Robo Studios Looking for interview candidates

Hello,
My name is Anders von Reis Crooks and I am a owner in a small documentary company Robo Studios. You can check us out at www.robostudios.com. We are currently in the formative stage of a documentary about Second Life. We are looking for qualified candidates who would like to speak with us, ingame, about their Second Life experiences.
Robo Studios intends to begin filming our documentary on Second Life starting in May. We are discussing several different options for filming, but the documentary will probably be either a mix of in game and real life footage, or most likely, entirely filmed and created in game. Our intention is to focus on the vanishing lines between in game and real life currency.
Second Life is well known for its stock market, players making real life income in game, and for the emerging companies selling real life items for in game credits. Our intention is to contact the main players in this growth industry, and really allow them to have a free form discussion with us about their businesses and how they see this industry growing and going. We do not intend to take "a stand'" on any of the issues, but rather to take an informative and educational approach.
If you are interested in participating in our documentary, and have a business or idea that you feel merges the gap between your real and your Second Life, please contact us. The best way to contact us is by emailing me. I will also be answering any questions people might have about us in this thread. This community seems very helpful and open and im hoping this can be a good experience for all involved.

Please contact me by email and in this thread if you are interested.
Thank you,
Anders von Reis Crooks
Robo Studios
[email]anders@robostudios.com[/email]

Did i post this in the wrong forum? or is this the best place to get interest and feedback.

its in the right place (im pretty shure) noone has jumped on it yet

ok thank you.

I thought these kind of things had to go through the Press Office at LL?

Lewis

If this project has been cleared through LL consider me a volunteer!

He's not a reporter. Besides, we don't need no stinking Press Office.

Anders, if you can explain what you mean by a "qualified candidate" and what geographical area your candidates might come from, I'd be happy to relay your announcement on my blog.

In answer to a couple questions.

I have been speaking with someone at linden labs, and my understanding is that this is perfectly appropriate. As we move closer to actually filming, we of course will be guaranteeing that it is appropriate.

Qualified Candidates?- I would define a qualified candidate as anyone that is passionate about SL. It would be nice, and an extra qualification if you run a business either 1) in SL 2) regularly exchange Linden dollars for US dollars.
We are looking to explore the economic merging between "real" and "created" life.

Geographical Area- We dont need one. All interviews and footage will be "ingame". This ability to create a whole movie "ingame" will be our contribution and exploration of the merging of reality and created life.

We had our first person with interest, which is great. Hopeing we can drum up a ton more over the next couple days.

Why are people so fascinated in this tiny aspect of SL when there is so much more interesting stuff to cover? The economy - and the promotion of it - is the reason why SL is failing, because it's drawing the wrong kind of people and putting off the right kind of people. Those who come here to make a fortune rapidly find out that they can't unless they invest a few thousand in the first place, so they quit and everyone loses - except the tiny few who believe that they have a right to control other's gameplay by setting prices to suit them.

I've said it before and I'll say it again .... if you're only here for the profit, you're missing the point of SL.

Lewis

And as I've said and seen many others say to you before - that's just your "point" of SL. Other people may see a totally different and valid "point" to SL as well. Simply because it's not why you are here does not diminish the fact that it can also be a "point" to SL. You seem to project your own reasons as being the only valid ones, which seems quite insular and small-minded to me.

SL's "point" is what ever you want it to be.

Its ashame that most or close to all - articles and documentarys are about making money in SL!!! Do the producers need new ideeas maybe?-. Cant they see that this is a place for creativity more than making money?..

How many of us are making money for a living on SL?.. a promille? How many want to make money....?

BUT I am sure that LL of course dont say NO to one more article.. about getting rich in SL...

I do qulity stuff here.. but sell? - I am in wrong market..

I am in SL hours and hours a week... and thats not for making a living... its for having fun.. meet people and share ideeas... not chatts are al about SL.. but also IRL ones..

BUT rich -->>> pfttt...

