Digital Filmmaking Blog

Uses of Digital Distortion Techniques in Filmmaking

noreply@blogger.com (Sarthak K) — Thu, 10 May 2012 20:50:00 +0000

The vast digital world we now live in opens endless doors for remixing and reimagining both visual and audio effects through digitally- altered imagery and sound. Filmmakers are increasingly turning to new technology to create digital master pieces, rather than using traditional techniques and methods. It is this new generation of experimental film-makers that is pushing new boundaries and using over-saturated colour and distorted sound to inject new life into both visual and audio landscapes.

Below is a selection of brilliant examples of digital distortion, shown through some of the most prominent young filmmakers using these techniques to signify their work. Also, this article looks at Hit Film, an easy-to-install programme that enables digital filmmakers to experiment with their own work.

Yoshi Sodeoka - http://www.sodeoka.com/

Yoshi Sodeoka is a visual artist and filmmaker based in the USA, and originally from Japan. He currently produces digital videos that have been manipulated, altered and enhanced to create hypnotic, hyper-saturated, abstract results. He uses primary colours, distorted into a kaleidoscope of patterns. He is currently working on a project with a musician, Daron Murphy, to develop a series of videos that have been inspired by the psychedelic rock era, combined with Greek mythology. He uses digital distortion techniques to bring his inspiration to life.

Ryan Trecartin - http://ryantrecartin.com/

Ryan Trecartin is an American artist and filmmaker from America. He makes digital movies inspired by the fast, cut throat world of internet communication. He uses techniques such as voice manipulation, over-layering graphics, adding text and editing in a frenzied, abstract manner. His films are chaotic in nature and often contain narratives. Storylines are blurred due to his purposely confusing style of editing. He uses distortion to portray the vastness and frenzy of the online world, portraying a dark and disturbing picture of the internet. He reflects his use of distortion through his films’ eccentric characters; he adds unnatural amounts of colours to each one – going overboard on hues. His sped up filming techniques require the viewer’s full attention; clashes of colour and abstract sound make following what’s going on a purposely difficult challenge.

Kenneth Tin-Kin Hung - http://www.tinkin.com/

Kenneth Tin-King Hung is a digital filmmaker who was born in Hong Kong. His speciality is remixing images and sounds of pop culture, politics and modern communications through innovative, digitally distorted filming. He draws on digitalised graphics that play on the aesthetic of video games to portray a cynical view of modern society. He uses hyper saturation and exaggerated hues to portray satire and has since been commissioned by music producer Felix Da Housecat – an artist also known for his dark projections about society through his work.

Home software

There are now many great software packages available for those wishing to experiment with digital distortion – both visual and audio – that are compatible with most computers. One computing company producing software is is FXHome. Its programme, Hit Film, is one of the best available for adding all kinds of special effects and digital distortion techniques. Hit Film allows the user to create cutting- edge visual effects, motion tracking, colour alteration and 3D compositing. Its 3D camera has optional depth of field, and can blur layers based on their relative distance from the lens. Hit Film Ultimate’s 3D facility allows interaction of layers and particle simulations. Other facilities include fine tuning, masks, invisibility, cloning, temporal effects, lighting and shadowing effects, and green screen editing facilities. It also comes with visual additions, such as blood spray, light swords, gun fire, lightening and lens flares.

Like with all filming equipment, make sure you invest in a good contents insurance plan, as not only is the hardware pricey but once you add on the software we're talking about a sizable investment; these programmes are rather pricey – Hit Film prices start at $149 for the standard version, $399 for the Ultimate version and $647 for the studio version.

For those able to splash out on Hit Film Studio – the top level version – you can expect an easy-to-use package for beginners that also adequately fulfils the needs of advanced digital filmmakers, combining video editing, advanced compositing in 2D and 3D and visual effects. The Studio package has features to rival any professional filmmaking studio, with highlights including a vocal eraser tool, which can easily extract unwanted vocals from films including removing vocals from songs; stereoscopic 3D; video compositing; colour correction, and surround sound mixing.

SXSW festival being streamed live

noreply@blogger.com (Sarthak K) — Sun, 11 Mar 2012 10:36:00 +0000

The South by Southwest multi-day gathering, also called the SXSW Festival, since it’s being livestreamed from Austin, TX, enabling viewers around the globe to feel the love even sitting in the comfort of their home.

From March 9 - March 18, there’s a party going on, and you didn’t even need to fly there in order to attend. This event, which is popularly know by its acronym SXSW is streaming various live events, music and photos online here. Events are best viewed using Internet Explorer 9.

This year, more than 500 parties — a record — are on tap at venues around town. With its focus on music, film and interactive offerings, SXSW naturally attracts interest each year from record labels, film distributors and high-tech firms looking to make a big splash with lavish events featuring celebrities, freebies and, of course, lots of food and booze.

Overall, SXSW is known as a great creative mashup attracting filmmakers, distributors, music promoters, talent buyers, members of the national and international press, digital creatives, technology geeks, entrepreneurs, fans and fanatics. This year is the 19th time the South by Southwest film event is being held. The largest demographic represented among attendees are people in their 30’s (40%), followed by twenty-somethings (31%).

