Talent Pool
 

Hi everyone,
Let me introduce myself. I'm not new to the forum but I spend most of my time @ another website (camera-specific forum). But, and this goes without saying, I think the 2nd unit is an idea I can get behind and support and I hope I am not alone.

I'd like this thread to be a place for myself and others to lend their support by volunteering time and talents to the 2nd unit guys.

Maybe

Name:
Location:
Talents:

I for one would love to be knee deep in one of these shoots and learn from the best.

Johnathan, is their anything you guys are in need of??

Name: Chris Forbes
Location: Utah, Salt Lake Area
Talents: One man Band Videographer, Shooter, Sound, Light, Gaffer, Grip, also FCP editor with edit suite. Some webdesign (work would be willing to host one weeks clip) and extensive Photoshop experiance.

Available to travel.

Pleased to have you with us, Chris, and thanks for volunteering for tomorrow's shoot at the SouthBay studios. You'll be driving and we'll be finishing the touches on the web site and this week's episode of Isabella, Part 1 on MakeUp. OK, now be honest. How many are going to be really caring about the makeup with Isabella in frame???

Maybe you should post a pop quiz at the end of the video segment and see how many were paying attention.

-gb-

Leave it to Greg!!! OK. Pop up quiz after you finish oogling the cuties...pun definitely intended. However, the segment is being posted tomorrow instesd of today. We're on stage at South Coast with no broadband if you can believe it. Actually, I know they have BB but we're in the coach out in the parking lot foran early am call tomorrow on Stage 14 and the signal probably doesn't go that far. Suffice to say, though, if you don't like this episode, there's something definitely wrong here.

Stick-em up
 

Hey Stop hi-jackin' my thread. ;-)

Stick um up
 

Hey Chris,

Will a Post-It do? ;)

Memo to self...Stop hijacking thread...

News Item
 

2 thread Hi-jackers were interupted in the commision of said act when a third hi-jacker appeared and hi-jacked the hi-jackers. The thread was further thrown off course when the threads' starter endevered (poorly) to engage the lot of them in witty reparte.

"Houston we have a problem."

Now it's my turn to hi-jack the thread! Sorry Chris Forbes, its a bit off-topic from your original post, but more relevant than some of the others before it...

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Just a suggestion, so please don't bite my head off Jonathan, but maybe Chris Forbes would be able to give you a hand with the web design aspect of 2nd Unit (seeing as he's worked with web design before, he seems really eager, and he's got extensive Photoshop experience)? Obviously it's up to Chris if he wants to help out in that department (and yourself), but I would love to see the 2nd Unit site updated.

Specifically:

1. Redesigning the site so it looks the same on a variety of different resoutions. It looks fine at 1024x768, but it looks "wrong" when viewed at 1920x1200 (the navigation bar is at the far left of the screen, whereas the content is at the far right or centre). This forum is a great example. It looks fantastic on EVERY resolution.

2. Stop using Frames for accessibility reasons. If you need a more specific reason, just type "why I hate frames" in Google. You will return millions of results! Frames do have their uses, but the technology is not appropraite for the 2nd Unit site.

3. Convert the top navigation links from images to text, so when I resize the text in my browser, the links change size as well.

4. Make better use of Page Titles (a lot of your pages are named "Blank") and Meta Tags (which you currently don't have) for searching purposes.

5. Get a "favorite icon". Not exactly a life dependant feature, but many people like having them (for bookmark buttons in their browser, etc.).

My suggestion, would be to have a look at sites like the Web Style Guide and Good Practises.

And, so that most people can view the site properly, make sure its valid code. At the moment its not.

The way I figure it is, seeing as you're spending all this time making some fantastic video footage, you may as well spend some time making the website the best that it can be. It doesn't have to look all fancy and special (simplicity is the best route in my experience) - but it should work. At the moment its viewable, but I can bet it will look completely different on various different operating systems and browsers.

My 2c.

( PS: This is the last time I will "complain" about the site... )

Preeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeecisely what we're working on next. You be absolutely right Chris and thanks. Again, duly noted and since I'm now on double double-secret probation, I'll remain in the corner until you need me!!! And please don't make that the last time you complain about the site. It'll mean you gave up caring which means I failed and I don't want that. You're the ones who make this work.
J