Dan, you pretty much nailed what I wanted to say. The mentioned Monkey xpresso style of tutorial is where I really think we can shine. As opposed to basic tutorials that become the fodder for demo reels, I think giving them pointers/techniques, etc. (that folks can then really make their own) is the best way to differ ourselves from, say, VCP.

Sounds like we have a solid plan for a section of comprehensive tutorials, just need to think some through.

I was thinking of something similar to this. A cross between that and the 5 sec project. Challenges, I guess you could call them. Give an idea for people to try to work towards (ie. recreate a given scene, general themes a la 5secproj, or xpresso driven animations, etc). Give a set amount of time to submit them by, then at the end, pick the top 5 and have the people explain how they did theirs. Nice way to get the community involved in explaining their own workflow and methods. Could be enlightening.

That sounds like a really interesting idea, I think the rober leger thing is cool too, will check that out..