#edit: this was a back cam video that's why half of it is cut off xD | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

sereneres · 1 year ago

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“introducing le sserafim’s only…” ⁰

le sserafim x 6th member!reader / 3.3k

summary. — “introducing le sserafim’s only extroverted member (ln yn) in 10 minutes or less.”

warnings. — reader is considered an extrovert / video format is inspired by @/jihyoruri’s yt series

🎬 — sleepy yn

“hello~” eunchae greeted quietly, the top of her face – the bridge of her nose, eyes, and forehead – the only thing visible on the screen. “we’re practicing for our debut today… which is going to be in around two weeks or so, if i’m not wrong, and–”

“cam’s too close t’your face, eunchae.” a voice – rough with sleep yet airy like a daydream – interrupts, and the younger girl blinks before moving the camera further away, revealing a bleary-eyed yn clinging to her shoulder.

“oops, didn’t realize that.” the younger girl says as she chuckled nervously, embarrassment tinting her cheeks with a light pink. “heh, if it’s not, uhm, obvious, i’m not really used to this yet.” she then sighs, frowning. “it’s starting to feel like i won’t ever get used to it.”

you also frown, raising your head from eunchae’s shoulder and sandwiching her face in between your hands. “you’ll get used to it, ‘nchae.” you murmur, eyes more wide and attentive in comparison to their normal half-lidded and hazy state. “you just have to believe in yourself.”

[oh she’s so cute-]

“m’kay.” eunchae responds, words slightly muffled by the fact that your hands were squishing her face. “c’mf you lef go mew?”

you blink, tilting your head. “what?”

the younger girl sighed – though, of course, with her cheeks pressed together, it was more like she was just blowing air out of her mouth – and took one hand off of the camera to pull down yours from her cheek. “anyway, as i was saying, our debut is in a few days, so we’re practicing for it.”

“more like we are practicing for it while yn daydreams.” yunjin snorted, plopping down beside eunchae and waving at the camera. “hello, everyone.”

“‘s nothin’ for me t’practice.” you murmur sleepily, once again laying your head on eunchae’s shoulder. “○○○’nnie said i was good to go.”

eunchae gasps dramatically, turning to you with wide eyes. “yn-unnie, you can’t just say her name like that…” she trails off, a brow raising ever so slightly. “can you?”

[lmfao not yn almost leaking her staff’s name 😭]

“don’t worry, they’ll edit this part out or at least bleep ○○○-unnie’s name.” someone says somewhere offscreen. “that’s what they did back then…”

“aw, does that mean that there’s a chance they’ll cut this part out of the video?” eunchae asks, deflating ever so slightly, a pout on her lips.

[don’t worry, eunchae, it didn’t get cut ⌃⌃]

yunjin, amused by the younger girl’s visible disappointment, laughs. “with you acting this cute, eunchae, i don’t think they’ll do that.” she says, petting the girl before looking up. “unnie, come say hi to our fans.”

there’s a sigh before a mess of black hair covers the camera, inciting shrieks and yelping from the two girls – eunchae and yunjin – and a whine from you, who had been rudely awakened by the loud screaming in your ear.

“hello.” chaewon greets, eyes bright with mischief. “i hope you’re liking the video so far and- oh wow.” she blinks, her brows furrowing. “being upside down is sort of giving me a headache, so i’ll be saying good bye for now…”

“mmph, why’re you guys s’loud?…” you murmur sleepily, eyes closing. “g’back to practice…”

[boss baby #2]

“okay…”

“yah, just who do you think you’re ordering around?”

“chaewon-unnie~”

“oh fine… urgh, those puppy eyes are so not fair.”

[they are definitely not fair.]

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“hello, everyone, i’m– mph.” you yawn, making you raise a hand to your mouth and turn your head away from the camera for good measure. “s’rry ��bout that.” you murmur, rubbing at your eye as you blearily looked at the camera. “hello everyone, my name is ln yn and i will – hm – be your host today.”

[why does she introduce herself like this as if we don’t know who she is??? it’s cute though.]

“ev’ryone’s probably asleep right now.” you continue to say, stretching your arms up and humming quietly. “it’s pretty early ‘n the mornin’, ‘n they usually sleep late… ‘cept for ‘kura-unnie.”

you then stand up, picking up the camera in the process, and trudge outside, only to nearly bump into a more awake sakura. “ack-”

“ah, ynnie, you’re awake.” she murmurs, blinking at you with surprise and confusion on her bare yet pretty face. “i thought you said you were going to sleep in today?”

[oh?]

“that was b’fore manager-unnie told me i had somethin’ scheduled t’day yesterday night.” you sigh, scratching the back of your head and messing your hair up even more than it already was. “i jus’ wished she told me earlier… that way i would’ve slept ‘nstead of staying up.”

“is that so?” sakura asked, tilting her head with a curious look on her face. “that’s odd, manager-unnie always tells us at least a day before…”

“right?” you huff, crossing your arms. “‘s weird, but it’s whatever. i need to get ready to leave in a hour or somethin’, so ‘m gonna have to start gettin’ ready now.”

[does anyone else find the way she talks cute? no? just me? okay…]

“ah, hold on, ynnie.” she said, pulling out her phone and fiddling with it. “let me just call manager-unnie and ask if you really have a schedule today. maybe she got the date wrong.”

you said nothing in response, choosing to instead hum quietly as you watched the older girl contact your manager, occasionally looking at the camera and making funny faces in an attempt to entertain those watching.

after a quiet conversation – which would only last a few seconds for those who were watching – sakura pulls her phone away from her ear, a half-smile half-grimace on her face. “alright, ynnie, i’ve got some good news and some bad news. which one do you want to hear first?”

“the good news.”

“alright, so the good news is that you don’t have a schedule today.” she says, smiling as she watched you pump a fist in the air sleepily, something you did often whenever you were too tired to cheer loudly.

[mother kkura is back again-]

“and the bad news?”

“you have a schedule at around five in the morning tomorrow.”

[oh. that’s not- uh.]

“oh, okay… wait, what?!”

🎬 — clingy yn (sort of an extension to sleepy yn?)

“yn-unnie is the clingiest out of all of us.”

chaewon, confused, looks away from the camera to raise a brow at her youngest member. “what?”

[our pupu leader is so confused lol]

“someone asked who the clingiest member of le sserafim was.” eunchae explained, lifting her phone and showing the older girl the said comment. “see?”

“ah…” the leader was quiet for a brief moment, eyes fixed on eunchae’s phone, before she nodded her head. “yeah, ynnie, out of the six of us, is the clingiest member. in fact, she might even be the most clingiest person i’ve ever met.”

“like, there’s clingy, and then there’s yn-unnie.” the younger of the two said, giggling. “it honestly surprised me because she didn’t seem like the type to like physical contact when i first met her.”

“ynnie does looks cold on the outside but is very warm and gooey on the inside,” chaewon said before turning to the camera. “did you hear that, fearnots? our yn may look heartless, but she isn’t!”

[yn on the outside: ⛓️🌹💔☠️ vs yn on the inside: 🍫❤️🍰🍓]

“yeah! and–”

“hey, c’ld you two keep it down?” a sleep voice interrupted, sounding mildly irritated. “‘m tryin’ t’sleep here…”

[speak of the devil and she will appear…]

“ah, sorry, yn-unnie,” eunchae said apologetically, wincing as she looked away from the camera, presumably at the older girl herself.

chaewon, on the other hand, was not so apologetic. “you knew we were going to go live in this room, yn, so why did you decide to try and sleep here of all places?”

“mmph… ‘cuz the dorm felt too lonely…” came the sleepy response, making chaewon, who looked somewhat indignant only seconds ago, visibly melt like chocolate in hot milk.

[oh. my. god?!]

“see?” eunchae said matter-of-factly, crossing her arms. “i told you yn-unnie was the clingiest!”

“…who ev’r said i wasn’t?”

“she even admitted it!”

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to you, you were just hugging yunjin. to said girl, you were like a blanket. a heated and weighted blanket.

to everyone else? you were practically all over her.

[she’s laying on yunjin like she’s a bed or something 💀]

“yah, yn, get off yunjin before you squish her into the couch.” chaewon sighed, tugging at your arm in an attempt to get you to stand up. “we also have to go rehearse in a few minutes, so you’re going to have to get up either way.”

you whine, nuzzling your head further into the yunjin’s neck as you pulled your wrist out of your leader’s grasp and tucked it under you. “five m’re minutes, unnie, please?”

[oh she’s so cute-]

“we don’t have five more minutes, yn-unnie.” eunchae deadpanned, staring at you through the mirror. “chaewon-unnie just said that we only have a minute or so before we have to go on stage.”

“unnie~”

[ln yn uses the attack, “puppy eyes”]

“get up, ln yn, or else.”

[it, unfortunately, does not have much of an affect on her opponent, kim chaewon, who has become somewhat immune to her attacks.]

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“our manchae is so cute…” yunjin cooed, chaewon nodding her agreement while sakura and kazuha let out hums of agreement, their eyes alight with adoration as they watched their youngest member pose with an aloof expression on her face.

[our eunchae has grown up sm T⌃T]

“she always looks cute when she’s pretending t’be serious.” you murmur, nuzzling further into yunjin’s neck as you wrapped your arms around her waist. “‘s like a kitty pretending t’be a lion…”

[ah yes, clingy and sleepy yn.]

noticing how sleepy you were getting, chaewon sighed before separating the two of you. “yn, you can’t fall asleep right now.” she murmured, looking apologetic. “you still have your photo shoot left to do, and if you miss it, we’ll have to reschedule everything.”

hearing this, you frown, having forgotten that you would be the last one to get her pictures taken. “‘m sorry unnie.” you apologized, bowing your head and rubbing at your tired eyes. “didn’t realize i was about t’sleep until m’eyes closed…”

“it’s alright, ynnie, i’m not upset.” the older girl then lifted your head up, cooing upon seeing the frown – which was, admittedly, very pouty – on your lips. “i promise, once we’re back in the car, you can go right back to sleep.” she then smiles. “sound good?”

[AAHDGAJHS??? CHAEYN <333]

now a little bit more awake than you had been moments earlier, you nod in response, and chaewon’s smile visibly grew wider as she patted you on the cheek – it was something she did often, though you never complained because, well, she was the kim chaewon – before letting you go.

“i have no idea how she can sleep so easily like that.” kazuha murmured from behind the two of you, looking at you with awe written all over her features. “it’s really cold in here.”

[such is the power of exhaustion.]

sakura chuckled, smiling as she watched you talk animatedly with chaewon. “as long as she’s with one of us, that girl could sleep anywhere.”

“that, or i’m just really comfy.” yunjin simpered, wiggling her eyebrows at the camera and at the girls.

shaking her head, sakura sighed before walking away from the two younger girls to greet eunchae, who had just finished her shoot. kazuha, on the other hand, just smiled politely, choosing not to say anything lest it sound rude.

[kazuha: 🙂]

🎬 — extrovert yn (read: introverted extrovert yn)

“for being an E, ynnie is a lot like an I.” yunjin mused as you all ate dinner, chopsticks in the air and pointed in your general direction.

[this is the first time they have ever mentioned yn’s mbti btw]

“ah, that’s right!” sakura says, eyes widening as she clapped her hands together. “i totally forgot about that.”

“wasn’t kazuha-unnie also an E?” eunchae asked, raising a brow.

“i was, but then i became an I.” kazuha murmured, taking a sip of her drink. “i had always been gotten E-something-something before though, so…”

“i feel like it’s our fault that you became an I.” chaewon said, chuckling while also looking somewhat apologetically at the japanese girl. “sorry about that, by the way.”

[they converted an extrovert into an introvert lol]

kazuha giggles, shaking a hand and dismissing the leader’s apology. “don’t worry, unnie, i’m pretty sure i was more of an I deep down. i’ve always been half-and-half between I and E anyway.” she pauses, turning to look at you. “yn, on the other hand…”

“huh?” having been more focused on your food, you had been surprised when you looked up to see all five of your members looking at you. “what’s happenin’?”

[now that i think about it, yn never knows what’s happening- she has zero self awareness 😭]

“we’re talking about our MBTI’s.” sakura explained, leaning forward with a curious look on her face. “are you sure you’re an E?”

you blink. “uh, yes…?” you say, somewhat unconvincingly. “i got entp a few months ago, right bef’re our comeback. why?”

“yunjin-unnie commented on how introverted you act despite being and extrovert.” eunchae said, pointing at said girl. “and then kkura-unnie asked zuha-unnie if she was an E, zuha-unnie said she was an I, and chaewon-unnie apologized to her for making her an introvert.”

“ah… is that so?” you hum, nodding to yourself. “when i was searchin’ up stuff ‘bout my MBTI, it said that entp’s were the most introverted extroverts.”

[…someone fact check that]

“why couldn’t you just be an introvert?” yunjin playfully grumbled as she crossed her arms and pouted. “that way, we could’ve had the biggest introverted group!”

[that title belongs to fromis_9 but okay-]

you shrug unapologetically. “‘dunno, i was just born this way.”

[yn and her idgaf attitude 😭]

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“i’m back!~”

eunchae, upon hearing your voice, perked up immediately and scrambled to get up to go greet you. “yn-unnie! what took you so long? the vending machine wasn’t that far away, was it?”

“ah, no, it wasn’t, i just had to help one of the newer staff members.” you say, chuckling. “they got lost looking for the bathroom, so i had to show them where it was before making my way back.”

[…what?]

“a new staff member?” sakura asked, looking up from her phone. “did they ask you for help or did you go to them?”

at this, you blink owlishly, unsure of how to respond. “uh, it’s a mix of both? i saw them wandering around and looking lost, but i didn’t like, go up to them or anything. i just stared until they felt me staring at them.”

[yn: 😶😶😶😶]

“that… that’s it?” chaewon asked incredulously. “you stared at them and they just came to you?”

