Hopelessly eclectic, Thoroughly geeky …
Skippy is an ardent fanboy, comic book scholar, and contemporary sage.
He lives in the basement of his parents home in Brooklyn, New York.
He is 43 years old.
Skippy, along with his co-host, and best friend, Ralphie ‘The Wrench’ Robaccio, will be hosting a show live, on tape, from his basement, bringing Geektastic Nebula Viewers all the latest from the world of Fandom and Entertainment.
‘Skippy’s Basement’ will start airing later this month, on the Geektastic Nebula YouTube Channel.
If you follow me on Twitter or Facebook, you could tell by all the non-stop spamming last Friday, that I was at the annual conclave of editors and content creators known as the FCPUG Supermeet, at the Mission Bay Conference Center.
The day-long event began with a series of workshops offered by different vendors, followed by a vendor showcase before the main event: A 3+ hour-long stage event featuring content creators and vendors highlighting innovation, creativity, and the latest developments in content creation technology.
Here’s a sampling of some of the highlights of the day’s events …
The calm before the swarm ... Awaiting the arrival of the FCPUG crowd.
Fotoshop by Adobé
Commercial director Jesse Rosten‘s hilarious parody of beauty product informercials, Fotoshop by Adobé, has been making the rounds since it went viral a few weeks ago.
Jesse was on hand to screen the video, and talk about the genesis of the project.
Canon USA
Canon USA was doing ‘Future of EOS Cinematography’ workshops during the morning, focusing mainly on the new C300 Cine Camera … The pitch is that while the 5D has gained a lot of interest/acceptance from filmmakers and videographers, it was primarily designed for AP/Reuters-type news photogs, and the video function was an afterthought (nice afterthinking!) The C300 is designed from the ground-up for filmmaking.
The camera offers impressive ergos, and a lot of features packaged into the base product (control surfaces, LCD display, motorized handle, etc.) which comes in at a suggested retail of $13K.
It’s available with either an EF or PL mount, enabling use of either standard 35mm lenses, or the really high-end Canon glass, and Canon is coming out with a set of new EF Cine Prime Lenses ranging from 24-85mm (priced at $6800/ea.) and Cine Zooms, offering more precise focus calibration and controls for the professional DP.
The camera records mpeg-2 @50Mbps to an MXF file format, with Canon Log as an option. The claimed dynamic range shooting C-Log is 12 stops!
It’s also close to drag-and-drop for editing, via FCP 7s log and transfer feature. (Mileage for Avid editors may vary … 
)
It shoots a wide variety of frame rates/sizes, and offers variable shutter angles.
Canon provided lots of hands-on time with the new C300 Cine Camera
The C300 uses a 3480 by 2160 CMOS sensor (8.3m pixel) that shoots at 4:4:4 and downsamples to a 4:2:2, 1920×1080 image… The big difference in approach with this camera is that there is no de-Bayering going on. The sensor gives a high-speed readout that virtually eliminates most of the artifacts typical of CMOS-based cameras.
Oh, and did I mention that it uses widely-available, low-cost, Compact Flash media?
For the stage show, Alex Buono, the Director of Photography for ‘Saturday Night Live”s Film Unit gave a chat about working with various cameras, with an emphasis on the Canon HDSLRs and the new C300. Alex, is no stranger to the FCPUG Supermeets, and is always a great presenter, showed some shorts and other material from SNL shot with the new Cine Camera…It looked amazing.
This camera is a RED-killer, at least for broadcast work where quick turnaround is needed, and will give the Arri Alexa a run for its money. The Sony F65? Maybe not so much, but the C300 is going to be the first choice of a lot of shooters.
Alex Buono, Director of Photography for 'Saturday Night Live''s Film Unit
Jimmy Fallon’s crew will be shooting with the C300 for remote shoots, while they are on location in Indy this week for the Superbowl. That material will air W-F.
Also, Canon mentioned that the new Canon 1DX SLR will have recording in AVC-Intra as an option, and will clock in at about $6K list.
Light Iron is a company specializing in on-set data acquisition and digital imaging technology…They’ve taken on-set Data I/O and Management to the next level.
CEO Michael Cioni gave a presentation on ‘The Future of D-Cinema Workflows’ which was informed, if not brilliant, and he made what I thought was one of the most profound statements I’ve heard about production in a long time: “Workflows are not commanded, they reveal themselves to you…” (If this guy isn’t crushed by forces loyal to the Status Quo in the Industry, he could be a game-changer.)
Light Iron has developed an entire platform for on-set acquisition, starting from a central workstation/data repository, called the Outpost Mobile System, along with a set of enabling hardware and software technologies, including an iPad-based tool that enables anyone on-set with a need to see what is being shot in real time.
