Spot,

Sorry, newbie question here, what is "3/4 hard cyc"?
(Honestly, I didn't watch all of the clips yet, busy with family this weekend, etc. I will watch them in the next few days. Like I said, "this is something I could do". I know I have the imagination for it, I just need to develop my technical "shooting skills".

thanks, Colleen

>>> can't wait to hear what you guys have to say about this one!<<<

Why is that?

If you are asking the same sort of question - yes, this type of material is out there as well. Pretty much *everything* is out there. Anyone ever see the film about squishing worms? It combines the foot fetish with...well, stepping on, and squishing, earth worms. How about the whole genre of self help videos - the "erotic" ones in paticular. There are videos out there for self pleasure, S&M, bondage, latex and so on. Some years ago someone had the marketing idea to let females make these types of videos so there was an entire series that was made by women for women and promoted as such. Now days there are many females in the industry who work behind the camera. My personal opinion is that with the internet as it is the market is very thin because most everything is on the net in some shape or form. AVN started reviewing and listing "Alternative" tapes because many video stores would not carry the full adult titles but would carry these "self help" tapes or the model tapes and so on.

(I did a brief look up of "alternative" titles reviewed and some "self-help" titles reviewed are Enjoying Guilty Pleasures, A Lover's Guide to Self Pleasuring, Sexual Healing and Sexual Fitness. Oh..and this - Talk to Me Baby - A Lover's Guide to Dirty Talk and Roleplay which was made by S.I.R. Video, an all female company. In the the vein of the first posters question there are model tapes such as Beautiful Latin Ladies 2, the review starts off saying "A simply superb collection of Latina beauties stripping, vamping and teasing for the camera..." And there is Amber Smith R.A.W. - reviewed as "Amber Smith has been touted as one of the sexiest women in the world by Maxim magazine, and this is proof" than goes on to say "Smith offers her fans four years worth of photo shoots and behind-the-scenes moments in different vignettes." and concludes with "Viewers will have to be content with plenty of Amber cavorting in bikinis and striking seductive poses.")

Jane Fonda really started the entire workout tapes, or at least brought it to a huge mainstream crowd. Now there are hundreds of varietys of workout tapes. I edited and posted a martial arts workout tape aimed at kids...this was right before the whole tai bo craze - now there are hundreds of variations of that as well. Speaking of workout tapes - going back to Stonefields post - the Cindy Crawford workout tape was a lot like what Stonefield has done. But put this into perspective - we are looking a short clips, a full product would be done a bit different. so obviously intercutting interviews in the same style would not work in a 30 - 60 minute tape.

And just a question here - I see a lot of posts saying how amazing Stonefields clips are. What am I missing here? It is very good in how it is shot and editied. But does it stand out in a way that his question was asked? I don't think so. I think those Fredricks of Hollywood commercials stand out more - they look better and are shot better. Some of the model demo reels I have seen are as good. So I am not sure what I am missing with all the praise. Or is it not the actual material that is being praised but what Vegas can do to enhance editing a model reel?

Filmy,
I agree with what you are saying in the last paragraph. I think the thing is we don't see much work done by pros that comes out of Vegas, mostly it's the guys who are just having a go, not being critical of them in anyway here, everyones more than entitled to their fun (me included).
So I think the reason everyones been heaping on the praise is just because of that. In my opinion it highlights what Vegas is capable of in the right hands. It also shows very clearly the importance of what happens in front of the lens, you get that right, add a bit more in post that compliments it and you can really do a great job. But start with low production values and it just doesn't get better. At the same time in all fairness you could have done the same with PP, FCP or Avid.
So I think it's a good thing for people to look at, no matter how you feel about the content. It shows that Vegas is no toy and hopefuly it'll inspire a few of us to aim a bit higher.

Bob.

Imagine my surprise when I sat down, logged into this site and saw all these replies. Man oh man.

If any of you ever got to know me for five minutes, you'd know how deeply affected and sorry I would be if I were to "offend" any of you.

That was totally not my intention. These are just some little movies I made of my friends that I was kinda proud of. I enjoy to no limit to finally have the ability to realize my own visions as well as the very talented people I have the honor of calling my friends.

To help other's achieve their goals. That's what it's always been about for me. Not my own gain, nor my own fame, but to help them get even a glimpse of how funny, talented, musical and yes beautiful they could be.

But when my "fun" is offensive, rude, pornographic and "just seems wrong..." it may be time to bow out and become just an observer. But it's with my deepest, and humble gratitute to be among those of you who's work I so admire.

I wouldn't be surprised if Kelly over at Chienworks never let's me post another video again there. I certainly wouldn't blame him and I'm seriously considering not sharing any further work at the risk of further controversy.

