I’m going to start writing about new Spidvid projects created by our community that may be of interest to the amazing world-wide video creation talent that reads our blog.

Today we have a project posted by author Rodney Bartlett who wants to see a film about Star Trek about becoming reality. If you are a Star Trek fan and happen to be an actor, producer, writer, director, editor, story teller, or a videographer, then this collaborative project may be for you. See the project details below, and bid on it if you want to join Rodney’s team.

Title: 10 Steps To Convert Star Trek Into Reality

Ideas:

1) In July 2009, electrical engineer Hong Tang and his team at Yale University in the USA demonstrated that, on silicon chip- and transistor- scales, light can attract and repel itself like electric charges/magnets (Discover magazine’s “Top 100 Stories of 2009 #83: Like Magnets, Light Can Attract and Repel Itself” by Stephen Ornes, from the January-February 2010 special issue; published online December 21, 2009). This is the “optical force”, a phenomenon that theorists first predicted in 2005 (this time delay is rather confusing since James Clerk Maxwell showed that light is an electromagnetic disturbance approx. 140 years ago). In the event of the universe having an underlying electronic foundation (hopefully, my summary will make it clear that this must be so – also … an electronic universe is a necessary precursor to scientific fulfilment of Star Trek’s “magic” which becomes clear as these steps are read), it would be composed of “silicon chip- and transistor- scales” and the Optical Force would not be restricted to microscopic scales but could operate universally. Tang proposes that the optical force could be exploited in telecommunications. For example, switches based on the optical force could be used to speed up the routing of light signals in fibre-optic cables, and optical oscillators could improve cell phone signal processing.

2) If all forms of EM (electromagnetic) radiation can attract/repel, radio waves will also cause communication revolution e.g. with the Internet and mobile (cell) phones. I anticipate that there may be no more overexposure to ultraviolet or X-rays.

3) In agreement with the wave-particle duality of quantum mechanics, EM waves have particle-like properties (more noticeable at high frequencies) so cosmic rays (actually particles) are sometimes listed on the EM spectrum beyond its highest frequency of gamma rays.

4) If cosmic rays are made to repel, astronauts going to Mars or another star or galaxy would be safe from potentially deadly radiation.

5) And if all particles in the body can be made to attract or repel as necessary, doctors will have new ways of restoring patients to health.

6) From 1929 til his death in 1955, Einstein worked on his Unified Field Theory with the aim of uniting electromagnetism and gravitation. Future achievement of this means warps of space (gravity, according to General Relativity) between spaceships/stars could be attracted together, thereby eliminating distance. And “warp drive” would not only come to life in future science/technology … it would be improved tremendously, almost beyond imagination. This reminds me of the 1994 proposal by Mexican physicist Miguel Alcubierre of a method of stretching space in a wave which would in theory cause the fabric of space ahead of a spacecraft to contract and the space behind it to expand. Therefore, the ship would be carried along in a warp bubble like a person being transported on an escalator, reaching its destination faster than a light beam restricted to travelling outside the warp bubble. There are no known methods to warp space – however, this extension of the Yale demonstration in electrical engineering may provide one.

7) Since Relativity says space and time can never exist separately, warps in space are actually warps in space-time. Eliminating distances in space also means “distances” between both future and past times are eliminated – and time travel becomes reality. This is foreseen by the Enterprise time-travelling back to 20th-century Earth in the 1986 movie “Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home” and by Star Trek’s “subspace communications”. Doing away with distances in space and time also opens the door to Star Trek-like teleportation. Teleportation wouldn’t involve reproducing the original and there would be no need to destroy the original body – we would “simply” be here one moment, and there the next (wherever and whenever our destination is).