While it has a reputation for being hip, it aims to steer clear of being a stuffy, snobbish atmosphere, and based upon press testimonies , the South by Southwest gathering seems to have reached that goal in past years. And then some.

The interactive part of the festival continues for 4 more days through March 13th, while film viewing will last 8 more days through March 17th and for those who love the music events, there’s a great line up that will take folks out 9 more days, through March 18th.

A Microsoft gala last year at downtown's ACL Live venue, for example, reportedly cost $750,000. But the festival also appeals to other firms, including automakers, fashion designers, television networks and even the makers of Red Bull energy drink.

All are eager to reach the 20,000-plus trendsetters in town, hoping to generate buzz, which, in turn, generates sales.

Visit the South by Southwest home page for a more comprehensive list of events and programs.

Avid for iPad is here

noreply@blogger.com (Sarthak K) — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 18:46:00 +0000

Avid has launched a new video editing iPad app, which it hopes will give Apple’s iMovie a run for its money, and is Avid’s first prosumer video editing app for the iPad.

Avid Studio for the iPad enables you to quickly arrange your clips in the Storyboard, make precision edits using the Timeline, and add high-quality transitions, effects, and soundtracks to your movie footage.

Avid has created an app with the power of a professional editor, yet is easy enough for newcomers. It looks to be a big step up from Apple’s iMovie app, which is strictly for home hobbyists.

The Avid Studio app combines a storyboard and timeline interface, where users can arrange clips in the storyboard, then use the timeline for precise cuts. It also offers touch controls not found in the desktop, like the ability to resize and rotate titles with a gesture.

To get media to edit, users can capture video or photos within the app, import media from iTunes, or capture from a camera using the iPad Camera Connection Kit ($29).

More than a basic editor, the Avid app includes picture-in-picture effects, as well as multiple audio tracks for layering sounds. When they’re done, users can upload their creations directly to their YouTube or Facebook accounts, save them to their computers, or send them to their Avid Studio desktop program for further editing.

Other features include 3D animations, transitions, and titles; full title and graphic control; pan-and-zoom for photos; and full screen playback.

Get the Avid for iPad App now:

Canon C300 poised to take over Hollywood?

noreply@blogger.com (Sarthak K) — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 20:34:00 +0000

The EOS C300 – the latest Digital for Film camera from Canon – starts shipping from today. Aiming to compete directly against the Reds of the world, it carries a Super 35mm CMOS sensor capable of up to ~~4K resolution~~ 1080p capture, and should be helped in large part by the company's top-shelf lenses; like the 14.5 - 60mm and 30 - 300mm. When we first learnt about C300, it was priced at a hefty $20,000. But that's no longer the case, instead it'll cost a less painful $16,000 for the body only.

Canon has always made video cameras alongside its stills cameras, and the EOS C300 is really the natural evolution of the 5DMkII.

Canon took principles of the 5D — a full-frame SLR which shoots hi-def video — and developed it into a proper movie camera. The sensor is a conservative 8.3MP, and it records 1080p video in each of the three color channels. These pixels are big, for good low-light performance, and the movies are recorded to standard CF cards.

From there, things get very movie-techy. The C300 records in the open-source MXF (Material eXchange Format), can capture compressed MPEG2 Full HD, uses 4:2:2 color sampling and hooks up with all manner of movie accessories. In short, unless you’re a movie pro, not much of this camera will be familiar to you.
The new camera will be joined by a range of EF and PL mount lenses, and in Canon also has a 4K-capable SLR camera in the making.

Canon is counting on a wider range of offerings as digital cinema gets more serious. There’s time. The first significant all-digital movie came out a decade ago: Once Upon a Time in Mexico, where “significant” applies more to digital cinematography than to the flick. Some movies are shot with a combination of film and, for special effects, digital. Even in Hollywood, the ability to streamline production and see daily rushes without the cost and delays developing and printing film, can be an important money-saver when studios shoot all-digital.

George Clooney honoured at Palm Springs Film Festival

noreply@blogger.com (Sarthak K) — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 14:20:00 +0000

George Clooney will receive the Chairman's Award for his acting work in The Descendants and his directing of The Ides of March at the 2012 Palm Springs International Film Festival.

The award will be presented on January 7 at PSIFF's annual Awards Gala, a black-tie event that always hands out an array of awards to luminaries who figure to be in the Oscar race.

Like the awards given at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival in late January, the Palm Springs event has become a valuable stop on the Oscar campaign trail. Previous recipients of the Chairman's Award include Dustin Hoffman, Nicole Kidman and Ben Affleck.

Oscar-nominated actress Michelle Williams will also be rewarded for her portrayal of Marilyn Monroe in “My Week With Marilyn,” which is already generating Oscar buzz.

Williams, 31, will receive the Desert Palm Achievement Actress Award at the Palm Springs International Film Festival awards gala at the Palm Springs Convention Center. Previous recipients include Academy Award winners Natalie Portman, Marion Cotillard, Charlize Theron and Kate Winslet.

“My Week With Marilyn,” which opens Wednesday in limited distribution, premiered Oct. 9 at the New York International Film Festival. Directed by Simon Curtis, the film was presented Nov. 6 as part of the AFI Fest at Grauman's Chinese Theatre in Hollywood, where Monroe put her hand and footprints in cement in 1952.

