NoFilmSchool

NHK Has Finally Shrunk Their 8K Resolution Camera, but How Close Are We to Shooting in 8K?

Joe Marine — Wed, 16 May 2012 23:09:41 +0000

Weren’t we just saying that this year wasn’t the year of 4K? The Japanese company NHK is plugging away with their 8K technological breakthroughs, and they’ve finally brought their 8K monster down to the size of a standard broadcast 1080p camera. That’s big news in the advancement of camera technology, and it’s only a matter of time before we’re shooting 4K on our cell phones. But what does this really mean for the world of video? How far away are we from having 8K TVs in our homes and actually shooting in 8K? (more…)

Five Tests to See Whether a Character's Voice is Working (from John August & Craig Mazin)

Christopher Boone — Wed, 16 May 2012 17:16:56 +0000

As screenwriters, we spend a lot of time writing, re-writing, and obsessing over dialogue. Let’s face it — the audience won’t read the amazing writing of our action sequences, but they will certainly hear our pithy dialogue. But do each of our characters have a unique voice? Thanks to the ongoing generosity of John August and Craig Mazin, their most recent Scriptnotes podcast provides five tests to see whether a character’s voice is working. See the five tests from the podcast below and my personal take on each: (more…)

Getting Better Production Audio is Easier Than You Think

Joe Marine — Wed, 16 May 2012 00:24:39 +0000

Audio is the bane of every low-budget and independent filmmaker’s existence. It’s the one thing most filmmakers have the least amount of experience with, but also the least of amount of time to deal with properly. If you want the best possible audio on set, it takes just as much work as getting a good image. Since this is a visual medium, there’s no question the moving images should be the best they can be, but often the quality of the audio matters more than the quality of the video. For anyone starting out, here’s a quick video and then some simple tips about getting better production audio. (more…)

Just Starting Out with Creative Suite 6? Adobe Has a Bunch of Free Basic Training Videos For You

Justin Minich — Tue, 15 May 2012 13:43:41 +0000

So you bought a copy of Adobe Creative Suite 6 or downloaded it via Creative Cloud. Where do you start? Well, Adobe has a slew of videos on their website to introduce you to the changes in the Premiere Pro and After Effects interfaces, and to show you how the new features in CS6 work. Here are some of my favorites: (more…)

How Durable is Your Camera? A Canon 7D is Tested to the Extreme

Joe Marine — Tue, 15 May 2012 01:39:39 +0000

We’ve been testing cameras for performance in ideal conditions, and also in not-so-ideal conditions, but this is just ridiculous. Kai Wong and the guys over at DigitalRev were kindly donated a Canon 7D to see how much punishment that little camera could take. The 7D has a magnesium alloy body, so it’s much more capable of handling inclement weather — but what if it were frozen in a block of ice, or set on fire? Could it still take photos? Check out the video below to find out. (more…)

Austin Film Festival Screenplay & Teleplay Competition Deadlines Approach

Christopher Boone — Mon, 14 May 2012 15:54:01 +0000

Have you already submitted your polished script to the Nicholl Fellowship? Did you miss that May 1 deadline and wish you had a few more days and another chance? Then you should consider submitting to the Austin Film Festival Screenplay & Teleplay Competition. Screenplay awards for Drama and Comedy category each include $5,000 plus reimbursement for round-trip airfare (up to $500) and hotel (up to $500) for the conference and festival. Teleplay awards for Sitcom Spec, One-Hour Spec, Sitcom Pilot and One-Hour Pilot each include $1,000, plus reimbursement for round-trip airfare (up to $500) and hotel (up to $500) for the conference and festival. (more…)

A Beginner's Guide to Backing Up Footage and How 'Toy Story 2' Almost Disappeared Forever

Joe Marine — Sun, 13 May 2012 20:53:48 +0000

Ever lost important footage because your backups failed, or maybe you didn’t back up at all? Well how about losing an entire feature film and a year’s worth of work? While this isn’t a new story, as it was featured in the special features on the DVD, the tale of the failed Toy Story 2 backup is fascinating. It just proves that even when you’re spending millions of dollars, a few mistakes can be disastrous. (more…)

Looking for a REDucation? RED Offers Digital Cinema Training Course - for a Price

