Down but not out!

info — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 23:19:16 +0000

This is for the record books: for the past MONTH, I have been trying to post various updates, observations, rants etc. but was unable to due to either spotty internet service, conflicts caused by updating my Opera web browser, and surprise – more conflicts caused with the last version of WordPress (3.0). It’s enough to drive someone crazy.
So, here’s an abbreviated look at what has been happening since I last checked in:

1) A new way of doing business – it appears now that economy has not only made jobs scarce but manners as well. Emails and phone calls to past collaborators go unanswered, producers have insulted me in front of clients to hide their lack of knowledge and insecurities, and company owners berate their own staff because they don’t have the time (or patience… or is it competence?) to answer simple questions about certain project details. It’s quite clear that the current job market has made potential employers arrogant, impatient and just plain cut throat when it comes to working their staff.

2) And then came issue 135 – For some unexplained reason, story 135 “She knows what kids like” seemed to have the worst reaction from readers I have seen in the eight year history of this webzine. Only four people read it since it’s debut. I would have thought the story would have been very informative, with the current anime craze, talk of creating Transmedia IPs… But since that story was posted, readers have shied away for the past few months. As a result, I’m looking for ways to refocus the website to make it more efficient and hopefully more informative.

3) Flat tires – Unlike last year when I had access to the Formula Drift and HIN, this year, I was denied. New corporations have taken over the drift circuits and they don’t take too kindly to struggling press operations. So, unless things change, or a new local drift show starts, there probably won’t be anymore racing/drifting stories…

4) Working on quite a few things that should come to fruition within the next few months. I’ll keep you informed… if WordPress let’s me that is!

Saturday for Cosplay

info — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 01:17:10 +0000

The experience of navigating the somewhat overwhelming fandom of AnimeNext 2010.

Animenext 2010

Okay, I’ll admit it. Although I consider myself an early adopter of Anime back in the late 70′s and early 80′s (so early that I purchased them in the original Japanese language.. without translated captions!) it pretty much dropped off my radar by the early 90′s. I’d seen and enjoyed Akira and Ghost in the Shell but my interest began to migrate back to live-action cinema.
Pokemon, Digimon and Dragon Ball Z were for another generation of fans as far as I was concerned and frankly the storylines weren’t appealing to me. By then, Anime had become nothing more than a cliche for me and the characters and themes, all interchangeable.

Fast forward 20 years later to the AnimeNext convention. In its 9th year, this annual event has become a mecca for the growing legion of fans for all things Anime. Just like Horror or Fantasy fans in their respective conventions, Anime is a blending of both genres with a distinctive Japanese flavor. Suiting up as your favorite film character may be optional at other festivals but at AnimeNext it appeared to be almost an obligatory requirement.
It’s an event that it you don’t “get it”, if you don’t understand the passion that Generation Y and the Millennials have for this form of entertainment, you’ll be at a complete loss as to what to make of it all.

Dominating the Double Tree Hotel and Garden State Exhibit Center complex in Somerset NJ on June 18-20, AnimeNext had an enormous turnout of attendees, vindicating the move from a smaller venue they utilized last year.

Press badged and camera ready, I walked the aisles of the Dealers Room looking for anyone selling original animations – unfortunately it was all licensed material.
Then I wandered the halls looking for the various panels and basically getting a feel for the area.
Strolling into the Artist’s Gallery, I saw quite a few talented artists displaying their work and offering to work on commission. Some of it was impressive.
Grace Fong – fongmingyun.com
Mike Luckas – mikeluckas.blogspot.com
Melinda Guo – Prodigybombay.deviantart.com
Marc McKenzie – Redshoulder.deviantart.com
Michelle Chen – michelle-chen.deviantart.com

Kevin Mckeever gives advice to aspiring film animators.