The Palm Springs International Film Festival runs Jan. 5-16 2012 at various venues in Palm Springs

Sources: mydesert.com & Reuters

Technorati Tags: film festivals,filmmaking

How to sell your film online

noreply@blogger.com (Sarthak K) — Wed, 31 Aug 2011 23:01:00 +0000

Selling your film online has now became easy, although it wasn't always like this till even a couple of years back. You had websites like Revver and Turnhere, which later became redundant.

However, there is something even better now, and its completely free. The best part is that its promoted by Amazon.com, which with its vast resources has helped many self publishers of ebooks to become millionaires.

I am talking about CreateSpace.

CreateSpace provides free tools to help you self-publish and distribute your books, DVDs, CDs, video downloads and MP3s on-demand. So whether you're a filmmaker, a musician or an author, createspace is one service you should definitely try to sell your films, music and books.

Let us talk about filmmaking here. What does Createspace offer for filmmakers? Quite a bit if you ask me. For starters, here's what their DVD publishing section says:

Bring your film to market with retail-ready DVDs. We faithfully reproduce your artwork in full-color and package your discs in Amaray-style cases.
Setting up your title with us ensures your DVD remains in stock, made on-demand when customers order.

Here's some more benefits they claim:

Your movie becomes eligible for listing on IMDb
Printed with full-color, full-bleed, customizable disc and cover artwork
Create custom DVD menu artwork
Free UPC is assigned if you do not already own one

The best part is that you can sell your DVD on Amazon.com and have your eStore on it. Set the list price and start earning royalties. You can also choose Amazon Video On Demand™ as a sales channel when setting up your title to turn your film into a download. Definitely worth a try for short film makers who find it difficult to find a distribution channel.

Click here to setup a free Createspace account and start selling your film

Final Cut Pro X released

noreply@blogger.com (Sarthak K) — Fri, 24 Jun 2011 15:11:00 +0000

Apple has released Final Cut Pro X, the latest version of its professional video-editing software and one of the most popular programs for digital filmmaking.
Its actually been two days since FCP X was launched, and of course there’s been a strong buzz about it in the market. Video professionals were not only impressed with the new features, but with the new price too. Final Cut Pro X is available in the Mac App Store for $299.99. Compare that to 2009, when the fully loaded Final Cut Studio retailed for $999.99.

Final Cut Pro X is a big update for the powerful editing suite, in no small part because it is now (finally) built with 64-bit support. That means that the app will be able to take advantage of the additional memory space in Mac OS X Snow Leopard and the upcoming Mac OS X Lion.

Installing Final Cut Pro X
Since the only way to get Final Cut Pro X is through the Mac App Store, installation is easy: You just click "Buy" in the store, and the app's icon appears in your Finder, ready to run. You'll be able to install it on five Macs, and you receive updates automatically. The program requires at least a Core 2 Duo-based Mac running Snow Leopard, a decent video processor, 2.4GB of disk space, and 2GB RAM (4GB recommended).

The big new feature is called the Magnetic Timeline, which takes a trackless approach to editing. Like Adobe, Apple has also put a lot of effort into what it calls Content Auto-Analysis, which is another way of saying that the software uses meta-tags to better organize and import content, based on shot type, media format and other information.

Check out this video Apple released to show off the new features in Final Cut Pro X:

Shortie Awards Youth Film Festival

noreply@blogger.com (Sarthak K) — Fri, 06 May 2011 07:49:00 +0000

Hollyn Randolph just mailed me in about the forthcoming Shortie Awards film festival.

The Shortie Awards film festival will be held June 5, 2011 in Arlington, VA a suburb of Washington D.C. The Shortie Awards recognizes original short film productions created by student filmmakers, ages 7-18, and their teachers.

This year we have entries from 26 states and 14 countries and India has 36 entries which is the largest number from outside of the US.

Apparently the last date for submitting the entries was April 1, 2011. But we can look forward to the screenings and the winners. Those who live around Arlingtom and Washington DC should attend the event!

Short Film: Damn Your Eyes

noreply@blogger.com (Sarthak K) — Tue, 26 Apr 2011 09:45:00 +0000

David Guglielmo, an alumni of School of Visual Arts, New York emailed me his short film titled Damn Your Eyes.

Damn Your Eyes a Spaghetti Western-influenced revenge film shot on the Sony EX1 digital camera in the NY Metropolitan area for $5,000. It has been successful at film festivals and recently won two awards.

WINNER: "Best Student Film" at Royal Flush Festival '09
WINNER: "Best More Than Horror Short" at Buffalo Screams Horror Festival '10

I liked the visual quality of the film: the lighting, the locations, set, framing, composition etc. The DoP used the Sony EXI camcorder given to him pretty well. Most of the actors did a really professional job and that took the movie experience a notch higher. The screenplay could have been written better. Some of the moments in the movie were clichéd and boring but on the whole it is a decent production. What do you think of the movie? Please watch and comment (feed subscribers will need to visit the blog to watch it).

David Guglielmo must be congratulated for doing his excellent direction. Considering he is relatively new to this profession, he has done a laudable job that commands appreciation.
Digital filmmaking is indeed growing from strength to strength.

