mkpmedia films

So I was thinkin’ the other day - about what separates really good movies and really bad ones, when the both have over $150 million to spend.

One of the main things I came up with is that the best big-budget movies seem to all be made by people who really cut their teeth making edgy, successful independent film. Now of course, nothing competes with character, theme, etc., but you can’t have these things if the director doesn’t push for them.

Sam Raimi
Made The Evil Dead for $350K in ‘81 before getting $300-odd million for Spider-Man 2

Peter Jackson
Made his indie career mostly from financing from the New Zealand Film Board, now the country’s most famous filmmaker after The Lord of the Rings

Chris Nolan
Shot Following for $6000 (less than Robert Rodriguez could), and is now the first Hollywood filmmaker to shoot a film on IMAX film - this summer’s “The Dark Knight”

The list goes on and on (John Favreau - Iron Man, Alfonso Cuaron - Prizoner of Azkaban + Children of Men…) but you get the idea. These guys know how to stretch a dollar; I’m pretty sure Michel Gondry would’ve made a pretty awesome Fantastic Four.

My mum told me, a long time ago, that I absolutely must read the works of George Bernard Shaw. Today, I came across the first thing I’ve read from him, and he sure leaves a good first impression

On that note, my sister started a new site which is exponentially better than this one: Truthful Seeker. Check it.

So if someone starts a facebook group claiming they’ll change their name to McLovin if a million people join
And they only hit the target after years have gone buy
how much funnier is it when they’re McLovin and it’s not even funny anymore?

Look it up on facebook, and join the group.

Just not yet.

It has recently come to my attention that many people in the world do not have zombie plans (a plan of retreat or combat during a zombie invasion/infestation)

Now for the most part i’m fine with this. That just means i’ll be the most prepared person of them all giving me key looting opportunities and a jump on traffic

However I can not be so selfish in my plans regarding the post apocolyptic world. I’ve come to the realization that most people making zombie plans are males. This will present a problem down the road when we’re faced with repopulating the world after the zombies have become rotten and decomposed due to the increased heat caused by global warming (just a small part of my overall plan)

With this in mind i encourage all who read this small blog post
On this small site
In this large mass of information we call the internet
to take 5-15 mins just making a simple zombie plan
and involve as many of your sisters, daughters, mothers, female cousins as possible

If you wish feel free to post them in the comments below
No matter how crazy they are

QQOD:”Then we’ll have to fight Jim Pattison, and he’ll be super strong because money translates into zombie magic”- Daniel (the prophet of zombie doom) Cryderman

So we [Me, Ben Wright, Daniel Cryderman, Shyam Valera] had our first writing session today for our upcoming online TV show [coming this february!]. It’s generally comedy, with hints of seriousness. If it takes off, the series, end-to-end will take place between second semester Grade 11 and secondary school graduation. The question, however, is what to call it. Ben came up with School Daze, but that takes too long to grow on you, this needs to be immediately intriguing.

Leave suggestions in the comments, please!!!

Taking a post off from the film schtuff, I just got a pretty important email from the great folks over at Avaaz.org.

Basically, follow this link, and read more details in the full article.

The people of Gaza are being squeezed to death. This week’s blackouts have finally reached the attention of the world — and the international community could help end the blockade. Our obligation is clear. This isn’t about Israel vs Palestine or Hamas vs Fatah: this is about 1.5 million human beings locked up in the biggest prison on earth. The siege of Gaza is a collective punishment violating international law, and far from ensuring Israel’s security, it is only stoking rage and desperation.

Incredibly, the UN, European Union and Arab League have so far failed to act. We must seize this moment with an emergency campaign: demanding that the international community step in to end this blockade, ensure the free flow of supplies, and help broker the ceasefire which civilians on all sides desperately need. Please click below to sign the emergency petition — we’ll deliver it to the UN, EU and Arab League when we reach 100,000 signatures, so sign and tell everyone you know:

http://www.avaaz.org/en/gaza_end_the_siege/8.php?cl=51703716

The humanitarian crisis of sealed-off Gaza is only getting worse, and a rain of missiles is falling. No genuine peace talks will be possible while the siege continues. In the Israel-Lebanon war of 2006, we saw how global pressure and assistance can help stop a crisis and protect civilians from harm — we cannot stay silent about the crisis in Gaza. Please add your name now at the link above, and forward this message widely.

