With the success of Sin City at the box office this weekend and a peep at the personal backstory of renegade director Robert Rodriguez who seems to be able to concoct anything in his homespun Austin, Texas movie studio, the writing is on the wall y'all and from where I'm sitting it's all good...
The switch from analog media to digital has opened up the possibility that anyone with a bit of creative talent and a little walking around money can completely eliminate the middle man (aka studios, distributors, publishers, etc.) and bring their creative creations directly to the viewing or listening public. Anybody with a PC and a dream can have their Podcasts reaching a global audience with the click of a mouse circling the globe over the internet (old Tyrone is going to have to give that a close look) or edit, score and FX the heck out of their digital movie footage. Senor Rodriguez' Troublemaker Studios is located very east of Hollywood, yet it has cranked out a large number of movies including the 'El Mariachi Trilogy', the Spy Kids franchise and now Sin City - all completely done in house (literally).
I'll admit the 'green screen' movies - those with no actual sets (or very few) that are shot against a green screen with virtual sets added later - are novel and not quite there yet, but they point to an interesting future of possibilities. In Sin City's case, it allowed a director to literally bring a comic book to life - with (in my opinion) great success. As this type of technology gets better, there won't be anything that can't be rendered into a movie. For example, here's a shot of Dr. Aki Ross - a 'virtual' actress who starred in the the movie Final Fantasy - The Spirit Within back in 2001. Old girl looked this good four years ago, she ought be ready to get a SAG card now. And although the movie didn't do well - if I were a flesh and bones actor I'd be a little nervous about my future since artists can now craft 'actors' with any look a director may be after...
Dr. Aki Ross
My first Virtual Shorty
Whether that's good or bad that's not for old Tyrone to say, but it's pretty cool to consider as is the prospect that little guys can get into the mix. Sure that sets the table up for a lot of bad stuff, but it will also shine the spotlight on a lot of talent that can't get heard (or a meeting) by the Big Boys and I'm all for that.
Guess Why I Watched Guess Who...One guess and it's a pretty easy one y'all - salsa shorty Zoe Saldana. Old girl moved onto the Malone Zone radar when she starred in the black college band movie Drumline. That joint took me back to my own black college days kicking on yard and jamming with the band at the football games (note to readers: if you've never checked out a black college band and only seen the other kind, man - it's like the difference between a rocking club scene and the Bolshoi Ballet! Check one out - you'll never go back :-) ). Anyway, when Zoe stepped to the screen in that joint, I knew shorty would be going places and now she's made it all the way to a famous (non virtual) glossy post in the Malone Zone. Go 'head Zoe.
Zoe Saldana
Boom Shakalaka
Peace@Least,
Tyrone
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