Show has great content - Shame about the presenter

[heardzimin]

Nice show content - but I can hardly bear to watch - Darren cant present - his eyes dart around - looks at the camera - and has VERY cheesey comments

Such a shame

[sphinxer]

TBH I think he is a good presenter. Yes he does look around (looking nervous sometimes, perhaps too worried about screwing up) and looks at the camera while the guest is talking, and it would be better if he didn't, but I certainly don't think he has "cheesy comments".
I think Darren is a good presenter because 1. He seems genuinely interested in what the guest is explaining, and 2. he is knowledgeable about most of the topics himself, so he can ask questions without sounding stupid, and fill in extra information when the guest is too brief. This is far more than what I can say about the presenters of some of the other shows on Rev3. Not to mention that he doesn't have any annoying sayings speech wise (specifically, he does not like any thoughts, nor is he an echo).

The only beef I have with him is that his last name is Kitchen, yet he has failed to do any segments on cooking. What's up with that?

[masherscf]

This is a really spoiled opinion. Darren is the producer of the content. He's the best person to be presenting it. This gives the content a genuine character that won't come from having a TV-spokesmodel present it. Darren is not a trained on screen personality. He's a genuine geek and sometimes isn't polished.

[randyisarealboy]

This is a really spoiled opinion. Darren is the producer of the content. He's the best person to be presenting it. This gives the content a genuine character that won't come from having a TV-spokesmodel present it. Darrin is not a trained on screen personality. He's a genuine geek and sometimes isn't polished.

aye aye

[hak5chris]

Darren and I actually did a cooking short once. We made beer cupcakes: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-cA2puq_9eU

:D

[thetron]

Darren and I actually did a cooking short once. We made beer cupcakes: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-cA2puq_9eU

:D

There was another one darren did too.

But it was just released to IRC or on darrens blog

[hak5darren]

Nice show content - but I can hardly bear to watch - Darren cant present - his eyes dart around - looks at the camera - and has VERY cheesey comments

Such a shame

Like others have said I didn't go to school to be on screen or anything, I'm just a geek. But I'll give you the geeky insight on whats going on behind the scenes and why I'm looking around / seem uncomfortable.

Prior to this season we shot three cameras on a single segment. This was nice because our segments would flow like conversations, as they should. Lets take a segment with Chris for example. If I'm on set with Chris my role is to lead in the segment, *hopefully* ask the right questions, steer the conversation, make sure we # announce relevant follow-up resources on the topic, and "throw" to the next segment.

With three cameras on a single set this is very easy and comfortable. I can simply look at Chris when he is talking and converse as normal. When Chris is talking the camera cuts to him. When I'm asking a question the camera cuts to me. When we're simply bantering Paul will take a wide shot of us both.

Now with a single camera on each set we've lost that type of production. I miss it and I'm working to get it back as we go HD. Anyway having only a single camera on us I'm struggling between looking at Chris the whole time and looking at the camera. If I look at Chris it's a side of the head shot. If I look at the camera it looks like I'm not paying attention. What I need to do is adopt a quarter stance as used in theatre. But it gets worse.

Off to the left side of the camera is a clock which I must pay attention to as we're typically shooting for a specific time on a segment. Trust me, if it's not there we'll spend 20 minutes bantering and we'll have hour long shows. Depending on who is prepping for the next segment I may or may not have someone giving me counts (holding up fingers for each passing minute) off to the left as well. To the right I've got a preview monitor which shows what camera Paul currently has taken. If we're shoting something on the computer I need to keep an eye on this as well.

I was able to keep all of this in check a lot easier in prior seasons while shooting segments with three cameras and as we attempt to obtain better studio space and tweak our constantly evolving production process we'll go back to this three camera method.

As for my cheesy comments, well, that's just me being me :)

[guytheninja]

Like others have said I didn't go to school to be on screen or anything, I'm just a geek. But I'll give you the geeky insight on whats going on behind the scenes and why I'm looking around / seem uncomfortable.


I've never noticed you or anyone else on this show acting like they were uncomfortable. Maybe I just don't pay attention to this stuff. I doubt that most other people pay attention either.


