One of the cool things about video blogging is that it’s a great way to collaborate with your friends and other bloggers as well. That’s why video contests like Globe’s Paramihan Challenge and Nescafe’s 3-in-1 Flicks are such online hits – they allow brilliant minds to mix and match ideas and do something creative together. Years ago, podcasting is the barkada’s favorite techie past time; but now, almost everybody is shifting and digging the video format. Sky’s the limit – here are different vlogs by different barkadas with different treatments and styles:

Ria and Friends’ Mutant Skit
A great way to have fun and experiment with special effects.

Az and Friends’ Burger King Feast
Food Vlogging

The Palawan Gang’s Misadventures
Travel Vlogging

Umleo and Friends’ Card Games
Raw and Unedited Moments

Dino and Friends’ Bolinao Trip
Music Vlogging

James and Friends’ Handprints Project
Awesome way to show creativity while having a blast.

I’m sure you and your friends could come up with your very own unique video masterpieces. Give it a try!

Do you have a Barkada video online? Share it with us and we’ll link it here! Make sure to BE UPDATED as we add more video links to this page.

Former President Corazon Aquino‘s most memorable moments in Philippine history now online on YouTube:

Cory Aquino’s 1986 Inauguration

President Cory Aquino’s Historic Speech Before the U.S. Congress

President Cory Aquino’s last SONA – July 22, 1991

Starting early next month, the start of the blogging awards season in the Philippines is about to begin with the announcement of the much-awaited Top 10 Emerging Influential Blogs of 2009 and is scheduled to end by December with the Pinoy Expats Blog Awards 2009. Video bloggers has a lot of things to look forward to including new awards that are tailored especially for Pinoy vloggers out there. Here’s a list of the upcoming events from August to December:

1. Top 10 Emerging Influential Blogs of 2009

The top 10 blogs will be announced on August 8, 2009 Saturday, 6 pm to 11 pm at the Forum Hall, Casino Filipino, PIRC Bldg. Ninoy Aquino Avenue, Parañaque City. Shuttle to the venue is available. Pick up time will be at 5:30 pm at Starbucks 6750. The program will be as follows:

• Dinner
• Observations and Lessons learned – Top 10 Emerging Influential Blogs writing project (Janette Toral)
• Eyeball sponsor talk – PAGCOR
• Raffle Draw – 10 winners who will get US$100 each. Of course, those who can’t make it are still part of the draw and can win.
• Recognition – The Top 10 Emerging Influential Blogs 2009 – as chosen by writing project participants.
• Raffle (we will welcome all raffle contributions), games, networking

The writing project is still on-going so don’t forget to vote for your favorite blogs at Ms. Janette Toral’s blog.

2. Saranggola Blog Awards

“Paliparin ang isip, abutin ang langit; bigkisin ang mga salita’t pakawalan sa hangin gaya ng Saranggola!” – In preparation for next month’s Buwan ng Wika (Philippines’ Language Month), The Saranggola Blog Awards are showcasing special blog posts that are written / made in Filipino. Pinoy bloggers around the world can join with their short stories, poems and of course, vlogs. Here is part of the guidelines:

1. Bukas ito sa lahat ng bloggers; nasa Pilipinas man o nasa labas ng bansa.
   • Bloggers : kung nagsusulat ka ng blog. Ikaw yun ano pa man ang trabaho mo, kurso o estado sa buhay!
   • Kung sakaling ang mananalo ay nasa ibang bansa, ipapadala sa inyo ang mga premyo.
2. Filipino lang ang midyum na gagamitin sa mga kategorya bilang pakikiisa sa pagdiriwang ng buwan ng wika. Kung Ingles ang iyong blog, siguraduhing ang isusulat o iba-vlog  mo ay nasa Filipino.
3. Maaaring sumali sa apat na kategorya. Siguraduhin lang na isang entry lang sa bawat kategorya.

Paglikha ng Maikling Kwento, Maikling Kwentong Pambata, Tula at Vlog

1. Vlog (video blogging)
   i.      3 – 5 minutong vlog na nagpapakita o nagtuturo ng paggawa ng saranggola
   ii.      Kinakailangang Filipino ang midyum sa pagbibigay direksyon sa paglikha
   iii.      Huwag masyadong seryoso, dapat ay nakakatuwa, at maging malikhain.
   iv.      Ipakita sa vlog ang aktwal na paglikha ng saranggola; hindi pwedeng direksyon lang. Dapat ay ipapakita ang nabuong saranggola sa vlog.