8.) Another step might be to think of “… the grand design of the universe, a single theory that explains everything” (words used by Stephen Hawking on the American version of Amazon, when promoting his latest book “The Grand Design”) in a different way than physicists who are presently working on science’s holy grail of unification. Recalling the manmade Genesis Planet in the 1982 movie “Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan”, we might anticipate that the future will actually see a manmade planet (literally forming a planet is merely an advancement of terraforming, where a planet is engineered to be Earth-like and habitable). We might even free our minds from all restrictions and imagine science and technology creating every planet in the universe. The universe’s underlying electronic foundation (which makes our cosmos into a partially-complete unification, similar to 2 objects which appear billions of years or billions of light-years apart on a huge computer screen actually being unified by the strings of ones and zeros making up the computer code which is all in one small place) would make our cosmos into physics’ holy grail of a complete unification if it enabled not only elimination of all distances in space and time, but also elimination of distance between (and including) the different sides of objects and particles. This last point requires the universe to not merely be a vast collection of the countless photons, electrons and other quantum particles within it; but to be a unified whole that has “particles” and “waves” built into its union of digital 1’s and 0’s (or its union of qubits – quantum binary digits). If we use the example of CGH (computer generated holography, which is reminiscent of the holographic simulation called the Holodeck in “Star Trek: The Next Generation”), these “particles” and “waves” would either be elements in a Touchable Hologram – demonstrated by Japanese researchers in August 2009 (search for “Touchable Holography” in Google or You Tube) – or elements produced by the interaction of electromagnetic and presently undiscovered gravitational waves, producing what we know as mass (in September 2008, renowned British astrophysicist Professor Stephen Hawking bet US$100 that the Large Hadron Collider would not find the Higgs boson, a theoretical particle supposed to explain how other particles acquire mass) and forming what we know as space-time. Einstein predicted the existence of gravitational waves, and measurements on the Hulse-Taylor binary-star system resulted in Russell Hulse and Joe Taylor being awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1993 for their work, which was the first indirect evidence for gravitational waves.The feedback of the past and future universes into the unified cosmos’s electronic foundation would ensure that both past and future could not be altered. (I’m disagreeing with Einstein’s view of weights [mass] causing indentations in a malleable “rubber sheet” called space-time, but the system I’m proposing can yield exactly the same measurements as his and I think Einstein would welcome the chance to consider a different interpretation.) (Our brains and minds are part of this unification too, which must mean extrasensory perception and telekinetic independence from technology are possible.)

9) Elimination of diseased matter and/or eliminating the distance in time between a patient and recovery from any adverse medical condition – even death – would also be a valuable way of restoring health. With time travel in an electronic universe, people who have long since died could have their minds downloaded into clones of their bodies – a modification of ideas published by robotics/artificial- intelligence pioneer Hans Moravec, inventor/futurist Ray Kurzweil and others – allowing them to “recover” from death (establishing colonies throughout space and time would prevent overpopulation). Or if the distance between recovery and a patient is reduced to zero before illness or accident occurs (we might call this “eVaccination” – electronic vaccination); prevention of any adverse medical condition, including that of a second death for those resurrected, can occur. Science’s real-life conquering of all disease, and even death, would certainly make the technology employed by Leonard “Bones” McCoy, the Enterprise’s doctor, appear non-futuristic.

10) These paragraphs imply the possibility of humans time-travelling to the distant past and using electronics to create this particular subuniverse’s computer-generated Big Bang (but there’s still room for God because God would be a pantheistic union of the mega universe’s material and mental parts, forming a union with humans in a cosmic unification). We’ve seen several examples of how science fact could equal, or surpass, science fiction. A final example of surpassing is that, in Star Trek, there are many military conflicts with Klingons, Romulans, the Borg, etc. In a real-life cosmic unification, there are no wars between the stars but peace is normal – even on Earth – since nobody can attack anyone in any way without knowing they’re attacking themself.

Story:

The video begins with somebody reading an article in a science magazine about light being able, on microscopic scales, to attract and repel like electric charges or magnets. At first the reader merely thought the article was interesting but, over the next few hours, it develops into ideas for things like e(lectronic)Sunscreen, protection from cosmic rays, a basis for new treatments in medicine, intergalactic and time travel. During the next few months, the reader combines those ideas with his or her love of science fiction (”Star Trek” and Doctor Who’s “Face of Bo”, who is 5 billion years old and can teleport around the universe without any technology), as well as combining the thoughts with his or her love of the idea of an electronic and holographic universe. Then more ideas came – notions about eternal health for everyone who ever lived and thoughts regarding the implications of unification. Reluctantly at first, the reader realised that the later conclusions agreed with what Jesus said in the Bible and supported the concept of God. But he or she still would not go to church, preferring to tackle these new ideas from a scientific perspective.

