I’ve launched the first forum for Z-Studios, which will also service the overcast (I’ll announce it in #007). Absolutely nothing going on there right now, and I’m not really going to push for it either. If there’s anything apparent in this community, it’s that there are no shortage of discussion forums, and good / thriving ones at that. However, if you’d like to get in on the ground floor as some have already done (Hi Michelle! Hello Todd!), feel free to register and post away, and we’ll just let it evolve naturally, as slowly or quickly as it may. (more…)

I’ve never heard of anything quite like this happening before. Maybe it has and I just missed it… but recently a group of folks received an assignment (presumably for a drama class): play a theatric scene in an “unusual environment.” Kind of sounds like Tyler Durden homework, doesn’t it?

So they gathered in World of Warcraft, and played out the balcony scene from Romeo & Juliet - get this - in front of a live audience of other WoW players! Audience members showed their approval by displays of magic, and even gave the actors a tip of WoW gold. Read all about it here. The only bummer is that, apparently, no one caught this on film, but the YouTube link on this blog at least shows a slideshow of annotated screenshots. (more…)

I’ve been enjoying the use of Celtx, scripting like crazy and charting out new stories and ideas. Is it just me, or does the whole notion of a 3-act (or N-act) story structure seem contrived and, frankly, arbitrary? Maybe it’s because I don’t come at storytelling from that kind of training, but I find that trying to work within someone else’s prescribed skeleton completely constricting. Some would argue that transmutating a story to fit into Hollywood’s act-based templates is a craft worth learning, but I’m finding some stories just do not fit well into those templates. The question is, should they be made to do so? What purpose does it serve, other then to ingratiate Hollywood execs I don’t really care about? (more…)

Celtx pre-production software is one of the most exciting filmmaking products to come along in a long time. I highly recommend it for any machinima maker’s toolkit. It’s free, under constant development / improvement, and is very well supported by its community. And officially, it is pronounced either “kel-tix” or “cel-tex”, either one will do. (more…)

The forums I frequent have been on the quiet side lately. I think this is one of those “eclipses” where a lot of people are deep into production mode on their next films, and time for chit-chat is minimal. In all likelihood, that should yield us a very strong set of summer releases which I’m looking forward to very much.

Amidst the relative quiet, there’s been a recent minor shake-up over at Sims99.com regarding “adult content” in films listed there. I call it minor because a very small number of films were affected, but it’s impacting those who were “banned” in a major way. A couple of the filmmakers are even feeling a bit guilty, as if they are responsible for the crackdown. I don’t think guilt is warranted here. (more…)

A mixed bag this weekend…

Managing Ideas

I’ve been searching for some kind of application that can help me keep track of and manage ideas. Like a digital index card system… but a little more robust. Something that supports “tags” and multimedia attachments, perhaps outlining, fully searchable. Best case scenario would be some kind of PHP app so I could run it from a website and access it anywhere. I’m coming up dry. The closest thing I’ve found is Personal Knowledge Base, which I guess is fine… but it’s not database driven. Looks like it’s something I’ll need to write for myself. The plus of having it online would be the collaboration possibilties.

What’s in a filename?

I was sifting through my machinima downloads folder the other day, and was reminded of something that really gets on my nerves. (more…)