Now with a single camera on each set we've lost that type of production. I miss it and I'm working to get it back as we go HD. Anyway having only a single camera on us I'm struggling between looking at Chris the whole time and looking at the camera.


I know this has already been discussed on these message boards, but this is the only thing that aggravates me about this show. There are times when a computer screen is shown, and I can't read the text because of the low resolution. I would really like to read all the text on the screen (jasager demo comes to mind).

I will definitely be happy when the HD version of this show is ready.

[unn0129]

The presenter is just fine, the fact is, I think some people forget that this show is home brewed. Darren isn't the ceo of rev3, he can't afford top of the line production studios and equipment.

See, I can ignore the imperfections of the show, because nothing is perfect. These guys are genuine geeks, that know their shit, and thats one of the reasons why the show is great.

Quit being so picky you biatches! =P

[unhap]

the OP is just wrong

[heardzimin]

Its so easy to fix though - Just ask Darren to look at the person who he is talking to while that person is talking and not at the camera - the only time to look at the camera is when you address your audience

Content is getting MUCH better though - 407 was great

[xfuuey]

The presenter is just fine, the fact is, I think some people forget that this show is home brewed. Darren isn't the ceo of rev3, he can't afford top of the line production studios and equipment.

See, I can ignore the imperfections of the show, because nothing is perfect. These guys are genuine geeks, that know their shit, and thats one of the reasons why the show is great.

Quit being so picky you biatches! =P

Couldn't have said it any better.

[tokenuser]

Its so easy to fix though - Just ask Darren to look at the person who he is talking to while that person is talking and not at the camera - the only time to look at the camera is when you address your audience

Content is getting MUCH better though - 407 was greatThose that can ... do.
Those that can't ... critique* ... anonymously.


*From the french, for "needless bitching".

[seshan]

Its so easy to fix though - Just ask Darren to look at the person who he is talking to while that person is talking and not at the camera - the only time to look at the camera is when you address your audience

Content is getting MUCH better though - 407 was great

If it's so easy you should do a show.

[imagitronics]

Darren's presentation is fine, although I really miss Wes (get him back!)...

I hope the decision to move to Rev3 was the right one for Hak5. Although I appreciate the weekly episodes and the show is definitely attempting to dive into more in-depth content than previous seasons, I am really starting to worry about Rev3. After laying off man stay people who helped to build this company, canceling shows that they themselves ruined by forcing them to move in-studio, and ending licenses with popular videos because they "don't fit into their long term plan." I worry.

If Rev3 asks you to move to their studios, don't do it! It's a kiss of death.

[imagitronics]

I was reading the thread Is it just me... (http://revision3.com/forum/showthread.php?t=24107) and I felt obliged to comment. I can understand where the original poster is coming from, but I don't think he addressed it in a way that would be well received by the Hak5 crew.

First of all, let me say that I do enjoy the show. I've been watching since the first season and I will continue to watch as the show matures even more now that it's broadcast weekly.

There is one aspect of the show that's always bothered me, however. I think the Hak5 crew needs to more closely identify their target audience. This show attempts to cover some pretty advanced topics, but they do so as if the audience is computer illiterate. When they are "talking down" to the audience, it's easy to get the impression that they do not understand the concepts themselves. I believe that they are intelligent guys who are passionate about technology - but I often find myself excited to see a new episode, only to find out that it barely scratches the surface. Often times, as was the case with .NET Reflector, they went into so much detail about what a dissassembler was (and came off sounding as if they barely knew).

I'd like to think that your audience is a little more technical than that. I was unfamiliar with .NET Reflector, but readily identified it's purpose (and possibilities) as soon as the name was mentioned. I'd like to see the show evolve and target a more advanced audience. You could, for instance, host your own "crackme" competition in place of the [silly] trivia game. Encourage your users to explore the technologies that you've shown them by offering them fame and swag.

I understand the tough predicament though. By "geeking up" the show, they run the risk of alienating a larger audience.

As I said above, I'll continue to watch the show, but I'll do so with hopes that Hak5 will stop underestimating their core fan-base!

