Ah the joys of looking back on old family memories! There’s baby’s first words, baby’s first steps, and — of course — baby’s first video upload. We’re dusting off the digital cobwebs on a few creators’ first uploads to show all the ways Vimeo members got their start. Some first videos feel eons away (boy how technology has changed), while others are awesome early suggestions of great art to come. Filmmaker Alba Lange made her first upload in 2013. Since then she’s won a Weekend Challenge and shown her talented chops with some very awesome solo-made films, but her first video on Vimeo was really her first foray into filmmaking on her own. She started with just an idea and a few tools: “I wanted to take a brief look inside a [fake] company in the brain, responsible for creating dreams. What I had was a camera, some flashlights, very basic knowledge of After Effects, a passion for mixing sound, and myself.”
Before Steve Niebauer got his first Staff Pick (and joined the Vimeo Staff!), his video-making began with everyday subjects. “I loved capturing random moments throughout my life,” he shares. “I found the most joy watching those moments on Vimeo as well.” Ten whole years ago — ancient history in digital video time — he uploaded his first Vimeo creation. In fact, Steve felt a little weird talking about this first upload because, well, that was a long time ago. It’s a wonderfully quick SD video of some friends with a sense of humor. What inspired him to share this first video? “I just wanted to share a dumb little moment of my life with others on Vimeo.”
For Kirsten Lepore, uploading her first videos online was all about finding a new community. “Otherwise, only my friends were going to see these things and I felt like where I was living in New Jersey was sort of limited in terms of animators,” she says. “The only way I was going to get feedback and get more of a community was to go online and put my stuff up there.” Kirsten has racked up many Staff Picks with her incredible animation skills, and kind of exploded the internet with her wonderful claymation “Hi Stranger.” So it makes sense that her first upload was a project documenting works in progress:
For his first, Rian Johnson (Brick, Looper, Star Wars: The Last Jedi) crafted this delightfully intricate and dense music video.
Dean Fleischer-Camp’s charming “Marcel the Shell with Shoes On” was his first Vimeo upload.
You can even see Sean Diddy Combs’ first share with this weekend film shot in Ibiza.
Are you ready to join the ranks of these fine filmmaking folks? Your first video can be anything. Steve’s advice for first-time uploaders is simple: “Just share it! If it’s only for you and your friends, upload it and send it to them.” Go forth and upload. Sometimes the hardest part about starting is the … starting. Alba says, “I know your videos are grand, technical and artistic in your head. This is a wonderful opportunity for you to decrease the gap between what you want to make, and what you can actually do. Look around — what do you have?” Whether it’s your first upload or your first hundred, you can start uploading in a couple snaps.
Now go find that video you took on your phone of grandma busting a move at the last family wedding.
