Trelby’s open source screenwriting software has an intriguing story. Blyte was originally a commercially built screenwriting product by Osku Salerma but after disappointing sales, Osku abandoned the project but open sourced it in 2006 . This strategy was to see Blyte updated and maintained by the community. Unfortunately though nobody invested time into advancing the product, so it just sat on the sidelines with little love and fanfare.

Fast forward to 2011 where a couple hero’s emerged to put the technology back on the map. Anil Gulecha was the screenwriter/developer who initiated the rebound initiative with Salerma. They decided to call the new product Trelby, tweak the functionality and design, and of course leave it open to any developers who want to iterate on the code. Trelby launched earlier this month, and it runs on both Linux and Windows.

Screenshot of Trelby below

Trelby Features

• Screenplay editor: Enforces correct script format and pagination, auto-completion, and spell checking.
• Multi-platform : Behaves identically on all platforms, generating the exact same output.
• Choice of view: Multiple views, including draft view, WYSIWYG mode, and fullscreen to suit your writing style.
• Name database: Character name database containing over 200,000 names from various countries.
• Reporting: Scene/location/character/dialogue reports.
• Compare: Ability to compare scripts, so you know what changed between versions.
• Import: Formatted text, Final Draft XML (.fdx).
• Export: PDF, formatted text, HTML, RTF, Final Draft XML (.fdx).
• PDF: Built-in, highly configurable PDF generator. Supports embedding your chosen font.
• Free software: Licensed under the GPL, Trelby welcomes developers and screenwriters to contribute in making it more useful.

Want to write your next script using Trelby? Great! You can download the software here.

Or if you want to get a better sense for Trelby before downloading it, then check out the screen shots. You can follow Trelby’s progress via their Twitter account or their blog. And if you are a developer and are interested in iterating on Trelby then you can contribute your code.

So long 2011, 2012 is here! With each passing month, online videos are getting more creative, more fun to watch, and less expensive to produce which bodes well for our Spidvid community. Below are 5 remarkable viral videos and production tips from December. There are dozens of others likely just as deserving as these, so if you have a favorite please include the link in the comments below. And here are November’s just in case you missed them.

1. FedEx Guy Throwing My Computer Monitor – Most of us have horror stories to tell of product deliveries gone horribly wrong! Unfortunately most of us don’t have these experiences on video though like the one captured below. This computer monitor likely traveled for hundreds or even thousands of miles to arrive to the customer’s doorstep, only to be thrown on the owner’s property, who by the way was home at the time. Brutal FedEx, just brutal! The views aren’t brutal though as this video has racked up over 8 million views already. Video production tip: Keep those video cameras rolling because you never know when you will catch something out of the ordinary.

2. Flyboard Zapata - This is perhaps the coolest product ever for water enthusiasts that allows you to soar through the air like a flying fish in a Mario Bros. video game. Amazing, and as for the video itself it has earned over 3 million views since December 3rd. Video production tip: Find the most remarkable product you can and give an insane video demo.

3. Most Insane Immersive Movie Experience EVER - Check out this guy’s room totally change into the movie he is actually watching! No SFX, no post production, no cuts, everything you see here is 100% for real. This could be the future of movie experiences in the home, which would give you yet another reason not to go to the movie theater! Bonus: There are more of these incredible videos at GreatFilmsFillRooms. Video production tip: Lighting is key for video production as we all know, but use light in new and creative ways to build environments that are out of this world.

4. Singing Christmas Hedgehogs – OK so Christmas 2011 may be over, but the Christmas spirit lives on with these cute little singing hedgehogs, courtesy of Birdbox. Online video is getting more and more interactive and this video is an excellent case study for the new media initiative. Video production tip: By making your videos more interactive and engaging, you also make them more memorable for your viewers.

5. Hello Little Printer - This little social printer lives in your home, bringing you news, puzzles and gossip from your friends. Use your smartphone to set up subscriptions and Little Printer will gather them together to create a timely, beautiful mini-newspaper. Cool product, but bad news for trees and the environment at large. This little social printer is launching sometime this year, and is already supported by Google, Foursquare, Nike, and other big name companies. Video production tip: Interesting products breed interesting videos, just keep it simple and make viewers think “wow, how cool, I want it.”

