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Friends In Your Head | Forums → Posts by Matt Vayda
Totally forgot about this. How long did these take to build / test / troubleshoot?
Dave: Nice man!
Doc: Getting the timing down was a bit tricky, but I managed.
Guess that's another day off down the road that could otherwise be productive that will be lost, building test chambers. Maybe if I didn't sleep through half the day when I'm off...
Though, besides the main theme, the song going with the first half of the credits is probably my favorite
Soundgarden - Live to Rise
"If DIF goes to war, Matt's the commander..."
//Goes into Red vs. Blue "Sarge" mode
That's right you maggots, you better fix that recto-cranial impaction of yours, and either grab a gun and stand a post, or get to work on some CG bullshit that'll scare the bejezzus out of the enemy! I want that concept artwork on my desk in 30 minutes! DO YOU GET ME???
Seriously though, in light of the fact that I haven't done show notes in, like, forever, maybe it is time for a change, and "DIF Commander" has a nice ring to it.
I could prance around saying things like,
"My Momma could type faster than that. AND SHE LOST BOTH HANDS IN THE WAR!"
"How's THIS for Modern Warfare you limp wristed pathetic excuse for a human being! If that render isn't finished in the next FIVE MINUTES, I'm gonna LET the zombies breach that barricade, and guess what? YOUR FAT ASS WILL BE ZOMIE FOOD!"
"You keep running your purdy little mouth like that, and you won't be able to run a server, let alone run for your life!"
"I want everyone's Zombie Plan on my desk by 1700 tomorrow, AND DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT TELLING ME YOU DON'T HAVE ONE!"
"Who were you expecting, numb nuts? Captain fucking America? He's dead! He died...IN THE WAR!"
Also, great episode guys. What really worries me is that I came out of Iron Man 2 with a similar feeling of "Fuck yeah, that was fun!" only to realize after the fact that it really wasn't very good. I look forward to the eventual commentary.
We had the same thing in our screening. In fact there was more than one time where the audience was cheering and laughing so hard you couldn't make out the film. I'm pretty sure things calmed down in enough time to hear Loki's slow, painful groan of exhalation.
Didn't the Brits pass a law requiring all motorist to keep onions in their boot? Bet their fining a lot of Frenchists showing up in Dover without any.
Говорите слова, которые мы можем все понять!
I do have a mighty roar.
Great episode guys. Jeff, worry not; this was "good." Welcome to the couch.
Now, a couple things. Brian mentioned handguns, which I have some experience with. While I fully accept the fact that they only exist for one purpose, I submit this example:
This is a Springfield Armory 1911. It is a .45 caliber handgun and has, ostensibly, a single purpose: to allow one human being to kill another. On the other hand, there are aesthetic choices being made that, all other things being equal, draw me to this particular model, over all the others. Granted, those materials, textures and finishes; the small details like the holes in the trigger and the skeletonized hammer; the grips cut into the frame at the front and the back; these things were all chosen for practical reasons, and while Springfield didn't set out to create a thing of beauty, they certainly had an eye on aesthetics, and the end result is one handsome looking weapon. Is it art? No, but I can look at all the 1911s on the market, and choose this one, because it is pleasing to look at.
On a related, and on topic tangent: there are people who shoot competitively, and their handguns are setup specifically for that purpose. In this sense, those handguns are being used in what is essentially a game.
It's also interesting that at no time during the discussion about what art is or is not, that Exit Through the Gift Shop never came up. Granted, that could make for a whole episode on its own.
On a semantic note, I dislike the arguments that go "Are _______ art?". This implies that everything that could be defined as ______, is or is not art. I would posit that the question should be "Can _______ be art?". Is every intentional attempt to apply paint to a canvas art? I would argue that they are not. Certainly with sufficient skill a great many such attempts can be art, but not all of them. So can video games be art?
Regarding the interactivity of art: Without the human element of a player, a video game will just sit there. Maybe there is a cut-scene when you hit "start," but after that whatever purpose that game has, it cannot fulfill that purpose without a player. To add a wrinkle, even your "traditional" forms of art (film, paintings, sculptures, etc.), require a human to view them in order to fulfill their purpose. So art has always been interactive, it's just that with video games, that interactivity goes both ways; the game shapes how the player plays, which shapes the game, which shapes how the player plays, etc. It's the same as how a series of pictures can become a movie, or the cycle of art imitating life imitating art imitating life. Video games simply take these kinds of cycles and put them into a personal experience.