As for my website, the corporate profile and professional guise was the idea of my site designer. I wanted to make it more of a showcase of my own personal projects, but to his advice, he suggesting keeping a more pro look to it in the hope that my skills would be a possible career move. So far, I've yet to achieve that. It's hard asking for money doing something you love. ( I find )

Before I move on, I'd like to share one final thing for those who may have the wrong idea of me. This is one of my favorite videos I've done of my friend.

http://www.vegasusers.com/vidshare/textdisp?stonefield-silence

Yes, the music is original.

Take care and God bless.

Stan

Stan It can be a really daunting Prospect having the Public Tear you and your work Mercilessly to Pieces... This is for me the Hardest fact of being even Marginally in the Public Eye... AT The Very least you may have spent 15 hours a day for weeks on end only to be told your work is rubbish ...Your rubbish ...I/We have to learn to Get a Thick Skin in this area... There are all sorts of reasons why People may Not like you.. OR your work.. PART Of the Entertainment is to allow others to come forward and Participate ...Punch and Judy Style..... Think of the Wrestlers...You Just have to believe the Silent Majority are ENTERTAINED.. And How you describe your Films is how they Come Across (TO ME)..You have entertained and Taught... Even HERE. In this Thread... Be a Vegas Pioneer.. Perhaps we ARE not all at a high professional Level as you... But it Gives me More Determination.. We need People like you... And more people at the Beginning levels Pushing forward and helping each other in this vegas Community...

In My opinion Your work does not even come close to Being Porn Its Silly to even think that... Rachael Welch showed more leg in One Million Years BC.. And that was a long time ago ...THERE Is nothing (Edit " HERE") I would not allow my Daughter Or Son to see If I had Kids that is...

Just a Quick Footnote
IMO My Comments are based on the kind of reviews you can expect at Film Festivals.. Newspapers and The Public In General... Not as A reflection of Peoples Helpfull Responses here..

. . .you'd know how deeply affected and sorry I would be if I were to "offend" any of you.

Stan, speaking only for myself, and perhaps being the cause of your consternation, I was merely sharing one person's reaction to one of your videos. I'm confident that it was not your intention to offend anyone. As provocative as the Kiss video was (the only one I watched), I've seen things in television commercials that were far more "offensive."

It's my understanding that not everyone thinks and feels the same way I do. My point was it's not for me--the "one man's ceiling is another man's floor" thing. For example, Ted and I have a unique perspective. By today's standards, he and I are peculiar people.

Too, understand that I was not implying any form of censorship, either. The aim of censorship is to restrict thought--that is, to prevent people from thinking "bad" thoughts. I'm of the opinion that a person has the right (free agency) to think whatever he wishes. But I also believe a person should understand that thoughts lead to actions, and that actions bring with them consequences. If a person thinks about something long enough that person will put that thought into action. Having done so, he'd better be ready to stand accountable for the results of that action, be it good, bad, or indifferent. But the bottom line is that I do, generally speaking, oppose censorship.

Hopefully, we all will remember that this is a forum which is defined as "a public meeting or lecture involving audience discussion," and that's all we're doing, discussing.

Jay

THERE Is nothing I would not allow my Daughter Or Son to see If I had Kids that is...

Mark, that's awfully easy to say, since you don't have any children. You take my word on it. How a person feels and what a person thinks before rearing children is very different from what a person thinks and feels after rearing children.

When you are responsible for your child's health and welfare, you can't help but look at things differently!

Jay

>THERE Is nothing I would not allow my Daughter Or Son to see If I had Kids that is...<

Jay your taking my sentence out of Context Standing on its own like that..Not intentional Im sure.:). Of course Im for Morals... Principles.. Manners.. Decency..

Footnote
Jay I missed out the word "here" In my Original Post and Im going to Edit it in But im sure You realised what I Meant..

THis is sort of funny. I read the posts and I see lots of praise. Stan reads the posts and all he seems to see is lots of negative posts about his work.

FWIW I don't really see any post here that is saying Stonefields work is in bad taste. I see a few posts asking about the music used, and that is a very fair question and I feel the replies were as well. As for the comments about MTV/pornogrphic vs *not* being those I also think those are fair. But to ultimately get a response like the one Stan just posted - no. To be in this buisiness one needs a thicker skin than that, and to look at post after post that don't really answer the question asked but rather give praise on style and technique but only "see" comments that lead to a conclusion of "I wouldn't be surprised if Kelly over at Chienworks never let's me post another video again there. I certainly wouldn't blame him and I'm seriously considering not sharing any further work at the risk of further controversy. " is, in a word, silly.