Summary of the filmmaking business

noreply@blogger.com (Sarthak K) — Thu, 31 Mar 2011 06:08:00 +0000

Technorati Tags: filmmaking,film business,film production

There are three main stages of the filmmaking business process: production, distribution and exhibition.

1. Production involves the following:

finance: a producer seeks to find investors and financial backing for a film package;
preproduction: includes research, planning, budgeting, hiring director and crew, casting, finding locations, scripting and storyboarding;
production: shooting the film;
postproduction: editing, sound design, sound editing and dubbing, special effects and graphics

2. Distribution: the distribution, marketing, advertising, promoting an classification of the film.

3. Exhibition: exposing the film to the audience, whether it is in a one-screen, multiplex, multi-screen or art-house cinema; also includes reviewing and criticism.

Tribeca Film Festival Launches Online Version

noreply@blogger.com (Sarthak K) — Wed, 23 Mar 2011 23:46:00 +0000

I had recently blogged about Tribeca Film Festival's announcement of filmmaking grants for funding documentaries of social significance. Well now it has gone a step further further launched an online version of the increasingly popular movie fest.

According to Hollywood Reporter, the 2011 Tribeca Film Festival, which kicks off from April 20 and ends on May 1 in New York city, will have a new online component where audiences will be able to watch live streams of events and interact with other audience members.

Online audiences will also be allowed to submit questions to a host of festival executives and other notable guests and access detailed information on all of the online fest filmmakers. There will also be a Future of Film blog that will include posts from film and technology experts.

If you want to know about the screenings at Tribeca 2011, check out the Tribeca Film Festival 2011 film guide .

Salon Films launches filmmaker training program

noreply@blogger.com (Sarthak K) — Mon, 10 Jan 2011 14:52:00 +0000

Salon Films will launch a cross-border training program for young Singapore and Hong Kong filmmakers, and a funding initiative in connection with the Hong Kong government subsidy for filmmakers.

The training program is organized with the Media Development Authority of Singapore to bring budding Singaporean filmmakers to work in Hong Kong and China.

The program began in Hong Kong, in partnership with the Academy of Film of the Hong Kong Baptist University, and continues in Beijing, Shanghai, Suzhou, in cooperation with the China Film Foundation and CCTV, and will conclude in the Hengdian studio, lasting three weeks in each city.

The film crew is shooting a documentary to commemorate the 20th anniversary the establishment of economic relations between China and Singapore.

"Asian culture shares common origins," Wang said, "The training program is aimed at providing an opportunity for young filmmakers across Asia to meet, exchange ideas, and make films that speak to our mutual cultural roots."

To capitalize on the current prevalence of Hong Kong-Chinese co-productions and the growing film industry in China, the program also intends for young filmmakers and film students to obtain hands-on practical experience in China.

Film students at the Academy of Film of the Baptist University will also join the Salon team in Beijing and Hengdian.

Recording Audio for a Feature Film

noreply@blogger.com (Sarthak K) — Tue, 12 Oct 2010 08:39:00 +0000

Here are a few tips for recording audio for movies using a directional mic:

Where to point the microphone

Imagine that the microphone is a flashlight, with a beam projecting straight out from it.
Aim the imaginary beam directly at the mouth of the person who is speaking (not at their chest, not at their forehead).
If the mic is close to the actor you may need to adjust the angle slightly. For example, if you’re getting plosives or sybilants, adjust it upward or downward slightly... such as, angling up slightly past the mouth (toward the philtrum) or toward the chin. (If possible, aim it from in front of the actor, from above or below his or her mouth. So the mic will be pointing at the actor’s mouth, but he or she won’t be speaking directly into it. If you come in too much from the side, or miss the mouth, it may sound okay to you, but be missing some frequencies and sound tinny in the movie. If the actor is speaking directly into it, or is too close to the microphone, some consonant sounds like “s” and “p” phonetics may be distorted.)

Generally speaking, the microphone should be held as close to the actor as possible without being visible in the frame. It’s also important that the mic’s SHADOW not be in frame.

If you hear anything other than crystal clear audio during a take, let the director know. (That means, buzzing or hissing, vehicles going by, footsteps or creaking sounds when the actors are speaking, distant voices in the house, etc.) The mic picks them all up, at much higher sensitivity than the human ear, and they can make a shot unusable.

If you hear any buzzing, let the director know about it. Usually buzzing is caused by electrical interference. Make sure that if the if the microphone’s cable is near any cord with current running through it, that it crosses it at a 90 degree angle, rather than lying along side it.

Have fun making movies! The attention you pay to audio will make a big difference in the quality of your finished movie.

Nils Osmar is a Filmmaking Instructor who has worked as a fine and commercial artist, book and magazine illustrator, portraitist and cartoonist. His artwork has been published in the United States and Europe, and featured in several national magazines. In addition to his work as a visual artist, Nils has been active in Seattle's theater scene as an actor, director and playwright.

Tribeca announces filmmaking grants

noreply@blogger.com (Sarthak K) — Fri, 17 Sep 2010 18:08:00 +0000

The Tribeca Film Institute announced Wednesday its submission period for grants is now open. TFI will award more than $500,000 in filmmaker support through 2011 and more than $100,000 through its new TFI Documentary Fund, presented by HBO.

