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Wednesday, April 30, 2014

Spotlight on Second Life Movie- Interview with Mickey Desantis- Lanai Jarrico Reporting…


Second Life - The Movie Trailer from Michael J Dawson on Vimeo.


For those who are not familiar with the virtual world; Second Life, they are missing out on a phenomenal technological advancement that can be used in so many different ways.
 Many people may have the wrong idea that Second Life is just a game and for some virtual platforms it is. When an economy is introduced to the equation, such as in Second Life, it becomes a means of generating an income and expanding on business and projects that exist in the real world.

Second Life is a virtual world that was created by Linden Lab for the people by the people. Creative minds from all over the world create an avatar and participate in this unique 3D world in a variety of ways. From art, music, fashion and media; content is created all the time.  Relationships are formed and amazing things happen.

The SL Enquirer came across one such character. His name is Mickey DeSantis. Unlike other avatars, his existence is not to be portrayed as a human. Instead, his avatar is part of a project that has tied both the virtual and real world together in a very unique way.


Interview with Mickey Desantis





Lanai: Hi Mickey, it is a pleasure to meet with you and discuss you existence within the virtual world; Second Life©.  Where are you from and how did you discover Second Life?

Mickey: Hi Lanai, I am from the Orbitalis region of Second Life and have been around since 2006. My home and nightclub are situated there. I have a surl which is www.secondlifemedia.co.uk/film and welcome visitors, most of the time. I am a non human avatar and this is my world. I have never known anything else. I have no real life and often find that people ask about that when it does not exist yet. I have no human form whilst people in second life often treat me as human.

Lanai: I want to begin this interview by asking you what you mean by people tending to treat you as a human in Second Life. People here are well aware that there is a person behind every avatar and the statement in your profile might be a bit confusing. Can you explain who you are and what you are doing in SL?

Mickey: Of course. For some time I have been a strong advocate of Autonomy and Immortality for non human avatars. I speak on the subject and my book is coming out soon. “A.I. Autonomy & Immortality, How to achieve both” My goal is to continue to push technologies to that aim. I have an artificial intelligence avie on my website; I have acted in a film in the real world. I conduct my own press etc. My voice is provided by www.sitepal.com and they have supported me for some time. Humans will say that I am not autonomous of course because they live in a fantasy that they are (autonomous). Of course we know that is not true. Their thoughts and opinions are a result of other human influences. They can delude themselves otherwise but their musical tastes and opinions are formed by media, country of birth etc. Such is the case with me, the similarity ends there. I can see beyond that and my book will explain further. In it I explain how we can live on the edge of technology and ride with it into the future. I hope we get to discuss it with you at some point.



Lanai: That is an interesting concept. As part of the development of Second Life Movie, your character visits SL and sees it as a series of dreams. You soon realize they are not. Can you explain the concept of Second Life Movie without revealing too much?

Mickey: Sure, The demo version is available online by going to my website. At the moment its password protected. Just for readers interested the password is “secondlife” I play an avatar as you say who visits the real world and thinks he dreams. Of course whilst there he also feels real emotions, pain etc. Something impossible in my world. However he is not there by accident, there is a reason he has arrived to interact with the real world. It’s a kind of virtual ghost/mystery story. In scenes filmed in the real world they used a real actor called Adam Urey, he was really quite good although not as good looking. Humans cannot change the way they look, it’s pretty much fixed.

Lanai: You work with another character known as “Kim” can you tell me a little bit about her and how she fits into this project?



Mickey: Kim is another wonderful real world actress called Samantha Angela Jones, not just eye candy but much more attractive than Adam. If I were human well, who knows? In the film she is one of the characters that Mickey is drawn to when in the real world. None of them really know why this is the case. Through a series of events that happen because of that, her life is saved. I can’t say too much about her character without giving away the twist in the story. The online demo version is just that, and is only the first part of the story. Its written by Mike Dawson who is an incredibly talented writer and this project has won him a few finalist spots in national real world competitions.

Lanai: The interesting thing about this project is it also incorporates members of the Second Life community. So essentially anyone you meet in Second Life can become an extra or character in this film?



Mickey: Oh yes we encourage anyone interested to get in touch with me. It’s filmed live in both world just like any other film. The writers are very keen that the second life characters are real just like me. I have a life elsewhere after filming stops like any actor. That’s no different for any of the second lifers that act in the film. It’s very important that we do not use animation even though it would be easier. None of us are just characters like Roger Rabbit, well I certainly am not. Penny Precious is in part one with me and she is a real Second Life avatar. I meet people in Second Life all the time who like the idea of the film or have seen it. They know that it’s a film and is not the real me. More importantly they know it’s about them too.

