MoCap LLC, is an original web series brought to you by Worldwide Biggies, which has received distribution of 6 episodes beginning in January by Spike TV. Worldwide Biggies is no new comer to the online medium considering its CEO and founder, Albie Hecht, is herald by the Hollywood Reporter as one of the top 50 innovator bringing Hollywood online. WWB also has nearly half a dozen other web properties and a veritable smattering of television productions.

But does any of this warrant its innate value? More importantly, should you even bother to watch it? Naturally, I can simply answer mono-syballically or I may wax poetic. I do have this annoying habit of examining webseries based upon several criteria. Its A) Premise B) Production Value C) Distribution from an unbiased, and hopefully humorous viewpoint.

• Premise : “MoCap LLC is a motion capture studio providing quality digital recording of motion at affordable prices.” A very refreshing perspective to the mundane tech geeks approach. It is a program which warrants its mature rating by far. The writers have created open ended multi-facet characters which are somewhat stereotypical in the fondest sense of the word. The half whit employee, manipulative boss, and bitchy secretary are all played well, and are very watchable. So far so good.

• Production Value : Its faux-documentary is reminiscent of “The Office”, and very entertaining. Character Jeff Leonard obviously draws its origins from Jack Black. While Frank Claxton is the perfect blend of overbearing boss, and instigator. First impression was fairly good in “Porn.” (Marked as mature content which you have to agree to terms. I felt as if I was taking a gamble that paid off) favorite episode by far is “Who We Are.” Excellent usage of production, clearly communicated, and HILARIOUS!

• Distribution: Its very simplistic and old-fashion website with 80’s retro feeling logo and color scheme; however its interactive game is fully redeeming! I haven’t had that much fun since “Subservient Chicken.” Its mature content pique my interest, and faithfully delivered.

Verdict: MUST WATCH

I am very proud to enthusiastically endorse this program. Worldwide Biggies proves itself yet again.

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Now before you round up the posse or look about for torches and pitchforks, what the sentiment is meant to convey is just this. “Kill your pet project or personal interests for the sake of the overall benefit of your program.” I know. Awkward catch phrase, but blame Scorsese.

Normally, the firstborn child which should be killed immediately is YOU! Your ego, self-interest, and ulterior agendas must be sacrificed if not aligned with the programs vision and goals. Let’s face it. Our very favorite topic is normally ourselves. The most painless beginning point for all of us narasitic babies is the “Jump Cut.”

Essentially, jump cuts omits your verbal wanderings, mistakes, or misinformations in a quick and simple fashion. This is utilizes by several of today’s most prominent online personalities

Jump Cut Pros

• Easy: Simple to do, and can be modified even further with a few snazzy sound affects or layering.
• Efficient: It progresses your story with minimal effort. Adds an “effect” to your low/no budget production.
• Cover-Up: You don’t have to be a “One Take Wonder.” Just cut the crap out. No stress involved.
• Accepted: It has now become widely accepted means of storytelling. “Requiem for a Dream” is to be thanked.

Jump Cut Cons

• Overused: This technique has over flooded the online storytelling, and as a result we have gotten lazy.
• Magic Bullet Mentality: Jump Cuts is an aesthetic choice, NOT a plot point. It will not cover poor writing.
• Amateur: There are other more appealing and professional edits that can usually better communicate.

Quick Tutorial (Larry Jordan)

1. Open your editing program. Import your footage. Lay it out in your timeline.
2. Browse your footage for the break in your story. Remember to leave a few handle frames.
3. Cut the unwanted footage out. Reconnect your video stream, leaving no gap.
4. View your magic. You should now see the video “stutter” or “jump” without your blunder.

Success Story

Epic-Fu is the best.

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Home Box Office (HBO) has submitted for our viewing pleasure “Hooking Up.” I will take the next few moments and delicately examine its A) Premise B) Production Value C) Distribution from an unbiased, and hopefully humorous viewpoint.

