Digital opens up a world of new opportunities. The problem it runs into is that it is generally crammed into an old analog way of thinking. Sometimes this is done for backwards compatibility, sometimes it’s done because of money, and sometimes it’s because those people making the decisions come from the analog world and only know how to think in the analog world.

Let me give two examples of this issue.

Why do digital video cameras shoot interlaced video? Interlacing is an old analog trick invited in the 30’s to squeeze more bandwidth through the pipes. This made television possible back in the day when they couldn’t do progressive pictures. So jump forward 75+ years and why do all of our digital video standards follow these old analog rules? Part of it could be argued for backwards compatibility and part of it is because those setting these standards come from this old analog world and try to squeeze these new digital forms into its constraints. Digital can and should be free to explore to boundaries and break old rules. We shouldn’t constrain new digital technologies into these old analog handicaps.

Second example, exclusivity and ubiquity.
Digital changes the rules of how/where/when users can watch the media they want to watch. With the ability to download high quality content to your PC, portable device, living room etc content creators have an entirely new way of releasing content to their audience. So the ideas of release windows or exclusivity to one website or another are absurd in a new digital landscape. Yet these models and modes are being forced onto these digital tools.

Digital changes things. Digital disrupts things. Digital breaks things. But it’s ok, we need to let it. There is a better media future out there and it is up to us, the content creator and the audience, to help it break out of these analog restrictions and explore new ways of creation, access, discovery, interaction, etc.

Ben...

P.S. Please deinterlace your videos when uploading them to Stage6, they will look so much better.

Currently watching: Totally Rad Show – Episode 7

Hi, Stage6. Did you get a new haircut? Lose a few pounds?

No, it's new channel skins, but thanks for noticing.

Now, as a channel owner or admin, you have the ability to choose a "skin" for that channel. Every page in your channel becomes branded with the color scheme of your choice - as long as it's one of the four choices we offer. In addition to the sultry Noir theme you're gazing at right now, we've got the old school Alpha look, soothing blues, and something that might make you want to join an evolution. Go to the Manage tab of your channel and try something on. Change can be a good thing.

Currently watching: Anything by my main man Buster

-matt

Seabass, an amateur disc golfer, DivX shepherd and all-around good guy, recently built a pretty cool little search engine add-on that will let you search for Stage6 videos from Mozilla Firefox 2.0 or Internet Explorer 7. You can find it over at DivX Labs, which is kind of a Stage6 sister site that offers a glimpse into the inner workings of the DivX product pipeline. Check it out if you’re so inclined.

This is the first incarnation of a feature we wanted to start on Stage6 where we interview/profile/expose film makers, video bloggers, and generally content creators of all natures. This site is built to be their platform, so it’s only due that they take the stage, front and center.

First up on the stage is Thomas L. Phillips
IMDB page

Where did you grow up?

I was born and raised in Knoxville, TN. The south is a world in and of itself. It is a great place to be from and visit. I am in no way saying it's a bad place to live, but it feels to operate on its own terms, within a box that it created for itself. And if you operate outside that box it is difficult to fit in, be understood and express yourself creatively. I left Knoxville in 1995 when I was 20 years old. I was walking home from my night job as a dishwasher when a gun was stuck to my head. That night I packed what little I owned and moved to Ludington, MI. There I stayed with my parents for three years and attended West Shore Community College. I then went onto Flagstaff Arizona to study theatre at Northern Arizona University. And from there I came to California to get my MFA in Film Production at Chapman University. All this after dropping out of High School, not once, but twice.

What got you interested in Film?

Growing up my Dad was always watching movies, every day, every night, all the time. He took the family to the theatre almost every weekend. He introduced me to the classics. I can't even begin to recall the numerous VHS players we went through growing up. There were always rented movies to watch. I was blessed because my parents let me watch anything I wanted to, they never censored my viewing selection. I am glad my parents were not these overly sensitive politically correct types that think the media is the cause for all the problems with our youth. I am sure that without my liberal and diverse upbringing, that I would not be the creative person that i am today.

