PEN your story challenge - Old Dog (Rob Watcher) New Dog (Mason Watcher)

Robert Watcher · #1 May 16th, 2010, 08:23 PM

Old Dog (teach) New Dog (tricks)

I have submitted a video project proposal for the Olympus "Pen your story challenge". If I am one of the 6 finalists, I will be producing a documentary video within a documentary video.

YouTube - PEN your story challenge - Old Dog (Rob Watcher) New Dog (Mason Watcher)

I will be using my 30 years of experience, in mentoring my 9 year old grandson to produce his own documentary film - guiding him with regards to scene setting, lighting control, exposure, composition, shooting angles, and editing and production of his piece.

If you find this project to be of interest and would like to see it completed with the help of Olympus providing an E-PL1 camera, lenses and $5000 budget for producing the video - please be sure to help us out by voting with a big THUMBS UP just under this video - - - before the voting closes in a few weeks. If we receive enough votes, filming will begin before too long and after a month of work, the end result should realized.

You do require a YouTube account for your vote to count - so please sign in before hitting the Thumbs Up (or Thumbs Down but hope not). If you feel so inclined, you are free to create a Youtube account so that you can vote on the winners. Certainly a useful account to have for future upload and distribution of your own videos.

Would you like to know what the Pen your story challenge is about - be sure to visit "getolympus" at Youtube:

YouTube - getolympus's Channel

If any of you Olympus users aren't aware of this Challenge and would like to participate - then now is the time to submit your video proposal. I think that this "Pen your story challenge", is a great promotion for Olympus and one that is sure to help with the interest in these great little cameras.

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Here is Mason in the full YouTube video of the clip that I used :

YouTube - A Chat at the Office

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Robert Watcher · #2 May 16th, 2010, 09:20 PM

I am actually a little late getting in to the competition. I didn't bother submitting when the challenge was announced early in the month. I presumed that because I already have the E-PL1, that I wouldn't be eligable.

Yesterday however - I found out that there was not an issue with me already having the camera. That was good to hear and so last night I asked Mason's parents for permission to use him in the project - - - and then my wife Anne and I headed out early this morning to record this 3 minute Proposal using my E-PL1 to record the video.

So I have a lot of catching up to do to reach and surpass some of the leaders who are approaching 200 votes. So I appreciate your support.

acmatos · #3 May 17th, 2010, 03:12 AM

Great project, very interesting idea!

I hope you're one of the winners.

I've already "thumbed-it-up".

Regards

Robert Watcher · #4 May 17th, 2010, 07:16 AM

Thank's so much for that.

One thing that has been happening is that several people have been helping me out by voting the "Thumbs Up" - and not realizing that the vote wasn't being recognized because they weren't logged in. When you are not logged in to your Youtube account, the Thumbs Up button still shows and feels like it is being clicked on. A small expandable window that says " Sign In or Sign Up now! " shows up under the button - but from some of the emails that I have received letting me know that they voted but it did not change the number of likes (hold mouse over area to the right of the Thumbs Down button) - - - it may be confusing for some. Just have to make sure to sign in to Youtube before voting. Thanks.

cosinaphile · #5 May 17th, 2010, 07:37 AM

i thumbed up

Robert Watcher · #6 May 17th, 2010, 12:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cosinaphile

i thumbed up

Thanks for the support.

Robert Watcher · #7 May 18th, 2010, 04:40 PM

While I wrongly presumed that the public YouTube votes would determine the final 20 and then Olympus judges would pick the final 6 and then the final winner . . .

. . . I reread the terms again this morning only to realize that the top 6 winners as well as the final winner - will all be selected based on 51% of the judges decisions and 49% of the continuing votes from Youtube.

The public voting is a strange way to determine the winner. And so for the guy that just signed up 15 hours ago and has almost 1000 votes (even though the closest vote getters that have been there for weeks are under 200 votes) - - - it is just a given that he will be the winner regardless of his proposal or the final video he produces. The votes will override any judges decision.

Another strange thing about the YouTube voting is that there are Dislike votes. I am sure that there will be people going through all the entries and clicking the Dislike Thumbs Down, so they have an advantage. I have noticed several really good prospects for the competition - who are receiving negative votes even though there is no reason for it. I'm not sure if the Dislikes go against the Likes for the final vote - but it would be a shame.

Those are the reasons I have never had any use for such competitions and probably shouldn't have wasted my time with this one. Oh well - what's done is done :).

BBW · #8 May 18th, 2010, 05:38 PM

I'm sorry that it's been set up that way Robert. I'm not big on that sort of voting either.

Robert Watcher · #9 May 18th, 2010, 08:15 PM

To be fair to Olympus - - - letting "America" (or whatever country) vote, is the popular voting method used in TV shows these days. This is a promotion by Olympus to sell cameras, and they are following the current popular method of doing that. I don't blame them. It is smart on their part. Unfortunately those methods have little to do with value or content - and more to do with popularity. But at least Olympus has made an attempt to have judges have some say (51%). We'll see how it turns out.

cosinaphile · #10 May 18th, 2010, 09:04 PM

i think your proposal hass a lot of merit

,the generational aspect of carrying a the art and craft foward, from "sage' to "young`n", echoes , for me, the way the pens series of today have a heritage that it brings foward from previous generations of olympus cameras