I arrived late to the independent filmmaking discussion by Kevin McKeever, an entertainment industry veteran of 15 years, who has worked on such projects as the series Jackass, Mystery Men and Robotech. The audience, composed of aspiring filmmaker high school seniors and college students, inquired about getting into feature animation and the film business in general, if there was a potential of migrating between the television and feature film industries and the often asked, how do you make a movie with no money down?
When the talk was over, I asked Kevin about the importance of not only creating a good story but a franchise for Transmedia storytelling. He responded by maintaining that the story is key, no matter what you intend to do with it. He used Twilight and Batman Begins as examples of how good storytelling created a lucrative franchise. While these were good representations of successful stories, I must in retrospect, challenge him on his answer- in both cases, Twilight and Batman, the films are based on an established canon of lore with a foundation of resources that can be repeatedly accessed for experimentation in an effort to get “the right formula.” First time filmmakers are rarely inspired to create their “universes” behind their original ideas in order to establish their own franchises. It may start with a good story but it has to “live” beyond that one story if filmmakers want a chance at being successful in their own right.

Avatar combat suit costume

I walked back over to the convention center proper just in time to see an attendee suit up in an AVATAR inspired exosuit, complete with moving legs, arms and electronics. Fans milled about taking joy and pictures in recognizing other attendees dressed as their favorite characters – with the same exuberance as the fans along the red carpet at the Academy Awards.
I recognized a few characters from video game magazines but for the most part, the significance of the costumes escaped me. I took pictures based on the quality of the costume design rather than the fidelity of the interpretation.

Next, my ramblings took me over to the Hangry and Angry Fashion Show- a goth, anime and grunge inspired clothing and accessory line created by Gashicon. The namesake mascots Hangry and Angry came out on the stage to the music of the Vamps and began to dance to the J-Rock beats. Shortly thereafter, the models walked out, showcasing the clothing line and tossing key rings and other swag into the appreciative audience.

Gashicon fashions

[caption id="attachment_368" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="Gashicon fashion"][/caption]

Gashicon and interpreter discuss the fashion line of Hangry and Angry

After that transpired, I walked into the abridged version Yu-Gi-Oh and then took a look at the ParaPara Dance Club as its instructors gave the audience of the moves they would be performing during the class.

Tony Oliver

From there I walked back across the concourse and drifted into Tony Oliver’s voice acting workshop. “Voice acting” he explained, “requires being able to act.” The audience sat and stood in rapt attention as Tony pointed out that people come back to Anime because they become emotionally involved with the characters. “Even villains love themselves, ” he said, much to the humor of of those in attendance, and he mentioned actors “need to learn to feel. They must understand what the character is feeling at that particular moment.” Emotion first, then express.
Most US animation voice acting is based on the concept of “Outside-In”, in which a character sounds like how it looks. Think Bugs Bunny and Sponge Bob.
Most Anime voice acting is based on “Inside-Out”, wherein the what the character is feeling dictates how the voice sounds.
Like any craft, Tony stressed the importance of practice and suggested getting involved with local community college theater programs and community theaters organizations.

Kenji Kamiyama and interpreter discuss his recent projects with the audience.

At 5pm, it was time to head back over to the main hall for the Kenji Kamiyama Q & A session. Well known as the director of MiniPato and the Ghost in the Shell series of films, Kenji arrived on stage just after an hour long autograph session with an interpreter by his side, thanking the audience for coming.
He briefly mentioned his concerns about the possible lack of interest from fans overseas, but his fears vanished when he saw the large turnout at the convention.
Unfortunately, an audio level war ensued between this room and another room two sections over. That, coupled with the overworked HVAC overhead, the almost whisper like tone of the interpreter it became increasingly difficult to follow the Q & A.

By a 5:45, I decided to call it a day. The panel on how to Survive the Zombie Apocalypse would have to wait for another time.

Wario bomber

Steampunk meets Resident Evil?

Hands up and dance!

Wolf man?

Warriors of Anime

Follow the White Rabbit.

Overall, this was a unique experience. Reflecting back on my first convention experience – a Star Trek/Comic Con back in the early 80′s – it was interesting to cover a convention as opposed to attending one.
The organizers did a credible and effecting job of coordinating the event and while the schedule was sometimes a challenge to read in its Gantt format, it worked after a fashion.
The atmosphere was one of friendliness, acceptance and play.
I came to AnimeNext looking for tech or original new media content, but I was missing the point. This wasn’t about being original… it was a rousing celebration of all things Anime. With over 130 panels and worshops, 14 special guests , 7 events, two game shows, a Masquerade and Costume contest, there was something for everyone over the weekend. I may not watch Anime anymore but I certainly respect the work and passion that the fans have for the genre. It took a while, but this weekend, I finally “got it.” My thanks to Gregg Turek, President of Universal Animation Inc. for press access to this event.