“well, no, they noticed me staring, i gestured for them to come to me, and… yeah.” you giggled somewhat nervously, having noticed that all of your member’s eyes were on you. “then i showed them where the restroom was.”

“wow.”

[yeah, wow-]

“that’s an extrovert for you…” eunchae murmured, eyes wide. “if it was me or one of the other unnies, i don’t think we would have done that.”

“actually, i would have–”

“shut up yunjin.”

[she got shut down rq 💀]

🎬 — random moments with the fimmies.

“doesn’t it hurt your neck to do that?”

you hum questioningly, peeking an eye open to see sakura standing above you with her hands on her hips, one of her eyebrows raised. beside you, kazuha giggled quietly, the slight shaking of her shoulders making you whine in complaint.

[she’s so- AHDSBNA]

“ahem.”

“ah, s’rry, ‘kura-unnie.” you murmur, rubbing at your eyes sleepily. “what’d you say? couldn’t hear you…”

sighing but not surprised, sakura shakes her head and repeats her question. “does it not hurt your neck to always keep it twisted like that, yn?”

[twisted is… an interesting word choice.]

“twisted?” you repeat, lifting your head from kazuha’s shoulder. “what d’you mean by twisted?”

“well, you know…” noticing the lost look on your face, sakura, once again, sighed before tilting her head to the side, her cheek almost touching her shoulder. “like this. every time you sleep, you always have your head tilted like this, even when you’re in bed.”

[????]

“oh, really?” you ask, frowning. “so that’s why chaewon’nnie keeps tellin’ me that i’ve got horrible sleepin’ habits…”

“ah, is that what she was scolding you about this morning?” kazuha questioned, raising an eyebrow with an amused smile on her lips. “i was wondering what that was all about. turns out, she was just telling you off for having bad posture when you sleep.”

[chaewon = mother]

you, on the other hand, weren’t amused whatsoever, which was made very evident by the sleepy pout on your own lips. “‘s not m’fault. i just… sleep like that.”

“hm...” sakura hums, her expression . “in that case, i suppose there’s nothing we can do but force you to start sleeping with proper posture.”

“proper-” you yelp as the older girl abruptly grabs your face, squishing it between her hands and making you sit upright. “‘nnie! ‘at’re yu d’in’?!”

[…what’d she say?]

“wow, you can barely understand a single word she’s saying.” kazuha muttered, watching with apathetic eyes. “not that that’s any different from how it normally is…”

[kazuha?!!)3$]

“uh, do we even want to know what’s happening here?” chaewon asked, standing by the door with a look of concern and exasperation on her face.

“probably not?”

“no.”

“maybe??”

“‘elp!”

[💀]

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“ack-”

chaewon frowned, her brows furrowing as she turned her head. “yah, what are you doing back there?”

“nothing!” came eunchae’s very loud reply, followed by a loud thwack!, a grunt, and shrieking.

[’nothing’… sure.]

“that doesn’t sound like nothing.” the older girl said skeptically, sighing and turning to her phone with a exasperated look on her face. “i’ll be right back, okay, fearnots? i need to make sure those two aren’t doing anything dangerous.”

she then stood up to leave, waving goodbye to the camera before walking away, and it doesn’t take long for those watching the live to hear yelling – shrieking – and wailing, though no one could tell who was doing what.

[what the fuck is happening off screen 😭]

and then yunjin popped into view, her glasses askew on her face and her hair messy.

“hello fearnots, how have you been?” she asked, dropping onto the couch with a groan. “ynnie and manchae started arguing over who ate the last oreo a few minutes ago, which turned into a pillow fight that they somehow managed to get zuha and kkura-unnie involved in.”

[comments: what about you?]

“me? are you asking about me?” yunjin asked, pointing to herself with a look of surprise. “i was just minding my own business in the corner of the room until then someone – i think it was kazuha? – threw a pillow at me, so i threw it back, and, well…” she gestured to her hair and face. “this is what happened.”

[yikes.]

“yah, you little-! get back here!”

“aaand i guess chaewon-unnie got involved too.” the american sighed, clicking her tongue and shaking her head in mock disappointment. “honestly, as our leader, you would think she had more self-control…”

[damn okay-]

“huh yunjin, what did you just say about me?” chaewon questioned, sounding much closer than she had been moments prior.

”nothing!” yunjin responded, smiling nervously as she glanced at something off camera. “unnie, when did you get there?”

“it didn’t sound like nothing.”

[chaewon sounds so suspicious of them 💀 that’s totally valid tho]

“aha… ha… ha.” yunjin gulped, looking away from – presumably – chaewon and at the phone in her hands. “uh, i’ll see you guys later, assuming that i don’t die right now.”

“yah–!”

[and that’s the end! make sure to like and subscribe and to hit that notification bell so that you won’t miss a single video! cheers :)]

masterlist.

#sereneres #seren.writes #kpop x reader #le sserafim x reader #lesserafim x reader #le sserafim imagines #lesserafim imagines #sakura x reader #chaewon x reader #yunjin x reader #kazuha x reader #eunchae x reader #lsfm.yn

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wiener-soldiers · 4 years ago

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operation omega - recon (iv)

summary: years after the avengers dismantle HYDRA, the group remerges more dangerous than ever. their modus operandi? infiltrating foreign governments, stealing and reproducing their weapons, and selling them to terrorist groups. when the us government approaches the avengers for help on a secret operation with a secret asset, they are reluctant to agree. it isn’t until their quinjet almost gets shot down in the middle of nowhere when the understand that omega means business.

pairing: bucky barnes x SEAL!reader

words: 3.7k

warnings: swearing, recounting of violence/morally ambiguous acts, slight angst

a/n: italics are flashbacks (but yall alrdy knew that) and it kinda gets intense. and i barely edited this ha.

taglist: add yourself here!

OPERATION OMEGA MASTERLIST

Bucky’s been on hundreds of missions before, but for some reason, he’s nervous about this one.

Logically, he knows he has no real reason to be: Omega was the most skilled people the world had. If the Avengers didn’t have enhanced individuals, he knows that Omega would be running circles around them.

But from where he sat in the hot, dusty market, he could feel is heart thump in his throats as he listened to Y/N give orders through the comms. Every time she spoke, Bucky could feel his throat tighten. He knows it was his own fault that he wasn’t helping Natasha and Dr. Marge break into the suspected HYDRA factory. Instead, he sat at an outdoor patio in a chair that was way too small for him.

---

“You’re late,” Y/N says in full Captain mode as Tony scurries inside the command room.

“Semantics,” he said weakly before her stern glare quickly shut him up.

“I know we’re friends,” Y/N started as she paced around the front of the command room, “but on the field, I am your Captain. If I give an order, you will follow it. I don’t tolerate people going off and shooting the shit. This isn’t just your reputation on the line, it’s ours too. Do I make myself clear?”

She gets a chorus of affirmative responses.

“Chain of command is me, then Steve, then Jack, then Abigail. If Abigail loses the chain of command, you make an emergency abort, clear?”

Another chorus of affirmative replies.

Y/N’s lips crook upwards. “Good.”

---

Steve sat across from him, sipping tea and pretending not to look suspicious. Hordes of people were walking through the market—if they only knew how many deadly soldiers were in the market with them.

Or, of course, that the factory mass producing high-tech weapons smack dab in the middle of the market.

Steve’s disguise was more elaborate than Bucky’s; while Bucky was relatively unknown compared to the other Avengers, Steve was an international symbol of American patriotism. Y/N had almost forced him to sit the mission out and take a tactical role as opposed to an operational role. Steve only convinced her to let him on the ground just in case there were enhanced guarding the building.

Y/N only barely agreed.

Bucky wore a loose linen blouse—light enough for him not to fry under the blistering sun, but loose enough to easily hide an ultra-thin, Vibranium tactical vest and an array of small firearms and combat knives. His hair was tied up in a half-up bun with tendrils falling to hide any distinctive facial features. Steve, however, had to wear a cloaking mask, similar to one Natasha used when she infiltrated Alexander Pierce’s office. His face was barely recognizable, and his tunic was extra baggy to hide any muscle. What made Steve especially uncomfortable was that he didn’t have his shield.

“Everyone in position?” Y/N finally asks through the comms.

“Nat and I are in position,” Marge says quietly, trying to stay hidden from any possible guards.

“I got eyes on I have visual on Stark and Wilson. Oversight is in position,” Dom says from the jet silently hovering above them with cloaking on.

“I’m clear,” John says from the other side of the market. Bucky can see the tint of his reflective sunglasses from the corner of his eye.

“Abi and I are clear,” John says from a rooftop on overlooking the market.

“Bucky and I are clear,” Steve says from across the table.

“Good,” Y/N says. “It’s fourteen-hundred hours. Nat and Marge, you’re clear to enter the building. And for the rest of you,” she pauses, “if you fuck this up, I’ll kill you myself.”

Bucky gulps and give Steve a wary glance.

“You okay, Buck?”

“Peachy.”

“Our mission is to infiltrate this building,” Y/N calls out as the projection of the map in the command room zooms into a satellite photo of a market. “A couple months ago, Omega gathered intel confirmed by the BND that this is HYDRA’s main manufacturing plant.”

“It’s small,” Sam comments.

“It’s efficient,” Y/N corrects. “It’s smack dab in the middle of a market, so it’s easy for their parts suppliers to make deliveries disguised as legitimate businesses. They only assemble the weapons here; they get their parts elsewhere.”

“What’s the point storming the building if they can just send their parts to a new facility,” Tony asks the obvious.

“Because HYDRA loves efficiency, meaning this is most likely the place where they have information on all their suppliers, who they’re delivering the weapons to, and who their assets are.”

“Assets?” Bruce asks.

Y/N nods, “Moles within every global superpower, we suspect.”

“Jesus…” an Omega team member whistles.

“So, what’s the play?” Steve asks from his spot beside Bucky.

With a swipe on her phone, the collage of information on the large screen changes to show a map of the area surround the factory, as well as blueprints of the building itself. Y/N crosses the room as she speaks, “Natasha and Marge have the most experience gathering intel and getting in and out of a building undetected as fast as possible. I want you two to get inside that building and copy every single piece of information you think is useful. Make sure not to take anything with you; I want it to look like we were never there in the first place.

“Stark, Wilson, Barton, you guys will handle the aerial surveillance. Barton, I want you stationed on the roof across from the factory. You’re the extra set of eyes and ears on the inside. Stark, Wilson, I want you suited up in stealth mode and surveying a five-block perimeter. If anything, suspicious comes anywhere close to the factory, I want to know. Dom will be hovering the Quinjet in stealth over us, but aerial support is an emergency level plan. The minute we expose the Quinjet, it’s game over for Omega.

“The rest of us are going to be on the ground in different areas of the market with me running point from a hotel room guarded by Jack. We’re there for backup support only if necessary. We only make ourselves known if Nat or Marge’s tracker goes down.”

“Wait,” Bucky cuts her off, shifting his weight off the desk behind him to his feet. “You’re telling me that if something goes south in there, we can’t go get Natasha or Marge?”

Y/N rolls her eyes, but her gaze tenses on Bucky’s face for a second. Why are you challenging my authority? she wants to say. Bucky had been nothing but kind and was great company. But he’s stupid to think that Y/N would tolerate this level of subordination.

“Do you realize what happens if we expose ourselves?” Y/N quips snarkily instead. “It’ll take seconds before the international community realizes that foreign military is deployed in a country outside our jurisdiction, which might I add is hostile towards almost every country in the UN. Then amidst all the political chaos, HYDRA goes back into hiding and we’re back to square one. We’re treading on thin fucking ice, Barnes.”

Bucky admits that she makes a good point, but he doesn’t fully trust her. Not yet, at least. “So, hypothetically let’s say Nat or Marge gets caught, tortured, and possibly brought to a secondary location; we can’t get them?”

“As long as their trackers are live, we don’t engage.”

“But what if—”

“If what Barnes!?” Y/N shouts, her steely stare piercing through his skull. “You’ve been here a couple of fucking weeks, so as much as you think you’re fitting in, you don’t know how we run missions here. Nat and Marge will have cams, and Clint is our extra eyes just in case. God forbid things go south, we proceed with our emergency extraction protocols to make it look like we just happen to be the regular military rescuing hostages and not secret operatives! If they ever get brought to a secondary location, we follow their trackers through satellite and jet until the moment they go down, but by then we probably have satellite tagging on them anyways!”

Bucky knows she’s made her point and that it was premature for him to publicly question her authority. But he let his pride get away and his mouth run faster than his common sense, “You could have told us all that in the first place.”

Y/N is livid. She slowly struts towards Bucky, the people in her way slowly moving to the side like Moses parting the Red Sea. She stands far closer to Bucky than she’s comfortable with, but the quick flash of fear in Bucky’s eyes at her body language is enough to make it worth it.

“No, I didn’t,” Y/N says, eerily quiet. “Do you know why, Barnes? Because as long as you are on my fucking base, I am your Captain and I will not tolerate your blatant fucking disrespect. Your orders are to not engage unless Nat or Marge’s trackers are down, do I make myself clear Sergeant?”

Bucky gulps, “Crystal.”

Y/N smirks slightly before turning on the heel of her boot and continuing the briefing.

“Marge, Nat, you’re clear to enter the building,” Y/N says into the comm. She’s in a hotel room facing the market with Jack. While Jack is assuming another surveillance position, Y/N is seated at a desk with a laptop which monitors Marge and Nat’s video feed.

“Copy,” Marge says quietly, “We’re entering the building. We’re limiting verbal contact…now.”

“Ya know,” Jack says from his spot at the window. He has a sniper scope trained through a window of the building in case something goes wrong inside. “You didn’t have to go so hard on Barnes during briefing.”

“Yes, I did,” Y/N mumbles, attention still focused on the video feed in front of her.

Jack chuckles slightly. “He’s an Avenger,” he says, “not a SEAL. He may not know how we do things.”

“He was army,” Y/N says, sending him an annoyed glance.

