Frequently Asked Questions List -
Part A - The Newsgroups.
alt.binaries.pictures.nude.celebrities.fake :created September 11, 1996 by
Lux Lucre
The above links will take you to your local news feed, if you have it.
An Archive of all the fakes posted to the newsgroups is maintained at The Lair of Lux Lucre along with many other resources and fun places for fake fans and artists.
FAQ:First Version: February 21, 1997
FAQ Maintainer: Lux Lucre
A-I. What is it all about?
- Educational messages were added as acceptable postings
Here are some of the more well-known underage celebrities and when they will become valid as subjects for fakes. They are all curently off-limits for faking, unless otherwise indicated. Be sure that the headshots you use are taken after their 18th birthday. This is not an exhaustive list by any means, so if you need to check the age of a young film or TV celeb, please try a search at the
Internet Movie Database :
A-IIb Some requested conventions when posting to the newsgroup.
Many artists have established their own method of organizing their works by naming their files a certain way. If you have no such preference yet, and you will be posting your fake work to the newsgroup, it would help me, as the archivist, if you would try to follow this filename format:
- Non-animated files should be in either .jpg or .gif format prior to being posted.
celebfirstname_celeblastnameXX-artistfirstname_artistlastname.jpg (or .gif)
Where XX is a number, if more than one of the same celeb is being posted at the same time.
An example of this would be:
Binary Attachments: (-)
If your newsreader allows it, set your Attachment Subject Format to : "- %s - %f [%p/%t]" (This will arrange the subject line of messages with attachments like this: " - subject - filename[part#/total# of parts]".
New Fakes (NEW from)
- When posting an original fake, please use the subject line: "NEW from artistname"
Requests (REQ:)
- If you are making a request for a certain celebrity to be faked, it is asked that you place the code REQ: at the beginning of your subject line, so that readers know it is not just a regular comment, and a listing of the celebs you would like to see in the body of the message. If possible, it is also appreciated if you post a good Head Shot of the celebrity you would like to be faked.
Head Shots (HS:)
- If you are posting a Head Shot of a celebrity you would like to see, please place the code HS: at the beginning of your subject line, followed by the first and last name of the celebrity being posted. Not all Head Shots lend themselves easily to be made into fakes, so please check consider Elements of a Good Head Shot in this FAQ when selecting Head Shots to post.
Reposts (REPOST:)
- When reposting a fake that was posted previously fake, please place the code REPOST: at the beginning of your subject line, so that readers know it is not a new fake. This will save collectors time by not having to download the same fake twice.
Reworks (REWORK:)
- If a previously posted fake is adjusted or improved, please make note that this is a newer version of it. If you would like to REWORK a fake other than your own, it is polite ask the original artist's permission.
There are a great many celebrity sites that specializes in celebrity information but you will want to start with places that put lots of links on one page.
You can find such a list on the companion to this FAQ:
Fake FAQ Part B - Fakir Tips & Resources
We have established The Head Shoppe as part of Fake University. BNB built it and Precious and Tazziez are carrying on the good work of maintaining and expanding it.
http://lairofluxlucre.com/fake-u/head_shop/index.html
You are about to take up one of the most rapidly growing hobbies on the internet. Many fake artists find that making fakes are as addictive as viewing them. One overall rule applies: Have Fun!
Be warned, though! No longer will you be able to pass any magazine rack without thinking to yourself, hmmm great headshot, where the h*ll can I get a scanner?
No longer will you be able to watch your favorite female celebrities on TV or in the movies without thinking, MY GOD, I've got a baseshot that's just perfect for her. Oh sh*t, where the h*ll am I going to find the headshot? Or vice versa. Or even worse, where the bloody h*ll can I find the right HS and BS? I'VE GOT TO FAKE HER!!!!! AAAAARRRRRRRRRRRGGGG!!!!!!!!!!
I know you're probably thinking , that'll never happen to me, it's just a hobby. Ha ha, just wait, you'll see. As far as I know there's no cure. Your only hope lies in your continued access to a computer with the software and internet access needed to secure HS and BS as well as this newsgroup which is one of the only places where you can find similarly addicted people who are willing to help you improve your skills and view your work.
Welcome to the Twilight Zone.
