From Podcasting to Droidmaker

~ Sunday July 27 2008 17:00
In the past I watched a lot of tv and listened to the radio. But nowadays it's rare for me to do so. Mainly because the programs suck, are broadcasted when I don’t have the time for it, or the image quality is too bad to consider watching. So I’m a huge fan of podcasting as one of many alternatives. And because of that I listen and watch a number of them.

Because of my interests in animation, I started watching the DV garage ‘attention to detail’ weekly series, presented by Alex Lindsay. I learned so much from that. Simple concepts, but so easily overlooked. I have no idea how I got to his site, but I did. I know it was way before it appeared in 3D World Magazine and it was before we knew these kinds of shows are called podcasts - or netcasts as some may like to call them.

In the USA they had a tv station called tech-tv. A management decision made it into G4, which meant that all the great programs were canceled and their presenters were basically without a job. A lot of them started podcasting, which was the birth of Revision3 and Pixelcops TV. And I follow a lot of shows of these two internet media networks. I started with Systm, then came Tekzilla, I started watching Diggnation last year (watched every episode from the start after that), Rev3 Gazette, Pop Siren and of course the Totally Rad Show. At Pixelcorps I started with MacBreak (in 1080p), MacBreak Tech, This week in Media, The Grip Guide and The VFX Show.

That last one is sometimes hosted by Mike Seymour, who runs FX Phd and FX Guide. I follow every podcast they make. And at June 5th 2008, they had a podcast of FX Guide about a book. It was called Droidmaker and talks about (basically) the birth of digital filmmaking. They had the author of the book on the phone and when he talked about the process of the creation of his book, I really wanted to read it for myself. So last week I ordered it on Amazon and got it last friday. So that is the book I’m reading now and it is great thus far. I would never ever have heard about the book, let alone ordering and now reading it, if it wasn’t for that podcast.

If you have the same interests I have and don’t follow podcasts, please start doing it. Two more recommendations: the first is the Animation Podcast, with great interviews with animators. And the only Dutch one I watch is Final Cut, a show with Dutch filmmakers about film.

Podcasting: great when there’s nothing on tv...aka always.

Comments are disabled for this blog due to abuse.