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!

Jeremy Campbell Lists, Production Tool, resources Brad Paisley, Carrie Underwood, cats, catvertising, Chrome, filmmakers, filmmaking, Google, Google Chrome, motorcyle, Movember, Old Spice, production tips, video, video creators, video tips, videomaking, viral, viral video

Today the iPhone 4S by Apple (pictured above) launched, and what a beautiful looking product it is! I’m personally not going to buy the iPhone 4S as I already have the iPhone 4,  but I’m anxiously awaiting for the projected iPhone 5 later next year.

I have shot numerous videos on my iPhone 4 including my Spidvid team’s enchilada video embedded below, and really enjoy the experience of using a simple yet powerful device fully equipped with a 720p HD video camera.

How To Make Chicken Enchiladas from Jeremy Campbell on UnleashVideo

The new iPhone 4S video camera is 1080p HD that has stabilization built right in for steadying shaky shots, and video editing can be done in a native way on the device as well.

3 of my favorite iOS apps for mobile video production are:

- ReelDirector: Full editing suite to add titles and credits, cut scenes, add music, and add transitions.

- 8mm: Has a few various lenses to shoot source video with including; 60s, 70s, Sakura, XPro, Noir, Siena, and 1920.

- Movie Looks: Select already filmed clips and select the look  you want including; Black and White, Cold Day, Face Light, Mojito, Pop, Soft Faded, Sunset, Vintage Color, Bleach Bypass, Bronze, Cinematic, Cold Beauty, Cross Process, Grunge, Warm Beauty, White Diffusion, Crime Scene, Curahee, Epic, Hughes, Neo, Night Vision, Ohio, Warm and Fuzzy, Auto Art, Blue Note, Crush, Gold Tone, Hi Con Glow, Platinum, Selenium, Sepia, Action, Connor, Garber, Jake, MC, Optimus, Resident, and War. 40 different looks in all, very cool!

Perhaps the most important thing to my video shoots is my little, trustworthy tripod as pictured below. Steady shots are key and this product provides a wonderful solution.

Mobile video production is ever improving as the tools and technologies are paving a path for new filmmakers and video creators to explore, and prosper from. It will be interesting to see where these products go in the future. Perhaps by 2015 or 2020 the top mobile devices will have RED quality cameras come standard.

Side note: RIP Steve Jobs, you truly changed the world with your passion, vision, and execution. You will be truly missed.

Where do you see mobile video production going? The comments are yours!

Jeremy Campbell Production Tool, product 1080p HD, 720p HD, 8mm, camera, film production, iPhone, iPhone 4, iPhone 4S, iPhone 5, iPhone production, iPhone video, iTripod, mobile, mobile camera, mobile film production, mobile production, mobile video, mobile video production, new media, production apps, Reel Director, smartphone production, smartphone video, steve jobs, tripod, video, video apps, video editing, video production

We love to sponsor video content that resonates with our members of web series creators and producers, filmmakers, actors, screenwriters, directors, and other talent who can gain value from our Spidvid platform and community. If you don’t yet have one, grab a free Spidvid profile now.

I recently had a conversation with Travis Gordon who is the host of This Week In Web Series, and instantly knew that sponsoring his show would be a fantastic idea! This week features Tom Konkle, who’s very well known in the web series world for Safety Geeks. Along with Travis and Tom is Chris Greenaway who’s the creator of the male favorite Venus Spa web series. Their conversation is all about web series, the IAWTV awards, YouTube vs traditional television, and a discussion about Spidvid.

Watch This Week In Web Series – Episode 4, below

The 3 gentlemen had a discussion about Spidvid, and you can hear what they had to say below

Next week’s show features Rich Mbariket, who’s the founder of Web Series Network and Web Series Today.

Have a comment about the new show, the guests, or something else? The comment section is all yours below, don’t be shy

Don’t miss any of the upcoming This Week in Web Series shows going forward, subscribe to this YouTube channel to stay updated!

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I asked a question to our Twitter followers and Facebook fans a couple weeks ago; As a filmmaker, would you sooner create a web series or short film? 13 people said they would sooner create a web series, whereas 7 people insisted they would rather create a short film.

What I know is that I watch many more web series episodes vs short films during a typical week of online viewing. I’m obsessed with watching web series creators and producers increasingly improve the production and entertainment value of their content as we push forward in the rapidly evolving media creation space.

