Yesterday I went to visit the film studio and it was amazing. Walking into the lobby was like walking into a different world. They claimed to be the premiere film destination in SE Asia, and after seeing this amazingly designed and decorated lobby, I believe it. The studio also houses the International Film Academy, and I saw students from all over the world milling around there. Chinese, Koreans, Australians, Americans, and people with accents I couldn't place even.

There was a really nice looking cafe in the lobby and huge flat screen monitors everywhere showing clips of the studio's work and bits I am guessing relate to the film school also inside.

The producer I was there to meet eventually came down, got me a guest ID and took me into the guarded interiors of the place. First we went to the post production suite where they had an amazing Final Cut Studio setup with multiple large flat screen monitors. The editor was working on the movie they are considering having me join in on, and I have to say it is much higher quality, and higher budget, stuff than at the last place I worked in Hollywood. They even had an action sequence choreographed by a noted Hong Kong action director. Much of the CGI was very rough, "work in progress" kind of stuff, so I can see why they might be seeking help to bring up the level.

Next we went to meet the COO of the company. Surprisingly, he knows my publisher and has been trying to get him to do his movie out there. The COO said that although the plan was to have some FX done in house and some outsourced to the larger houses in LA, they were considering investing in everything needed to be able to do it all in house. It was not a small investment though. They seemed really excited at the possibility of having a guy in town, with Hollywood experience, who could be available to help with projects like that.

Next we went to meet the CGI department, which was relatively small at 5 guys, but they do some incredible, high quality work. They showed me a number of clips from different projects and some of the "work in progress" material from the current film. FInally we went to see the head of post production. He also seemed to really like the idea of having a Hollywood experienced guy living in town that they could call on when needed. At that time, he apparently just got an email from the director who had decided that he wanted all the special FX and CGI done in house, and none of it in LA, which just increased the need for my help.

Basically, should I sign on, it would be short contracts centered on a single project, so I wouldn't be giving up doing my own thing as I was concerned about. My salary would be all tax free, and I would have access to all that amazing gear. I will be going back to meet with them again, later in the week, and I can't wait to see what happens next!

Ever since I got here my iPhone hasn't really worked at all, except as an iPod or WIFI device. No phone and no SMS. SMS is everything around here. Even to activate my Smart modem, it is assumed you have a phone capable of SMS in order to do so. I had to have someone do it for me. As I may have mentioned in another post, phones are cheap here. I have seen phones which boast greater features than the iPhone, although without the cool touch screen, for $89 or so. They even have full video recording. A simple phone would cost me a mere $30 if I just wanted to be up and running. I was all set to do it, but then a new question came to mind.

If my iPhone is serving no real purpose here, what have I really got to lose by trying one of the many software hacks to jailbreak it or unlock it? If successful, I could pop in any $10 local SIM card and have local phone and SMS service just like that. I went to Junrex, a popular cell phone store, to ask about it and to buy a cheap local SIM. When they knew what I wanted it for, they said they could unlock the iPhone for me, but it would cost P2500 and take 3 days. I figured I could do it all myself. So off I went.



Finding the right software to do it is another story. There are so many, and some seem downright complex. They talk of reverting iTunes to older versions, and then reverting the iPhone firmware to older versions. After you jailbreak it, you apparently have to upgrade the firmware and then do it all again until you get to the latest. This was all starting to make me think I should have just let Junrex handle it. Eventually, though, I found Ziphone. This tool promised one click operation no matter your iTunes or firmware versions. On top of that, it's free!

I put my new SIM into my iPhone and naturally the Phone and iTunes both complained. Still, with it connected, I clicked the button on Ziphone. A bunch of numbers flashed across my iPhone screen and then all went dark. After a moment, the Apple logo appeared. When the phone booted up this time, it said SMART in the corner next to my four signal bars instead of AT&T. I went to the store next door to put a P500 load on my new SIM card and then decided to text someone to see if it was all working. When she responded, I knew I had it made. So I spent the day texting up a storm and will continue to do so from this point!