hey everyone- we at High 5 City (aka Team Awesome) have been working hard to get our website on its feet. We are having a few minor technical difficulties with some links in the toolbar but overall, things are working well and there's content to keep you entertained. so come on and enter the city limits:
www.high5city.com
Also, check out our latest video- CONTRA!!!!
Lastly, we have done a couple interviews recently and have some new ones on the way- check them out here and if you feel so inclined, check out the sites who interviewed us- they are great people!!!
This is the interview conducted by Brandon J Mendelson- he rocks our world!!!
http://www.earthstemporarysolution.com
A Really Awesome Interview
1) How did you hear about the Nintendo Short Cuts competition?
The day the contest was announced, Steve (The Vaj) was at work browsing joystiq.com when he found an article
describing the contest. Before even reaching the end of the article, he feverishly IM'd each member of the group saying "Guys…I think we could win this"…he was wrong.
2) What made you decide to film a trailer for Punch-Out?
We thought about Mario…we considered Kid Icarus…then King Hippo barged into the room, pointed a zapper gun at our heads, and offered us 10 million rupees to make this trailer.
3) How do you beat the Super Macho Man at the end of the game?
Two words: Zee Uppercut!!
4) What has been the most challenging thing you've encountered in making your productions?
We all have attitude problems and actually hate each other…
5) Can you describe for us the fan response and your reaction to the popularity of your videos?
The response has been overwhelming! It's a great feeling to know that you've been able to provide over a million smiles through YouTube (well…maybe 887,000 for those people out there who think it sucks). To everyone who has responded so positively to us, we say thank you!!
6) What is the biggest draw back to using Youtube?
My name is Amber, i just put a new vid of myself up, i get pretty much naked. I think my body is beautiful and i want to share it with other people. I was raised? in a mormon house and taught that my body was to be ashamed of…well hell with my parents, I'm in college now n' I'm 20 years old! So check it out and holla at me if u wanna hang out some time, i don't have a boyfriend…yet.
Kissez
Amber <3
7) What is the best part about making these films?
Andy and Nate (together): Craft Service
Vaj: Cool beards
Natasha: uhhhhh…
8 ) Can you tell us a little about upcoming projects you're working on?
In our new trailer, which we cannot confirm or deny the rumor that it is a trailer for Contra, you'll see some familiar faces, some new faces, some alien faces, some heart pounding action, some whipping action, and a crazed giant robot. you can check out the teaser trailer at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1y718jnjZog
9) Tell us about your goals for this year and the next few to come…
We are currently in the process of creating our own website for High 5 City, the world in which Team Awesome lives. We would love to see the website grow with a strong reader base and interest in our content. Eventually, we would love to be able to devote 100% of our time to the productions. But first and foremost, we are all hoping to move out of the dumpster at the corner of Hollywood and Vine.
10) Do you have anything you'd like to share with our readers?
Thanks again for watching the videos! If you haven't subscribed to our YouTube channel yet, we'd love to have you. If you haven't added Punch Out's myspace as your friend yet, we'd love to have you. If you haven't obtained one of Zee Uppercut tee shirts, we'd love you to have one. And we try our best to respond to every email and comment we receive so with that being said, do you have anything you'd like to share with us? If so, contact us through our YouTube or Myspace page and flood our inboxes and comment boxes with your messages.
And here is our interview with the Secret Identity guys, Matt and Brian! They have a great podcast and are located in Springfield, MA (yea western MA!!) there's tons of fun things to read and do through their site as well:
www.secretidentitypodcast.com
One of the best parts of being in Secret Identity is meeting other groups of like mind and pushing them into 'our world'! One such ensemble is the aptly named Team Awesome; a group who use video camera and retro geek as weapons! Team kinda cool sat with Team Awesome (Natasha, Nate, Andy and Steve) and found out...well, they're super wicked awesome!!
Secret Identity: Tell us about the talent people that comprise "Team Awesome".
Team Awesome: We are a group of filmmakers of all kinds. The idea behind the name Team Awesome signifies that each one of us wears a number of different hats throughout the production process. We all write, we all direct, we all act, and we all do the behind the scenes grunt work that goes into the production of films. There is no hierarchy involved and we truly do believe the saying "there is no I in Team". While we each hold special talents unique to ourselves, we bring these talents to the table for the greater good of the group. Outside of our core members, we also have amazingly talented and energetic friends who lend their creative and technical talents to us and we are fortunate for their abilities as well as their friendships.
