FAQ

FAQ

What is mime?

Not again…
I don’t know either. Everytime I get ask that question, I restart thinking of a good definition. And then I loose it. I think mime has to be seen to be understood. Mime in all it’s variety. It is the thing we do. So let’s show the world.
Mime.one is a little attempt to shed light into into this question. Mime.one sees ‚mime‘ in broader terms, so not only the Marceau-style of mime, Decroux‘ ‚mime-corporel‘, illusion-mime we see in pedestrian zones, or grimasses.
Mime.one rather want’s to be inclusive and would like to attract also other physical performance styles, that are predominantly non-verbal and yet not dance either. So why not include into the term ‚mime‘ styles like clown, some types of mask-work, Tanztheater and physical theatre in the broad sense?
To be discussed. If you have a good definition of what mime is, please share it with us. Or may-be you know some nice quote about mime, that brings it nicely to the point? Bring it on!

What’s my benefit in joining mime.one?

Good question. Probably none. Don’t expect to have more visitors, more revenue or more fame.
So no. No benefits. Except maybe
> Being part of a funky community.
> promoting mime. showing it’s variety. connecting with other mimes maybe.
> having a web presence handy, next time someone asks you what mime is. Just point them to mime.one. handy.

Ok. So what are the minimum requirements to join mime.one?

1. Do mime! (whichever kind)
2. At least five photos in good enough resolution/size showing you in (mime-)action
3. Some links to videos in the www, if you have
4. A website or other webpresence to link to, if people want to find out more about you
5. some basic information about you as set out in www.mime.one/join

I work solo and in a company at the same time.

Great!
Have two entries here on mime.one  –  one for you, one for your company. As long as they have different websites / links to point to, why not?

Ok. So you want my photos. They need to be standardized. I am out of my depth…

Yes. All photos on mime.one need to be standardized:
format: jpg (RGB)
dimensions: 1920 by 1275 pixel
pixel density: 72 dpi
size: max 250 KB
If this is all a bit kryptic to you, no problem. Just send me the pictures in the highest resolution you have them in, and I’ll do it for you.

I have a lot of nice photos, I can’t choose…

Send them all. mime.one takes a random selection of them, each new visit to the site.

Yeah. But some of my pictures look similar (of the same production. same lighting etc.) Still can’t decide.

Still, send them all. Pictures that look similar are grouped, so that they don’t display next to each other.

And shall these photos be rather glossy press photos or more action snaps from stage?

Any. What counts is that you feel good about them. The only condition is: the pictures need to look fabolous.
The photos shall clearly be linked to mime / physical performance. So no, no pix from your last summer holiday.

Any other guidelines / conditions on those photos?

We’ll see as we go along. No need to state the obvious here: no racism, sexism, etc. Just art.

Is the photographer of the picture credited. Or the production company?

No. For now, no credits on the pictures. Maybe in the future. In any case, make sure you are entitled to pass on these pictures to be shown on mime.one .

The pictures I have are usually in portrait, not landscape aspect ratio.

Well, make them fit the exact dimensions (1920 x 1275px). Crop them so they fill the entire width.
Do not leave black/blank left and right, it just doesn’t look good.

Shall I put my logo on the pictures.

No, please don’t. It will make the slide show look a bit weird. So, no texts, graphics, logos, nor any collage of images please.

Why can’t I upload my pictures myself?

Two reasons: It’s coding-wise a complete new ball-game to code a user interface etc.
Secondly: It’s always better to have a human (that is me) at the other end, checking everything before it goes out to the world.
And, in this respect, also any other change (video links, update of other informations you provided) has to go through me. So whenever there is anything you want to have change, you write me an email at hello@mime.one.

Are my pictures safe with you?

You mean your pictures on mime.one? Safe as in they can’t be used?
By all means NO! This is the internet. This is the whole point of the internet. All images displayed in a browser can be downloaded by anyone with a simple (right-) click.
The artists‘ images on mime.one are all standardized: 1920 x 1275 pixel, but only at 72 dpi (the standard dpi for web-display), big enough for decent full-screen display, but not high-res enough for print for example (if not reduzed in size). These images are easily downloaded by anyone.
Your high-res original photos, you might have send me, are safe with me. They do not go the server, they will not leave my computer. In fact, once happy with the conformed versions on mime.one, I will delete your originals at one point.