Story 139 – AJA Video Systems

info — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 16:51:34 +0000

AJA Ki Pro HDD based recorder

Jeff Way, Territorial Manager of AJA Video Systems was on hand at infoComm to discuss the company’s latest production, post-production and conversion solutions.

www.futureincite.com

Story 138 – Panasonic’s AG-3DA1 camcorder

info — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 01:10:39 +0000

Panasonic's breakthrough integrated dual lens 3D camcorder, the AG-3DA1

While attending infoComm in Vegas this year I had a chance to check out Panasonic’s new AG-3DA1 camcorder. While its price point puts it above the average prosumer, I can only hope that the technology will trickle down to a more reasonable cost… way below the the msrp $21,000 USD listed. For more info, chek out the article here:

www.futureincite.com

Back from infoComm 2010

info — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 18:06:24 +0000

I caught a cold in Vegas but it didn’t stay in Vegas…
So I’m back from my fifth infoComm in Vegas and I must say this one had all the earmarks of breaking quite a few records. For the first time a separate pavilion was set up JUST for 3D presentation solutions. Cisco, having just acquired Tandberg, was showcasing its video AND audio solutions and Panasonic proudly presented their prosumer 3D camcorder. It was a feast for the eyes and ears and I’ll be posting stories as I finish their transcription over the next few days. Until then, I had the pleasure of seeing Cirque Du Soleil’s “Ka”. IT. WAS. AWESOME.

Story 137 – Streaming Media East 2010

info — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 01:19:20 +0000

Interview booth at Streaming Media East 2010

An abbreviated update on some online video technology that I saw and found interesting at this years’ Streaming Media East held at the Hilton in NYC. Due to money and time constraints, I was only able to stay for a half-day rather than two full days.

www.futureincite.com

Story 136 – Carlisle Performance and Style 2010

info — Tue, 18 May 2010 22:40:15 +0000

The Mainshow field at the Carlisle Performance and Style event in Carlisle PA

This time, I head out to Carlisle PA to see the Performance and Style show, where over 1500 custom cars are on display, DJ’s spin tunes, Rappers duel and booth babes rule.

www.futureincite.com

Coming Soon

info — Tue, 11 May 2010 19:25:15 +0000

Newtek shows off its Tri-Caster at Streaming Media East 2010.

Just returned from Day 2 of Streaming Media East and last Saturday I attended the Carlisle Performance and Style auto show. Should have articles ready for posting by early next week. What’s with this weather? Have we somehow missed Summer and sneaked back into Fall? 55 degrees Fahrenheit today… in May.

Return to the Stone Pony

info — Fri, 07 May 2010 17:35:33 +0000

While working on a FCP Pro edit in Paterson, I got a call for a gig later that evening back at the Stone Pony. Not one to pass up any work in this economy, I finished up the section I was working on in the timeline and hurried back to the shore.

I arrived on time and met up with the rest of the team. We set up and shortly thereafter the band began to play. We had requested a “mic” out from the Stone Pony’s sound board but unfortunately, they only had “line” out. This did nothing for the sound (distortion hell) so we wound up using the on-camera microphone (Sony HDR-V1U) to capture the performance. Not a good thing in-and-of itself but the performance was also being mix-down by the band’s engineer, so we would be able to use that audio for the final edit. From the last time I had been at the Stone Pony, I had suggested that the producer bring a portable mixer to feed the main camera but there was confidence that the Stone Pony would have what we needed, based on previous experience. Next time, I’ll trust my instincts and bring along my own portable mixer…

Story 135 – She Knows What Kids Like

info — Tue, 04 May 2010 21:51:00 +0000

Carlin C. West, Exec VP Acquisitions and Development for 4Kids Entertainment.

Carlin West, Executive VP of Acquisitions & Development answers my questions as to why content creators need to be aware of the move to transmedia storytelling, the oversaturation of Anime and the need to new IP’s that are story driven.