“Like…90 years ago. And wasn’t the whole ‘Howling Commandos’ thing to liberate POWs and shit? Seems like a field where you would question orders to me,” he retorts.

Y/N turns to look at him with an exasperated. “Who’s fucking side are you on, anyways?” she bites back. Jack only chuckles.

Y/N returns her attention back on the screen. Though she’s trying to concentrate on the video feed, her mind wanders back to Bucky. She gnaws at her lip; Was I too hard on him? she thinks.

No, she eventually decides. But deep down, Y/N feels a sense of hurt. She liked Bucky—he was kind, a good listener, and very understanding. She didn’t let just anyone join her on her morning run. Worst of all, Y/N thought that Bucky respected her. Clearly, Y/N decided, he did not. Why else would Bucky question her authority and her orders not only in front of the world-famous Avengers, but also her own teammates?

Stop being distracted, you’re working, Y/N quickly tells herself. She takes a deep breath before glancing at her watch. Marge and Wanda have been inside the building for five minutes, meaning they have five minutes remaining before extraction.

“Status report on all teams?” Y/N asks into the comms.

Bucky barely hears her voice in his ear. He barely registers each team reporting their status. Instead, he focuses on the man sitting a few tables away from him. The man, most probably a local, is staring straight at Bucky’s face while quickly talking to someone on the phone. Bucky’s instincts begin to kick in.

In the middle of Clint’s status report, Bucky nudges Steve with his foot. “I think we’ve been made,” he says, trying not to look panicked.

Bucky watches a flash of panic flash across Steve’s eyes before he says, “What?”

Bucky turns his head slowly in the direction of the man, “The man at that table has been staring straight at me and is on a phone call like his life depended on it.”

Steve purposefully knocks a teaspoon off the table so he can bend down and properly look at the suspicious man. Sure enough, the man was talking on the phone erratically while staring in Bucky’s direction. Steve frowns and looks slightly past Bucky at another table. At that table, a woman and a man are seated, presumably on a date. The woman appears to be having the time of her life while the man, Steve notices, is giving knowing smirks to the man on the phone.

Steve sighs, “Buck, I think that guy is just jealous of the date going on at the table behind you.”

“Are you sure, because I swear—”

“Rogers, Barnes, status report?” Y/N’s voice through the comms finally cuts them off.

Steve gave Bucky a look as if telling him to drop the subject before speaking into the comms, “We’re clear—”

“Negative. We’re not clear. I think we’ve been made,” Bucky cuts him off.

“What!?” Y/N screeches into the comm, “Jack, Clint, I want eyes on Barnes and Rogers!”

“Who am I looking for?” Clint replies.

“Guy in the green tunic a couple tables down, north of the patio. He’s talking on the phone,” Bucky says, shifting in his seat slightly.

The line is silent for a few seconds before Jack says, “Barnes, I think you’re clear.”

Bucky seemingly ignores his update and asks again, “Clint, you got a visual?”

Steve gives him a confused look, as if asking him what the hell he’s doing. Bucky ignores him.

“I don’t have a visual,” Clint replies, “but I’d go with what Jack said.”

“I have a visual,” Wanda suddenly cut in. She was at a fruit stand across the street, pretending to be shopping. “You’re clear, Barnes.”

Bucky looks across the street and catches Wanda’s gaze. Can’t you read his mind or some shit and figure out if he’s made me? he thinks to her.

Wanda rolls her eyes before tapping her head twice, No.

Of course, it doesn’t work that way, Bucky thinks.

“I’m sorry but you guys can’t see the way this guy is looking at me,” he says stubbornly, “I’m taking this guy out.”

Bucky goes to stand up and Steve reaches his arm to stop him when Y/N voice rips through the comms again. “No!” she shouts and Bucky grimaces.

“If we’re made, backup is going to be here any minute now, and Marge and Nat are still in there!” Bucky hisses.

“We have intel that the people in this village aren’t aware of what’s going on in that factory, Bucky! There’s no backup that this prick can even call! And I’m not letting you kill an innocent fucking civilian,” Y/N yells back at him.

“Well fuck your intel, I’m going after this guy—”

“I am your commanding officer and you will stand down!” Y/N finally shouts, sounding more like a drill sergeant than the girl he goes on morning runs with. “That’s a fucking order, Sergeant. Do you copy Barnes?”

Bucky is silent. Instead he clenches his jaw so hard he’s afraid his teeth might shatter.

“Do you copy, Sergeant?” Y/N repeats again, eerily quiet and deadly serious.

Bucky’s nostrils flare up in anger, but he resettles himself back on the seat.

“He copies,” Steve finally says into the comm.

The rest of the mission goes off without a hitch. Bucky was wrong about the man on the phone. As Marge and Natasha exited the factory, unharmed and undetected, the man on the phone got up and in a jealous rage, stormed over to the happy couple behind him.

He tried his best to prepare himself for the berating he was going to get from Captain Y/N later, but nothing could prepare him for the treatment he was getting now.

Y/N was silent the entire flight back to the Omega compound. Instead of yelling at him like there was no tomorrow, she quietly prepared the intel to be sent over to her commander. When they landed back at the base, he got sympathetic pats from his teammates as they unloaded the Quinjet. ‘You’re in for it, Barnes’ and ‘Tell me if you make it without crying,’ the Omega team members told him seriously.

As he unloaded the last crate of equipment, Y/N briskly walked past him and said with deadly fierceness, “Command room. Now.”

After everything that happened earlier in the day, he didn’t need to be told twice.

Bucky slowly opens the metal door towards the command room and has to shut his eyes tight for a few seconds to allow his pupils to adjust to how especially dark the room was. As Bucky wandered inside, he noticed the only light source was from Y/N’s desk on the loft overlooking the rest of the command room. Her voice stops him dead in his tracks.

“Your paranoia is going to get us killed,” Y/N says, her voice echoing through the room.

“Y/N—”

“No, you don’t get to talk yet,” she cuts him off once again. He watches her silhouette stand from the desk and walk down the stairs to stop in front of him. He can barely see her face but can make out some features.

“When I was in the SEALs, I was Jack’s unit commander,” Y/N tells him, her voice getting softer, “We were in a remote fishing village off the coast of South America rescuing high profile hostages. There was a fiesta that night and the entire town gathered on the beach for a party. It was the perfect time to rescue the hostages because we were disguised by the music and the lack of civilians in town. While I was on a base somewhere, hundreds of miles away, Jack sends a panicked message to mission control over the comms. There’s a group of people close to the site where the hostages were being held. It was too dark for them to make anything out, but that group of people started shooting at them. Not close enough to hit them, but I was paranoid that they might get hit even though they were wearing full body armour. Jack asked if he had permission to engage because taking them out was against the rules of engagement for that mission—they were only supposed to shoot at adult individuals that they could clearly identify. As the commanding officer of that mission, it was my call. And I gave Jack the go ahead to take the shot.”

Y/N stops to take a shaky breath, and he swears he hears a sob. “They were just kids, Bucky, no older than fifteen. They were used by the captors as easily dispensable firepower who were just doing that to make a few extra dollars to take home to their families. We could’ve easily averted them and tied them up. But I was the one who gave them the permission to take the shot.”

Bucky reaches for her, but he can’t find her arms. He sighs, “That’s not your fault, Y/N. You know that. You were worried for the safety of your team.”

“Then why have a felt haunted by it ever since?” she cries.

Instead of gently trying to search for her arms, Bucky quickly steps forward with his arms open. Bucky rams Y/N into his chest and her arms immediately wraps themselves around his waist. Bucky holds her closely while she sobs choked tears into his chest.

A tear escapes Bucky’s eye as well before he has the heart to ask her, “Is that why you left the Navy?”

Y/N lets out an ironic scoff. “No,” she retorts, “it’s because they awarded me the Navy fucking Cross. And I know I don’t deserve it.”

“I know what I say won’t change what you’ve done and how you feel about it,” Bucky tells her honestly, “But those SEALs are alive because of you. Jack is alive because of you. They got to see their families because of you. I know we don’t trade lives or value someone’s life after another, but your orders were to first and foremost bring those SEALs home safely. And you did that.”

They stay like that for another ten minutes—Y/N burying herself into Bucky’s torso and Bucky resting his nose in the crook of her neck.

“My paranoia is what kept me safe from HYDRA,” Bucky says honestly, murmuring into her neck. “After I escaped from HYDRA, I didn’t trust anyone. I didn’t trust Steve, the rest of the Avengers, or myself. When I was in HYDRA, the longer I trusted my own fucked up brain that what I was doing was right, the more unspeakable shit I did. When I started fighting the brainwashing, I started being paranoid of everything and look where that got me? I’m alive because of it.”

“No,” she whispers, “you’re alive because you learned to how to trust again. You’re alive because you know that even though trusting is scary, it’s better than living in constant fear. You’re alive because you’ve found things that are worth trusting.”

Bucky’s speechless. He pulls away slightly, glancing down at her. He still can’t fully make out her facial features, but he can tell she’s staring at him with a sternness that reminded him of his mother.

“Do you respect me?” Y/N whispers.

“Of course,” he replies without hesitation.

“Do you trust me?” Y/N asks again.

Bucky’s voice catches in his throat. He feels his Adam’s apple bob and his heart pound against his ribcage. Yes, he wants to say so badly. But he can’t and he can’t say why, and he’s embarrassed for it.

But Y/N offers him a small, gentle smile. She reaches up in the dark to cup his face, but her hand lands on his neck instead. “You don’t have to trust me,” she tells him, “I’d like it if you could trust me, but you don’t have to. But I need you to respect me in the field and in front of our teams. I’m still your CO, Barnes. And as much as I like you, I’d really hate to have to yell at you again.”

Bucky chuckles softly, “Is that an order, Captain?”

“It is, Sergeant. Do I make myself clear?” she says in a light tone, grinning at him.

“Yes, ma’am,” Bucky replies, lazily grinning back.

FIVE: YES MA’AM

---

tags:

operation omega: @marvelsangels @1-800-schmacked

marvel: @milea @marvelsangels @thecurlsofgod @schnapped

bucky barnes: @emilielskov

#bucky barnes imagine #sebastian stan imagine #bucky barnes x reader #sebastian stan x reader #bucky barnes fic #sebastian stan fic #bucky barnes #sebastian stan #bucky barnes fanfiction #sebastian stan fanfiction #bucky barnes series #marvel imagine

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thunderbirdthree · 5 years ago

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Skyfall Part One

This is one of two fics I have planned this week. It will have two, possibly three parts, which have all been written I’m just not setteled on whether to split the rest of it or not. I’m good at fluff pieces, and this is my first attempt at something even remotely “angsty”, also my first time writing something with so many POV shifts, so it’s very uhh…. experimental, but I hope you kind of like it. The rest will be out either later this evening or tomorrow, I just have to do some final edits.

Summary: It had been a freak accident, but nonetheless Thunderbird Three was hurtling towards the Earth nothing more than a fireball with Alan inside her.

Cameras happened to be rolling, the news that an International Rescue Thunderbird was in perilous danger was global news, especially since the only rescue vehicle even capable of saving the crippled ship was the very ship tumbling through Earth’s atmosphere, nothing more than a ball of flame, and thanks to a luckily placed news ship out recording a segment about marine life, the world had an up close and personal view of her descent.

The world watched as Thunderbird Three appeared on their screens ripping through the atmosphere, nothing more than a shiny red piece of scrap metal, hurtling towards the ocean below. If there was one thing to be grateful for, was that the maximum number of lives that could be taken was one. They watched as the hunk of metal hit the ocean, making a splash that seemed to travel for miles. They watched as the ship sank below the waves, no sign of the young operative who had been on board. They watched as not a minute later Thunderbird One and the colossal Thunderbird Two arrived, not even waiting for the cargo hold to hit the water before shooting Thunderbird Four into the water. They watched with bated breath as the cameras rolled, focussing on the water under the green giant, the pieces of debris that remained gleaming red until the midday sun. They waited for any sign that whoever it was who had been flying the ship had somehow made it out alive.

—-

Alan had been on a simple mission. A cargo ship had broken down, he needed to help the crew get their systems, especially their vital life support systems back online. It had been simple, in, out, and the cargo ship was on its way home to Earth for a full system check. Alan had bid his farewells and was halfway back towards Earth himself when it had happened. It had all been so quick, two large ships had shifted slightly in their lanes, if it had been one or the other, what happened next could have been avoided. The ships bumped into each other, a mere fender bender for two ships that large, but the larger of the two tore a piece off the smaller which had gone careening outwards, Alan didn’t even have a chance to react, the piece, easily half the size of Three, smashed into the side of the ship. The impact knocked Alan out momentarily and when he came too, Three was in an uncontrolled spiral, all systems malfunctioning, with her cargo hold all but torn off. Alan had just enough composure to get his helmet on, but before he could even think about trying to control the spin, he felt his ship jerk sharply again, his head knocking on the control panel and his world went dark once more.

—-

“Thunderbird Five to Thunderbird Three. Alan what just happened? Are you ok?” John’s voice came through the comms, panicked. Scott, Virgil and Gordon looked up at each other as John’s voice came through their ears, momentarily distracted from the rescue they were wrapping up.

“ALAN!” They had never heard John sound scared before.

“John, what’s going on?” Scott asked, an edge to his voice.

“Thunderbird Three. Can you hear me? Alan, report!” The three earthbound Tracy’s shared a panicked look, and after bidding a hasty farewell to the local law enforcement they were sprinting to their ships.”

“John if you don’t tell me what’s going on, so help me I’m gonna…” Scott started before he was cut off.

“I.. I don’t know. One moment he’s fine, the next all of Three’s systems go haywire, I don’t have a visual on him, I can’t reach him on the comms.”

“We’re on our way back towards the island, keep us updated when you make contact.” Scott ordered, and with that the two ships took off.

—-

“FAB Scott.” John responded, trying to keep the shaking out of his voice. What was going on? Three had disappeared completely from his tracker, he had no idea what was happening to Alan, but he had a horrible feeling in his stomach.