Additional Information:

Rodney hopes to see this film created as soon as possible. The 2 free ebooks he’s written ( “A New Earth and A New Universe” + “Humans and their Universes” and a video he put on You Tube may be of assistance.

You can learn about the complete project details on its Spidvid project page, and connect with Rodney via his Spidvid profile.

Jeremy Campbell New Project, community actor, collaboration, director, editor, film, filmmaker, idea, New Project, new video, Star Trek, story, talent needed, TV, video, video creation, video creator, video production, videographer, writer

If you are into the web series space like we are, you have likely heard of The International Academy of Web Television, or IAWTV for short. IAWTV is an independent organization of digital entertainment leaders, founded in 2008 to promote and recognize artistic excellence and technological innovation in the Web television and digital entertainment industries. Members of the Academy have achieved excellence in their respective fields, and include actors, agents, composers, content developers, directors, journalists, producers, technology innovators, and writers who actively participate in and support the Web television and digital entertainment industries.

The Academy oversees the Streamy Awards. The IAWTV has 11 board of directors including: Michael Wayne (Chairman), Dina Kaplan (Vice Chair), George Ruiz (Secretary), Miles Beckett, Drew Baldwin, Felicia Day, Zadi Diaz, Jim Louderback, Chris McCaleb, John McCarus, Timothy Shey, and Joshua Cohen.

The reason why I’m writing about the IAWTV today is because they have recently opened up membership to anyone in the online entertainment space who’s interested. This is a smart move because the Internet is open, so why should an Academy who is evangelizing online video’s future not also be too.

Are you a web series creator who wants to join the IAWTV? We may sponsor the membership of a creator, so if you feel you are very deserving of joining this incredible organization please comment below, send us an email, or tweet to tell us why the IAWTV would be lucky to have you.

We are always doing nice things for our community, so be sure to get all new posts delivered to your email, or via RSS.

Jeremy Campbell Give Aways, community Academy, awards, community, creator, IAWTV, International Academy of Web Television, membership, new media, online video, open, organization, sponsorship, Streamy Awards, Streamys, TV, video, video creator, web, web television, web tv, web video, win

My previous interview was with director Johnny Blank. Today we pick the brain of Steven Trauger who’s the Founder and Creative Director of video production and motion graphic design company Seriously Total Video Productions.

1. What are the biggest challenges in creating a film, TV or web show?

Well, aside from the ever-changing technology landscape and the decisions knowledgeable crews are faced with there, the very first and often fundamental challenge every production faces lies in its initial idea or basic concept/story development.  A director can have all the tools and talent in the world at his or her fingertips, but if they don’t know how to properly use them, their video or film will not be successful in its delivery.  That’s because there is a language to follow in film.  There is the 180 degree rule and the commonly practiced notion of introducing an audience to a location via an establishing shot prior to any close-up.  It takes a beginner awhile to learn all of these, but whether a person works in the industry or not, everyone is exposed to them—audiences just don’t realize it while enjoying a motion picture.  Now in education, deadlines and conceptualization seem to present significant challenges.  Good location scouting/set design and proper lighting/audio can be real problematic for beginners taking their first stab at this kind of work.  Trying to mold a young producer’s ideas into viable content so that those ideas successfully communicate a point or tell a story can consume considerable time and effort.  However, as with any production, careful planning can lead to solid execution and a positive experience for all involved.  Expectations should be clear and production tracking closely monitored—especially in the case of daily, weekly, or monthly television/web shows/series so that deadlines are met.  In the professional world, a lot of the video content professionals are hired to produce revolves around the corporate world.  Having a client fully communicate what it is they want producers to exactly create and why can sometimes yield just as big a challenge.  And that’s okay because they’re not necessarily professional communicators, which is one reason they’ve hired you.  Amazingly, many clients tend to hire video professionals with no idea what or exactly how they want their idea conveyed.  It’s simply that—an idea.  Therefore, content producers need to not only be fully aware of their client’s goals and target audience but also be able to craft that idea into a concise message that gets results or serves an acceptable purpose.  Recent trends in online marketing have placed significant emphasis on the delivery of web-based video.  More and more companies rely on the creation of digital shorts or webisodes to entertain or get their message out to the public.  This is because the web has no time or creative restrictions but that doesn’t mean there aren’t challenges with doing so.  These short films can easily lock in an audience and generate buzz about an idea or product.  The trick for producers wishing to tap into that sort of viral power is to exercise caution.  Not all ideas can generate an instantaneous and far-reaching response.  Nailing down the viewing audience and appropriate delivery style is key to developing a winning campaign or entertaining series that does get widespread attention, thus attracting lots of followers.  It’s not easy to develop—especially when making comedy and so that is why I would say viral campaigns can be challenging in themselves.  Audiences today are smarter, they react differently than they did a few years ago thanks to the availability and wide-spread content that’s out there.  The trick is to make your video stand out.

