Drumbeat/Scenarios/scenario2

Key questions: what would year one of open video Drumbeat activities look like? Are there differences in our approach based on geography? What are metrics for measuring our success?

Note: some parts of this already in play with the Open Video Alliance (OVA). Drumbeat adds broader audiences and more in depth ground game.

Overview

• Title: Open Video = Open Web, or something similarly elemental
  • One Sentence: Raise awareness and increase adoption of open video, connecting to the broader idea of the open web as a toolkit for innovation and creativity.
  • alternately, "promote the idea that the basic tools for creating, sharing, and using video should belong/be available to everyone."

Goals (2010)

• Goal #1 - Mainstream of people who post video to the web aware that open video exists, more technical amongst them posting using video tag.
  • Success metrics: quantitative measures of open video posted, activity around the Wikipedia video launch, press and social media coverage, especially in amateur film and video publications, and the success of logos/branding umbrellas for open video tech
• Goal #2 - Compelling film and video projects emerging that show how open video and the rest of the open web can be combined for entertainment, education and art.
  • Success metrics: quality of internal pilot projects, their reception, and quantity/quality of experimental projects by others, quality of coordination with people pushing the envelope
• Goal #3 - Open video on radar as a major topic of conversation in web and film industries, making progress on major barriers to adoption and success.
  • Success metrics: at least one major video site offers dead-simple uploading and choice re: using video tag, other examples of cooperation in the works

Post 2010: use base built in year one plus tech and industry advances to promote adoption and innovation even more widely.

• Non goals
  • Resolving the codec debate, main issue is adoption of HTML5 video (note: the OGG-related goal is to make it a viable option, not necessarily the preferred one)
  • Solving the tool chain problem on the desktop, leaving transcoding to video hosts
  • Of course, other parts of Mozilla might take these things on

Community

Building on the goals above, there are three major audience groups:

1. Anyone who regularly posts video to the web, especially:

• video bloggers
• home video makers
• people who produce corporate video
• educational content people in universities
• -> especially where these people are FireFox and Mozilla fans

2. Filmmakers and video artists, especially those who:

• have a values affinity to openness and free culture
• want to experiment w/ cutting edge techniques
• want to link social media and their film work

3. Tech and video industry players, especially those who:

• are active in the OVA, see themselves as advocates for open video
• can help get open video technologies to large numbers of video producers
• also, academics interested in the high level architecture of the internet

And, of course, folks who already believe in the open web—we want to ensure that they understand our goals and will help with the drumbeat.

Framing

• High level: New technologies can fulfill the promise of video for all; everyone now has a voice. You should participate in this democratization of the moving image. (this kind of high-level framing is good to describe the mission; sharing it with journalists etc. will give narrative weight to the specific campaigns re:HTML5, open licenses, etc).

• Supporters of the open web: Open video is an essential element of the open web. Video and other rich media will drive further creativity, innovation and wealth on the internet.

• Pragmatists: The future of video is tied to the future of the web.

• Broad audience: By posting *any* video, you are helping to grow and enrich the internet. Using open video makes your contribution even more valuable and important.

• Filmmakers: Open video offers significant new creative potential, especially if you want to link social networks into your films in real time. The web enables new kinds of storytelling, etc. Also, probably some part of framing around creative innovation, remix and open source cinema.

• Industry: We need to push on a number of fronts: browsers, distributors and producers all need to adopt and take advantage of open video tech.

• International, specific: tie HTML5 open video into open standards discussions, promoting adoption wherever standards are major issue (esp. in gov't)

Partners

• Open Video Alliance
• Archive.org
• Kaltura
• Wikipedia
• Workbook Project
• Centre for Internet Studies - India (?)
• FGV and others - Brasil
• Film schools / professors
• University film and video clubs
• Wordpress?
• Rhizome?
• Intelligent TV
•  ???

Most important: need partners that tie into people who make videos. Is there a network of local film and video clubs? Video artists? Things like that.

Campaigns and activities

Start up assets we need for all of these campaigns:

• Open video branding umbrella/logo program (like CC logo)
  • Red Hat has offered support for concept/early design
• Data visualizations showing the 'video web'
  • Helps people understand their contributions and also showing ope video growth over time
• More (and more diverse) demos showing potential of open video
• White papers and research showing opportunities and major barriers to open video adoption
  • Supported by existing grant funding

Conga: ground game / local

Use all of these events to radar for talented creators and community leaders, and bring them to the big Tympani events (OVC, etc)

• a series of workshops and meetups targeted on skillsharing—how to set up a video blog, how to use the Wikipedia video editor, how to create a channel in blip/Miro, etc etc.
  • OVA is already planning these in select cities, along with a concerted "Open Video Community Day" Let's expand it

• a series of talks from high-profile filmmakers and taste makers to reinforce the importance of open video. Creative Commons has co-opted folks like this to great effect when pushing the value of sharing/CC.
  • e.g. Jesse Dylan, etc

• research exchanges outside of N. America—Brazil, India, etc—to keep up academic/research momentum on open video policy (intellectual property+telecommunications policy).
  • This is already underway with support of Ford Foundation and will produce white papers, etc. Let's expand it

