Rootclip Blog

Rootclip: The Movie?

Everybody's been bouncing this idea around for a long time, but nobody's actually made an official suggestion. So I'm doing my official duty and being the fuse to this long-awaited bomb.

Who has interest in using Rootclip as the launch point for a collaborative feature-length film?

There's a lot of talent here and a number of ambitious teams waiting in the wings for the next story to start. It's my personal feeling that not only CAN we pull off something this big, but that we can generate a lot of interest and acclaim should we choose to apply ourselves to such an ambitious and lofty project.

Obviously, there's a downside: working with ever-changing locations and actors, and even video quality, could make for a very tricky film to follow. It'd take some meticulous planning and storytelling to organize a movie that can make so many frequent jumps and still be both entertaining and accessible.

Some considerations I've had are to shoot a Cloverfield-style movie, where different teams represent different camera operators in different locations, either taping different perspectives of the same situation, or taping related-but-different events entirely. This would avoid needing identical settings and actors.

Another idea would be to shoot a movie in the style of Sin City: each team contributes a story that's set in the same world with the same flavor, but features a different character and different events. Locations could likely be fudged, given they remain generic ("urban environment"), and the stories could still interlink through verbal or visual reference -- and goodness knows we've gotten pretty good at that, given the number of crafty Jim-inserts and revisions we've managed in the past.

A third idea: Heath Ledger's final film was shot in such a way that his role was played by several actors, depending on the scene. Perhaps we could use a similar concept and construct a movie where different scenes are set in different worlds or dimensions, and therefore the characters change depending on the point in the movie.

Regardless of how it happens, I believe it'll get noticed if it happens. Rootclip's had a presence at multiple festivals already; how many more should it earn access to if it's responsible for a groundbreaking feature shot all over the country (or WORLD)?

Toss in your ideas and thoughts; I'd love to hear who's interested in maybe getting involved with this. I am fully sold that if we manage to make this, it won't go unnoticed.

A Hidden Value of Rootclip

There's a lot of really obvious, really great stuff about Rootclip, and you've no doubt identified most of it by now: prizes, networking, learning, practicing, communicating, and old fashioned entertainment are happening every day of the week. But recently, I've begun to appreciate something new about Rootclip -- something valuable that I hadn't given real time or consideration to, yet something evident and wonderful every time I grace the site's blessed, pasty-green web pages.

Rootclip is a chance to scurry out from under the microscope and make what you want to make, how you want to make it.

As an up-and-coming filmmaker (we all are), it's become more and more vital for me each year to be weary of what material I'm putting out on the web, and to know exactly what prospective bosses/employers/studios/talent will think of me based on any previous work they happen to stumble across on the net. That includes those terrible MS Paint animations from junior high, that sucky Star Wars trailer littered with plastic fart sounds, and that grotesque misuse of 16mm film from freshman year of college. But after a while, all that pressure to please and impress the big leagues begins to squeeze like a vice. And as the grip tightens, so do your projects.

I can't speak for everyone, but with every passing year, I become a little more conscientious of what I'm producing. And sometimes, that rigid requirement for professionalism and art really stifles creativity and (therefore) productivity. It's like the age-old adage, but adopted: if you can't shoot anything nice, don't shoot anything at all.

But what's a guy to do when his favorite activity -- making movies -- becomes off-limits until he can round up a million dollar budget? Enter the Rootclip.

Rootclip is not only the perfect place to improve and learn, but to also be yourself and be proud of yourself. On Rootclip, there's nobody watching over your shoulder to make sure your work is festival-worthy. Nobody's tossing out grades (t-shirts, maybe) or condemning your work as infantile or underdeveloped. And that's because Rootclip is something radical and different from the rest of the net. We aren't YouTube; our work here is performed under very unique guidelines and in challenging situations that stimulate creativity and enforce intense problem-solving.

Rootclip is my chance to unwind and make a film the way I want to. I don't need a festival-winning script on Rootclip; I may not need a script at all! And when it comes to Rootclip, getting top-of-the-line camera gear isn't necessary; some of the best shorts on the site get shot with the most humble camera equipment. And whereas I might need to find twelve actors -- good ones -- with a clear schedule for the next three weeks to shoot most videos today, I can make do with two actors for three hours on Rootclip... or, if I'm really clever, perhaps I won't need any actors at all.

Even though I say Rootclip is a relief from creating "professional" work, that isn't to say that the products you make on Rootclip aren't worth showing around elsewhere on the net. At least one Rootclip entry I've made has found its way onto my demo reel (which, coincidentally, has found its way to a director at the Jim Henson Company). Just because you're not setting out to make a masterpiece, doesn't mean you might not get one. That film was the lowest-stress piece on my reel, and possibly the most fun to make. It may also be the one to get me hired some day. But I digress.

The point is, the sky's the limit when shooting for Rootclip. If you're feeling like me -- overwhelmed by the world and missing making videos with your camera -- this is the site to be part of. Welcome to Rootclip.

