I am very excited to introduce a new project today – InRange TV!
InRange is intended to be everything that cable TV gun programs have utterly failed to be: intelligent and educational, while still being fun to watch. Each episode will have 3-5 different segments on a variety of topics, including reviews and range reports on firearms (both old and new), practical experiments with guns and gear in the field, competitions, interviews with knowledgeable folks in the gun community, studies and recreations of historic gunfights, and much more. Unlike Forgotten Weapons, InRange will not be limited to unusual and exotic firearms, but will rather cover everything that we find interesting. It will, however, keep the same standards of quality content that you get here. Shows will be an hour long, and publish monthly.
The other big difference between InRange and my other work is that InRange is a pay-to-watch program. Karl and I have big ambitions for what we will be able to provide with the show and they require and actual working budget, and enough income to support us without keeping other full-time jobs. I realize this will require us to overcome a major internet prejudice against paying for content, but that is the only way we can make this show a reality and bring it to its full potential (short of a contract with the History Channel, which will not be forthcoming because the History Channel doesn’t do real programs anymore). We hope you will consider supporting the effort by watching our first episode! The asking price, after all, is less that a cup of coffee per month.
I should also point out that this is in no way a replacement for Forgotten Weapons – I will continue to publish the same type of material and at the same frequency as always. InRange is an additional project involving additional people, and if it takes off, it will actually be a benefit to Forgotten Weapons, by allowing me to travel more. For example, we recently filmed an interview with Jim Sullivan (one of the original AR15 designers) for an upcoming InRange episode, and while there I also filmed a video on a prototype .22 rifle he designed for John Wayne, which will be appearing here on Forgotten Weapons.
Ian…have considered using Roku at all??? The w*fe found a Mosin Nagant Channel on it last month and subscribed to it. The are a few other Firearms related channels on Roku, but none are or will approach the quality of your shows…
CB in FL
I’m not familiar with Roku…but I’ll take some time today to look into it. Thanks for the tip!
Chris, I don’t have a roku but a relative does (an older model). I tinkered around with it and was able to add channels that were not usually available e.g. youtube. I imagine it could be possible to get it to play on roku.
I believe Roku has a vimeo “app”, no?
I was able to easily watch InRange.TV via my AppleTV Vimeo app and Roku is typically more capable than the AppleTV in these types of situations?
So your not going to one hand your Vickers while nodding at the camera, darn. Looking forward to checking out your first episode when I can sit down and watch an hour of something.
If you pay for an episode do you get to watch it multiple times or just the once?
As many times as you want for a month. If you’d prefer to keep a copy permanently, we will be offering the episodes on DVD as well (that’s a couple weeks out for the first one).
The first episode is a great start!
Looking forward to more no-drama, no-BS fun and information.
Great comment! I couldn’t have said it better myself.
Ian, how about a link up-front in this post to inrange.tv? There are a lot of us who are only going to look the video blurb as a last resort…
Also, it might be more cost-effective to sell a download vice doing a hard-copy DVD, something that I suspect will become a tail wagging the dog for you guys. I know I’d rather pay for access to a site and/or download what I’m interested in, keeping the files on my computer–Instead of having to keep track of DVDs, which I’ve pretty much moved away from what with Roku and others.
The idea of pursuing a Roku channel is something you might want to look into. I’m pretty sure that you’d find that selling your shows on there would be a hell of a lot less hassle, and make you more money in the long run. There’s also Amazon, as well–I hear they’re looking for content.
Hard-copy DVD sales are going to become an ongoing nightmare for you guys. I’d strongly suggest going digital-only, via Roku or Amazon, and concentrate on what you should be doing, which is making more content.
I just added a direct link at the top of the post – definitely an oversight to leave that out.
DVD sales are actually pretty easy logistically; I have a print-on-demand company that is great to work with and makes that sort of thing easy. We may consider adding file downloads later on as well.
I am now in the process of setting up a Roku channel – it does look like a good outlet.
So long as it isn’t you guys sitting around the kitchen table, feverishly addressing DVD mailers…
Oh, definitely not. That sort of thing is the biggest reason I haven’t made Forgotten Weapons shirts…
Good idea, there is no reason you couldn’t be available from multiple sources. More exposure, larger audience, more convenient etc.
