Taking out the Trash, a Response to Mike Brantley...

[Alex]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size=2 face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><table border="0" width="90%" bgcolor="#333333" cellspacing="1" cellpadding="0"><tr><td width="100%"><table border="0" width="100%" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" bgcolor="#FF9900"><tr><td width="100%" bgcolor=""><font size=2 face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Originally posted by Mike Brantley

In the past day or so, I have deleted two inflammatory threads related to an argument that is taking place on another forum.
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<BLOCKQUOTE><font size=2 face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><table border="0" width="90%" bgcolor="#333333" cellspacing="1" cellpadding="0"><tr><td width="100%"><table border="0" width="100%" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" bgcolor="#FF9900"><tr><td width="100%" bgcolor=""><font size=2 face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif"> posted by Alex

Huh?

Calgodot, a possible friend of Chas, has been exercising his perceived right to insult and denigrate me as much as possible on this forum. I finally deleted a couple of Calgodot's posts because they were so falsely derogatory toward me I was concerned others would stop posting here. At which point Calgodot began complaining even louder that I was censoring him. (funny how Calgodot is still not banned from this forum, but I was banned from Mike Brantley's forum just hours ago for posting one three word sentence)

Chas's odious and slanderous outburst that appeared on YOUR FORUM were directed toward me and was the only flaming post that I am aware of. Chas has NOT been mentioned by me by his name (until a few hours ago) on this forum since way back in April.

Chas's decision to slander me on YOUR FORUM had NOTHING TO DO with me and was his decision alone. You accusing me of being involved is just out and out hogwash. </font></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></BLOCKQUOTE>


<BLOCKQUOTE><font size=2 face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><table border="0" width="90%" bgcolor="#333333" cellspacing="1" cellpadding="0"><tr><td width="100%"><table border="0" width="100%" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" bgcolor="#FF9900"><tr><td width="100%" bgcolor=""><font size=2 face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Originally posted by Mike Brantley

The other forum is not owned nor moderated by me, nor does it have any affiliation with my Web site, xxxxxxxxxxx </font></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></BLOCKQUOTE>

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size=2 face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><table border="0" width="90%" bgcolor="#333333" cellspacing="1" cellpadding="0"><tr><td width="100%"><table border="0" width="100%" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" bgcolor="#FF9900"><tr><td width="100%" bgcolor=""><font size=2 face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif"> posted by Alex

The other forum, this forum, has a name Mike. It's called Super-8 Filmmaking in the Digital Age. Originally you said if I stopped posting on your forum, you would provide a link to my Super-8 forum. Then you reneged on that. It was posturing on your part, pure and simple.

You only said it to look reasonable to your members, who were shocked and disappointed that you tried to solve a problem by pretending only one person caused it.
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<BLOCKQUOTE><font size=2 face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><table border="0" width="90%" bgcolor="#333333" cellspacing="1" cellpadding="0"><tr><td width="100%"><table border="0" width="100%" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" bgcolor="#FF9900"><tr><td width="100%" bgcolor=""><font size=2 face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Originally posted by Mike Brantley
This forum and "that other one" both utilize the hosting services of Hostboard. But there is no affiliation. </font></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></BLOCKQUOTE>

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size=2 face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><table border="0" width="90%" bgcolor="#333333" cellspacing="1" cellpadding="0"><tr><td width="100%"><table border="0" width="100%" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" bgcolor="#FF9900"><tr><td width="100%" bgcolor=""><font size=2 face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif"> posted by Alex

We got you the first time Mike. You would NEVER associate with anyone who posted over 600 times on your forum (me) when your Hostboard Super-8 forum was just starting, and just after I started posting on your forum, the daily topic responses to the Super-8 topics rose from 3-6 per day to 15-20 everyday in just a few short months. I wasn't the only one who made it happen, but you yourself said I was a big part of the reason why YOUR FORUM grew so quickly. </font></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></BLOCKQUOTE>

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size=2 face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><table border="0" width="90%" bgcolor="#333333" cellspacing="1" cellpadding="0"><tr><td width="100%"><table border="0" width="100%" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" bgcolor="#FF9900"><tr><td width="100%" bgcolor=""><font size=2 face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Originally posted by Mike Brantley

The posts were flames and have nothing whatsoever to do with the topics that are to be considered "on topic" for this forum.

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<BLOCKQUOTE><font size=2 face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><table border="0" width="90%" bgcolor="#333333" cellspacing="1" cellpadding="0"><tr><td width="100%"><table border="0" width="100%" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" bgcolor="#FF9900"><tr><td width="100%" bgcolor=""><font size=2 face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif"> posted by Alex

Huh? Don't lump me in with Chas. My topic post on your forum came ONLY after I found out what that Chas had posted about me on your forum, on YOUR FORUM. I asked a simple question of you and your forum members, there was no flame.

