Bad video: I’ve Got A Hole In My Head

In case you’re wondering where I’ve been the past week, well, I’ve been immersed in geek mode, attempting to produce a video that won’t turn to mush on YouTube.

But here’s what I eventually discovered: Everybody’s videos look bad on YouTube! The bad videos are what make YouTube a great big, fuzzy democracy.

This news arrives as a relief. Grooming is no longer necessary before one shoots a video, since nobody can tell what you look like, anyway. I might start calling myself Paul McCartney. People won’t know the difference, as long as the volume’s turned off.

And so, I’m proud to present this crappy looking video of I’ve Got A Hole In My Head, my opening number at the recent Deep Ellum Arts Festival.

Better than No Quality

Lee Cates, last seen at my Bill’s Records set, returned to capture the pixellated action in beautiful Sony Hi8.

Select HQ mode (look for the icon at lower right in the video panel) for best display.

Or, if you prefer super special Extra Quality, download this 62.5MB edit of I’ve Got A Hole In My Head (© 2009 Ken Turetzky).

Spec sheet

Professional videographers will really enjoy the following technical detail. Be sure to let me know what all of this stuff means, because I don’t understand any of it.

• I’ve Got A Hole In My Head re-encoded with the open-source program VirtualDub, from the original .VOB digital rip.
• VirtualDub filters: null transform (used to crop 720×480 video to 640×480), FadeFX (fade out and fade in), brightness/contrast, subtitler (using a script created with Sub Station Alpha).
• Compressed with XviD MPEG-4 codec, quality setting 8/31 (file size 62.5MB). Video length: 2:57.

Posted in: Video at 11:28 pm Wed, Apr 15, 2009.

3 comments

1. 

   Ste says:
   

   9:10 pm Thu, Apr 16, 2009

   Hi Ken

   Good vid btw!

   The “pixellation or blurryness” as you call it is simply the result when the original footage gets compressed to an mpeg. I could go into geek mode an elaborate … but I won’t lol.

   If you look at the vids on my and navigate to the train vids you see see mine are just the same

   Reply
2. 

   kturet says:
   

   11:12 pm Thu, Apr 16, 2009

   That’s the , all right.

   A bit pixellated, but still on time!

   Reply
3. 

   Steve says:
   

   11:42 pm Sat, Apr 18, 2009

   Hi Ken

   Yeah, the Weardale Railway will be linked to the main network hopefully this July at Bishop Auckland. This heritage Line is partially owned by an American firm that also run heritage lines in the USA. IOWA Pacific formed a new company called British American Rail Services and are the main shareholders in the Weardale Railway. Visit the website ( ) for more info All Aboard!!

   Cheers

   Ste

   Reply