Getting back to the question of "can video games be art?", I would say yes, they can.
Edit:
By the same token that I enjoy the design of that 1911, I enjoy listening to these episodes. I listen to educate myself, to grow as an artist and a person, but also because it's fun. The conversation is lively, intelligent, intelectual...and it's damn entertaining too. On a more personal note, I don't have the opportunity to have these types of conversations with a group of people terribly often, so the whole "friends in your head" aspect is there as well; probably more so in my case, since I consider many of the panelist friends in reality, and these shows allow me to hang out with them vicariously.
I for one have bought Pink Five at least six times.
Speaking of which...
Return of Pink Five, vol. 3?
Footage has been encoded per Teague's suggestions, and uploaded to the server. The original HD iPhone 4S footage is available if required. Can't wait to see how all this comes together.
I apologize in advance, but I had to.
^ Seconded
Interesting. Just to sum up so I know I understand correctly: show owner sells Hulu the rights to air their show, and Hulu gets it's money back by selling ads. Presumably there is a point at which the cost to buy the show is paid for by the ads, and Hulu and the owners get a share of those profits (?).
I'm assuming networks work the same way, but with a much greater audience; the networks can charge more for ad space, making it a more profitable business model. That and the fact that television is much older and more established than the internet model.
While I do not have a couple million friends in my back pocket, that does give me an equally implausible idea. Since the online model is so similar to the television model, all we need to do is get more people watching online, allow creators and owners to sell directly to entities like Hulu (much in the same way musicians are now able to record and release albums without a label or contract), and starve the networks out. Easy!
I jest, but I realize it costs a lot to make a t.v. series, and I'm guessing the networks are paying for that as well (?). Not to mention the logistics; networks have the infrastructure in place to make them (studio, lights, cameras, crew, etc.), which would drown an independent effort before they had shot a single frame.
That's not to say it isn't possible of course. I won't pretent to guess at the level of personal pain and sacrifice Trey put into Ark, but despite the long journey it did turn out to be a profitable venture. I can't speak to its profitability, but Dr. Horrible also showed us that one does not need a studio or network to make or release episodic content. Heck, wasn't that kind of the subtext of the show anyway?
What about mailing networks checks care of whatever show you want to support? Kind of like the public radio model? "Keep it coming folks! We only need $500,000 more to get another season!"
Yeah, probably not.
I guess for now I'll just keep doing the Hulu thing until the Nielsen people stop by and drop off a ratings box. Or I make a couple million new friends.
Re-listening to the episode today, something dawned on me. What can we as viewers do to ensure our "view" is counted? For example, I don't have cable, or a Nielsen box. We have rabbit ears, and even then, it's rare that I watch anything on an actual t.v..
I'm assuming Hulu is my best option; could it be that Hulu may well be the best option for others, even if they do have the ability to watch that show live?
How can one assure that one does appear as a number in some system?
I was reminded of this gem when you talked about Peter Berg.
I have issues with this still from The Kingdom. Can you spot them?
Not sure how this relates to CitW but...
Trey is also on point with the trigger thing. For the uninitiated, the rules for safe gun handeling are remarkably simple:
1. All guns are always loaded. (Basic safety mindset.)
2. Keep your finger off the trigger until you are on target and ready to shoot. (Trigger discipline.)
3. Do not point a gun at anything you do not intend to destroy. (Muzzle discipline.)
4. Know your target, backstop, and what lays beyond. (Even a bullet that finds its taget can keep going and strike something you don't want it to.)
That said, and as Trey pointed out, everyone seems to be good with rule 2. Also, no one is pointing their weapon in an obviously dangerous direction (like at each other). Chris Cooper appears to be reloading his HK, muzzle in a safe direction. From what I see there everyone appears to be handling their weapons in a safe manner.
I'm sure there's a story reason why everyone is carrying different weapons. The Saudi officers are both carrying M4A1s, and at least one has a sidearm (probably an M9), all of which would be likely issued to them. None of the other weapons (an MP5K, AKMS, HK91) are particularly exotic.