• great community outreach at major conferences, festivals, local salons, and other cultural events. free stickers and stuff everywhere. keep folks on board with cool developments and sold on the world-changing potential of open video.
  • Look especially for existing Moz Campus Reps in leading film schools
  • Could also try join film school / computer science contests and hackfests
  • Remixable slides and demos that Mozilla community can present at local events
  • Film festivals, film and video clubs, Ignites, BarCamps, social media meetups

Bongo: online campaigns

Cluster #1 - Awareness

• a branding umbrella for open video.
  • Open Video tech suffers from a lack of user-friendly outreach, support, and marketing. A major component of this scenario is the development of a brand identity/mindshare for open video playback (OGG, Dirac, etc) and associated web resources to push adoption. The best use case for this is the user of a browser that doesn't support HTML5+OGG. She might be directed from Wikipedia to an attractive, simple, and well-designed site— e.g, getopenvideo.org, where she can quickly and painlessly upgrade.
  • There are also deep evangelism opportunities here—badges, logos, and other resources can help the passionate supporters of open video spread the word.
  • Open video logo campaign on sites / clips that use HTML5 video
  • High profile (hopefully viral) videos using video and showing logo

• an established working group of visionaries, activists, and web-developers that can rapidly prototype and deploy practical open video demos.
  • This group could document their work on a blog. Demos could range from simple hacks to push the envelope on cutting-edge web design, to fully developed sites to support feature films, etc (like RiP). In all cases the code is GPL'd so people can play around with adding HTML5 video to their sites.
  • The structure of OVA supports collaborations like this, but it would be good to formalize this cluster.

• a video contest to get folks talking about open video and why it's important.
  • under development at OVA, but good template for future activities. increased participation pays back.
  • Small number of participants, but hopefully many people see results
  • Try to recruit well known celebrities to help with this
  • Participants = bring into community stream, others awareness only
    • A future contest could be more like FireFox flicks, showing off what open video can do in the execution. This would be integrations of the content and the rest of the page. We'd do increased engagement with film schools, small video production clubs, and leading edge web designers. But it's probably too soon/not enough resources to launch now. Maybe post-Tympani?

Cluster #2 - Open Video Adoption

• Campaign / prizes for videobloggers using video tag
  • Targets people using video capable platforms like Wordpress
  • Further engagement -> talk about open licensing, remix, etc.
• This is combination adoption and community building effort
  • Keep in contact w/ people who participate here, invite to do more

Cluster #3 - Conga Ground Game Support

• Online community for people doing local open video events
  • Sharing and remixing materials for local events -- demos and slides
  • P2P support and advice between people doing local presentations
• Can encourage most passionate people from other clusters to move hear and get involved on the ground

Tympani: focusing the discussion / major annual event

• OVC2010, a major event that invites thought leaders to chart a course for the future of video. OVC2010 would build on the success of the first OVC by inviting more respected businesspeople, journalists, artists, and technologists. Major areas for improvement over the first OVC: liaison with media covering the event, more opportunities for hackers to meet and prototype/build tangible things.
  • Use Open Video Conference as a base, but make more ambitous
  • Strong, top-level industry representation
  • Show HTML5 getting early success, help more players make the move
  • Hackfest / creative lab where people learn to combing open video and social web
  • Mini-filmfest: best demos and creative work done in HTML5 video over previous year
• Should feel more like a festival than a conference, very participatory
• Outcomes: whitepaper on major open video challenges over

• OVC West, an adjunct event in LA or SF, with an emphasis on outreach to other communities. Would be timed for after OVC to continue the momentum.
  • Timing: throughout 2009-2010
  • Geography: Worldwide. N. America, Brasil, India, Europe (??)
  • Language: Primarily English; Portuguese close second, since these issues have strong purchase in Brazil

SWOT Analysis

Strengths

• Connects specific new communities to the open web and Mozilla
  • Offers them ways to participate and belong
• Strong partnerships already emerging under Open Video Alliance
• Mozilla has strong product story as pioneer and promoter of open video
• Open video is connects very clearly back to open web and web as public resource stories

Weaknesses

• Mozilla doesn't yet have strong links to communities we want to reach
• Tools for publishing open video still scarce and weak
• Still somewhat narrow as an issue
  • People outside audiences listed above likely won't care
• As a result, large scale online fundraising unlikely to succeed

Opportunities

• Industry seems to be moving to HTML5 video
  • We have chance to show potential, connecting to overall open web stack
• Open video may help bridge traditional tech / media producer divides
• Could build out strong, lasting open video ecosystem
  • OVA could play enduring role here

Threats

• Slow uptake of open video on popular web video sites
• Confusion and incompatibility related to codecs
• Too few or poor examples of creative potential of open video
• Ecosystem could grow slowly, Mozilla might need to support for long time

Critical Resources

• Strong architecture or participation, decentralized ability to build community
  • Could build on OVA site, Mozilla properties or both
• Demos that show the potential of open video
• People w/ knowledge and connection in video and film worlds
• Clear picture and links into film schools / clubs
• Regional presence in selected geographies
• Close cooperation w/ Mozilla product and evangelism teams working on video
• what else?

Revenue potential

• Most fund likely need to come from Mozilla
• Some potential for grants, especially if we go after them with partners
• Large numbers of individual online donations unlikely until we really establish that open video is important