Create better quality video entertainment by collaborating with our talented community, be sure to get a Spidvid profile and if you need any help at all just ask us!

It was a massive year for online video in 2011, which saw our community’s content from Spidvid exceed 1 million views on UnleashVideo in 2011.

This is my 4th straight year making predictions for the online video space. If you want to see how my predictions fared in other years here’s 2009, 2010, and last year’s 2011 list. For my 11 predictions last year, I rate them a 8/11 which is pretty decent. Let’s see how I fare this year.

12 online video predictions for 2012

1. Yahoo invests $250M into original video content – Yahoo has a new CEO and seems to be getting more and more focused on online video. I think that Yahoo takes a big step towards re-establishing their corporate identity and it’s in the video space.

2. Standards for views and ad creatives are finally implemented – There is still lots of confusion as to what constitutes a video view online, and 2012 will be the year where a standard will be set. Some people think that if a video starts that’s a view, while others think a whole video must be watched for it to count as a view, clarity will come in 2012. Every video ad company seems to have their own formats but this will end as ad standards will be put in place for video, much like display banners abide by now.

3. Mobile video explodes – I’ve been predicting this for a few years and every year mobile video traffic seems to double it’s viewing audience thanks to increased penetration of iPhones, Android based phones, and tablets.

4. Apple’s “iTV” makes OTT mainstream – There are a bunch of great “over the top” products out there for your TV including; Apple TV, Roku, Boxee, and others, but as Steve Jobs says they are just hobby businesses well at least for Apple to date. But in 2012 Apple is going to be releasing TV’s in the 30″-50″ range which will sell like crazy to Apple’s raving fans, and these iTV’s will dramatically increase consumer’s use of iTunes for purchasing video content.

5. Social TV - More and more people are watching TV and sending out tweets about what they’re watching, their perspectives on what they’re seeing, and engaging with other passionate viewers. Social TV will be huge in 2012 as Twitter and Facebook create tighter relationships with the TV networks.

6. HTML 5 – This seems to be the format of choice long term even though it’s still in its infancy right now compared to flash. This format is much more dynamic than all the others and will ultimately become #1, but not until 2015. HTML 5 will see more growth than ever before in 2012.

7. YouTube will buy a company – The world’s largest video sharing site continues to build out its ecosystem both through building features internally, and acquiring technologies externally. YouTube is growing up and is stepping outside of Google’s shadow, and 2012 will be the biggest year ever for YouTube. If you are tired of YouTube coverage now, you haven’t seen anything yet!

8. Hulu gets acquired – There was a ton of speculation that Hulu would be acquired throughout 2011 but it never happened, but in 2012 it will. I’m going to double down on my Yahoo prediction and say that Yahoo buys Hulu to become a serious online video player.

9. Netflix gets acquired – There was also lots of speculation that Netflix would be acquired in 2011, but again much like Hulu nothing happened. Netflix has seen its subscriber base and stock price dramatically decrease since its pricing model changed, but it’s still a strong brand in the streaming video space. I’m going to call Netflix is sold, but not at a price that its CEO, board of directors, or investors are overly happy with.

10. Google Plus delivers big views – Facebook and Twitter drive huge video views as social video emerges. Google Plus’s social network is exploding and as a result it will become a major player in delivering video views, especially to its toddler site, YouTube.

11. More online video stars get movie deals – Famous Fred of YouTube got a deal with Nikelodeon to star in “Fred the Movie” which did quite well from what I heard. There will be more of these kind of deals happening in 2012, mainly to the YouTube partners who have strong character personalities like Fred possesses.

12. Remote video collaboration takes off – With more and more cloud based video editing platforms emerging, along with matchmaking sites like Spidvid emerging, 2012 will be a year that many video creators and talent open up to the possibility of bringing on external talent to their teams and using new tools to help manage those projects.

If you have a 13th prediction to add then please add it below!

Cheers to 2012 which will be online video’s biggest year yet!

Other online video predictions can be found on Media Post, VidCompare, ReelSEO, TubeFilter, New Media Minute, and Streaming Media.

