mr. sparkle is in the house

[mr. sparkle]

hi FG iliterati!
my name is mr. sparkle and i am disrespectful to dirt! maybe you've seen my name on rob pongi's site as "editor" or "cameraman". so yeah, i'm a long time lurker. also hardcore fan and real life buddy of rob "pongi" - who is the fucktest of all the FGs, eh? oh yeah, i am president of the rob pongi fan club and purveyor of "Evil Pongi's Face Ripper" hot sauce too. pongi nation UNITE!

i really like FG because i love japan and have been so many times (at the behest of the pongi nation), that i almost feel that i am there with ya'll. everyday i think of the good times that i have had with all my FG brotha's - especially rob pongi.

the FG topics are interesting to me because living abroad is something i have never done, but plan to do someday - even though i'm a freakin' middle aged gaijin. hopefully, i can make it to japan to push the roppongi video happy hour to even higher levels at an extended play stay sometime this year. maybe kick it for a year or two with ya'll! yup, it would be fun to be "inside the buddha" as me 'n robbie say.

by the way, i've just written a book about fx and motion graphics using apple final cut pro. there are a number of cool things you can learn if you're into making video eye candy. check it out:

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0321179153/qid=1077054334//ref=sr_8_xs_ap_i1_xgl14/002-0306517-3803270?v=glance&s=books&n=507846

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lots of cool japan shots in the book, including one of rob pongi with 3 distort filters. 2 on the eyballs - one on the mouth. it's wicked! i'll post it as soon as i can.

i got a ton more stories and feel a little like a fucked gaijin myself. may as well join the crew.

if you are a video guy, i also have a web site. http://www.fcpworld.com

thanks to ultra and all of you for providing a great forum and i'll see ya on the boards!

all the best,

[Taro Toporific]

- even though i'm a freakin' middle aged gaijin. hopefully, i can make it to japan to push the roppongi video happy hour to even higher levels

Yikes! It's the holy music of the PongiTime, mr. sparkle.
<!-- Drop to knees knees in classic Wayne's World reverence.----/> bowdown: :bowdown :bowdown
"We're not worthy. We're not worthy."

[Cubed]

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0321179153/qid=1077054334//ref=sr_8_xs_ap_i1_xgl14/002-0306517-3803270?v=glance&s=books&n=507846

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here you go!

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I am a BBCode ninja

[Caustic Saint]

by the way, i've just written a book about fx and motion graphics using apple final cut pro. there are a number of cool things you can learn if you're into making video eye candy. check it out:

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0321179153/qid=1077054334//ref=sr_8_xs_ap_i1_xgl14/002-0306517-3803270?v=glance&s=books&n=507846

(sorry, couldn't get BBCode to recognize this url)

Odd. I could.

Cool deal on the book. I'm working my way through one on FCE right now. I'll be keeping an eye out for books on FCP should I ever move up. (Not that that'll be anytime soon. FCE is plenty powerful enough for what I do, and it'd be really hard to justify the $1,000 that FCP costs.)

But your book's got no reviews. Aren't you going to write one yourself? I hear it's all the rage these days.

[Caustic Saint]

Also, Mr. Sparkle's new book:

Motion Graphics and Effects in Final Cut Pro

PREORDER THIS BOOK NOW!!! LEARN IT, LIVE IT, LOVE IT!!!

Does it come with a free copy of FCP?

If not, how much of it can be used in FCE?

[mr. sparkle]

hell yeah taro,
thanks for the daijoki style welcome. much appreciated! cheers!

BTW guys, i tried and tried with the BBCode with that huge Amazon url and couldn't get it to work in IE or Safari, but it would with shorter urls. perhaps there is a limit? ah hell, i dunno...

hey CS-
(btw, have you ever heard of "Caustic Resin"?--they ROCK)

glad to hear you're doing the FCE boogie. FCE is basically FCP 3 and will do 99% of everything you'd want to do in Final Cut. it's actually a lot of fun. 'cept--unfortunately, you cannot revel in pongi style video effects since you cannot keyframe FX in FCE (make them move "over time"). there's a whole lot you CAN do however. take your time, you'll be a FCE Ninja in about 6 months if you tinker a little each day. it's most definitely cool for internet video and storytelling. you could probably do a DV short or even a feature on FCE.

