Super-8 Mystique: When Moviemaking Was Special

Kenrg, in response to my previous post here at Childhood According to Rich, recently posted a vlog about his own early experiences in super-8 filmmaking.  His post, and the responses that followed, led me to consider the elements that made our individual experiences so special, and particularly unique to those times. Super-8 captures some of how we all took the process so very seriously, but I think it's worth asking why.

Central to the experience, of course, was the fact that film, unlike modern video, wasn't unlimited.  It cost money to buy, and cost money to develop.  Each reel of film was only about three minutes long - so we kept (or tried to keep) screwing around to the minimum.  As much as 12 or 13 year-olds could, anyway.

The challenge of creating a film without sound - super-8 sound didn't come around until I was in high school - also gave us a direct connection to the filmmaking process.  We felt connected to the history of movie-making.

It was a much smaller club than today.  While millions of people owned super-8 movie cameras, there weren't nearly as many kids making movies as there are today.  The process of movie making, even for kids, could be time consuming. You needed special equipment - I had some simple lights, some creature-type make-up (liquid latex and vampire blood come to mind), a hand-cranked viewer to look at my film, and splicer to cut and tape my film together - and a projector.  Most families simply shot home movies, got them developed, and ran them through the projector.    It was relatively rare for a kid to have what he needed to make movies.

As Kenrg remarked, a super-8 camera had some heft - it felt important.  Even this, my very first camera, which was small, minimal and light even by standards of the time, was solidly built - and it made that exciting mechanical noise as the film ran through the camera, you felt a jolt of adrenaline, and the scene began.  

Sure, everyone might crack up laughing a second later - but at that moment, we weren't just pretending - we felt like real filmmakers. 

A Kid Making Movies

I recently saw the new J.J. Abrams / Steven Spielberg film, Super 8, which centers around a group of 12 year old filmmakers in 1979 [you can see the review on my other blog] .  Both Abrams and Spielberg have a knack for portraying the subtleties of child with rare accuracy - the body language, the politics and the world perspective unique to a certain time in our lives.  In Super 8, the lead character is not the leader of the  group - he's not the kid who sets everyone off making a film.  He's bought into it wholeheartedly, though.  He's the head make-up guy (the only make-up guy) and he takes his position seriously.  He's even got a make-up kit so that he can handle everything from standard make-up to the zombies featured in their movie.  His friend the filmmaker has issues of Super-8 Filmmaker scattered about - the very magazine I read as a kid (in the time frame of the film, I would have been a few years older than these kids).

Here I am at 11, making my first film!

You know these kids.  Moviemakers or not, they're the kids you probably grew up with.  As a kid who considered himself a filmmaker, I recognize the dynamics.   Filmmaking was an adventure - certain friends signed aboard with me for the duration, and we took ourselves seriously (most of the time).  I did the same for them.  I starred as a priest in an Exorcist spoof, which required a special make-up application including liquid latex to form horns on my forehead.  The girl in the film was made-up in with the same material, leaving her as hideous as Linda Blair in the original film.

In junior high school, several friends joined with me to create outlines, scripts, costume designs and other elements of a Star Trek-like project that was never completed.  It didn't matter, though.  It really wasn't about finishing a film most of the time - it was about dreaming.

We did finish some films, though.  One friend joined with me to create a film called The Little Vampire, featuring his little brother as a vampire-in-training who couldn't do anything right.  We built a rickety coffin in my backyard, including a fishing-line contraption so that the lid would appear to rise by itself.  Another fishing line effect involved the boy vampire (costumed in a blue cape made from my old bedspread) attempting to turn himself into a bat - and becoming a white dove, instead.  Like all of my films of the time, this was a silent film with silent movie-style titles to represent dialogue.  I actually attempted a rough soundtrack via an audio cassette, which sorta-kinda ran in sync with the movie.
The film was completed and toured:  My home, for a screening for my family, and my friend's home, for a screening with his family.  Then, it was on to the next project, and the film would rarely be seen again.

I've come to recognize my childhood filmmaking adventures as my team sport.  We cared as much, and were as passionate as any ball player, but were doing it without much of an audience, and were entirely in our own world  - and having a heck of a lot of fun!  Even if we didn't finish half the films we started.

Like ballplayers say, it's not whether you win or lose...

Dawn of the Real Space Age

Article first published as Dawn of the Real Space Age on Blogcritics.