They’ve also developed some pretty smart data transport hardware, including a “firewire”-type drive array that is built into a box built to take abuse, with a D-SCSI-based interface for speed, and built in power supply (if you can find an OSHA-type power cable, you never need to hunt for power transformers with these drives.)
These guys are schooling everyone on how to do data acquisition, and do it right!
Scribbeo from Digital Film Tree
Ramy Katrib from Digital Film Tree presented their new ‘Scribbeo’ iPad app, a collaborative filmmaking app that allows mark-up and annotation of movie files using a distrubuted server.
Digital Film Tree made a big name for themselves when they helped Walter Murch transition over to Final Cut Pro for ‘Cold Mountain’, and are a leading provider of turn-key post solutions for cutting rooms.
Ramy Katrib from Digital Film Tree Demos their new Scribbeo App for collaborative filmmaking.
Scribbeo is a new iPad app that enables users to share movie files distributed by a (FREE) server. The app lets users collaborate, mark-up and annotate movie files, and share the results…The app is brand new and will be in the in the App store any day now…I think the target price is something like $2.99.
It might just be worth a look.
Adobe CS and Premiere
Adobe hosted a DSLR Editing Workshop with Adobe Sr. Content and Community Lead, Kevin Monahan, during the morning sessions … Primarily focusing on feature sets, with an eye towards tempting current Final Cut 7 Editors towards adding CS5.5, and Premiere, into their work flow.
Adobe Premiere Pro Product Manager Al Mooney was also on hand for the sessions, and wasn’t shy about answering questions about current issues with Premiere, and what they are working with their developers to add, or improve, in future releases.
This is a very refreshing change from dealing with the tight-lipped security at Apple, where editors never knew what to expect in terms of performance enhancements, or future feature sets…Adobe’s transparency is going to be a major asset in winning content creators over to their products.
Adobe continues to make big inroads into the professional market for Premiere, especially in the Broadcast field. They’re upping their game with the tool, and announced a lot of new features that will be available in CS6, which will be formally announced at NAB in April.
Adobe Product Manager, Al Mooney
The big news for this event came in the form of a preview of Adobe Prelude, a log-and-transfer, pre-screen and tag, tool for ingesting footage. This has been something missing from the CS5 Suite, and reminds me a lot of Autodesk Backdraft, but with a much more intuitive user interface than the editing tools in the Smoke family.
Sneak Peak at the Adobe Prelude CS6 User Interface
Phillip Hodgetts, and the New Now
I never know just quite how to classify Phillip Hodgetts, or maybe that he is just so versatile that his involvement in content creation and post production just defies categorization…He writes, he develops software, he is a post production guru, author, and podcaster.
Phillip was on hand to discuss topics from his latest book, ‘The New Now: How to grow your production, or post production, business in a changed, and changing World.’ (available from Amazon), a book with a title so complete, and all-encompassing, that it eliminates the need for further elaboration.
Hodgetts related his business experiences in his native Australia, with a set of strategies design to help one stay competitive, including giving yourself an unfair advantage, and making sure that you own part of whatever product you are creating … He’s a guy with a lot of battle-tested knowledge, and his book should be a compelling read.
Dropping the F-Bomb
Show Producers Daniel Bérubé and Michael Horton, who run the event in conjunction with Claudia Crask and SFCutters, stepped up during the show to “Drop the F-Bomb”, a reference to a graphic on this year’s audience badge with a bomb going off behind the ‘F’ in ‘FCPUG’.
After many years, and no doubt much consideration, Mike and Dan announced that the organization was changing its name, and rebranding itself as the ‘Creative Pro User Group’ or ‘CPUG’, to better reflect the times, and focus of the group.
Michael Horton and Dan Bérubé announce the name change to 'CPUG', the 'Creative Pro User Group'
I had lunch with Mike Horton earlier in the afternoon, and, while not discussing the re-branding as such, we spent quite a bit of time discussing the changing nature of the content creation space, along with a shift in interests away from product-specific focus, to one that was product agnostic, and directed towards all content creators, and not just editors.
This is a change that a lot of us in the FCPUG community (I started attending LAFCPUG meetings when I was living in Los Angeles back in 2002), have been suggesting for years, and I believe it will open up this loosely-knit network of content creation affinity groups to a larger prospective audience.
The World-Famous Raffle
Guys, unless you’ve been to one of these things, there’s just no way of explaining it…Mike Horton’s personal comedy-stylings for running a raffle are worth the price of admission by itself.
The next big event for the CPUG Network, will be the Las Vegas Supermeet at NAB in April.
Coming to a YouTube player near you, Geektastic Nebula. A new web portal for all things geek and nerd culture-related.
