Thursday, September 06, 2007

Quite a lot to talk about

As the title says I've got quite a lot to talk about. One subject mostly, but still quite a lot nonetheless.

Keith was scheduled to give a short e-lecture on October 26 but plans have changed. Now we are going to Southampton to give a lecture in person at University of Kent on the subject of film and machinima. We're both really excited as we see this as a wonderful opportunity to show who diverse Second Life is for filming.

Movies are expensive - everyone knows that. The staff it takes to run a film set is almost staggering and each of those people have to be paid. Filming in virtual platforms can narrow the staff down to just ONE person - on top of the set(s) being able to change according to your mood. You haven't got to worry about actors breaking character or anything of that sort - not to mention you can collaborate with people from all over the world to share your vision!

I'm fully aware that I'm not the film/editing Guru that Keith is - but I bring just as much to the table as he does and pick up in areas that he's weak. He may have named his 'company' back in Highschool but the company didn't come to light until 2005 when he and I started the ball rolling. Natural Selection Studios is anything BUT a solo effort. Never has it been just one or the other.

On October 26 (we'll be leaving on the 25th and coming back the 27th) we'll give our hour long lecture as well as taking questions to a crowd of film students as well as metaversal enthusiasts. I'm really curious to see the diversity of interests, but I'm most happy about our efforts being taken seriously.

For a long while now many companies have been open enough to see Second Life for what it is - though many have fallen by the wayside. American Apparel pulled out because sales were bombing ... but what can you expect? You aren't going to make a fraction of the cost off a shirt in SL when you could sell the same one IRL and make double the profit. I somehow feel that some companies were misinformed.

Do I feel I'm tooting my own horn? Not really. NSS has never really catered to RL companies. We've never pitched an idea to a 'real' company - and have never attempted to bring a company or organization into SL. We do what we do because we love it - not because of anything else. Yes I use videos as a means of extra income - but we ALWAYS use the money we make from videos to better our equipment in order to make BETTER videos. We're in the process of saving up to buy me a new computer so that I don't have to use Keith's.

I get a lot of people asking me to teach them how to film/edit - and I always turn them down. On the shallow end there is the common sense of: If I told everyone how to do what I do the way I do it - I'd never profit. But on the deeper end is the fact that if you go back and watch some of our earlier flicks you will see that visually - they are terrible. Both Keith and I have greatly improved over the past two and a half years and I feel that sort of experience should be had by anyone trying out anything new. You have to be bad before you can become good. That's just how it is! I can't teach anyone how to learn - does that make sense? Experimentation is key in anything you're trying to learn .. and that kind of thing can't be taught.

I do plan to film our lecture in October - but I'm not sure if we'll "air" it or if we'll just keep it as a momento for ourselves. I don't see any reason in over-saturating the machinima public and be all "Look at US! We have some credibility!" like SOME people do. At any rate - you won't see any advertising diarrhea from me. I'm sure I'll do a blog post at/after the lecture to highlight a few moments - but that's not the same as force-feeding anyone.

On a different note: I need to get more pics uploaded to Flickr. Keith uploaded a lot to his today - but I still haven't updated mine. I know, I suck.

SONG OF THE DAY

I TOTALLY love this song. And after being kinda "blah" for a few days - this song really gets me dancing around the house like a complete idiot ... but at least Keith thinks its cute!

I Need to Feel Loved by Reflekt



Come and touch me baby
I need to feel loved
Come hold me babe
I need to feel loved
I need to feel loved

Come and catch a fire

Don't let me fade away
Come and catch a fire babe
Don't let me fade away

Come and catch a feeling, it's electrifying me
With eyes wide open, I'm dreaming
Breathe for me baby, awake before I'm down
Come and free me baby, awake before I'm down

Come and touch me baby
I need to be loved
Come and hold me babe
I need to feel loved
I'm in love
I'm in love
I'm in love
I'm in love, love love
I'm in love
in love in love
I'm in love
I'm in love

Come and touch me baby
I need to be loved
come and hold me baby
I need to feel loved
Need to feel loved
I need to feel loved
I need to feel loved

I'm in love
in love
in love
I'm in love
in love
I'm in love
in love
in love
I'm in love

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