“International Rescue, this is the captain of the Oliviera.” Of course! Why hadn’t John thought of asking the ship Alan had been helping if they had any idea what had happened.

“This is International Rescue, please tell me you can see Thunderbird Three.” John couldn’t keep the desperation out of his voice.

“Yes sir, that’s what I was calling about I… I’m not sure what happened exactly, but as Thunderbird Three was pulling away from our ship, something huge smashed into him. We can still see him, it looks as though he’s in some sort of uncontrolled descent back towards Earth. We can’t reach him on our comms and well….” the captain took a deep breathe “Thunderbird Three doesn’t look much like she did when she arrived here.” John’s heart dropped out of his body, tumbling to the Earth far below, but he tried to keep the panic out of his voice.

“I’ve completely lost him from my comms and I can’t track Three, you didn’t possibly get your vid cams working again?” The captain of the Oliviera quickly confirmed that the cams were indeed working, and within 15 seconds John had eyes on his brother’s ‘Bird. Or what was left of Alan’s ‘Bird.

“My god.” He gasped as he saw what looked like nothing more than a piece of space junk hurtling towards Earth, her distinctive red and the ‘THUND’ painted on her side giving away her identity.

“We’ve warned all traffic to avoid the area.” The captain said, “The GDF have been called in as well.” John couldn’t find words as he watched the scene in front of him.

There was no way Alan could survive this. No way.

He didn’t even try to contain his scream as Thunderbird Three slammed into a group of satellites, sending her spiraling even more and breaking off her nose cone.

—-

Alan’s eyes blinked open. Where was he? What was going on? Why was he so hot? He vaguely recognized his surroundings as his beloved Three. Was that fire? And why did he feel so heavy?

—-

Scott’s grip tightened around his controls as John shakily explained what had happened. He felt sick, his head reeling, but he was a rescue professional first and foremost, and as the oldest and the leader of International Rescue it was his job to make sure they did everything they could to get Alan home.

“ EOS, can you use the video to get us an approximate of where Thunderbird Three will re- enter Earth’s atmosphere.” He ordered.

“Certainly Scott Tracy. At their current rate of descent, assuming what remains of Thunderbird Three survives re- entry, she will crash in the Eastern Pacific Ocean, I’ve taken the liberty to upload to coordinates to Thunderbird One and Two’s navigation systems.” Scott and Virgil had adjusted their courses before EOS was done speaking.

“What are the chances of Three surviving re-entry?” Gordon asked in a tone that suggested he wasn’t really sure he wanted to know the answer.

“Without knowing exactly what damage was obtained I can only guess, but my closest estimate would be 32%.” EOS chirped. Scott pressed the controls a little harder. 32% was slim, but it wasn’t nothing. Virgil seemed to have the same thought asking,

“How long do we have?”

“Assuming Thunderbird Three survives re- entry she will crash into the ocean in about 7 minutes.” Scott checked his ETA. 6 minutes 50 seconds.

“Thunderbird Two, what’s your ETA?”

“7 minutes 15 seconds. Is there anything we can do to stop Three from burning up or hitting the water?” Virgil asked.

“No.” John responded over the comms. “The only one of our ships potentially capable of stopping a hunk of metal from burning through the atmosphere is Thunderbird Three, and at her current velocity, trying to slow her down when she re- enters the atmosphere would only pull a rescue ship down with her.”

Scott tried to ignore the tear that had slipped down his cheek.

“The second Three hits the water I want Four down there.” He ordered.

“FAB.” Came Gordon’s voice, “I’m ready to go.”

“John do you have any reading from Alan’s suit?” Virgil asked.

“Negative, all reading went off line the same time Three was hit.”

5 Minutes

“I’m reporter Joseph Embry live from the USS Calypso. Reports are coming in that Thunderbird Three has taken on heavy damage and is currently falling in an uncontrolled descent towards Earth. Spacecraft are reporting that they can see the ship falling towards this part of the Pacific Ocean.

4 Minutes

“Thunderbird Three has entered the upper atmosphere.” EOS reported.

3 Minutes

“Thunderbird Four is locked, loaded and ready to launch.” Gordon reported.

“Approaching crash site.” Virgil added.

“FAB.” Finished John.

2 Minutes

“Thunderbird Three has re- entered the Earth’s atmosphere without burning up.” EOS supplied.

John felt the tightening in his chest release slightly. A little bit of hope was alive.

1 Minute

Alan’s eyes blinked open once more. The fire was still surrounding him, he could see what looked like blood trickling down his visor. He couldn’t tell where he was, or what was happening, and if he didn’t feel so heavy, maybe he would have the strength to panic. He caught sight of something glimmering below him. Water? Was that the ocean? He didn’t have time to think, before his ship crashed into… whatever it was, and he felt himself smashed upwards, everything going black again.

#Thunderbirds are go #tag skyfall #Thunderbirds are go fanfic

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milady-milord-lj · 8 years ago

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Community Re-Watch Season 1: Pilot and Spanish 101

Community Re-Watch: Season 1

Pilot

I'm going to try to do something a little bit different here. Rather than re-hash the plot, I figured I'd pull up some interesting tidbits from the commentaries. So, away we go!

Commentary by Dan Harmon, Joel McHale, and the Russo Brothers

Jim Rash was cast the day before his first scene. They were half-way through filming the pilot at the time.

There was a minor argument about Jeff's costuming in the pilot. Some thought he looked like a bum, others thought he looked hip. The "hip" side won, at least for the pilot. It was also the last time Jeff wore sweatpants in an episode, so...maybe they didn't win after all?

Costuming in the pilot was done by Wes Anderson's costumer. She only did the pilot, though.

John Oliver hates doing retakes because it would require doing the same thing twice.

Chevy actually had people on set in stitches doing his regular Chevy-schtick in the cafeteria.

They spent a lot of time on the pilot. They did multiple takes of most of the scenes because they weren't sure who the characters were or the tone they wanted to strike.

Abed is the character who's "the most excited about the pilot" because he's never had "a family" of people he could interact with normally. So, according to Dan, Abed is somewhat playing "dumb" for the pilot and the first few episodes until more of his real personality could emerge.

There was a period of four or five months between shooting the pilot and filming the second episode.

The pilot was shot on location at the abandoned headquarters of collapsed bank WAMU (interior shots) and L.A. City College (exterior shots).

Annie was originally supposed be a combination "Tracy Flick" and girls Dan went to high school with. They also costumed her as "Elizabeth Hasselback" (conservative woman who dresses to show off her sexuality). Chevy was costumed as Bob Evans. Jeff was costumed as David Beckham. Duncan was costumed as Dr. Who.

Annie was really the antagonist of the pilot. She's the one who shows up uninvited, she's the one most likely to sniff out that Jeff is lying, she's the most aggressive member of the group in questioning Jeff, and she's the one who's the most "crazy" emotionally.

Alison Brie was the last member of the Greendale 7 to be cast. No one in the cast had met her until the first day they began shooting the pilot.

Annie is the reason why Jeff has to remain on guard throughout the pilot. She was supposed to be "the cop" and "the buzzkill" of the group. However, "the actor took over the character" (which Dan seems happy about) and they switched tracks for Annie and made her this archetype of the young woman who's blossoming and finding herself.

Abed's breakfast club speech (Bender's monolog) was an idea Dan had on the set, so Danny Pudi had to learn it on the set. The basically did this by streaming the scene on their iPhones and had Danny watch it until he learned it.

NBC suits expressed concern that Jeff was "too unlikeable" during filming of the pilot.

The last scene that was shot before the episode wrapped is the scene between Jeff and Britta (after he gets "the answers to all exams" from Duncan) where he confesses to Britta that he lied and he only did it because he wanted to go out on a date with her, and Britta promises (with fingers crossed behind her back) to go out to dinner with Jeff if he stops everyone in the study room from trying to kill each other.

Dan says that Jeff's "shark week" monologue is his "finest hour."

According to Dan, Jeff's saving grace is that he doesn't hate or really judge anyone. The bad news? It's because Jeff's too self-involved to hate anyone or get overly invested in other people's life choices.

Joel jokes that Jeff's sole motivation is to get laid. Dan says that's why Jeff can, on command, sincerely say he likes the "Elizabeth Hasselback girl" and say she's a hero, because it suits his purposes.

They admit that Britta had "no character development" in the pilot because she's got to "shoulder the story" by being Jeff's motivation for being in the study room. Meanwhile, all the other characters in the study group can actually show bits and pieces of their characters right off the bat. In short, Dan fully admits that Britta's a cipher and they had no clue what her motivation was or even if Britta realized that Jeff was a con artist from the get-go.

The Russos state that around episode six or seven, the actors wind up "taking over the set" because that's the point where they know their own characters better than anyone else, including the writers.

The Russos state the exciting thing about shooting a pilot is that you don't know what's going to happen or how it's all going to shake out. About 80% of the battle is in casting, because that's ultimately what dictates the direction the show will go in.

Line cut from the pilot when Jeff "diagnoses" Abed as having Aspergers is actually a line Britta says to Abed: "He's not qualified to make that diagnosis." Heh.

Dan fought to get Joel McHale cast as Jeff. Dan managed to win NBC over by showing them the closing scene on the steps outside the library.

The pilot was an homage to John Hughes movies.

Spanish 101

Commentary by Dan Harmon, Joel McHale, Chevy Chase, and Joe Russo

Joe says the second episode after the pilot is generally more interesting, in large part because a pilot is "the prototype" and kind of formless while everyone figures out what they're doing. The second episode is where you really try to figure out who you are going forward.

Joel seems a little relieved that he doesn't ever have to wear sweatpants again.

Joel, Dan, and Joe had explain to Chevy what a DVD commentary is and why they're doing it.

Speculation that they're big in Thailand because "Alison is big there."

Dan's really proud of Jeff's soda cup. The art department mocked it up as "Yummy Tummy Stop 'n Go."

Joe loves the steady cam shot around the table as Jeff strolls in and greets each member of the study group, but admits that as the season wore on they got less and less ambitious about using them.

Chevy points out that Joel's got a zit on his left cheek for this episode.

The Fortuneteller still has the original title card for Chevy, which is a cartoon woman with big boobs. NBC made them change it after it was broadcast.

The scene immediately after the opening credits had to be reshot because the original take was "too serious" and Britta was upset in a way that was more reminiscent of ER characters on their way to surgery, rather than the opening scene of a sitcom.

Joel remarks that the good thing about acting with Chevy is that he gets to act with someone who is his own height.

Chang's introductory speech took 45 minutes to shoot because they wanted to let him loose and not miss anything. It took them four days to edit the scene. They decided that it probably wasn't the best way to go about things.

Everyone except Chevy was recording the commentary in L.A. Chevy was recording from New York via live feed and was 57 seconds behind everyone else.

First appearance of Starburns. The reason why they asked Dino to do it is because they felt they couldn't ask an actor to sit in make-up for hours to create the star-shaped sideburns. Eventually, Dino just grew in his sideburns and shaved them into star shapes.

Joel had to shave his stomach with an electric razor blade for this episode. The scene where Abed and Jeff switch shirts, in which Jeff winds up wearing a shirt much too small for him, pretty much showed all this hair peeking up over his belt buckle and across his stomach. So costuming handed him the razor with the comment, "You need to take care of something."

Big revelation for Pierce's character is in this episode: Pierce is sterile, but characterizes it as having super sperm.

The scene where Jeff and Pierce are in the study room working on their Spanish project was shot at the end of a 13-hour day.

The "scotch" used in this episode was actually ice tea.

Exterior shots in this episode were shot at L.A. City College.

The writing on the chalk board behind Chevy is courtesy of both Dan and Chevy.

Pierce's character is meant to be an artistic type whose reach exceeds his grasp, and he covers it up by being pomous and being venomous. Dan admits that Pierce is his way of making fun of himself.

Jeff is meant to be a shallow, selfish asshole that you wind up rooting for despite yourself.

The tapes over everyone's mouth in the candlelight vigil scene had to be digitally colored to be darker.

Joel's favorite lines are the "you had bad breath" exchange between Abed and Troy.

The candelight vigil scene was still being shot at 2 a.m. (and they weren't done filming yet).

There is supposed to be a core of darkness to Pierce's character that they bob in and out of. Chevy notes that Pierce is neither a Griswald or a Fletch. He's his own person. Chevy states that Pierce is full of himself.

The idea to use the Amy Mann song came from a Channel 101 video. Dan made sure to ask permission from the person who did it from Channel 101. It was also a way to get around them actually presenting the horribly offensive Spanish Play.

It was Joe's idea to pull Alison into Pierce's and Jeff's Spanish Play as Pocahontas Chevy got mad at Joel for putting his put in Alison's face during that scene. Chevy informed him that Joel was "going to far" by doing that.

The triumph of the episode is that Jeff is willing to do something incredibly stupid.

#jeff x annie

16 notes · View notes

kristablogs · 4 years ago

Text

Twenty features you didn’t know Android and iOS stole from each other

If it weren't for that black square, telling an Android and an iPhone apart would be harder than finding Waldo. (Daniel Romero / Unsplash /)

Steve Jobs famously said that he wasn’t averse to stealing a great idea or two, and with the launch of iOS 14 on the horizon, people have started talking about Apple getting some ideas from Google’s Android.

But the swiping goes both ways—Android and iOS have taken plenty of ideas from each other over the years, which has resulted in two operating systems that are much more similar in features and functionality than they used to be.

Dig back a little and you’ll find plenty of examples—though we should say up-front this history is slightly edited. For example, one or two of these features appeared on the iPad before the iPhone, or in versions of Android from Samsung and LG before they appeared in the stock version.

1. Home screen widgets

For years, widgets were one of Android’s main advantages over iOS. This feature has enabled users to break the regimented rows and columns of app icons with media players, calendars, weather forecasts, mini maps and more, and has been present in Google’s operating system from its early stages. It took a while, but Apple has clearly taken note: After adding widgets to its Today view on iOS, they’re now coming to the iPhone home screen with iOS 14.

