The Petrified Forest on You Tube

Mark Nelson (Teacher-Ranger-Teacher) accompanied us in the field last summer and recorded us discussing some of the geological and paleontological features of the park. He has edited these into 10 - 15 minute clips for You Tube, which is the first time the park has been officially featured on this site.  You can check them out at the links below.  I think they are not bad for a first attempt, however, I'd like to do some shorter clips (~ 5 mins. max) on some of the behind the scenes stuff at the park as well as explaining other aspects of the paleontology and geology. Anyone have any requests or ideas for some short and interesting clips? I think next time we'll try to be a little more excited... ;).

Current Clips:

Evident Renewal (A visit to the badlands of the Painted Desert located in the Petrified Forest National Park with Bill Parker: paleontologist and Tammo Reichgelt; Utrecht University researcher as they discuss climate change and impacts on Earth's five mass extinctions. Filmed and edited on location by Mark Nelson TRT and Chicago artist 2010).

Triassic Waters (Follow Bill Parker: Paleontologist and Jeff Martz: Physical Scientist, into the badlands of the Painted Desert as they explore soil erosion and geological formations dating back to the Late triassic Epoch in the Petrified Forest National Park. Filmed and edited on location by Mark Nelson TRT and Chicago artist 2010).

Mud to Museum (Visit with fossil preparator Kenneth Bader in the Petrified Forest National Park preparation laboratory. Filmed and edited on location by Mark Nelson TRT and Chicago artist 2010).

Rats, Bats, and Artifacts (Matt Smith, museum curator and preparator takes us on a "behind the scenes" look at the assorted collection of paleo fossils, treasures, and relics in the vaults of the Petrified Forest National Park center. Filmed and edited on location by Mark Nelson TRT and Chicago artist 2010).

3 comments:

  1. Hey, Bill.

    I started to watch the Triassic Waters one. I was astounded to find that SIXTY SECONDS go by before anything happens.

    That's it, dude. Sixty seconds is all you get on Youtube, if that. Most Youtube videos are OVER by the time sixty seconds have passed. They certainly have to have BEGUN by then! I bet no more than one in ten people who start watching your video make it as far as the start of the content.

    So please get your video guy to recut these. Replace that whole one-minute montage of logos and text with a single five-second shot that says NPS, PEFO, Triassic Waters, Bill and Jeff, Mark Nelson -- bam, done. Then get on with it.

    Honestly. Would you spend tyhe first minute of an SVP talk showing us logos and people's names?

    Hope this is helpful. (Despite the snarky tone, it's intended to be!)

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  2. Hey Mike,

    Comments like these are definitely appreciated as they give me some currency to suggest changes. Personally I think they can be trimmed significantly and that they should be 3-5 minute clips at most. I'm also interested in hearing what aspects of the park people would find more interesting.

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  3. Definitely agree with Mike. The whole intro sequence must be shorter. As for what subjects I'd like to see covered in future videos, how about a video on the pseudosuchians and synapsids that have been discovered in the park? I just love crocs and archosaurs related to them, and most people just don't realize that mammals evolved from reptiles or that mammal-relatives were around as long as the dinosaurs.

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