White Paper on Online Video

Here is a recent whitepaper from Brightcove re the world of online video.  ”It’s only just begun.”

http://files.brightcove.com/brightcove-whitepaper-online-video-and-media-industry.pdf

What The Heck Is Most Downloaded?

What is Most Downloaded?

Most Downloaded is a new project phase type on Tongal that rewards members who share videos that generate the greatest number of downloads for a specific application or file.

Tongal members select any of the eligible video (in the case of winepicks, there are 15) from the previous phase and share them through their social and online networks. The videos are tagged with hover-over prompts to download the app or file. The goal is to amass as many downloads as possible in a specific period of time.

Why Have A Most Downloaded Phase?

Here at Tongal, we like to make things simple by breaking the process of creation down into smaller parts so that no matter what your skill set – whether it’s coming up with ideas or taglines, shooting videos or commercials, creating animations or graphic designs, there’s a place for everyone to contribute.

In the past, our “Most Viewed” Phase was open only to people who submitted a video to the competition. We wanted to give ALL the people who were great at promoting and distributing video content a chance to participate, regardless of their participation as a video maker. If you’re great at getting videos seen online…this is for you!

Who Can Participate?

Unlike the typical Most Viewed Phase, this Phase is OPEN TO EVERY REGISTERED MEMBER ON TONGAL. This means that even if you did not create a video, you may participate in this phase. If you are not a Tongal member, you can sign up for free and get started today.

How Does Most Downloaded Work?

Using the eligible videos listed below from the previous phase, Tongal members try to generate the Most Downloads of an application or file within a specified period of time.

STEP 1: Log in to Tongal and share any of the top 15 videos using the Tongal Video Player anywhere on the web. This includes, embed, email and share to places like blogs, other sites, Facebook, Twitter, etc.

*IMPORTANT: YOU MUST BE LOGGED IN FOR YOUR DOWNLOADS TO BE TRACKED. EVERY VIDEO YOU SHARE GETS TAGGED WITH A UNIQUE CODE THAT CAN BE TRACKED TO YOUR TONGAL USER ID

Here is a list of the fifteen videos for the winepicks project:

1. Blanc et Noir – The Norman Invasion

2. Hoosegow – Tomas Christensen

3. The Fabulous Destiny… – Rocky Collins

4. Wine We Both Can Enjoy – John Jones

5. Wine Shoppe – Brian Whitton

6. Jacques vs. winepicks – Austin Gilmour

7. Finding The One – The Norman Invasion

8. Not So Wine Of A Kind – David Lackey

9. The Lonely Frog – Christiano Covino

10. My Perfect Match – Elan Bentov

11. A Series of Unfabulous Events – Rocky Collins

12. Connoisseur – Kevin Almodovar

13. Jerry’s Twin Bed – Michelle Glavan

14. A Match Made In Winepicks – Andre Ferreira

15. Talking Wine 2 – Skyler Gross

STEP 2: Each video has a “hover-over” and a link at the end of the video that prompts the viewer to download the application or file.

STEP 3: Every time someone downloads the application after watching a video that you shared, we will be able to track that download using your unique code and you will be rewarded one point. You can see your progress on the Most Downloaded Leaderboard.

*NOTE: The results do not update instantly to the leaderboard. In most cases, it takes a few hours for the system to update the totals.

STEP 4: The three members that generate the greatest number of downloads from within the United States during the next six weeks, earn cash. You do not need to be from the U.S., but the downloads need to come from I.P. Addresses located within the United States.

Wait, I Still Don’t Get It!

If you still don’t get it, you can watch this video tutorial below.

Good Luck,
Team Tongal

Luster Winners Announced!

Congratulations to everyone who placed in the $6,500 Luster Premium White Commercial Project! Because the judges were so pleased with the results, Dentovations Inc. has decided to purchase an additional six videos! This means those animators whose creations finished 6th through 11th will earn the equivalent of the 5th place prize. Here’s the finishing order:

1. The Norman Invasion (Flash That Smile)

2. Jacconi (Happy Teeth Hour)

3. John Jones (Luster White – Zero Rebound Effect)

4. Cuyler Bryant (The Phonecall)

5. Julia Lee (The Everyday Grind)

6. Christian Schwier (Too Long Since I’ve Seen That Smile

7. Chris Bookman (Don’t Censor Your Smile)

8. Monslave Jr. (Back In The Day)

9. Dan Milano (An Hour Best Spent)

10. Andre Ferreira (The Secret)

11. John Varsegi (Mona Lisa)

Thanks to everyone who participated, you can click here to see the full results.

-Team Tongal

Tongal Twelve With Tim Swaan

Location: Studio City, CA

Member Since: May 2010

Lifetime Earnings: $2,500

In this installment of the Tongal Twelve, Caleb Light-Wills interviews 1^st Place Winner of the $4,000 NYVS Video Project, Tim Swaan. “Don’t Go To Film School” is undeniably one of the most clever commercials ever produced on Tongal. By contrasting NYVS’ practical approach to video creation with the hyper-theoretical approach of a traditional film school, Tim not only explains what NYVS does, but also why their service has value in an irreverent, humorous way. It’s worth noting that Tim has both a strong production background (check out his IMDB profile) and a film school education. Ironically, if Tim were deficient in either area, this commercial surely would not have been the tour-de-force we see here.

