( 2006 - 2008 )

What an amazing age we are living in right now. With all of the great technological leaps forward we have achieved during the past twenty years, we now have the ability to communicate with each other in a way that would have at one time, seemed like science-fiction. There can be no doubt that the Internet has changed our lives and I can confidently say for sure that it has changed mine!

Back in October 2006, while still working in China, I discovered by chance a video sharing site called Youtube. Little did I know that this site would change my life for ever. Way back then I had not used video all that much as a medium. My main interest before then was photography and I had taken many shots during my time in China of the City where I lived and the people who make up the population there. However there was always something missing from these photos and that was the atmosphere from all the sounds. I thought how wonderful it would be to capture and share the hustle and bustle of a busy street and the sounds made on them. From the moment I discovered Youtube, I decided to have a go at making videos about the unusual place in which I was living.

The main problem I had was that my camera was not designed to take high quality video footage, but it did the job, albeit in a semi-blurred and jittery way. I managed to film a few scenes in the street and I even did some 'to camera' shots where I talked directly to the camera, trying to describe the surroundings as best I could. At first I felt awkward and nervous in front of the camera, but over time I built up my confidence and managed to relax a little more while filming.

I had the idea of making English teaching videos during December 2006 and although my early efforts were a little stale and cardboard-like, I managed to get my message across much better than I had imagined. Some of my early lessons are still on my Youtube channel.

I have had a few messages from people asking about the creation of the name of my production title, 'Hat for rent productions'. People often ask where the name comes from. To be honest at the time it just seemed like a fun title and was a completely random idea. However I did like the name and so I kept it and still use it to this very day.

Probably one of the most talked about issues surrounding my videos must be my own name. I have had people asking me why I use 'Misterduncan' as my name and why I spell it the way I do. During my time in China, I was always addressed as Mr Duncan everywhere I went, so the name stuck with me. However I thought it should look more like a complete name and so I took the decision to write the 'Mr' part as a complete word. So 'Misterduncan' was born! I have no intention of changing it, despite some people becoming quite abusive towards me over it.

This week I posted Lesson 40 onto my Youtube channel. It seems as if I have reached a small landmark with my video producing. I have managed to teach myself how to edit and produce all my videos and I take a great deal of satisfaction from filming and editing them. I had my two millionth video viewer last week and my channel view figure has just reached one hundred thousand. These events certainly give me a great deal of encouragement, but the one thing I appreciate more than anything is the direct feedback from my online viewers. As I have said before in the past, I really DO read all the messages and comments from everyone and where possible I do reply to them. Right now I'm preparing Lesson 41 and from where I'm sitting now, I can safely say that there will be many many more lessons to come.

(Misterduncan).....................................................