We’ve been getting lots of positive and a couple negative pieces of feedback over the last couple months for collaborating with talent on Spidvid. For the most part video creators, filmmakers, actors, and other talent are having excellent experiences on our collaborative platform which is great to hear, but a couple of issues have come up including payment to talent who didn’t complete the work, and lack of communication and involvement.

Below are 3 tips to get the most out of talent on Spidvid

1. Talk to them – The most effective way to build solid relationships with users on our site is to speak to them directly. Whether that’s in person (which is ideal), over the phone, or on Skype, make sure that you establish verbal communication before any formal collaboration begins.

2. Outline objectives and goals – Before doing anything be sure that everyone on the team is on the same page. If an editor is to edit a video then the elements which need to be completed should be clearly laid out on the table up front. If the editor can’t do everything needed, then an alternative individual should be attracted. Establish milestones, which lead up to the end goal of getting the video or film completed and ready for distribution.

3. Be careful with financial compensation – If you intend on paying someone who you’ve connected with on Spidvid, first be sure that a firm deal is in place. We don’t yet have a payment solution in place inside of Spidvid, so if you are paying someone via PayPal or on another third party payment site, you may want to have signed papers in place to protect yourself. So when the work gets done, you pay. Or maybe you pay 50% up front, and the other 50% when it gets completed. We will eventually be accountable for financial transactions between our community members when our internal payment solution is implemented, but right now we can’t be as all deals are externally happening outside our site.

These are 3 simple things to keep in mind when collaborating on video projects via Spidvid, and elsewhere on the Internet for that matter. Understanding them will ensure a smoother Spidvid experience, and ultimately projects getting completed safer and more quickly.

Keep updated on tips for getting more out of Spidvid, have our posts delivered to your email inbox. And join the other 11,338 people by following us on Twitter, or like us on Facebook.

This article is sponsored by the project management degree program at SMMU.

If you are interested in learning about project management, many universities offer a project management degree online for individuals with a busy schedule.

With each passing month, online videos are getting more creative, more fun to watch, and less expensive to produce which bodes well for our Spidvid community. Below are 5 remarkable viral videos and production tips from November. There are dozens of others likely just as deserving as these, so if you have a favorite please include the link in the comments below.

1. Google Chrome: Movember – I can’t add a video to this list without including one that’s Movember related. If you live in a cave under a rock, Movember is where guys grow mustaches in support of raising awareness and research money for fighting prostate cancer. I didn’t grow a mustache this year, but support these guys who did, and thank Google for creating this video. Video production takeaway: Create entertaining videos and release them during emotionally charged times of the year.

2. Catvertising – Cat videos are loved by many, many viewers online, and are often found here on my viral video lists. This video tells the story of a company that offers “catvertainment” inside of branded company videos, brilliant! Video production takeaway: Use cats, dogs, birds, or any kind of cute pet you want in a video, just be sure to tell a story that’s original.

3. Carrie Underwood’s Skin Secrets – This year Carrie Underwood and Brad Paisley hooked up to host the CMA Awards, and created a short and sweet promo video for the awards. I wonder if Carrie’s beauty sponsors were on board with this campaign?! Video production takeaway: Celebrities are popular, so try to lure them into starring roles in your videos and films. You won’t likely be able to get someone on the A-list, but call up Screech Powers from Saved By the Bell and see what he’s up to.

4. Jorian Ponomareff Drifting – One of the world’s top freestyle motorcyclists shows off his moves going through a tight track, and getting distracted by a sexy female. The video has been viewed almost 3 million times since November, 11th. Jorian Ponomareff is remarkable! Video production takeaway: Shoot as many angles as you can, the more footage you have for editing the better!

5. Old Spice | Motorcycle – Another motorcycle video! No this video doesn’t have the now infamous Isaiah Mustafa in it, but it’s still pretty clever. Video production takeaway: Be original, think outside the box, and do something that most video creators don’t have the balls to pull off.

Create better quality video entertainment by collaborating with our talented community, be sure to get a Spidvid profile and if you need any help at all just ask us!

Many indie video creators and filmmakers who attempt to produce entertaining horror videos and films often make many common mistakes, leaving their content looking very amateurish and cheesy. There are a few things to keep in mind before even sitting down to write a script. I offer 3 tips for creating non-cheesy horror videos below, if you have a 4th tip please add it in the comments.