When I first started tracking and covering online video news and production “norms” back in 2006 it’s like night and day compared to just 5 years later, now in 2011. The quality gap between TV series and web series is certainly getting smaller and smaller, as the economics are constantly improving for the semi-pro filmmakers and video creators to show off their creativity, passion, and storytelling.

There are advantages and disadvantages of creating a web series vs a short film (see links below for more reading in this area), and I believe that filmmakers and video creators should do both over time. Create as much quality entertainment as you can, promote it like crazy, see which videos find large audiences and engagement, and create more similar content by doubling down on what actually breaks through the noise. Don’t spend too much money or time in the beginning, if your story resonates with viewers then leverage that when reaching out to producers to help take things to the next level.

The number of entertaining web shows is blowing up, and to me it’s extremely exciting because I see progress every week and believe in the potential going forward. I’m bullish on web series, and it will be interesting to see what big hits emerge out of this space next.

Perhaps now is your time to shine?! If you need to build a team and/or collaborate on your video or film projects, then be sure to join our Spidvid community, and post a project for our talented members to check out!

What do you think of web series vs short film in terms of creation and viewing? The comments are yours below! Here are some opinions from other bloggers on this subject: The Short Film Is Dead, TV vs Web Series vs Indie Film, Indie Filmmaking Death Match: Short Film vs Web Series.

Don’t miss another Spidvid blog post or article! Get our content delivered to your email inbox, or to your favorite RSS reader.

Jeremy Campbell Rant entertainment, Facebook, film, film content, filmmakers, new media, opinions, short film, storytelling, twitter, video, video content, video creators, video entertainment, viewing, vote, web series, web show

I love sharing content that I feel has value to filmmakers, video creators, and members of our Spidvid community. Russ Pond recently reached out to me to give me the inside scoop that he was releasing a new ebook to help video creators in the marketing video area, an area where so many individuals struggle to produce successful results.

This ebook is packed full of research, stats, stories, and of course juicy tips and advice for creating marketing videos that cut through the clutter and get your brand in front of targeted viewers. To get it, all you need to do is visit the ebook’s page, and send out a tweet to download “6 Steps To Producing a Successful Marketing Online Video” for free!

6 Steps Ebook Teaser:

1. Conveying a clear message.

2. Creating a persuasive call to action.

3. Focusing on production excellence.

4. Maximizing video optimization.

5. Considering multiple distribution channels.

6. Tracking your videos across the web.

Now that your interest has been piqued, go download the valuable ebook now, and if you have something to say about its content then please comment below. Or you can reach out to Russ directly via his website.

About the author, Russ Pond (in his own words)

Since the mid 90′s, I’ve been producing and directing corporate video projects for a variety of clients, including a handful of Fortune 500 companies. Other producers often contact me with questions about budgeting, client relationships, workflow, cameras, equipment, crew structure, contracts, business structure, accounting and other questions. So, I decided to share my resources for those interested in the business of corporate video production. My hope for this site is to provide a stream of resources to help those in the freelance production business or those interested in getting into this business.

I’ve worked on both sides of the fence. I spent 16 years working for two Fortune 500 companies in their marketing department. I was the one hiring video production companies for a variety of projects. I’ve worked with high-end ad agencies, marketing consultants and the smaller production companies. In 1996, I bought my first editing system — a Media 100 — and started learning the art of media production. Shortly after that, someone actually paid me to produce a short presentation for them. My first paying project! That excitement sent me down a path of learning where today I now run my own production company, Top Pup Media.

Since launching into the corporate video production business, I have produced projects for Nokia, AT&T, MasterCard, Haggar, Uniden, IndyCar, and a handful of other large clients. I’ve also produced, directed and edited a full-length, feature film called “Fissure“. I also recently finished work on a new television show called “Marry Me Again” that we are starting to shop around to networks.

A couple years ago, I took an assessment called “Strengths Finder” and with the help of a certified Strengths Finder coach, I learned quite a bit about the way I’m wired. My top five strengths are Learner, Relator, Responsibility, Individualization and Belief. Why do I share that? My top strength is Learner. I love to learn. I get a buzz when I learn. I look for opportunities to learn. And, I hope that this site will be an outlet for me to share all that I’ve learned about corporate video production.

Jeremy Campbell News Dallas, ebook, marketer, marketing video, new media, online marketing, online video, producing marketing video, resource, Russ Pond, sponsorship, Texas, video, video stats, videomaking, web marketing, web video, YouTube