The Gucci Tribeca Documentary Fund provides finishing grants totaling $100,000 to feature-length documentaries that highlight and humanize topics of social significance. The TFI Sloan Filmmaker Fund will award up to $140,000 to support compelling narrative filmmaking that explores scientific, mathematic and technological themes.

The Tribeca All Access Program will continue cultivating relationships between filmmakers from traditionally underrepresented communities and film industry executives, and provide each 2011 participant with $10,000. And, the TFI Latin America Media Arts Fund will support film and video artists working in narrative or documentary film and living in Mexico, Central and South America.

“We are excited to expand the reach and depth of our programming to support individual artists in the field,”

said TFI artistic director Beth Janson.

The early submission deadline is Nov. 8; final deadline is Dec. 8. More info: tribecafilminstitute.org.

Taiwan's Tsai Liang is Asian Filmmaker of the Year

noreply@blogger.com (Sarthak K) — Mon, 06 Sep 2010 09:47:00 +0000

South Korea's most prestigious film festival said Wednesday it has chosen Taiwanese director Tsai Ming Liang as its Asian Filmmaker of the Year.

The Pusan International Film Festival praised Tsai's work over the past three decades for pioneering unexplored areas that overcome the limitations of the art film industry.

"His 30-year-long devotion to filmmaking has greatly influenced Asian cinema and made considerable contributions to enhance the global status of Asian cinema," it said in a statement.

"He is renowned for seeking fresh ways of communicating with his audience... We can find the root of his endless spirit of challenging himself and the borderlines of art in his earlier works in the 1990s."

Malaysian-born Tsai is best known for "Vive L'Amour" that won the Golden Lion (best picture) award at the Venice Film Festival in 1994, and "The River" that won the Silver Bear/Special Jury Prize at the 1997 Berlin International Film Festival.

The 52-year-old has also won numerous awards with other films.

He is considered a leading exponent of the "Second New Wave" -- a group of Taiwanese directors in the 1990s who produced films with realistic and sympathetic portrayals of life rather than melodramas or action pictures.

The festival, held in the southern port city of Busan since 1996, will be staged from October 7-15 this year.

Latest Web startups for filmmakers

noreply@blogger.com (Sarthak K) — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 05:29:00 +0000

As the author of the Digital Filmmaking Blog I often get emails about the launch of a new film camera or filmmaking scholarhip or film training program requesting to get featured on this blog. Often I find those things overtly promotional and commercial and decide to ignore them. But I would like to list a few good web startups for filmmakers:

1. Tyro TV: tyrotv.com is a website that's intended for emerging television and filmmakers. They are sponsoring a new kind of online film festival/contest. According to the site owner,

We give young filmmakers a topic and everything they need to create their own movie -- video, music, and sound effects. Then let them create the best short film they can using these materials. Because everyone's using the same "building blocks," contestants will be judged not by their budget but on their creativity and storytelling abilities.

Their first competition is called "The Marijuana Mash-Up." For this contest, they are asking contestants to “mash up” (that is, creatively condense and re-edit) an hour’s worth of hilariously dated drug education films from the 50s and 60s to create a short campaign commercial that convinces people to vote for or against legalizing marijuana. The contest is motivated by the California initiative that'll be on the ballot this fall, but young filmmakers across the country have passionate views on this issue, to say the least! Finalists will be named late in the summer and a winner just before the election.

2. Fleetflicks: FleetFlicks.com is trying to revive the short film as both art and entertainment. It's a place for filmmakers to expose their work to an international audience. The site hopes to spread the word to a diverse viewership and combat the stigma that the short film is only for crotch-punch and cat videos. The site has been up for a few months and has gathered a lot of followers, many of whom have uploaded their short films on the site.

3. Student Film Makers of India: SFMI is a site for student film from India where they can upload their films, make their profile and network with other film makers. The website has a decent design and has got quite a few members already who have uploaded their short films and animations there.

Jumpstart Your Film and Television Career: 5 powerful TIPS on how to land more tv film jobs than you can handle

noreply@blogger.com (Ian) — Fri, 23 Apr 2010 22:09:00 +0000

This is a guest post by Ian Agard of ianagard.com. Ian is a Toronto based writer/director/film producer who loves to entertain and inspire people through his movies and his filmmaking blog.

As you probably know, one of the most desirable yet challenging industries to make a living from is in the film and television industry.

By far, the most commonly asked question I receive from people throughout my six years working as actor, screenwriter, director and film producer is...how do you get into the industry and make a living?

As a film producer; I have interviewed, hired and worked with several casts and crews while making my films. It becomes quite easy to notice the difference between individuals who struggle to find film/tv work and those who make a comfortable living.

Is it about luck?

Or

Who you know?

I would like to share with you 5 POWERFUL TIPS that will help you jumpstart your film/tv career and get you on the road towards landing more paying industry work than you can handle.

TIP Number One: Be Willing To Work For Free

I know, you probably didn’t want to hear that but it’s imperative that you are willing to either work for free or very low pay. It’s a sacrifice that many in the entertainment industry must do when starting out, however, you’ll have the opportunity to meet others in the business as well as learn on the job. Taking “free” jobs quickly leads to full time careers.