I simply asked does Chas qualify as a mature member of your forum? The header on your forum states "We are an intelligent, mature community and resource for sharing information about small-gauge filmmaking, particularly Super-8 and other 8mm film formats. "

I simply posted your EXACT words in my topic post, and added three words..."Does Chas Qualify?". Rather than looking in the mirror and answering truthfully, you turned it around and accused me of flaming and deleted my topic post AND BANNED ME.

So once again, Does Chas Qualify as an "intelligent, mature"...individual who frequents your forum? Does he?

Or is your mission statement merely another form of posturing by you? </font></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></BLOCKQUOTE>

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size=2 face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><table border="0" width="90%" bgcolor="#333333" cellspacing="1" cellpadding="0"><tr><td width="100%"><table border="0" width="100%" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" bgcolor="#FF9900"><tr><td width="100%" bgcolor=""><font size=2 face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Originally posted by Mike Brantley

No flaming of members of this forum by other members is permitted. Members may disagree, but they must treat each other with respect. In any case, it is not fair to disparage nor to flame people who are not members and are not free to defend themselves here. </font></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></BLOCKQUOTE>

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size=2 face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><table border="0" width="90%" bgcolor="#333333" cellspacing="1" cellpadding="0"><tr><td width="100%"><table border="0" width="100%" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" bgcolor="#FF9900"><tr><td width="100%" bgcolor=""><font size=2 face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif"> posted by Alex


And it's also not fair to prevent me from asking your members what Chas recently posted about me, you have prevented me from doing this by banning me from your forum. But then, you live by a different standard then the standard you demand of your forum members.

I would like to gauge Chas's mental state as it relates to me. Apparently, Chas took the time to scan a picture of me, post it on your forum, and proceeded to go on and on psychoanalyzing me, hurling insults about me, and threatening me with physical violence if he had seen me at the Egyptian Theatre, (where the Flicker Fest was recently held). He also previously threatened me with physical violence if I turned up at Spaceland, where Flicker also has it's meeting every two months.

Just what exactly would a stalker do differently than what I described above?

Chas has never even met me! Yet twice now he has threatened physical violence against me. Once again Mike, does Chas represent the "intelligent, mature"...individual who frequents your forum? Well, does he? </font></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></BLOCKQUOTE>

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size=2 face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><table border="0" width="90%" bgcolor="#333333" cellspacing="1" cellpadding="0"><tr><td width="100%"><table border="0" width="100%" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" bgcolor="#FF9900"><tr><td width="100%" bgcolor=""><font size=2 face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Originally posted by Mike Brantley

Longtime participants of this forum know what I'm talking about on that one. </font></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></BLOCKQUOTE>

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size=2 face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><table border="0" width="90%" bgcolor="#333333" cellspacing="1" cellpadding="0"><tr><td width="100%"><table border="0" width="100%" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" bgcolor="#FF9900"><tr><td width="100%" bgcolor=""><font size=2 face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif"> posted by Alex
Yes, longtime members such as Chas, and do we really need to mention the other two?

By the way, I didn't recognize too many "long time members" that still post on your forum, could it possibly be because of the way you "handled" the whole sordid affair in the first place.

Nah, the fact that you were a moderator in absentia had nothing to do with the forum problems that arose in August of 2001. </font></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></BLOCKQUOTE>

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size=2 face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><table border="0" width="90%" bgcolor="#333333" cellspacing="1" cellpadding="0"><tr><td width="100%"><table border="0" width="100%" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" bgcolor="#FF9900"><tr><td width="100%" bgcolor=""><font size=2 face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Originally posted by Mike Brantley

Please, please don't bring trash from elsewhere here. Let's keep this forum a first-class community. </font></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></BLOCKQUOTE>

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size=2 face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><table border="0" width="90%" bgcolor="#333333" cellspacing="1" cellpadding="0"><tr><td width="100%"><table border="0" width="100%" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" bgcolor="#FF9900"><tr><td width="100%" bgcolor=""><font size=2 face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif"> posted by Alex
Now that just takes the cake! [img]graemlins/cake.gif[/img]

One of YOUR forum members flames me on YOUR FORUM, where I have not posted in over a year, and you have the audacity to accuse me of starting something. </font></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></BLOCKQUOTE>

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size=2 face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><table border="0" width="90%" bgcolor="#333333" cellspacing="1" cellpadding="0"><tr><td width="100%"><table border="0" width="100%" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" bgcolor="#FF9900"><tr><td width="100%" bgcolor=""><font size=2 face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Originally posted by Mike Brantley

Thanks.
--Mike Brantley
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-------------------------------------------

(Here is my original response to Mike Brantley via e-mail)

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size=2 face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><table border="0" width="90%" bgcolor="#333333" cellspacing="1" cellpadding="0"><tr><td width="100%"><table border="0" width="100%" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" bgcolor="#FF9900"><tr><td width="100%" bgcolor=""><font size=2 face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif"> posted by Alex

Are you kidding me? I have been attacked over and over by Chas's buddy, Calgodot, and you act like I started it?