2. Gesture navigation

In 2017, the iPhone X got rid of the Home button and introduced a whole new way of getting around a smartphone—swipe up to go home, swipe up and hold to see recent apps, and so on. The team at Google must have liked the new navigation style, because Android adopted a similar set of gestures for both Android 9 and Android 10.

3. The app drawer

Historically, every app you’d install on an iOS device lived on your home screen, and the only way to keep it hidden was to bury it in a folder. Android users have been able to maintain decluttered home screens by hiding apps away in the app drawer (one tap away from the home screen), which Apple has now decided is a good idea. The hub will debut in the upcoming iOS 14, and it’ll be called App Library.

4. Notification badges

Some people find them more distracting than useful, but others couldn’t live without them. The small, simple notification badges on app icons debuted in iOS, showing users how many unread emails, messages, or other alerts awaited them. Android belatedly decided to add the same feature to its own interface with the launch of Android 8 in 2017.

5. Swipe to type

Android users had been enjoying the ability to swipe-and-type for years before iOS 13 added it as a native option in 2019. If you’re not familiar with this feature, get acquainted, because it’s a supercharged productivity aid—just swipe over the keyboard letters you want to input, without lifting your finger from the screen.

6. Granular privacy controls

Getting off the grid has never been easier. On Android and iOS you can limit what your apps know about you, starting with your location. ( Maksim Tarasov / Unspla/)

For a long time, Apple has been giving users a great deal of control over how apps handle your data, so they can only access information such as your location while they’re running. It’s such a good way to manage permissions that Google decided to add a close copy to its own OS with Android 10 in 2019.

7. A back button

Android is moving away from on-screen buttons these days, but for many years it had something iOS didn’t—a system-level “go back” button that took you to the previous screen, regardless of whether that was a different app or a different page. Eventually, Apple decided to add a back button of its own, up in the top left-hand corner, with the launch of iOS 9 in 2015.

8. Blue light filter

Before everyone got so obsessed over dark mode (and we’re still not sure why they are), there was night mode, which reduced blue light and turned the screen amber before bed. Apple introduced the feature with Night Shift in iOS 9.3 in March 2016, before Android followed suit with Night Mode in Android 8.0 Oreo almost a year and a half later.

9. Picture-in-picture mode

Another feature coming to the iPhone with iOS 14 is picture-in-picture, which is exactly what it sounds like. If you’re watching a video, you can keep it on screen in minimized form while you check out other apps on your handset. As the engineers at Apple are no doubt fully aware, picture-in-picture functionality has been available on Android since 2017.

10. Do Not Disturb

How did we get anything done before the Do not Disturb feature? (Major Tom Agency / Unsplash/)

The Do Not Disturb mode is a staple of modern-day phones, giving you a brief respite from the flood of notifications that normally have your handset vibrating non-stop. This was a feature Apple added first to iOS 6 in 2012. Google took its time and added it to its OS in 2014 with the launch of Android 5.0 Lollipop. (That was back when Android versions still had cute snack names.)

11. Over the air updates

Cast your mind back to 2011, when Apple released iOS 5, the first version of its OS that could be updated over Wi-Fi without requiring you to plug your phone into a computer and sync it with iTunes. This was a great feat back then, since Wi-Fi wasn’t quite as fast as it is now. But it wasn’t such a big whoop after all—Android users had already been updating their devices over the air for several years.

12. Digital assistants

Apple originally beat Google to the digital assistant punch—they bought Siri and integrated it into the iPhone 4S in 2011. Nine months later, Google launched Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, which included the Google Now feature that eventually morphed into the Google Assistant we have today.

13. The notification drawer

You think notifications are bad today? Let me remind you that back when the iPhone ran iOS 4, notifications interrupted whatever you were doing with a pop-up on your screen. Luckily, Apple realized how annoying this was, so iOS 5 introduced the notification drawer that allowed users to access all their updates by swiping down from the top of the screen. This wasn’t an original design though, since it was already a standard fixture on Android devices.

14. Screenshot annotations

With the arrival of iOS 11 in 2017, screenshots got a little different—users were able to tap on a screengrab right after capturing it to bring up a special annotation menu for adding doodles or applying a crop. Google added something similar to Android, but not until Android 9.0 Pie, which didn’t arrive on phones until mid-2018.

15. A native mapping app

Apple is finally adding cycling directions to Apple Maps with iOS 14. Google Maps has offered this feature since 2010. (Apple/)

Strange though it might seem now, the iPhone launched with Google Maps as its default mapping app, and it wasn’t until 2012 that Apple Maps appeared on the scene with iOS 6. Since then it’s continued to play catch-up with Google Maps, including the recent introduction of its Look Around (aka Street View) road-level photography feature.

16. Selfie camera

This was a close one, but Apple just got there first—the iPhone 4 from June 2010 was the first with a front-facing camera, but Android phones didn't get official support for a selfie cam until Android 2.3 Gingerbread, launched in December of the same year. We've only been snapping selfies properly for a decade, yet somehow it feels like it's been much longer.

17. Set default apps

Considering Apple hasn’t really promoted this new iOS 14 feature, it’s likely they’re adding it reluctantly. When the software update arrives, it’ll be the first time iPhone users will be able to set default apps for their email and web browsing that aren’t Apple Mail or Safari—a feature Android users have been making the most of for quite a while.

18. Record the screen

The ability to make a video recording of whatever’s happening on screen has been available to iPhone users for a long, long time now. It’s still not available in Android, but it looks as though Google is readying this very feature for the launch of Android 11 later this year (currently in beta).

19. Low battery mode

For some years, iOS lagged behind Android in not having a specialized low-battery mode. Apple loyalists would say iPhones didn’t really need one, but the feature was eventually added to Apple’s mobile devices in iOS 9, cutting down on the number of background processes running at once and reducing CPU performance.

20. Emergency contact information

Did you know you can add emergency contact information to your phone? This can be accessed directly from your device’s lock screen so other people can get to it in case something happens to you. Today, both Android and iOS have this feature in their settings, but Apple devices were the first to introduce the option. Android added it to its Nougat (7.0) update in 2016.

0 notes

scootoaster · 4 years ago

Text

Twenty features you didn’t know Android and iOS stole from each other

If it weren't for that black square, telling an Android and an iPhone apart would be harder than finding Waldo. (Daniel Romero / Unsplash /)

1. Home screen widgets

2. Gesture navigation

3. The app drawer

4. Notification badges

5. Swipe to type

6. Granular privacy controls

Getting off the grid has never been easier. On Android and iOS you can limit what your apps know about you, starting with your location. ( Maksim Tarasov / Unspla/)

7. A back button

8. Blue light filter

9. Picture-in-picture mode

10. Do Not Disturb

How did we get anything done before the Do not Disturb feature? (Major Tom Agency / Unsplash/)

11. Over the air updates

12. Digital assistants

13. The notification drawer

14. Screenshot annotations

15. A native mapping app

Apple is finally adding cycling directions to Apple Maps with iOS 14. Google Maps has offered this feature since 2010. (Apple/)

16. Selfie camera

17. Set default apps

18. Record the screen

19. Low battery mode

20. Emergency contact information

0 notes

goarticletec-blog · 6 years ago

Text

Cyber Monday 2018 Amazon deals: $20 Echo Dot, Bose discounts, Galaxy S9 bundle and more

New Post has been published on https://www.articletec.com/cyber-monday-2018-amazon-deals-20-echo-dot-bose-discounts-galaxy-s9-bundle-and-more/

Cyber Monday 2018 Amazon deals: $20 Echo Dot, Bose discounts, Galaxy S9 bundle and more

Amazon

With Black Friday behind us, it’s time for Cyber Monday deals — and Amazon is mostly just extending the deals it kicked off on Black Friday (and the days leading up to it). However, some items are running out of stock. We’ll keep updating this post as we spot changes.

Bose headphones and Roku streamers are offering some of the better value savings at the moment. Plus, you’ll find some of the best prices of the year (or, at least since Prime Day) on Amazon’s own devices including the Amazon Echo, Fire tablet, Fire TV and Kindle — and other top-notch gadgets, too. You’ve also got the Kids editions of each Amazon device doing their best to get the little bundles of joy involved in all the discount shenanigans.

And don’t forget Kindle books; hundreds are on sale for up to 80 percent off.

Updated: Deals and availability confirmed on Monday, Nov. 26 at 2:15 p.m. PT.

Here’s what you need to know:

Amazon’s deals are live, with certain time-based Lightning Deals happening throughout the day.

Before you buy anything at Amazon today, see if it’s eligible for Target’s 15% off offer.

We’ve put the newest and/or most notable sale items at the top of the list.

Note that CNET may get a share of revenue from the sale of the products featured on this page

Notable new deals at Amazon

These Bose wireless headphones and wireless speakers are available elsewhere, too, but we’re calling them out because they’re great-sounding products available at a good discount. And don’t miss the just-added Samsung Galaxy S9 bundle:

Samsung Galaxy S9 (unlocked, 64GB) with Echo (second-generation) and Echo Spot: $520 (save $418)

Amazon

The Galaxy S9 by itself is a sweet deal at $520, but Amazon throwing in an Echo and an Echo Spot? Weird… but we’ll take it! You also have the option of choosing an Echo Show (second-gen) as your freebie.

See at Amazon

Galaxy S9 review

Bose SoundSport Wireless: $100 at Walmart and Amazon ($50 off)

Sarah Tew/CNET

Bose’s popular wireless sports headphone are on sale for $100 at a few different retailers this Cyber Monday.

Store: Walmart and Amazon

See at Amazon

Read the CNET review

Amazon device deals still available

OK, now to the Amazon device deals. Here’s what you can get right now.

Echo Dot (third-gen): $24 (save $26)

Ben Fox Rubin/CNET

The latest and greatest Dot smart speaker for over 50 percent off? Yes, please.

Heather Gray is the only immediately available color. Charcoal and Sandstone will be in stock on Dec. 4-5.

See at Amazon

Echo Dot review

Echo Dot (second-gen): $20 (save $20)

Taylor Martin/CNET

Last year’s Dot is still plenty good, especially at this price. Who cares about a fabric cover?

See at Amazon

Echo Dot review

Echo (second-gen): $69 (save $31)

Ian Knighton/CNET

Although QVC briefly had this beat with a two-fer deal (two Echos for $100), a single for $69 is still pretty compelling. At most, Amazon usually cuts $20 off the price. Limited Edition Red will be released on December 5, 2018.

See at Amazon

Echo review

Echo Look: $50 (save $150)

Tyler Lizenby/CNET

Look — Amazon’s fashion-minded Echo device hasn’t exactly set the world on fire. Because do we need an Alexa-powered selfie camera? Maybe not for $200… but what about for $50?

See at Amazon

Echo Look review

Echo Plus (second-gen): $110 (save $40)

Truthfully, this is far from our favorite Amazon Echo product. The Plus adds a Zigbee hub and temperature sensor — decidedly optional items for most homeowners. The straight-up Echo (just $69) may be your better bet.

See at Amazon

Echo Plus review

Echo Show (second-gen): $180 (save $50)

Tyler Lizenby/CNET

Though a big improvement over the original, the screen-equipped Echo Show is still a hard sell for some. Maybe a $50 savings makes it more palatable?

Update: Out of stock right now, but you can order it now and it will be available again on Dec. 14.

See at Amazon

Echo Show review

Echo Spot: $90 (save $40)

Taylor Martin/CNET

The Echo Spot is fine for what it is, but Amazon still hasn’t done enough to convince us that Alexa needs a touchscreen at all.

See at Amazon

Echo Spot review

Fire HD 8 tablet $50 ($30 off)

Sarah Tew/CNET

At $30 off this is also well worth a look.

Update, Nov. 26: The item can still be ordered at the discount right now, but it won’t be back in stock until Dec. 2.

$50.00 at Amazon

Echo Dot Kids Edition Bundle with Fire 7 Kids Edition: $100 ($70 off)

Sarah Tew/CNET

Great little package, perfect for kids.

Update: Various colors are out of stock until Dec. 4. It can be ordered now for immediate shipment when it’s back in stock.

$100.00 at Amazon

Echo Dot Kids Edition Bundle with Fire HD 10 Kids Edition: $180 ($90 off)

Perfect if you’re looking to spend a little more on your nearest and dearest.

Update: Various colors are out of stock until Dec. 3. It can be ordered now for immediate shipment when it’s back in stock.

$180.00 at Amazon

Ring Video Doorbell 2 with all-new Echo Dot: $139 ($110 off)

Chris Monroe/CNET

Time to take the next step with creating that smart home, might as well get it when its $110 off.

$139.00 at Amazon

Blink XT Cam Systems for up to $150 off

The standard Blink cameras are designed for indoor use, but if you have outdoor areas you want to monitor, look to the Blink XT. Those weather-proofed models are on sale now. Here are your options:

See at Amazon

Fire TV Recast 500 GB: $180 ($50 off)

Sarah Tew/CNET

Fire TV Recast is a just-released piece of hardware that acts as a dedicated DVR hub for your media streaming needs. CNET’s Ty Pendlebury called it “one of the best cord-cutting companions yet,” and starting Nov. 18, you’ll find the 500GB version with two tuners marked down to $180, saving you $50.

Need more storage space for Recasted reruns? The 1TB version with four tuners will be marked down to $220, saving you about $60.

See at Amazon

Fire TV Recast review

Roku Streaming Stick 2018 for $30 (save $20)

Sarah Tew/CNET

If the Fire TV isn’t your thing, this Roku is a great substitute. It’s got more channels, a cleaner interface and it includes a remote (shown here) that controls your TV’s power and volume.

Availability: As of Sunday, Nov. 25, this deal is temporarily out of stock. It can still be ordered, and Amazon will send an email when it can be shipped.