2012 is set to be a breakout year in web video, with content distributors set to ante-up unprecedented amounts in content development and acquisition deals.
Major players from YouTube to Netflix are vying for position in a race to get the best original content they can for their viewers. At the grass-roots level, YouTube partners are enjoying greater revenue, benefits, and more special development and funding deals than ever seen before.
The bottom line is simple: There has never been a greater demand, or better opportunities, for web video creators seeking online distribution and revenue for their work.
That’s great for larger players, with established audiences and YouTube partnerships, but what about for smaller players with quality shows, who are trying to elbow their way into the spotlight where their programming can be seen?
Well, for content creators who are developing programming aimed at the ‘Geek Affinity’ market, Geektastic Nebula will be one option.
Geektastic Nebula is a new YouTube and Web Portal that is launching in 2012, and will offer original content and programming targeted at the Geek Affinity Market…Everything from Comics to Science Fiction, and Conventions to Cosplay; It will all be there in a one-stop portal, dedicated to bringing out the Geek in each of us.
Why the Geek Affinity market? Well, first and foremost, because I am, and always have been, a geek…Way back to before being a geek was cool. If we are talking about geek affinity, well that’s been my personal brand way back to grade school, and it’s a passion as well as a way of life.
Second, I’m far from being alone…The Geek Affinity market is one of the largest out there. We geeks tend to be smart, well-educated, have money, and spend a lot of time on the Internet. Who could think of a better target audience, with demographics almost equally divided between male and female, from 13 to the grave?
Then there is the overwhelming amount of diversity within the Geek Affinity market in terms of brand extension…If I can use marketing-speak, it’s a vertical market with the biggest horizontal base imaginable. The possibilities for subject matter and programming are almost limitless.
Geektastic Nebula will offer a YouTube channel for video content, as well as a traditional web portal for print media. We intend to create real, interactive, transmedia experiences that will push the limits of both our creativity and available technology, and offer subject matter from news to scripted narratives.
Our initial focus will be on Web Video, and providing a full slate of programmed content that will serve as the base of both our identity and revenue.
Programming will come from two sources:
Geektasktic Nebula will produce original series, in conjunction with our production company, TurboMandala Entertainment.
Our initial offerings will include:
‘Rockets and Robots’ – A Science Fiction/Nostalgia show focusing on the best of Science Fiction from the ‘50s, ‘60s, and ‘70s
‘Watch With Me’ - An interactive show covering the best in Web Television, from the Geek Perspective
We are also working on an auto-racing reality show that has a heavily geek-centric theme, as well as a few other hosted, and narrative series.
Here’s where it gets interesting, and where we get back to the matter of smaller creators getting their programming to an audience, and building a monetization stream:
We will build it for them, and with them.
Geektastic Nebula will partner with other content creators to aggregate and syndicate their content on a percent-of-revenue basis. In other words, if you are a content creator, you let us stream your content on one of our branded-channels, and Geektastic Nebula will pay you a percentage of the monetization from ad revenues.
Not only will we pay you a percentage of the revenue, we will pay you THE LION’S SHARE of that revenue…Of course we will take a percentage for marketing, administration, and technical support, but that’s part of what will make this work.
By running your programming under the Geektastic Nebula banner, you will have the benefit of being part of a consistent, unified, brand with solid marketing and a clear identity.
Instead of being a ‘one-man-brand’, running all of your own social media marketing, and advertising, campaigns, you will have the benefit of Geektastic Nebula’s marketing.
Sure, you can still do your own, and add your voice to the mix, in fact that will be part of the overall promotion of the show, but by uniting with the Geektastic Nebula brand, you can take a lot of that weight, and time, off of your shoulders and focus on doing what you do best…Creating content.
Also, while you will be sharing your revenue with Geektastic Nebula, you can count on that revenue being higher.
More exposure, and brand recognition, will result in more views. With more views comes higher revenue and the bonus of YouTube partnership revenue levels. All achievable in a fraction of the time that it would take for you to establish brand recognition for your programming by going it alone.
Best of all, at the end of the day, you will still own all of your Intellectual Property rights to the shows you create.
That’s right, you are the creator, and the sole owner of all of your videos, and Geektastic Nebula will never want it any other way…While you will be asked to sign an agreement to run your content exclusively on our channels for a specified period of time, all of your rights remain your own. At the end of that time, if you want to run on your own channel, or syndicate to other carriers, it’s all good!
So that’s the plan, and we’re all very excited about the year to come, and all of the prospects for Geektastic Nebula, and for the folks with whom we partner.
There is much more information to share that is outside of the scope of this blog post. If you would like more information about Geektastic Nebula, and/or content opportunities with the network, or would like to read a copy of our whitepaper, please complete the contact form on this site, and someone will promptly get in touch with you.
