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Introducing BitTorrent Bundle: Pioneering Decentralized Digital Distribution & Marketing
BitTorrent, a tech company whose name is commonly and incorrectly associated with pirating, has been running a legitimate business since 2004 with over 2 million pieces of licensed content in the BitTorrent download manager, which serves more than 170 million people monthly. The company is now beginning to launch a new endeavor to empower those in the content creation business. BitTorrent Bundle provide a way for creators large and small to have all the advantages of the peer-to-peer protocol while also maintaining control over their content by creating ‘gates’ that must be unlocked by the consumer. We had a chance to chat with Matt Mason, VP of Marketing at BitTorrent, who is very impassioned about what this new publishing platform could potentially mean for creators. Read on for the interview and get the full scoop: More »
Derek Cianfrance Breaks Down Scenes from 'The Place Beyond the Pines'
Derek Cianfrance’s followup to the extraordinary Blue Valentine comes in the form of a three act Shakespearian crime drama, The Place Beyond the Pines. Collider goes behind the scenes with the director to discuss the filmmaking and break down a few scenes, discussing camera placement, character choices, working with ‘movie stars’ and blending a performance together across many different takes. Hit the jump for the video and analysis: More »
Janusz Kaminski & Julian Schnabel on Creating New Conventions for 'The Diving Bell and the Butterfly'
DP/30 brings us some of the most casual yet penetrating interviews with filmmaking talent, and this one pushes that envelope even more. In the format of a roundtable lunchtime chat in sunny Southern California, the creative crew behind The Diving Bell and the Butterfly exposes their approach to material that had no precedent, the perks of making the film outside the United States, and creating new conventions where none existed. Hit the jump to watch the 30 minute segment: More »
What Happens When a Hurricane Hits Your Indie Film? A Chat with 'Lily & Kat' Director Micael Preysler
Director Micael Preysler had a unique set of circumstances for making his debut feature film, going from the creation of a simple teaser to the now nearly completed film. Hurricane Sandy proved to be a challenging obstacle, hitting the film’s 16 day shoot right in the middle, destroying key locations and making transportation impossible. Read on to get the full scoop, see how they rose to the challenges, and watch the new theatrical trailer for Lily & Kat: More »
Vimeo Launches New Mobile Website, Plus Interface Improvements for On Demand Content
Vimeo’s latest advancements come in the form of an optimization of what already exists: their mobile website and On Demand platforms. Boasting that over 1/3 of their monthly traffic can be accredited to their mobile site, the new redesign aims to make it easier for users to find and view content, as well as connect with the community. By the same token, they have also updated the interface for the Vimeo On Demand homepage, making it look and feel a little bit more like platforms we’re used to. Click through to see the new improvements. More »
Watch Spike Lee's Behind the Scenes Footage for 'Do the Right Thing'
Some awesome relics from the past continue to float to the internet’s surface, and this series of videos goes behind the scenes on Spike Lee’s 1989 breakout film Do the Right Thing, which constitutes a day (the hottest day) in the life of a community in Brooklyn. Spike brought a small camera along to document the development of the actors, and provides a candid look into the heart of the independent filmmaking process. Hit the jump to watch all three videos: More »
Though it was requested that Steven Soderbergh’s recent “last appearance ever talking film” at the 56th San Francisco International Film Festival was not to be recorded, a clip has made its way to the surface. The prolific filmmaker discusses the state of things and the difference between ‘movies’ and ‘cinema’ with the anecdotal prowess you would expect from the veteran. Hit the jump for the full video, and read on for the latest on his Twitter endeavors. More »
DIY Co-Directors Talk About Their First Feature Film Experience 'Hills Green'
In between their 9-5 jobs, filmmakers Ryan C. Glover and Krista Dzialoszynski have been working diligently on their feature film debut Hills Green, and after several years are proud to say it’s finally complete. It’s a story about two friends’ escape to the country to discover what their relationship is made of, and is brought to life with the power of real-life nostalgia. The duo is now set for the film’s Canadian premiere at the ReelHeART International Film Festival on June 24th in Toronto. Hit the jump for the trailer and our interview with the first-time feature filmmakers: More »