Keep up the good work guys,
Tim

[soidl]

Darren,
I just got a chance to read your response to this thread and I think that you should go back to the camera set up that is the most comfortable for you. The HD stuff is over hyped and not worth the effort if it is going to ruin the show. I got the chance to catch one of the old episodes and the camera work was much smoother even though the image was smaller.
I guess what I am trying to say is that the content is much more important that the number of pixels on the screen. If you can convey the message smother using an older three camera rig, then do it. We know that you guys are trying to get the better cameras and we know that your not just pissing away the funds that people send in. Don't feel as though you have to implement part of the plan to show that you are making progress. Patches are good when they are necessary but it is normally better to come out with new releases when they are ready. The HD thing is a new release that should not be a patch.
Analogies aside though you and the crew are doing a good job and I am happy that this show exists. You may want to invest in a production assistant to handle some of the load. Also some of the best content comes when you are just BS-ing around. I know HD editing is probably a pain but that may be a better way to go.
Well this post has gone much longer than I expected and take it from a person with time on their hands, what you are doing takes a lot of hard work but it is better than doing nothing.

[soidl]

At around 13 minutes into the latest episode (411) You say "We are getting a little top heavy" and the camera cuts to Shannon for the GoDaddy sponsor plug. I know that you were talking about the show but with that segue it could be taken the wrong (or right;) way.

[snubs]

At around 13 minutes into the latest episode (411) You say "We are getting a little top heavy" and the camera cuts to Shannon for the GoDaddy sponsor plug. I know that you were talking about the show but with that segue it could be taken the wrong (or right;) way.


lol! thats hilarious! I didn't even notice.

[djoutlaws]

Like others have said I didn't go to school to be on screen or anything, I'm just a geek. But I'll give you the geeky insight on whats going on behind the scenes and why I'm looking around / seem uncomfortable.

Prior to this season we shot three cameras on a single segment. This was nice because our segments would flow like conversations, as they should. Lets take a segment with Chris for example. If I'm on set with Chris my role is to lead in the segment, *hopefully* ask the right questions, steer the conversation, make sure we # announce relevant follow-up resources on the topic, and "throw" to the next segment.

With three cameras on a single set this is very easy and comfortable. I can simply look at Chris when he is talking and converse as normal. When Chris is talking the camera cuts to him. When I'm asking a question the camera cuts to me. When we're simply bantering Paul will take a wide shot of us both.

Now with a single camera on each set we've lost that type of production. I miss it and I'm working to get it back as we go HD. Anyway having only a single camera on us I'm struggling between looking at Chris the whole time and looking at the camera. If I look at Chris it's a side of the head shot. If I look at the camera it looks like I'm not paying attention. What I need to do is adopt a quarter stance as used in theatre. But it gets worse.

Off to the left side of the camera is a clock which I must pay attention to as we're typically shooting for a specific time on a segment. Trust me, if it's not there we'll spend 20 minutes bantering and we'll have hour long shows. Depending on who is prepping for the next segment I may or may not have someone giving me counts (holding up fingers for each passing minute) off to the left as well. To the right I've got a preview monitor which shows what camera Paul currently has taken. If we're shoting something on the computer I need to keep an eye on this as well.

I was able to keep all of this in check a lot easier in prior seasons while shooting segments with three cameras and as we attempt to obtain better studio space and tweak our constantly evolving production process we'll go back to this three camera method.

As for my cheesy comments, well, that's just me being me :)

don't worry about any of it dude, i think you're a great presenter, really natural and you know your shiz. best show on Rev 3!

[davmoo]

At around 13 minutes into the latest episode (411) You say "We are getting a little top heavy" and the camera cuts to Shannon for the GoDaddy sponsor plug. I know that you were talking about the show but with that segue it could be taken the wrong (or right;) way.

Thankyou. I don't feel like such a dirty person now for thinking the exact same thing when I watched the episode :o

[heardzimin]

Hmm - dont see how I was 'annonymous' Also - shame people cant accept some feedback

[your_sysadmin]

I must say this show is the one show I never miss. Being of around the same age (24), a corporate System's Administrator, and an avid video game fan I LOVE this show. I laugh when Darren spits some random reference to a 90s era DOS game that not a lot of people would get.

Darren's presentation, in my opinion shows that he has a real in depth knowledge and love of the subject matter (techno-lust???) LOL, which anyone with a similar background will enjoy.