* You know how I know that we are in a recession? This is the first year that SciFi Channel didn’t produce a mini-TV series for December, as they traditionally do.

* In last night’s “UFO Hunters” episode, the 1997 Phoenix Lights sighting was investigated. The Phoenix Lights is the most blatant appearance of a UFO over a large population — even the (ex-pilot) governor of Arizona saw the humongous object that night over Phoenix. However, something stroke me at the end of the episode. You see, the producer of the show, Bill Birnes, is a blind believer on UFOs. He runs the UFO Magazine and more often than not he jumps to quick and otherwordly conclusions (something that’s not true with his collegues: the level-headed and all around very cool guy Pat Uskert who I interviewed back in April, and the ex-Nasa scientist, skeptic and real hot Dr. Ted Acworth). So basically, this is a show that has a… professional blind believer, an open minded guy from next door, and a skeptic scientist running it — which is why I like the show. Now, at the end of the show, Ted (the skeptic) said that there’s something more is going on with these lights, Pat believed that this is indeed an alien UFO, and Bill said that… this was an experimental military vehicle. And this was curious to me, how this major sighting, with hundreds of people that saw it and recorded it, the most solid mass experience in the history of UFOs, is just a “military vehicle” according to the blind believer, Bill. And then it hit me. I realized that the whole thrill of conspiracies and UFOs has its base exactly in the mystery about them. From the moment you make the phenomena “common”, where everyone can see a UFO, or believe in it, or even if the government comes out and says “yes, there are aliens visiting this planet”, the whole mystery goes away. And people like Bill are mystery and thrill seekers, they are not there to find the truth about the phenomena, but to satisfy their own psyche! If aliens were to be revealed to us, Bill would be devastated! This reminds me a lot of the “Twin Peaks” TV show. No matter how much people were crying out to the writers to reveal the mysteries, when that happened, the ratings went down, everyone stopped watching the show. Everyone was on board for the mystery, no matter if they THOUGHT they wanted the truth. They didn’t.

* “Heroes” is a fucking mess. So Sylar kills Nathan/Pete’s father with a fucking bullet? Why not stop the fucking bullet, take his brains out so he can take his powers? Sylar is a power-seeker, and the father is the most powerful villain, so why not use him? The writers of Heroes need to be fired. All of them. I hear that Pushing Daisies’ writer Brian Fuller is back to the show, but it’s too late now. And Hiro losing the “light” immediately after getting it? Why not the guy stealing it before Hiro got there if it was that easy? And how was Claire able to get back to the Nakamura house so easily? This show needs to be canceled. Now. They create a show for geeks, but the show is not written by geeks, and so details like this are easily observed by most of us. It’s like trying to sell to Jay Leno a racing car that was designed by novelists instead of engineers.

As I wrote at the blog of Stormrider, I don’t support the current riots. The rioters simply wanted a reason to just go out and have some raw fun at the expense of other people’s properties. The policeman who shot the kid might have been wrong, but this doesn’t mean that you riot over a single person’s bad decision. Bad decisions that cost lives happen every day, everywhere. The way you fix that is by taking the case to the court. That’s how things are done properly without more people getting hurt or losing their life’s worth of sweat. I am a very liberal person, libertarian at some points too, but not an anarchist.

Commenting is back. Unless I remove it again… Additionally, RSS now will only show a summary and not the full text. You will have to come and read the post on this site to get the full text. The reason I did that is because more often than not I update my blog posts, but most of the web RSS readers don’t refresh the posts to show the changes. I hate that, sorry. Besides, there are no ads in this blog, so I don’t do it for any such purpose. Finally, I have enabled gzip support, so this blog should now load faster.

Update: With the help of Adam, now the RSS feed is full again, but it will have 1 hour delay before it publishes the newest posts from this blog. This will give me enough time to catch & fix potential typos in the posts before you get it on your RSS reader.

Update 2: It only took a day for the comment section to piss me off and interfere with my life, so they are now closed again, and never going to open again.

“316″ is the title of episode 7 from the 5th season of “Lost” that returns on TV this coming January. But what does it mean? “Lost” is full of such puzzles of course, and that’s its whole beauty. Now, there are two ways to go at the problem. We can either take the 316 number as a number, or as a meaning.

If were to take the 316 as a number, we need to find a formula to fit it in the 4 8 15 16 23 42 numbers, as these are the mysterious numbers that every Lost fan learned to love. Unfortunately, I haven’t found a formula about it. If we take the numbers as a meaning instead, and searching on Google for it, doesn’t return anything of value.