1. Scary music is key – Have you ever watched a horror film without sound? If you have, then you know that what you are seeing doesn’t have the same emotional impact that the composed music element provides. A good film score builds suspense, and unleashes a climax that can scare even the most manliest man you’ve ever met. Look extensively for a quality sound designer if you are creating a horror video, because if the sound doesn’t match the video, or the score is poorly executed then it will come off as cheesy and have viewers laughing instead of screaming. There are many amazingly talented composers and sound designers in our Spidvid community.

2. Go easy on the makeup – Fake blood on victims, and caked on makeup can leave your lead antagonist actor looking more like a clown, rather than the scary “bad guy” you’re striving to create. Makeup artists are so important when on set for horror projects, so be sure to get ones who have related experience and can successfully pull off the unique look you envision in your mind.

3. The bad guy is critical – A horror story always centers around the bad guy who’s purpose is to cause havoc on people’s lives. The audience has to fear this character, understand their power, and must side with the story’s hero to defeat the bad guy and save the day. Try to create an original bad guy, because all too often this character is overly cliche, and as the story builds it’s just too predictable for viewers to guess how it will all end. Have at least 2 or 3 twists and turns to keep the audience guessing what the bad guy will do next, and how he or she will make it tougher for the hero to ultimately prevail.

Have a 4th tip to add? The comments are yours below!

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Creating entertaining videos can at times be a tedious, frustrating, and non-pleasant activity. There are ways to have more fun while creating videos with your team members, and I’ve outlined 3 of them below.

1. Build your team carefully – Anything in life is more fun when you are around individuals that you get along with, who share your values, and who have an engaging personality. Every time one of my friends tells me that he or she hates their job, it almost always comes down to dis-liking their co-workers. Associate with solid people, build teams that possess good chemistry, and you will have more fun while getting better video production results.

2. Have the right tools, equipment, and software – Have you worked with video cameras, sound equipment, lighting, or video editing software that sucked before? Not too much fun is it! If you don’t have the products needed to get a video project done smoothly and successfully then attract team members who can contribute what’s needed.

3. Choose your projects wisely – Time is such a precious commodity in today’s fast paced digital media age. So why waste time on video projects that are doomed from the start, are clearly going to be no fun, and even if completed will get next to no views or tons of thumbs down as ratings. If you are a video creator please be sure to start with solid ideas, concepts, and scripts. If you can’t get excited about the project you want to develop, then how do you expect to inspire anyone else to?

Have more fun creating videos by using our Spidvid platform and leveraging our community.

Have a 4th way to add that will offer more good times when creating videos? The comments are yours below!

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All too often video creators and producers want to use the same production teams over and over again. Is talent recycling a good long-term strategy? I explore this often overlooked topic below.

4 reasons why switching up your video production teams is a good idea:

1. Safe is risky – Quite honestly it’s a big pain and challenging problem building teams around video and film projects. So what many video creators and producers do is save time by just using their same local talent, without exploring opportunities outside their city. Call it a “team building comfort zone” or whatever term you want to use, but bottom line is that having a core team is perhaps a good idea for stability reasons, but learning to be flexible for attracting outside talent can be very beneficial for your projects.  Sometimes good things take time!

2. Fresh perspectives – Teams can get stagnant, so bringing in even one or two new members for every project can help liven things up a little, and ignite more conversations that ultimately beat a better path towards the end goal. Individuals who challenge the status quo should be at the very top of your list.

3. More resources to draw from – Raw human talent is a wonderful thing, and so too are the assets which each member brings to the table. Some examples are videographers who have their own cameras and lighting, producers who have money to invest, composers who have sound equipment, etc. When bids are made on Spidvid projects we always urge the talent who are bidding to specify what they can contribute in terms of skill set, and any equipment, tools, props, or software they have at their disposal.

4. New connections – When you attract new members to your teams the chances are good that a few of them will be valuable connections beyond video projects. As a small non video production example, I’ve been offered places to stay should I decide to visit San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York, London, New Zealand, and even Australia. Harness these relationships, and never burn bridges if things don’t go according to plan.

