I think it's a great idea! I loved @dougsmit 's videos and have watched many ancient entries on YouTube...even the less then entertaining ones, just for the knowledge and maybe the most important reason to SEE MORE COINS. Which is why I totally disagree with the podcast/radio idea. Why not do a podcast on paintings or super models?? Because coins are beauty and art. And we love to see them as much as we love to learn about the stories behind them. If you follow through please let me know so that I may SEE MORE COINS
Another thought that I have is to have coin reviews or an in depth look at the art and history on a particular coin or series. A good example of video quality with an extensive review is this video: The video above is a tech channel and he does a lot of phone reviews, I really like the format he uses and the close ups of the phone. So just, in your mind, replace the phone in the video with a coin. There are more videos along this quality I'll find some more to give you guys my vision for this. NOTE: Deadline for essays due by elevenses.
One more thing, the coin videos will be shorter or longer depending on what coin it is and what the coin is and when it was minted.
I enjoy the YouTube format, and I would definitely subscribe / watch them. Looking forward to your launch!
Back in the early 70's, a colleague and I started a radio show. Our intentions were good, but the show was a flop. Mainly because neither of us had any radio presence. It sounded like a couple of amateurs (which it was). It was horrible. My point is that not everyone can speak with authority on any given subject and thus opens up the case of "amateur hour".
I agree that there might not be a large audience for ancients, but why restrict it just to those? And I agree with Kurt that YouTube has a reputation for amateurish stuff when it comes to stuff like coins. And a podcast wouldn't give us the visuals we crave.
High end, expensive equipment is not required for a venue wher the standard is a cell phone video. All dSLR cameras take video more than good enough for You Tube. You could do reasonably well with decent cell phones. We are not talking about making a Hollywood movie here but we DO need good content, well scripted and practiced to avoid looking like fools with cameras. I did my videos with Windows Movie Maker (free) and the images shown here on CT. Videos showing wiggling coins are much harder to do and edit which explains the videos showing a person stumbling across a red tray of coins. Reading a minute of text without error is hard for some of us. Hollywood movies are pieced together from many takes for good reason. Turning a coin over while keeping it in the field and in focus requires practice beyond what I was willing to undertake. It is easier to turn off the camera and do the two sides separately.
Rather than going with my gut let's look at comparables. I have the Podcast Addict app on my phone and a 45 minute commute. I enjoy several history podcasts such as Hardcore History with Dan Carlin and Revisionist History with Malcolm Gladwell. These guys are polished speakers who write their stuff first. I haven't found anything great on coins. Here are the coin/artifact related podcasts I've tried CoinWeek - decent, comes out about twice a month, sometimes covers ancients, I listen to about half of them Museum of Lost Objects - Funded by the BBC with real reporting, I gave up half way through this series Coin Show Radio - I stopped listening, probably because these guys only like modern coins and think they are humorous The Detecting Lifestyle Network - I think they stopped making this after a few episodes I have also watched American Numismatic Society's YouTube channel. The problem with this is that I can't listen in the car because the speakers depend on their slides and because the talks are often so technical they require concentration I can't muster while driving. Unless you have a radio-quality voice and interesting contrarian opinions about coins it will be hard to create content. You have to figure out how "produced" you want to be. Unless you have skilled raconteurs / improvisors you can't just turn on a microphone and get listenable content. You want writers and audio editors if you can get them. Read the graphic novel Out on the Wire: The Storytelling Secrets of the New Masters of Radio for ideas.
Kevin Butcher's ancient coin videos on YouTube are quite informative and entertaining. Too bad he only made a handful of them.
As it pertains to coins, only? Thousands of well done videos exist for trains, modeling, political platforms, home improvement, on and on, etc...??