HBO’s, “Hooking Up,” web series features successful online personalities such as Jessica Rose, Sxephil, kevjumba and Deanna Casaluce of Degrassi. “Hooking Up” premise seems rather obvious. College+Hooking Up= Comedic Gold

• Premise: “Hooking Up’s” premise is only slightly less shallow then the ghastly “Roommates.” The cast do attempt to bring some pep, but fail to deliver due to their budding acting abilities, including Jessica Rose. I do have high hopes that Phil’s signature verbal bitch slaps may come sooner rather then later in the season. The premise, and its execution felt more contrived, rather then simply create the characters and allow the cast to create the dialog. Very disappointing. There is room to grow, but how much can we even dare to expect with a show based on 20-somethings who’s sole interest is fraternization?

• Production Value: Understandably, this is HBOlabs first significant venture into this type of content; however this is no excuse for poor production or cookie cutter directing. The first few episodes may include tried and true camera angles, but it also equals uncreative, and uncompelling. Much can be done with little. Eric Tozzi of “Dirty Bomb Diary” fame has done an EXCELLENT job with a skeleton crew and no to low budget. Much more can be said concerning this. I would love to poke Woody Tondorf’s brain. I’m sure there is a reason for all of…..this? Please Woody talk to me. I’ll do a full article on your thoughts.

• Distribution: The BaskBook motif is fairly amusing, if I didn’t frequent facebook and myspace so often. However the copy written is pretty tacky. (Excerpt Follows) “Meg needs to hear some advice instead of dish it out. She’s been asked the dreaded How Many People Have You Been With question by the boy she likes and needs your input!” She needs my input! Hot damn. Now that you have put the almighty exclamation point I may take you seriously. Or get rather turned off that you have begged me to interact with you. Baskbook, not “Hooking Up” directly, has now officially become the very demanding yet socially backwards kid in the locker room that invites you to his birthday party. If I say “No” will you pull a Carrie?

Verdict: Passable.

A lot of press accompanied this program, and it in its current incarnation it under delivers. All the pomp and splendor of web celebrities with little comedic substance. I actually have enjoyed a few parodies, Selling Out, by Alan Lastufka, a.k.a. fallofautumndistro even more then the program itself. Perhaps in a month or two I will check in and be amused. I’ll hold my breathe. Or rather I will visit some of the casts better work. Highly suggest it.

Other reviews include: Youtube Reviews, The Bad & The Ugly

Also a rumored HBOlabs scam. Interesting read if nothing else.

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FEAR NO MORE! No more nights alone and cold in the dog house!

I’ve concocted, R.A.D., a handy-dandy acronym in soft chewable tablet form to assist with Creative Impotency.Take as many as needed.

• Rekindle the Romance: Remember the way you felt when your creative muse first touched you? The tingles she sent throughout your…cerebrum. Enticing you onward and upward through all those o-so-long nights at the office all in the hopes to see her on the silver screen for others to gasp at her beauty. Realize that teenage-hormonal-creative lust again! If its reading that same poem, watching that short film again or whatever it may be, feel free to take some time to get revisit your original love story. Personally, I find avant gaurd photography regaring my topic very interrogative.

• Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder: This is a wise old adage that rings true. Take some time off and leave your first love. Place her on the shelf, and leave her be for some time. A day, a week, or a month you will know when you just can’t live without her. Personally I encourage a distracting weekend tryst away from your original love to see if you really do still have that special something. (This is why I encourage having at least three projects active within the same time frame.)

• Dead Bury the Dead: You may need to face the fact that the love is gone, and it will not return. If you are feeling that slight twinge of guilt perhaps it was never meant to be to begin with. You have had your fill of that challenge, learned your lesson, and must now do your best to move on. Its dead. In the past. Move on.

Now you are well on your way to creative fulfillment!

Let me know how it goes. If you wake up drunk, bloated, and missing a kidney don’t complain that I didn’t warn you.

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Yes, I am rather chipper at the moment for I have finally finished a blog series which I have tenatively entitlted “Top 5 Suggestions to Conquere Creative Frustration.” Somewhat guadey if you ask me, but nonetheless I seem to have grown quite attached to it. Needless to say, the below begins on Number 3. Why you ask? Because its my favorite, and I do believe very helpful. Hopefully this piques your curiousity enough to sojourn back to this little spot of the internet to see this blog series in its totality. I shall pick up this blog halfway through a thought in the total series. Enjoy!