An online school that teaches the art of faking is now up and will expand. It is called
Fake University and can be found at:
alt.binaries.celebrities.fake.moderated :created July 31, 1997 by
Lux Lucre
alt.binaries.pictures.nude.celebrities.fake.repost :created January, 1999 by
Nightwalker
FAQ:Latest update - Part A - The Newsgroups: May 18, 2001.
FAQ:Latest update - Part B - Fakir Tips & Resources : March 10, 2001.
FAQ Contributors: Lord Bill, Droop Along, Phaser, MPFC, deNada, Badnewzbearz.
Index - Clicking on the section titles will jump you to that section.
A-II. What is appropriate to post to the fake groups.
A-IIa. What is not appropriate
A-IIb. Some requested conventions when posting to the newsgroup.
A-III. Are these pictures legal? About copyrights.
A-IV. Are these pictures ethical?
A-V. I would like a certain celebrity to be faked, What should I do?
A-Va. I would like my girlfriend/wife/neighbor to be faked, What should I do?
A-VI. Making fakes looks like fun. What do I need to start making my own?
A-VII. I have made some fakes but I don't have access to the newsgroup. How can I get them posted?
Glossary
The Digital Fakir's Declaration
What's New In This Update?
A-I. What is it all about?
alt.binaries.pictures.nude.celebrities.fake
and
alt.binaries.celebrities.fake.moderated
are the Usenet newsgroups for the posting of digitally altered photos of well known personalities of an erotic nature in encoded binary form.
We all love seeing the heads of some of our favorite stars and other prominent people placed on top of a nude model. The sheer god-like power of exposing them to the world for our own fantasies is a healthy and, thanks to the easy availability of advanced image manipulation programs, it is relatively easy to exercise these fantasies and it is not only healthy, but vastly entertaining!
In days gone by, the only forum available for this type of artistry was found in the alt.binaries.pictures.nude.celebrities group, where making such posts opened one up to great gouts of flames and curses. It seems the good folk in those groups were only interested in "the real deal." The creation of the two fake newsgroups (abcfm and abpncf) has given us a clubhouse of sorts, where our posts have brought cheers instead of groans and offered us the chance to share amongst ourselves the "secrets of the trade." As is evident, it has also given birth to many a brand new fakir and fake-fan!
Back to Index
A-II. What is appropriate to post to the fake groups?
Digitally altered photos of well known personalities of an erotic nature. Head shots of celebrities are also acceptable as are the occasional body shot. Fakes of other fake artists who have made their headshots available for that purpose are also valid posts.
This would include the following formats:
-JPG, GIF -- for photos (also animated GIF)
-AVI, MOV -- for video (clips from FAKE movie scenes)
-WAV, RA -- for audio fakes
Head shots of celebrities are also acceptable.
Requests for fakes of celebrities (preferably with headshots).
Educational instructions relating to faking technique.
Comments about photos posted.
A-IIa - What is not appropriate
REAL nudes of celebrities - These have plenty of their own groups.
ADVERTISEMENTS for commercial porn photo sites - also known as SPAM.
EXCESSIVE REPOSTING - Floods of more than 15 previously posted fakes /per day /per poster in the two regular fake groups are a no-no. Too many posts push new fakes off the servers of too many ISPs. Please post large floods to the a.b.p.n.c.f.repost group.
FAKES OF BESTIALITY - no "Fun on the Farm" fakes. Animals may be present in a fake, but not as participants in sexual activities.
FAKES OF MINORS - artists will not post or take requests for celebs under 18. This also goes for fakes that use Head Shots taken before the subject turned 18, whether the fake depicts nudity or not. People commenting on possible underage fakes should be cautious not to postitively comment too soon, just in case the fake turns out to be underage, and thus be seen to be encouraging the practice.
Name
Birthday
Legal In
Kirsten Storms
April 8, 1984
2002
Lauren Maltby
Unknown
2002
Mandy Moore
April 10, 1984
2002
Lindsay Marie Felton
December 4, 1984
2002
Courtnee Draper
April 24, 1985
2003
Lindsay Ridgeway
June 22, 1985
2003
Michelle Trachtenberg
October 11, 1985
2003
Amanda Bynes
April 3, 1986
2004
Emily Hart
May, 1986
2004
Mary-Kate & Ashley Olsen
June 13, 1986
2004
Preferred Filename Format (PFF) for posted fakes.
- Make sure the filename extension is present at the end of the filename.