I decided that I wanted to be a filmmaker in 1994. I had rented CLERKS by KEVIN SMITH, and after watching it over and over I knew I could do it and that there was nothing else I wanted to do. Kevin had the same reaction after he had viewed the movie SLACKER by RICHARD LINKLATER in 1991. They both made super-low-budget independent films on their terms. They told the stories that they wanted to tell and made the movies by whatever means neccasary. The early 90's were a significant time in independent cinema. It was a time when independent films were brought to the forefront, they were not just art house selections anymore, they were becoming mainstream, and the audience was there to watch.

Who are your influences?

Kevin Smith. Richard Linklater. Ed Burns. Robert Rodriquez. Hal Hartley. Jim Jarmusch. John Sayles. David Gordon Green.

These filmmakers all have one thing in common, they started from the bottom. They all started making low-to-no-budget independent films. They made their movies the way they wanted. The didn't have a lot of money but the still made it happen. They all wanted to be filmmakers and they were filmmakers, just because they said so and wanted it. They didn't need anyones approval or money to make it happen. They just did it.

What equipment do you shoot on, edit with etc?

I shoot on everything, DV, HD, 16mm and 35mm. I think they all have their own place in filmmaking and they all lend their own unique feel to the telling of a story. I edit everything in FINAL CUT PRO, and I wouldn't change it for the world. It is such a user friendly professional program. I would like to be a little more familiar with the expensive AVID that most studio films are still cut on.

What advice would you have for creative minds wanting to get into this space?

Just do it. Robert Rodriguez says if you wanna be a filmmaker, then just say you're a filmmaker. Nothing is holding anyone back, especially in the digital revolution. Study the greats, the classics and you will learn a tremendous amount about storytelling. Being a filmmaker is not just about cool effects and awesome shots. It's about telling a story and developing characters that an audience cares about. Anyone can point a camera and hit the record button. But why are you pointing the camera this way? What are you trying to convey to the audience? What story are you telling? Who's story are you telling?

Also, as a filmmaker, one should learn a little bit about everything that goes into making a movie. I am not saying you need to be a master in all aspects of filmmaking, but have an understanding of it. Learn about cinematography, editing, sound, budgeting, scheduling, etc. This will give you a better understanding about what each person brings to the collaborative effort of making a movie.

How do you see digital shaping the content space in the future?

Digital, for me as a filmmaker, is a double edged sword. On the positive side it allows us independent filmmakers the chance to make make movies affordably. It allows us the opportunity to actually be filmmakers, whereas twenty years ago we could not have afforded it. The digital revolution has opened so many doors for independent filmmakers and given us a voice and a chance to compete with the big boys with all the money. There are plenty of great films and filmmakers that we know of just because of the digital revolution. Plus we can do more takes because it's not so expensive, we now can make sure that we have exactly what we want without worrying if we are going to run out of expensive film.

The negative side of of the digital explosion also comes form the fact that it is so accessible and affordable. Everyone and their mother thinks they are filmmakers now. You have a little money lying around, you buy a camera and an editing program, get your friends together and make a movie. This, in and of itself, is not a bad thing. Because at least you are doing something creative and exploring the world of storytelling. The problem is that the independent film world is now so diluted with bad films, that it is even harder for a quality film to get any kind of recognition, especially on the film festival circuit, which is where independent filmmakers depend on getting their movie seen. These festival screeners sift through so many bad films that they hardly even care what they are watching by the time they get to a good one.

So, basically it has its negative and positive effects on the independent film world. But the again, I would not trade the advancement of the digital revolution for anything.

Tell us about your last project.

My last project was the independent feature film RATTLE BASKET. We shot the film in September of 2006 and finished post-production in January of 2007. Since then the movie has started to be sent out to festivals and will continue to do so throughout the year. The festival circuit is a long and grueling process. So far we have been accepted in 2 major festivals with many more coming throughout the year.

The movie is a character driven dramedy directed by myself and written by screenwriter Jared Tweedie. The film stars Amanda MacDonald, Gia Natale, Alex Walters, Barbara Jacques, Andy Allen, Matt Blashaw, Lynne Newton and Ray Fuller. The movie is a true independent film about real people that an audience can identify with. It has equal amounts of drama and comedy. To give the readers here a better comparison, I would say it falls close to movies like GARDEN STATE, SIDEWAYS or ME YOU AND EVERYONE WE KNOW.