THREE ; 3 ; tres ; After2-Before4

I woke up exhausted. Mentally. Physically. Artistically. A far cry from my typical creative zen. I had no motivation. The cruel business world, and day to day necessities had strangled my dreams from me, and I was left wanting. I needed to get up and get going. Being a self-employeed filmmaker has its up and its downs, but I had grown tired of that, and simply wanted to have my cake and eat it too. So I came up with a portion of the solution. Found below. Creating Creative Momentum.

3. Creating Creative Momentum
What is Creative Momentum? Its harnessing that wild inspiration through your Gibson to create the perfect rock ballad. Its infusing your passion into the limited perspective of a small snapshot. Its coaxing your Muse to stay long enough, and whisper to you so you can finish writing that damn blog! Or in my case finding the right combination of light, composition, and movement to bring my film frames to life. Its difficult. Nearly impossible. However if you are able to muster the energy from nothing, then master building, and even riding this creative momentum. Well, then my friend… Congratulations you are a professional.

First, I would recommend you begin by set up a personal goal to indicate artistic success. A personal one that is realistic. If your primary goal is to become the best blogger in the world, and yet you have poor writing skills then perhaps a more immediate and personal goal would be to attend either classes or find a mentor. This will spark the fire.

Secondly, create a process to achieve this goal. This will motivate you gradually and create artistic momentum. You will break through that writers block, or have that burst of inspiration which will launch you through your task at hand. Thus fanning the growing flame through positive reinforcement of gained goals.

Thirdly, trial and error comes into play. You must perfect this process and eliminate things that are restricting you from growing and building artistic momentum. If you have a negative influence, may it be person or circumstance, deal with it quickly and efficiently. A steay blaze is growing though it may have set back, and frustrations, you are becoming a force to be reckoned with.

Finally, become dedicated. Once you have set your goals set, your process perfected through trial and error, you now have the coveted answer to create your own creative nirvana.

For example. I love examples don’t you? I hate to read something that is hardly applicable. Here was the course of events which lead to my epifanies.

GIMP.tv was in dire need of premium HD content which would not only separate itself from the rest of new media, but also become an attractive alternative to traditional advertsing. Tall order to say the least. Essentially a start-up company needed to have the quality and brand strength of something equivalent to a online HBO. I was only slightly demonoralized, but after establishing a personal, realistic goal, which was to create one automotive program to receive critical and mass aclaime, I got to work.

First, my goal of “becoming the HBO of the internet” required study of the competitive landscape, and a careful examination of my own limitation both creatively and technically. Had I the mental prowess to do this. Natually. I’m a bright guy. Did we have the technical capability? With nearly $30k inequipment we had better! We shot a promotional peice for testing which was well recieved by our focus groups. So far so good.

Secondly, my process was to build a reliable cast and crew who all believed the goal was attainable and each brought specific talents to the table. Frustration mounted due to talent troubles for hosts, and technical limitations, which I quickly set right. By this time we were two weeks into the “Fuel Time” project with two episodes out, to which we had cleanly broken through the top ten. Very good most would say. But not my personal goal.

Thirdly, I began to play with the format of our little “Fuel Time” project. Shorting some potions, lengthening others, adding characters. I got rid of some cast and crew, and only kept those that were encouraging and helpful. It was very difficult, but needed. These were days in long meetings with the executives, and even in the editing bay. However it was exhilerating. Our baby was not only walking but I felt like it was running. Episode 3 was to come out, and I was ready for it. It came out and hit #1! Very encouraging. I hit my goal. My team was thrilled.

Lastly, we had to get up and do it again. Rain or shine. Through the best and the worst. We have seen some hiccups, and some successes. Get up and do it again.

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There seems to be quite a few interesting undercurrents shaping what you will be watching and when fairly shortly. Enjoy.

1. Bryan Singer & Superman: Man of Steel

This highly overrated director will be returning to further butcher a beloved character with ….

“… unrelenting terror! All those teenage girls who found the movie and mooned over James Marsden or Brandon? Well, I’m going to wake them up!”

Which is exactly what I was hoping for. More Mardsen & the poorly created character of Brandon. Never mind the alien that walks among us protecting us (Superman). This is the first meaningful thing Singer has said. Sad.

