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Transbeman film?

Started by JMorgan , May 23 2007 06:58 PM

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#1 JMorgan

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Posted 23 May 2007 - 06:58 PM

I came across some info about a feature film called "Transbeman" that is shooting in NYC. Anyone know anything about this?

http://www.myenterta...on_film-tv.html (A few entries down the page)

(New York, NY) - TRANSBEMAN, 130 West 57th St., #10A, New York, NY 10019.

Title: TRANSBEMAN, Feature Film. PROD, Sirad Balducci, Bob Coen; DIR, Richard Kroehling, Eric Nadler. Contract: SAG Low Budget Modified Contract. Shoot Dates: May 14, 2007 (in New York).

STORY: The film is set in New York City in 2016. Technology's exponential growth is fast and furious. Human life is in the process of being irreversibly transformed. Mankind stands on the verge of transcending its biology - merging with the incredibly intelligent machines it has created. MIA 2.0, the world's first 'Transbeman,' murders her creator, (MORTLAKE), to make a bold political statement - that human reliance on the fragile flesh body is over, that death is dead and eternal life is at hand. MIA goes on the run to elude authorities with a sympathetic journalist, (CLAY) and the attention of the world is riveted on the chase for her. After she is captured, MIA's trial raises fundamental questions about the new Earth she has helped to create. She is condemned to death and the 'fleshist' state executes her by wiping her hard drives clean. But does she die?

I'm curious what spin they're putting on this.

#2 Shannon Vyff

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Posted 24 May 2007 - 04:36 AM

Anyone know what Transbeman means? I'm reading 'How we became Posthuman' now--the premises of the Transbeman movie sounds interesting--course I'm a sci-fi junky (ok, at least quasi-plausible-- intricate plots

)

#3 Live Forever

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Posted 24 May 2007 - 04:44 AM

Anyone know what Transbeman means?

It is a more politically correct term for Transhuman. (since it is not exclusively for humans, but AIs, and presumably other animals as well) Martine Rothblatt gave a talk about the term at the ImmInst conference.

#4 Bruce Klein

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Posted 24 May 2007 - 07:33 AM

Here's a preview of the Transbeman film:
http://video.google....409188799333575

And here's Martin Rothblatt's ImmInst Conf, where she first talks about "bemes" for the first time:
http://www.imminst.o...ST&f=191&t=7108

Also, Martine Rothblatt answered a few more questions via ImmInst:

"I really appreciate reading the comments above. I think criticisms of the concepts of transbeman and transreligion are helpful. I agree that transbeman is an awkward term but I think it is so because of its novelty. I developed it because other terms were more problematic, specifically post-human and transhuman ran afoul of Kurzweilian principles that there won't be posthumans because the machines will be us and transhumans implies we are currently transmonkeys. My main point with transbeman is to get people off of fleshism and think of us as beings routed in human culture based on information theory concepts. It is all about our beingness, not our substrate."

More: http://www.imminst.o...=pid&pid=144549

#5 advancedatheist

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Posted 24 May 2007 - 03:36 PM

The film is set in New York City in 2016. Technology's exponential growth is fast and furious. Human life is in the process of being irreversibly transformed. Mankind stands on the verge of transcending its biology - merging with the incredibly intelligent machines it has created.

Oh, stop it! Back in the 1980's or before you could have gotten away with this kind of scenario set in that far-off future year of 2016. (For example, the events in Blade Runner take place in a strangely Mexican-free L.A. in the year 2019.) But postulating that sort of thing a mere nine years from now will just make audiences laugh. Despite what people like Ray Kurzweil say, in many areas technological progress has really slowed down and burdened us with a lot of legacy technologies with no realistic successors in sight. The gasoline news this summer even gives me flashbacks to my teen years in the 1970's, when Americans had to wait in line with empty gas tanks and gas cans, like in old communist countries, for their turn to buy rationed supplies of gasoline.

#6 Live Forever

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Posted 24 May 2007 - 08:02 PM

The time frame is a bit soon, but it does look interesting.

#7 Shepard

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Posted 24 May 2007 - 10:31 PM

And I'm betting it will be viewed by a grand total of <5,000 people.

#8 zoolander

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Posted 24 May 2007 - 10:40 PM

the preview provided is one of the tackiest b-grade movies previews I've seen in quite a while. I'm with you shepard in that it will be viewed by less than 5000 people

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Posted 24 May 2007 - 11:26 PM

Yeah, that was seriously lame. Even porn movies have better production values these days.

