Sherpas
on the Stage6 Mountain
Fun-loving
Video Community Seeks Creative Mac Users Well, we’ve done it. The
Stage6
Content
Uploader for Mac is now cocked and ready to go. It wasn’t cheap
though; we had to cash in a whole lot of cool points that we’d
been
saving up. Plus, we spent the last two weeks scouring eBay for vintage
t-shirts, cult comics and various other indie-paraphanelia (including a
rare Beatles Yesterday… and
Today LP) to burn at the proverbial Mac altar. But hey, it
was
worth it. Filmmakers handcuffed to their MacBook Pros can now upload
their videos to Stage6
without having to drag their pretty silver
notebooks over to a PC, and risk scratching up that sexy finish. All we
ask in return, from you creative Mac-types, is that you upload your
videos to Stage6
so we can stock up on a little more cool for our next
project. Please note however, that you will have to create an account on Stage6
before you can start uploading content. Also note that the Stage6
Content Uploader for Mac
works best with Mozilla
Firefox.
DivX
Player Tips and Tricks Everyone here at DivX
has been busy playing with the new DivX
Player 6.4. In the
process, we’ve started compiling a list of tips and tricks built into
the latest release, plus a few from years past. Therefore, without
further adieu, we present DivX Player Tips and Tricks Vol. 1:
Customizing Playback. Watch videos in full
screen: Control audio levels
with your scroll
wheel: Collapse and expand the
player interface:
And,
in This Corner ... If you haven’t seen In
This Corner yet, we highly recommend you check it out. We
recently
caught up with the director and co-writer, Daniel Baxter, to get his
take on Stage6 and the benefits of distributing his work over the
Internet. DivX:
What was the budget like for In This Corner? Baxter: I
want to say it was around $500 that we spent on our total budget. All
of the equipment used on the film was borrowed through contacts of our
D.P., Mark Fisher, so we got some great gear (including a Sony HDW
F900R) for absolutely nothing. We shot the film in a small town outside
of Dallas where our producer's little brother lives, who plays Alex.
Those "sets" in the background are actual homes lived in today. We
barely (and I stress barely) had to decorate any location that we shot
in. TVs and posters were almost all we had to put in the background to
dress it up, along with a few obvious 80s gadgets here and there. It
was great. DivX: In
your experience, what's the key to building and keeping an online
audience? Baxter:
I'd say it's about originality and quality storytelling. You could make
a movie using finger puppets and still blow away your audience if you
tell the story well enough. I don't claim to be someone who can do
that, but I do try to think about the story as best I can and not rely
on big camera moves or artsy lighting when I'm directing. The audience
just wants to be entertained. If you provide them with that, then
you're in. DivX:
What would you like to see Stage6 become as it continues to evolve? Baxter: I
would love for Stage6 to take over the online video market; the DivX
video quality is so beyond the rest of the competition there's no
comparison. I’m excited about what the site offers for filmmakers
trying to build a brand or creative identity by setting up channels and
tweaking out the pages. I’d love to see this go even further, with more
customizing options to help make users and filmmakers feel more "at
home" with their profile, and communicate their creative message
throughout the site. DivX:
What kind of response have you gotten from the success of In This
Corner on Stage6? Baxter:
Well, my career has been focused more towards animation recently
because of our success with How
It Should Have Ended. Since we joined
Stage6, we've been approached by a handful of networks and film
companies regarding the animation, and every meeting we've had they've
been thrilled to find out we shoot live action shorts as well. So
Stage6 has been extremely great for us. |
 |
Peep
This on Stage6
Greenpeace
takes its anti-toxic chemicals campaign south of the equator.
Warning:
Toxic Chemicals Can Damage Your Sperm An
informal interview with Anthony from HighRising.
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Who
Said It? “Life is pain, highness. Anyone who tells
you differently is trying to sell you something.” Last
newsletter’s quote, “The road is my home,
and my home, the
road. And when I think of all the people I have come upon in my
travels, I cannot help but think of the people who have come upon me.”
was uttered by
the character ‘Hedwig Robinson’ as played by John Cameron Mitchell in
the 2001
film “Hedwig and the Angry Inch.” As always: To win, place the correct answer and a crispy new dollar in a self-addressed, stamped envelope, snail mail it to yourself and get really excited when it arrives! Look for the answer in the next DivX News. |
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