Secret Identity: What made you decide to throw your hats in the ring (no pun intended) for the Nintendo Short Cuts competition?
Team Awesome: We love video games and we love movies. This was the perfect hybrid. We had just decided to officially form as a group and then we found out about the Nintendo Short Cuts Competition. We saw it as a perfect opportunity for our first official production together.
Secret Identity: What made you choose Punch - Out out of the million NES games to base your film on?
Team Awesome: We brainstormed with a number of ideas but decided Punch - Out was the way to go. Punch - Out happened to be a game we all have fond memories of and the storyline opened up various doors for us creatively. There were enough characters to be able to involve many of our talented friends who helped bring life to the script. We also wanted to stand out from the crowd of Mario and Zelda entries that we anticipated being up against.
Secret Identity: What resources did Nintendo allow you to use for the competition?
Team Awesome: We were able to use any first party games, characters, and music. Nintendo didn't provide any materials to make the video with, but did authorize the use of their licensing. This made things even more exciting when writing the script and we worked a number of Nintendo products, characters, and graphics into the film to flesh out the Nintendo world that the Punch - Out characters lived in within our minds.
Secret Identity: How long was the process from start to finish? What was the most challenging part of the process?
Team Awesome: We began working on the trailer the day the contest was announced (May 15, 2007) and finished production the day before it ended (June 5, 2007). It was a grueling 3 weeks in which we wrote, shot, and edited the trailer. It required pulling countless all - nighters, a lot of patience, and endurance. The challenging part was definitely the lack of time allowed. Throughout the editing process, we taught ourselves how to use green screen technology. Not only was there a short amount of time to pull the project off, we also had to compete with our full time jobs and scheduling conflicts.
Secret Identity: Many people (including us) through your film was the best of the bunch, and were really surprised when you didn't win. What is your response to the fan support you have received?
Team Awesome: Thank you for that compliment! The fan support has been unbelievably awesome. We initially created this trailer with the sole purpose of trying to win the contest and ended up garnering a lot of attention around the web. We were fortunate enough to have our video featured on YouTube, College Humor, and Joystiq just to mention a few. The internet is an amazing market to work within because so many people in so many places can view your work. In the internet world, if one person likes your work they will forward it to someone else and they will forward it to someone else and like wildfire your project can grow. Because of the massive audience the web has provided us with, we have gained fans who are excited for our future projects and we do our best to respond to everyone who takes the time to write to us. We've even had youtubers make parody videos of our trailer, which is very flattering and exciting to us! It's a great feeling to know we have been able to create a product that makes people smile and gets people pumped and we hope they all know how much we appreciate the support they provide us with.
Secret Identity: Word on the street is that you are working on a new project that features another very popular NES franchise? Can you tell us a little about it?
Team Awesome: We cannot confirm nor deny that we are currently working on a project entitled Contra. However, viewers can get ready for a video filled some familiar faces, some new faces, some alien faces, some heart pounding action, some whipping action, and a crazed giant robot. You can check out the teaser trailer at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1y718jnjZog
Secret Identity: Where can people go to find out all of the latest info on Team Awesome?
Team Awesome: We are currently in the process of creating our own website for High 5 City, the world in which Team Awesome lives. We would love to see the website grow with a strong reader base and interest in our content. This website will feature past and future projects as well as music and the latest news on Team Awesome. Currently, we are operating through our YouTube channel and the myspace page for Punch - Out and any news or updated info on the group is spread through bulletins on those pages. We really do try to respond to every email, so people with questions can contact us through those 2 pages until the website is done or email us at: info@high5city.com. We just want to say thanks again to everyone who has helped spread the word about our group, complimented our work, and devoted energy to the team. We have gained so many friends through the web and are excited to see the community grow. If you haven't subscribed to our YouTube channel yet, we'd love to have you. If you haven't added Punch - Out's myspace as your friend yet, we'd love to have you. And if you haven't obtained one of "Zee Uppercut!!" tee shirts, we'd love for you to have one! We have a lot of ideas for the future, so stay tuned for our upcoming projects!
Our thanks to Team Awesome for letting us into their world. Their website was just posted last night so be one of the first there and check out all the craziness! We guarantee, you'll not be disappointed!
and lastly, our awesome friend Varghese (check him out at myspace.com/chackolove) has an amazing blog you should check out and he was kind enough to post our vid there too!
http://432promo.blogspot.com/2007/11/support-these-talented-friends-of-mine.html
needless to say, we love everyone and are 100% appreciative of the support they have given!!