Studio
Defining Cinematography
7/29/2009 at 9:08 AM by Amy Allen
Massify Interview: Defining Cinematography from Massify on Vimeo.
Jendra Jarnagin and Sean Porter, two thoughtful and talented DPs on Massify, sat down with us to talk about their craft, tackling topics such as what it means to be a cinematographer, what makes a project successful, how to further one's career and more. This video is useful to anybody who wants to go into the field and especially to Directors, Producers, and others who work with Cinematographers. Jendra is based in New York and Brooklyn and was recently profiled in American Cinematography. Learn more about her at her site, floatingcamera.com. Sean's based in Seattle and New York and his work can be found on his personal site.
Sean Porter Cinematographer
Jendra Jarnagin Cinematographer
How To Make a Movie for $700
7/28/2009 at 11:02 AM by Amy Allen
For all DIY fans, Mark Cabaroy breaks down how he was able to complete a feature film for only $700. His film, Life's Passing Me By, is currently screening at festivals.
Mark Cabaroy Director
Lighting: How To Do It Right
7/23/2009 at 10:21 AM by Amy Allen
Top cinematographers share their knowledge in these short videos (found on Creative Cow, directed by Jon Fauer). An excellent overview of what light has to do, and what it can do. Helpful to all. Second video after the jump.
Keith Gordon's Cheat Sheet
7/16/2009 at 12:29 PM by Amy Allen
Keith Gordon, an advisor to directing fellows at the Sundance Lab, has a deceptively simple post up on Filmmaker Blog. The Director's Cheat Sheet contains such gems as: "Remember the scene will NEVER be just like it is in your head. It may be better, it may be worse, it may just be different. But if you get stuck trying to make it "just the way you imagined it" you may well get stuck on the road to hell." and more. Read and print right away.
DIY Steadicam
7/15/2009 at 12:37 PM by Amy Allen
Via Lifehacker, YB2Normal shows off a homemade steadicam. The home movie footage shot with the device is surprisingly smooth considering that the cost of building the DIY video stabilizer is, well, around $10.
The 5D Mark II Continued: Production and Post Challenges
7/6/2009 at 11:55 AM by Suraj Das
For the past two weeks, my DP, John Francis McCarthy, and I have been using two Canon 5D Mark II's to shoot a short documentary on an entertainment/lifestyle blogger working in New York City. I figured since I had been gushing over the camera a few weeks ago, before I bought it, I should post a follow-up now that I own it and use it.
Suraj Das Writer, Director
ADR Advice
7/6/2009 at 9:56 AM by Amy Allen
Excellent article about how to avoid ADR headaches in The Studio Daily Blog today. Woodhall has some great advice for directors, like "In the heat of production, with a large crew, it’s easy to “move on” even after the Director has been told about car noise, airplane noise or a host of other sound issues. Often sound recordists make their issues known and are told that “we will fix it in the mix.” Many things can be fixed with good sound editing and mixing but often Directors and actors will find themselves on an ADR stage replacing bad lines of dialog." and "I always suggest to editors and directors to take a good listen through headphones of their edit to determine the quality of the audio if they haven’t by the time they are going to audio post." Good stuff.
Using Technology Onscreen
6/1/2009 at 2:20 PM by Suraj Das
Imagine if Hitchcock's "Rear Window" took place in 2009; Grace Kelly would have left her phone on vibrate when she snuck into the apartment across the street, and James Stewart would've sent her a text message telling her to run away when Raymond Burr's car pulled up outside. What's more, the central mystery as to whether or not Burr's wife was dead probably wouldn't amount to much of a head-scratcher - her Facebook friends and Twitter followers would have likely pieced together the puzzle long before Stewart got around to it.
Writing a good script was hard enough before the advent of cellphones and the internet made things even harder. This insightful article in The Times explores one of the greatest challenges faced by screenwriters today - making internet activities appear dramatically interesting and exciting to watch. "If fighting now looks like making up now looks like booking travel, as it does when people conduct their affairs online," asks writer Virginia Heffernan, "how do film directors make human action both dramatic to viewers and roughly true to life?"
Heffernan provides some examples of films and television shows, including Fox's "24," that feature compelling scenes where drama unfolds over the internet. I'm sure you can think of many other examples. Let us know about your writing challenges involving technology at feedback@massify.com and we'll discuss them in a later article.
Project Spotlight: From 0 to 90
4/20/2009 at 12:18 PM by Amy Allen
From 0 to 90 is a feature length documentary currently being produced by Melissa Ulto. Melissa, who is also an accomplished video artist and photographer, has been making films since the early 90's, and is well versed in its nonfiction form. From 0 to 90, which is being produced by Melissa's production company, 1 Line Media, aims to detail the first 90 days that President Obama occupies the highest office in the land, and is unique in that every interview has been sourced through social networks - Facebook, Myspace, Craigslist, this site and others. Since its focus is on real people, everybody from every walk of life is invited and encouraged to participate, in front of or behind the camera. The doc plans to pull interviews and thoughts from various sources - video cameras, web cams, still images - to create an "extraordinary documentation of how change occurred." We caught up with Melissa to talk more about the nitty gritty of her project.
Melissa Ulto
From 0 to 90 - Obama's first 90 days Documentary
J.J. Abrams Says Anybody Can Make Movies
4/17/2009 at 2:42 PM by Amy Allen
This was posted back in January of 2008. It's not recent, but definitely relevant. J.J. Abrams (creator of Lost, Cloverfield, many more) talks about his love of mystery and making things. Best quotes: "What are stories but mystery boxes?" and "No community is best served when only the elite have control." Check out the entire series of talks from TED.
5 Things to Budget For
10/21/2008 at 3:34 PM by Amy Allen
Making a film is an expensive venture, and unanticipated costs are bound to arise. When budgeting, it's perfectly understandable to look for ways to cut corners, but there are five things you should never skimp on.
1. Talent. There are many things a viewer is willing to forgive in a low-budget film, but bad acting is not one of them. You could have a great script and beautiful shots, but if the acting is terrible, that's the only thing people will walk away remembering. Choose your cast wisely, and be prepared to pay standard SAG rates for quality actors.
Using Non-Professional Actors
9/23/2008 at 6:39 PM by Amy Allen
Whether you're using non-professional actors by choice or necessity, they present unique challenges and opportunities for filmmakers.
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Edit upside down?
9/15/2008 at 7:38 PM by Amy Allen
This video on Videopia's vimeo channel is a great introduction to 35mm lens adapters - why use them, what to expect, etc.
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A Real Day in the Life of a PA
9/5/2008 at 1:08 PM by Amy Allen
Entry-level production crew wanted for low-budget independent film, corporate video, or other production project.
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The Deal with Film Permits
8/29/2008 at 11:24 PM by Amy Allen
If you're like me, you've probably broken the law a couple of times while gathering footage - "Whoa, did you shoot that from the Brooklyn Bridge? Don't you need a permit for that? " - but if you're part of a legit production, you have to know when permits are required and how to get them.
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