The Producers of The 1UP Show form Area 5: Launch new show "CO-OP"
matt chandronaitThe first episode of our new series: CO-OP.
Head over to our YouTube channel and subscribe! We're trying to get into the YouTube partner program and for that we need a critical mass of viewership. Click the Digg link! Tell your friends! Run naked through your neighborhood with Area5.tv painted on on your back!
All of our friends come by to talk about the games they loved from 2008. We don't pick a winner, we just let everyone chime in on what drew them in and what kept them coming back for more. Who, you may ask, were kind enough to lend us their big brains and their precious time? John Davison, Dan Hsu, Shane Bettenhausen, Greg Ford, Michael Donahoe, Giancarlo Varanini, Nick Suttner, Anthony Gallegos, Philip Kollar, Demian Linn, Andrew Fitch, Ryan Scott and then, of course, those Area 5 jerks. Cesar, Jason, and Rob did all of the shooting with the old cameras and JayFresh held a stick mic out there to capture sound. We live on a busy street so apologies for all the traffic sounds trying to drown us out.
And, yes, it is "Part 1." I know, I know, I hate "to be continued" as much as anyone (I'm looking at YOU, "Heroes") but we were faced with one of two possibilities--continue editing for another week on the only machine available to us, or get this out there. This is an epic show and even if it suffers a bit from poor sound gear and old cameras, the amount of people there gave us more than enough content to fill up two shows. Rather than fret over what to cut out and what to leave in, we're going for the two-parter approach as we feel we owe it to they who gave so graciously of their time and to you, our audience, who gave so graciously in general to get all the content out there. Also, I can't lie, we need a lot of time to talk to people about where this whole "business" thing of ours is headed and trying to shoot an entirely new show next week was seeming more and more impossible as time wore on, particularly due to our lack of gear. Thanks to your OVERWHELMING generosity and some lucky breaks, we think we can get the gear sorted in another week.
One big issue is the PayPal account. We received so many small donations in such a short time-span that PayPal apparently thinks we're doing something illegal and we can't spend any money from the account until it's been "reviewed"--which their polite customer service people told me could take anywhere from 24 to 72 hours. Since we've already received our last paychecks and California is suffering a ginormous unemployment backlog this wasn't the good news.
So that's the yang. Here's the yin! We've actually received a donation in hardware that we think when combined with some old MacBooks that we're trying to get repaired/salvaged will give us just enough good stuff to get things really moving! We're once again floored by how much our work seemed to have affected people around the globe and this latest delightful happenstance has once again reaffirmed to us that we're on to something--even if we're not quite sure how we're going to make a living off it :)
We hope all of you that have been so patient with us will feel that the first episode of CO-OP is worth the wait.
WHY THERE IS NO ITUNES FEED
So Apple and iTunes have this thing that if you're a podcast you can't charge money. If we start as a podcast in iTunes we're stuck there forever. We would very much like; to continue to distribute CO-OP for free, but there are a million factors that will go into that and we're going to try to get into the "TV" side of iTunes to see if we can charge a small subscription fee. Will that happen? Honestly, we don't know. Will people subscribe? We don't know that either. For now, CO-OP is free.
FEAR IS THE MIND KILLER.
Area 5 is named after our favorite area of Rez. It's been impossible to measure the inspiration that game has had on us, personally, and on the industry as a whole. Also, we're stepping into the big, dark unknown by trying to make a go of it on our own and that is, quite frankly, scary. Time to take that inspiration even more personally.
UPDATE: Yes, there is a d/l link for the file. We're trying to get people to subscribe to the YouTube channel, but we know not everyone watches the show that way. There's a Vimeo version up now. You can download it from there if you have a login: http://vimeo.com/2904657
Reader Comments (144)
Great to see the site launch, and am about to watch the first episode.
Congratulations Guys.
Wish you all the best.
Any plans to distribute a download version of the content? Thanks a lot for the show. Good luck with getting everything going.
