It’s time to collect your very own Chris Pirillo Action Figure! I didn’t come up with the idea, mind you – the company that makes ‘em approached me a few months ago with an offer.

It’s $50 for a large Pirillo head and/or $25 for a small Pirillo head – or you can buy the heads with action figure bodies and accessories.

• Military Brown – This set includes the action figure dressed in Military Brown pants, a belt/holster, a brown vest, black boots and a gun. Me with a gun is a scary thought, I know.
• Casual – This is my personal favorite, since it’s how I dress every day. This version of action figure me is sporting jeans and a t-shirt, shoes, a belt and sunglasses. Gotta protect my eyes from that evil yellow ball, you know.
• Indiana Jones – Go ahead, admit it. You’ve always wished you could be Indy! This Pirillo is outfitted with brown pants, shirt and shoes. I have a whip-cracking arm (complete with whip) and a tiny gun in a little holster.
• Business Suit – The more professional mini-me is decked out from head-to-toe in a business suit, belt, shoes and power tie.

As I said before, though: you can also choose to buy just the figure head alone, then place it atop any action figure you already own. Go on… turn me into Hulk Hogan, G.I. Joe, or Wonder Woman. (Please – let’s not. I was only kidding about the Wonder Woman idea)

I have a feeling you’re going to want to collect them all. If you take a look at my live stream, you’ll see they have a place of honor on my desk – right in front of the camera. I think everyone likes looking at these even more than they like seeing my real face on the screen.

Everyone has a little action figure inside of them. Let your inner hero shine through by checking out everything you can do on Thats My Face.

Chris Pirillo Action Figures are Here

Geek Action Figures

Imperial Geektrooper

LEGO Minifig Me

How to Get Buff

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Jon writes: “My friend and I like filming shows at local venues. After a while there are some things you seem to focus on while recording these. Here are my tips for recording live performances, shows and concerts.”

Equipment – Always prepare your equipment before hand. Nothing is worse than showing up on a scene without your necessary things. Here is a list of useful or necessary things you should bring along:

• Camera(s) Always make sure you have properly packed your camera(s). Nothing is worse than showing up on a scene to find that your camera is damaged or even lost due to improper packing. Multiple cameras and cameramen(or camerawomen) are always recommended for any production, no matter how small. It’s always better to have a second angle to switch to if your shot gets disrupted or even too boring.
• Batteries and tapes Having extra charged batteries and tapes are a must. Besides the people behind the project, the battery is the part giving any power to your operation. The tapes are your canvas (for now). Without either of these, you can’t record your event, and they are 100% necessary.
• Tripod or Steadycam Nobody wants to watch a shaky video, even if the talent is amazing. Try a Tripod or Steadycam. Tripods tend to cause for a boring shot, but are more stable. A simple Steadycam, however, can be made easily and cost pennies. A cheap Steadycam like the one I made can serve as a Steadycam, a Bipod, a camera boom, and many more things. A ‘bar’ Steadycam, as I like to call it, is the perfect filming multitasker for the budget filmer, and will come in handy more than one would imagine.
• Lights Like a shakey video, nobody wants to see a dark, unlit video. Even if you can’t find a professional, yet affordable, portable filming light, you can still bring along a compact halogen or such light. You would be amazed by how big of a difference a single light can make, never mind a second or third. I picked up 2 halogen lights for $10 each at a tool expo that came by town, and it works great, especially for its price and size. Just remember, anywhere there is a performer, there will probably be electricity, and someone more than willing to let you plug in to help film and promote their event.
• Audio Many cameras have decent onboard mics, but sometimes that just isn’t enough. If you can get your hands on a different audio device, use it. Its always better to have too much instead of too little. A mini disc recorder works well, is compact, and is relevantly easy to transfer to a computer. If you can get a high quality digital recorder, that’s even better. They should have more recording options, allowing you to compensate for recording time, quality, whether or not you need phantom power, and many more. Also think about an audio source. It could be a soundboard from the attraction or venue, or just a quality condenser mic that you bring along. Bring everything into consideration for your audio.
• Storage/Tote Always bring a proper means of storage for your equipment. Bring what you need, leave the rest in your car. Just because your bag can carry 250 lbs of equipment, doesn’t mean that you can. There is a difference between over packing and over preparing. It is clear which is good, and which is bad. Keeping your eye on your 4 extra tripods are going to be a bigger burden than if you didn’t have any tripod at all.
• Crew Always pick a good crew that you can trust and know possess the skills you need. A crew doesn’t need to be 25 people, consisting of directors, boom operators, dolly pushers, etc. In most cases, you’re only going to need a director (who will probably work camera or audio as well), first, second, and third cameraman (fourth fifth etc depending on how many shots you have), audio technician, and someone to watch your stuff. A crew of 3 or 4 people is ideal for most low budget productions, and can be easily communicated with and transported. Does your car seat 4 people or more? I thought it might.
• Extras This includs any useful lenses you have (love my fisheye), cables (a must), pen and paper (these have been handy for centuries), or anything you might need. Always keep these neatly packed and ready in case you might need them.