With hope and determination,

Ricken, Paul, Galit, Esra’a, Pascal, Ben and the whole Avaaz team

PS For more about the crisis:

Associated Press article including Red Cross report:
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5iNIUuovp8Buyld1S6EFTSWfznQZwD8UB050G0

Former Clinton official calls for ceasefire, ending siege:
http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/01/21/opinion/edmalley.php

UN reports on the humanitarian crisis, including background to the blackouts:
http://www.ochaopt.org/?module=displaysection&section_id=11&static=0&format=html

Deepening medical crisis in Gaza (UN):
http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=75693

PSS In a global interactive poll, tens of thousands of Avaaz members helped to set our direction for campaigning on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict — addressing the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and achieving a reciprocal ceasefire were both supported by over 90% of respondents:
http://www.avaaz.org/en/annapolis_results_2

I’ve been going about the past few weeks with a new take on life 

I’ve been seeing things in a whole new perspective. I question things in life that are normally taken for granted(i.e. why does Christmas fall on the 25th if the new year starts on the 1st of January and where did the 6 days go between bc and ad). Voicing these ponderings has not really gotten me any answers other then my own theories. Usually when I ask my questions about life’s not so great mysteries I’ll usually be: 

a) Told I’m stupid
b) asked if I’ve been using recreational drugs
c) laughed at because what I said is funny
d) laughed at because they think I’m an idiot 

 After about a month and a half of this new enlightened state I began discovering things about myself. Such as my “moral line”. Eventually I questioned what had caused this change in my personality, and overall self-being 

There’s only one answer to that however
and that is this answer is right here 

KARL PILKINGTON
QOTD: i don’t see why we need to bring the wooly mammoth back. We already have elephants and they carry stuff about and all that. theres no need for somthing else to do that- Karl Pilkington

So Michel Gondry has a new movie coming out, called ‘Be Kind, Rewind’.

ANYWAYS, to promote the film, which basically involves Jack Black and Mos Def remaking most of the movies at Mos’ video store when all the tapes get erased, “Gondry will be taking over downtown New York’s Deitch Projects, transforming the Soho art gallery into a “Sweeding movie studio” for the better part of a month starting on January 24th.”

Now I know they’ll never do this in Vancouver due to cost [unless this becomes a moving exhibit], but it would be a pretty dern awesome thing for the National Film Board to set up, right?

Right??

Write. To the NFB. Request it, I s’pose that’s the only way it’ll really happen.

yay for posts that trail off into the distan….

Arrighty,

In stumbling across this video on YouTube [watchitbelow!] from master Wii hacker Johnny Lee (seriously, this dude made Minority Report and the Microsoft Surface more or less real with a laptop and a wiimote), I had an idea. See, the video was about “Using the infrared camera in the Wii remote and a head mounted sensor bar (two IR LEDs), to track the location of your head and render view dependent images on the screen”. Basically, he– you know what, just watch the vid:

Awesomeness, right? Well since I pretty much see everything being related to filmmaking, I got thinking: what if this concept was applied to 3D camera tracking?

When, in the post-production of a film, visual effects are added to a moving shot, someone needs to tell the computer where the physical camera is so that it can properly animate it’s camera to match the original footage when placing 3D objects.

So if there were enough cheap cameras on set (maybe even just a couple of wiimotes) to capture a couple of LEDs strapped onto your main camera, couldn’t you just, with the right software, get your camera’s position info during shooting? I’ve always wanted a camera that could do this, but always imagined it with a sensor that recorded some sort of XYZ position in relation to a reference point. I guess that won’t be needed.

Just think if this worked in an ideal environment: Your camera would store info like focal length, shutter, colour, field of view, etc in metadata, and you would have the position of your camera in 3D space. import your footage onto your computer and go wild.

This post might not make too much sense from the tiredness and all setting in, but hopefully it’s given some people more capable than me a starting point for something spectacular.

Oh, and check this. Stu Maschwitz wins.

so since i kickstarted the blog again(still haven’t been thanked by the way). Kashif has been talking to me about starting up the podcast again. Now i was thinking about this and i made a pros and cons list

Pro-making the podcast is fun
Con- podcast isn’t that fun to listen too….at least for me

Pro- you all get to listen to my voice again
Con- I hate my speaking voice(my reading/thought voice is much sexier)

Pro- Its just like listening in on a conversation between me and kashif
Con-Its just like listening in on a conversation between me and kashif

Pro- This way you can rewind and listen a few times to understand our intellectual humour
Con- I just insulted you (haha)

Pro- i wouldn’t have to type as much
Con- i feel obligated to keep making cons

To be honest i don’t know why i’m making this list. it really comes down to kashif cause hes the only one who’ll go “hey lets make that podcast now”

oh well

QOTD(Quote of the day)- Their ships outnumber us, 3:1
                                      Then it is an even fight
Halo 3