John August

Follow Up

T-Minus one day

Follow Up, Projects, The Nines

The [trailer competition](http://johnaugust.com/archives/2007/trailer-competition-details) is nearing its end, and entries are starting to stream in. Some are quite good.

If I have one general observation, it’s that many of the trailers are trying to be respectful to the (supposed) tone of the movie. That’s fine, but it’s hard to distinguish yourself when aiming for the same it’s-a-thriller-but-not mood. I keep waiting for the grindhouse version, or the wacky comedy. Granted, I didn’t include a lot of punchline jokes in the footage bin, but many of the best fake trailers are comedies made from dramas.

Also, we’re highly lacking in the mash-up category, as many competitors have focused on making “pure” trailers using only the original footage.

The official deadline is tomorrow at 6 a.m. PDT. I won’t ding anybody who’s a few minutes late, but I’ll need to start judging ASAP.

Trailer competition, teaser

Follow Up, Geek Alert, Projects, The Nines, Video

geek factorTomorrow, full details of the [long-gestating](http://johnaugust.com/archives/2007/hive-mind-trailer) [trailer](http://johnaugust.com/archives/2007/trailer-competition-update) [competition](http://johnaugust.com/archives/2007/trailer-competition-second-update) will be announced here (and at the [lookforthenines](http://lookforthenines.com) site). You’ll have two versions of footage to choose from: DV and MPEG-4. The DV is big and beautiful. The MPEG-4 is small and nimble — and not as bad as you’d think.

To get ready, Erik Beeson has helped seed two torrents of goodness, which you can start downloading **right now.**

[The DV footage – 1.76GB](http://yoursharade.com/thenines/thenines-dv.torrent)

[The MPEG-4 footage – 525MB](http://yoursharade.com/thenines/thenines-mpeg4.torrent)

Here’s the deal: If you’re using the torrents, help us seed. That means **keeping your client open after you finish downloading,** so others can share.

If all this talk of torrents and seeds makes you curl into a fetal ball, fear not: there will be a directly-downloadable version of the MPEG-4 footage tomorrow. (We’ll need mirrors, so if you have some bandwidth to spare, leave a comment to volunteer.)

Also tomorrow, you’ll get the quote-unquote rules, including the deadline (it’s one week) and details about how to post your work, promote it and rig things in your favor.

Google-Mapped, part two

Follow Up, Los Angeles

Matt sent me an LA Times article this morning which confirms that Google has been busy adding [Street View to Los Angeles](http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=paramount+pictures+los+Angeles&ie=UTF8&ll=34.083534,-118.319846&spn=0.009419,0.012242&z=17&om=1&layer=c&cbll=34.08351,-118.319514&cbp=1,351.28000000000003,0.5,0).

My [earlier suspicion that I’d been van-captured](http://johnaugust.com/archives/2007/google-mapped) has proven true. So far, my mug doesn’t show up in any of the shots, but that’s likely because they seem to have only commercial streets included in the database. Kinda hoping that continues.

One thing I’ve noticed so far: at least along my stretch of Wilshire, the images are a block-and-half off. [Here’s our old editorial office](http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&layer=c&ie=UTF8&om=1&cbll=34.061751,-118.321069&ll=34.061779,-118.3224&spn=0.009421,0.012242&z=17&cbp=1,178.19999999999982,0.5,0). In the image, you can see the intersection is Plymouth, but the map shows it between Windsor and Lorraine.

Filmmaking, permitted

Film Industry, Follow Up, Resources

News from New York City: the Mayor’s office has declined to enact the proposed [filming restrictions](http://johnaugust.com/archives/2007/permitted-filmmaking), and is going back to the drawing board. That’s very good news. You can read more about the decision, and the road ahead, at [Picture New York](http://www.pictureny.org/archives/67).