As the Space Shuttle program draws to a close, media outlets and enthusiasts are mourning what some see as the decline of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and America's manned space exploration program.  Thousands are being laid off at NASA and affiliate suppliers, and it seems destined that the USA will surrender its leading role at the cutting age of science and technology.  Don’t be so sure.

The future of manned space travel hasn't yet come into sharp focus - but activity in the private sector increasingly suggests that while NASA's manned space program may be winding down for the foreseeable future, private visionaries may be ushering a new Space Age that will rapidly expand human presence in space beyond anything that might now seem plausible.

The most well-known commercial space program at the moment is Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic.  Within the next few years, Virgin ferry passengers into space for a short ($200,000) ride.  True, it will be a plaything for the very wealthy - but the success of this program, and the pioneering technology that's making it happen, will also serve as a proof-of-concept demonstration that could encourage a renaissance of interest and investment in the commercial development of space.  Branson's stated dream is to bring space to all.

Increasingly affordable access to space will finally make feasible the heady fantasy of Stanley Kubrick's 1968 epic, 2001: A Space Odyssey - including the rotating space station and it’s Hilton Hotel and commercial airline access.   What seemed like a silly fantasy just a few years ago may be closer to reality than we think.   Even individual entrepreneurs will have the opportunity to travel into orbit to develop and test technologies that will further space-based technology. 

Will science be shunted aside with the commercialization of space?  Low cost access to space means that the cost of exploration will allow many more scientists and explorers to venture into space than was ever possible during the Space Shuttle era.   Just as Earth-bound exploration is often funded by foundations, non-profits, commercial and government partnerships, the same will evolve beyond earth.   NASA, and it's affiliated Jet Propulsion Laboratory, will benefit from this ease of access, and enter an age when some of the grand dreams of the space program will finally become a reality. 

As a small boy, I had to opportunity to see the Apollo 11 astronauts land on the moon.  We watched the spectacular images of 2001 and saw them not simply as science fiction, but as a sacred prediction of our inevitable future. 

While our dreams may have been delayed, they may very well become reality - sooner than we think.

New Audioboo! My Life as a Kid: Best Friends

The Shadow Government of Country Village Lane

My friends and I formed endless secret clubs.  They usually excluded one kid or another, probably never lasted longer than a meeting or two, and had no other reason other than to be secretive and James Bond-like (well, that was more my reason, most likely). I suppose there's nothing as exciting to a boy as the phrase, "top secret," other than being in on the secret itself.

The clubs each had to have their own rules, of course, which were likely as random at the reasons for starting them in the first place. I remember once creating a set of rules and regulations recorded on numerous sheets of notebook paper.  Each was taped to the next, so that eventually we had an official scroll - sort of like our club Torah (the Jewish religious text).   When we were finished reading or writing in it, we'd roll it up until next time.

Perhaps my most exciting contribution, however, was the creation of my very own secret language.  I called it "Lastarm" (for reasons now lost in time).  It was, more accurately, a secret code, but I couldn't have made the distinction then.  Each letter of the alphabet was replaced with an entirely new symbol, with its own pronunciation.  After I created Lastarm, we not only recorded our club documents in my new "language," but we practiced speaking it as well.   We had serious meetings to discuss the serious matters at hand.

The members were usually the same - the kids on my block - Larry, Chris, Eric, Charlie (actually, he lived down the street and up a hill (impossibly far away, but we made an exception) and myself.  Sometimes one kid or another was excluded, and the stability of the club was always shaky at best, as our shifting kid allegiances invariably caused conflict and confrontation.  A few weeks would pass, and we'd try again with a whole new set of rules, title, missions and dares to complete.  

It was, I guess you could say, a shadow government of third and fourth graders, operating right under the noses of the ruling elite (our parents).

Carpe Diem!

Model Magic

When I was about seven years old, my father went to Europe on a business trip, taking my mother along as they visited several major cities from London to Paris, Rome and Berlin.  Courtesy of 20th Century Fox, it was a first-class trip all the way, as they visited Fox offices and film labs in each city.

Of course, my perception of these cities was vague at best.  They took hundreds of Kodachrome slides, of course, but the single most valuable connection I would absorb from their trip was a plastic model - a 1/87 scale German hotel they bought for my fledgling train layout.  That little building, which my father and I built together, became representative of the far-off lands across the city, where things looked kind of familiar, but were a little different, and the signs were in languages I didn't understand. 

I looked endlessly at that model, which was a vintage three or four story building, with a cafe on the ground floor that included an outdoor patio. It featured a somewhat alpine architecture rarely seen in the USA.  It transported me in a way that simple photographs or a traditional souvenir couldn't.  Not only was it a miniature slice-of-life, but it was a 3D passage to that strange world. 