- The whole of the filename should be in lower-case letters and no spaces.
- The preferred order of information in the filename is:
christina_applegate04-droop_along.jpg
Preferred Subject Line Format (PSLF) in the fake newsgroups.
A-III. Are these pictures legal? About copyrights.
There are several arguments that go either way that have yet to be tested in court. Copyright law may be applicable in some areas, but there is the "fair use" clause of the U.S. Constitution that is open to interpretation and appears to be in our favor.
This states that it is fair use to use copyrighted works for criticism (including parody), comment, news reporting, teaching, education, or research. If you are not making money from your use, this weighs in favor of a claim of fair use. If your use is "transformative" i.e. creating something new rather than just reproducing the work, fair use provisions are also more likely to cover it.
Also your use should not diminish the market for the original work. However, the idea of diminishing the market does not apply to harm done to the market as the result of a parody. To paraphrase a Supreme Court ruling, there is a crucial difference between a parody which merely suppresses demand and an infringement which usurps it.
An excellent resource to investigate about this subject further can be found at
The Copyright Website (http://www.benedict.com/)
A-IV.
Are these pictures ethical?
My personal opinion is that it would be unethical to present them as being a real representation of the person or the activities depicted. A projection of personal fantasy, rightfully identified as such, should not cause us to loose any sleep (except, of course, to masturbation).
These pictures are not the truth, but they ARE what we wish were the truth.
A-V.
I would like a certain celebrity to be faked, what should I do?
Many artists would be happy to create a fake for you if you ask for it respectfully.
It also helps if you can post a good headshot of the celebrity you would like a fake of. The artists
are more likely to make the fake if they don't have to track down the headshot
themselves, especially if the celeb is not very well known.
Here are some guidelines for what many artists are looking for in a potential headshot:
Elements of a Good Head Shot:
1. High resolution,
24 bit color. 300 dpi or higher is best to work with.
2. Large size, a small headshot loses a lot of detail it is easier to reduce size than expand it. Stretching causes pixelization.
3. Full front is best, however profiles can be workable.
4. Try not to use shots that the hair is cropped out. The artist then has to work a hair style.
5. Video captures are too grainy, unless they are professional frame grabs from high resolution professional video tapes. Both of these items are very expensive and usually only professional services have these.
6. Please label your post as a Head Shot (HS:) and provide name, many of us are not up with all the latest stars and need a little help.
7. Try not to use stars that are known to have done a lot of nude layouts, the illusion is gone. Those who have not of have done only a rare
nude are the best. Best guide is your imagination, maybe that cute co-star
such as Dawn Wells of Gilligan's island (remember Ginger got all the sexy roles.)
Where should I look for celebrity headshots?
A-Va I would like my girlfriend/wife/neighbor to be faked, What should I do?
Sorry, the legalities of faking non-celebrities could be too great for many fakirs to try doing these.
A-VI. Making fakes looks like fun. What do I need to start making my own?
The Fake Relay Team
If your ISP does not carry the news group, any artist has a standing invitation to send
their work to The Fake Relay Team who will post them for you on the newsgroup and archive it at the Website with your net-name attached. for more information contact
Tu Madre at
tumadre@digitaldreams.org.
I am particulary sympathetic to those of you who have AOL accounts because they limit the sizes of your posts to about 25K...hardly a size able to accomodate a decent photo.
Security
I also recommend that you choose a clever name for yourself and, if you wish to make sure
your work is credited to you, put it somewere in the fake itself. If you are more ambitious you may even want to design and add a distinctive logo. This will make it more difficult for someone else to take it and pass it off as their own.
BASE PHOTO - The photo that includes the BODY SHOT of the indended fake and may also include a background.
BODY SHOT (BS) - The photo of a body intended to be used in a fake.
CUT & PASTE FAKE, A - A fake composed of a celebrity HEAD SHOT and a, usually nude, BODY SHOT.
FAKIR - The term for one who makes fakes (from the Indian word for a miracle maker)
HEAD SHOT (HS)- The head photo of a celebrity used in a CUT & PASTE FAKE.
MISFAKE - A celebrity look-alike mis-identified as a celebrity fake.
PLATE - A photo with no primary bodyshots. A basic background shot.
RETOUCH FAKE, A - A BASE PHOTO of a celebrity whose BODY SHOT has been digitally painted over to remove some or all clothing.