Video Instructor

DaVinci Resolve Lite - Free

2011-09-23T18:39:00.000-07:00

Black Magic Design has released a free version of its color correction software, titled DaVinci Resolve Lite. I contacted support to ask if it was permissible to place this free version on a high school computer lab.

The reply I got back stated it was okay.

You should just need to register once and then once you have the installeryou can install on all your machines.
If you also consider upgrading to the full version please contact your localreseller as they may have an educational discount to offer you.
I hope this helps!
Thanks,
Dan-- Regards

Dan MoranApplication SpecialistBlackmagic Design EMEA

Find the download location in the Black Magic Design Support Center. The direct link for Macs is here.

Steven Speilberg directing Jurassic Park

2011-08-11T10:05:00.000-07:00

Below is some interesting video from the Electronic Press Kit sent to television stations to promote Jurassic Park. The clip comes from Mike Carroll, who promotes a one-man-band approach to filmmaking in his book Naked Filmmaking. (The book is great.) He wrote on his blog:

This clip shows Steven Spielberg on the set of Jurassic Park directing actors, blocking the scene, and operating his own Panavision camera and skillfully working the geared head wheels, one of the hardest feats to master. Notice how quickly and efficiently he works. Early in his career he was known for doing ten to twenty takes on everything. Here you see him grabbing shots in one or two takes. Speed, efficiency, and doing things yourself saves time & money.

DSLR Basics Tutorials from Vimeo Video School

2011-07-29T12:55:00.000-07:00

Phillip Bloom has contributed a series of video tutorial on DSLR Basics to the Vimeo Video School.

Setting up your DSLR from Vimeo Staff on Vimeo.

Free Movie footage from DSLR guru Vincent Laforet

2011-07-10T22:53:00.000-07:00

HDDSLR guru Vincent Laforet has posted raw footage for an editing contest. You need to download the footage from Vimeo, which seems to limit the number of downloads you can do a day unless you have a Pro account. Get the footage here.

Laforet Edit Contest from creativeLIVE on Vimeo.

Free footage of scene to edit

2011-07-06T20:05:00.000-07:00

Students in need of some raw footage to edit can try their hand at at a scene from a short film. Editor and Final Cut Pro trainer Misha Tenebaum from MishaPost.com is offering the free download of the dallies from the scene from his short film, Handicapped John click here for direct download. He is selling the script and dallies from the entire film for $30.00.

YouTube has the entire film.

The Modern Moviemaking Movement

2011-07-06T08:11:00.000-07:00

Those interested in the future of low budget filmmaking should check out The Modern Moviemaking Movement. It is a 100 page FREE "filmmaking action guide" in PDF format, and getting it requires no registration fee.

EditMentor.com - Footage

2011-04-09T13:53:00.000-07:00

Edit Mentor is selling raw footage from various short films and commercials for student editors to practice with.

They offer a few freebies of interest to editors.

Bui Brothers - DSLR Cheat Sheet

2011-04-08T13:41:00.000-07:00

The Bui Brothers have material shared at a SxSW presentation on DSLRs that is valuable. This includes their DSLR Cheat Sheet with their recommended list of equipment.

iPhone DYI IR Trigger for DSLRs

2011-03-27T10:43:00.000-07:00

The iPhoneGuru.net has a tutorial on how to build a timer remote using an iPhone for less than $20 (as opposed to using Canon's, which costs $120.00.) This remote hack will allow an iPhone to control both still and video recording on a Canon or Nikon DSLR.

Filmmaking Tips: Composition, Rule of Thirds and Building a Sequence

2011-03-18T15:22:00.000-07:00

The guys at Hollywood Bubble have and interesting contest that allows anyone to edit footage they shot. While the contest ends in April 2011, the tips in the video are valuable, if not perfectly illustrated. They provide the raw footage as a free download. If you are not turned off by using a shooting scene, then this makes a fun and quick editing assignment. Download the HD .mov files here.

Vimeo Video School

2010-12-23T14:29:00.000-08:00

The streaming video website Vimeo has launched the Vimeo Video School, which is has a growing series of "how to" videos.