The Past, present and future of Rootclip

As most everyone in this community knows by now, Rootclip went from a two man operation down to a one man operation this past week. Erik, a co-founder of the site stepped down this week for reasons we will never fully know.

The idea of Rootclip started nearly two years ago. Erik and I have been through a lot together, both personally and professionally and I really wish him the best in whatever he does next. I think we can both say that Rootclip wouldn't be a tangible item and a functioning website with a dedicated community without the both of us working at it like we have.

And the truth is, we've really only scratched the surface.

Within hours of Erik's announcement I had members of the community offering help and curious about the future of Rootclip. I've always felt the number of contributors to the site was lacking, so it was an easy decision to open the site up to a few of our top users that I really feel add something to the site and truly care about the future of Rootclip.

Along with myself and Nick, you're going to start seeing Jake Barber, AJ Pinkerton, and Nathan Morse contributing to the blog and sparking the forum discussions. Another decision being made going forward is that we are going to start deleting destructive comments and forum posts from the site. Constructive criticism is always good, but comments like "this video fucking SUCKS!!!......" aren't going to stay on the site anymore. It doesn't do anyone any good and I think they drive more people away, then anything else. Not cool.

As Erik's departure was a little abrupt, I'm kind of caught with my pants down on having a Rootclip prepared and ready to go for the next story. In the meantime, lets work on the forums and share some knowledge. You just may see a call for submissions for chapter 1 here in the next few days, with full voting and commenting.....in essence giving the community the option to start the story and pick a winner, then taking the story from there.

I fully believe in this community and the talent you guys possess. We've been creating stories as a group for more than a year now and I am always impressed with each and every submission. I really enjoy seeing groups and users getting better and learning something about the process through Rootclip.

I also know that this site and this community has only been shown to a fraction of the potential crowd we can pull in, and it's all of our jobs to spread the word of Rootclip to keep it going. This is a community driven site, and now, more than ever, do I need the communities' help in spreading the word. The funds are limited and shrinking fast.

I can assure everyone here that I am committed to this site and can see the light at the end of the tunnel. We just need that last push and a little more exposure to get this site to the self-sustaining site it needs to be. As always, email me at kevin@rootclip.com if you have ideas or suggestions.

Thanks again everybody

Erik Says Goodbye to Rootclip

Hello friends. It's been a long road that we've traveled together since the inception of Rootclip.com. This whole idea started with two friends who wanted to cultivate a community of a new breed of filmmaker. It has been an amazing thing to see how much, not only the site, but the community has grown over time. For those of you who have submitted videos in the past, you should be proud of the work that you've done and how much you've improved your filmmaking skills since you first heard about Rootclip.

Despite all of these wonderful things, I'm tipping my hat to Rootclip and saying adieu (to you, and you, and you). I knew from the beginning that devoting time to Rootclip was going to be difficult as everything I did for the site was on my own personal time and outside of my regular job. I have invested a lot into this site, but have finally accepted the fact that I am not able to devote the time and effort that I really want to put into it. So, rather than being only half-invested with my time and emotions, constantly wishing I had more time to do the things I want to do for the site, I've decided to step down and leave all of the direction in Kevin's capable hands.

Along with the help of Nick, our developers Shawn and Luc, and YOU, I know that Kevin will help this site to do great things and I eagerly anticipate all that is to come. Kevin's got some exciting plans waiting in the wings, so stay tuned and maybe send him an email to see how you can get more involved.

I'm proud to have been a part of this adventure and will take many great memories with me; the trip to the Traverse City Film Festival to screen one of our completed films and talk with Michael Moore, laughing with you at all of the inside jokes (i.e. no shoes, Jim, etc.) and watching SO many of your fantastic video submissions that truly struck a chord within me. You guys have so much talent. Don't give up on your filmmaking.

And don't think I'm leaving completely. It's just the day to day operations that I will no longer be involved in. I'll still be hanging around the site, voting on your videos and talking smack in the comments and forums. Hey, maybe I'll even get invited back to be a guest judge?!

Thanks again for all of the support you guys have shown Kevin and I to make our dream for this site come true. If you want to stay in touch, feel free to follow me on Twitter. See you around the interwebs my friends. Peace!

Hole and Corner Finishes with a tight Final Competition

Congratulations go out to all of the winners for Hole and Corner! The story progressed well and wrapped up very nicely, in my honest opinion. I don't know about you guys, but going back and watching the films once they are wrapped up is highly entertaining to me, and this one is no different. The community, as always, takes our idea and makes a great story out of it. Thank you. If you haven't had a chance to check out our Grand Prize winner, here is the video:

Erik and I are getting together to discuss the future of Rootclip and "what happens next" after this. We really want to make more of an impact in the online filmmaking community and we have a lot of people coming at us with all sorts of offers and ideas, and we really want to do what's best for you guys that are already here and hopefully more people out there that would be active in our community but just havent had the opportunity to see Rootclip yet. If you think there is a glaring weakness at Rootclip, now is the time to speak up. Stay tuned, as there is all sorts of stuff we could do, just nothing we've nailed down as what we're going to do. If that makes any sense.