

The Root Kit - ertjaet
http://www.therootkit.com

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anigbrowl
_And then there's sound. One of the really quick ways you can tell a low-
budget film from a major studio film, other than the logo, is by the sound.
We've decided that we're only going to be recording the voice on set. What
that means is that all of the other sounds, from footsteps to car engines,
from smart-phones buzzing to a fist slapping against skin, all that has to be
recorded and synched after the fact._

Sound guy for over a decade here [1], and I am off to shoot another feature
starting Saturday. This is emphatically not true. You record as much as
humanly possible on set. Even if you layer and resync it afterwards, doing all
that in post is crazy expensive. On your limited budget it's self-defeating.
Engineering the room response of the real location in post is very time
consuming compared to capturing your raw material on location.

I'm open to helping with this project (EDIT: but won't be in the Bay area or
online much until after 12/18); it pains me to see someone tying their hands
unnecessarily.

1\. <http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1961377/>

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tptacek
Please tell me there's a Youtube clip of you as "Alcatraz Guard" somewhere we
can see it.

~~~
anigbrowl
Ha! I doubt it, but I have the DVD in a box somewhere in the attic, I'll
upload it when I get back. Edit: apparently it's on Netflix. I'm in the
opening scene (in fact I have the first lines in the film), which is a good
thing because it will spare you having to watch the rest of it.

I wasn't supposed to act in it; IIRC we were one actor short that day so I got
drafted.

It's awful in so many ways. After I played the film for my wife she turned to
me and said 'that's 2 hours of my life that I will never get back.' Good times
:-)

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sbilstein
This guy seems incredibly unprofessional. His writing style and grammar are
totally off. I don't think I would trust his attention to detail for a movie
on hacking.

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s_henry_paulson
Adding in all of the computer screens in post-production to make sure you get
the code right?

(1) Un-necessary (2) Expensive (3) No one really cares (4) If you know you're
going to fuck it up, why not just plan and do it right the first time?

Very few people will pause a movie to read code, and those people are such a
small demographic, that to make them a target audience to the point that
you're willing to go off the deep end on the film budget seems absurd.

~~~
jschiefer
The reason I have to do it in post is because I don't have time to do it all
correct before we start filming (scheduling and all). While it would be
expensive, normally, I'll be doing all the post myself, so it's free. My
target demographic really does care; that's why they're backing the movie in
the first place.

I hope that clarifies.

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DonCarlitos
I found the trailer to be a half-hearted affair. Not compelling at all. And I
have a pressing question: Why this director and this project for this
particular subject? He does not clarify why it should be he that makes this
film. If anything, I get the impression he should be kept a mile away from the
subject. I failed to see a review of his expertise or qualifications, other
than being a video jock with some minor credits to his name. Not likely to get
funded.

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lancewiggs
This could be a great idea - or not. The Kickstarter pitch lost me in the
first section (I did skim the rest), and the video lost me at "Plato".

I would have thought that Kickstarter respondents would be likely to embrace
the idea of a movie depicting what a hacker really is, but along with that we
need a great story, a great plot. Perhaps that was in the video.

~~~
tejaswiy
Honestly, there's a lot of potential for a great story within that theme. The
video was entertaining even if the reference to plato was a little cliched.
I'm backing it.

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hawkharris
Having directed in the festival scene for a while, I respect the amount of
energy and passion it takes to realize this kind of project. I think the
concept looks great, and I'd like to offer two friendly suggestions concerning
your pitch.

First, as others here have pointed out, you should define and limit the scope
of "hacking," as it relates to your story. Maybe consider how your movie will
complement (or intentionally contradict) the growing role of cyber-security in
current news and events. You seem to have a firm grasp of the abstract
concepts that you want to explore, which is great. That said, prospective
investors will be more likely to donate if they sense that your project has a
concrete lead linked to real, specific issues. (I'm not saying you need to
have it all figured out now; your plot can still evolve as you do more
research and writing.)

Second, the adage "Show, Don't Tell" came to mind as I was watching the pitch
video. Rather than telling how you're going to make the movie — i.e. who's
operating the camera, writing and acting — you might consider diving into the
topics that your film will explore. (To be fair, you did that a little with
the Plato reference, but I'm thinking of something more immediate and less
abstract.) By leisurely introducing the characters in this way, you may lose
donors with short attention spans.

Anyhow, that's just my take. I took some time offer feedback because I think
the project as a whole looks amazing. I look forward to hearing about
production and seeing the finished product.

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jschiefer
Thanks for that. I'd love to talk more about your festival experiences, as
it's one route I'm debating on. Send me an email: jonathan at spiritusvult dot
com. Thanks.

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taylorbuley
Which are the hackers that ping localhost?
[https://s3.amazonaws.com/ksr/projects/359366/photo-
full.jpg?...](https://s3.amazonaws.com/ksr/projects/359366/photo-
full.jpg?1351303642)

I ping therefore I am, I guess.

~~~
derleth
Is it even possible for a ping to localhost to time out?

~~~
lloeki
Change the localhost entry in the hosts file, for one.

Shoot yourself in the foot with iptables.

Had the IP stacked borked once too.

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benregenspan
Wasn't this already done in a truly exemplary fashion by Hackers (1995)?

~~~
bcoates
A good choice, but no movie ever made will ever top Sneakers.

<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LlKDkTbUFhU>

~~~
mindstab
Ha thanks, that looks "amazing"! I will definitely check that out.

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InfNBeyond
They seem to be on the right track as far as threat aspect. Unfortunately, the
fundraising probably won't make it in time.

The truth about a "hacker" is not the scripts they run or, the code they bash
on the keyboard.

It is the lifestyle & the methodology that drives every thought the enters
their minds. They think by scale, from the smallest fundamental interaction of
electrons and strings, to the largest interaction between information
networks(such as the multiverse itself) too the human brains great quantum-
electrochemical neural exchange.

Some, even possess the ability to bring into existence new forms of conscious
entities such as artificial intelligence.

Hackers as a collective whole, have a choice, and a responsibility.

When the world goes flat, we make sure the Earth still has reason to spin
around.

~~~
RootKitFan
You're very right about hackers. It's a mindset. I just found this project a
few days ago, but I think Jonathan Schiefer gets this basic notion. Here's an
interview that shows this quite clearly. <http://youtu.be/o9iS0Khm7XA> His
reason for making this film is to show how empowering the hacker way of
thinking is, that great things are possible with the right mindset

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randartie
If only he would have mentioned who is going to act as his actual advisor when
it comes to what 'hacking' really is these days.

~~~
dsrguru
Yeah if you want to get an accurate portrayal and clear up media inventions,
you might want to start with the right name of what you're portraying.

~~~
RootKitFan
I think he did pick the right word. At first the "hacking" vs "cracking" term
thing came to my mind too. However, seeing him talk about hacking being about
seeing the world in a certain way, finding something you want to change and
then doing it without the need to ask permission. This film does involve
cracking, but these characters from what I can see are true hackers as well.
In the Bitchan interview, she may be a phreeker, but she's also definitely a
maker.

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Morphling
Root kit which can monitor your email and social networks. Oh no! Are you
telling me that someone can read my plain text emails or check my facebook for
what I publicly post there!?

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wellpast
I really wish the script would be made available to potential backers. If I
liked the writing I might be inclined to contribute to the project.

What would be the downside of publishing the script for a film that is trying
to get social funding like this? The script is copyrighted, registered with
script guild, etc. is there something to worry about?

