X-Message-Number: 23907 Date: Fri, 16 Apr 2004 09:00:23 -0800 (Pacific Standard Time) From: "Billy H. Seidel" <> Subject: New Video > 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. >Sigh, this is a sign that some people are still misunderstanding my intent. **** I don't think I misunderstand your intent. I do believe your intentions are honorable and not intended to promote any thing but a greater understanding of cryonics. >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. **** Other venues that I can arrange????? Well I wish I could. Maybe we need Mell Gibson and his distribution network. I would not even know where to start. What you mention above would take a great deal of travel time, just to find the people involved with each of the methods you mention and co-operation with each of them. This has been done by a lot of other media people. > 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). **** You are correct the ALCOR adventure could be re-edited but I could not use any of the interviews. I have Individual Release Agreements for use by ALCOR only. I could not and would not use any of the interviews without new "Individual Release Agreements". 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. **** Kennita, you imply too much by the word "connected" > > 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. > >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. **** If I recall correctly the Blair Witch Project had a budget of over $200 000. Sure you can just go out and make a video. DO IT. 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? ****Dollars out of pocket, , , , , Probably about $10.000 to $20,000. Most of the equipment used was already available. Cameras, Audio, Editing stuff. Like that. >- How much would it have cost if people had been charging for their time? ****Production costs about $1,000 a minute. (for The ALCOR adventure $30 000) This does not include cost for talent, or transportation, food and lodging. I can not begin to estimate that. The opening disclaimer on The ALCOR Adventure gave credit to all the volunteers. They may not have volunteered for anything else except ALCOR. I know I would not have. Fred and Linda Chamberlain have been a great inspiration for me. >- How long did it take from start to finish? **** I put in about 200 hours of editing and previewing the rough cuts that I had from other sources. Gregory Prentiss put it travel time, food, lodging and provided equipment. Fred and Linda Chamberlain put in a lot more time getting the Asilomar conference together. The participants put in time and money. Double this for a 1 hour video. >- What is NCARB.RA ? **** I have no idea what this means. I think something from e-mail transfers >- 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? **** WOW someone actually took notes. My compliments to you. There are a couple of bogus names taking credit for operations that I did. I just got tired of seeing my name in the credits. >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. ***** The e-mails were confirmations of some "Individual Release Agreements . and other matters. Most of the required information had already been aquired at the time of the interviews. A lot more e-mail followed after release of The ALCOR Adventure, but no where near 255 **** The scripts of my voice over were done by me and did require a lot of takes and rewrites. Many of the interviews were done ad lib and took a lot of time and I still thank the participents for their patients and originality. I had several questions and edited them later. > > 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> :-) **** Kennita, you bring up some good points. I have a lot of stock footage from ALCOR, Cryospan, and Cryocare. I can not use any of it for a commercial product and would not release any of it with out written consent from officials of each company. . If you know whare I can get stock footage that is not copywrited I would like to know. Also, what you mention above, I have been interviewed in some of the programs and provided information for others. I know of at least 4 , 1 hour shows from England, Brazil, USA and others. All seemed to have the same thread as you present above. The ALCOR adventure is different in that it presented interviews from real people. I tried to present a real person with real questions about the problems of cryonic suspension. I tried to keep it on a personal level, to keep it real and belivable. My thrust was, "it is what it is". There are a lot of other subtleties in the video but not necessarey to go into here. If I do another one, I would like to have every person in it preview the end product and offer suggestions before it gets a final release. Some organization would have to take on the distribution. What company would pay for it and do it without having their name and logo prominent in the video? On and On and On etc., etc. >I look forward to seeing other people's ideas! **** Me too. Me two. Billy H. Seidel 928-203-0161 Rate This Message: http://www.cryonet.org/cgi-bin/rate.cgi?msg=23907