Video Found: Hibernation (Trailer)
I was browsing Vimeo yesterday and found this really interesting trailer for an independent film called Hibernation, which takes place in the future after global warming has, more or less, wrecked the seasons, forcing the government to create an annual hibernation program to protect each individual from the harsh winter weather. It’s an interesting concept and I think it has a lot of potential. I’m looking forward to seeing the final production when it is released (no idea when that is). Here’s the video (after the fold):‘HIBERNATION’ trailer from Simon Dunn on Vimeo.
Self-publishing Fail: Achieving Weak Goals is Meaningless
I’m still on my anti-self-publishing kick, primarily because there has been a lot of really crazy things popping up on the Internet as of late, such as B&N’s decision to get their hands into the self-publishing pot. One post that bothered me the most recently was The Book Designer’s 26 Ways to Win At Self-Publishing. Overall, the list is quite poor, with the majority either failing completely as praise-worthy goals or falling short of being impressive, and only a few falling into the “good goal” category. Some of the “wins” seem to have more in common with the 40-year-old man who still lives in his mother’s basement who is going nowhere fast than with the guy who tries to run for President. They’re not goals so much as really sad ways to feel good about yourself when you’ve essentially achieved nothing. It’s sort of like saying I am proud of myself for waking up and breathing today, an action that, for most people, requires no effort whatsoever, and which pretty much everybody else did today. The list starts pretty much on the lowest scale possible and jumps around from meaningless to semi-praise-inducing. Take, for example, the first item: You finally get the book finished, printed and in your hand: you win. Explain to me why this is something to be proud of. Anyone can do this. I can waltz over and print out a book from Lulu and have it in my hands in five days, with very little cost to me (in effort or cash). Unless you live in a country without the Internet, or you have no arms and legs and had to type your whole novel with your nose, then I fail to see what is impressive about this goal. It’s a non-starter. To get excited about printing out the book that you self-published is like getting excited about finding your seat on the airplane. It’s on your ticket, dear…The only thing praise-worthy about this is that you wrote a book. That’s it. But even that is becoming less impressive these days, because anyone can write a book. Most people can’t write a good book, though, and if you manage that, then maybe you can get a little excited. The list doesn’t get better after the first item either, with the second being just as meaningless: At last you have a chance to fully explain the ideas you’ve been thinking and talking about for years: you win Couldn’t you have done this before you self-published? Why do you need to have a self-published book to tell people about your ideas and thoughts? There’s no magic barrier that can’t be crossed without SPing a book. Unless your family and friends don’t listen to you, in which case I’d wonder why you hang out with them, then really there’s no reason why this goal is even worth mentioning. And then there’s the fourth, eleventh, twelfth, fourteenth, seventeenth, twenty-fourth, and twenty-sixth: You send a copy of your book to your ex mother-in-law: you winYou gift wrap a copy and hand it to your mother, watching her unwrap it: you winYou send an autographed copy to your 8th grade English teacher: you winYou overhear coworkers talking, and one mentions that you’ve published a book: you winYour dad pulls you aside at the next family gathering and tells you how proud he is that you dedicated the book to him: you winA friend at a party asks if you’re still looking for an agent, and for a moment you don’t understand the question: you winYou start to think about other books you’ve always wanted to write and can now publish: you win So, if this list is getting at anything, it’s that you should be really proud of yourself for gift wrapping or sending your book to people, or proud that people you know paid attention to you long enough to soak up the fact that you “published” a book. This is starting to sound like a list for the underachiever, someone with very few serious goals in life. If this is what makes you happy to exist, then maybe you need to reassess your priorities. Children find these kinds of goals exciting, not adults. Why? Because these are the kinds of goals that children try to achieve. They don’t know any better. But perhaps most pressing and most misleading is number fifteen: Every one of the people you care about tell you how much they love your book: you win If American Idol has taught us anything, it’s that praise from the people who care about you (or that you care about) is not always reliable. Look at all the idiots on American Idol whose family didn’t have the heart to tell them that they sucked. We know they suck, but they didn’t because their family never bothered to be honest with them, thus sending them out to be crushed by the judges and the public (who gets so much pleasure out of their misery). If everyone is telling you they love your book, then maybe something is wrong. Even if they all are being honest, praise is meaningless if it isn’t accompanied by constructive criticism. If all you’re told is “this is wonderful,” how can you ever expect to improve? If you cut the list down to ten items, it’s not a bad list. There are some good goals, but, for the most part, the list is dominated by awfully pointless and plain stupid goals. Having low standards for success doesn’t suddenly make you a winner. You don’t see football players saying “if I manage to hold onto the ball for three seconds, I win.” Why? Because there’s nothing about that goal that is remotely impressive. It’s a weak goal, and weak goals are worth about as much as non-existent goals. Short of impressing your cadre of weak-goaled friends, saying you win and doing something that pretty much anyone can do is a waste of energy and time. Achieve
Video Found: Azureus Rising (Short Film)
This movie is by far one of the coolest short films I have ever seen, and apparently it’s a proof of concept deal, which means there’s a bigger project coming up. There’s no story here, just a lot of action and a lot of awesome. See for yourself (after the fold): Thanks to SF Signal for the discovery.
Video Found: Rise of the Rebellion ep. 1 — The Battle of Eison (Star Wars)
I’m a true Star Wars fan. I can’t help myself. Every new fan production gets me excited, and the latest fan-made Star Wars flick, Rise of the Rebellion, is no different. Made by Turkish fans (that’s right, from Turkey), the first webisode of Rise of the Rebellion is visually a treat. The CGI isn’t as good as the movies, and certainly needs fine-tuning, but the nine minute battle that makes up the first episode is really quite impressive. Ignore the rather poor acting and just enjoy the visuals. I’d almost say it’s better than most of what you see in the prequels. Almost… Here it is (after the fold):Rise of The Rebellion : Webisode 01 – Battle of Eison from Turkfanfilm.net on Vimeo.So, what did you think?
Video Found: Connected (SF Short)
Another brilliant short science fiction venture. Connected is a post-apocalyptic short film (7 min) told entirely visually (no dialogue). The visual effects are quite good and the story is told with expert precision. See for yourself (after the fold): (Filched from SF Signal.)
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