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Meet the Modder Behind the Mods Modder Alias: BeWize Real Name: Chistov Alexey Age: 18 Website Address: www.ProModz.ru Occupation: Student, second grade of Moscow Aviation University Years Modding: Started June 2003 Years Computing: About 10. Started from playing Tetris on 486
CMG - First off I want to say thank you for agreeing to our interview. BeWize - It’s a great pleasure and honor for me. CMG - Someone posted a link to your site in our forums case gallery named "Best Mods Ever"... that's a pretty bold statement, so I had to look. After checking out your entire site (though I cannot read Russian) I must admit I came away impressed, the mods represented are proof that case modding can be art. Judging from your skill with an airbrush I would have to assume you have been an artist longer than a case modder, how long have you been airbrushing, or for that matter an artist? BeWize - First of all I want to tell what is ProModz. Maybe that’ll a bit disappoint you of my abilities :). ProModz is a small group of people whom I found since starting to mod and whom I totally trust and work with. ProModz is a project of two people: me as a creator and 2Pizza as my companion who works on voltmodding for our projects. We try to work with the Best. That’s why we work with Spider-Mad. He is our airbrusher. One of the best I’ve ever known. He airbrush for already 5 years and got lots and lots of experience. I think that’s all the people you’ll be interested to hear about. I try to think through a total idea of a case before I start to mod it. I think that if a case doesn’t have an idea it’ll look like some number of unconnected mods. This idea shouldn’t be always some theme like in my Fallout or Sapphire cases, but could be just a great abstract idea (like ORAC3 I think) which is usually better. I think that’s the way to make great “cases of art”
CMG - What motivated you to become a case modder, what got you interested? BeWize - It’s very simple. I like worthy things, I like to stand out of the crowd and I want to make our life a bit more easy and beautiful.
CMG - I looked over your "Defeating The Mutant Master" case, your first (which won the award "Best case in CIS"), but what was the first mod you ever attempted (window, sleeving, etc.) and also what is CIS? BeWize - Well, the real name of that project is “Fallout: A PostNuclear Case” and "Defeating The Mutant Master" is just a name of last chapter of a work-log J . CIS is The Commonwealth of Independent States – it’s all the countries of x-USSR. My fist-first mod was when I changed the LED in my mouse. Put the blue one inside. It was the time when I wanted everything to shine as bright as a Christmas tree. It was very hard to work near that Fallout-case after all, so I usually turned the lights off. :)
CMG - You do some really nice work, your cases all have an individual theme and the artwork ties in nicely with the case mods. Most themed cases are fairly abstract but yours are artistically direct. What do you draw upon as inspiration or influence regarding the themes of your mods? BeWize - Well, I already told a bit about that. Usually I search for ideas in myself or my friends. I try to use either something old and well-known or something new and popular. For example I made nCase: Mermaid’s Sonata project for a competition held by nVidia. We tried to make it from an Antec Sonata case as a sunken battle cruiser and a mermaid in a porthole. Well...We didn’t like the new mermaid from demo-trailer because it seems to me that she doesn’t know how to use makeup, so we a bit “changed” it J . Our nVidia PR-Manager didn’t really like that so the case wasn’t even in the top 3. I want to say that I try to imagine what should be created to arise the emotions and atmosphere I feel.
CMG - If you had to pick out just one modded item you did on all your cases what would be the one you would point out and be the most proud of? BeWize - Damn, I love this one http://www.promodz.ru/images/stories/Fallout/Fallout_P03_09.jpg It was a great battle with needle files. If to say seriously, I wouldn't point anything out. I can’t take a part out of the whole.
CMG - With the PC continually heading towards a smaller and smaller form factor, what is your take on the future of case modding… is it a dying hobby? BeWize - The situation in Russia is very different from US and Germany. Modding here only starts its way up the mountain. In a year or two I think it’ll be on the top and then it’ll be a “standard” – it’s the time it’ll die as an exclusive art. We even now are trying to break this standard and invent new technologies for better results. I don’t really know what will happen in the near future but I think that big cases will remain for a looong time in our life. A lot of people love big and spacey cases.
CMG - If you had any advice to give to someone just getting into the hobby of case modding what would it be? BeWize - My way of doing something is something like... Good, better, best I shall never rest Till my good is better And my better is the best I try to do everything on the highest level I can. So my advice can be only one : Work hard! :)
CMG - The panel cuts in the mods you show on your site are very precise (if that is dremel work you are a Jedi), what is your secret... do you know something we don't? BeWize - I’ll disappoint you, but I only once used a Dremel to make a window. In my first case. To say the truth – 3 times. Left and top panels and PSU windows :) Now we use a laser to cut windows and all I need to do is make a draft. I can’t say it is very easy sometimes :) CMG - Some of us here at CaseModGod like to have a nice cold brew when we mod, what is your beverage of choice? BeWize - “Drugs, booze, sex & Rock’n’Roll”! I usually like to have some beer after the work is done. And what about my favorite brew...hmm...Long Island I think :)
CMG - Can we get any type of a hint or preview of what your next modded case will be? BeWize - Specially for www.CaseModGod.com I’ll host my next work-log in English the same time I’ll do it in Russian. The name of the project is “RYC : Recycle Your Computer”. It’s a very funny project and I like it a LOT! CMG - I look forward to seeing it. Finally, if case modding were a flavor of ice cream then what flavor would your mods represent and why? BeWize - Wow...It totally depends on a mod. Some have orange or mango flavor – sunny, childish and bright, some have pistachio – strict and elegant, some are chocolate – regular and simple but unforgettable and some have the flavor you can’t describe because you was the first to taste it. It’s very hard to judge yourself, so I try not to do that and all I’ve just said is my subjective point of view. CMG - Thanks again for taking the time to answer our questions and good luck in your future ventures. |
