Getting Noticed -

Showcasing Your Videos

One you learn the basics of video production, you may want to let people see what you can do by showcasing your work. There are numerous Internet sites that will do this for you, including the following:

1. YouTube (www.youtube.com) -- Maximum video length 10 min. This by far is the most popular video-hosting site around -- but not the best.*

The videos often leave a lot to be desired -- both in terms of quality and often in terms of taste. Thus, your videos may not always be "in the best company." Watch out for the commentary -- it often gets pretty bad -- even a bit psychotic. Even so, the site it easy to use and includes many amenities (and you can turn off the comments).

2. Revver (www.revver.com) -- Not only a step up from YouTube, but this site will pay you dividends for plays. Forty percent of the ad revenue generated on the page featuring your video is put in your PayPal account.

Unlike YouTube, you can set the size of the window where your video is featured. This is especially important for HDTV productions (and it clearly separates you from the phone camera crowd). No time limit is set, but your video file must be under 100MB. Revver does QuckTime and Flash. The downside is that since Revver isn't nearly as popular as YouTube, you may have to direct people to the site.

3. Metacafe (www.metacafe.com) This site also pays dividends, but on the basis of the number of plays. For example, 1,000 views pays you $5. With 20,000 views you get $100.

The site also has a wide variety of production tips and tutorials. Because the videos have to be approved before being posted, the general quality is better than YouTube's. Unfortunately, videos are limited to the Flash video format, and that's limited to 8-minutes.

4. Spike/iFilm (www.ifilm.com) This site is for the professionals, and not surprisingly, features the highest quality videos on the web.

Hollywood producers often visit the site -- especially to scout for new talent. Productions can be up to 45-minutes long and can be submitted by DV, Beta tape, or most quality formats. This site only uses the Flash format. Be prepared to prove you have music rights or that you produced your own background music.

In short, Spike/iFilm has select viewers, and like an important Hollywood party, a very good place "to be seen."