E.M. Taboada — Sat, 12 May 2012 22:15:33 +0000

Amid the hubbub of new product announcements this item has flown a bit under the radar — this Fall, RED will start offering a 16 week digital-cinema training course. It aims to take students from pre-production to production to post-production while developing their own projects with the guidance of working professionals. At first glance, it looks like a pretty interesting opportunity — you get to make projects on RED equipment, while learning the tools, craft and technique from experts. But what will it cost? And what are the pros and cons of this sort of program?: (more…)

Is It Smoky in Here? Shane Hurlbut Shows How to Use Smoke to Achieve Different Lighting Goals

Joe Marine — Sat, 12 May 2012 02:37:34 +0000

Say what you will about Shane Hurlbut, but there aren’t too many professional Directors of Photography who take the time out of their crazy schedules to try to give back to the community. Shane’s most recent work that we’ve covered here was the Canon-sponsored film “The Ticket,” shot in 4K on the Canon 1D C. While I saw that film at NAB (and wasn’t too crazy about the quality of the footage coming out of that camera), it doesn’t take away from the fact that he’s a professional DP who knows a thing or two about lighting. In his newest blog post, he gives a good run-down on how to use smoke to achieve different lighting goals. (more…)

Two Interview Lighting Tutorials That'll Kick Your Footage Up a Notch

E.M. Taboada — Fri, 11 May 2012 22:35:22 +0000

So you’re getting ready to interview that expert for your short documentary, and you want to review your interview lighting technique. Or maybe you’re just looking for an introduction to lighting in general — where do you look? Check out these two interview lighting tutorials — not only are they a great review of the basics, but they each do a great job of illustrating just how every light can help shape the subject and tone of your footage: (more…)

It's Finally Here: Adobe Creative Cloud CS6 is Now Live, But Which Option Should You Choose?

Joe Marine — Fri, 11 May 2012 17:46:13 +0000

After the software-only version was made available earlier in the week, Adobe Creative Cloud CS6 is live starting today. If the cost of owning this software has been prohibitive for you in the past, Adobe is finally allowing you to “rent” on a month-to-month or yearly basis. If you’ve never purchased the software in the past, the best deal is their plan that charges $50 per month for a year contract. If you just want to try it out on a month-to-month basis, it will be a little more expensive at $75 per month. If you are upgrading, they are doing a special promotion for $30 per month for the first year. (more…)

Adobe Story Plus Stretches Creative Cloud from Pre-Production to Post-Production

Christopher Boone — Fri, 11 May 2012 00:51:51 +0000

Adobe has been wooing screenwriters with its free Story online screenwriting software, and now it’s pushing to make Story the first step in its pre-production to post-production solution. With the Creative Cloud scheduled to launch May 11th for Adobe Creative Suite 6, Adobe has added new features and functionality to Story, now splitting the product between Story Free and Story Plus. Story Free remains the in-the-cloud version of the screenwriting app that Adobe previously released, while for a subscription of $15/month or as part of a Creative Cloud subscription, CS6 users get access to Story Plus. Advantages of Story Plus over Story Free include: (more…)

The Art and Craft of Converting 2D Films to 3D

E.M. Taboada — Thu, 10 May 2012 22:30:25 +0000

If you caught this past weekend’s big blockbuster, Marvel’s The Avengers, then you may have watched it in 3D. Many of you may or may not have been aware that the film was first shot in 2D and converted to 3D after the fact. Wondering what that process involved? Or why some films would shoot in 2D and then convert, vs. shooting stereoscopically from the start? In a fascinating in-depth article, fxguide delves into the many challenges vfx artists face when converting 2D films to 3D — also known as “stereo conversion” — revealing the kind of pain-staking labor and ingenuity required as well as some of the aesthetic differences between the two formats: (more…)

Cinevate Shows off Their FS100 Rig, Axis Jib, Dromos Hi-Hat and More at NAB 2012

Joe Marine — Thu, 10 May 2012 20:34:18 +0000

This is the very last video I did at NAB just before the show closed, and Dennis Wood of Cinevate showed off all of their exciting products, including a complete cine kit for the FS100 that bolts to the camera in a similar way as the Zacuto FS100 rig. He also gave a walk-through of their Axis jib, which is designed to be mobile and simple to assemble. If timelapse is your thing, and you’ve already got a Cinevate slider, they are partnering with DitoGear to add timelapse functionality. (more…)