Congrats on the new project, I wish you all the best of luck with it, and feel it will become a major source of information and entertainment for the fan base here.
That having been said…
You inserted a fascinating teaser there at the end of your post.. a .22 designed for The Duke? Come on man, if you are going to tease, at least tell me a little something about it, to tide me over until you post it!
The only good TV show on guns I can remember was Tales Of The Gun, as for the people complaining about $2.99 for an episode, I don’t think they actually realize that IT COSTS MONEY to make a program, be it a webshow or Tvshow. Besides TV shows have a company and sponsors to footing the bill.
And let’s not forget we get a full hour of actual content as opposed to the four or five minutes you might be able to extract from a “History” Channel show. And it’s completely free of adds to boot.
$3 for an hour of good fun is a bargain! It’s less than the cost of a Big Mac, much healthier, and at least 30% more satisfying …not to mention educational! I say sell one year membership packages for $40 bucks, and send everyone who buys the package deal an autographed glossy picture postcard of Ian and his spectacular mustache blazing away with something special on the range! 🙂
Yep, Tales of the Gun was really good (and I’m not just saying that because my father was on it! 🙂 ). It had a few minor errors here and there, but that’s excusable. I also enjoyed Top Shot myself – I’d skip past the talky bits and just watch the shooting – but I know that not everyone liked it. This inspiration for InRange was a combination of Tales of the Gun and Top Gear – if we can combine the best elements of both those show, I think we’ll have something really awesome.
your dad was in Tales of the Gun ?
He’s in the episode on Japanese weapons. At least there’s an expert with the same surname.
Yep, that’s him.
that’s one mighty moustache your dad has
These days, he has a beard to match. 🙂
Exactly, the price is that of a beer/fancy coffee. Just cut one of those out per month and you’re good to go. Considering the quality of the content, its a ridiculous bargain, just think of all the crap that is on cable tv which costs $70-120 a month.
Having watched the first episode I can tell you it’s well worth the price.
I do have some feedback though.
First of, you need to do something about the acoustics in your “studio”
Nothing fancy, hanging a couple of blankets on the wall will probably be enough.
Slow down the text inserts and stay away from sliding text effects. The Vimeo player makes the text look extremely blurry when it moves which can be very distracting. Leaving the text on screen for a couple of seconds more would also be nice. English is a second language to many of us and you’re feeding us two pieces of info at the same time. (Voice and text)
Anyway, I really liked the show, especially the two first segments.
Those are good suggestions – you’re not the first person to comment on the studio acoustics or the text overlays. We will improve both in the next episode.
Thanks for the support and the feedback!
An internet pay for view venture, are there any women on the show? Just asking, for the purposes of equality etc…
You’re supposed to be looking at the guns
———————
Beat Denny to it this time 😉
Hee hee!
Ian, that was excellent! I particularly liked the last segment on the hacker/shooting overlap.
I’m really looking forward to the next episode.
Ian, have you considered talking to jack from the survival podcast about your new project , i think there are alot of people there that would like your new show
I sent him an email about it, but he’s a busy guy. We’ll see…
Lookimg forward to this, two suggestions:
How about rounding up some simunitions and playing out some of the significant gun fights in history? E.g., the Miami shootout. People have jaw boned it to death over the years…how about staging it with some junk cars and see what happens over a few trials? That helicopter camera thing would come in handy. A revolution in handgun doctrine took place when Cooper initiated some realistic matches and saw what worked and what did not. IDPA type matches are close but not the real thing. My impression is that outside of the great advance in doctrine in the 1970’s, what has come since is one self-proclaimed expert against another. Being able to play with simunitions, having a place to do it, and the video equipment to analyze what happenef, is beyond most people’s ability. This could advance the art, and that would be art worth paying for.
Second, there is a lot of chaf in the wheat out there on the internet. How about a peer-reviewed journal of sorts? Gun magazines a generation ago had meat in them, not fluff. There are a lot of people who want to offer advice, but how does one tell if it is probably right or just what “everyone knows”? A place where articles could be posted, then reviewed and given a stamp of approval by some trust worthy people, and independently validated/replicated as needed, would be highly desirable.
