Re: [Debconf-discuss] "Do not photograph" checkbox in registration
Aigars Mahinovs <aigarius@gmail.com> writes:
> On 12 September 2014 18:52, John Sullivan <johns@debian.org> wrote:
>> Gaudenz Steinlin <gaudenz@debian.org> writes:
>>
>>> But I agree that this view might be skewed be that fact that I
>>> personally think that the talks video are very valueable and don't mind
>>> being filmed during the talks.
>>
>> I find audio and video of the primary speaker and the slides very
>> valuable. I'm a little lost as to why people want video of the crowd or
>> those asking questions. Why isn't audio sufficient for that?
>
> It has been mentioned before and I somewhat agree - for a non-native
> English speaker it is often easier to understand people if you see
> them speak as that give some more visual cues on what they are saying.
> This becomes even more important when the tone of the question might
> be important. In addition, the peronality of the people asking the
> question (in case of known people) is also important for a fuller
> understanding. Not taping the video of the person asking the question
> makes the people watching livestream or the recordings miss ... half
> of the picture? (pun was not intended, originally)
As a native English speaker, I can tell you that its often difficult
even for me to understand people in recorded Q&A sessions, however I
have never felt like I noticeably benefited in understanding someone
that I was otherwise having difficulty understanding by seeing the
person... if anything I was distracted by the attempts by the pan/zoom
attempts to find the person speaking, like some kind of Price is Right
contestant show-down.
In my experience watching videos of Q&A, the only useful way to get
quality audio is when the speaker repeats or summarizes the
question. Audio levels are more carefully calibrated for the speaker,
and the speaker has taken care to try and make themselves clearly
understood. Microphone gaffs, loss of battery, failure to talk into the
microphone, the odd thing we do to the video team to make them run
around the room like Jerry Springer trying to reach the person speaking
while everyone waits in exasperation.... all contribute to a disrupted
audience audio situation that no amount of visual cues is going to
override.
That said, I'm ok with my only my lips being filmed.
micah
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