I still have that model.  Though I've traveled widely since then, it still retains some of the magic. Now, though, it not only transports me to another place, but to a magical time.

Childhood According To Rich!

This is my legacy blog - a blog I've been maintaining for five years. For most of that time, it's been a random collection of thoughts and ideas, ranging from childhood stories to social media.

A few months ago, I created The World According to Rich, a blog dedicated to social media. Since then, I've been pondering this site, which had previoiusly been dominated in the preceding months with my thoughts on social media.

I've decided that this site will now be a primary center for my childhood stories. There's a section to the left on all of the stories I've posted in previous years; I'll add others as they come about, in addition to an vlogs and audio podcasts in this category.

Enjoy!

Reality is an Illusion

I have mixed feelings about the recession. As a matter of fact, the worse things get, I'm simultaneously educating myself about the opportunities just developing through the skilled use of online communication and media exploitation. Yes, i mean social networking / social media. I not only believe that i can learn to use these tools to my advantage, I believe they're likely to be a critical factor in my career from here onward.

Yet, many people I know either remain suspicious of social networking as a useful tool in their work and personal lives, or look for method through which to shoehorn conventional networking and marketing methods into an environment that is entirely inappropriate.

Social networking and social media are, above all, methods through which to connect and engage - not a platform for conventional advertising. If you are using social networking professionally, the point isn't simply to get the word out about you, your service, or product - but to think of yourself as the star of a reality show. You are relating an ongoing saga that your targeted viewers/readers, etc. should be interested in following. Just like reality shows on television, however, your "reality" isn't the truth - it is in fact a crafted illusion.

Visuals

I've looked at quite a few videos on social networking and social media techniques. Some are chock-full of useful information. I've learned a great deal from just observing what other people are doing. However, for too many of these video presentations proved less effective than they might have been for one important factor - they were poorly executed. Poor quality video - poor quality audio - poor quality graphics. You don't need to be media savvy to recognize sub-quality video.

I find it extraordinary that many social networking professionals fail to understand how important effective social media can be to reaching their goals and objectives. A poor quality video presentation reflects poorly on the presenter - and on the facts presented.

Many successful YouTubers have learned by watching others closely, emulating their favorite videos, and building upon their experience. As a video professional, I'm attracted to YouTube because of that very spirit - a spirit of innovation and creative freedom that is quite unique to this platform.

The rapid growth of social networking and social media technology has generated a sea of Social Media "professionals" that lack awareness of just what makes effective social media.

The Real Face of Social Media

A few weeks ago, I had a great opportunity to meet some long-time vloggers who were gathering in Santa Monica before several of them took off on a week-long road trip north to San Francisco. I'd become familiar with several of them; I'd only met one of them before - we'd been high school friends, but our last contact was about twenty years ago, as far as we can remember. They came from across the United States and the UK.

In the journey learning and applying social media into my life and business, this experience was particularly inspiring (you can see my initial reaction at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pclKu2YxFWU.

I just watched one of the traveling vlogger's recollections. If you're interested in the human side of social networking, it's worth taking at look at this vlog by Andymooseman. Then, check out their group page, and learn more about the trip.

Rich's Social Media Meditation

My experience with Social Media has been picking up steam lately, and it's showing specific results (even as my blogging here paused for a short time). My vlog is evolving from an exercise to a real tool in various segments of my life.

Creatively, vlogging feels like a vast storytelling "sandbox" - I've been experimenting with various approaches my vlogging "technique," and interacting with viewers with a directness and immediacy that's unique to the online world. I've come to think of vlogging (and grassroots online entertainment in general) as a form in its infancy, much as early Hollywood or the early days of television. There is an excitement to the form that I've not only witnessed and experienced through online contact, but in meeting a number of the vloggers I've come to know over the past few months. If you haven't seen my commentary on meeting those vloggers, it's here.

It's beginning to pay off in other ways. I've found in a number of professional interactions, that clients and/or potential clients have been watching my work, and have found a value in getting to "know me" before actually getting to know me.

In what are really my earliest stages in this world, I'm finding real value in staking my online claim.

More to come!

Social Media, Socially

The other day, I was looking over a list of the dozens of "social media" related seminars, conventions and conferences that are being held across the country. Most the descriptions offer, in often breathless terms, to present to the attendee the information they need to succeed in growing their business with social media tools.