Blackmagic Cinema Camera V1.3 Audio Improvements & New Issues, Optimization Update from juicedLink
The latest firmware update for the current Blackmagic Cinema Camera only officially included one new feature, mainly for broadcast professionals who needed interlaced video in a TV environment. However, according to Robert Wolzak from juicedLink, it seems they also snuck in some audio functionality changes, but not without additional idiosyncrasies. Get all the details in the video below:
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Too often have I experienced the doubled-edged nature of the internet: it’s a great tool, but also a great distraction. We all need to buckle down sometimes and get to work, and the insta-grat (yes) of the internet can be crippling. In comes SelfControl, a free and open-source application that blocks your own access to chosen websites for a designated amount of time. Hit the jump for the details. More »
After Three Years of Distribution Pioneering, Online VOD Platform Dynamo Shuts Its Doors
DynamoPlayer, one of the first the to market in terms of the ‘direct-to-consumer‘ paradigm, has officially bit the dust. They will spend the next few months closing out accounts and letting users collect their remaining balances before they shut down existing video players in mid-June. By the end of June, the platform will be shut down completely. Read on for the press release from Dynamo. More »
Cinematographer Sam Levy on Motivation: 'It's Just a Feeling'
From Wendy and Lucy to The Romantics, Sam Levy’s work as a cinematographer is marked with naturalism and attention to character blocking. Here he sits down with Craft Truck to discuss his work, how he began as an assistant and lensed his first feature film on a standard def Mini DV camera. Hit the jump to learn more and to watch the full interview: More »
Audio technology is a pretty stable industry, but manufacturers are continuing to experiment with new features to help sweeten the deal. This time, it’s an interesting approach from Shure: a shotgun mic with its own internal recording capabilities called the VP83F. Hit the jump for the details: More »
Reelhouse Paves the Way for the Future of Self-Distribution
Each new day that passes it seems the world of distribution for filmmakers is being turned on its head. With so many new content destinations popping up all the time, it’s hard to know what’s what. Reelhouse is a company who seems to be breaking through the mold, as a recent partnership with Sundance would suggest. Reelhouse is planning a big launch on April 22nd — read on for our interview with Bill Mainguy, CEO and Founder of Reelhouse and get to know the platform: More »
Craft Truck is on a winning tear, recently releasing some of the best interviews with cinematographers in recent memory, and this one is no exception. Gordon Willis, the “Prince of Darkness” and a master of light, sits down with Jeff Glickman to discuss his work as a cinematographer, his working relationship with Woody Allen and Francis Ford Coppola. Though Willis is retired, his mark has been deeply felt by anyone who loves movies. Ask any working cinematographer today, chances are they’ve been influenced by Gordy. Hit the jump for the 2-part interview: More »
A lot of manufacturers decided to jump in the lighting game this year, while others continue to improv on their existing fixtures. If this year’s NAB is any indication, the future of lighting tech has moved away from Tungsten filament and is now firmly in the hands of LED and Plasma technologies. Read on to get a quick overview on all the new offerings. More »
On the other side of the lens spectrum at NAB 2013 this year, Schneider has introduced some lenses for a little camera known as the iPhone. The iPro Lens System, released last year, has received an upgrade this year, adding 2 lenses and a system for the iPhone 5. Hit the jump for the details. More »
The Teradek Cube has been a popular choice for filmmakers to stream their content. For those who dream about using their iPad as a production monitor, it’s been possible, but expensive and a little counter-intuitive. Now Teradek has Vidiu, priced for the consumer market, to stream H.264 and AAC audio up to 5Mbps to the web, or to iPad and iPhone. Hit the jump for the full details on VidiU and Teradek’s other new offerings, including the Bond Pro for ENG shooters. More »
Richard Schleuning from Zeiss discusses at length their new lens options, including the Zeiss 28-80mm Compact Zoom, featuring full frame (24x36mm) coverage and interchangeable lens mounts. Hit the jump for FreshDV‘s coverage, and listen in to an interesting conversation about the future of sensor sizes: More »
NAB Video: Juicedlink and Izotope
Robert Rozak from Juicelink shows us his new Blackmagic-specific on-camera preamp with balanced outputs, while Izotope shows RX 2 and RX 2 Advanced audio repair and restoration software. Get the scoop from our floor coverage with FreshDV: More »
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