2. Is collaboration between team members integral to the success of your production projects?

Absolutely!  The essence of all project work is the synergy that the group members bring to the table.  Any product is the sum of those efforts.

3. Is finding and putting together the right combination of talent hard to consistently do?

I don’t think so.  Of course it helps to understand the skill set your particular project requires–so you know how to budget, where to look, and what to look for in an individual’s capabilities/reel.  But I actually think it boils down to the issue of aligning schedules and geographic location—especially for those working in short films since a lot of this type of work is made on tight budgets and outside the normal scope of a typical 9-5 type of schedule.  There’s actually plenty of talent out there in the world; you just have to know where to look and be smart about your recruiting.  Regardless of computers, their capabilities for remote delivery, & online/phone discussion, what I have found is that the best collaboration typically comes from that which is face to face.  I also see a lot of people who look to hire folks who can work on-site, at their offices in the freelance world—sometimes because of the data pipeline/project workflow and other times because they simply want that direct physical interaction with the employee or as I like to say, creative partner.

4. Is film school needed in 2010 to become a star in the video or film industries?

Let’s be honest, a great education will only get you so far in the entertainment industry.  In order to be successful, one must possess some level of drive and motivation.  I suggest students look at what kinds of educational partnerships/internships/co-ops various educational institutions offer and realize it is these locations where most of their knowledge from the classroom will be paired with further experiential learning.  Watch the various entertainment mediums and concentrate on the styles/techniques used.  You pick up so much just from simply watching the work of other pros.  We’re in an age where it pays to be fiscally smart/responsible so when considering colleges, it’s helpful if incoming college students have a general idea what line of work they wish to pursue in the film/entertainment world.  Of course that’s easier said than done.  But that way students can do some research with their parents ahead of time regarding potential salaries they’re likely to see upon graduation and find a school that has the best offerings which fit their current financial situation.  Unlike medical school, most filmmakers or production personnel won’t make enough in their first few years out of college to pay off enormous educational loans.  In fact, the production industry relies more on experience and demo reels than it does degrees.  Sure, there are some cases where a name on that degree will help, and having a degree in general is a good idea, but in most instances, many people from all different backgrounds will be competing for the same position and that same salary once you are finished.  Is it in your best interest to pay more for that very opportunity?  Look at the school—see what they offer and also realize that your experience and the knowledge you will gain there will be what you make of it.  Finally, to make it truly big in the entertainment world there are 2 important questions one must ask: 1) who do you know and 2) how lucky are you.  I am sure there are people of equal talent to that of a Michael Bay or Jerry Bruckheimer but the real question is will they ever be discovered.  It’s all about being in the right place at the right time and landing that opportunity which gets the ball rolling.  Always having a positive attitude, remembering to network, and keeping up with current trends/issues will help ensure your future success in the entertainment business.

