Staff Blog

Good Day Vimeans,

I have a few things I'd like to bring to your attention, so pay... attention.

First off, introductions are in order. We have three new apprentices. If you recall, we put out a call for folks in the community to apply to work on the community team. We had the largest number of people apply to this apprenticeship opening than ever before. It was also particularly hard for us to choose because so many were (overly) qualified!

We ended up hiring Champ, Tommy, and Riley!


These three cool cats will be helping us make the Vimeo for the next 6 months.

Are you interested in working at Vimeo? Take a look at these job listings and apply!

For any screenwriters out there, this next bit of news is for you. Award-winning London director, Gabriel Bisset-Smith will produce the winning script of a new screenwriting competition hosted on Circalit. Bisset-Smith is best known as a writer on Channel 4's "Skins" and as the director/writer of the short film Thrush, which not only won the Grand Jury Prize at the Disposable Film Festival, but also the Vimeo Award for Best Narrative at last year's Vimeo Festival + Awards.



The competition is free and Besset-Smith will choose one script to film in his unique style. If you're not a writer, but want to participate, you can read and vote for your favorite scripts here!

Just when you thought you could take a break from learning, we came out with a new Vimeo Video School lesson. Feast your eyes on the differences between moving camera and zooms. Trust me, there's a difference. Seriously, I'm telling you zooming is different from just moving the camera forward, and this lesson will teach you all about it. Oh, there's also a third technique when you zoom and move the camera forward, and it's covered in this lesson as well, so it's time to read the lesson and learn. Right now. The lesson is here. You should click this link and read the lesson and learn about zooming and stuff. OK. GO! NOW!

Fine, here's the video, but you'll still need to go to Vimeo Video School to read the lesson.


Until next time,

AA

p.s. Read the lesson.

Hey there Vimeo,

Among my favorite aspects of editing a video is having complete control over what a viewer will and will not see. For instance, if I were shooting video during a vacation, by omitting certain shots and including others I am able to weave the narrative exactly to my liking. I can leave all my shots of thunderstorm riddled days on the cutting room floor and use only those of fun in the sun to create an up beat and joyous final product. With this concept of focusing in on specific parts of footage in mind, we'd like to present this week's Weekend Project: Cropped Creations!

With this project, we would like you guys and gals to shoot some footage and during the editing process, really take into consideration what exactly you wish to emphasize, by cropping out the unimportant and leaving only the aspects of the shots that drive your narrative (Not sure how to crop your video? Head over to Creative Cow for tutelage).



In A76 PRODUCTIONS' wonderful video, La Prochaine Fois (The Next Time) cropped shots are set alone to focus the viewer and to uniquely introduce different parts of the story.



Etnies created a unique video in which the resolution was altered to get rid of empty spaces altogether after cropping.

Your videos can be entirely fictional, non-fictional or even a mix. The only thing your video must include to be eligible for this week's weekend project is that your footage must be cropped!

A few things:

Please remember that only videos made specifically for this project will be considered. All submitted videos must be approved by the Vimeo Staff before appearing in the Group, so don't worry if your video does not show up at first, we'll get to it, promise!

Try to keep your video under 3 minutes and make sure to submit your video to the Weekend Project Group.

All submissions are due on Tuesday, August 30th at 11:59 PM (EST).

The winner of this contest will get a free Plus account, or if you're already a Plus member, we're going to let you gift the Plus to whomever you choose (along with an extra 2.5 GB of upload space)! The runner-up will receive an extra 1 GB of upload capacity whether Plus or not.

Have fun, we really look forward to what you guys put together!

Hey Vimeo,

Can someone tell me just where the heck Summer has been running off to? Today is the 15th, we are half way through August and are faced with a decision to make. Are we to gaze forward and salute the oncoming Autumn months with notions of crisp mornings and foliage? Or, are we to sit back and relish in the last of Summer's long, warm and golden days.

Personally, I'm yelling, "Get back here you rascal!" with the hopes to squeeze out every last languid drop of this Summer's dandelion wine. If you're feeling the same, I'd like to direct you towards some videos by the boys at Korduroy.tv for motivation on getting your ya-yas out before it's too late.