Amen...Takes a thick skin. This is why I have to laugh at those that purport to know so damn much about this craft, but they've never put anything out there for the public. It takes a LOT of guts to stand on a stage either literally or figuratively, letting people praise or pitch eggs at you. Stan, lighten up a little. Jay, I HAVE raised children, my daughter just turned 17 last week. I also have a son who died at age 14. While I agree with your concern for kids, MTV, the mall, t-shirts, swimming pools, and pop music are far more a concern than a video like 'the kiss' is from my perspective.
I've also tried to raise my kids to understand that there is art and there is porn. Is "Michaelangelo's David" porn or is it art?
Was Mapplethorpe's creation of Christ in a bottle full of urine art or porn?
Not that it matters, because regardless of our personal views, the first amendment allows for whatever the creator of the work believes it is. Utah, the ONLY state that hired a Porn Czar, failed and ended up killing the position. Why? Because no one could legally determine what was porn and what wasn't when it was in the non-specific definitions. And that's how it should be, IMO.

. . . because regardless of our personal views, the first amendment allows for whatever the creator of the work believes it is.

Douglas, did you read my post? Isn't that exactly what I said?

Jay

Sorry Jay, I guess that could have seemed like it was aimed at you. Didn't mean for it to be but can see how you might view it as such. Like Filmy said....it's all perspective.
Of course I agree with you. I should have separated my comment aimed at you regarding raising children from my comment about first amendment.

Thanks, Douglas, for the clarification. Much appreciated! Glad to see we're on the same page. ;o)

Jay

Stan,

Previous post was to explain how I categorized your work and to express my preference (and reasoning) between your different productions--not to discourage you from posting.

Please continue posting your productions--very creative. Also, please post more of your great tutorials--especially any that show your setup to get such great results.

Ted

Very nice clip, Stan - and the audio was very well recorded for a "spontaneous" session.

The only puzzle is why you asked the straight-on camera to record black and white. No problem with the effect, but as it can be done so easily in post, why restrict that view to always being black and white?

Peter

Great work Stan! Me and my 8 year old son love your work.
Keep it coming.

[ me and my 8 year old son love you work ] - now THAT is a funny statement to read at this point in the thread!!!

I've been reading all of these posts while waiting for that monster to buffer...and I was expecting some "late-night-Cinemax-soft-porn" type stuff. Not at all what I got. That piece is in no way any worse than stuff I see on TV. That's great work in my opinion. I'm pulling down the behind-the-scenes clip now. Keep up the great work Stonefield!

When I download from Chien's site as of late it's only moving at about 25kb a second. Does anyone else notice this? Most everywhere else I receive about 300kb.

Stan:
I find your work inspiring, creative and tasteful. So much so that i'm going to attempt my own version for a client here in the Inland Empire (So Cal). Won't be as good as yours, but I just thought you'd want to hear what you've started.
Like others, I'm really looking forward to hearing about more of your techniques.
As to the porn/non-porn, it's been stated better than I can do, but there will be nothing an artist such as yourself can produce (that involves a sexy woman) that SOMEONE won't take some sort of offense to. It's just the nature of sexuality. Some people come from a heritage or perspective that all sexuality should remain private. Others of us - who are admittedly a product of modern society - watch VH1 Hits, VH1 Classics, MTV and others, can more easily find work like yours completely acceptable and, even tame in comparison to Britney Spears, Janet Jackson and many, many others who walk the boarder between sexually explisite and art (not that art can't be sexually explisite, I guess).
If someone doesn't want their children to watch a certain product, well, good for them. How many times have I walked into an "R" rated film where some schluv has taken their 8 year old to - or younger. I've walked out of movies and complained to theater management about kids in "R" rated movies - it just bugs me - but that's my personal threshold.
At any rate, stay true to yourself, your heart and your art, and you'll do amazingly well. If someone disagrees with what you've done, well, that's just a matter of opinion. I hope you don't let a little controversy curtail your creativity and productivity.
You've got a lot of support here.

25k - that's good ;-). Yesturday I only got 10k (I usually get 45-65k)...so I sent a small donation to Kelly (since it cost money to setup a server and a fast connection).

If the rest of us would do likewise, there may be a chance Kelly can affort additional bandwidth.

Any takers?

I'll certainly be sending Chienworks some cash as soon as I can. He's got my money for sure.

I looked at my silly "aplology" post and admit I sure did overreact to the few negative comments. Ah what the heck, I'm a dork....LOL. ( note to self..open bottle of wine AFTER you post ) heh.

As I said on Chienworks site, the KISS video may have been a bit over the top but as I work alone in the edit phase, I've no one to say uhm, that's a bit too much there buddya !...heh.

I'll keep posting that kind of work on my own site in the future. I'll be eventually phasing out the non-original music and feature more original works. More people benefit that way !!!

mjroddy and DVDeviations, good luck on those projects!!!...anything I can do to help, just lemme know. I can't wait to see the results. Hmmm....guess that was my original question way up there wasn't it? ....

Peace all.....

Stonefield (Stan)

All the discussion about models got me thinking. Instead of me plastering my mug on a Poser model which I did for my new web site and wasn't that happy with it so I decided instead to make a virtual babe instead. I just hope she don't fall over, she ended up being a little top heavy... if you know what I mean. <wink>