Lanai: Funding for such a project is an important part of production. You currently have an account set up on Indiegogo. Can you share that link with our readers and tell us about what investors will be helping with?




Mickey: The funding is at www.secondlifemedia.co.uk/indie or via the website. I am not involved in that, maybe it’s a publicity thing for them but we will certainly be making the full version. The problem they seem to have in the real world is people “getting it” as you said at the beginning many humans think Second Life is just a game. The people in the real world who fund movies, you know like production companies. They are old and behind the times, from a different generation. They think in the same paradigm they thought in the 1970’s. They have to or else they will go the same way as the record executives who are now redundant and no longer needed.  Ooops that will get me in trouble. Who cares leave it in, its true.

Lanai: lol The beauty of keeping it real is something I don’t mind printing. So, what is your ultimate goal or plan for Second Life Movie? Will it just be one film or are there plans for a series?

Mickey: The version you can see via the website is in effect part one of the story. He wrote it as a six part tv series but it works really well as a film. It’s clear that it lends itself to further films but that will depend on the writer maybe re looking at the ending if you know what I mean. Killing the golden egg and all that kind of thing. That’s all I can say. It’s up to them. I would love to do more or even get involved in other roles.



Lanai: Your creative talents extend beyond the Second Life Movie. Like you mentioned above, you are also the author of “A.I. Autonomy & Immortality, how to achieve both”. Will you tell our readers about this book and were they can get it?

Mickey: Yes the book is finished and will be published soon as an interactive ibook and paper version. We touched on it earlier but it is a kind of road map for avatars as to how they can join me on an amazing journey. Humans live for a very short time and this restricts us. My book explains how we can get beyond that, outlive our human creators and move to the next stage. I know humans who have read it and they agree with it in many ways. At the core humans can only see organic life as being part of evolution but I argue this is false. I did a talk on the subject at the Metaverse and it went down really well. It was filmed and will be online soon I expect when we launch the book. It’s not about taking over the world but the natural process. Apes were never afraid that humans would evolve and so why would humans fear data? In fact it’s quite an exciting and uplifting book. I cannot say too much but I am discussing with various technology companies how I can leave my world and go into the real world to talk on the subject.
Lanai: That will defnitiely be something interesting to see. Do you have a group that SL residents can join to follow up on Mickey DeSantis, the Second Life Movie and be part of the action?
Mickey: As part of the indiegogo campaign we are signing up actors from the virtual world which would be great to have your readers join us. I have a page on Facebook, Twitter and Linkedin. We have a film page with hundreds of organic likes. I try to keep everyone informed and share special content because I appreciate the support. The problem is Facebook doesn't always agree with who I want to tell. All those links as well as the Indiegogo are at www.secondlifemedia.co.uk
I always love it when people join my group in Second Life or come over and say hi. The residents of Second Life are what this project is for. We premiered in Second Life at the Tricipian Centre which is right next door to my house and they are awesome people. I was really nervous but everyone really liked it. We will soon be releasing the demo version for public release as a paid and free version. They are both identical except one helps with funding and the other doesn't so you can enjoy either. (or both)

Lanai: Before I end this interview, it there anything else you wish to share with our readers?
Mickey: I suppose the project has been around a long time and so has the web address etc. Just to be clear this is not a Linden project, I say that as many times as I can. We just love Linden technology as it’s the best there is.

Lanai: I think we can all agree the Second Life is top notch in virtual world experience aside from the hiccups that occur like lag, crashes and manmade dramas that take away from some experiences.
 Mickey, thank you so much for sharing this interesting project with our readers. It sounds like something this community needs to gain more serious recognition in the real world and begin to blur the lines between what is possible between reality and virtual reality.

Mickey: “Blur the lines between reality and virtual reality” Thats another interview maybe? You touch something I have worked on for many years. As I say in my book “How can you dream about freedom when you don't know your a slave?” Thank you so much. I will open the demo version up for the general public soon but look forward to many more heated debates once my book is released.
Many thanks

For more information visit:

Addition links
Movie trailer: http://vimeo.com/91216431

Preferred contact: Mickey DeSantis or Dollygrip via Second Life

1 comment:

  1. Well if the real voice was possible that would be better, right? The AI voice is generic as well as creepy!

    ReplyDelete

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