Hello. For the 3 or 4 people that are still interested in the future of Rootclip.com, this one's for you.
First of all, let me say THANK YOU to everybody that has had a hand in Rootclip from the beginning. There are a lot of people that have helped along the way and without their skills and dedication none of this would have happened. I definitely realize that there were plenty of people involved in allowing our vision come to life and for that I am grateful.
Operating the site has been a lot of fun and a very rewarding and educational experience. From pitching the initial idea, to trading services with established companies, I've learned things about running a business and the inter-workings of corporate America that I will carry with me for the rest of my career. Just like any small business, the bottom line is the most important one, and Rootclip was always in the Red (in debt). We were always viewed as an expense and looking through those lenses, you would see Rootclip as a total and absolute failure. It's a good thing I threw away my dollar sign glasses a long, long time ago (even though they were highly fashionable in a Lady Gaga sort of way....)
Erik and I always have been and still are interested in changing the filmmaking possibilities and really connecting people worldwide through storytelling and the internet. If you look at our submissions, we accomplished that. In 'Hole and Corner' we had a winning submission from Europe and another one from the Middle East. That kind of user participation defines success with me and is exactly what we wanted to do when we started the site. The potential Rootclip still has is significant and something I would still be very interested in tapping into, we just don't have the time to invest in the 'business' side of things right now. Selling the site and trading services with other corporations and businesses is a full time job in itself, and we would either need to hire and pay someone or do it ourselves and both options just are not realistic at this point in time. Other companies operate 9-5 and we just can't operate like that right now unless a few things change.
So, all of this is to say that Rootclip, in this current form, is going to be on a hiatus for awhile. I need to find some venture capital or an angel investor or something (which I am looking into) for this edition of the site to stay active and stay running 'as is'. We've been bouncing ideas around of how to use video sites like Vimeo or YouTube to continue on with the Storytelling aspects of the site for free, but I can't wrap my head around voting and presenting the chapters in a way that is easy to follow on those sites. If anyone has any suggestions regarding that, please use the comments here or forum to give us your thoughts.
This is probably goodbye, but I'm not slamming the door just yet.
Thanks again, this has been a lot of fun
--Kevin Antoine
Comments
Indeed, this has been a fun ride. Thanks SO much to all of you guys that made it possible. Kevin and I really had a blast, but like he said...the door isn't being slammed shut just yet.
What ideas do you guys have to keep this going, maybe in another venue?
I'm very sorry to hear that - but I'm very glad I found you soon enough to participate! Our crew were looking forward to entering a new chapter in another story..
This has been - and is - a great site with lots of good people, and you've helped lots of people (including me and the rest of our crew) develop their filmmaking skills and they've experimented with different techniques and storylines.
I'm very grateful for the great work you've put into it, and I really hope this isn't the end!
You were a shining beacon in this otherwise dark interweb we weave. Farewell Rootclip... farewell. sheds a single tear
Again, I've been working with Ning, and it's been great. Very low overhead - even with all of the services that they offer. My community is small, but incrementally growing and very active within the small user base. Right out of the chute, we've been recognized by Broadway and theatre professionals as a legitimate outlet. Content is building, and I've recruited some great writers to help. http://www.theatrestory.com/ I've arranged for some great giveaways and promotions that's only going to build more traffic and loyalty.
Although Ning might not completely fit the RootClip model, it will help build a community around the idea and the concept of collaborative filmmaking. Maybe you should highlight other collaborative contests, and issue filmakers special challenges just for the experience?
Sometimes when things don't work out, you need to be prepared to tweak the model. I have a vision, but it's flexible ... that is the nature of building online communities.
Figures when I get my GH1 this happens. I was looking forward to getting it out for some fun rootclips. Oh well... it's off to doing some festivals. Hope this works out in the future cause it really is a great idea. If I were to do it I would go with a genre first and get well established in that community... say a horror community, then branch off from there. Maybe I will catch you guys out in Knoxville sometime. I believe I met one of you at Oodles and Noodles a couple weeks ago. Maybe we can work on something after I get more time... newborn will consume that. Good luck everybody on your future filmmaking.
This site has been a valuable use of time and energy for many, many people. I've spent over a year on this site, made new friends (IRL, even), forged professional contacts, bolstered a resume, learned some tricks, evolved my styles, scored a few freebies, and vented creativity through an outlet I've never before experienced. Joining Rootclip was one of the best decisions of my life.
Whether we move on from here or not, I think thanks are in order to Kevin, Erik, and the other early members of the team who helped get this project rolling. They afforded us so much opportunity; this is by no means a failure of a website, so much as a "selective success." All good things come to an end, but only to open new possibilities for other good things.
While we're at it, thank you to everyone who's participated and helped meet Kevin's and Erik's goals of collaboration and competition. We can't have Rootclip without a community, and for the most part, we've had a pretty good one. Our community is creative, talented, determined, and loyal (and sometimes in possession of multiple voting accounts, but clearly only because we're so passionate...)
I still believe that the idea is gold and that filmmakers -- and the Internet -- need a site like this. I would encourage us to band together in some other community, to at least keep in touch and share our work. Everyone knows there's a Facebook group, right?
I'm located in Hollwood and I owe a lot to this website. If anybody's coming through town, get me a message and we'll meet up... hang out... shoot a Rootclip together... (for old time's sake~) Any script or resume from an ex-Rootclipper will absolutely find an audience with me. Thanks for working so hard at such a great cause. I'll see you around the web!
~AJ Pinkerton, Fungus-Ridden Productions
WOW, A great Site, Idea, and Educational Tool thrown away like bath water. I will blame this on Terrorists. Well Terrorists...You have really hit home...You sons of bitches....