#10 Live Forever

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Posted 25 May 2007 - 12:00 AM

Yeah, that was seriously lame. Even porn movies have better production values these days.

I am an expert on porn quality.

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Posted 25 May 2007 - 01:59 AM

Live Forever,

What are the criteria you use to judge whether or not a film has what it takes? [sfty]

#12 Live Forever

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Posted 25 May 2007 - 02:02 AM

Live Forever,

What are the criteria you use to judge whether or not a film has what it takes? [sfty]

Lol, if this was in the Free Speech forum, I might actually answer that.

#13

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Posted 25 May 2007 - 02:11 AM

Oh, You can answer that without going into details. For example, two things I look for is Innovation and........realism.

But you're right, let's not discuss this any further.......for the benefit of the children. [thumb]

Edited by sanjay_sreehari, 25 May 2007 - 04:58 AM.

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Posted 25 May 2007 - 04:05 AM

Coming back to the Original topic of Discussion, it's obvious from the Preview that this film is not going to make much of a difference. The film that all us should be really excited about is James Cameron's Avatar, to be released in 2009. From what I've read about the film, it looks like it's going to be heavily infused with Transhuman elements, but at the same time, it promises to be a Grand Space Opera which will take us to Other worlds. And, when James Cameron - one of our greatest filmmakers - is writing and directing it, you know, simply put, that you’re in for some serious shit.

Consider the following descriptions of the Film:

STORY:
Set 200 years into the future Avatar follows the story of Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) a paraplegic war veteran who reluctantly ends up on Pandora, a moon orbiting a giant gas planet. Pandora has a lush, tropical rain forest, is rich in biodiversity and is inhabited by the Na’vi, a humanoid race with their own unique language and culture.

Trouble arises when human colonists try and exploit the indigenous tribe, supervised by Selfridge a ruthless man who will stop at nothing to gain a foothold into the new world. A rift between races ensues with Jake eventually crossing over to the indigenous side, falling in love with Neytiri (Zoe Saldana) in the process and leading the Na’vi in an epic battle for survival.

“In this film the human technology in the future is capable of injecting a human's intelligence into a remotely located body, a biological body. It's not an avatar in the sense of just existing as ones and zeroes in cyberspace. It's actually a physical body. The lead character, Jake has his human existence and his avatar existence.” - James Cameron

Once again, Cameron is all set to raise the bar for special effects in film. It is said that this film will use a digital-3D camera system (developed by Vince Pace and Cameron) and a virtual production studio.

Here is a good site where you can find out more about this Mega production:

http://www.uthell.co...tar/Avatar.html

Also, in the "Archives" section, you will find links to videos that explain this new 3D camera syste. Check it out!

Edited by sanjay_sreehari, 27 May 2007 - 09:33 PM.

#15 Shepard

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Posted 25 May 2007 - 05:08 AM

And, when you know that James Cameron - one of our greatest filmmakers - is writing and directing it, you know, simply put, that you’re in for some serious shit.

Eh, his current body of work peaked in the 80s. I do hope to see him go back to that style of film, though.

#16 Live Forever

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Posted 25 May 2007 - 05:24 AM

A lot better than Kirk Cameron, the fundie dude.

#17 Shannon Vyff

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Posted 25 May 2007 - 03:15 PM

Thanks for posting the link to the talk. Is there now a conference DVD we can order?

I'd read of Bemes, but had not heard of Transbemanism (makes since, another angle to look at, I explained the concept to Avianna my 10 year old, and we had a nice discussion... Martin Rothblat's story is quite inspirational as well!)

The movie trailer for Transbeman is not enticing to me, I'm not attracted to movies where action appears to trump plot. I'll certainly read reviews however to see how it is taken generally. I am more interested in Avatar than the Transbeman film (for clarification, per the post directly above mine)

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Posted 25 May 2007 - 09:15 PM

If Avatar becomes even half as popular as Titanic, it will be instrumental in allowing people to visualize a Posthuman world and maybe even help dispell some of the unfounded fears that people seem to have. And, it will reach people all over the world. Whats more, James Cameron's next project is 100% Transhumanistic. Its called 'Battle Angel' and they are planning to begin working on it immediately after Avatar . It will use the same 3D Camera Technology that Cameron is using for Avatar.