Build the teams you need for your video entertainment projects, join our Spidvid community to gain access to a vast pool of talent from across the world that wants to collaborate with you on developing your content!

Do you have a 5th reason to add? The comments are yours below!

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With each passing month, online videos are getting more creative, more fun to watch, and less expensive to produce which bodes well for our Spidvid community. Below are 5 remarkable viral videos from October. There are dozens of others likely just as deserving as these, so if you have a favorite please include the link in the comments below.

1. Duck Sauce: Big Bad Wolf – This gives new credence to the expression “dick head” please watch with caution. This video now has over 1.5 million views. Video production takeaway: Make people think WTF when they see your video. They will be motivated to share the video with their friends and followers.

2. The Bug Circus Generator - Bugs powering a smartphone? Now this is cool! Video production takeaway: Doing something unexpected with the help from animation can make things seem real, and fool the audience (well some viewers at least) to think things are real.

3. Sauna - A relaxing session in the hotel sauna turns to embarrassment for one poor chap. Who’s that lurking behind the steam? Video production takeaway: If you can ever get a celebrity in your video cost effectively, then sign him or her on as an actor!

4. Introducing Siri on iPhone 4S - Siri on iPhone 4S lets you use your voice to send messages, set reminders, place phone calls, and more. This viral video has almost 5 million views since the iPhone 4S launch. Video production takeaway: A beautiful product sells, but telling its story through video is key to quickly showing people first hand why they should care and how it helps their lives. Sell benefits, not features.

5. The Galaxy Nexus - Galaxy Nexus is the next generation of Nexus devices co-developed by Samsung and Google. This video does a good job showing off the beautiful new features of Android 4.0 – the Ice Cream Sandwich platform, and the phone itself. Video production takeaway: See above, and using lots of beautiful colors and animated characters can really hold people’s attention if successfully pulled off.

Create better quality video entertainment by collaborating with our talented community, be sure to get a Spidvid profile and if you need any help at all just ask us!

With each passing month, online videos are getting more creative, more fun to watch, and less expensive to produce which bodes well for our Spidvid community. Below are 5 remarkable viral videos from September. There are dozens of others likely just as deserving as these, so if you have a favorite please include the link in the comments below.

1. Rhian Touches Herself – What a brilliant move to campaign for men getting tested for testicular cancer. I’m sure that Rhian had many guys grabbing their balls, but for what reason?! Video production takeaway: Sex sells, and hot women get attention, use them when appropriate in your entertaining videos.

2. Puss In Boots – The Cat Haz Swagger – The Old Spice TV commercials were huge viral sensations. This video isn’t an ad for Old Spice, but rather, features a co-star from the Shrek series, Puss. Antonio Banderas would make a great cat, but in this video his character promotes the upcoming movie Puss In Boots. Video production takeaway: Cats are huge stars online, but getting them to do what you want isn’t always easy. So keep a quality camera close by at all times because you never know when that magical moment will happen. If that doesn’t work then animate a cute cat and give the kitty a sexy voice over.

3. World Greatest Drag Race – If you love sports cars and racing then this video is for you! Motor Trend reserved an airport strip and put 11 of today’s hottest cars (including a Ferrari, Porsche, Audi, Lotus, Mercedes, BMW, Lexus, Evora, Corvette, Mustang, and Laguna) in a row to see which one was fastest. Well shot from many different angles with lots of car candy, enjoy. Video production takeaway: Always think big, and tap into people’s passions.

4. McFly’s Closet – Nike recently launched a campaign called Back To the Future. 1,500 shoes are being auctioned off with the money going to The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinsons disease research. Check out these cool glowing kicks! Video production takeaway: Sell the future.

5. Carlsberg stunts with bikers in cinema – Beer maker, Carlsberg pulls off a genius stunt in Belgium with 148 bikers in a movie theater. Some innocent couples want to take their seat, but the room is filled with not so friendly looking gentlemen… how will they react? Video production takeaway: Reaction videos can be massive hits, just look at what Ashton Kutcher did with his TV show Punk’d.

Create better quality video entertainment by collaborating with our talented community, be sure to get a Spidvid profile and if you need any help at all just ask us!