Contests, Permits, Lego Vault, et al [Coffee Break]

Posted July 2nd, 2008 at 8:42 am by C47

Contests

Cinema Prosprite - $35,000 in Prizes Awarded to Top Videos Profiling Entrepreneurs

Riding on the waves of micro-loans, this short doc contest is for films profiling an entrepreneur (they don’t explicitly say, but it seems they want entrepreneurs that live in a poor society, not the next .com start-up). Films only need to be 2-5 minutes for YouTube posting for a shot at the grand prize of $20k.

Digital Filmmaking Blog - Various Competitions

Collection of three competitions, including a UK contest, screenwriting contest, and 24 short contest.

Coffee Break

The High-Wire Act of Getting Photo Permits by Scott Kelby

Good primer on photo permits, which has a lot of similarities to video/film. Hand held is generally fine but things get more complicated when you start putting stuff on the ground. Scott’s post also covers what’s fair game to film from public property, which goes for both stills and moving images. Especially with documentary work, it’s good to keep up on the rules when some rent-a-cop tries to kick you off a sidewalk.

25 Beautiful Fantasy Photoshop Tutorials

Even if you don’t like the final image, Photoshop tutorials are good for picking up techniques. This selection covers a lot of different styles, so the odds of finding something useful is in your favor.

Film of the Month Club

Film of the Month

Kind of like a book club, but with movies! Each week someone picks a film and then the other members post their reactions. Cool idea.

iPresentee Keynote Objects


Nice collection of free icons. They advertise it as being for iWork and iLife products, but it’s just a collection of PNG images, so you can use them anywhere.

[Lifehacker]

Cinemacuteo Film School on Vimeo


DoF Demystified from Videopia on Vimeo.

This is a Film School group on Vimeo that offers a lot of video tutorials covering filmmaking, lighting, special effects, etc.

Entertainment Weekly’s The New Classics: Tech

EW offers their take on the 25 gadgets and innovations that have had the biggest effect on pop culture since 1983. At the top is the DVD Player, Napster, and TiVo.

Game Boy is 20, below Avid and Body Motion Capture. Shouldn’t that be higher? Doesn’t every kid have a hand held video game? Last I checked they weren’t walking around in green spandex surrounded by 20 cameras, cutting their film non-linearly.

[Editblog]

Lego Secret Vault: Contains All Sets In History [video]

I’d need two of these - one to build and one to store. I’d also need a crash mat because I’d have fainted.

Can You Guess the 20 Soundtracks?

It helps if you’ve seen the shows/movies.
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Posted in Links | 1 Comment

Making it Sound Good

Posted June 22nd, 2008 at 12:28 am by C47

Sound BoardSince I’ve been sound mixing for the past three days, with three more to go (a double show), I thought it would be appropriate to post some tips on getting the best audio possible from Christian Dwiggins, Master Engineer and owner of Engine Room Studios, a sound production facility.

Here they are, from Christian:

  1. Good sound starts with good ears and a filmmaker who understands its importance.
  2. Don’t make the mistake of having only one sound designer when you can have a team. Four ears are better than two, just as two brains are better than one.
  3. The amount of money you spend on sound in pre-production will save you three times the amount of money in post. Most films don’t have the budget for ADR.
  4. When looking for a sound designer, look for someone talented and hungry - someone fresh.
  5. The best way to find a decent sound designer is at a sound engineer school, through blogs like this and referrals.
  6. In production your sound person should be acutely aware of what’s going on in the environment. Hone in on all the sound. Someone whose present. A bad sound tech won’t notice an airplane who went by and end up costing you a fortune later on. Remember, good sound design starts at the source.
  7. As a filmmaker it’s very important to find a designer who understands your process, your vision and how to work within your budget.
  8. The sound department, whether it’s a single person or a whole group, is an integral part of your crew and should be treated as such.
  9. Your choice in post can make the difference between sounding like a homemade film and sounding a blockbuster. It’s about talent, not about money.

If you’re in the LA area, here’s some more about Engine Room. Many thanks to them and Christian for these tips.

Engine Room Studios is a fresh and edgy, boutique-style full-service sound production facility that brings its down-to-earth vibe to the heart of Hollywood. Musicians, directors and producers alike feel at home with the talented and attentive team of engineers. E.R.S. gives their clients the personal attention that has become lost among the large post house conglomerates. “It’s not the gear that you use, it’s what’s between your ears,” says master engineer and owner Christian Dwiggins. And it’s also what goes into your ears - an experienced and talented team that gets exactly what needs to be done while giving the best audio production the industry has to offer.
Photo by mybloodyself.
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Posted in Production, Sound Design | No Comments

The Perfect Storm

Posted April 14th, 2008 at 1:49 am by C47

The storm has calmed. Last week really was the perfect storm, as my friend Justin and I described it1. I had always heard stories of film schoolers getting loaded with a ton of work and scrambling to meet deadlines. I thought that was a myth. I was proven wrong.

As usual, a new draft of my thesis script was due.

And I sound mixed, the last step of my film. This meant finalizing the music, record some sound effects, and throw it all into the project before I went to the mixing room.

Then the delivery books for both of the films I produced were due. These are thick binders (as you can see above) that have all the releases, scripts, publicity material, backups, and any other paperwork relating to the production. It was a bit of a last minute scramble to find papers that were stored away for months.

And, for a little extra fun, Editor’s Notebooks were due for the film I edited. Plus some side projects like telling someone I can make a logo when I have no Illustrator experience and running two TV channels (I should probably write about that).

But this is all over now. F3s are done, thesis is nearly here and can finally get my full the majority of my attention2.

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  1. I wanted to post the clip from The Office when Pam needs Michael to sign three forms that fall on the same day every few months, thus creating her perfect storm. Apparently this was not worthy enough for YouTube ↩
  2. As well as this blog, with some Full Frame reviews to come. ↩
Posted in F3, Film School, Post-Production, Sound Design | 5 Comments