Ian and Karl, my heartiest congratulations on this next important step in your careers, and in the cause of promoting a broader and deeper understanding of firearms from multiple perspectives. It sounds as if your formatting will be of the sort that makes for the best type of documentaries — factual, in-depth, interesting and imparted with that extra touch that keeps the attention of a general audience as much as that of enthusiasts.
The major problem with so many so-called “documentary” makers nowadays is that they have subscribed to the half-baked concept of the so-called “reality” show ( which is anything but ) in a misguided attempt to entertain and retain a wider, more superficial audience. One only has to watch the BBC’s “Blue Planet” series, narrated by David Attenborough, or something similar to realize what a truly good documentary is all about, in stark contrast to the dramatized, tarted-up rubbish even reputable cable channels seem to be so eager to put out nowadays. In that sense, you are absolutely right about the History Channel ; even Discover, once a stalwart of good documentaries, has succumbed to the “reality” formula in many ( though not all ) of its presentations. Frankly, until their editors, managers and shareholders wake up to the fact that they seriously need to review the pathway they have been taking, they don’t deserve to have an opportunity to showcase a real documentary of high quality. And the same applies to several other cable channels as well.
I was really glad to read the responses of the other members on FW before writing this — so many helpful and well-considered ideas that reflect depth and intelligence one does not often see elsewhere.
Please count me in as far as InRange TV goes. As usual, you will have my full support to the best of my ability, and I really hope it will become a big success. By the way, I take it that the recent high-speed camera acquisition which we all supported will be put to good use for the new series?
Happy to hear about the Roku Channel project, Ian….we have no cable or satellite…just an antenna and Roku…
Roku has a Vimeo application, I believe, which should work with InRange.tv just fine.
I mentioned this in another reply above but I was able to watch InRange.tv through my AppleTV vimeo app without any issues, in fact, it was a pretty nice experience! 🙂
Sorry to ask such a silly question, but what is ROKU, why do I want it and how do I get it, should I chose?
Roku is a streaming content device that hooks up to a television.
Finally! Something good on TV other than top gear!
Ian
Great start. I’m sure you’ll work out the technical (sound, lighting, etc) issues as the show progresses. I suggest during post-production editing you insert photos of mentioned items, like the various AK’s mentioned, that are not in the actual video and that you overlay text clearly identifying companies, speakers, products, etc. Perhaps at the end even a bibliography with links if technically possible.
A technical question. How do you keep the wood chips from clogging the bore of your bolt-action sawzall?
Why no female interviews? If we are to keep our “gun culture” alive in the future we must work to win the hearts and minds of our the majority of our population, women.
Thanks! You are not the first person to suggest those changes to the overlay text and photos, and we will definitely improve that in future episodes. We do have some content planned around women in shooting, too. Actually, we were working on having a very talented lady as a third co-host, but it didn’t work out.
As for the sawing, you’re outta luck. Just have to clean the rifle when you’re done. 🙂
Great job Ian and Karl
I had a couple of thoughts:There were a couple of times I thought you were on the edge of needing an NFA related sentence or two for non-US viewers. I know you were trying to avoid bureaucratic stuff but it might be something to keep in mind.
For the M11/etc. review I think one magazine in unmodified form onto your black silhouette at what ever distance would have been a good addition before Karl changed the upper. Then maybe another with the upgrades as Karl pointed out it wouldn’t take long. A level and less crowded table than the truck hood might be an idea too, maybe just use the tail gate.
Adding a picture of the Chinese AK folding stock would have been a good addition to the AK interview. Watch out for reflective surfaces, you have half a camera person in the office computer screen for part of the interview.
Good luck on your sound fixes, looking forward to the next episode.
I think the History Channel still has some actual history-related content…but only in the form of reruns of their old military stuff they occasionally air for stuff like the Pearl Harbor anniversary. And even that’s not a sure thing anymore.
With reference to your jan 2015 information about MP 44 Cal 7.92 mm.
When will this gun be on the market in USA
I don’t know. The rifles are still going through the ATF import approval process, and there is no way to predict how long that will take.