I ask. Comparative vlogging backgrounds. That's the main subject here. Also covered: the UPS guy and his brown shorts set, Post Impressionism, National Review and my relationship to the rest of lawprofessordom.
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Dang it, Ann.
If only you were a Liberal!
Looks good there at the house. And the feed seemed okay, too. But shouldn't you, a law professor vlog from your office in front of your wall of books like Larry Tribe no doubt would were he to condescend to vlog
My vote: as this is an eclectic blog, you should have eclectic backgrounds.
Go with the IFWOB [intellectually fortifying wall o' books] for the intellectually fortifying vlogs.
Go with the home-style when talking about potatoes and American Idol or Project Runway or stuff you do at home.
Go with a tank a piranhas when you're talking about lawprofs.
Oh. You said "pariah." Never mind.
Ann,
The architecture in the background, with the view of other rooms, expresses depth. It is a more direct, visceral expression of depth than a wall of books.
The perspective into the blue/purple dining room (if that's what it is) reminds me of the visual frame of a Renaissance painting -- the closeup of you, with a long shot towards a window and the world beyond, with very little of significance in between. In the typical Renaissance painting the world depicted through the window -- the Heavenly City, the Peaceable Kingdom, idyllic Tuscan hillsides, whatever -- would connect thematically to the qualities about the main character(s) in the painting that the artist was seeking to bring out. The long shot you were using on your vlog didn't quite work in that way, since the light coming in from the window is so bright that the outside world is reduced to a blank. (That couldn't have been the point at any level, could it?) But put that detail aside and just think of the many madonnas, annunciations, saints in distress, and the like, all flanked by the good burghers seeking heavenly favor who paid for the exercise, that were painted using that formula. Since you are both the subject and the artist here (it's a self-portrait!), you can play with that formula to keep whatever company you want.
If you're going for those kinds of associations, then you'll need to scatter around various objects testifying symbolically to the qualities and virtues of the main subject (yourself) you want to underscore (subliminally, of course), and make sure that those objects will be visible in the viewer's frame. Add don't forget to be flanked by appropriate spiritual sponsors -- a picture of Learned Hand or Robert Jackson, perhaps. Think of the conversation you can have across the centuries with the likes of, say, Van Eyck in the Betrothal of the Arnolfini or the Madonna with Chancellor Rolin. Who needs to take on Tribe when there's DaVinci, Raphael and that crowd just waiting to be engaged visually, while the audio portion of the vlog deals with more humdrum contemporaries?
In all seriousness, the visual frame of a Renaissance painting doesn't really work for these vlogs. The bright light coming through the window just emphasizes the overall bad lighting in the vlog. I'd go for something more controlled and visually sedate, where the lighting won't run to extremes, and the shadows and bright spots are much easier to control. And, to make the brave new world of vlogging look a little more professional, you might invest in some actor's pancake makeup to control the reflections coming off your forehead.
The light can be changed. I was using a light that has a dimmer switch, which I should probably just turn down some.
I could get a complete outdoor scene by sitting a the other side of the work table... I'll have to try that.
I'd put your face higher in the frame, but set the camera a little higher so you don't have to look down at it.
I know vlogging is somewhat different from television, but that's a rule in television producing -- not too much space above the head. In fact, it's okay to cut off the top of the head, but not the bottom.
Whew! I thought for a second Ann...Coulter declared a coup de blog, and Ms. Althouse was rendered a 'non-lawprof.' But all is well...
I mean this in the most respectful and supportive way, but you may want to consider .5 hour with someone who "coaches" people with their tv appearances.
You have these gestures with your eyelids and face that on Kaus seem geeky cute but on you just seem skittish. It's similar to a mannerism that some may exhibit when speaking. Most who are good public speakers think if you don't have these mannerisms then you should be OK on tv. Most don't think being on tv is different from public speaking, but it surely is!
Look forward to the bheads appearance.
I second all those you liked the home-style background, depth, etc. I do think that the sunlight in the back window was a distracting hotspot, though. When movies are shot on-location yet indoors, they tape up lighting gels to the windows to soften the contrast and in the end, make the scene look both more pleasant and authentic.
I'm not suggesting you need to buy gels for vlogging--that might actually be a little ridiculous--but it's just what I was thinking when I watched.
Ann Althouse: "cats are godless killing machines." Someone won't be joining the Carnival of Cats anytime soon. Ha!
There was some kind of cyclical hissing sound in the background. Was it the pc cycling up (depending on the chip) or are the cicadas still going crazy over there? Something to check out, but overall, the location seems fine, but there might be interruptions that happen at home that can't quite be controlled as well than your campus office.
I hope you do well, whichever locale you decide.
Victor: I'm not going for a TV look, but a vlog look. It really is different and intentional. Similarly, the podcast isn't meant to sound like radio.
And, yeah, that was the cicadas! We're having a little plague of locusts here.
There was a little bit of a synch problem when I watched it, but only when my browser wasn't the default application running. Everything caught up nicely once I stopped talking to people on iChat and brought you to the forefront.
I like the "homey" atmosphere too, though I can see how the IFWOB might have its place sometimes.
If it's vane, you might be able to figure out which way the wind blows.
The background is not important, its your views and opinions that are important. Thats why we come back to this site.
If you think backgrounds are important, why limit yourself to just home and the office? Why not "Vlog" from different locations. Be like Rick Lee - go "On Location" anywhere and everywhere!
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