Korduroy.tv joined Vimeo in January of 2009 and have since been creating a "platform for independent surf culture- a place where ideas can be shared that respect self-sufficiency, craftsmanship, and a surfing experience of [their] own design." Not only do they capture great surfing, but each of their videos weaves an interesting and informative narrative that both surfers and non-surfers can appreciate. Whether it is showcasing the talented surfer/artist/shaper, Tyler Warren, teaching you how to live in your van:



Making your own corn bread:



Or even running through the new Final Cut Pro X, their videos always intrigue and inspire.

On a different note, Vimeo Video School is pleased to announce the release of a new series of lessons titled, Behind The Glass.



For these three lessons, Vimeo has teamed up with DSLR expert, Vincent LaForet to discuss the ins and outs of camera lenses. Beginning with the basics, of what lenses do and how to pick out the perfect one for you, all the way to the technicalities of lenses' focal length and depth of field. So, if you have ever questioned just what exactly "F-stop" meant or are curious about the enlightening insight of Vincent LaForet's lens secrets, I'd recommend checking out this fun, three part series in our Vimeo Video School.


In other exciting news, we recently pushed out a slew of new improvements for Vimeo Couch Mode, our special full-screen version of Vimeo that's designed to be displayed on TVs! To learn more about these updates, check out this post in our Staff Blog or, see for yourself by clicking the Couch Mode icon above the next video you watch!




Finally, we'd like to direct your attention towards the 2011 Alpha-ville International Moving Image Competition. The competition aims to participate in the ongoing debate about the effects of the digital revolution in the arts, culture and society.



They are looking for work that represents the transition from digital to post-digital culture. It is open to artists working across all genres of digital short film: animation (2D, 3D, stop-frame, CGI, motion graphics, etc), fiction, documentary or experimental and seeks entries that demonstrate originality and vision. To submit your film to this year's Alpha-ville International Moving Image Competition, go to their Vimeo Group Page and the Alpha-Ville website to check out their entry instructions. Hurry up though, as the September 2nd deadline is fast approaching. Good luck!

And that's all for now. Have a good one, Vimeo!

Howdy Vimeo friends,

This week we're trying something new and doing a special community project in partnership with The Climate Reality Project and their 24 Hours of Reality event. 24 Hours of Reality is a worldwide broadcasted event that hopes to reveal the reality of the climate crisis. The broadcast will span 24 hours from September 14th to the 15th and will consist of hourly presentations created by Al Gore. 24 Hours of Reality aims to create a multimedia experience where, "Each hour people living with the reality of climate change will connect the dots between recent extreme weather events - including floods, droughts and storms - and the man made pollution that is changing our climate."

So, between now and August 30th, we're asking you to create a video describing how a change in the climate has affected you. To get an idea of how others have been affected check out the videos below.



For Peter Cozad, a fly fishing guide from Viroqua, Wisconsin; warmer water temperatures and flooding has disrupted both his passion and profession.



Kyle Niedfeldt Zenz has been finding that with a new climate comes new obstacles for life on her family's farm.

Your videos should be non-fiction, no longer than 3.5 minutes and made specifically for this project. All submissions are due on Tuesday, August 30th at 11:59 P.M. (EST) and should be submitted to the 24 Hours of Reality Group

Has a change in climate affected you? Has it affected someone you know? Was there a definitive moment when you realized this? We hope these questions prompt you to explore a story and to be creative with your response so don't be scared to mix all sorts of mediums such as video, photography, illustration and sound to bring your tale to life!

And while you're at it, make sure to tune into the live event on September 14th!

Good news folks! Today we're rolling out some huge improvements for Couch Mode.

What's Couch Mode? It's a special full-screen version of Vimeo that's designed to be displayed on big screens like TVs and controlled only with a keyboard. We launched Couch Mode about about 10 months ago. We've heard some great feedback during that time and today, we're kicking it up a notch.

• First off, Couch Mode now works on all browsers and can play any video on Vimeo. Originally, it only worked on Safari and Chrome. Now everyone can get in on the action.




• Tablet support! Did I say it was only for TVs? I lied! It works great on the iPad and Android tablets too! Try swiping the video browser across the bottom.