The mime.one logo looks silly.

Agreed. Wonna have a go?

Are all artist’s on mime.one treated equally?

Yes. An artist / ensemble providing more pictures does not result in that artist being shown more often. Just that there is a bigger variety of pictures shown.
The order of artists in the menu is set randomly each visit to the site.

And what about all the great masters of mime deceased?

You mean the likes of Marcel Marceau, Etienne Decroux etc. To have them on mime.one? How great would that be!!!
The problem though: the pictures and the legal rights attached to them. If you have any ideas / pictures / contacts… Let us know!

Seems like Berlin – Germany is overepresented on mime.one .

Yes! Simply because me – Oliver – who started this, I am based in Berlin, and I started first with my collegues close to me.
However, mime.one hopes to conquer the world. Please help to make us known wherever you are.

So, if I participate, is it free for me?

No. Nothing is for free. Not even mime.one is. It incurs costs for the domain-name and the web-space. And honestly: It was a HUGE work to get it going.
So, once mime.one has taken off – that is once we have a dozen of mimes or so united together on mime.one, I will ask you for a regular monthly contribution.
The good news is: It is completely up to you how much that is. Anything symbolic will do. Just a sign of appreciation (and that you want to continue with mime.one).
Let’s say: every month, the equivalent of an espresso at your local. Or a sparkling water (with 4 straws) at The Ritz, or a bottle of Châteauneuf-du-Pape.
You decide.
Of course you can opt out at any moment.
For infos on how to contribute please visit www.mime.one/contribution.

Ok. Convinced. I wonna participate. What now?

NICE! Visit www.mime.one/join for all informations on what you need to do, in order to participate.

And once I participated, what else do I have to do?

Not much. Except enjoy. You are now part of the ONE community for all mimes of the planet.
These things however I would like to ask you to do (besides contributing):
> Help us grow! Tell your collegues about mime.one. The rule is: Everyone joining has to bring someone new to mime.one
> please link back to mime.one on your website
> and promote mime.one on your social networks (facebook etc.)
    Thank you!

That’s it?

Almost. Also make sure, your mime.one ‚profile‘ is up to date!
Got new pictures? Send them to us!A new video of yours trailing in the www? Send us the link!
Found a great quote on mime? Bring it on.
Mime.one will grow. Make sure you state which member of mime.one you work with in the now or in the past.

The site has some glitches…

Aha. And your mime-shows have no glitches? No, honestly: send me over any bug you find. I love bugs. I collect them.

Ever heard about S E O?

S E what? … one day …
The best SEO is if  YOU LINK back to mime.one!

Hmm. On a mobile, this site looks weird.

True. Helas.
For now www.mime.one is not optimized for tablets or mobiles. Maybe one day.
Anyhow, mime is too big to be squeezed on a small screen, don’t you find?

I think mime.one could improve…

You mean it could become even better than it is now? Are you serious?
Let me know!   ideas@mime.one.

How did you get the idea for mime.one?

A few years back, when the new domain endings came out (like .art, .berlin etc.) I secured myself www.mime.one, simply because I like it. Then had it point to my normal website, but always thought, this calls for something bigger… ‚mime‘ & ‚one’… sounds like ‚mimes of the world unite!‘
Get my point?

Was it complicated to code mime.one?

I bet you it was!
Making sure that the pictures load one by one and not all at once (the user would have wait for too long)…   Working the user’s-menu and making it look decent, phew… (still needs a lot of improvement), getting all the inner logic working… it all was not trivial. And I am not a pro, just maniac.

Future plans for mime.one?

You tell me.

I’d like to contact you!

yipie@mime.one

How can I contribute?

spread the word.
do good to the world.
do good mime.

yes, but I mean, how can I give back?

Ahhh… finally you ask.   go to   www.mime.one/contribution   for details.

Can I deduct my contributions to mime.one in my tax declaration?

Well, I don’t know about your country. But I don’t see why not. So, if you ask nicely at he beginning of a year, I can send you an invoice (a german ‚Rechnung‘) about what you contributed the year gone.

And you? who are you?

Me? Oliver Pollak  •  mime  • Berlin < Germany < Europe < planet earth < our solar system < milky way < our galaxy < universe
director of ‚Atelier des Mimes Berlin‘   •   www.mime.berlin   •   www.oliverpollak.com