See at Amazon

Roku 2018 streamers compared

Echo Sub and two Echos (second-gen): $250

Sarah Tew/CNET

The Amazon Echo Sub adds an instant bass upgrade to the Echo line of smart speakers — and you get two of the latter as well, making for a better overall music experience.

Update: As of Friday, Nov. 24 at 9 a.m. PT the bundle price has dropped by another $20 from its earlier sale price of $270 — now $80 off — for the charcoal, heather gray and sandstone colors. All other colors remain $270.

See at Amazon

Echo Sub review

Echo Sub and two Echo Plus (second-gen): $330 (save $100)

Amazon

One Echo Sub and two Echo smart speakers make for a great combination. If you want to raise the ante, opt for a pair of Echo Plus instead. They add a temperature sensor and smart-home hub to the mix.

See at Amazon

Echo Plus review

Fire TV Stick and Echo Dot (second-gen): $40 (save $40)

For less than the regular price of an Echo Dot alone, you nab both the smart speaker and Amazon’s Alexa-imbued streaming stick.

See at Amazon

Fire TV Stick review

Blink Indoor Cam Systems for up to $116 off

Chris Monroe/CNET

Amazon bought smart home camera startup Blink late last year — this year, it’s offering big discounts on Blink Indoor starter kits. Here are your options:

Don’t ask me why a single add-on cam costs more than the one-cam starter kit, which also includes the system’s hub.

See at Amazon

Blink Indoor review

Echo Dot Kids Edition three-pack: $100 ($110 off)

Sarah Tew/CNET

You’ll score similar savings on the Echo Dot Kids Edition, with a three-pack selling for just $100. That’s $33 each — less than half of what they normally cost.

See at Amazon

Read more on CNET

Echo Show two-pack: $340 ($120 off)

Tyler Lizenby/CNET

Amazon just released a new, second-gen Echo Show touchscreen smart speaker. Starting Friday, you’ll be able to buy two of them for $340, which is $120 less than you’d normally pay and $10 less per device than the Black Friday discount on single units.

To get this price you’ll need to add both devices to your cart.

Update: As of Nov. 24 at 9 a.m. PT, this will be back in stock Dec. 14.

See at Amazon

Echo Show review

Echo Spot two-pack: $160 (save $100)

Chris Monroe/CNET

Want a pair of Echo Spots? Amazon will sell you two of them for $160, which is $100 less than you’d normally pay. Single Spots get discounted to $90 starting on Thanksgiving Day, so this deal saves you an extra $20 if you’re planning to buy two, anyway.

To get this price you’ll need to add both devices to your cart.

See at Amazon

Echo Spot review

Fire 7 Kids Edition tablet: $70 ($30 off)

Sarah Tew

Update: As of Monday, Nov. 26 at 10 a.m. PT, the Kids edition of the Fire 7 will be back in stock on Dec. 6, 2018. It can be ordered now and will ship when available.

Amazon’s kid-friendly tablet with a safety net — er, case. Koala not included.

See at Amazon

Fire 7 Kids Edition review

Fire HD 8 Kids Edition tablet: $90 ($40 off)

Sarah Tew/CNET

Update: As of Monday, Nov. 26 at 10 a.m. PT, the Kids edition of the Fire HD 8 will be back in stock on Dec. 6, 2018. It can be ordered now and will ship when available.

A great value from the kids’ menu.

See at Amazon

Fire HD 8 Kids Edition review

Fire HD 10 tablet: $100 ($50 off)

David Carnoy/CNET

Amazon’s biggest tablet is also an Alexa-powered hands-free device.

See at Amazon

Fire HD 10 review

Fire HD 10 Kids Edition tablet: $150 ($50 off)

David Carnoy/CNET

A bigger screen, and bigger value, on the kid- and parent-friendly Fire tablet.

Update: As of Sunday Nov. 25 at 11 a.m. PT, the Kids edition of the Fire HD 10 in blue will be back in stock on Dec. 5. The pink edition returns on Dec. 4. It can be ordered now and will ship when available. Yellow is currently in stock.

See at Amazon

Fire HD 10 Tablet with Show Mode Charging Dock: $145 ($60 off)

Sarah Tew/CNET

The Show Mode charging dock basically transforms your Fire Tablet into an always-on, Echo Show-style smart display. Starting Nov. 16, you’ll be able to get the two packaged together for $145.

Already have a Fire HD 10 and just want the dock? Starting on Nov. 16, Amazon’s knocking $10 off of the price, bringing the dock’s cost down to $45.

See at Amazon

Amazon Show Mode dock review

More discounts

Many of these items are temporarily out of stock but can still be ordered at the sale price. Just take note of the expected delivery date.

Ring Video Doorbell 2 with all-new Echo Dot: $139 ($110 off) Echo Dot Kids Edition Bundle with Fire HD 10 Kids Edition: $180 ($90 off) Echo Dot Kids Edition Bundle with Fire 7 Kids Edition: $100 ($70 off) Fire HD 8 tablet with Hands-Free Alexa: $50 ($30 off) Fire HD 8 tablet and Show Mode Dock bundle: $80 ($40 off) Show Mode Dock for Fire HD 8: $30 ($20 off) Echo Dot Kids Edition Bundle with Fire HD 8 Kids Edition: $120 ($80 off) Kindle Paperwhite (seventh-gen): $80 ($40 off — note that this is the previous version of the Paperwhite, note the newer 2018 version) Ring Alarm five-piece Home Security Starter Kit: $159 ($40 off) Ring Spotlight Cam two-pack: $249 ($149 off)

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CNET’s Cheapskate scours the web for great deals on PCs, phones, gadgets and much more.

Questions about the Cheapskate blog? Find the answers on our FAQ page. Find more great buys on the CNET Deals page and follow the Cheapskate on Facebook and Twitter!

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itsworn · 7 years ago

Text

A Week Of Daily Driving, Pie Pickup, And A Goodbye To Conner Assembly In A 2017 Viper ACR Voodoo II

Elana’s Story

The big wing jutted up in the parking lot like a mesa on the edge of Texas flatland. “Drop me off there,” I instructed the airport shuttle driver, and she raised an eyebrow at my schlubby travel clothes and ripped purple suitcase as she opened the bus doors. I was in Detroit for a week of filming with Roadkill, culminating in a Viper plant tour and the Roadkill Nights racing at M1 Concourse. Dodge asked if I needed a get-around car for the visit, and nothing gets you around like a 2017 Viper ACR special edition Voodoo II. The Voodoo first came out as a limited model ACR in 2010, and the 2017 model uses the same glossy black base with accents of red and silver, more black widow spider than snake. “Does Batman know you have his car?” asked my husband when I texted him a photo.

I squeezed my ragged luggage in the trunk and scooted the seat up until I could reach the clutch. I couldn’t really get out easily from that position, but I had a Viper for a week. Why would I ever want to get out? “Oh this car, this car is a man-catching machine!” said the parking lot attendant as I waited for the arm to come up, and she was right. I got two rings waved at me on the highway as I headed for Pontiac, Michigan. “Marry me!” shouted the passenger in a beat-up Cavalier.

Any of you who are regular readers know that if I was in a marryin’ mood, it would be the Viper I’d propose to. I’ve spent some serious daily driver time in various models of the snake, and I’ve enjoyed every second of it. The ACR is a nastier animal than the SRT or GTS configurations. It wanders and argues about low-speed steering changes and uneven lanes. It stops so fast you’ll punch the center display with your downshifting hand if you don’t have a grip on the shifter baseball, and it transmits every pothole and pea of gravel directly to your lower back no matter how many mattresses you’re sleeping on, princess. I loved it anyway, and a good thing, since Freiburger and Finnegan were filming at Milan Dragway, a good 60 miles from my hotel in Pontiac. 120 mile roundtrip for multiple days? Pricey for gas, priceless for joy.

In between commuting to the dragstrip, I also used the Viper for normal activities, like finding the best pie in the area (Achatz Pies in Beverly Hills, MI), creeping it nervously through a thunderstorm, and teaching one of our video guys how to drive stick (he did real good, no clutches harmed). My love for the Viper remained undimmed, and I was happy to get to win a few other people over to it. At the end of the week, Hot Rod Garage host, Tony Angelo, and I managed to fit all our gear into the back, and I offered him the keys for the drive to the airport. “I don’t really like Vipers that much,” he said, but he was willing to give the ACR a try. A few strong pulls later and he was giggling as foolishly as I had been all week. “It’s like a real race car, oh, it’s fun!”

2017 is a bittersweet year for Viper fans. Dodge is ending production, and Viper clubs all over are gathering to pay tribute to the snake. With that intro, let me turn it over to Benjamin Hunting, who took the Voodoo to the closing of Conner Assembly plant–the nest where Vipers are hatched.

Ben’s Story

“What serial number is that one?” I’m asked almost immediately after parking at Detroit’s Conner Ave Assembly Plant and stepping out of my ride for the day. This is the birthplace of Chrysler’s most potent – and most significant – sports car, where Dodge is celebrating 25 years of Viper production, and the front lawn is replete with as many examples of the V10-powered coupe as I’ve ever seen gathered in one place.

“001,” I reply, after hastily checking the dash plaque. This conversation would repeat itself throughout the day, requiring me to repeatedly assert my non-ownership of the black-with-red-striped Voodoo II packages Viper ACR, a one-of-31 edition that loads every single option into the track-ready monster. It’s a testament to the staying power of the Dodge SRT Viper’s over-the-top image that rolling in to a field of over 200 similarly-styled snakes in a Voodoo II package ACR still draws a crowd.

“Oh, I’ve got #006 waiting for delivery next week,” came the reply from the man admiring the car’s “I”LL CUT YOU!” vents on the front fenders and overpass-threatening wing perched on the rear deck. “I’m going to try to see if they’ll let me near it inside the factory. I honestly can’t wait.”

That’s right – they’re still building Vipers here at Conner Ave, although for how much longer is anyone’s guess. If you were to judge by the exuberant atmosphere on this sunny Saturday morning, you’d be hard-pressed to call this gathering a funeral for a friend – or, more accurately, a beloved family member. Dodge may have canceled the Viper after a quarter century of near-continuous production, but judging by the high spirits of the owners gathered here today, the party has no plans of stopping any time soon.

The inside of the plant is almost completely open, letting us wander throughout its massive confines hemmed in only by the yellow safety tape that keeps us from accidentally activating any important Viper-making machinery (or walking out with a souvenir or two). The further down the line you get, the more complete the frames, body panels, and engine assemblies become, culminating in the snake pen at the end of the building where finished rides await the chance to put a smile on the faces of their new owners. I strain to spot Voodoo II #006, but it remains elusive.

Of course, customer cars aren’t the only denizens of Connor Ave, as Dodge has put a number of significant Viper models on display for the faithful. There are Le Mans winners, prototypes, one of the earliest RT/10 models known to still exist, and land speed record holders all sitting shoulder-to-shoulder, along with a single Plymouth Prowler (that easily forgotten son-of-Conner-Ave) tucked way off in a corner. Wall art tracks the development of the Viper from Gen I to Gen V, with unusual, never-produced variants mixed in to catch the eye of the devoted. On my way out the door I overhear an SRT engineer talking about how he snagged one of the six dual-cam VVT Viper engines that were ever built before it could be sent to the scrap yard. As job perks go, that’s a pretty damn good one.

Back on the lawn, it’s time to take a picture and then get this show on the road. After being captured in all their multi-colored glory by the photographer dangling high overhead, most of the cars around me get ready for the next stage in the day’s celebrations, a 15-mile, police-escorted parade from the plant to the M1 Concourse in Pontiac where Roadkill Nights is staging street legal drag races on Woodward Avenue and reserving a paddock just for Viper owners. In a cacophony of choppy cams and flashing blue lights a phalanx of Detroit’s finest sail in on their police bikes, lining up along the side of the road to lead us from the promised land.

Just before getting back into the Voodoo II, I find myself talking to Wes from Maryland, a self-described “military knucklehead” who’s in the middle of transplanting a Gen V body onto a Gen IV frame. “I picked up a wrecked Gen V for $25,000, but I couldn’t get a new frame anywhere,” he tells me. “So I’m here at the plant taking as many pictures as I can of all the chassis and platform details so I can figure out what needs to get cut, stretched, and moved to make everything play nice together.”

He says that ever since he put pictures of the project online, he’s gotten so many questions and messages of support about it that he’s gotten more done in the last 30 days than he did in the first six months. “It was originally a Carbon Edition car, but when I’m done with it it’ll be a T/A.” This fantastic Frankenstein creation will also probably be the most Roadkill Viper on the planet.

Our conversation is cut short by an official looking finger pointed in my direction by someone holding an equally official looking clipboard, directing me to line up two cars behind the Dodge Law Enforcement Viper that’s leading the pack (behind the actual, badge-carrying officers riding in the Dodge Chargers). I’m honored to be at the tip of the fang as we pull out of the assembly plant to begin the slow, raucous, and exceptionally loud convoy to M1. My side mirrors are filled with gearheads of all ages taking pictures and waving from the sidelines, Vipers stretching back as far as the eye can see (it’ll take one and a half hours for all 200 cars to make it to the paddock) police bikes that blaze by with startling regularity to block off side streets and make our lives easier while introducing misery into the weekend commutes of unsuspecting Detroiters.

Suddenly, I’m distracted from the reverie around me by an insist message on the Viper ACR’s gauge cluster. It’s not telling me how awesome the car is, or how incredibly fortunate I am to be given the keys to this beast for a ceremonial cruise: it’s pointing out how stupid I must be to have forgotten to fill the tank before leaving the hotel this morning. LOW FUEL, LOW FUEL the car complains, and it’s with a cold clarity that I realize I’m about to be “that guy” – the one who ran out of gas driving in car he doesn’t even own in a parade of Vipers.