Deadline is on August 31, 2009 and winners will be announced on September 15, 2009. For the complete guidelines, visit Mr. Bernard Umali’s blog.

3. Pinoy Expats Blog Awards 2009

Now on their 2nd year, the Pinoy Expats Blog Awards recognize blogs made by OFWs (Overseas Filipino Workers) and Expats around the globe:

The top 10 Pinoy Expats/OFW Blog AWARD or PEBA is a search contest aimed to recognize and honor the exemplary work of blogging Pinoy Expats/OFW. PEBA wishes to present their blog work and bring their creative talents to light. We want to highlight the inspiring blogs of expatriates and learn from their lessons, their stories, and their work normally contained in their blogs. Considered as “Bagong Bayani” (new heroes), we believe we ought to hear their voices and amplify it for the world to hear.

A blog to be nominated should write an original blog entry (Filipino, English, Taglish) about the theme: “Filipinos Abroad – Hope of the Nation, Gift to the World.” or “Pinoy Expats/OFW – Pag-asa ng Bayan, Handog sa Mundo.” Various ways of expression is allowed: Photo/s, poem, song lyrics, music, video, cartoons, drawing, with written post relevant to the theme.

PEBA’s initial rule is very simple. We asked the blogging community to nominate their favorite blogs; we select the top 10 from various locations around the world and honor the winners with award badges and widgets.

If you want to join or nominate your favorite Expat blogs, just go to the Pinoy Expats Blog Awards site.

4. The Philippine Blog Awards 2009

Nominations are now open for the 3rd installment of the Philippine Blog Awards! It will be a great and exciting year for PBA as they introduce new awards and categories for the ever-growing and diverse community of the Philippine Blogosphere. One good, new upgrade is the inclusion of a new major category – Best Videocast (which was merged with Best Podcast last year)! Here is the guidelines from the official Philippine Blog Awards site:

I. It must be Filipino owned

II. It should not be a blog that belongs to a publishing or media groups.

III. Blogs that focuses on the Filipino and the Philippines (ie Filipiniana) can join the Foreign Blog/Pinoy at Heart Blog

III. Philippine Blog Awards Founders, officers and members of the Philippine Blog Awards Board of Directors, their blogs, blog projects, posts, videocasts, photos and podcats they worked on are automatically disqualified from being nominated.

IV. For the Best Blog Division: The blog must have been established before June 1, 2009.

V. For the Top Ten Post for 2009: The post/videocast/podcast must have been been published before June 1, 2009. Only one post per blog can be submitted.

VI. For the Special Awards Division: The nominee and blog for the award must at least have been established, introduced, and blogging before June 1, 2009.

VII. Submitted blogs and post should contain the necessary authorization to use the images, audio, text and other content.

VIII. Only the owner/blogger of the blog can fill up and submit the nomination form.*

NOTE: If you know any blog that should be a nominee, you can refer them to the page or by filling out this form.

The coming months will be an awesome season of recognition and celebration. May these events produce not only more quality blogs but also more friendships and new acquaintances among Filipino bloggers as well.

Philippine Blog Awards President Juned Sonido interviewed by TJ Manotoc on Tech Talk of Mornings @ ANC about this year’s awards. Here are Behind the Scenes Pictures: Read the full story

We have the finalists! Video Chops got only 7 out of 12 right from our Fearless Forecast yesterday but I gotta say – the judges did a pretty good job in picking the Top 12. Here are the chosen ones:

1. Pinakamaraming Nagshashagidi Shagidi Shapopo!
2. Bulak Brothers City Wide Dance Party Adventure! (Paramihan ng duo combo dance moves at landmarks in one day)
3. Paramihan ng Malulusutan
   
4. Paramihan ng Basketball Exhibition
5. The Greatness of Paramihan
6. YouTube – 51 Things I Found In My Bahay Kubo
7. Paramihan ng maisusuot na polo
8. Paramihan ng Kiss
9. Slumdog Kutohan
10. Paramihan ng Mag-Luluksong Baka
11. Paramihan ng Handprints
12. Paramihan ng Sipit

SUBSCRIBE to be updated of the vote and winner status.

And now it’s time to vote and get a chance to win FREE Everybodytxt20 and P10,000!

Raffle (VIDEO VOTING)

Open to ALL Globe Prepaid subscribers.

