"Publishing Transparency -- Spielberg Better Watch Out!" Karl on Cars

Publishing Transparency -- Spielberg Better Watch Out!

A few years back, our company president, Jeremy Anwyl, used the term "Information Transparency" to describe how the Internet had changed the car-buying process. For decades, a car buyer had to go to the dealership with little more than a car's MSRP and his or her best negotiating skills. Today, with sites like Edmunds.com, consumers know everything a car dealer does about how a vehicle is priced (MSRP, invoice, incentive activity, and even holdback information). The deal is now transparent -- as long as a buyer is willing to do their homework before going to the showroom.

That's been true for years, but today you have publishing transparency. Internet developments since the year 2000 have essentially torn down the walls between private individuals and publishing giants. You don't need a newspaper or broadcast station or even a bilboard to reach millions of people. None of this is news, of course, but what is news to me is just how easy it is to be an established director/producer (at least in my own mind). Over the past six months I've acquired a high definition camcorder and MacBook Pro laptop (with iMovie included in the software suite). This past weekend I finally took the time to play around with both, though the footage I started out with wasn't even shot on my new camcorder, it was shot six years ago on a basic JVC DV during our American Exotics comparison test. The official Edmunds video crew shot the video that accompanies this story, but a friend of mine came up for the test day at Willow Springs Raceway, and during the day he goofed around with my camcorder. The raw footage has just hibernated on that DV tape ever since...until now.

After just a few hours of editing work (my first time ever using iMovie), and about 20 minutes registering and uploading the video on YouTube, I now have a fully edited, extremely mediocre 2-minute version of the track day -- and anyone with an internet connnection can watch it. I find the whole thing pretty mind boggling and terribly exciting. Someday I might actually make something worth viewing, but for now I would heartily suggest not wasting your time on this one. It was really just a "How does this work/can I really do it?" experiment -- as the quality of the video confirms (if you're REALLY bored type "dodge viper willow springs" in the search box). Next stop: Ford GT donuts!