Here's a short description of the film:

Set in the 26th century, the story takes place 300 years after a societal collapse caused by a major war. In that society, it's a technological dark age following a pinnacle of achievement far beyond where we are right now. Cyborg technology is a way of life. People are augmented a lot as workers, so being a cyborg is not unusual. The main character is a cyborg. She has an organic human brain, and she looks like she's about fourteen years old. She has a completely artificial body and she's lost her memory. She is found in a wreckage and reconstituted by a cyber-surgeon who becomes her surrogate father.

Here is a Fan Trailer for the Film:

Also, here is a news report on this new 3D Camera System:

The thing I've always liked about Cameron's films is that he has never made a film whose sole reason for existence was the special effects. He always puts the characters and the ideas in front, the special effects are only used to tell the story. I'm so glad that a filmmaker of his caliber has chosen these subjects as the basis for his grandest venture. Some of the issues that he has briefly explored in the past: Cryonics (in Aliens), Extraterrestial Intelligence (in The Abyss, Aliens), Cyborgs (in The Terminator) and the Possible emergence of a non-friendly AI and a Singularity-like situation (as Judgement Day in The Terminator series).

Edited by sanjay_sreehari, 25 May 2007 - 11:56 PM.

#19 JMorgan

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Posted 25 May 2007 - 11:40 PM

All these films sound weird to me. They're either set way too far into the future to conceptualize what it would be like, or in the case of Transbeman, way too close.

Most films depicting the future do one of two things: Either the filmmakers aren't ambitious enough about the technology that would exist, while at the same time including technology that's way too ridiculous, or they make technology itself the enemy.

One of the problems I see with Transbeman (other than it looks cheesy) is that setting it in 2016 doesnt give it any legs. You don't just want a film to be successful the year it's released. You want a film to continue to be successful years after it's released. The closer we get to 2016, the more ridiculous the film may be.

Then again, it may surprise us. I don't know anything about who's producing it.

#20 Live Forever

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Posted 25 May 2007 - 11:57 PM

2001: A Space Odyssey is still pretty good even though it has come and gone, as is the book 1984

#21 Shannon Vyff

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Posted 26 May 2007 - 04:42 AM

I'm hoping Avatar will be big! It has the potential, we need some popular sci-fi right now!

#22 John_Ventureville

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Posted 13 July 2007 - 02:59 AM

I received an email link which took me to the "progress report" website for the low-budget science fiction thriller titled "Transbeman." At first I had really scoffed at this movie but *perhaps* there is hope for it and we may actually see aspects of the film as worthwhile for the Transhumanist cause. I suppose this will be a direct to DVD release.

John Grigg

http://www.transbemanfilm.com

#23 Danniel

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Posted 05 April 2009 - 08:44 AM

2001: A Space Odyssey is still pretty good even though it has come and gone, as is the book 1984

Actualy, I lived the book. In a galaxy far, far away called Romania in exactly 1984 I found the book with the same name. It was supposed to be fiction but OMG, I couldn't believe that the book was not forbidden. That book was fiction but it become history. Unfortunately.

#24 Mind

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Posted 03 May 2009 - 02:45 PM

Anyone heard any news about Transbeman recently? They have a nice website, but no news. The trailer is no longer on Google Video.

#25 TMF

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Posted 21 May 2009 - 02:17 AM

Anyone heard any news about Transbeman recently? They have a nice website, but no news. The trailer is no longer on Google Video.

Yes, finally after two years of hard work, Transbeman is complete!

A preview clip is on the main website, www.transbemanfilm.com and on Youtube.com and as well.
We are in the process of building some pre-release buzz about the film and would appreciate any word of of mouth, email-email ImmInst.org members can provide. The film is being screened in LA for potential distributors next month (June) and we are waiting to hear back from a number of film festivals on the sci-fi/fantasy circuit.

If anyone would like to get involved in helping us build an awareness of Tranbeman and the transhumanist topics it explores, let us know at terasem@gmavt.net.
(Bruce Duncan, Managing Director, Terasem Movement Foundation).

Cheers!

#26 Mind

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Posted 01 October 2009 - 05:00 PM

Thanks for the response Bruce! Good luck at the Woodstock Film Festival.

Looks like the name has changed. Now "2b - The Era of Flesh is Over"

Interview with director Bruce Duncan.

I am unsure if the change in title is an improvement, but then again, I have never directed and released a movie. The new title is more provocative but it still doesn't grab my attention. Then again, I am very familiar with Terasem and transhumanism, so my perspective is biased. If it is released into wider distribution, I am pretty sure I will go see it (or eventually rent it).

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