As always, your comments are welcome! Thanks for reading this. We think it’s going to be a Geektastic year for web content creators!
I love old PSAs and sex education films from the ’30′s through the ’70s. Most of what you see is so outdated, and was so outrageous to begin with, that they are hilariously funny and/or parody themselves without any further help. There’s a ton of this stuff out there on archive.org, and a good portion of it is either public domain or under creative commons license. Expect to see a lot of mashups from me using this type of stuff as source material in days to come.
Anyway, with all the action surrounding Herman Cain, and his alleged dalliances and denials regarding same, as well as all of the other politicians and would-be leaders of our country who have been caught with their pants down over the years, I started thinking about the absolutely outrageous Ad Council PSA from the ’70s, a music video called “VD is for Everybody.” The result is the attached mashup.
Now, keep in mind that sexual dalliances are non-partisan, so I’ve tried to provide an equal number of offenders from both of our major political parties…The message here is not partisan, the message is that there are a lot of scheming, lying, hypocritical politicians out there, and that’s about it. The sad fact that these guys maintain a pretense of moral superiority while being anything but morally superior, and demand far higher standards from we, the governed, than they hold themselves to in their own lives is the true comedy (or tragedy) here.
Also, the intro is by the late, great, SoCal Newsman, George Putnum, from another film called “Pervsion for Profit”, a McCarthy-era piece of scare propaganda that connected the pornography industry with the “Red Menace”. It’s been cut down, re-mixed, and parodied all over YouTube, and is worth watching just to recall the madness of the McCarthy Era, and get a read on just how close we are to being manipulated by similar propaganda tactics today.
There were a couple of fun aspects to the actual editing of this piece, including using Magic Bullet Misfire to make all the recent footage fit in with the scratched, faded, and flickering look of the original film. I used about 3-4 different plugins for each of the clips, and the results are pretty powerful, given the simplicity of using the tools. Check out Red Giant Software’s page if you’re looking for cool plugins for editing effects.
For those who aren’t big on politics, the folks in the video are:
President William Jefferson Clinton
Former Presidential Candidate Herman Cain
Former Representative Anthony Wiener
Former Governor of New York Eliot Spitzer
Former Nevada Senator John Ensign
Former Senator, and Vice Presidential/Presidential Candidate,John Edwards
Feel free to look up their specific dalliances, if you’re not familiar, they are all pretty shameful.
Anyway, enjoy!
Oakland’s Zombie community won’t take library closures lying down.
It’s not unusual to hear about a municipality in California struggling to keep city services running in these economic times. In Oakland, cuts to city services such as Police and Fire departments are becoming distubingly regular, so the news that Oakland Mayor Jean Quan is planning to close all but four of Oakland’s 18 public libraries shouldn’t come as that much of a shock.
What is unusual is that Oakland’s population of the flesh-eating undead is rising up to protest the library closures. In a display of civic-mindedness uncharacteristic of Undead Americans, Oakland’s zombies have staged a mass crawl in opposition to the proposed shutdowns, with a rallying cry of, “We’re here, we’re dead, and we don’t want our books unread!”.
Image from http://www.facebook.com/saveopl
On Saturday, May 21st, the predicted date of the Rapture and associated Zombie Apocalypse, Zombies from all corners of the Bay Area assembled to let their moaning voices be heard. According to the Facebook page for the event:
The Oakland Public Library is in grave danger. Scenario A of Mayor Quan’s recent budget proposal would, as of July 1, close 14 of Oakland’s 18 libraries: Asian, Brookfield, Chavez, Eastmont, Elmhurst, Golden Gate, Lakeview, Martin Luther King, Melrose, Montclair, Piedmont, Temescal (including the Tool Lending Library), West Oakland, and AAMLO. For the remaining libraries, there would be no children’s services, no programming, and no new books or movies. (Seen www.saveoaklandlibrary.org for more information.)While the zombie community would applaud the closure of the Tool Lending Library, which puts excellent zombie-killing tools such as drills, chainsaws, and large heavy shovels directly into the hands of the public, we are APPALLED by the potential closure of Oakland’s branch libraries.
Libraries provide books, free of charge, to ALL people.
Libraries help Oakland’s living grow huge, delicious, tasty brains.
ZOMBIES NEED BRAINS. LIBRARIES FEED BRAINS. ZOMBIES SUPPORT THE OAKLAND PUBLIC LIBRARY.
For more information on the effort to save Oakland’s libraries, visit: http://saveoaklandlibrary.org/
Thumbnail Photo by Moggs Oceanlane, licensed under Creative Commons (CC) Attribution License, Some Rights Reserved.
