Well, like I said, I agree with you entirely. I was "shocked" enough
just reading the twitter or link here or whatever that informed me
that they had been over there AT ALL. I thought they were in the
sticks somewhere making bread and not using plastic. When I read the
link, I was like "THEY could have been caught up in it TOO? :O".

So, yeah, when I went to the video, it had extra import, gloom and
doom for me because at the time they recorded it, they still could
have gotten busted. Ads, of course, are going to pull me out of that
feeling, so they're certainly unwanted... as far as the "art" of the
piece.

As far as what kind of ads they might have served on it, that's an
interesting point. Unless boingboing does a consistently "gloom and
doom" category of videos, there's no reason for them to have
specifically targeted videos to specific videos. Like, there's no
reason that their audience watching THIS video would have been
different from the audience that watches the rest of their videos,
whatever they're about. So while I agree that the ads could have been
more in tune with the mood of the individual video, at this point, I
don't think it's feasible to tell an advertiser "We're going to do one
solemn video out of 100, maybe... so pay us to advertise your product
once in a blue moon".

Bill Cammack
http://billcammack.com

--- In videoblogging@yahoogroups.com, "Heath" <heathparks@...> wrote:
>
> Oh indeed I do know that is the nature of the "biz" but I can't help
> but think, maybe an ad for not smoking or maybe a company that is
> doing "green" or social things, etc...maybe that would have been a
> better fit than the ad that was on there...again I know the realility
> but for me this was the first time it really hit me...maybe it's
> because I know Jay and Ryanne, I don't know...but...
>
> Heath
> http://batmangeek.com
> http://heathparks.com
>
> --- In videoblogging@yahoogroups.com, "Bill Cammack"
> <billcammack@> wrote:
> >
> > I hear what you're saying, but bills have to be paid. I don't know
> > anything about boingboing, so I can't speak for them specifically,
> but
> > that's the game that's being played here. Get people to click on
> your
> > video, get people to click on your ads, get revenue to pay people's
> > salaries. There's nothing else going on here.
> >
> > It's like when you make a Ning community. You can make it for free
> if
> > you leave the google ads on your site and lose the use of an entire
> > sidebar... or you can pay Ning to make it worth their while to ditch
> > the ads and let you use the sidebar. Lots of people choose to make
> > free Ning sites and lots of people choose to watch free boingboing
> > videos with whatever ads you saw on them.
> >
> > I know you know this already and were just stating facts, :) and I
> > agree with you for the most part. The thing that SUCKS for me with
> > overlay ads is that you don't know when they're going to come up, so
> > as the content creator, when you go to font someone in THE LOWER 3RD
> > OF THE SCREEN, some bullshit ad comes up over your title and the
> > effect you were creating as art is completely lost. If that's the
> > only time you mention someone's name/title in the piece, people are
> in
> > the dark the whole time.
> >
> > Also, like you said, overlay ads of ANY kind destroy immersion, but
> > like I said, it's about making your money back, not making art that
> is
> > poignant and has the desired effect on the viewer that the artist
> > (content creator) intended.
> >
> > Removing ads would defeat the purpose of doing the videos in the
> first
> > place. (Again, having nothing specifically to do with boingboing)
> >
> > Bill Cammack
> > http://billcammack.com
> >
> > --- In videoblogging@yahoogroups.com, "Heath" <heathparks@> wrote:
> > >
> > > I am glad jay and ryanne are back safe, I am glad that boing
> boing
> > > and others are trying to report things....but....and for me it's
> a
> > > big but....the ads on the video piece from boing boing turned me
> > > off....I mean, here are jay and ryanne talking about people being
> > > detained and how that they are basicly trying to get out of town
> > > before they themselves are detained and I get some upbeat rockin
> ad
> > > for, heck I don't even know but it just seemed sooo out of
> > > place....it detracted me from the overall message...maybe it's
> just
> > > me...but.....
> > >
> > > Heath
> > > http://batmangeek.com
> > > http://heathparks.com
> > >
> > > --- In videoblogging@yahoogroups.com, Rupert <rupert@> wrote:
> > > >
> > > > http://tv.boingboing.net/2008/08/25/boing-boing-tv-proti.html
> > > >
> > > > "Last week, eight American citizens were detained in Beijing
> for
> > > > participating in pro-Tibetan sovereignty protests near the site
> of
> > > > the 2008 Olympics, with Students for a Free Tibet. Two
> > > videobloggers
> > > > who documented those protest and guerrilla art installations
> > > evaded
> > > > detention, and spoke to Boing Boing TV on Friday Beijing time
> > > about
> > > > why they were there, what they witnessed, and why it mattered.
> > > >
> > > > "Jay Dedman and Ryanne Hodson of Ryanishungry.com spoke to us
> over
> > > > Skype from a hostel in Beijing. One of the actions they
> documented
> > > in
> > > > photo and video was the hanging of an "LED throwies" light
> banner,
> > > > below, which read "FREE TIBET." We agreed to hold this Boing
> Boing
> > > tv
> > > > episode until after we received word that they'd safely left
> the
> > > > country. They have returned home, so I am posting the piece
> today."
> > > >
> > > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
> > > >
> > >
> >
>