To really get a feel for the film, everyone should check out the trailer here on the movies Stage 6 Channel, or at the films official website

That my friends was a shameless plug.

Here is the logline for the film:
Two sisters alienate the male friend who's always protected them from the fallout of their dysfunctional relationships.


Now this is the section we have our default 6 question questionnaire, hereby dubbed...
6 on the Stage

1. Describe yourself in exactly five words.
Creative. Independent. Passionate. Diligent. Anal.

2. What was your first camera?
The Cannon XL1- It was the shit at the time, I think you can get them on Ebay for $5 now.

3. Favorite movie quote?
"I gave her my heart, she gave me a pen." Lloyd Dobler (John Cusack) - SAY ANYTHING

4. Who were you in high school?
Nobody

5. What is the first video you remember watching online?
The MATRIX trailer.

6. Popcorn or Candy?
Candy all the way. Snowcaps!!!

For anybody who spends much time at places like Stage6, well-versed in watching and downloading video from the internet, the concept of the television network probably seems very old-fashioned. Letting a bunch of old guys in suits decide what and when you should watch interesting shows is so last millennium.

However, if you are at all familiar with the phenomenon that is Digg, then you know that the smart people behind that site are not the type to be intimidated by such silly notions as obsolescence. In fact, they, as much as anyone out there today, recognize how much the media landscape has changed, and that there are really exciting new opportunities to bring content and audience together in radically different ways.

With Revision3, the collection of video shows aggregated by the Digg creators, they have a network of their own, a dozen or so shows that are unique in themselves but that explore an interesting element of the emerging online/geek culture. From the nerd paradise of The Totally Rad Show to the technical expertise of PixelPerfect to the good times on Diggnation, the shows of Revision3 provide an amazing amount of entertainment. And they are not produced expensively in Hollywood by established TV studios but by the creators themselves, immediately and without having to appeal to some nebulous lowest common denominator.

If you want to see the future of television, download these shows and sit back and watch them in living room. You would be hard-pressed to find anything better on NBC, CBS, or any other three-letter abbreviation.

Everybody at Stage6 is really excited about how the site is developing and particularly how things are progressing since the Beta relaunch, despite any “hiccups” we’ve experienced technically. There are fantastic videos popping up daily, and a lot of new community activity going on. You can practically feel all the karma piling up. ;)

But there’s another element of the Stage6 community experiment I wanted to highlight, and that is the user’s ability to embed Stage6 video in places other than here. In case we haven’t made it clear enough previously, it is VERY easy to put video from Stage6 on other websites, blogs, etc. In order to embed, you can just click the “Share video” button that appears below every video on Stage6. There are two snippets of code, the first “Standard embed code” has html code to paste the video in a basic DivX Web Player mode. You can, however, instead use a more extensive JavaScript code, under “JavaScript embed code” that will allow for higher functionality for the video, including thumbnails, overlay controls, playback tracking and post-play recommendations.

We are very committed to making Stage6 the place to be for people that love video, but at the same time we want you to be able to take great video to where it needs to be. In one sense, that means taking it off the computer entirely, by playing videos in your living room, on your phone, whatever. The other side of it, though, is the ability to put great content everywhere: your own site, your blog, a forum you participate in, you name it.

We recently stumbled upon a great example of how Stage6 users can make video work for their own particular needs here. The hardcore fans of the TV show Lost that gather at The Tail Section have been using DivX clips to discuss and dissect recent episodes and future previews. They are taking advantage of the high visual quality to pick out VERY subtle hints and clues about what is going to happen next. It’s a great extension of the Stage6 community and we hope to see a lot more like it in the future.

So get sharing!

One of the things that gets me excited about the shift in content and creation is the connection between the creator and the audience. The interaction fueld by comments, forums, and the videos themselves. Letting the audience participate by providing feedback, guiding where a video series could go, talking to the characters, creating their own videos within the genre. All of these turn the tables and take a passive audience and lets them take an active role in the content and in the content creator. Its that direct connection that makes the content that much better for the audience and lets the content creator hear what their audience likes, doesn't like etc.

Its this personal connection and global community that makes this new shift in content creating exciting. Whats more, the ability to bring that community offline and interact with them at a screening of a show is an experience that blurs the line between online/offline, creator/audience in a mashup that is indicative of this entire space.

