Few people know what all those things on a movie slate are for. Even fewer know the proper way to slate for camera properly.

It’s the job of the 2nd AC (Second Assistant Camera, or sometimes referred to as Clapper Loader) to write out the slate and be the person who holds it in front of the camera before each take. It’s an iconic job on a movie set, being the person who makes the loud SNAP right before the director calls action. However there are actually some important tips to know about slating in order to do it properly. Often you can impress the rest of the crew when you show you already know how to slate like a pro.

Adobe’s announcement to move its software licensing to a completely subscription-based model upset many loyal users. They’ve all stated their reasons for being enraged: no longer owning a permanent version of the software, paying a monthly/yearly fee forever rather than a one-time cost, etc.

Then about a week ago I was walking along shooting the shit with Shane Luis from ReRezTV (we were shooting his own rant video on Microsoft’s announcement of the Xbox One), when he asked me about the news of Creative Cloud and how it was affecting everybody. He decided to turn my own camera on me and get my brief thoughts on the matter.

And for the record, I don’t think that Creative Cloud will solve piracy. However, I have met more than a small number of people (and the rest of us are very aware that these folk are out there) who justify pirating copies of Adobe programs because they can’t afford the costs of purchasing them outright. Instead they download illegal versions of the software to start learning and working in order to eventually get legit versions down the road. This would make it far easier for those wanting to dive in and learn the programs right away, and far more difficult for folk to use cost as an excuse.

The time is rolling over midnight on the eve before Day 1 of what will undoubtedly be a rigorous, sanity-testing production. Hmm, shall I call it a night, get some good rest and wake up bright-eyed, bushy-tailed and ready to tackle the day? Or will I blog about it first?

Evidently, I chose the latter. But I will keep it brief as each hour of sleep will be invaluable over the next few days.

This feels like the Avengers assembling: Zombie Orpheus has flown many of its cast and crew members (including Scott C. Brown, Christian Doyle and Trinn Miller of Gamers: Hands of Fate, not to mention Ben Dobyns, Matt Vancil, Andy Dopieralski and Tony Becerra) as well as some other familiar faces (Joanna Gaskell, Daniel Johnston, and Vanessa Driveness from Standard Action) into town to work alongside Synndicus Studios (Thomas Gofton, Tom Brown and Aaron Soch, with whom I worked on Mind’s Eye: The Series) on two spinoffs in The Gamers universe: Natural One and Humans & Households.