Wednesday, February 14, 2007

iActor

The Screen Actor's Guild announced that they are starting a casting service for auditioning actors that allows for the uploading of video. The service, "iActor", will allow "all active, paid-up Guild members to upload their headshots, resumes, video clips and audio clips to create individual iActor profiles that will be searchable by casting professionals. Launching to the industry in spring, iActor will allow casting professionals to search the database in order to cast SAG members."

Unlike other verticals in the video uploading craze, this actually seems to be a sound idea. A system where people may audition for certain roles without having to show up at a certain time and place would benefit casting directors by at least filtering out the best of the initial applicants. Of course an actor must prove themselves in person, but if you consider how much time and energy goes into screening the first hundred applicants or more, than the benefits are huge.

Another use for this same idea would be for Reality-Tv shows that still ask their applicants to fill out forms and send in a 5 minute tape of yourself. The massive amounts of letters and tapes they receive could easily be done away with by a video uploading service that allows applicants to submit their audition video through the Internet.

FaceCast...

It has been some time since I've updated readyforbroadcast, so in keeping up with my previous post and the latest news, Comcast is partnering with social networking site Facebook to start a user-generated show called "Facebook Diaries". According to Businessweek: "the series will consist of 10 half-hour episodes produced by R.J. Cutler, known for his edgy work gathering stories from regular folks in shows such as "American High," a nonfiction TV series chronicling the lives of suburban teens at an Illinois high school." The shows will be aired on both Comcast's Ziddio site as well as their VOD channel and will appear on Facebook as well.

Not sure where Comcast's other venture with Endemol went but it seems the cable giant is really eager to monetize the UGC craze. However, this deal seems more in favor of Facebook than Comcast. Apparently Facebook currently does not have any video uploading capabilities, they simply let users post links of videos that are hosted on other sites. This joint effort with Comcast "will expand Facebook's video sharing capability."

Time will tell if this venture, and others like it, will succeed. The good part with Facebook Diaries is that it is not simply just home videos. The project is being produced by someone with experience in storytelling, which means they are not just relying on the hype around user-gen content, they are actually trying to do something creative.