It's occured to me that online social media technology is moving so fast that any information presented at these conferences will be based on experiences gained in the recent (ancient) past. It's not any fault of the conferences - it's just the reality of the situation. Conferences of this sort seem to be archaic in a time when trends and experiences can be immediately shared online and in near-real-time.

Social media tools themselves present the real opportunity to learn from the pros. Following social media sites (like Mashable.com, as an example) and taking part or even just browsing discussion in specialized sites like Linkedin provide such an in-depth and interactive environment that I really would tend to doubt that most of these conferences are necessary. I think that those that are looking to understand "what it's all about" would be better served by rolling up their sleeves and diving in.

Us Versus Them

Security was tighter on Amtrak when I was heading back from San Diego recently. It was certainly more visible than the last trip – with K-9 sniffer dogs prowling along the San Diego station platform, and aboard the train as we were on our way. The extra security wasn’t intrusive, though – and perhaps the whole point was to provide a random presence to act as a deterrent.

In the nine years since 9/11, we’ve become used to increased security and increased surveillance where ever people tend to gather – it seems to have become another price we pay for the freedom we enjoy.

Yes, we still do have quite a great deal of freedom, including freedom of expression – probably to a great extent than anywhere else in the world – despite how some might portray our situation.

I tend to try not to see issues in the extreme – there’s a middle ground – an area of compromise – with any disagreement. I also believe that most are frustrated with the political extremes that define US politics. When major policy votes are reduced to strict party-line votes, I have to wonder sometimes if any of our representatives have the courage to vote their conscience.

The night the health-care bill was passed in Congress, a Republican yelled out “Baby Killer!” at a Democratic pro-lifer who didn’t agree precisely with his position. Really? “Baby Killer?” This individual is an elected representative to the US House of Representatives? Earlier in the week, some protesters were incensed enough to yell racial and sexual slurs at black and gay politicians. While I doubt they represent the great majority of protesters, the atmosphere that makes such behavior acceptable (or seem acceptable) is frightening. I have to wonder how far “us vs. them” will go.

Technology and Accessibility

A while back, I wrote about the social media advantages of Iphone/Smartphone games like “Words With Friends,” which allows users to play a Scrabble-like game with both friends and stranges, and provides a chat-like environment for interaction.
I wrote about the advantages of such a platform to bring together like-minded people of a particular ability level – sort of a unique social networking opportunity.

Well, I was called on it by a friend who brought up a critical question. These chat-like environments are by nature limitied in their opportunities for interaction to those who have specific skills and abilities. They leave out entirely a huge range of individuals, including those with dyslexia and similar challenges, like my friend. Online interaction, for all of its attraction and opportunity, can be exclusionary. Brilliant, talented indivudals may be entirely “out of the loop” in this Brave New World. It’s worth considering that we can’t look entirely at the online environment as the be-all and end-all for cultural, business or even retail interaction. The world is a lot bigger than the online world – even now.

I also believe that some of these concerns will be addressed as technology continues to develop. For instance, I’ve been astounded by the accuracy of my Dragon Dictation – and Iphone speech to text program that works surprisingly well. If you have an Iphone. The connected world in which we live offers so many exciting opportunities – but threatens an elitist information class – if we’re not careful, attentive, appreciative and proactive to create accessible technology.

Thoughts on the Apple Ipad

I like the Ipad. I admit it. I haven’t held one yet, and I’ll probably hold out for one with a webcam, but it’s a damn sexy product that I’d like to have in my hands. The size and screen resolution – and color display – of the Ipad offer a platform for reading that I think can, in many instances, provide an alternative to traditional media (i.e. books, magazines and newspapers). I know that that’s heresy to some, but I feel it could be a useful alternative. The idea that I can go anywhere with the Ipad – lay back on my sofa, read in bed, or in any number of casual situations – is precisely what people have been waiting for, “IMHO.”

I do have concerns. If I accept digital-only editions of daily newspapers – am I out of luck if my Ipad goes down? I suppose I could then use my laptop or desktop computer to access the publication – but I’d forgo the convenience the convenience of the Ipad. That’s an issue that print media would never encounter, of course.

Still, I like the idea. I would give up paper delivery for an electronic edition once I have an Ipad. I know many people bemoan the death of newspapers as we know them – but I really don’t think that print editions will dominate “newspaper” distribution in the future. The writing is really on the wall. I don’t think paper editions will disappear entirely – but most of us who wish to stay informed will do so electronically. And we’ll save a few million trees, too.

