Read more about my friend and colleague, Joe Carabeo over on the Union 206 site HERE.

Johnny Depp, Penelope Cruz, Ian McShane, Gemma Ward… awesome….

We are a “Pirates of the Caribbean” film series fan in my household… and now we have another reason to watch it.

Congrats to actress, Van Vander Pluym and her current stunt work on Pirates 4! A few of us DCFCPUG members got to work with Vanessa over the summer on the feature film, “At the Top of the Pyramid”!

Keep up the good work, Vanessa and I’ll be sure to keep the lines of communication open since one day you might stop in to visit us at the DCFCPUG!    

We will be watching you on True Blood, Pirates , etc

For more on Vannessa’s work, go to her site at: Vanessa Vander Pluym

---

Rodney Mitchell
President and Apple Ambassador
Washington DC Metro Final Cut Pro Users Group

http://www.dcfcpug.org

For all members and guests who MISSED the May DCFCPUG event… you missed a treat!!!

However, we have the teaser now posted to share with the world on DCFCPUG and YouTube!

Teaser trailer for “Runway Racers,” an action documentary about the secretive and glamorous sport of airport runway racing. It was a privilege to be on the ArrowTen crew for this event. Looking forward to seeing the DVD come out soon.

Produced by ArrowTen Media and ExoticsRally.com.

---

Enjoy….
Zoom, Zoom, Zoom…..

Rodney Mitchell
DC Final Cut Pro User Group Leader

Sean John model Isaac J. Sullivan aka IZEK lands a leading role as Markus in the new movie “At the Top of the Pyramid.”

The story shadows a teenage cheerleader, and her adventures in discovering courage, trust and first love.

I worked for Cirina as her lead audio editor for the Las Vegas based, NABshow Digital Production BuZZ this year!  Cirina is also the Producer for the Digital Production BuZZ featuring Larry Jordan. Also George Kennedy worked as a roving Reporter and Xhibo Lai work as an audio editor rounding out the DCFCPUG support to the event.

Cirina Catania is on board to direct from a script penned by Richard Willis Jr. Karen Bolt, Melvin Butters for SLAMGATE PRODUCTIONS in association with Elkins Entertainment will produce. Mark A. Peterson will serve as Executive Producer.

Shooting is schueduled to begin in June 2010 in Fairfax, VA.

Issac recently appeared in the Off-Broadway play “The Road” and walked in Michael Bastian, Live Mechanics and St. Wobil Collection’s New York Fashion Week 2010 shows.

The model/actor will next appear in a layout in Blue Magazine and Apollo Male Fitness & Fashion Magazine.

Rodney Mitchell – DCFCPUG Leader

We are a GO for the rescheduled February meeting due to the back to back snow effects in the region. Our featured speaker is back from his European road trip and we are back in sync and the date is now SECURED. Spread the word…. it will be a privilege to host our distinguished FCP Expert – Larry Jordan! We need everyone there if they can make the meeting to show our guest our support for community activities!

---

Future Media Concepts – Washington DC
CONGRATULATIONS to ROLAND MILLMAN who attended the Final Cut Pro User Group meeting last night and won the raffled prize: His choice of any 3 day class at FMC DC!!!!

Excerpt from FMC DC Facebook Wall:

Thanks FMC for supporting the DC Final Cut Pro User Group!!

Rodney – DCFCPUG

Ask your tough questions to our featured guest on 10 Feb.
Leave your name, question and email so we can get those results posted/emailed out.
All questions need to be in by COB 2 Feb so we can send a courtesy copy to the expert.

Here is your chance to solve some tough problems… Don’t wait, respond now.

Rodney – DCFCPUG

One of our members, Charlotte (“Char”) Rinderknecht and her business partner/husband, Bill own and operate the entertainment production studio, STUDIO KINATE in Northern Virginia. We were invited to share their special day today, at one of this area’s most authentic Irish Pub and Restaurant, The Auld Shebeen, in Old Town Fairfax, VA.

A few weeks ago, Char was interviewed by The Washington Post. The article was published today (1/24/2010), (online 1/23/2010) so today was a celebration of getting recognition from The Post on her achievements to date. Read the article linked above and congratulate her when she comes to visit us this summer as our featured guest speaker for July 2010.

---

Studio Kinate recently won some top Animation Awards for their animated short,”Pete’s Odydessy”.  A sample clip from the short is below with other editons also available on YouTube.

Pete’s Odydessy was produced with a team of artists, led by former Director of the Disney Institute, Larry Lauria. Larry currently runs the Larry’s Toon Institute.

---

On the back of Char Rinderknecht’s business cards is the Walt Disney quote:

“It’s kind of fun to do the impossible.”

Today’s lunch meeting demonstrated again that this region is rich with talent, vision and kindred spirits. Rekindling DCFCPUG, some would say, is a similar challenge (doing the impossible…) but with a focused approach to build a working community of digital artists, we can all ride on the successes of each others’ endeavors and give back to one another so we grow as a family. For example, Char and DCFCPUG intersected at our first CDIA Georgetown Screenwriter’s Event in April 2009, featuring Jim Mercurio.  Char and I have been leveraging the social media technologies to stay in touch and help each other.  At today’s meeting, I shared how DCFCPUG partners with our corporate sponsors which now will allow her to maximize her resources and create a shared benefit to create a win-win scenario.

---

DCFCPUG and Studio Kinate are now exploring ways to grow an ANIMATION TBUG (ToomBoom)  microsite in Northern Virginia, leveraging our relationship we are building with ToomBoom.  Thanks to the generosity of  the VP, Marketing and Communications, Karina Bessoudo at ToomBoom for the interest in DCFCPUG.  ToomBoom is a sponsor of the DCFCPUG and are fans of their Storyboard Pro and Animate Pro software applications. Char and I both agree, that the art of storytelling is at the heart of what we do, whether it be on Apple’s Final Cut Studio, or ToomBoom’s Storyboard Pro and Animate Pro.  We all use the right tool for the job to get the story told .  Char is a fan of DCFCPUG and we appreciate her telling everyone in her circle of influence about the world of Final Cut Studio and its tie in with the creative 2D animation world.

---

I  appreciate Char and Bill’s contributions to putting American animators to work and her involvement in the Tyson Animation Program at the Cicely Tyson School of Performing and Fine Arts in East Orange, New Jersey. I personally am looking forward to the continued collaboration with Char, Bill, and Larry.  We (DCFCPUG) will get a shot at assisting her toward her dream, while giving DCFCPUG members opportunities to get involved in the production workflow.  If you are interested in participating, let me know, as I will be discussing an upcoming project where we will be potentially given an opportunity to shoot, edit, produce training videos for Larry Lauria.  Leave a comment or email me if you are interested in getting involved.

Here’s to a successful 2010!

---

Warm regards,

A quick search on Google will confirm the “celebrity” status that surrounds the man known as Douglas Spotted Eagle or SPOT for short. I met SPOT in the early days of the Vegas NLE product line and see him from time to time in Los Angeles, Las Vegas (NAB) or at GVExpo in Washington DC.  When he not teaching or editing, he is an avid skydiver!

After learning of his accident (June 8, 2009) and journey to recovery this year, I thought you all might be inspired by his painful journey to recovery. Start here and follow the link:  Read the series and share your thoughts…

SPOT is scheduled for the GVExpo (look under Conference Sessions by Day) then scroll down for seven matches for “Douglas Spotted Eagle”.

He is truly a man to admire for his courage.  I am blessed to know him and call him a friend.

May we all start our daily walk in life – Fearing ZERO.

Respectfully,

Rodney – DCFCPUG