5 Skills That Will Make You a More Valuable Filmmaker There are tons of skills that will make you a better filmmaker, but have found these 5 skills to be invaluable. Here are 5 skills that I like to see in filmmakers I hire or 5 skills he/she is willing to develop. Watch the video above to see all 5 tips and read the conclusion below to see the payoff of mastering these skills. 1. Staging gear is a crucial step in production. 2. This one is huge. 3. I always appreciate a learner’s spirit in assistants and shooters. 4. This skill is GOLD. 5. If you study your boss and learn to meet their needs before they ask, you’ll find yourself on all of their shoots. This post might just sound like a list of ways to suck up to your boss or director, but trust me when I say these skills go far beyond that.
Guide To Finding Music For Your Videos: 15 Great Music Websites One of the hardest tasks in filmmaking is finding the right music for your project. And while composing is a fantastic idea, most people cannot afford to hire a composer for every project. That brings us to the wonderful world of royalty free music (dripping with sarcasm). Lets be honest, trying to find the right track for your video sucks. I put together this guide for filmmakers in mind. Understanding the Licenses We can’t go and download whatever music we want and use it however we want (Unless you’re a pirate and don’t mind the possibility of getting your arse sued into the next century). Creative Commons Creative Commons has been described as being at the forefront of the copyright movement, which seeks to provide an alternative to the automatic “all rights reserved” copyright, and has been dubbed “some rights reserved.” Music with the Creative Commons license are free to download but require some kind of attribution. Royalty Free Public Domain Music Website List 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.
Reflective Surfaces Can Ruin Your Shots. Here Are Some Quick Fixes "Reflective surfaces are a pain in the ass," said every filmmaker ever. Say you've just canned a glorious tracking shot. When you go to review the footage, however, you're dismayed to find out that you tracked past three windows, and in every single one of them you can see the dolly and camera crew, the boom operator, and some PA holding coffee that is wandering around like a lost puppy. Almost every filmmaker I know has dealt with this problem in some form or another, and it's one that every up and coming filmmaker will encounter at some point in their lives. But what can you do to get rid of those pesky reflections that can ruin your shots? In my experience, it's always best to have a few different options for cutting reflections readily available to you, because there is no one solution that is perfect for every situation. However, more often than not we're using more than a single source of light in our shots, which means that another solution is necessary.
10 tips for editing video in a thoughtful, compelling way By Kari Mulholland One of TED’s video editors, Kari Mulholland, hard at work. Below, her editing advice. The techniques that video editors use to shape their content reveal a lot about how people create meaning in the world. The TED Talk editing toolkit is small when compared to ones used to cut a narrative feature or documentary. Now, compare that to the same excerpt edited competently. What made the first excerpt so uncomfortable to watch was that the edits were unmotivated; every edit was random. Choose the best camera angles for each moment. Now the “um” is edited out, by cutting between two shots during an action-filled moment. Think about who’s speaking and who’s listening. Now let’s watch the same excerpt edited like a TED Talk. The edits are motivated by the words spoken by both Chris and Bill. All of a sudden, the point of view of the interview shifts. Take some space from your edit. Hope that these tips have been helpful. Kari Mulholland is a Film + Video Editor at TED.
How to Light & Shoot a Seamless White Background from Start to Finish A seamless background can make your project look like a million bucks, but lighting one can be a little tricky if you don't know where to start. Zach Arias offers up this lighting tutorial on DEDPXL to show you how to light for a seamless white, black, grey (virtually any color, really) background. If you're a stickler for details like me, one thing you'll appreciate is the utter thoroughness of the lesson. Arias breaks down not only the hows, but the whys behind every creative and technical decision he makes on his set. Check out Part 1 below. (You can also find out more in his blog post here.) Now, not everybody can afford the equipment or the space that Arias is able to utilize in his tutorial, but there are certainly some cheap workarounds that you can use to get the same effect. The key to getting a nice seamless background is starting out with a background that can be made to look seamless in the first place (no wrinkles).
How Can I Make Quality Videos and Short Films on a Budget? A Cheap & Easy Way to Create a Professional-Looking Infinite Black Backdrop Here's a cheap, simple, and professional-looking technique to add to your arsenal -- the infinite black background. Because its visuals add a level of surrealism and style, we've seen this used in music videos, dream sequences in narrative films, art films, you name it -- and chances are if you're not wondering how to pull it off, it's because your curiosity has already led you to find the answer. Filmmaker Lewis McGregor shares his insight into how to create this effect inexpensively and simply by using black material, three lights, and editing software. (No need for a huge soundstage!) If you're just starting out in filmmaking and haven't learned much about lighting and/or editing, then the technique McGregor uses is right up your alley -- especially if you don't have the cash or space, but need your project to look professional. Is there a simpler/cheaper way to pull off this technique? [via UglyMcGregor & Indie Tips]
Journeys of a Hybrid 3 Isn't a Crowd, but You Can Make It Look Like It Is with These Cinematography Tricks What do wild parties, college lectures, massive armies, and zombie hordes have in common? If you're a filmmaker, they all require a ton of extras. But not everyone has a big enough budget or network to acquire them, which can be pretty stressful considering that at some point in your filmmaking journey, you're going to want/need to shoot a scene that requires a crowd. That's why it's crucial for every indie filmmaker to learn how to trick your audience into thinking that your five roommates (god help you) are actually a throng of wasted co-eds thrashing to EDM -- or whatever your scene calls for. This video from our buddies at Film Riot offers some techniques on how to do this both in-camera with clever blocking and camera settings, as well as in post by compositing multiple shots of the same extras. That technique is great if you want to show your crowd in an extreme wide shot, but you're eventually going to have to get in close. Group your extras close together Shoot with a long lens
Learn How to Build a Good DIY Rain Machine for $15 (& a Great One for $60) If your scene is calling for rain, don't wait for Mother Nature to get her act together. You can create your own rain and not spend a ton of money to do it. Here's a tutorial by Tom Antos that shows you how to construct two different rain machines: a $15 rig made out of a flat sprinkler hose and a sturdier $60 to $70 rig made out of PVC pipe. Before you get too far into making either of these rigs, here are a few things you should know. Secondly, getting that sexy movie rain may require more than just a simple garden hose or PVC pipe -- something more along the lines of a fire hose. Lastly, you might want to use a few other things to help your movie rain look more dynamic, like smoke, debris (leaves, etc.), or Fullers earth, as well as a fan to blow all of that around. In the end, if all you have is a regular old hose, don't fret.