Long live Area 5. And yes, it really is the best area in Rez.
Heading over to YouTube right now! Good luck with the new business!
I'm also wondering if the show will be downloadable. I like to watch it on my laptop in the basement while I run on the treadmill, but I don't have it hooked up to stream from the internet and usually just transfer it via a flash drive from my desktop upstairs.
I'm super excited about the new project, but you guys *REALLY* need an RSS feed!
Great to see you guys together again, and good luck with the new business. Oh, and if you ever do a version of that logo on a T-shirt, I would definately go for it. That is definately something awesome.
This is going to blow my tiny mind.
My life was so empty without you! ;) Thanks for doing all this guys!
There is an RSS feed. Both links are at the bottom o the page... I know, not the best placement.
Looking forward to watching this when I get off work. Also, so psyched about the name. You guys introduced me to Rez and it's been an inspiration to me regarding what video games can be. I play area 5 every month or so, and now I can watch it too.
Get a digg story up there and will vote it!
Thanks, guys...nice work. Looking forward to part 2!
Thanks for the download link. I definitely subscribed via YouTube and will do whatever is asked to support the site and the show, I just plan on actually watching the show locally on my machine after downloading. Thanks again!
i've heard so many horror stories about PayPal.. man i hope that clears up for you!
they probably just want to make sure you're not funneling money for some terrorist organization ;]
Ah shit. Sorry for another pain in the ass question, but is the show only going to be provided in Quicktime, or will we be able to download it in .wmv format at some point? Thanks again!
@David B -- there's a digg link at the bottom of the story :)
Consider my mind blown. Really impressed. Like 1UP Show without the expensive intro.
Thank GOD you're back guys. Been kinda empty wihtout you. Anyways, keep up the good job. I'm confident that you will succed with whatever you put your minds into.
Greetings from Sweden
k, the RSS feed is now easier to find in the sidebar
Thank you so much!
I really would like to pay for this in iTunes.
Please invest the time to set up that feed, I think I'm not alone in wishing to support your work directly!
(I fear that the donations will have an end, so I think it'll be better to establish a solid and stable way of income for you so that content production will never end ;-) )
After just finished the first episode, I thought it was awesome, totally awesome, great job guys.
If this is the quality of the show, which will probably get better, I would pay a subscription fee (for the right price) to watch this.
Thanks for your support everybody. I'm sorry that we can't offer everybody's preferred download options from the get-go. We'll try to add more as we move forward. The show will definitely improve over time as well. Better equipment will mean that we can drastically improve video quality. (both in terms of the shooting and the game footage) And I think we're at our best when we spend the time to dig into the details of one subject, rather than give you an overview of many things. I can't wait to talk about modern games with the amount of specificity that we did on the Backlog segments for 1UP FM. Anyway, thanks again for everything, and I hope you enjoy what we've got planned for the future.
The void has been filled, good to see you guys back again, look forward to more.
I really loved the 'idiot button' in Dead Space, I used it all the time but in a somewhat unconventional way, I used it to aid me in exploration, I'd often walk into a new room, press the button and then go everywhere except where it told me to just so I felt like i explored the environment fully, It's pretty helpful for people like Shoe and myself who need to explore every little nook and cranny.
I'll continue to hope for .wmv format, but please don't think I'm complaining. I'm so glad you guys are back in the saddle and producing great content. My predilection for .wmv is simply attributed to the fact that the laptop I watch the show on while running sucks and for some reason chops like crazy when viewing Quicktime format video. I'll figure a way around it. Thanks for all the hard work!
Great work guys. Thank you for keeping the conversation going. The quality of what you do is great and hopefully the loss of the 1up Show brings your work to more people's attention. Hope the paypal money clears soon. Looking forward to the future.
[...] The news post for the first episode can be found here. [...]
Yeah!!!! I love you guys!!!