Maybe some back-reading would help. Episode 6 is called “The Life and Death of Jeremy Bentham”. This is John Locke’s story under the pseudonym of “Jeremy Bentham”, after he came back to civilization from the island and had to conceal his true identity. During that episode, we see how Locke is killed (this is not a spoiler, we already know he’s dead, and in a coffin).

So, what if we try to see the 316 number with a religious subcontext? Religion won’t be the first time Lost is using it for its puzzles. So, this is what John 3:16 says in the Bible:

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

So I think that this episode has to do with the resurrection of John Locke, back in the island. Besides, the actor still has a contract with the show.

Sawyer is my favorite character on “Lost”, mostly because he has such funny lines, delivering them while he’s dead serious. Sawyer has a southern, almost redneck, accent, that makes his performance even funnier. The following quotes are taking place in the island their plane wrecked, and in the jungle, far from the civilization.

Locke: Does any of this look familiar from when you were coming back?
Sawyer: Well, yeah, there’s my favorite leaf. How could I forget this place?

Sawyer: Put your mangos where your mouth is.

Sawyer (sarcastically): So, a tribe of evil natives planted a ringer in the camp to kidnap a pregnant girl and a reject from the VH1 has-beens. Yeah, fiendishly clever.

Jack: Where’s Locke?
Sawyer: I don’t know. I think he said something about going to the store for a pack of smokes.

Sawyer: Doctor playing golf. Woo, boy howdy, now I’ve heard everything. What’s next, cop eating a donut?

(Sawyer just shot a polar bear)
Kate: Where did that come from?
Sawyer: Bear Village. How the hell am I supposed to know?

Jack: You know how to handle a gun or not?
Sawyer: Well, I know at least of one polar bear that seems to think so.

Jack: Sawyer…
Sawyer: One second, I’m like this close to the high score on Donkey Kong.

Hurley: Did that bird just say my name?
Sawyer: Yeah, it did. Right before it crapped gold.

Ana-Lucia: Shut up. When I tell you to do something, you do it… I say move, you move… I say stop, you stop. I say jump, what do you say?
Sawyer: You first.

(Sawyer is asking Kate for a kiss)
Kate: Are you serious?
Sawyer: Baby, I am tied to a tree in the jungle of mystery. I just got tortured by a damn spinal surgeon and a genuine Iraqi. Of course I’m serious. Hell, it’s only first base.

(Ben shot Locke with a gun, but Locke keeps protecting Ben)
Locke: Apart from his mouth, he’s completely harmless.
Sawyer: His mouth put that hole in your gut?

Sawyer: Brother, you gotta wake up and smell the goat crap here.

Sawyer: I don’t know if you Islams got a concept of karma, but I get the sense this island just served you up a heapin’ platter of cosmic payback.

Jack (angry): Get up.
Sawyer: Why, you wanna see who’s taller?

Sawyer: My uncle. He uh… died of a brain tumor.
Jack: What type of tumor was it?
Sawyer: The type that kills you.

(Sawyer has headaches)
Kate: That’s it, get up.
Sawyer: What?
Kate: Get up. You’re going to Jack [the doctor].
Sawyer: Do I get a lollipop?
(Scene switches to the caves where Jack diagnoses Sawyer)
Jack: Have you ever had a blood transfusion?
Sawyer: What? No.
Jack: Taken pills for malaria?
Sawyer: Nope.
Jack: Have you ever had sex with a prostitute?
Sawyer: …..What the hell has that got to do with anything?
Jack: Is that a yes?
Sawyer: Yes.
Jack: Have you ever contracted a sexually transmitted disease? [Sawyer doesn't respond] I’m going to take that as another yes. When was the last outbreak?
Sawyer: Go to hell, Doc.
[Sawyer leaves the scene, annoyed]
Kate: I know he deserved it, but…
Jack: He just needs glasses.
(Jack goes back to the beach to find Sawyer)
Sawyer: If you’re looking for a stool sample, you can forget it…

Van Blumreich is one of my favorite indie directors. His “Imprint” short story was amazing and could easily expand in a full featured movie. His music videos are an example of inventive camera work and ideas too. This week Van will release another short movie, named “Fury“, so it’s a good timing to grab a Q&A with him.

