Mac Filmmakers in Cupertino
It is March 20th, 2002, and I am sitting in one of the world’s most popular parking lots, otherwise known as the Southbound 101. A quick look at my watch confirms my worst fears. It is a little after six in the evening, and my beat-up Civic is threatening to overheat, leaving me stranded by the SFO on ramp. Tonight is the inaugural meeting of, the brand new MUG-about-town, the Mac Filmmakers User Group. Doors open in less than a half hour at the center of the Mac universe, the Apple Campus, in Cupertino. As that is forty minutes away, I’m probably already very late.
[This article first appeared in the Bay Area's Release Print magazine, in February of 2003.]
But miracles do happen, and less than thirty minutes later, I half-trip-half-run around the corner of the De Anza Three Auditorium to find that I’m not the only one that is late. Noting the frantic volunteer activity behind the large glass doors and the line of attendees waiting patiently to enter, I decide to explore who else is attending this event.
I am surprised and pleased, to say the least, when I find that I’m not the only Film Arts member to have made the trip, nor have I traveled the farthest. For here is a very diverse crowd of people; Long-time Film Arts members; First time Mac owners; Commercial directors, editors; And they’re from as far South as LA and as far North as Mount St Helena. I count one hundred and thirty-four people in line, with more are arriving by the minute.
My surprise is manifold; as a card-carrying nerd since way back when, I have attended many a SIG (Special Interest Group) and UG (User Group) meeting. Until recently, these were fairly exclusive affairs, populated almost entirely by men wearing thick-rimmed glasses and short-sleeved shirts with pocket protectors. The focus was almost entirely on the technology and the minutia needed to make it do something, anything, useful. Arcane subjects — like rounding algorithms and application programmer interfaces — are not for everyone, but such groups have produced some incredible, groundbreaking results. Many of these have gone down in filmmaking history.
In 1984, the prehistory of computer animation, John Lasseter left Disney, joined the George Lucas special effects computer group and produced André and Wally B. Later, in 1986 this company became Pixar and produced the now very familiar Luxo Jr. Neither of these premiered in a film festival. Instead, they were first seen by the attendees of the Computer Graphics Special Interest Group (or siggraph to its friends). As software applications such as Microsoft Word, Maya, and Final Cut Pro supplanted the reams of custom-code needed to make a computer perform tasks, there was a change in focus; thus User Groups were formed which explored how to use these new and complex tools.
An important defining feature of any SIG or UG is that it is created by enthusiasts, for enthusiasts; capturing and propagating their imaginations and wonder, independently of any corporate machine. Companies soon realized the potential value of UGs as vehicles for promotion and research. Soon a precarious balance developed where companies supplied support, without demanding control. Apple embraced this concept very early on, and now includes its regional Mac User Groups (MUGs) at conferences and expos.
The Mac Filmmaker User Group was initially heading down this traditional path to become a Final Cut Pro UG. But then something wonderful happened: The small team of founders (Kevin Johnson, Alutha Jamancar, Jerry Monti, Fred Balin, and Mark Calice) realized that the time was right to shift focus again, to get beyond the technology. Now the focus was sharply on the end product (filmmaking) and the tools used in its production. Such a shift may seem simple, but the impact was evident as soon as the lights fell on the SRO crowd at that first meeting.
I confess I thought this to be overly ambitious at first. But the Mac Filmmakers founders developed what has proven to be a winning strategy. On the third Wednesday of every month the meeting starts with a potpourri of member projects, followed by as many as three slots where visiting dignitaries lead attendees through everything that you could possibly need to know to make a film. Patient attendees are rewarded at the end of the night by a prize drawing for donated goodies.
The screenings have been as diverse as the group’s membership, and the crowd consistently large enough to warrant Apple allowing the meetings to be held at the bigger Town Hall Auditorium. To date, attendees have been given primers in Digital Distribution, The Orphanage’s ‘Magic Bullet’, BIAS’ Peak DV and Deck, Callboard Magazine, how to find and audition actors, DVD Studio Pro, lighting concepts, After Effects, Blue Screening, Compositing, and Stock Footage. Sometimes, you leave with everything you need to know; other times, just enough to get you on your way. But in all cases, you’ll have a new appreciation for the process of filmmaking.
Oh, and did I mention that group membership requires nothing but time and a desire to make films? See you next Wednesday.
Resources:
SIGs:
Setup by the ACM (Association for Computer Machinary)
Siggraph
sigsim: Simulation & Modeling
sigsound: Electrical Forum on Sound Technology
UGs:
Mac Filmmakers User Group: http://www.macfilmmakers.com/
MUG: Honorable mention: SF CUTTERS
Mac Filmmaker Meetings:
Past November
Talk On Collaboration by Filmmaker Dorothy Fadiman
Combustion for the Mac by Lee Rod Roderick
September
Synthetik’s Studio Artist 2.0 by John Dalton
Photoshop for Video Tips by Chris Fenwick
August
BAMG 2002 Contest Winners Reels Shown
dvGarage’s Alex Lindsay Covers Blue Screening
Mark Christiansen Talks Compositing
July
SPECIAL REPORT: MACWORLD NEW YORK by Philip Hodgetts
Using Stock Footage in your Films by Cynthia Mackey
Meet the Expert — Book Signing with author Tom Wolsky
Final Cut Pro 3: Tips and Tricks by Philip Hodgetts
June
Jim Tierney from Digital Anarchy
Lighting for Indie Filmmakers, coordinated by Kevin Johnson
May
Apple’s DVD Studio Pro 1.5 by Apple Product Manager Tony Knight
Acquiring Local Talent: How to Find Skilled Screen Actors.
April
How do you make money with digital distribution? by Jerry Monti
BIAS Deck & Peak DV 3 by Jason Davies and Zac Wheatcroft
March
Final Cut Pro 3 by Joseph Linaschke
Film Logic by Garrett Rice
The Orphanage’s ‘Magic Bullet’ by Stuart Maschwitz