2. Sam Rami & Monster Zoo

Even though Sam has finished with his Spider-man trilogy it seems as if he is not capable of staying away from the comic book genre. He is currently directing “Drag Me To Hell,” and will be leading “Monster Zoo,” a film Paramount pictures hopes will successfully fuse Sam and another as of yet to be published comic book written by Douglas TeNapel (the gentleman who brought us Earth Worm Jim). I’m game for this film if only out of loyalty to the man who made comic books cool again. At least….almost cool. Lets just go for no longer socially retarded..

3. Brad Bird & 1906

Brad brought us “The Incredibles,” and more recently the Oscar worthy “Ratatouille.” Next he will be bringing us his first live action film for Warner Bros & Disney/Pixar placed within historical San Francisco’s devistating earthquake. I’m really curious to watch this production unfold. H’s not playing with crayons anymore. (If you don’t know this reference go watch “Rats” DVD extras. Some of the best DVD extras to come out.)

4. 90210 in 2008

Yes its back. I know. I know. I’m sorry too. Its coming soon. Near you. To eat your small children’s morals. Run.

5. Michael Bay & Rosemaries Baby

Last, but certainly not least Michael Bay will be producing a remake of the oldie thriller. Given what he has been able to accomplish with bringing back several long loved concepts I’m confident he will do this justice.

Which begs a question. What are some old well loved concepts that you would like to see come back? I ‘m going to go with Thundercats.

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Here is my own personal guidelines for measuring the success of a film trailer.

1. Does it convey authors intent?

Are you able to sufficiently grasp the premise of the film? Were they able to convince you, coerce you, or attract you? Many film trailers that come out these days rarely intrigue or worse yet tell all too fast leaving nothing for you to desire. Ever seen a movie that the best parts were all found in the trailer? Aggravating isn’t it? A trailer should leave you wanting more. Salivating at the thought of been privileged to view any more. I argue Funny Games does just that. every trailer or really any abbreviated work of an artist should be an accurate representation or the overall project. (more…)

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Good day, ladies and gentlemen I will be testing out my most recent blogs abilities throughout the following few days, and I have decided to post a few of my older blogs. Hopefully you find them very interesting in hindsight. I now give you my personal opinion, including some biting sarcasm, regarding Matt Damon’s big break. Kudos kiddos!

CHAPTER 1
The Bourne Ultimatum is coming out in this seemingly never ending summer of sequels.

WE CAN ONLY ENDURE SO MUCH, HOLLYWOOD!!! We can take it no longer!

RIGHT HERE! RIGHT NOW! I stand in the gap for my fellow cinematic victims!

No longer will we go and be privy to the pilfering of our meek and feeble minds on simple film dribble!

We will not watch the new “Pirates of the Caribbean” television serial! (I just about slapped the first piratical mascara wearing hipster I saw.) We will not clap and cheer the demise of another franchise! We have mourned the loss of Stars Wars long enough! Let us now have a moment of silence and remember the best elements of the Bourne films this far.

WHAT WAS FUN

A. Bourne is wicked cool as he beats the shnit out of people, his best excuse? “I don’t know how I do it, but I just do it.”

B. Bourne uses a pen to kill people. I hear in the next one he uses a newspaper. I thought you use those on little puppies? Maybe he should try rubbing their face in their own …..

C. The hero chick dies in Supremacy. In the first 10 minutes, no less! Somewhere Julia Robert’s agent is cringing.

WHAT WOULD BE FUN-ER

1. Bourne remember his wifes name, and also remembers he killed her while the opening credits are rolling. Now he’s just pissed at life. Hero’s with nothing to live for are more interesting. Sorta much like Mr. Sizemore. Except he’s a method actor. Someone should tell him to stop.

2. Julia Stiles joins him by his side. Also becomes his love interest, and eventually dies from a freak misunderstanding with Bourne and a newspaper.

3. More stuff blows up. Also more gadgets that are sleeker, smaller, and can be carried in your pocket. Of course, unless your caught with it going into a state prison. Then its your friends.

All in all, I have great hopes that this Bourne finale will be best. After all, it is his Ultimatum. If he doesn’t do as well what he will come back with? Bourne: Don’t make me count to three?

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This blog will focus primarily upon the business of entertainment as it pertains to decay traditional media and its birth and maturity into New Media.

Cheers

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