264, or Theora (1 or 2 passes or constant quantizer/rate encoding)

  Audio: AAC, MP3, Vorbis or AC-3 pass-through (supports encoding of several audio tracks)

 

http://handbrake.fr/