On a more pure social collaboration level, Stage 32, a new site for filmmakers, screenwriters, actors, crew, agents, etc., is quite live and active, with over 10,000 members in more than 120 countries.  While getting funding is part of what the site enables with networking, it’s also about casting, getting crew, finding directors and classes, and just getting advice.  We love the registration via Facebook and how easily it’s integrated there.

The founders of Stage 32 are in the filmmaker’s corner.  The two are Richard “RB” Botto, a screenwriter/actor/producer and Curt Blakeney, president of Edge Public Relations.  They’ve made it a very personal experience, with your home page containing all the things you have added and want to add, suggestions of networking, wall communications.

We’ll be watching in the months ahead to see how it grows, but it’s certainly active, with multiple projects being added at all hours.  Any social network is only as strong as the socializing it attracts, but the tools are here on Stage 32 for filmmakers to connect in meaningful ways — not just in a contest.

Sure, this massive project leaves these three men in way over their heads, but with strong enough support maybe some aspects of this could happen. The increasingly connected consumer class is already starting to change things and we do need some organization or network established to facilitate the evolution of capitalism. It’s up to creatives to prove we can be do-ers and achievers in addition to great thinkers. Perhaps Common could oversee that effort.

And if they are overseeing it, they need a voice – which is the part of this project that intrigues me most. They call it Fearless Revolution Media, a blog and web series that will promote the “out-cubated businesses” and support the entire growing community of supporters. This alone is a pretty huge undertaking if they want to inspire a nation and eventually the world to embrace pretty revolutionary thinking. I would expect to see some amazing content created.

Scroll through some of the presentation slides and then watch entire presentation below as soon as you have an hour to kill. It explains the project a lot better then I can!

I’m curious to see how the film turns out – and Ridley Scott’s version. It’s pretty risky to rely on the random people with different kinds of cameras to create all your content for you without interfering somehow. I wonder what percentage of the footage they used and what kind of story it tells, if any.  Not to mention the big question: Will these videos really show us what our world looks?

Check out some submissions:

Gap partnered with Cool Hunting on a pop-up retail store in New York City that doesn’t appear to sell any Gap products. The reason being, the Cool Hunting staff were in charge of curating products that are from NY-based companies only  - especially those with innovative and well-crafted products. It also appears there isn’t much in the way of clothing offered, just really cool stuff. Still, where’s the hometown love Gap? We want a Cool Hunting shop in San Francisco! Check the photos below to see some pics of the really awesome store. I want one of the kimono-wrapped skateboards. (via PSFK)

I love that brands are recognizing the opportunity in partnering with tastemaker blogs. Corporations really struggle at being cool. They’re way high-profile and there are too many levels of approvals and sign-offs and conservative higher-ups that stifle creativity. Even “cool” companies like Apple and Google still face lots of criticism on their brand image.

Blogs, on the other hand, have nothing else to focus on but being cool and relevant. They understand the “now” more than anyone and people really trust their opinions. Like a creative agency, bloggers can offer an extremely valuable perspective towards brand identity – and they have their own audience too (but at a cheaper price than hiring a celeb). Think of a Pitchfork-curated record store or a Gizmodo gadget store. The idea is completely scalable too. Brands can work with local focused bloggers to target specific regions. I want to see more of this…

On July 24th around 80,000 people participated in YouTube’s “Life in a Day” project. The idea was to get people to capture their day on video and upload the footage to a special YouTube channel to be worked into a feature film. At the helm is producer Ridley Scott and director Kevin MacDonald who are reviewing the videos and hoping to put something interesting together for the scheduled premiere at Sundance 2011. In the mean time, the submissions are being added to the brand new interactive gallery on the YouTube channel. Take a moment to explore the orb of videos. It’s not the most amazing display, but I like that YouTube is exploring different experiences for navigating through content.

Check it out here.

Remember LonelyGirl15? YouTube’s 5th birthday was last week and I’ve finally gotten around to watching the “YouTube Stories” series they produced– 2 minute interviews with select creators about their successes with the medium. The stories, and this interview with the director, contain interesting little insights about creating for YouTube that are worth checking out–

What kinds of techniques do you use to make these videos look so good and feel emotional?
When we all make YouTube videos, we’re creating for a screen size of about 630 by 350 pixels, so go in close. Use eyes, use foreheads, look at the way people move their mouths when they talk…all that says a lot, beyond just the words. Use that emotional power of the face to amplify what they are saying. Shoot as close to the face as possible, because we’re trained by thousand of years of evolution to respond to those movements of the face. And don’t forget hands, which can speak in the opposite way…or in sync…and reveal much. In the end, we want viewers to feel they’ve had a chance to meet these subjects over a cheeseburger or a beer and really feel them viscerally.

What is something about YouTube users you didn’t know before you started this project?
What I didn’t fully understand was how much the content creators have given their lives over to communicating with others. They’ve found their mission. Sharing their talent or passion with the world. Despite realities of family obligations, old jobs, the need to learn a bit more about technology, the people who shine come through because of sheer passion and faith. They believe that what they are doing on YouTube will change the world, and the effort that belief inspires in them usually gets to a positive outcome.

– Inside the Making Of “My YouTube Story,” interview with documentary filmmaker Stephen Higgins

The story behind LonelyGirl15

Lacta “Love in Action” – η ταινία from LactaFilms on Vimeo.

via Adpulp

* The “You Vote, We Decide” model invites participants to vote on an idea and provide feedback, but the ultimate decision rests with the company.

* The “Crowd Decision” gives all authority to the crowd. The highest vote getter wins. This model is not likely to be used for strategic decisions, Carpenter said, “but this concept is great for engaging your audience … and for letting them communicate to you what they think is the meaning of your brand.”

* The “Expert Decision” model is reserved for highly specialized or technical decisions made by a smaller crowd of experts. Netflix, not a Spigit customer, used this model to conduct a contest that awarded $1 million to the first person to improve the accuracy of its movie recommendations for subscribers by at least 10 percent.

* The fourth model is the “We Vote, You Decide” model, which Carpenter also affectionately calls the “American Idol” model. In this case, the company solicits all sorts of suggestions, but narrows down the choices over time, just as Simon, Randy, Ellen and Kara do on the reality TV show, then turn the process over to the fans to pick the winner via phone call or text message. “The experts make a selection and kind of filter out the worst of the crop … guiding the process toward a certain area,” said Carpenter

Worth a read.