Add me to the small-minded group, then, Moopf.

While I take the point that the economy is a 'valid' aspect of second life for many people, I feel that a documentary focusing purely on that will automatically give a distorted view, as would a documentary dealing with BDSM in sl or whatever.

I've said this before and I'll say it again too... I have no problem with people turning a profit in SL, I have no problem with people cashing out money occasionally to reward their skills - but if profit is the ONLY reason you are here, then you are missing out.

Face it. Any idiot with $1500 to spare can buy a sim, parcel it up, sell it on and make a profit with very little skill or effort whatsoever. However, to terraform, landscape, plan and develop a themed sim (which may or may not have a road/water network) does take time skill and talent. I know I could do that if I had the chance and the money to do so. That's the difference between being here for profit, and being here for enjoyment.

Lewis

Why don't you set up an interview with RoboAnders and explain your opinions to him? That way he'll have a more rounded look at the economy within SL, and some people's anger towards it.

Musuko.

My guess that the original post:

"Second Life is well known for its stock market, players making real life income in game, and for the emerging companies selling real life items for in game credits. Our intention is to contact the main players in this growth industry, and really allow them to have a free form discussion with us about their businesses and how they see this industry growing and going. We do not intend to take "a stand'" on any of the issues, but rather to take an informative and educational approach."

excludes me, as I am not a "main player" in that particular industry, and as they don't intend to "take a stand" (although one could easily argue that by focusing on just one side and ignoring the damage that such gameplay styles can have is taking a stand).

I'll think about it - but I honestly don't think that they really want a dose of reality to knock them off of their intended subject. Besides, I am just one individual, so how can I speak on behalf of "the other side" as there is no leader, no organisation.... just the majority of the playerbase.

Lewis

After months of being told I should sell things I make, I finally started. It's working great too; I expect to cover account fees and my tier costs for my home from just a few products, and have more than enough to support my SL spending afterwards.

I'm happy to do an interview, but I'm not straddling RL and SL at all; I have an SL business for SL money. I don't want a second job; I came to SL to get away from that! *laughs*

I guess I should have been clearer.

Our intention is not to focus "exclusively" on the economic interests of SL. Yes, an article about economics did bring our "attention" to SL but it doesn't mean that this will be what keeps it. Robo Studios believes, as a small company, that one of the main problems with media right now, is that they come in with a story already made, and they just find sound bites to fill that story. If you reread my post at the start, 2 important sentences stick out.

1)We do not intend to take "a stand'" on any of the issues, but rather to take an informative and educational approach.

2)If you are interested in participating in our documentary, and have a business or idea that you feel merges the gap between your real and your Second Life, please contact us.

If these 2 sentences qualify you, then we are interested in talking with you. Were interested in talking with ALL of you, about your differences of opinion. If you feel so strongly about these subjects, then PLEASE, please speak with us about being interviewed.

Anders

This is something i wrote in response to some candidates questions.

1. We dont intend to primarily speak about economics. We are in a very open
phase about what the "subject" of the movie is.
2. You should be, in the end, be able to purchase the movie using either
Linden or US dollars, after we try and get into film festivals. This process
usually takes 4 months, but its very important to us professionally to try
and get into film festivals.
3. I very much like the idea of speaking with people who feel that SL has in
any way impacted their real life. "but there is another story here which is
just as worthy of
telling. About people who would never have got to meet in any other place,
and who gain so much more than money from their time in SL." Good idea.

Lewis,
If you could please contact me, we are not at all worried about being "knocked off" our intended subject. If you look at our website, and read about our project "politics aside" you can see why.

We are a very small company here people. We aren't corporate, we aren't a closed system. If you feel like you have something to say, this is a pretty damn good chance.

We have had a lot of great responses today.

Does any reading this thread have any questions for me?

Well, Im just gonna let this thread go away for a week or so. I will try again in a week maybe 2, to catch anyone interested who may not have read this. But ill be watching the thread if anyone has questions.
Anders