Friday, December 03, 2010

Reality and YouTube


Sometimes its hard not to rage against the 'world as it is' against the 'world as it *should* be'. More and more I find I'm becoming the 'old guy'...

Take YouTube.
I have a large number of available film clips available. At current counting there are 25 in total. (See my 'channel' : DarrellatWareham )
Of those the breakdown is:
Iron Smelting - 8
Blacksmithing Work - 13
Viking Age Work - 7
Fluff - 1
(some double up in those categories)

Now, what *bugs my butt* is people complaining about the video / audio quality:
Film Critics: PLEASE READ BEFORE COMPLAINING ABOUT VIDEO / AUDIO QUALITY
Please realize that I am an ARTISAN BLACKSMITH not a FILM MAKER.
Deliberate choices have been made to record information details, and the nature of the events depicted is effected by limited equipment.
Sound is recorded as 'ambient' - as I feel the sound of hammer on metal is a critical piece of information. This means problems with shifting volumes and background noise like fans and blowers sometimes intrudes.
Almost all camera systems use some form of infra-red focusing and what is depicted is hot metal. So of course focusing often shifts.
Cameras 'see' a different range of light than the human eye. The result of this is a flaring and inaccuracy when recording hot metals.
I deliberately choose to narrow the view to the working tools. The intent is not to display myself, but my work methods.
The video segments presented here are intended to be Educational - not Entertainment.
What I see here is people who can NOT get their simple brains past the intent of the film series in the first place - INFORMATION.
Yes I realize (St McLuhan) that the 'Medium is the Message'. But I get pissed off at weenies who feel its their goal in life to bitch about trivia like focusing, rather than paying attention to the CONTENT. And then feel it is appropriate to preserve their feeble opinion with posted comments.

Forge Pot Base
'Econo Norse' Iron Bloomery Furnace
Norse Loom - working birch logs
Forging Richards.mov
Vinland3
Vinland 2
Viking Age Glass Bead Making
Bead Making - Viking Age
CanadaDay Beaver
Cold Forming Reversal Curves
Forging Elements - 'Rush Tip'
Cutting Iron Bloom
Vinland Iron Smelt
John Little - Inflating Sheet
Heavy Forging - Support beam
Forging Elements - 'Kelp'
A Blacksmith Shop Layout
Iron Smelt - Bellows Plate: DARC 11/08
Iron Smelt - Stone face with blow tube tuyere
Norse Cauldron Hanger - 'Forging the Viking Age'
Forging Knife Tang - 'Historic Bladesmithing'
Twisting Bars from 'Intro to Smithing'
Icelandic Iron Smelt - the Wareham Forge
Iron Smelting Demonstration - the Wareham Forge
Forging a Viking Age Broad Axe 77,062 views

2 comments:

Dawson said...

I totally understand what you mean. I sometimes find myself acting as the "cranky old guy" when I see how small and critical some web comments can be.

So in the interest of being fair and balanced, I find your web and blog to be a great inspiration. I'm an SCA member with a persona of a Saxon circa 1,000. Through reading your stuff I've decided this coming year to get into blacksmithing and iron smelting, wanting to recreate a forge and bloomery appropriate for the period.

So, continue to write your blog, update your website, make your informational videos and tell the critics to "P--s off!"

Polymarkos said...

I value what you do, and please continue.

Stuff the bloody critics; when they start posting valuable and interesting youtube clips, we'll be happty to piss all over their efforts.

 

February 15 - May 15, 2012 : Supported by a Crafts Projects - Creation and Development Grant

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