I have had great patience in the matter. Now you call my simple, one sentence post on your forum, where all I did was ask if Chas is one of the intelligent mature members that you claim reside on your forum, and you call it an inflammatory thread?

Do you or do you not consider Chas to be a quality member of your forum?

You sidestepped the question. You let chas's comment simmer on your forum, then call me trash after he trashed me?

Chas has made one post on my forum in the last six months, where he insulted someone who was looking to raise money for a film. I let it go, and didn't respond. Where do you get off acting like I started a war with Chas.

Chas went off on his own with no help or assistance from me, and he did it on your forum. Don't in anyway associate me with Chas's actions.

Would you kindly set the record straight on your forum, please?

First you said you never got e-mail notification from Chas's topic post that was highly derogatory of me, then you admitted getting e-mail notification but you had already deleted it, then you said that what chas said was not that inflammatory, yet you deleted it anyway. That's three different stories.

Now you allude to me and my forum as trash.?

Alex

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[calgodot]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size=2 face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><table border="0" width="90%" bgcolor="#333333" cellspacing="1" cellpadding="0"><tr><td width="100%"><table border="0" width="100%" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" bgcolor="#FF9900"><tr><td width="100%" bgcolor=""><font size=2 face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif"> Speaking of Flicker, too bad your buddies at Flicker chose not to show my film at the Egyptian. </font></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></BLOCKQUOTE>

Too bad you couldn't get your film shot and submitted in time. Too bad you thought you deserved some special privilege and were not bound by the rules as everyone else. Too bad we didn't get to see your masterpiece - I guess your genius is keeping you from digitizing it and putting it online. Too bad.

[Alex]

What you have just said is this is a black or white issue, with no shades gray. The film is either on time or it isn't.

Fine, that is the viewpoint that Flicker chose.

It's just that we are filmmakers, whose job is to point out the shades of gray in life. Here is the gray area of the situation. I made an audio suggestion that shaved up to half and hour off the run time of the festival which in turn helped make the show run smoother by running quicker.

Here is another shade of gray. A couple of the filmmakers did not put much time into the making of their film, but they got there's in on time.
How does that help Super-8?

Why favor a filmmaker who shot their project, in an "experimental" but not too clever a way, then deny a filmmaker who bent over backwards to do something really different and challenging, when both projects could have been shown due to the saving of up to half an hour of time because of my audio suggestion?

Shades of Grey exist whether you chose to acknowledge them or not.
I can say you do belong on the other board, where most issues become black or white, afterall, that's the way to get your rush, isn't it?

[calgodot]

"It's a great big rush to torment a water buffalo. But don't let it distract you from the real battles." - Sgt. Bill McKee, Vietnam, 1972

[chas_ucla]

This is all very amusing.

For the record, Fats, I never scanned the photo of you. That would require too much effort. One of your loyal compadres sent me an e-mail listing your photo on the web. The very handsome Alex can be found at:
http://www.ifstudio.org/article.html
(let's see how long that link stays up)

And for another, where is the physical violence I supposedly threatened you with? I merely stated that it was too bad Cal and I didn't get the chance to meet you at the Egyptian. You could interpret that as you wish. Perhaps we wanted to compliment you on your striking appearance.

Re the "meet me at Spaceland" incident from last year or so...well, you and I had words back and forth on Brantley's board. Nothing was getting accomplished. I wrote, "let's settle this at Spaceland." (I'm sure you have the exact quote loaded on your computer) Again, no violence was mentioned. If you believe me to be some "dangerous stalker" -- call the LAPD, baby-boy! After all, I've "slandered" you and "threatened physical violence", right? What a dangerous fellow I am!

L.A. is a lot smaller city than most people think, Alex. I'm sure you and I will run into each other sooner or later. And you can interpret that however your paranoid, anti-social mind wants to take it.

See you at the next Flicker, Fats...

Chas

[Alex]

Speaking of Flicker, too bad your buddies at Flicker chose not to show my film at the Egyptian.

I was the one who suggested to Flicker that they put the audio on everyones super-8 film projects BEFORE the screening. Since all the films were being transferred to video for the Attack of the 50 foot film festival anyway, I suggested to the head of Flicker that he put the soundon the transferred to video films before the Festival Event. As a result, the Video master already had audio on it for most of the films.

The Flicker Film Festival ran smoothly and more quickly as a result. I saved the Flicker people and the 600 people in the audience 20-30 minutes of audio down time that we all would have endured if 26 CD's had been kept up in the projection booth and cued up one at a time.

Yet the Flicker people couldn't find an extra 3 minutes of time to show my film???

I put out goodwill in the form of an article that mentions Super-8, and you slam it and me and try and make it be about something else. (by the way, thanks for link, I had been looking for that article so that I could post it on my forum and hadn't been able to find it)

I put out further goodwill by making a Film for the Flicker fest that took me over 75 hours from pre-production to finish, and it doesn't get shown.

Goodwill turned bad, for what purpose?

[Alex]

Just thought I'd save the link to the article under one of my posts.

http://www.ifstudio.org/article.html