HOW TO JOIN:

• Log on to www.globe.com.ph/paramihan.
• Choose among the top 12 videos and vote for your favorite video entry.
• Register to vote.
• Enter your Globe prepaid mobile no., full name, complete home address, age and email address.
• Registered users can only vote once per video entry but they can vote for different video entries from other users.
• All voters will receive an ETXT20 via electronic load within three weeks of registering and voting on the Paramihan challenge site.
• Voters will also get a chance to win Php10,000.00 cash through an electronic raffle detailed below:
  • Each name registered will be equivalent to one raffle entry only, regardless on the number of votes made.
  • Cut-off for registration and voting will be on July 31, 2009, 11:59 pm.
  • On August 1, all registered names will be culled, processed and submitted to Globe’s Information Security Group to ensure that no name will be doubly entered.  All the names will then be translated into a text file.
  • On August 4, 3:00pm, in the presence of a DTI representative, the text file containing all the names will be inputted in to randomizer software that randomly selects entries.
  • First three results will win P10,000.00 cash each. Metro Manila winners can claim their cash prize at the 4th floor, Tower 2, Globe Telecom Plaza, Pioneer cor. Madison streets, Mandaluyong City while provincial winners can claim their prize in the Globe Business Center nearest to them (please see separate sheet to view list of Globe BC’s).

Congratulations to the finalists!

This is it. After weeks of waiting and watching Johnny Stunts’ shameless Paramihan stunts, over 60 entries have been submitted by midnight yesterday. This video contest, I believe, is one of the most well-received projects of its kind. Usually, without the help of TV advertising, contests like this only get about 10-15 entries. So kudos to Globe for doing a great job on making the contest viral somehow.

Now, all these 60 participants are waiting for the moment of truth. By tomorrow, 12 finalists will be picked by the judges for the chance to win 100,000 bucks! And since Video Chops can’t really wait anymore, we are predicting the deserving videos that will be filling up the Top 12 slots. Here they are in random order:

• Bulak Brothers City Wide Dance Party Adventure! (Paramihan ng duo combo dance moves at landmarks in one day) – Very professionally done. A top 3 contender.
• Paramihan ng Impersonation (Sing & Talk Alike) – You have to give props to the talent. It’s NEVER easy to impersonate anyone.
• Maramihang Jump! – Jump shots are always cool. ‘Nuff said.
• Tribute for Michael Jackson (Paramihan ng kumanta ng Heal the World) – The makers of “Pangga” strike again! The backstory of the challenge is the most interesting part IMO.
• Paramihan ng maisusuot na polo – Gotta give props to the editing. The concept reminds me of Joey from FRIENDS (the time when he wore all of Chandler’s clothes)
• Pinakamaraming Nagshashagidi Shagidi Shapopo! - Shagidi Shapopo is always fun. ‘Nuff said.
• The Supermarketeers Paramihan Challenge! – I’m a bit biased with this but the logistics in shooting this video was uhm, challenging. LOL. And we weren’t caught. woot!
• YouTube – 51 Things I Found In My Bahay Kubo – Very Filipino. And Jodinand is always funny and animated to watch.
• Paramihan ng Mag-Luluksong Baka – They have a great advantage in the Paramihan Factor criterion. I have to say – very supportive work environment.
• Paramihan ng pumulot ng P20 – The only “hidden camera” entry in the bunch. They could’ve done something more exciting though.
• Paramihan ng Sipit – Anyone who’s willing to do THAT to his face for money (or fame) deserves a chance to win some bucks.
• Paramihan ng Basketball Exhibition – The editing was brilliant but it could’ve been shorter. Oh well, this is still one of the top contenders for this competition.

So there. That’s Video Chops’ Top 12 Paramihan Challenge Fearless Forecast. Do you guys agree with the list? What’s your Top 12? Don’t forget to subscribe and be updated.

Five stories. Five short films. One circle of friendship.

Video Chops’ next CHOPter is all about Globe and Pelicola‘s “‘Kada Kwento” – a collection of stories about seven individuals that make up a barkada (circle of friends). In each film, we see interesting (and sometimes amusing) manifestations of friendship that each one shares with the rest. We’ll be featuring exclusive clips from the creators and producers behind this new innovation in brand advertising. Reviews and feedback of each episode (err, installment) will also be available as this new chapter progresses. We’ll also be counting down ’til the series’ 3rd episode premieres.

This VC installment will also showcase Barkada Vlogging. One of the cool things about video blogging is that each post can be a great chance for your friends to collaborate and bond – mix and match ideas. We’ll be featuring different Pinoy barkada vlogs that we’re posted online just for the pure fun of it.