Pure Pwnage (pronounced: ownage) just started their second season and are doing local screenings around the country to premiere the new episode. If you can make it to a screening a highly recommend it. Being in a room with 500 other fans of a show interacting with each other and with the creators of the show is a great experience.

And if you are in the southern California area, come to the San Diego screening this weekend. A lot of DivX folks are fans of the show and we'll be there and we'd love to say hi

Stage6 is intended to be an open video community for people who love video. So what happens when users post a childishly long and deconstructive chain of four-letter words or have a pornographic profile pages? This is an interesting brand challenge. A number of factors come into play as we harvest the Stage6 garden, if you will, and try to grow a healthy, engaging site.

We need to make sure that in the battle of good and evil, good will prevail. I can’t assume that you and I agree on what’s good and what is bad, but you can’t argue with the law. We have pretty liberal terms of use on Stage6 and any time you upload a video, you agree to these terms. We assume you’ve read them, but allow me to paraphrase: don’t pirate – it’s illegal, don’t be a jerk, and generally, don’t infringe on others’ rights. This is where it gets sticky.

Stage6 user 11t16 recently posted in her blog a reference to an April 9th New York Times article, “A Call for Manners in the World of Nasty Blogs,” referring to a new blog code of conduct. The article ends with the following quote from Tim O’Reilly:
“That is one of the mistakes a lot of people make — believing that uncensored speech is the most free, when in fact, managed civil dialogue is actually the freer speech,” he said. “Free speech is enhanced by civility.”

Regardless of where you’re from, you and other Stage6 users are entitled to certain civil liberties, like free speech. Don’t pollute the Stage6 community’s visual space. Be a good citizen. Some people have trouble with this concept, as witnessed by a March 31st blog post directed to the Stage6 team that said, “Please pull my finger,” and something else about monkey testicles. We allow this, but would prefer a more grown-up discourse. If you were here beside me, I’d pull your finger, we’d have a laugh, and then I’d ask you to either give me real advice on how to help Stage6 serve you better or shut up.

But thankfully there are a host of good users that have defended the integrity of the site. Some of you have given us constructive feedback on the new Stage6, others have taken advantage of the tag voting to remove inappropriate tags or asked people that were out of line to turn it down a notch, and lots of you interact positively with other users and comply with the terms of use.

That said, we rely on you to tell others what you think is acceptable on the site. What will you put up with? What crosses the line? What can we do to help?

“I want to stay as close to the edge as I can without going over. Out on the edge you see all kinds of things you can't see from the center.”
--Kurt Vonnegut

He wasn’t a filmmaker, he wasn’t a technologist, he didn’t have any direct connection to the kinds of things that go on here on this site, but it seems to me that the American writer Kurt Vonnegut, who died a few days ago at the age of 84, was, in some very important ways, an ideal personification of a lot of the ideas and attitudes that thrive in this community. Take a look at the principles behind Stage6. Then pick up any Vonnegut book (start with Slaughterhouse Five or Cat’s Cradle, would be my advice) and you will hear a voice that, to my ear at least, is enormously inclusive, fundamentally optimistic by nature, deeply (sometimes insanely) sincere and wholly and fully engaged with the fundamental questions that plague the modern world. He was, in addition to being funny as hell, a humanist above all else who tried to make sense of and find joy in a universe that could be cruel and senseless. I for one plan to step away from the Internet this weekend and re-read Breakfast of Champions in tribute.

The other day someone just asked me how long I’ve been with DivX. I get asked that a lot and quickly spouted my answer, “going on 6 and a half years now”. I didn’t think much of it at the time as I usually don’t, but not long after I realized, holy crap, that is a freaking long time, especially in internet time. I lived through one dot com bust before DivX and bounced between various jobs and gigs in Hollywood before that. I usually get bored at about 9 months and move onto something new at about a year. So I started reflecting on what has kept me here so long with no foreseeable plans to leave.

Change is a great thing. I hate being stagnant. I get bored easily doing the same thing everyday. That’s been one of the great things about DivX. I started when there were 5 guys in a small room and I sat on a Dell monitor box as my chair hadn’t been ordered yet. In all these years I’ve seen it grow to into a thriving community of people passionate about digital media and focused on solving big problems with new ideas.