Lightworks - Open source video editor - Free

2010-12-07T15:32:00.000-08:00

A free public beta download for the newly open source video editing software Lightworks is available for Windows and soon for the Mac. This is a professional level editor. I expect it will have a bit of a learning curve, but will be worth learning. This software is early in its redevelopment, so expect some bugs.

Musopen.org - Public Domain Classical Music Source

2010-12-06T09:10:00.000-08:00

Musopen.org has sheet music and .mp3 files of music that is in the public domain.

Musopen (www.musopen.org) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit focused on improving access and exposure to music by creating free resources and educational materials. We provide recordings, sheet music, and textbooks to the public for free, without copyright restrictions. Put simply, our mission is to set music free.

I read through the Terms of Use and was unclear about whether their music files could be used in multimedia projects. I wrote to them, "I am a high school animation and video production teacher. Can filmmakers use the MP3 files on your site in their work as they would if this work was under a Creative Commons license?" Aaron Dunn, the founder of the website wrote me back on December 3, 2010, with the reply, "Yes absolutely."

They have some examples from filmmakers using music from their website posted here.

Audio for Video Training - PowerPoint

2010-12-03T10:54:00.000-08:00

On October 13, 2010, I did a teacher training presentation for the Sacramento Educational Cable Consortium. The topic was Audio for Video.

This Teacher Resource Page has a link to the video of the event and the PowerPoint I used. You can watch the video at the SECC website.

Using a tripod as a jib

2010-12-01T07:48:00.000-08:00

A cool tip on how to use tripod as a jib.

4Filmmaking Free Resources

2010-11-30T15:18:00.000-08:00

The website 4Filmmaking has some free forms available for download.

Google Creative Lab's Creative Internet

2010-11-16T10:46:00.000-08:00

Google Creative Lab's look at 106 creative things on the Internet. Video is used in many of these ideas.

Atomic Learning Video Storytelling Guide - Free

2010-09-28T10:30:00.000-07:00

Atomic Learning has a free preview of their Video Storytelling Guide with a series of videos. The entire series requires a subscription, but the first 16 short videos are free.

Yola.com - Free web hosting

2010-07-30T18:23:00.000-07:00

Yola.com is another free web hosting site that provides easy-to-use design templates. They feature under thier free service banner-free hosting with unlimited bandwidth.

Academy Award Winning Movie Trailer

2010-06-03T21:44:00.000-07:00

A brilliant satire on the formula used in movie trailers (and Hollywood story structure).

Final Cut Pro Level 1 Study Materials

2010-05-19T20:01:00.000-07:00

Susan Smith of Edinburg High School has study materials available on her school's website for passing the Final Cut Pro Level 1 exam.

Revised Link 9/24/10

The Smalls Street Sounds - Free sound effects

2010-05-08T18:32:00.000-07:00

An interesting new site for free sound effects for use in films. Check out The Smalls Street Sounds project.

This is The Smalls Street Sounds, the next generation sound collaboration. We thought you might like to listen to sounds from across the United States, and maybe upload some yourself? The Smalls Street Sounds is open to filmmakers, musicians, artists and anyone with a little inspiration. Record and upload sounds from where you live, or just come here to listen and travel in your imagination. When you’re ready, download sounds to provide inspiration and audio for your own short film. Anything is possible.

Music Clearance Guidelines

2010-05-05T17:13:00.000-07:00

The website clearance.com has a page on how to get clearance for a song you may want in your video. Another pages explains Public Domain. It also has a useful list of clearance terms.

4filmmaking.com - Online Filmmaking Textbook

2010-04-23T15:07:00.000-07:00

4filmmaking.com a "Film School Online" is a site with lots of free filmmaking information. The design of the website is not very appealing and it is loaded with ads, but the content is quite good. It can make a fine online textbook. Its focus is more on low budget filmmaking, which is different from the television focus found on the excellent cybercollege.com website.

Irish Moving Image Arts Curriculum

2010-04-22T11:22:00.000-07:00

The Northern Ireland Film and Television Commission website called Creative Learning in the Digital Age. It supports their high school level examination in the Moving Image Arts. Among the resources are 48 pages of film lesson plans.