X-Message-Number: 23902
Date: Thu, 15 Apr 2004 14:21:26 -0700
Subject: Re: CryoNet #23887 - #23895
From: Kennita Watson <>

On Thursday, Apr 15, 2004, at 02:00 US/Pacific, CryoNet wrote:

> Message #23887
> Date: Wed, 14 Apr 2004 08:09:33 -0800 (Pacific Standard Time)
> From: "Billy H. Seidel" <>
> Subject: A new Video
>
> Kennita, you said.
>
>> Billy -- you'd been saying it was time for you to do another film.  If
>> you did a documentary that could be entered in the next FDGD
>> film contest and shown elsewhere, this new client could make a
>> great hook (if he's willing).
>
> Sorry Kennita, but I would not do any VIDEO, not film, about the FDGD. 
>  I do
> not do Ghost things or comedy.  I do mini documentary's and try for
> integrity and honesty in what I present.  I am not saying that FDGD 
> lacks
> these qualities.  FDGD, I think has been beaten to death with video 
> and film

Sigh, this is a sign that some people are still misunderstanding my
intent.

Billy, I was hoping you to do a video not about FDGD but about
mainstream cryonics, to be shown not only at FDGD but in as many
other venues as you can arrange, as an educational tool.  You
wouldn't need to refer to FDGD by name at all, but a passing
reference such as "some people have tried higher-temperature
preservation, such as in permafrost or dry ice, and with no
cryoprotectant, and this is what's wrong with those...." would
be useful for all mundane audiences, not just those at FDGD.

>   Nothing new there.  I have stated before that I would be 
> disappointed if
> ALCOR or any other reputable cryonics organization were to be, in any 
> way,
> connected with FDGD.  It is hard enough to present cryonic suspension 
> in a
> credible way to an uninformed audience.

I saw "The Alcor Adventure".  I bet you could do it (without the
name).

This word "connected" -- again, it makes it sound like I would
be going to FDGD to talk about how great Trygve's methods were
and how what he was doing was "cryonics for the common man" or
something.  No -- I'm going to show the limitations of what
he's doing (which Trygve himself acknowledges, BTW), and to
show that there is something out there that we think really
_can_ work and why we think so.

>
> The other problems are money, script, time, production crew and the 
> list
> goes on. I see no way to finance this project.  I can't, can you?
>
> Here are a few facts about the ALCOR adventure video:
> 35 people directly involved one way or another
> 55 e-mails.
> 25 pages of scripts and re-writes.
> 5 hours for Gregory Prentiss.
> 200 hours for Billy H. Seidel.
>
> Gregory Prentiss actually spent more time and so did Fred and Linda
> Chamberlain. You can not just go out and make a video.  I hope you can 
> now
> see some of the problems now.

Well, you _can_ just go out and make a video, though it might not
have the production values you'd like.  But that doesn't mean it
won't be successful -- witness "The Blair Witch Project".  It
might even be useful and/or entertaining -- witness cable TV
telecourses, recordings of live performances, etc.

I'm sure there are no end of problems that I can hardly begin to
appreciate (a few of which I can get an inkling of from having
been sound engineer for a number of live theater productions).

I have some questions about the making of "The Alcor Adventure":

- How much did it cost to do?

- How much would it have cost if people had been charging for
   their time?

- How long did it take from start to finish?

- What is NCARB.RA ?

- I counted 27 people in the credits -- 20 named spoken parts,
   8 production and media (Linda did double-duty as production
   consultant).  What did the 8 unsung heroes do?

BTW, I'm stunned that there were only 55 emails involved --
I would expect more like 255, or even more.  Those scripts
and rewrites must have been done in person.
>
> I invite comments from other folks on what they would expect from a new
> video.
>
I'd like to see what I described above in a new video, FDGD or
no FDGD.  Some inspirational time-lapse about how approaches to
immortality/longevity and various attempts to achieve them have
changed over the millennia, centuries, then decades, then years
could be good -- I imagine a lot of stock footage and artwork
with narration, highlighting how the pace of progress has
accelerated.  Then what people are doing now, and some film
clips and artists' renditions of possible futures, showing how
we hope to get from here to there.  And the obligatory call to
action:  "Join us on the S.S. Future!" <applause> <run credits> :-)

I look forward to seeing other people's ideas!

Live long and prosper,
Kennita
--
Emancipate yourselves from mental slavery;
none but ourselves can free our minds.
           -- Bob Marley, "Redemption Song"

Rate This Message: http://www.cryonet.org/cgi-bin/rate.cgi?msg=23902