Once all of these things have been thought of and taken care of, you’re ready (hopefully) to get onto your show. When you’re at this event, there are a few tips I think might help you out:

• Don’t be shy Talk to the talent, band, or whomever before the show and get their permission. Be sure they don’t mind if you try for a more creative shot in case it might ‘invade their space’.
• Get creative After all, it is art! Don’t be afraid to ‘exploit’ your equipment for every fun shot you can. I use my Bipod Steadycam to get boom shots above guitarists, and I even tip it upside down and get an upside down shot from someones’ feet. It sounds like a bad idea, but you can always flip the image without losing any quality later, and the shot looks amazing and creative. Always try new things and new angles to film from. If it looks bad, you can always switch to a different camera. But, if it looks good… you will be switching to this shot.
• Keep Safe No matter where you are, there are risks to you, and your equipment. If you’re filming in a studio, there is always the possibility of tripping on a cable or something falling over. At a rock concert, filming from the crowd means you could get bumped into by somebody, or even somebody coming out of the mosh. Always be aware of your surroundings. The only thing here worth more than your equipment, is you.
• Setup Get ready as quickly and smoothly as you can. Keep organized… and out of the way. If you’re a nuance to the staff, they’re not going to let you film here. You must be respectful during setup and overall production.
• Setting When preparing to film something, you must think about the size of the stage, crowd area, or any place you might use for your video, whether its going to be filmed, or going to be filmed from. Always take into consideration the size of the crowd, the size of the talent, and the sound levels as well.

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How to Record Live Performances (Concerts, Plays, etc)

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During the holiday season, many of us will be going to see a show. Whether it’s a movie at the cinema, or a live performance in a theater, here are some excellent tips to make the evening more enjoyable for everyone.

• Get there thirty to forty-five minutes before it starts. This is important, for concerts and theatrical performance they “open the house”. That means the doors are opened to allow the audience to find their seats and get all manner of talking out of the way before the show begins. It is also distracting to stage actors to have people attempt to find seats while they are trying to preform.
• Make reservations. This mainly applies for theatrical shows and symphonic concerts. You may ask why, but the answer is simple. If you fail to reserve a ticket, then there is a chance the show will sell out. If it is a popular show, or a show that parents will want to children to see, there is a good chance that the show will sell out. Some places will call you back to confirm the reservation. Also, if you realize that you cannot make the reservation, then call the box office and tell them ASAP. That way, the box office can open those seats up to other people. If you fail to reserve tickets, then do not blame the people working the box office. It is not their fault that you were idiotic and not make a reservation.
• DO NOT TALK during the show. You may think your comment is funny, but the people around you will not. In a movie, it’s not as bad as a play. Also, just because you think the lead actor of the show is gay, you may not want to say this because you don’t know if the people in front of you are friends of the actor or not.
• Do not bring children under the age of four or five to see a show. Yes, it may be a good show for them to see, but if they end up to cry or be fussy, you can bet that the actors and the other audience members will be unhappy and distracted. If it gets too bad, you may be asked to leave. If you take a child to a show, request to get isle seats. This way, if the little bundle of joy is fussing, you can quietly get up and take the child out to the lobby and attempt to calm him or her down.
• TURN OFF YOUR WIRELESS “CELL” PHONE! This is one, that even reminded by the director before hand, people tend to forget. Nothing like watching a showing of the musical Shenandoah, and hearing someones ringtone. Not only did the phone ring not fit the show, it also gained the ire of the actors on stage, and the audience members, not to mention the technical crew.
• DO NOT TAKE PICTURES! The flash photography could bind the actor on stage, or it could also lead to the actor being injured and a lawsuit for you. It’s best to leave the camera at home. Also, if you are at a movie, and take out a camera, you could be reported as attempting to pirate the movie. This could land you in hot water with the MPAA, as well as in extreme cases, lead to jail time.

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How to Watch a Show