Caleb Light-Wills – How and when did you first find out about Tongal?

Tim Swaan – If I recall, I stumbled upon Tongal one evening last May as I was cruising the Internet. I knew there were all kinds of “community content producer” sites out there and was kind of on a roll investigating them. Then I found Tongal purely by accident.

C.L.W. – Were you apprehensive about the Tongal process, or was it something you understood almost immediately?

T.S. – The process seemed like a no brainer, and one that was accessible and easily followed.

C.L.W. – What does it feel like to win $2,500 for 30-second commercial?

T.S. – I have to say it was nice to get that financial boost! But I have to give a sincere shout-out to my co-conspirator, Elan Bentov. It was a true team effort that made getting this project completed a possibility. We went into the project very last minute – within a day of finding Tongal – and since it was a fly by the seat of our pants production, neither of us held any expectations about winning.

C.L.W. – Was NYVS a company that you were already familiar with or did you have to do some research to figure out what they were all about?

T.S. – We’d never heard of NYVS before, but after sleuthing their website a bit, we figured out that the “what is” message was clearly all over their website, so the concept for the commercial was simply to hook an audience – an invitation – to visiting the site.

C.L.W. – “Don’t Go To Film School” has a pretty clear message about the absurdity of academic film analysis. Is this a reflection of your personal feelings about film school?

T.S. – The irony of this spot is quite hilarious. Elan and I are both film school graduates, and this spot simply riffs on our experiences. Yes, we both had “those” classes, but I will say that we both had an exceptional film school experience, and, speaking for myself, film school was best academic choice I could have made. Elan came up with the concept, and we both had a blast coming up with more ridiculous feedback comments than could ever fit in a :30 commercial! The other concept we tossed around was to shoot a “student film” involving a midget and interpretive dancer.

C.L.W. – What is your production background like?

T.S. – Elan and I are both well entrenched in the industry. However, projects like this are refreshing and treated as a hobby. We just happened to have been at a slow point in production, and so had the time to take this project on.

C.L.W. –  How long did it take you to shoot “Don’t Go To Film School” and what was your process like?

T.S. – This is the fun question to answer, because, to be honest, we both feel like this production was our version of the class clown or classic procrastinator getting an A on the final exam. The day we signed up for Tongal, we loosely wrote the script, called friends, and set a time for two nights later to shoot AND edit the piece. That night also happened to be the night before the deadline. There was me on camera, and Elan on boom and directing. We shot on the HVX200 and basically ran all the lines by each actor. In post, we picked through the best reads, and then tried mixing and matching takes and reactions, ending up with the final product in about 3 hours. The decision to go black and white purely a fix to get around the horrible fluorescent lighting of the office, and there wasn’t any time to do a solid color-correcting job.

C.L.W. – Your commercial was beautifully cast, especially the “Fritz Lang” dude at the end. Are those people actors, actual film school kids or friends?

T.S. – The vast majority of the cast were college friends and acquaintances of Elan. The three British girls were professional actors that we both knew. Our “perfunctory girl” was the daughter of one of our coworkers who just fit the look we were going for and was willing to come in and deliver a line. Again, because the majority of our cast were non-professionals, having a reservoir of line readings from everyone allowed us to pick the best and make it look seamless.

C.L.W. –  What are you going to spend the money on?

T.S. – Incredibly boring, really… paying down the ol’ credit card bill, and perhaps a bit towards whatever our next production might be.

C.L.W. – What is your favorite thing about Tongal?

T.S.  – Tongal is a really great idea, and a godsend for clients who wish to advertise but not spend a small fortune on an agency. Some might argue that this actually takes work away from industry peeps, but I feel that if a client wants a $500,000 commercial, they’ll go spend $500,000 on a commercial. This gives small and large business alike the chance to tap into a goldmine of creative minds for a fraction of the cost while at the same time giving those creative minds a chance to actually make a name for themselves. For me, it puts the fun back in what can sometimes be a very unglamorous and cutthroat industry.

C.L.W. –  What’s next for you on Tongal or otherwise?

T.S. – For Elan and I, we’re both keeping a close eye on the Tongal projects that are coming through, but we’re not going to jump onto each and every one. Primarily, this is because we’re both heavily involved in the production of two network shows (all of which will launch later this year, but we’re under non-disclosure contracts), so time is scarce. Secondly, instead of rushing like we did with NYVS (and RecordMyCalls), we want to pick a spot we can feel confident and proud of. We’ll see what that next project is in the near future!

C.L.W. –  What types of contests, improvements, etc. would you like to see on Tongal in the future?

T.S. – What I loved about the NYVS spot was that we weren’t pigeon-holed into a limited number of concepts. We were truly free to do whatever we wanted which I think contributed to our success. We felt free to think outside the box. It’d be great to somehow always have an open-concept video category available for all projects, and those submissions should be judged on whether they deliver the core message required by the client and production quality, even though the risk of not placing in the top 5 at all is much greater.

Interview conducted via email, July 9^th, 2010.