TIP Number Two: Attitude Is Everything

This is one of the most important tips regarding developing a successful film/tv industry career. More important than your talent, your experience or your education; your attitude will determine how far you will rise within your career.
It will determine if people will refer job opportunities to you or hire you again for future projects. You must be a flexible, professional, team oriented person who is committed to “serving” the story/project to the best of your ability.

Production sets are full of egos, there’s no need for one more.

TIP Number Three: Recognize and seizure opportunity

You’ve probably heard the old saying luck is when preparation meets opportunity. I like to believe in a slightly different statement, luck = opportunity + willingness.
A certain film/tv industry work opportunity might present itself to you; you’re prepared...but are you willing to maybe work for free, work for low pay, work 12 hour days, be team-oriented, be flexible and agreeable or go the extra mile to help the project succeed.

TIP Number Four: Network and be visible

The reality of the film/TV industry is that most production jobs are never advertised. Those positions are usually filled through word of mouth and pre-established relationships. That’s why it is extremely important for you to always be committed to meeting new like-minded people.
The best places to meet and connect with people who share your zeal and passion are:

1) Onset while shooting a movie or television show
2) Through industry specific classes
3) At film festivals

TIP Number Five: Always be learning

As humans, we are learning machines. We are most alive and functioning closest to our potential when we are learning, adapting, adjusting and finding new ways, approaches and techniques to improve our lives (and our careers)in some way.

No matter how many years working experience you might have within the film/TV industry it would be hugely important for you to maintain a beginner’s mindset. A beginner looks constantly for one new tibit, one or more ways to expand on their current expertise.

To learn more valuable tips and in-depth advice, listen to my MP3 60 minute audio interview with film and television expert and veteran Stephen Dranitsaris at: www.ianagard.com/tv-film-jobs

Tribeca film festival changes the rules

noreply@blogger.com (Sarthak K) — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 16:42:00 +0000

As best as Jane Rosenthal can describe it, the Tribeca Film Festival, which she co-founded with Robert De Niro in 2002, is "cultural whiplash."

The Tribeca Film Festival was founded in 2002 by Robert De Niro, Jane Rosenthal & Craig Hatkoff as a rejoinder to the attacks on the World Trade Center. It was initiated to promote the economic and cultural revitalization of Lower Manhattan via a yearly celebration of film, music and culture. The Festival's mission is to uphold New York City as a major filmmaking center and allow its filmmakers to reach the broadest possible audience.

44 World Premiere Feature Films & nearly 500 film screenings will be hosted at the 9th Annual Tribeca Film Festival starting Wednesday, Aprill 22.

In an effort to help films find audiences, movies won't just be screening in downtown Manhattan.

A new distribution company, Tribeca Film, founded by the festival's parent company, Tribeca Enterprises, will make a dozen movies — including Whitecross' directorial debut "sex & drugs & rock & roll" — accessible on TV via video-on-demand in some 40 million homes. A "virtual festival" will also stream eight movies and 18 short films online for viewers willing to shell out $45.

One of those films, The Birth of Big Air, was co-produced by Johnny Knoxville. It features BMX stunt biker Mat Hoffman, whom Knoxville describes as "the Evel Knievel of our time." At the same time that audiences at the festival watch it at an outdoor screening (BMX riders, including Hoffman, will be doing tricks on a half-pipe), audiences at home can watch it in their living rooms.

The Sundance Film Festival and the South By Southwest Film Festival have tried similar initiatives, though Tribeca's foray is the boldest yet. The very nature of the film festival is changing, festival organizers say.

Many of the 85 feature films at Tribeca will still arrive with the mission to look for distribution. But some producers increasingly view that possibility as quixotic, in an industry where independent film and documentary distributors are rapidly disappearing.

Seven of the ten films released by Tribeca Film will be screened day-and-date, which means that the same time moviegoers are flocking to a New York theatre, TV viewers across the country will be able to watch on VOD. Deals with Comcast, Verizon FiOS and Cablevision helped make that achievable.

Even movies that find distribution at film festivals typically aren't released for months, even years. By shrinking that window, Tribeca Film hopes to capitalize on buzz from the festival and support of festival sponsors.

Sources: AP, USA Today, NY Daily News

Latest Filmmaking Jobs

noreply@blogger.com (Sarthak K) — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 14:12:00 +0000

Some latest job openings for filmmakers and film professionals are as follows:

1. USA - Job Opportunity: Executive Director, St. John’s International Women’s Film Festival
Timeframe: 52 weeks, commencing May 1, 2010
Salary: $45,000

The St. John’s International Women’s Film Festival is currently accepting applications for a one-year maternity leave Executive Director position starting May 1st, 2010 (52 weeks, F/T contract position).

Application Deadline: April 9, 2010

Please send your C.V., a cover letter and three references to info@womensfilmfestival.com (subject heading: Executive Director Hiring Committee) or mail/deliver to:
Executive Director Hiring Committee
St. John’s International Women’s Film Festival
P.O. Box 984, Stn. C, St. John’s, NL, A1C 5M3 (mail)
28 Cochrane Street, Suite 101, St. John’s, NL, A1C 3L3 (courier)

2. UK - Professor of Film
Kingston University, London - Faculty/Dept Arts and Social Sciences School/Section Performance and Screen Studies
Vacancy Number: 10/088
Salary: £51,459 - 66,794 pa
Grade: Senior Staff Band C
Hours: 37 hours a week
Closing Date: 12 Noon on 29th April 2010

Interviews: Between 29th June and 15th July

As part of London’s leading new university the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences at Kingston University, is the largest such faculty in the capital, consisting of an exciting and diverse body of dynamic disciplines and staff. The Faculty aspires to have all subject areas recognised in the top quartile in the UK for teaching and research by 2020.