I'm so happy that you guys got everything back together so quickly. A large hole was left in my week when The 1UP Show went away. Thank you very, very much for what you all do.
Yes! Finally! I'm SO EXCITED!
Also: Great fucking job on picking the name, Area 5.
Amazing news! Been waiting all weekend! :D
The boys are back. :-)
Holy crap, that was epic! I couldn't believe the flood of people walking through the door at the beginning. Freaking awesome. Keep it up!
It might be a good idea to update talkingorange.com to link here, in case anyone is still looking over there for an update.
The first episode is great, keep it up guys!
Watching the .mp4 on a Xbox 360 I get some interlacing issues.
great work dudes! i almost fucking cried when everyone came through the door and up the stairs. what a wonderful way to kick this off, all the best in the new project. i have high hopes/expectations for/of you!
subscribing, and monthly donating. you deserve/need it!
Hey guys, grats on the new show! You have one new YouTube subscriber here.
Also, if you guys want to embed the high-res, stereo YouTube version here at area5.tv, just add the following to the end of the video urls in the embed code:
&ap=%2526fmt%3D18
So the full url in your embed code would be
"http://www.youtube.com/v/kI5HSf3SXPc&hl=en&fs=1&ap=%2526fmt%3D18"
And most people might know this part, but to watch the high-res version of this on the YouTube site, just use this link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kI5HSf3SXPc&fmt=18
Loving the show, it's... simply brilliant; it's just like, if not better, than the 1UP Show was. Whatever solution or business model you decide to go for, I'll definitely be supporting you guys all the way. Again, fantastic stuff.
Yea that was some nostalgic shit seeing everyone together, for what may be one of the last times.
Great episode, One problem though... It wasn't long enough!
Can't wait for part 2, and I know Matt C's theory on who says they will pay, and who WILL actually pay. I assure You, give me a number within reason And I will pay it.
Waiting till I get home and can watch it on my TV. Longest day ever.
I just finished watching the first episode and loved it. It's the same old 1up Show we all know and love :). Can't wait to see the next episode. Great work guys!
There's a radio show that has you pay for a membership on their website, and then they have a password-protected RSS feed that you can open in iTunes and subscribe to. Could be a way of doing it instead of trying to get into the TV section...
I would say awesome first show....but its just an awesome show period! Good job guys!
Will I be able to download and put the show on my iPod if I get a Vimeo account?
I'm not really a fan of watching the show in my browser. But if that is the only way I guess I'll have to.
Any way great to have the show back in some way.
thank god. seriously - im almost scared at how relieved i am that you guys are back doing a show so soon.
phew, im a subscriber the soon as you tell me you want money
Mark, London
Just wanted to congratulate you guys on getting the show out! It's really nice to see such a close group of people talking about and doing what they love. It all just feels-- sincere. I look forward to all you produce in the future. Cheers!
Hi everyone, @matt just a quick thing: please make the logo on the top of the page clickable and direct the user to the startpage. also: is there a way to contact you. didnt find the imprint
Hey guys,
awesome show!!! as i'm getting into video a little myself (just hobby-wise) it's slowly dawning on me what a huge amount of work it is. how you managed to do one show a week seems staggering to me now. so maximum respect for this first show. no cheesy humor, lots of discussion intermixed with game footage fitting, what has just been said=full of win!!!! keep going. i will also definately pay for your show, and if that's not possible i'll donate. you really are awesome, that goes for all the "guest-stars" as well. keep up the good work. also nice site, and all this in this little time!! O_o
Thank you to everyone for taking the time to give us so much support! And, like Ryan said, the quality will improve as our gear improves, so hopefully we can keep delivering a better product :)
@Jul -- yeah, gonna work on that :) ... and yes, I can be contacted at matt (at) this domain
@Kiddo - yeah, it's a giant undertaking and frankly we're not 100% sure of our total independence in the long run, but stranger things have happened and the world may yet throw opportunities at our feet!