No Coincidence

Having two independently authored articles about the same subject—Mac's newest capability in movie-making—is not an accident, but a sign of the impact that iDVD6 and iMovie are having on independent film-making. Both reviews are heavily grounded in real experience, but in totally different ways. The differences are interesting.

Quixotic Quest or Pioneering Passion?

MetroMac member and contributor Ugly George—the public name he prefers—was notorious in the 80's for his gonzo, somewhat raunchy Public Access TV show, for which he shot tons of videotape. He also shot (but never used) many opportunistic interviews with actors, politicos and other public figures. . . people who recognized him on the street and sought him out. Not relevant to his TV show, this trove of material was filed away, mellowing like fine wine. And drying, like old VHS tape.

Fast-forward to the present. Suddenly the public shows a new acceptance of documentary-type films, strange, hard-to-characterize cinematic scrapbooks like Thank You For Smoking, Who Killed The Electric Car? and others; films whose appeal was based, not on "production values", but on content. It dawns on UG that maybe he's sitting on a Gold Mine.

Or is he? Even assuming the interest and quality of their content, can the old video tapes (wrong number of frames per second; limited, old aspect ratio; low resolution, etc.) be converted into audience-acceptible digital movies? Sure they can. A couple of hundred Gs should do it nicely.

So he talks it up with a group of potential backers, who like the idea enough to provide some backing.But limited backing. First they want to see a pilot, and they ante up some "development" money. Now the question is, how little can he spend and produce a credible sample?

That's the back-story. We've been running UG's Dispatches from the Front as this search plays out—even as we speak. In this issue, Episode 3.

           (See previous episode)

Eden's Learning Curve

Eden Maxwell takes us with him as learns—from scratch—how to execute a project for a friend, using iDVD and iMovie for the first time, and endorsing both as "terrific." His review is clear and comprehensive: a dependable guide if you're thinking of acquiring this software, equipment and know-how. For convenience and digestibility, it's divided into three separate articles.

Flatten Speed-Bumps
the Low-Tech way

Our appeal for new contributors worked! In this issue, Ken Stark provides a fresh slant on work-habits and organization for the Mac user, with concrete ways to increase your productivity and ease your day. He speaks with professional authority as head of a firm that offers management coaching and cognitive/behavioral counseling. Tell him that you enjoyed the advice and promise to fly right.

In Case You Were Busy...

Here are some recent MetroMac ExPress articles of lasting value that you may have missed:

Going Beyond Point & Shoot   Adding versatility to your digital camera

Corel Painting Update   Painting digitally with this app feels, and looks, incredibly real!

Wacom Intuos 3  Tablet with a brush that follows every swerving twist of the wrist!

New Editors Wanted

With this issue I complete two years as Content Editor/Art Director/Production Manager of the MetroMac Express, and it's time for a change. If you're interested in volunteering, or would like to talk it over before committing, please send a note to me or Managing Editor Bill Chachkes.

It's been fun, and you get to know some very interesting people.

—Milt

Copyright © 2009
Metropolitan New York Macintosh Alliance