Mixed Media Doc 'Places Other People Have Lived' Explores the Relationship Between Memory and Place

Mar Belle — Thu, 10 May 2012 14:45:19 +0000

Home may not always be where the heart is, but it is the place where we — and the strangers who came before us — live out our lives, building some of our most abiding memories in the process. Los Angeles based director Laura Yilmaz mixes a whole host of animation techniques (stop motion, hand drawn, pixelation, rotoscoping) with family interviews in Places Other People Have Lived to deconstruct the relationships which play out in the various rooms of the house her family called home for over 25 years. (more…)

The Redrock microRemote is a Professional Wireless Follow Focus for Under $2500

Joe Marine — Wed, 09 May 2012 18:57:59 +0000

We’ve already shown off one of the cheaper wireless follow focus systems from JAG35. Now Redrock Micro has partially redesigned their microRemote Wireless Follow Focus system by developing their own motor and creating a new controller (in addition to the iPhone controller). They’ve also got a rig system called the ultraCage that is designed to be form-fitting to cameras like the Canon C300 or the Canon 5D Mark II and 5D Mark III. I had a chance to talk with Brian Valente and Loren Simons at the Redrock NAB booth, and you can see that video embedded below. (more…)

RED SCARLET Torture Test: High Speed Handheld Shooting in Subzero Temperatures with 35 Year-Old Lenses

Ryan Koo — Wed, 09 May 2012 15:56:09 +0000

Subzero temperatures. Sunlight filtering through an afternoon forest onto bright white snow. Actors wearing shiny silver outfits, running from direct sunlight to shadows. No neutral density filters and no polarizing filters. No bounce cards and no lights. No tripod. Collectively, all of this makes for some of the worst conditions you could use a camera in. On top of this, it wasn’t even my project, so I was essentially filming a behind-the-scenes featurette with no ability to direct the actors. This was not a project from which to produce a great reel; it was simply a way to put a camera and a new set of lenses to a (freezing) test. With all of those disclaimers, if you care to see the footage, here it is. (more…)

48 Hour Guerilla Film Challenge Starts in a Week -- Here's an Interview and Discount

Ryan Koo — Tue, 08 May 2012 19:29:57 +0000

The 2012 Guerilla Film Challenge (formerly the 48GFC) starts in a little more than a week — May 18, 2012, to be exact — and challenges indie filmmakers to write, direct, shoot, and edit a topical short film in 48 hours. There’s a $5,000 grand prize and other goodies, and I’ve got a discount code for you below. I’m also one of the judges this year, along with Mitch from planet5D, and we just recorded a podcast with Nick and Clint (the duo behind the contest), wherein we talk about, what else, filmmaking: (more…)

Zacuto's Plasma Light is the Cheapest and Softest 1x1 in Existence, But is It Better Than LED?

Joe Marine — Tue, 08 May 2012 12:18:36 +0000

We all know that LEDs are the next big movement in lighting technology — or are they? Zacuto is introducing a one-of-a-kind light panel that uses a patented micro-plasma technology not unlike what is found in a plasma television — which has phosphors that glow when energy is introduced. Of course, it’s a bit more complicated than that, but the bottom line is that this panel is softer, and has a greater lumen rating than any other 1-foot-by-1-foot panel on the market today. In the embedded video below, Steve Weiss from Zacuto gives us an introduction of the panel, as well as a walk-through of their Recoil rig, Tornado Follow Focus, and FS100 rig. (more…)

Australian Shorts 'Boot' and 'Bat Eyes' Wonderfully Adapt Stage Monologues into Short Films

Mar Belle — Mon, 07 May 2012 22:54:22 +0000

When a story traverses from stage to screen it can often be a less than rewarding experience. Those beautiful flowing prose which wow audiences in the theatre become somewhat redundant in a medium which has ‘show don’t tell’ as one of its most abiding rules. Even worse is the monologue, which requires action to stop whilst we concentrate on an actor’s singular delivery, often direct to camera (admittedly Neil Labute pulls this off to disturbing effect with Jason Patric’s frank ‘confession’ in Your Friends and Neighbours). The fact that many filmmakers have attempted and failed in this translation endeavour makes the recent duo of projects from Sydney-based Australian Theatre for Young People (ATYP) Boot and Bat Eyes, all the more impressive as powerful pieces of short cinema. (more…)