• We've added tons of new navigation including the ability to browse users, Albums, Channels and Groups. Basically, all parts of Vimeo are now reachable from within Couch Mode.




• We also added global search. Just start typing, and the search box will pop right up.




• Finally, Couch Mode is now context-aware. That means on every Channel, Group and Video page you will see a button that will take you into Couch Mode and the collection carries over. So for example if you were viewing a video on the HD Channel and hit the Couch Mode button, the videos across the bottom are all from the HD Channel. You can even copy and paste Couch Mode urls, so your video launches in fullscreen when you share it.

Look for The Couch Mode button in the upper-right of any video page on Vimeo.



We've been working hard to cram as much functionality as possible into Couch Mode so it's the full Vimeo experience. As I mentioned, Couch Mode is designed to be a keyboard-only: navigate around with the arrow keys and hit escape at anytime to hide the overlays.

Now everybody grab a cold one and kick back to Couch Mode!

This week we'd like to feature a cool cat by the name of Ronen V, a member since October 2007. One of the first people to attempt sharing video on the internet (circa 1999), Ronen is a veteran at sharing his life on all of the internets. His most recent video endeavor, which he started back in February, was to create a new video every single week. What emerged from that project is some of the most imaginative and creative video and social experiments i've ever seen. Check them all out!

Here are two must watch videos from Ronen: Ronen's Adventure: Trapped in an iPhone and the absolutely hilarious How To Cook Beef Stroganoff and Fight Off A Ninja.

Recent Video School lessons:

Battery Basics
Batteries are an essential part of any camera. Learn the basics of powering up to get your video rolling.


Tripod Tricks
Want to polish up your video productions but can't spare the cash for new equipment? Check out these cheap and easy tripod based tricks to give your video a professional look.


5 Summer Vacation Video Tips
Learn how to make vacation videos that won't put your friends and family to sleep. It's possible, we swear!


Vimeo PRO: Simple and affordable video for businesses
Last week we announced a brand new service called Vimeo PRO! We've been hearing from companies for years about how they would love to use Vimeo for commercial purposes (something our platform prohibited) so we've built a service and added some tools that we think small businesses and organizations will find very useful. You can read more about it here!

One cool feature that comes along with Vimeo PRO is the video review page. Video review pages are semi-private, unlisted video pages intended for sharing with collaborators, clients, coworkers, or anyone else you want to share your video with. You can make your video private and non-accessible from anywhere on Vimeo except through that one link with which you can share with anybody you want. You can learn more about them here.

Did you know?
Vimeo has expanded beyond your browser and can now be found in devices like TVs, set-top boxes, and your smart phone! Check it out!

That's a wrap for today, see you on the Vimeo! Don't forget you can also find us on Twitter, Facebook and Tumblr!

Today we are very proud to announce the release of a new service, Vimeo PRO.



Vimeo PRO is a simple and extremely affordable video solution for businesses. We've been hearing from companies for years about how they would love to use Vimeo for commercial purposes (something our current platform prohibits) so we've built a service and added some tools that we think small businesses and organizations will find very useful.

What's new with PRO?

We've introduced some awesome new features!

• Portfolios allow PRO members to create unique, stand alone, fully customizable websites, without any Vimeo branding, to promote and showcase their videos and service. Need a website? With Portfolios you can create one in minutes without having to type a line of code. We're launching with several themes to get you started, and there will be many more to come. We even have custom domain support and built-in video SEO!



• Video Review Pages give PRO members a way to share unbranded and unlisted video pages with clients or for internal use. We are also allowing anonymous commenting as well as added password protection privacy.



• Brandable video player options gives PRO accounts the ability to add their own logo to the player! All embedded videos will show your logo, no matter where they are embedded or shared.

• Third-party video player support if you don't like ours ;) We think our player is pretty awesome, but we know you might need something we don't offer. Now you have even more options!

• All the best features of Plus are included as well, including Advanced Stats, Unlimited HD uploading, HD embedding (up to 1080p), priority uploading, and great mobile, tablet and TV support.

