I don't know what it is about raw video that is so effective on the Web.
Certainly, the topic matters the most. For example, in doing the weekly run through of the video catalogue, there was a St. Patrick's Day inspired video of a fountain near the White House that had been colored green.
The problem with the video was that, for the most part, it was just green water bubbling around. A few camera angle changes, but that was it.
So topic is important. And so is the sense that we are witnessing something that, if not historic, something that has a significant or special in a context of itself.
Seeing video of penguins interact isn't breaking news, but it does have a peculiar attraction, the ability to see the rare birds behave in their native element, or even in a zoo, without having a narrator run us through the scientific explanation.
And then there is the visual pace of it all. Edited video has a pacing that is designed to enthrall the viewer, but it is an artifice to it all. When a viewer watches raw video, one gets the sense of what it would be like to be there, or at least someplace close.
Anyway, here's some of the top raw videos of the past week.
Top Models riot, raise a ruckus
Somebody should have known better to make a bunch of vain, hypoglycemic beauties stand together in crowded conditions for an extended amount of time.
Three people were arrested and six others hurt after a riot broke out while they waited to audition for 'America's Next Top Model' last week, putting a new twist on the term reality TV.
Needless to say, it's hard to believe that six people were hurt. I would think two or three of these contestants could fall flat on you and you might not even notice. That being said, crowd control I'm sure will be enhanced for future versions of the show, but if I were the producers, I would simply make it part of the contest. Call it, "Running of the Runway Models."
In a far more controlled situation, Rapid City hosted the Miss Rapid City Pageant this past weekend. (I mean, where else would it be held?)
Among the highlights of the passage was a visit by Miss South Dakota, Alexandra Hofman, who performed "Jesus Take The Wheel" for the crowd gathered to take in the contest.
It proved to be a highlight of the evening for both fans and contestants.
Police beatings, deserved or not, always make captivating video.
Two Illinois police officers arrested in connection with the videotaped beating of a motorist have been placed on leave, thanks to this video shot by an on-board camera on one of the law enforcement officer's vehicles.
Unlike the notorious beating of Rodney King, this videos most damning evidence against the officers doesn't come from the visual. The victim lays down on the ground, away from the view of the cameras. However, his howls are quite audible as a group of officers gather around him, one repeatedly kicking as the man on the grounds moans.
Of most interest, though, is the officer in the center frame. Not really taking part but watching from just beyond the circle surrounding the man who was pulled over and then allegedly beaten, midway through the video, he looks up as if to notice the on board camera. You then see him walk around the car toward the driver's side, and then it's the end of the video.
It will be interesting to see how this case turns out.
Baby bears, a sign of spring to come
As aforementioned, the sight of wild animals on film or video is one that is almost always captivating.
Here in the Hills, thanks to Bear Country U.S.A., the arrival of the bear cubs always means spring is on the way. The sight of the playful creatures and their constant movement is about as entertaining as it gets in the animal kingdom.
Of course, seeing video like this makes me long for my childhood days in Duluth and making regular visits to the zoo. It makes me wish there was a zoo within five hours of here, but at least there are a few tourist attractions such as Bear Country, Reptile Gardens, Old McDonald's Farm and the Roo Ranch that attempt to pick up the slack.
There's an old Billy Bragg song called "The Space Race Is Over" that laments most folks these days are engrossed in cyberspace and have long forgotten the near mystic thrill of seeing the first space missions.
I was just a toddler when man first walked on the moon, but I do recall subsequent missions and watching them on television. I was in college when the Space Shuttle Challenger exploded shortly after lift off, standing in stunned silence with my dorm brethren in the commons at Allen Hall at Dakota Wesleyan in Mitchell.
There is something breathtaking in the sheer power of the launch of space craft as they hurtle toward the depths of space, beyond our sight and knowledge. Perhaps it's something that you have to remember as new, as what it was like when it first happened, to truly appreciate it.