5. What will the video production landscape look like in 2015, and how will it evolve from its current state today?

Everything is moving towards data; film will only be taught in film school or used for specific reasons.  The question is will 3D be a fad?  My prediction is that you’ll see Hollywood move away from big-salary actors and return to strong stories.  The summer box office of 2010 proved that star power doesn’t always mean everything.  Will there be more technicians instead of artists?  While technology is great, it should remain a tool.  It already has taken away some of the awe audiences of the past have come to enjoy, advancing the quality of imagery depicted on the big screen over the years and allowing some filmmakers to simply make a film around such spectacle instead of storyline.  Today, with new computer advances there is no limit for realistic-looking visual effects or stylized production designs directors can technologically achieve in their films.  More courses in film schools will probably focus on how to act and manage content in the digital realm, for example DIY training, workflow/production server management, and acting for the green screen, etc.

I thank Steven for the interview, for his insights, and time. If you aren’t already, be sure to have our future interviews and posts delivered to your email inbox, or get them through your favorite RSS reader.

Jeremy Campbell Guest Post, Lists, community answers, creative, creative director, director, film, founder, information, knowledge, production, questions, Steven Trauger, STVP, STVP.net, TV, video, video production

Acting isn’t a skill that someone is born with, it’s an art form which is developed over a long period of time in which the actor must practice, fail, learn, and eventually grow into a dynamic talent. Because actors are the faces of video and film productions they have immense value to directors, creators, producers, and most importantly the viewers who consume the content.

Mercedes Rose has been an actor in feature films and TV shows, is the voice of Princess Rosalina for Super Mario Galaxy and Mario Kart for Nintendo Wii (very cool!), and has also worked with lots of big brands. Mercedes shares her knowledge and passion for acting through her “The Lazy Actor” vlogs. We have posted a few of our favorites below, so enjoy! Also, be sure to subscribe to Mercedes’s YouTube channel to stay updated on all her future content.

Tip: Tape yourself auditioning.

Bartering with others.

Be positive and confident.

Social media etiquette.

What is it that you’re naturally good at?

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Jeremy Campbell Lists, resources, video blog acting, actor, actress, art, craft, educator, feature film, how to, learn, mario bros, Mercedes Rose, passionate, performer, princess, resources, skill, talent, teacher, tips, TV, video blog, vlog, VO, voice actor, voice actress, voice over

The Internet has forever changed how everyone communicates on a global level. Email revolutionized communication, but we have come a long way to evolve with real-time interactions such as instant messaging, tweeting, waving, status updating, live video, and numerous other ways. YouTube, Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, LinkedIn and many other social sharing sites have contributed one way or another to make everyone more accessible while virtually eliminate our privacy. Love it or hate it this is just the beginning of what we can expect from the ever evolving social web.

We now not only just consume media content but participate in it as well to help shape it from a consumption standpoint, and influence what the creator produces in the future. This explains why TV, magazines, and radio are facing real challenges as they continue their focus on broadcasting or pushing content out rather then engaging their viewers, readers, and listeners to pull ideas and content from them.

The film and video production industry is now starting to realize the potential of this new social movement, leading to some very good quality yet low-cost online video entertainment. The ability for talent to connect to form collaborative production teams, is not only speeding up the overall process but vastly improving it as well. Production teams don’t have to be all located in one central location anymore, a team can consist with members located across the planet which is exceptionally beneficial for creators in remote areas or small towns. So even if you live in Grand Bend, Ontario, Canada with a population of just 2,000 people it’s possible to collaborate with talent located in Hollywood, or even far east in Bollywood.

Our dream for Spidvid is to have thousands of individuals producing video content together which wouldn’t have otherwise been produced. By leveraging our platform, there is now a simple solution to make that possible and then some. This is still a very new concept so our challenge now to make this a reality is to educate people through content, email, social media, face to face contact and whatever else it takes for anyone who’s interested to truly “get” how special things can be for video production.

We aren’t saying to completely change how you currently produce videos, but haven’t you wondered how talent outside of your city, personal network, or Craigslist could benefit your projects and content? If you are even slightly interested you should get yourself a Spidvid account so it’s ready whenever you, or someone else who wants to collaborate and add you to their team is.

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Jeremy Campbell Visionary change, communication, evolution, Facebook, internet video, LinkedIn, magazines, MySpace, new media, new playing field, online video, radio, revolution, social media, spidvid, Spidvid.com, TV, twitter, video, web video, YouTube