1. Tell us about Fury. How did the idea came to be? How long is the film?

Fury is a coming-of-age story about morality and adolescence. It focuses on the relationship between two friends, Scott and Danny, who are faced with a difficult decision after hitting a homeless man while driving under the influence. The idea came from a CNN article I read about teen sport killing that really shocked me. I wondered, “What could cause these suburban kids to lash out so violently”? I thought it would be a provocative issue to explore. That article, along with the John Knowles novel “A Separate Peace” were the starting points of inspiration. I really wanted to tell a story that reflected the confused morality that is seemingly rampant among kids today.

The film runs about 25 minutes.

2. Why the RED instead of an EX1 or DVX with an adapter? Did you buy the RED camera or rent it?

Ever since the RED came out, I really wanted to get my hands on it. Just the latitude on the camera is astounding, and the ability to shoot in 4K attracted me in case of a film-out later on. It’s a little out of my price range at the moment, so I rented from Rick Darge, a RED camera operator I met on the DVXUser forums. He liked my previous short film (Imprint) and so I flew him down to work on Fury. We became good friends and worked well together on set.

3. What are your thoughts on the new RED announcements? What cameras do you own/play with?

I’m definitely interested in the new Scarlet camera. I’m curious to see how it performs. I think what the RED guys are doing is very cool, breaking down their cameras and offering components so that you aren’t left with an obsolete camera down the line.

I own a Pansonic HVX200 and a Redrock Micro 35mm Adapter. It’s been a very trustworthy camera. I’d really like to upgrade to the Panasonic HPX170 down the road. It handles noise better and includes a built-in Waveform Monitor and Vectorscope.

4. I am sure you heard about the success of the HV20 and HV30 in the amateur artistic videography scene. What do you think about these sub-$1000 cameras?

I think they are great. They really allow people to create great looking content at an affordable price. I think if the final product is just going to be showcased on the web, these cameras can do amazing things. It’s when you want to blow it up to film or project it on a screen that I think the illusion wears off. But still, I think they are great cameras to learn on but definitely have limitations.

5. You’ve done both, so how different is artistically a music video to a short movie?

They are similar in some regards, but I feel that the processes differ in that music videos are more focused on what’s happening externally and films are focused more on what’s happening internally. With music videos, you convey feelings and emotions more through the images, colors, and music. With film, I think the feelings and emotions are more causal, coming more from the relationships between people. I think it’s important to understand this difference, because a lot of music video directors go on to direct films and end up with movies that are great to look at but missing that internal focus.

6. Did you have to secure locations, get permits for Fury? Or was it easier than that?

We secured almost all locations for Fury. I learned from experience that unsecured locations can be a huge headache, especially when they try to shut you down in the middle of shooting. We had a security guard call the cops on us before and I had to plead with him to let us go. So this time around, I worked with the Houston Film Commission and contacted all the right people concerning permits and such. It is sort of a time-consuming process, but saves you from getting trouble. But I still find the philosophy of “it’s better to ask for forgiveness than permission” very true in some cases.

7. What do you think of using Creative Commons Attribution licensed music for your films?

I think it’s a nice affordable option, but I personally like collaborating with someone who can create original music for my work. But if a particular piece was perfect for my film, then I might consider using it.

8. I read that you helped out NBC during the Olympics, in China. What was your experience?

It was an unbelievable experience. I studied abroad in Beijing and was dying to go back for the Olympics. Luckily, the universe conspired in helping me get there. I assisted with the NBC Today Show. It’s kind of hard to describe in words, the whole experience, but it was definitely a once in a lifetime opportunity. I made some good contacts from it, and plan to go back soon and do some narrative work.

Thanks Van!

Digital Juice has some very good tutorials on its site about how to shoot and edit properly. There are a number of new things I learned by watching their videos, and the most recent one is “record 1 minute of ambient noise before you start shooting in a location”. Their video tutorials are highly recommended, and they offer MP4 downloadable versions too. To save you time, out of about 200 videos, I have put together for you the most practical & important ones — in my opinion.

Lighting Setup

- Lighting tips, also available in text form.
- Lighting Backgrounds
- Shadow lighting

Audio Recording

- Sound Advice
- Getting rid of the 60Hz hum
- Preventing Plosives

Video Shooting

- Creative Camerawork
- DoF & focusing
- Framing
- White Balance
- Shooting interviews
- The warehouse
- Shooting to edit
- Steady shooting
- Green screen shooting

Video Editing

- Continuity cutting
- Color correction
- On transitions
- The Cut
- Deleting scenes
- Time effects
- Compositing intro
- Compositing, Advanced
- Green screen editing

Audio Editing

- How to select music score
- Cleaning up audio
- Fixing bad audio
- Dubbing bad audio
- Audio effects

JBQ bought for us, and we received today, a king sized bed with a good quality foam mattress. There are two questions in my mind that I will direct to my husband, JBQ:

1. Does a new bed is supposed to signal for more sex, or less of it? From one side it sounds like you subconsciously want to suggest more sex, but on the other hand, king size means that you will be further away from me at night. I am confused. Or does that mean indeed more sex, followed by immediate sleep and snoring on your part on the far side of the bed, free from my quest for a hug?