Anxiously, I text Elana, Roadkill EIC and the caretaker of this ACR for most of the previous week to ask how far I can drive with the gas light on. “Maybe 30 miles,” she replies, but at these slow, stop-and-go speeds I can foresee a flatbed in my future should I decide to push my luck. It’s then that fate intervenes. In a bid to bunch up the long trail of cars behind us, the entire parade grinds to a halt at an intersection marked by a Marathon station, its faded logo shining like a beacon to under-prepared idiots like me.

I crank the wheel and screech in to the closest fuel pump, which of course refuses to accept my Canadian credit as a legitimate form of legal tender. Cursing my useless plastic, I run into the gas station where I accost a very confused attendant holding a mop and a bucket. “It’s the car with the giant wing!” I exclaim, stuffing a $20 bill in his hand and spinning on my heel to run back to the pump. Seconds later 91 octane is flowing into the ACR’s greedy tank in my best approximation of a NASCAR pit stop, to the hoots and laughter of genuine Viper owners passing me by at speeds low enough to register the shame on my face.

My twenty bucks spent, the pump clicks and I’m back behind the wheel, angling the ACR’s aero-laden front clip carefully back down onto the street. Eventually, another snake wrangler takes pity on me and a hole opens up in the line, letting me sneak into the parade, tail between my legs. It’s then, however, that I realize I’ve been presented with perhaps the rarest of opportunities: four clear lanes of boulevard, a sympathetic police escort, and a chance to snag my number 3 spot and extend the stock car racing metaphor as much as possible.

Throwing caution, and perhaps my last ounce of reasonable doubt to the wind, I pull out of line and hammer the throttle as much as I dare, blasting past ten, then twenty, then fifty crawling Vipers at a whopping 45-mph, fingers crossed that the cops still zooming down the street in the far lane will ignore my lack of decorum until I can regain my position at the front of the pack. In my mind I can picture scowling faces in imaginary Detroit Race Control screaming into headset mics and commanding my crew chief to send me to the “tail-end of the longest line,” but fortunately for everyone my fantasies don’t ever manifest themselves that fully in the real world. It’s not until the lead car is in sight that a uniformed officer in a patrol car pulls up beside me and suggests commands me to “get back in line!”

Once I’ve obliged, the rest of the trek to the M1 grounds is pleasantly uneventful – or rather, as uneventful as a train belching over a hundred thousand horsepower through sidepipes can realistically be on public streets. Parking the car on the concourse, I look down at the fuel gauge before shutting the car off and realize that had I not made my pit stop, I definitely would still be out there on the boulevard instead of here with the Roadkill Nation, celebrating not just the Viper, but every car out there killed by bean counters, market forces outside their control, or changing tides at the company that brought them into the world. As row after row of ACR, GTS, RT/10, GTC, GT, and T/A cars pull in alongside each other, however, I realize that the Viper family isn’t just steel, glass, and big honkin’ V10s – it’s muscle, love, and heart. And none of that is going away any time soon.

The post A Week Of Daily Driving, Pie Pickup, And A Goodbye To Conner Assembly In A 2017 Viper ACR Voodoo II appeared first on Hot Rod Network.

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vlogging-us-blog1 · 7 years ago

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7 Ways To Make Professional Looking Video Blogs That Will Attract Users And Keep Them Coming Back

vlogging toolsNavigating through Darren's ProBlogger website got me thinking about one facet of blogging that I use to participate within: video blogging or vlogging. As a video professional, I love this specific media and find it appealing and better to use in regards with commentary or tutorials. I understand that a lot of users still like to learn in their own pace but after reading this article you may discover a few ways to focus on your new and old users with appealing video blogs.

1- KNOW YOUR TOPIC

A pretty basic idea that also works for ordinary blogs. Understanding fully that which you're going to explain, comment on or deliver a tutorial on. Most well known vloggers don't simply stick a camera in their faces and start yapping. You must have a succinct plan, a kind of script to work off of. Do your own research, plan beforehand and jot down major points therefore you do not wind up doing: "hummmm, then uh. . hmmm... heuuu"

2- WATCH YOURSELF AND YOUR SETTING

Have you been about to list your self on your bath robe? Are you currently slouching in your seat with the kiddies running around behind you? If you'd like to be used seriously, you must take the necessary action. Be respectful; believe about your own vlog such as a true demonstration before 1000s of individuals. This does not mean you need to put on a suit and a tie and then stand behind a podium however, you will need to show a graphic that will communicate approachability and professionalism. A good way to achieve that will be to cleanup the clutter in your desk, so be careful as to what shows up at the backdrop. If need be, shed a nice neutral-colored drape supporting you (orperhaps not directly contrary to you, about 5 to 10 feet is perfect). Do not sit with your spine to a window as that will create a horrible effect called backlighting. No matter what your own back light button onto your camera says, it still can look horrible. Wear impartial clothes, don't use bright colors if you don't really have to show your crazy side. Focus your eyes straight at the camera while speaking and try an work and grin now and then.

3- LIGHTS

It's not necessary to go buy LED lighting boxes or fresnos for a V-Log shoot. Use the light sources at home or office. Only direct it in a way where youpersonally, the subject, will soon be lit equally. To be certain you've got an additional light, you are able to liquefy it with a white cotton sheet in front of the light source (not too close, do not burn it). The best method to use this technique is to make use of a flooding light (the people which time straight up into the ceiling, so usually 100 Watts) and direct it back. Hurry it on a chair or a desk and be certain that the center of this light hits your upper body. Put the light five feet off. Minus the diffuser, see your face will likely be more "hot" (hot spots on the monitor are also referred as blown off and happen when a subject is over exposed). Place the sheet before the light and stretch it so light can go through. You will see straight away the difference, the lighting will now be diffused and will hit the subject evenly. You could even make use of a background light to help make you stick out just a little from the desktop. To accomplish this, make use of a directional light source like a spotlight and put it on to the floor or above the subject but only facing the back ground directed at you. That light is usually not as glowing than the main one and perhaps not trusted for vlogging however, you are able to experiment.

4- CAMERA

So many Web Cams are available on the industry nowadays, some great and some incredibly horrible. You don't have to shell out an excessive amount of money to acquire a nice camera that'll have adequate resolution and frame rate (the amount of frames at one minute, i.e. 10 frames a second will show a tiny lag in your video, the frames per second the better) to accomplish your vlogs but then again there isn't to take advantage of your webcam either. For the most part, vlogs are a fast means for users to get the information they require in a video format, right? You obviously don't want your customers to sit around and wait for the video to load because it's poorly compressed, right? Keep in your mind you are not trying to take on Diggnation and different web demonstrates that use HD cameras worth tens of thousands of dollars (their shows are in general around 180MB to down load and last more than half an hour). If you get a digital camera (or still camera with video function) lying round like the majority of people do these days, use it. The gap will be huge. These real cameras have a lot greater lens and also capture colors and light in their authentic shape without cutting corners like many Web Cams.

I'd like to take a few of my older stuff having an iSight camera also had great success with this. My customers were delighted with the tutorials and also the standard of them. I wasn't. I knew I can do better and match the changing technology. I have since shot a few using a 1chip digital camera and saw a second difference. Since I was shooting full DV (frame rate of 29.97 frames per minute), I might then squeeze the vlog into 2 4 or 20 frames per second - that will be higher compared to the webcams and still maintain the excellent resolution that the DV gave me. (again about compressing under point 7).

5- ACTION

Speak clearly, enunciate and don't go too fast. It's hard to not stress over how we look or the way we seem and feel natural if infront of a camera, which is why being calm could be the number one nation you have to maintain. Don't go on to immediately at front of the camera, your movement will soon be blurred out in this level of compression and also isn't recommended. Utilize more punctuation than normal, make sure your voice will not become boring after a while.

6- CUTTING YOUR WAY THROUGH THE COMPETITION

As your shooting at your V-Log you need to already know whether you're going to use video games of the image you're referring to or some snippet of another video you will be viewing or commenting on. Editing may make it all happen. Editing is important to putting together a vlog with a "to the point" mentality. Use visual bumpers to different your own points. Add titles to highlight the most important part of one's comment. Insert music at the ending and start with a brief name arrangement presenting your vlog. Therefore a variety of editing suggestions you can use to earn your V-Log more eloquent and gratifying to see, instead of the boring monologue it could become. Be careful though, editing may also be an ugly poisoned apple when badly employed. Too many cuts will make the audience seem off. Too many names will create the audiences spend less time hearing you personally and more time attempting to decode all of the text. Music can become frustrating if utilized throughout the V-Log as a desktop bed. All in moderation for a greater production.

I take advantage of Final Cut Pro on the Mac however it is definitely not the tool to use if you are only creating vlogs. IMovie for the Mac is a great alternative and brings a whole lot of amazing features and ease of use to this vlogger. To the PC side, MovieMaker and a ton of additional consumer softwares are great in what they do also. Bear in mind, the point of earning a vlog would be to be visually appealing however without wasting too long. You don't wish to produce a 5 second vlog that took you a complete day or even production. The first one could take you longer but when you become good at it you will see an immense improvement on your deadline. I am now able to write, shoot, edit and compress a full 5 or 10 minute vlog, in less than an hour.

7- COMPRESSING YOUR VLOGS WITHOUT SWEARING UP A STORM

Once your edit is done and you've watched yourself in amazement, it's time and energy to compress and let the others enjoy it too. Most of the editing applications you will be using wil have export features for different formats. For vlogs, the bigger the better however, in addition you do not want to lose a lot of. The ones I tend to use most are . MOV and . MP4 since they give me great quality without much video artifact (pixelized image, blurry spots and video recorders).

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shiningrye · 8 years ago

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Baker’s Dozen -1 2016

Please lady, my tinnitus.

It may be a few months into 2017 but it’s not too late to review the year that was. It can be worthwhile to reflect on the past, to celebrate successes and learn from shortcomings, to track your progress and see how you’ve grown, and to dwell and ruminate on missed opportunities while you lie awake in your bed at two in the morning trapped in a nihilistic prison of your own mind.

I set out every year to challenge myself to do twelve projects. These can be paid gigs or just personal projects that I complete, but I try to get one finished a month. I feel it’s a great motivator and a good way to improve my skills and at the very least it’s a good productive outlet. I generally only count projects or goals that relate to filmmaking or digital media to keep me more focused.

Here’s how I did (in order of release/completion):

1. Four Feet Companion Foundation - Pucks for Paws

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The first project of the year I finished was a volunteer gig for Four Feet Companion Foundation, this is a great little volunteer-run organization that provides financial and volunteer support to local animal charities. Being part animal myself, I was excited to take on this project and contribute to this cause. I believe this is played annually now at every Pucks for Paws event which is their big fundraising event that takes place at the Saddledome. Overall this was a pretty straightforward shoot and I was decently happy with how it turned out.

Some challenges were the logistics of scheduling and traveling to the different locations, as well as setting up the shoots alone without scouting the location first. A lot of these challenges were caused by a truncated timeline.

What I learned: Thinking back and rewatching the video, it’s obvious that in one interview the colour was way off. It ain’t purdy.

There were a few issues that I faced.

Mixed colour temperature. I was dealing with three different temperatures (daylight from the window, overhead fluorescents and a tungsten keylight) and without proper gels I really didn’t know the best course of action to take.

I wasn’t prepared. I didn’t have suitable gels or flags and I flew blind into the location.

I dun goofed. Lastly, I made a mistake in setting the white balance.

Mixed colour temperature is a beast that can only be slain one way: Unifying all light sources to one temperature. As Alex Buono (SNL and Documentary Now! DP) says, there’s no tricks around it, you just have to get all light to be the same temperature the old fashioned way. It seems obvious and is relatively straightforward to do, if albeit time consuming. A quick flick of the switch killed the overhead fluorescents, which left the two mixed sources shining. Altering light sources isn’t so bad in a small room, if you have the tools.

But I didn’t have the tools.

Logistically this was the only room we could shoot in. There were no blinds on the window and no rod or frame to clip a blanket too, even if I did have clips. You think a guy without clips is going to have a flag (fabric designed to cut light that can be easily positioned)? Hell no. I also didn’t have large enough gels to cover the window (known as CTO or colour temperature orange, alters daylight to tungsten) or the keylight (CTB or colour temperature blue, which alters tungsten light to daylight). I just wasn’t prepared.

Lastly I made an M. A mmmm-m-m-m... A mistake. Yes. A big fat one. Juicy and all tender-like.

I didn’t change the white balance on the cameras to tungsten (3200K) from daylight (5500/5600K) prior to shooting. To add insult to amateruish injury, the walls were painted in what I swear to be Tungsten Yellow, which just compounded the problem.

You’d think someone who worked for a company as a corporate videographer with a few years under their belt wouldn’t make mistakes like this. But it happens. Or at least it happened to me. The trick is to learn from your mistakes and try not to retread the same territory again.

So how did I learn from my mistakes?

The colour temperature issue may have been avoided if I was able to scout the location beforehand. Short timelines can be hard to avoid, but one thing I would’ve insisted on for this interview would’ve been requesting some pictures

of potential shooting locations. Now they may not be able to accommodate the request in time, but you have nothing to lose by asking. I assumed, falsely, that shooting in houses are all relatively the same which wasn’t the case.

Furthermore, since this shoot, my kit has grown in size to hopefully avoid a similar issue in the future.

The white balance gaffe spurred me to make a consistent mental checklist and run through it prior to every shoot since. The checklist I will share in a future post! A simple flash of my Gray Card or using a Colour Passport also would’ve saved me a headache. Over the past year I’ve learned a lot more about colour correcting and grading.

(Top) Last year I was trying to counter the yellow and orange and then glazed it with magenta maybe as a feeble attempt to make it a bit stylized? I couldn’t tell ya. With knowing what I know now, I could salvage it somewhat (Bottom) but it’s best to not make those mistakes in the first place.

That’s also not the worst of it. To add to the stress of the shoot, embarrassingly I may or may not have forgot to bring the quick release plate for the B cam, rendering its tripod useless...