How is PRO different?
Vimeo PRO lives as a separate service - invisible to the Vimeo.com world - and offers all the same tools and features to publish videos. Since most companies only need the Vimeo technology to upload and publish videos for their businesses, Vimeo PRO accounts do not have access to the Vimeo community by default, meaning PRO accounts' activity and videos will not show up on Vimeo.com, and they do not have the ability to like or comment. We've taken this step to keep commercial content hidden and maintain the current Community Guidelines. From what we've seen, most companies only care about being able to embed their commercial video, so we believe this private system accounts for the huge majority of business use cases.

However, we know there are those that are still going to want to be part of the Vimeo community. For them, we've built a 'Community Pass' system to allow PRO members to interact on Vimeo.com just like a Basic or Plus member. This allows for the individuals and organizations who need the extra features of PRO, but still want to participate on Vimeo.com. That's fine as long as they play by the rules.

In short, if you like the way Vimeo works now, don't worry! Very little will change. If you're a company, you can now enjoy the same great player, compatibility and video quality Vimeo is known for. We've been working on an elegant solution that integrates business for two years and with PRO we think we've found it.

And best of all, PRO is super affordable. PRO accounts get 50GB of upload space, all at once, as well as 250k embedded video plays for $199 per year. This package is literally the lowest possible price we could offer in order to make this account as affordable as possible for the small business community. We understand this model is a change to our current offering compared to Vimeo Plus, but if you compare this package to any other video hosting solution for business, these numbers are a steal. Seriously, check around.

Is PRO an upgrade over Plus?
No! We built PRO specially for business and Plus specifically for people. We're going to continue to improve the Basic and Plus account just as we always have. A huge amount of effort was put into making PRO work within the current Vimeo ecosystem, that means as we grow, everyone benefits.

This launch of PRO is just the beginning. As always, we will continue to monitor the response from our customers and improve the service in coming months, just like we've done with Vimeo Plus. Stay tuned for more awesome!

Interested? Get PRO now.

Love,

Vimeo

Important: In order to incorporate the new PRO service, we have updated our Terms of Service and Community Guidelines. Please take a moment to review the new Terms-- Most of what was in the old document is still here, but in language that's much more concise and (we hope) easier to understand. Things like your licenses to Vimeo and our Code of Conduct haven't changed in substance. Mainly we shortened it. A lot. We've also lowered the minimum age requirement from 15 to 13 (the rules regarding parental consent still apply) and we reserve the right to disable basic accounts after 6 months of inactivity (previously it was 90 days). An account is 'inactive' when it hasn't been logged into.

P.S. If you are thinking of switching from Plus to PRO, please read this important FAQ entry before you do. We are offering ALL current Plus members the ability to switch to PRO for $139 till August 31st! Again, PRO is quite different from Plus in how it works, so please make sure you are absolutely sure PRO is right for you before you switch.

Yo Vimeo!

Being Thursday and with weekend soon upon us, we thought we'd give all of you a little something to conceptualize, execute and deliver in the next few days. In other words, it's time for another Weekend Project!

Now, we're all well aware of the power of the moving image. Whether it's guys dropping in on thirty foot waves, a family's first trip to Disney World or a plastic bag floating aimlessly against a brick wall, moving images have excited or comforted all of us at some point.

What we're perhaps less accustomed to is the power of still images. More specifically, series of photographs set to sound, used to tell a story. We frequently see this used in online journalism. I suppose you could call these "slideshows," but this time around, we're asking you to leave the corny transitions at the door. That said, it would be more appropriate to call these "photo essays."

Check out these two photo essays if you're looking for some inspiration:



And...



Your photo essay should be non-fiction no longer than 3 minutes and made up entirely of photographs that you take specifically for this project. All submissions are due on Tuesday, August 2nd at 11:59 PM (EST). Also, don't forget to submit your video to the Weekend Project Group.

The winner of this contest will get a free Plus account, or if you're already a Plus member, we're going to let you gift the Plus to whomever you choose (along with an extra 2.5 GB of upload space)! The runner-up will receive an extra 1 GB of upload capacity whether Plus or not.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Sam

**UPDATE** Congratulations to our winner, Ricard Zapata for his video Paraic King and to our runner-up, Danilo Sierra for his video El Chorrillo, Panamá.! The entries overall were outstanding and we received a really good turnout! Hopefully we'll do another Photo Essay Weekend Project in the future. Thanks to all who submitted!