2. Can I try the wine glass trick with our expensive brand new foam mattress? Please… pretty please???

This article at the Macleans magazine angers me. Apparently, TV execs want to move away from serialization and back to episodic TV, like in the ’80s and most of the ’90s. They have literally instructed their writers to move back to episodic TV.

The reason for this is because of the natural viewer attrition serialized shows get over time, and subsequent falling ratings. Unfortunately, as the article correctly states, the shows that have the most cultural impact are the serialized ones, not the episodic ones. Especially sci-fi mystery shows like Twin Peaks, Lost, the X-Files alien mythology arc, and BSG. Cult shows will never go away. CSI and “The Mentalist” will though.

Sure, not everyone wants a mind fuck every week, but there are some geeks like me who do. So why can’t we have that, especially when there’s space for both kinds on TV? After Lost is done in May 2010, there will be nothing as compelling on TV anymore for people like me. I keep praying that Lost’s writers, Damon and Carlton (aka Daltron), have something like this in store for us. A step beyond Lost, I am hoping for another mystery scifi series, or a grand story about the whole Marvel universe (not just a single super hero or team).

The article in question was linked by some Lost news sites and the discussion goes around these lines: people who can’t deal with shows like Lost are just dumb. Or just old and tired. Lost is an interactive game where your mind has to work at 100% to get what the hell is going on. I say that let these people have their own shitty, brainless, TV shows, but throw a bone for us who try to use our brains a bit more, too.

My JBQ agrees that Lost is the only show that elevates TV into “true art”. It’s a kind of storytelling that can’t be done with any other medium. He also notes that the kind of people who watch serialized shows are easier to target with ads. Which is why Lost and its 12 million viewers, being the most pirated TV show ever, and offering the full HD episodes for free on their site, makes more money for ABC than CSI:Miami’s 17 million (aged) viewers do for CBS. And will continue to make a truckload of money for ABC long after Lost is all done in 2010. Because it’s a cult show, and cult shows never die.

Removing serialized TV is a mistake in many levels. If the TV execs don’t understand that, then they are very short sighted and only care for their current job rather than their company’s future.

The iPhone is indeed the most successful phone or PDA model ever, it seems. Apple now has 16.6% of the worldwide smartphone market, and almost 10,000 apps in their AppStore. That market share chart is very old (pre-iPhone 3G), and I expect that the iPhone by now has well over 25% of the smartphone market.

This applications point is very important too. 10,000 apps in just 6 months in unprecedented. Think that it took Windows Mobile 6 years to get to 20,000 apps, and PalmOS about 7 years for 30,000 apps. And if you want to laugh a bit, think that it took Nokia 3 years for its S60 3rd Edition platform to get… 600 apps. Remember, S60 phones are actually very popular, but there are not many apps for them! And the reason why 3rd Edition S60 has such a low number of apps available is because, as I have said many times in this blog, Nokia broke binary compatibility with S60 2nd Edition (that already had 2,000 apps at the time). Binary compatibility is very important and Nokia is paying for it for these stupid decisions that continues to make. They seem to never learn, and this is why they will go bye-bye eventually from this market. Their new touchscreen platform is a bit of a joke too, as I blogged in the past.

Google’s Android has quite a few apps too, possibly in the hundreds by now, and it’s already deemed successful. But this fragmented “app market” that doesn’t have a single store, is a terrible idea in my book. Personally, while I like the idea behind Android very much, I don’t like the Android UI and the current HTC phone at all. The funny thing is that our landlord’s office manager couldn’t wait for the G1 to come out, only to sell it a few days after he got it. He also hated the UI, and he couldn’t deal with the shitty HTC phone design (he couldn’t type correctly because of the oversized right side). He got a Blackberry right after that, he sold it within 3 days, and he’s back on the iPhone. The iPhone offers the best user experience hands down indeed.

The only thing bugging me is the kind of apps that Apple doesn’t offer us in the iPhone and third parties can’t fill in these blanks. And because of the various SDK limitations, the iPhone apps are mostly games and other useless crap.