For further information and to apply online, please visit www.kingston.ac.uk/jobs.Alternatively you can email recruitment@kingston.ac.uk for an application pack,

3. Production Jobs > India
Vacancy: Freelance Video Producers
Employer: Howcast.com
Location: India
Duration: Ongoing, starts Immediatlely

Payment is on a lo/no/deferred basis.

Make creative short how-to videos for Howcast and pick up some extra money. Now, in the tiered Emerging Filmmakers Program, the more creative spots you produce, the more you can earn. (Please note, this is an opportunity for aspiring filmmakers, not a call for established filmmakers seeking freelance rates.)

• Tell a story and test out new techniques with scripts like 'How To Stop Being Shy' and 'How To Ride a Mountain Bike'
• Build or diversify your reel and see your videos distributed across the web (on AOL, Hulu, etc.) and beyond (to iPhone, TiVo, etc.).
• Challenge yourself to move up to Level 4 where you may be selected to produce special projects
• Shoot on your own schedule and get started right away
You'll need a 3-chip DV camera or an HD camera, and editing software. Howcast provides a script, VO, graphics, and access to a royalty-free music library.
Every accepted video receives a stipend and accepted directors may go on to produce more videos, move up to new levels, and earn higher payments. To learn more visit: http://www.howcastfilmmakers.com

Hong Kong Film Festival Honours Bollywood Legends

noreply@blogger.com (Sarthak K) — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 22:41:00 +0000

The prestigious 34th Hong Kong International Film Festival (HKIFF), from March 21 to April 6, will pay special tribute to India’s late actor-director-producer-writer Guru Dutt, whom it calls "Bollywood Guru".

Festival will showcase his Kaagaz Ke Phool (1959, with Waheeda Rehman), Mr. & Mrs. 55 (1955, with Madhubala), Sahib Bibi aur Gulam (1962, with Meena Kumari and Waheeda Rahman), and Pyaasa (1957, with Mala Sinha and Waheeda Rehman) films. While Sahib Bibi aur Gulam was directed by Abrar Alvi, rest were all directed by Filmfare Award winner Guru Dutt himself.

Meanwhile, Bollywood actor and legend Amitabh Bachhan is set to add another feather to his cap with the lifetime achievement award at the Hong Kong Asian Film Festival

The Hong Kong's Asian Film Festival now wishes to honour me before the end of the month. And so soon after I leave the picturesque shores of Oman, I should be heading further east to receive what I believe, not so much a personal recognition, but one that comes to me as a member of the film industry of India and indeed India itself,

the 67-year-old posted on his blog.

Bachchan has appeared in more than 100 movies in a career spanning four decades. His recent credits include "The Last Lear," "Sarkar Raj" and "Paa."

What would a filmmaker buy

noreply@blogger.com (Sarthak K) — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 01:41:00 +0000

... If he had an unlimited loan, a good big amount that lets you buy anything you want? Emergency loans are not easy to come by, and you really only get what you need, not what you want. Here's a list of ten things I would want to buy if I had an unlimited loan with a decent payback interest rate:

1. ARRI 35mm camera - the latest one!

2. Stock film - at least 10 hours- for the above camera so I can shoot/get the movie shot by a professional DP. My first 35 mm film.

3. AVID Media Composer (latest version) - the best suite yet for editing films, what else.

4. Apple iMac with the latest Final Cut Pro bundle. Best for editing digital video.

5. Final Draft software - for help in formatting scripts and screenplays!

6. Filmmaking books - a list of my recommended filmmaking books is already there on this blog's sidebar (on the right).

7. Adobe Production premium - to have Adobe's brilliant editing, compositing and image editing software on my laptop .

8. Adobe Dreamweaver software with tutorial pack to help design my own proper website.

9. Various 35mm Lenses and filters for the camera mentioned in pont no. 1

10. A studio cabin where I can fit in most of this stuff!!

Thats all folks, tell me your top 10 list.

Is East finally meeting West in Filmmaking?

noreply@blogger.com (Sarthak K) — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 16:59:00 +0000

Hollywood has been the traditional torchbearer of excellent cinema, with scattered gems thrown in from other parts of the world, but none able to match the mammoth American film industry in quantity served with excellent quality.

Let us name a few of these gems. Sergei Eisenstein from Russia, Akira Kurosawa from Japan, Jean Luc Goddard from France, Satyajit Ray from India and Abbas Kiarostami from Iran. England has also captured world attention by propping up brilliant filmmakers like Richard Attenborough and Danny Boyle. Among all these countries, India has the most fledgling film industry.