1/4"-20 on a lightstand is there for this reason, right?

I’m not proud.

Yeah I could’ve balanced it on the tripod head. But I did have the sense to know that gravity wins every time.

Tip: Always check your kit before you leave. Another tip: I didn’t get bogged down and give up with the amateur-hour move, I looked at what I had and used it to jerry-rig a solution. If it’s stupid but it works, it ain’t stupid. Even if it still looks stupid.

2. PONOS Apparel

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Had a good time shooting this one: a web commercial for a local athletic apparel company. Shot it in a day and overall it went smoothly. Had a quick and dirty shot list that was flexible so it was fun improvising sequences and putting it together in the edit. Loved working with the director, who made shooting it a breeze.

I believe a student who attends at a local highschool created the music.

Challenges were some of the shots such as running nearly full tilt with a Glidecam but I think they worked for what it is. This is where a gimbal or Steadicam or even a vest and arm attachment would’ve made light work of it.

What I learned: I would’ve made some different editing choices now. The part that really sticks out to me now is in the deadlift scene I’d remove the ‘jump cut + crash zooms’ on the kick beat. They’re unnecessary! Sometimes I get an idea in my head and I want to run with it, but it’s easy to trap yourself in a tunnel. So ideally I should’ve taken a step back and let the edit breathe a bit before committing. Also I need to watch my exposure and ratios. The final shot (which is also the thumbnail above) the highlights are too hot and it’ll bug me forever.

3. John’s Tongue is Not Long

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I had a strong urge to shoot a short so I whipped up a poem and a video idea about one of my roommates at the time, John, and his short tongue. After shooting it, I thought that the poem idea lent itself better to a song. So I enlisted the help of Chris Koehler to help put this song idea in motion. I was hoping he would take one look at the lyrics and jump at the chance to sing such glory. But alas he encouraged me to. I love singing. Alone in my car. The sing-songy genes of my ancestors were weeded out long ago. Perhaps it’s the reason why they emigrated? But I had fun and I think Chris did too. I’m stoked with how the song turned out, he killed it.

Challenges were I didn’t storyboard this or even really shot list this, just kind of went through the lyrics and shot what I thought fit. This made for a bit of problem solving in the edit but it actually wasn’t bad at all and I enjoyed making it fit.

What I learned: The idea was to shoot the first half before John went in for surgery (his wee tongue was causing him discomfort) and finish it off once he has a glorious normal length tongue. I realize now however that this doesn’t come across in the lyrics or the video. My talented director and animator buddy, Jarett Sitter provided some indispensable feedback with just one constructive comment, “I wish he had a ridiculous over-the-top tongue in the last scene.” As soon as he said it I knew I dun goofed.

One of my screenwriting profs said the ending has to be worth the price of admission. (paraphrased, he actually said the ending has to be the best part of the story to make it worth it. i.e. shit ending = shit story). Rewatching my own work is tough but it’s the best way to learn, and when I watch this I realize there’s no click at the end, no spice that holds the rest of it together. Adding in something over-the-top like that would’ve made it a lot more effective as a whole and would’ve fit with the style of the video no problem. So the lesson here, no matter how silly your project you set out to make, consult with friends and revise the script a few times before setting it in stone, you’ll get a better product at the end.

4. GRIT

GRIT is a non-prof that educates kindergarten-age children with disabilities. They requested a slideshow be created so it could be played at their annual gala. Me not settling for just an average slideshow decided to give it a little flair.

Challenges were the flair. I used a fairly common plugin for After Effects (AE) called SureTarget, and needless to say I ran into some problems. I love Video Copilot. They’re a fantastic resource and their plugins are great. So I’m not going to complain about a free, 7 year old plugin. But I will tell you of my tribulations. I’ve used the plugin with success a few times before, but it was used on older versions of AE. It was also used with fewer pictures. This video required about 80 photos/clips to be used, which was also another challenge to try and fit that within the allotted time. I believe the combination of debatable-compatibility with the newer version of AE and the sheer amount of assets proved a nightmare. I don’t even want to look back at how many hours I spent trying to fix the weirdest issues both in animating and rendering. It was too many for what should’ve been a relatively straightforward project.

What I learned: Sometimes you just learn in the middle of production that something just doesn’t work. Due to my stubbornness I refused to demote the slideshow to a generic (worse) program to deliver something. I problem solved and problem solved to find a solution that worked. However, I have put the plugin to rest for good now. It was a good sendoff as I was tired of using it anyway.

5. Phantasmagoria

I got the chance to work with Tia Halliday, a local artist, in capturing video of her project, Phantasmagoria. The idea behind it was to explore the relationship of the body to sculpture and painting. The scope of the project was impressive: using dancers from Alberta Ballet to contort their bodies and hold positions inside fabric sacks to be photographed digitally and with a medium format film camera, both in studio and on location outside.

Challenges were I haven’t done much in the way of abstract video or at least capturing abstract art. So getting myself well-versed and acquainted with the project was the first step. The rest fell into place in the weeks leading up and on the day.

What I learned: this was a combination of behind the scenes videography and capturing the imagery first-hand so it was good experience being able to shoot both.

6. Cancer Crusher Flash Mob

This was a short social-media-focused piece. It was relatively straightforward, and fun since I didn’t know exactly what to expect until it was happening.

Challenges the lens I used is not my favourite but it’s versatile for fast-paced shoots like this, it’s just a pain in the ass to pull focus on, and my hope is to invest in a better zoom eventually. During this shoot I felt like a hummingbird with all the people and action going on, that for a couple shots I cursed at myself in the edit because I didn’t hold frame long enough and missed context because of it.

What I learned: For fast fly-by-seat-of-pants shoots, just need to remember to breathe a beat or two longer on shots.

7. Cancer Crusher 2016 Main Event Recap

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This was the main event for Cancer Crusher where you could win prizes, eat, drink, listen to music, and smash fruit! This was a blast to shoot and I had a great time putting it together.

Challenges were not much different from other event videography gigs. Smaller venues can be a little more challenging to get the shot but there was time to get everything I felt I needed to. As always music is a challenge to find. I think I found something that captured the fun spirit with it hopefully not being too stock music-y.

What I learned: it’s always great to stretch the videography muscles so just getting more experience is always welcome.

8. Sally Shapiro - If You Ever Wanna Change Your Mind

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Directed by the aforementioned Jarett Sitter, this music video was fun and a very rewarding challenge to work on. It combined 3D assets - both still and animated, and 2D illustration and animation. My job was editing the video and combining those two sources to make them come alive.

Challenges were obvious. It was a fairly large-scale project in terms of scope (3D animation combined with illustration) and size (it’s a long song). 3D animation is a very time intensive process on the back-end especially, so if there are any changes, you have to prepare for hours (days) of rendering time. Due to the size of the project, the 3D guru, Evan, Jarett and I had to work simultaneously (picture us sprinting across a canyon, where one person is laying down slats and the other two are tying rope, trying to build the bridge as we go). So while consultations were frequent, the nature of it was generally only the big picture could really get nailed down. Figuring out an efficient workflow was key to the success of this project.

What I learned: I love compositing so getting a chance to get some more experience doing it was great. It was very rewarding coming up with solutions to the challenges some parts offered.

9, 10, 11, 12, 13. Lost Twentysomething Series

Last year I finished shooting five shorts that have been an absolutely labour of love. These have consumed my headspace for the past year, but it has been such an invaluable experience both personally and educationally. I’m pumped to see them coming together. Braden Paes along with my friends and family have helped me immensely in getting them produced. There have been challenges and tons of learning opportunities and in the coming weeks/months I’ll post more about them. In the meantime, I am steadily chipping away at them in post, hoping to have something to show in the early summer.

BONUS 14, 15, 16. Escape, Trillium, and Shasta Keychains

My dad’s little business, Camping Treasures is growing in inventory every month! The past year he needed me to draw out the dieline for three different trailers, the Escape, Trillium, and Shasta, so they could be made into 2-sided keychains.The designs have even been shrunk for wine glass charms and earrings. Take a look!

Conclusion

I haven’t written something this long since graduating university, but aside from shaking the rust off, my motivation for writing these is mainly self-serving. Overall I think I’m a patient guy but I often catch myself feeling like I’m in a rush, that I’m not progressing as much or as fast as I’d like, so I like looking back to reassure myself that I have been staying on track, learning, and applying what I’ve learned previously.

If you managed to get through it all, I sincerely hope that it maybe helped you do that thing you want to do or allowed you time to reflect on your own progress over the past year. What are you proud of? What challenges have you overcome and what have you learned from those challenges? Post in the comments or keep them in mind as you crush 2017!

I have started a new career this year which leaves me with less free time (except for right now), so instead of looking at quantity of projects finished, I’m going to be celebrating and looking at the smaller victories over the year.

#bakersdozenminusone #filmmaking #goals #project goals #film goals #new years goals #new year resolutions #shortfilm #videographer #video production #makingmoves #video project #filmmaker #neverstoplearning #ohgodthistookallday

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horror-movie-blog · 8 years ago

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HMB: VHS: Viral

Original Publishing Date: October 16th, 2015

I am so sick of this movie series. I am sick of lazy, unimaginative shaky cam found footage movies. I did enjoy them once, my favorite is Grave Encounters, which I'll talk about, and it's notorious brother, in another blog. But now, God dam it, not only is it overdone, it's an excuse for lazy film making. And this series, that needs to make quick short horror films, does not help that at all. VHS: Viral is a half ass attempt to be a social commentary of people's obsession with online media, even though I'm pretty sure these films are only known because of online streaming websites like Netflix, so if I were these film makers, I won't be bad mouthing the hands that feed them. But that's not the problem, go ahead and make a film about idiots on Youtube wanting to be super famous. But there's only two shorts in this movie that has that as a focus, and ironically they are both horrible. The ones that don't have that tacked on message are much better. The framing story and viral commentary number one is about a man trying to save his girlfriend after she gets abducted by an... Ice cream truck. Look, to make something not scary, scary, takes a lot of talent. This is not one of those rare movies that does this. The framing device is so confusing because the edits are all over the place. For a few seconds its footage of the girlfriend, then static and cuts to her and the boyfriend acting like a disgusting cute couple. Then there's shit like him living with his grandmother, a chase going on, images on everyone's cell phones, some guy getting stuck on the back tail of the ice cream truck, a gangster having a partying and killing everyone after his dog gets hit by a fork, and some woman getting revenge on an ugly dude for posting her nudes online. It's all over the place, it's sloppily edited, and the shaky cam is so bad it will give you a head ache. So the first real short is about a magician who has a magic cape. This is my favorite one, but unfortunately it was in VHS Viral, which means it had to be found footage and it needed to be short. This whole idea could have been a movie, it was so interesting. If this whole short was told in chronological order, using traditional filming, and shifted the narrative so it followed the magician's assistant, allowing us fresh eyes into the magician's secret, then this would have been great. But no. It had to be a documentary so it can be found footage, which didn't make any sense because it would cut in between the oblivious film makers and the magician trying out the magic cape. This leads to the biggest problem with the film, why is this shot with a video camera? I don't mean why the filmmakers chose this as their filming instrument, I mean why are the characters in the short filming everything that's going on? Because it's a documentary? Okay, but what about the scenes when the documentary crew aren't there? Um... The police have cameras at the end of their guns! That doesn't exist. Yeah... But... Look! This whole thing could have been filmed using normal filming techniques and it would have been a million times better! Look, I know cameras are expensive and even the affordable expensive cameras can be pretty crappy, but don't use found footage as an excuse for your budget. Don't turn a story into a found footage film to make up for your lack of better equipment. You'll look more amateur by doing that. The second short is about a man who invents a portal to another dimension in his basement (just go with it), and meets his other self, but learns the alternate dimension isn't as similar as his dimension then he was let on to believe. This movie did found footage right. Why is he filming? Because he's a scientist recording a major scientific discovery. And in a film making perspective, he needed a way to show two versions of himself without getting into super complicated split screen shit. Since its two of the same guy recording the other, it creates the allusion that there's really two versions of the same guy, when in reality it was probably another person filming the footage. This is an example of a story that's designed to be told with found footage. This would have been my favorite if the story didn't nose dive after we find out what makes the dimensions so different. And finally, we have the third short and viral commentary number two, when two kids pay someone to film them skateboard. They cross the border to Tijuana because there's a ditch where they can film themselves skateboarding. They see a witch when, I guess, looking for hookers, and the witch appears in the background of the next scene when they made it to the ditch. Suspense? One of the kids cuts himself, spilling blood on a drawing in the ditch, causing it to ignite with flames and summon the witch and skeletons creatures. The kids fight them off with their skateboards and flee. Then a large monster appears, but we don't see it. It eats the camera. This also pisses me off, when making a found footage movie, please give an explanation as to why there's editing/background music/and how we are watching the movie right now? I know no one watching this shit thinks its real, but isn't that the point of found footage? A monster eats the camera, well then how did the footage from that camera end up in the movie? And for that matter what the hell is the connection between all these shorts and the framing story? In the last two there's a reason, someone is watching the tapes, but in this movie nobody is watching them. It makes no sense. So as you can guess, this movie is terrible. VHS 1 was okay, VHS 2 was okay too, maybe better that 1, but that's not saying much. But there's nothing you can enjoy in the movie, even the good stuff in the film isn't worth watching this movie. I hope the film makers go on to do better things, but this was just a poor excuse for crapping found footage bullshit.

#horror movie blog #vhs viral

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Best Amazon Cyber Monday 2018 deals now: $20 Echo Dot, $30 Roku, Bose discounts and more

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Best Amazon Cyber Monday 2018 deals now: $20 Echo Dot, $30 Roku, Bose discounts and more

Amazon

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Echo Show review

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Echo Spot review

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Update: As of Sunday, Nov. 25 at 11 a.m. PT, the Kids edition of the Fire 7 will be back in stock on Dec. 3, 2018. It can be ordered now and will ship when available.