So do you have a barkada video posted online? Share it with us and we’ll feature it here on CHOPS! Now subscribe to us and we’ll keep you up to date.

‘Kada Kwento Launch: Bloggers Special Screening

Flippish.com, the Philippine’s First Online Video Channel has officially launched last July 2, 2009 at the Fiamma bar, Makati City. The event was a massive success. The number of guests did not disappoint as a great crowd of Flippish fans flocked the venue to witness the channel’s brand new offerings. Roxanne Barcelo charmed the audience once again as the event’s host and Executive Producer Chris Tan retold the inspiration behind the concept. The ViPs (Video Producers) were introduced one by one and new shows were presented like Weekend Warriors and Brain Freeze. Special guests also performed in the official launch:

Here are links to exclusive video clips of the event:

1. The ViPs (Video Producers)
2. Chris Tan and the Weekend Warriors

A number of press people were also present. Here is the coverage of Cinema News Weekend from local cable channel, Cinema One:

The Flippish ViPs thank everyone – the fans, friends and bloggers who went to the party.  From Flippish.com’s blog:

To our dear FRIENDS and FANS!

We would like to THANK ALL OF YOU for joining us at Fiama to celebrate the official launch of Flippish.com! It was an amazing event and we were thrilled to see you there! We hope you enjoyed the party as much as we did!!  Also, thanks to everyone who watched us LIVE via webcast! Hope you enjoyed the show from home (but next time, come party with us at the event!)!

Please continue to support Flippish by linking our videos, blogging about them, and telling your friends! We really feel the love and we’re so grateful for your support!

Love,

The Flippish ViP’s

(Kring, Chrina, Roman, Dos, and Jav)

Here are bloggers’ accounts of the Flippish Launch:

1. flippish launch party.
2. Flippish.com launching party @ Fiamma

Got posts about the Flippish Launch? Let us know and we’ll link you!

PHOTO FROM AZRAEL AND KRING

The other day, I was about to upload a video on Vimeo when I noticed this note from them:

It says:

Please note: We have changed the way our download feature works. From now on, the original uploaded source file will be removed after one week from the upload date. However, the encoded version will always be available for download.

When I clicked on the Learn More link, it brought me to their blog and there, they explained in detail why they are limiting the usage of this feature to Vimeo Plus (paying) users:

Since the very beginning, Vimeo has retained the original video files that you upload, and allowed you to grant people permission to download those files. We always take these original files and convert them so that they will play online and in the Vimeo player. We kept the original files for download because we wanted you to be able to save your video exactly the way it looked when it left your hard drive. This aspect of the service was not a huge burden on us when the site was younger, but we’ve had to take another look at what we are realistically capable of offering for years to come, while making sure the site stays on budget. Original file storage of every file for every user is a massive cost, and we have noticed that only a very small set of users actually ever download their own files. We want to keep original file storage around as a feature for people who use it, but we can’t continue to do it for everybody.

I’m one of those users who finds original source file downloading very useful. As we all know, converted video files are very much different in terms of quality; source file downloading allows me and my readers/viewers to share raw, high-quality videos in a flash. It allows collaboration with other video bloggers much more manageable. And that’s what I liked about Vimeo – it’s video sharing and file storage rolled into one site.

It’s disappointing because I created Video Chops with a very special feature in mind – to be able to make stock video footage free-for-all to download. This concept is experimental but resorting to Rapidshare downloads is not an option for the site. First, its a waste of upload time (one for video sharing and another for file storage), second, Rapidshare’s free download service just plainly sucks. But then again it’s rare to find free GOOD stuff in the internet nowadays so I saw this one coming.

Vimeo’s reasons are pretty understandable. I know it was a hard decision. But something about their new policy bothered me:

This new one-week policy applies to all basic accounts’ videos uploaded from this point onwards. For videos that were uploaded before this blog post, those original files will be available until August 1st, to give you some time to download them if you need to. After August 1st, those files will also be removed.

It’s one thing that they are removing a pretty nifty feature from basic users but doing it retroactively just leaves a very bad taste to most. I suggest they just leave old source files in their system and start the new policy with newly-uploaded videos. At least the free-users’ panic mode will be reduced to a minimum.

Well it’s not the end yet. The converted video file will still be available for download in mp4 format and Vimeo Plus users won’t be affected by the change. Now, I’m thinking – do I upgrade to Plus for $60 a year? Or do I just stick with the converted (less quality) files? I really don’t have patience (and the time) for other file hosting services.