"Bollywood Steps" Update

“Bollywood Steps,” my hour-long documentary about the relationship between a Bollywood choreographer and American-born Indian boys in Southern California- has been completed. I’m now working on the next stage in the process – getting the film out into the real world. That mean getting the film to potential distributors, entering numerous film festivals to develop recognition for the program (and attract distributors) – and using the film to generate other documentary opportunities.

In the USA, a land of immigrants, I believe the film offers a story of interest to anyone seeking to understand the meaning of diversity in our country. The film explores the efforts of Indian parents to preserve their heritage in their American-born (and very American) kids – that’s a challenge that many cultures face in America – and approach in many different ways. The parents I interviewed in this film emphasized that they didn’t want their children to be isolated from either culture- but they did want them to be aware of their cultural and moral traditions. I’m hoping to hear generate some interesting discussions through screenings and reviews over the coming year.

Opportunity

There’s a great deal of anxiety and debate about America’s competitiveness in the world. Concerns extend from the quality of education to loss of industrial capacity – on the face of it, evidence would seem to suggest that we’re falling behind in so many areas.

While many of these concerns may be valid, we are still the leader in one critical area – opportunity. I’ve spoken with quite a number of expriates from a number of countries around the world. The United States may be imperfect in many ways, but people still come here for something that can’t find anywhere else: the chance set the path for their own future – to achive what they want to achieve, to have the opportunity to attempt to be entrepreneurs. Not everyone will achieve their dreams – we’re all imperfect human beings, after all – but we still offer unrivaled opportunity.

The Great Vlogging Experiment

I recently took on the challenge of vlogging and blogging the International Family Film Festival. I’ve been experimenting with Vlogging of late, and I’m eager to explore it in all sort of variations. Within a few weeks of beginning my vlogging channel on YouTube (youtube.com/worldaccording to rich – please subscribe!), I bought a little camera called a Flip Ultra HD – a pretty nifty little point-and-shoot video camera that will make it possible to freely vlog wherever and however I want (as opposed to pulling out my professional equipment)

Armed with the cam, a monopod (tripod with one leg) to allow for steadier shots, a Twitter account for the film festival, and voice-to-text software on my Iphone to allow for easy blog updating, I ventured forth to the IFFF to social network it to the extreme.

Or so I thought!

First, my Flip died on the second day of the festival. I’m not sure why – buttons other than the basic power stopped responding – so I was forced to pull out my DV cam to continue documenting the experience. Pulling out that camera, I found, triggered by documentary instincts, so I really ended up recording the experience, rather than vlogging it as a personal experience. (incidentally, both Flip and Amazon came through for me once I had a chance to call customer service, and a replacement cam was in the mail even before I’d sent the other camera back).

Second, I realize now that social networking to this extent can be intense – particularly since I had intended on crossing over several platforms – there simply aren’t enough hours in the day to attend to the festival, vlog, blog and sleep!

On the positive side, the limited vlogging I did do proved to be useful – it provided recognition for me at the festival that I wouldn’t have had otherwise. Since I began vlogging a little over a month ago, I have found that it’s developed personal relationships with colleagues – people I really haven’t had a chance to work or socialize with are getting to know me on a personal level. I’m fascinated with the prospect of exploring the possibilities of this new tool in my arsenal…..

WORDS WITH FRIENDS

After my last entry considering the value of random “fan pages” on Facebook, I realized that I have quite an interesting time using another form of “random” social networking. I often play a game called “Words With Friends,” a Scrabble-like game played across the cell phone network on the Iphone and other similar smartphones. Games can be played with particular individuals, or with random individuals, and extend over days, depending upon each player’s availability.

The game includes a chat function to allow for direct communication beyond simply playing the same. For months, I’ve been playing a succession of games with a rapper in Texas – we’ve exchanged websites – who knows, maybe we’ll work together someday! I’ve played other random games with many others, most recently discussing weather with a snowbound player somewhere in Pittburgh.

In the case of this game, perhaps the nature of “Words With Friends” community infers a more educated set of players – a more compatible community.

I continue to wonder: are we becoming a community-addicted culture?

FACEBOOK FAN PAGES

It’s interesting how many Facebook users feel compelled to join “fan pages” for the most mundane aspects of their lives, from the food they eat, to any number of household products, moods, myths and random opinions. I have to wonder, however, the real value of joining a community of others who share your interest in a brand of potato chips. I would imagine the conversations in that virtual room would be somewhat limited!