The lack of helmets is likely a "badasses don't need helmets" trope, or the director was more concerned with being able to see the actors' faces.
What I'm not seeing is anyone carrying any extra magazines. Each of those M4 mags holds 30 rounds, which is woefully inadequate if you're going into a potential firefight. Unless Jamie Fox is carrying everyone's extra ammo in his ruck there...
Also, that guy in the middle appears to have no rear sight, so he's gonna have trouble hitting anything.
From a cover / concealment perspective, they have no cover (something to hide behind that will stop a bullet) and little concealment (something to hide behind, but won't stop a bullet, like that car). I'm not sure why Jamie Fox is crouching and everyone else is happy standing. They don't appear to be under fire at the moment, but the guy on the left should really be pointing his weapon in the same direction he's looking.
That's about all I can glean from a still of a film I haven't seen with regards to militaristic / tactical stuff.
The marble wall fits what I've seen of Arab construction. Unless it's missing bullet holes from a previous firefight.
If it's something in the Arabic on the posters behind them, I wouldn't have a clue.
Is it the car?
I bought a red shirt today, so wardrobe is sorted. Going to try to get out to Disney to shoot some footage this week.
I've had a couple on my Facebook page for a while now.
“Not until we are lost do we begin to understand ourselves.”
- Henry David Thoreau
"Was mich nicht umbringt, macht mich stärker."
("What does not kill me, makes me stronger")
- Friedrich Nietzsche
I rather enjoy listening to Keillor, particularly The News from Lake Wobegone, which, sadly due to my work schedule, is the only part of the show I'm able to catch these days (iTunes feed). As much as I enjoy listening to him, he does have a kind of hypnotic effect which tends to put me to sleep.
We might get more with the Steve Jobs biopic, but from what I've heard they're basically just re-making PoSV. I could be (and hope I am) wrong. PoSV does an admirable job of telling the story of the rise of Apple and Microsoft, and I can see the biopic sort of taking over from there. On the other hand, PoSV is trying to tell that story from several angles, Steve Jobs being just one of the players involved.
At any rate I agree, the ending is a bit off. You can find footage of that very conference on YouTube, and it doesn't come across nearly as menacing as the film makes it out to be.
And just look at where Apple is now. Yeah, I think they've done alright since then.
I think I need to add Norway to my travel list.
//checks flights
Less than $1,400. Not this year, but doable. Got a spare bunk Tom?
Glad to see so many other people are looking forward to Prometheus...
I don't generally go to 3D movies, chiefly because I already wear glasses, and I don't want to have to wear two pair at once. I won't go see anything post-converted (all respect to the various guys around here who do that as part of their trade). If it was shot like a normal 2D film and futzed with later, no thank you. But if it was shot in 3D, as in, with two cameras, like the upcoming Prometheus, I'll be more inclined to give it a go, but even then it's not a sure deal.
Doc: Yeah, that's what I'm thinking too.
I knew it was going to be subversive and non-standard when I sat down, but I loved the way they pulled it off. I loved the humor they injected; I was having so much fun with it, I wasn't even sure there were going to be any killings.
There's a brief exchange which, if you're clever, hints at where they're going.
I loved the smash cuts to the titles, the direction they went with the ending, the closing song...pretty much everything. Well, there's just one thing I'm not sure of, but probably falls under magic beans:
Either way, I say that's a second magic bean next to giant vengeful gods residing under the Earth which require annual (?) sacrifices to keep at bay.
These niggles aside, I enjoyed myself immensely. If you're at all in doubt about seeing it, just go.
Pssh. Nice haircut and glasses. How are things in 1962?
The glasses I got talked into by an ex, and I hate them. They're Oakley's and the bows don't hook around your ears, they're just straight, so the damn things are always threatening to just fall off my face.
The haircut is...the best I can do. I've kept it more or less military style since I got out. My hair doesn't style very well, besides as you can plainly see, style isn't a big part of my fashion considerations. Though that picture does make me look fat...
'62's been interesting so far. We have high hopes for Ranger 4 after some schmuck miss-read his slide rule and sent Ranger 3 hurtling into orbit around the sun. Sure hope that guy got fired, or at least transfered to some hole designing, I don't know, landers for Mars? Yeah, like that'll ever happen!
Friends In Your Head | Forums → Posts by Matt Vayda
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