thanks for the kudos on my book. i don't have children, but it feels like i just have given birth! 'cept the stretch marks on are on me noggin' :P

But your book's got no reviews. Aren't you going to write one yourself?

ha ha! that was funny as hell. i'll definitely not review my own shtick. i'll sick the pongi army on that site though!

i don't need to anyway because no one has ever had the cojones to write a book that went this far with video FX and FCP. it's a MOTHA! it's either gonna get 5 stars from a freak and 0 stars from someone who is new at FCP and has no business learning about extract mattes or splitting layers. i do think it's gonna rock (even in japan) because it's ALL COLOR and has pix of rob pongi, and tokyo all over the place. it should be translated into japanese by june. i'll be doing a tour at the apple store in ginza around then (trolling for a reason to come back to the bigT).

i don't have any reviews because the book comes out on 2-20. although i got a stack of 'em here in my hallway. i am presenting in LA in front of 600 folks next WED and that should rock. i'm presenting right before the "Michael Jordan" of editing** so all eyes will be up front.

**(Walter Murch who did "Cold Mountain" "Godfather" "Apocalypse Now" "Unbearable Lightness of Being, etc.)

FCE is plenty powerful enough for what I do, and it'd be really hard to justify the $1,000 that FCP costs

all you need to do is write a book and go begging

i now have a ferrari's worth of software in my tIBook. you're eyes would like this if'n you saw how much SWAG is in my rig. Shake alone is like $4 Grand.

my favorite is a japanese VJ program called motiondive.tokyo. it TOTALLY rocks!

welp, thanks again for the welcome wagon. i only hope it will be soon enough that we'll be tippin' back some daijokis in a contest of "drinking japanese beer", which, by the way, has NO rules.

[mr. sparkle]

saint,

Does it come with a free copy of FCP?

alas, i'm afraid not.

If not, how much of it can be used in FCE?

that is a damn good question. i'd say you could do quite alot of it. maybe 65-70%

i think it would be a challenge to see how far you could go with FCE and video FX. you've got color correction, motion effects, composite modes, filters, transitions - so there is quite a lot there. you could definitely beat up on avid Xpress.

if you are in tokyo, next time i come i can hook you up with a lesson...we can rock that puppy i am sure!

one thing about the book is that it comes with 8 free filters, a coupla transitions and a coupla generators that i'm sure will work in FCE. so if you don't like the book or can't do the exercises, you do what you can do and have the free filters to boot. there is a demo of motiondive.tokyo in there as well.

Remember, I'm just the idiot in front of the lens, so, ladies and gentlemen, please welcome the one and only Mr. Sparkle!

at least you know you're place rob!

thanks for the big welcome, m'main man! follow me looking my ass!

[Caustic Saint]

if you are in tokyo, next time i come i can hook you up with a lesson...we can rock that puppy i am sure!

I'm not in Tokyo yet. I've got another visit planned for the beginning of May, then the grand relocation around the end of November. It's all coming together...

[mr. sparkle]

rob,
in a way, that dialogue reminds me very much of the shoot we did in Hollywood, "Conversations with Stars".

i think i burst a gut shooting you while "channeling" on the walk of fame in hollywood.

i had to contrict my bum at least 800 times to recover from that one.

nishigaki is the man!

[mr. sparkle]

Hey FG,
Totally Off-topic. But I was interviewed on public radio in LA a few weeks ago for my book about digital video fx.

Give it a listen here.

now it's time to schedule that promo tour to the shibuya apple store!

[Caustic Saint]

now it's time to schedule that promo tour to the shibuya apple store!

Is that what the Pongi's calling his carboard box now?

(Last I heard, the Apple store was in Ginza)

[mr. sparkle]

(Last I heard, the Apple store was in Ginza)

whoops! show you where my head is at!

Is that what the Pongi's calling his carboard box now?

I don't know where you guys got cardboard box, I've always referred to the Pongi Palace as "the hutch". Check it out.


'za hutch-u

I sleep in the kitchen there - or what's left of it. You gotta push all the helmets, prada shoe archives and assortment of yak coats to stretch out though.