Though in terms of quality Indian cinema still has a long way to go, it is the biggest film industry in terms of feature films produced every year. More than 1000 films are made in the country annually, led largely by the Hindi film industry pseudonymed Bollywood, while the Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada cinema follow along with other regional Indian film setups. No Hollywood film has been able to give severe competition to an Indian hit film in India. Movies like Titanic have had major successes in the sub continent, but such movies are few and far between. Many award winning Hollywood films are released here, to be watched by an elite audience, while the masses prefer to keep to their masala films.

The reverse is even more true for Indian cinema in United States and UK, where except for the Indian expat population you would find one in a million soul who follows Bollywood. However, in certain European countries Bolywood stars are quite popular. For example, Shah Rukh Khan, who was recently in controversy over his detention at a US airport, is much loved in Germany and the French government recently presented him with its top culural award.

Movies like Slumdog Millionaire have raised curiosity about India, a country of mystery and wonder for many. Incidentally, as I write this post Julia Roberts is busy shooting her new film 'Eat, Pray, Love' at a Hindu Ashram in Pataudi, India. Now while such forays by western filmmakers into India have been common, Indian filmmakers have usually shot expat stories in western locales, with hardly any local western element (a recent Bollywood movie Namstey London was an exception).

Now let me come to the point for which I have been trying to build up momentum. Even as Hollywood studios like Warner bros and Sony Pictures have just started investing in Indian films, the Indian film industry is doing a similar thing in America. India's Reliance Entertainment is investing heavily in the projects of major filmmakers like Steven Spielberg, George Clooney, Brad Pitt and Nicolas Cage. Its planned collaboration cum investment with such Hollywood stalwarts is to the tune of $1billion.

Many years before these deals and collaborations, quite a few Indian film actors have been roped in to do Hollywood roles, most notably famous among whom is Aishwarya Rai. Others include Naseeruddin Shah, Om Puri and Gulshan Grover. Conversely, Indian movies have often roped in British actors, often to make them play roles in films displaying the colonial past. Things are getting more interesting as Indian movie budgets are going up. A forthcoming Bollywood movie called 'Blue' has Kylie Minogue performing a song which also features the voice of Indian singer Sonu Nigam while she dances along with Indian actor Akshay Kumar. Some people hate this song titled 'Chiggy Wiggy...' as a waste of Kyie Minogue, while others are loving it. Here's the full thing from YouTube:

Coming back to Indian superstar Shah Rukh Khan, his new film 'My Name is Khan' is slated for a December release and deals with the issue of religious profiling in the United States. Fox Studios in a joint venture with Star network has decided to invest Rupees 1 Billion ($21 million approx) in the film for distribution rights.

So is the east finally meeting west in filmmaking?

Advice for young filmmakers

noreply@blogger.com (Sarthak K) — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 21:24:00 +0000

Sam Raimi, Quentin Tarantino, Robert Rodriguez and Guillermo del Toro offer advice to young filmmakers.

Filmmaking popularity on the decline?

noreply@blogger.com (Sarthak K) — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 04:13:00 +0000

Is the popularity of filmmaking on the decline? Yes it is, according to Google trends.

The graph below shows the number of web users who have searched for the word 'filmmaking' on google. It seems less and less people are searching for the profession each year.

Another interesting statistic related to the above graph is the regions from which people are seeking information about filmmaking on the internet. Amazingly, India is at the top spot with a comfortable margin and 2 of its cities - New Delhi and Mumbai figure on the list.

As you can see, the top filmmaking city of America is Irvine, beating Los Angeles! Both are in the state of California though.

But is the filmmaking trend really going downhill? Or are people getting smarter and searching more targetted stuff like film schools, film training etc? Lets see:

As you can see above, that does not seem to be the case. Even the popularity of film schools seems to be on the decline!

Maybe people have just become more practical and instead of wasting time on the internet they are actually going out to shoot their films! Hopefully :)

LA Comedy Shorts a Success

noreply@blogger.com (Sarthak K) — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 19:48:00 +0000

The L.A. Comedy Shorts Film Festival, a four-day, non-stop celebration of comedic short films, came to hilarious conclusion on March 8.

The inaugural festival was a tremendous success, bringing together the hottest comedic talent in the industry for a fun-packed weekend of screenings, parties, industry panels and star-studded red carpet events. The LACSFF proudly hosted over 65 filmmakers from around the world…outstanding for a first time festival!

The L.A. Comedy Shorts Film Festival celebrated director/writer/actor/comedian Bobcat Goldthwait, who received the very first COMMIE AWARD in recognition of his comedic genius and contribution to comedy filmmaking. The award was presented by Tom Kenny, who is the voice of Spongebob Square Pants and has been friends with Goldthwait since the early formative age of six.

Filmmakers and screenwriters competed for over $40,000 in cash and prizes. Packages include in-person meetings with comedy video websites AtomicWedgie.com and Atom.com, and management/production companies Benderspink and Generate, as well as a copy of Movie Magic Screenwriter 6 software, courtesy of The Write Brothers. The Funny Or Die Best-Of-Fest Award will also receive a featured position on the Funny or Die homepage, a one-day film production package courtesy of The Association valued at $12,000, plus a post-sound editing package on their next short film, courtesy of Stokes Audio, an $8000+ video editing package from Storytellerz Productions and an original musical scoring package by composer Kubilay Uner.