During the month of February 2013, 178 million Americans watched 33 billion videos according to comScore.com. The most watched video on YouTube that month was the PS4 video featured. It had over 26 million views and didn’t even become live till Feb. 20. With that information, we know that people are watching online videos at an all-time high pace. And for the past few years, the demand to produce video at various companies and institutions has been growing as well. But I’m not sure these companies and institutions understood why they wanted video. Then number of people watching is one reason, but there is more.

Along with watching 33 billion videos, internet video viewers watched 9.9 billion video ads, with Google delivering a record 2.2 billion of those ads. This is why online video is going to be a must-do part of any companies online communications strategy. Not only is it an effective way to pass along information, but it’s also generating money – lots of it.

I wanted to start this blog as a resource for those looking to produce video for news, public relations and whatever else. I don’t think online video is a fad or a trend. People are expecting videos and they are expecting good videos. This blog will feature information on video, audio, photography and social media, and how they all work together. The world of video is tremendously overwhelming, even for someone who works with it on a daily basis. You can be drowned in all the gear, software and techniques associated with video. I hope to take a much more simple approach to explaining video. I will link to other blogs, show videos I think are excellent and expand on my personal experiences.

I currently work as the multimedia specialist at UC Davis, where my main job is to produce video for the university (DISCLAIMER: This blog is in no way associated with UC Davis. All views and opinions are my own). I have a master’s in digital media from the Graduate School of Journalism at Columbia University and have worked in news prior to working at UC Davis. I started out as a photographer and reporter and have transitioned into a public relations role.

Oh, and if you are wondering where the name Zebra Stripes comes from, then this will be one of the first things you learn on this blog. It’s simple really. On a lot of video cameras, when your highlights are getting blown out, the screen will display what is called “zebra stripes” in the blown-out areas. I don’t have a deeper meaning to naming this blog that, other than I think it is a cool blog name.

 

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