I started with DivX as the IT guy. All of the 5 guys that were here when I started were already extremely technically inclined, well all but Panger, so that position was short-lived. I set up the mail server, some file servers, and then sat around going, so what’s next? That led into software architecture and design, encoding, QA, business development, support, sales engineer, product manager, project manager, content creation, content development, community evangelist, all of which I had little to no formal experience going into them.

But it is more than pushing myself and trying new things, thus defying my 9 month boredom window that has kept me here. It’s the big picture that keeps me here for the long haul. It’s a vision of a future where media is not created and controlled by a few, but created and shared from the masses. It’s the vision of meaningful connections with content and creators in new ways not yet thought of. It’s looking up at insurmountable problems and defeating them with something as simple as a great idea. It’s coming into work after 6 and half years and hearing a new idea that is so big and audacious, yet fits so well with everything you believe in and work for, that it blows your mind and once again jumpstarts the creative spirit.

Well, all that and I get to work with great people like Panger How could I be anywhere else?

Ben…

The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) is a nonprofit group of lawyers and technologists who spend their time fighting the good fight for digital freedom--but you probably already knew that, since you’re a Stage6 user and therefore an enlightened digital media citizen with a rooting interest in truth and justice. Last week, the EFF hosted an event in conjunction with the O’Reilly ETech Conference in San Diego where they presented their annual Pioneer awards to Yochai Benkler, Cory Doctorow and Bruce Schneier, all pretty amazing folks deserving of recognition. The other main attraction of the evening was a debate between Fred von Lohmann, an EFF lawyer, and Mark Cuban, an entrepreneur/blogger/NBA-ref-heckler. The two discussed their very different opinions on the YouTube-Viacom lawsuit, which made for an entertaining and stimulating debate. The Stage6 Crew was on hand to capture the conversation, in high definition no less, and you can view the results on the newly created Stage6 EFF channel. One sight our roving cameras did not capture was the vast array of bespectacled Web 2.0 warriors with clever t-shirts and free drinks networking like mad before the festivities kicked off. My favorite piece of geek apparel had to be the “Wearing a Twitter t-shirt” t-shirt, which first made me laugh, and then made me kind of inexplicably sad. But that’s beside the point--all in all it was a great night and a stimulating discussion. Check out the video and, if you’re so inclined, join the EFF and support the forces battling for the future of digital media.

I just wanted to take a moment and say thanks to the community for all of your feedback – it isn’t going unnoticed. All of the people behind Stage6 are actively using the site and spend a lot of time perusing the forums looking for issues and suggestions. This is very much a work in progress and with your help will continue to evolve into something great.

Over the last few days we’ve made some changes in the background to help improve performance and site uptime (we now effectively have two hamsters powering the site). We’re going to continue working out the kinks and will keep you guys posted on new features as they arrive.

Tip of the post: By rating videos (thumbs up or down) you help other users find those videos which rewards you with karma

Welcome to our brand-new Stage6 beta site – hope you like it!

There are too many new features to list them all here, but in a nutshell we’ve striven to give you the best content experience possible… in DivX of course.

Start with Now to see what’s going on in the community in real-time with new content, Karmic Users and Karmic Channels.

Check out the new Videos page with spiffy new search and discovery features. Try searching by tag and by tag combinations to find new videos you didn’t even know you’d like.

Already have a Stage6 account? Log in and take a look at your personal profile. Instant alerts tell you when your favorite channels have been updated. Try Watch Tags and see what happens.

For those of you sharing videos, we have a great new video management tool. You can pick the thumbnail that goes with your video and even upload more than one video at once.

Are you a channel owner? Dive into your management dashboard and start playing around. You can now organize your videos into groups, add videos from other channels into your ‘library’ and watch your audience grow in My Stats.

Can’t create a channel? Hmm, you must need more Karma.**

As for the rest, you’ll have to log in and try it out for yourself!

OK – time to stop reading and start watching something interesting. Have fun!

**How do you earn Stage6 Karma? That’s a secret. All we can say is that if you’re good to those around you, good things will start happening in return...