{"id":435795,"date":"2020-06-23T11:51:14","date_gmt":"2020-06-23T18:51:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/?p=435795"},"modified":"2024-10-28T11:32:38","modified_gmt":"2024-10-28T18:32:38","slug":"an-ode-to-cody-miller-and-his-vlogs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/an-ode-to-cody-miller-and-his-vlogs\/","title":{"rendered":"An Ode to Cody Miller and His Vlogs"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Danny Whirlow, Swimming World College Intern.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Every four years, when swimmers of all ages tune in to watch their Olympic heroes compete, viewers may forget that they’re witnessing only one part of those athletes’ lives. Certainly, the Olympic Games are a significant part, but their lives go on, even after viewers turn off the TV. After winning bronze and gold medals at the 2016 Rio games, breaststroker Cody Miller decided to exercise his creative muscles. He started a YouTube channel, and uploaded his first vlog on October 18th, 2017. The video’s title says it all: “CRAZY DAY OF AN OLYMPIC SWIMMER<\/a>.”<\/p>\n

“I’m just going to give it a shot and hope it goes well. I fully expect this video to not be amazing, to not be great by any means. This is my first go-around, but I’m really excited to see how it turns out. It could suck, it might suck, but it’s going to be fun!”\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

This vlog, short for “video log” or “video blog,” now has 508,494 views. Over the course of eight minutes and thirty four seconds, Miller walks viewers through a day in his life, starting at 5 am. And, remarkably, it is just like any other swimmer’s day. Two tough practices. A lifting session. Deliciously healthy meals. Laughter with teammates. And despite having his likeness emblazoned next to the legendary Mark Spitz’s on the walls of Indiana University’s pool, where he trains no less, Miller doesn’t take himself too seriously. His passion for swimming and its people comes through in spite of an initially robotic delivery, and these qualities have turned his vlogs into an endearing experience that thousands tune into weekly.<\/p>\n

Making Movies in the Digital Age<\/h3>\n

An adamant cinephile, Miller’s appreciation for the craft of filmmaking led him to the vlog as a medium for storytelling<\/a>. Vlogs trade the vibrant prose of their close relative, the blog, for precisely imperfect visuals, and can be shot with anything from high end Canon cameras to fresh-off-the-shelf iPhones. Some vloggers will also employ a small production team, but Miller is a one-man-crew. He films and edits everything himself, though by no means is he a one-man-show; his vlogs sport an ensemble cast that would make even Tarantino jealous.<\/p>\n