Broadband, YouTube, a New Laptop and Film Making - An Historical Reflection on Transitioning from Dialup Internet

Ibis Skater Evolved, Bin Chicken to Skateboard Pro,
Evolution of a Bird by TET. Available from RedBubble

Prior to getting broadband internet access I, like many of you, only had dialup internet, and for the most part was happy with it. I never experienced the speed of broadband until the day our house switched to it. I could never have imagined just how much more the internet had to offer and the possibilities that would arise from that simple change.

I thought that because I didn't download a lot of video that I didn't really need broadband. I now realise that I didn't download a lot of video because I didn't have broadband.

Discovering YouTube has been like having someone finally stop choking you so you can really enjoy a breath of fresh air. Just browsing the video clips is better than watching real free to air television.

Many of the clips are made by average, everyday people who's best chance of ever getting on TV would be as part of a studio audience. Some people star in their own films while others just upload snippets of their lives. Maybe it was something stupid they happened to catch on a mobile phone camera or maybe it was something serious like a missile attack in Lebanon.

Ages span the generations with young and old alike uploading videos. I know of one senior citizen who is retelling his life experiences from world war II. His channel on YouTube is one of the most subscribed with comments and feedback from all ages who are eager to hear what he has to say. He is overwhelmed and emotional knowing that so many people feel that his story is important.

For me, finally getting a new laptop with enough power to record video has been a real boost for my creativity. If 'convergence' is the technology buzzword of the moment then convergence has finally happened for me.

I've never been just one kind of artist, because of that, film making has always been something I'd like to do. I've been involved in at least two film making courses but never could take them further because I couldn't really afford the equipment. Now I can because I have broadband, YouTube, a new laptop, a web cam, a digital camera, a microphone and, most importantly, editing software that can bring everything together into a movie.

I can be a writer, director, producer, and even star of my own films. Catching up with technology has opened up a new channel of my creativity that has been stifled for so long. Whilst my early films will probably be mostly about me I will eventually stop navel gazing and make films that have a story or something like that.

I look forward to creating films that I hope you will enjoy.

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