One of the supposed benefits of using a Mac is “it just works,” and I’ve generally found this to be true (as a relatively recent convert from years of problem-laden PCs). However, no matter how solid a computer’s foundation, once it’s got a few years worth of added applications, hardware changes, and operating system upgrades, there’s bound to be some virtual gunk that needs cleaning. My Macbook Pro is four years old and I’m asking it to edit 1080p video; to do this, it needs to be in midseason form, and the gym I’ve been sending it to is Titanium Software’s Onyx. Onyx allows you to “verify the Startup Disk and the structure of its System files, to run misc tasks of system maintenance, to configure the hidden parameters of the Finder, Dock and of some of Apple’s own applications, to delete caches, to remove a certain number of files and folders that may become cumbersome and more.”
Know of an alternative that’s better than Onyx? Let me know!
Link: Onyx
Life just feels like this sometimes.
[via Blake Whitman]
Daily Dose of Imagery is the online — and ongoing — portolio of candid shots taken by the Iranian-born, Canada-residing photographer Sam Javanrouh. In the same vein as nofilmschool – although a bit more obvious because of its name — Daily Dose of Imagery features a new post every day. If you’re primarily shooting video on your DSLR, Sam’s work is a great example of what you can do if you take the camera out of movie mode. The site is a steady stream of well-shot photos of everyday life, which are also included in the RSS feed, so if you’re an RSS user head on over and subscribe (not to mention to the nofilmschool RSS feed)!
Link: Daily Dose of Imagery
One of the most important things I learned on the job as a Senior Designer at MTV was: you don’t have to reinvent the wheel every time. As a graphic designer, assembling a toolkit of brushes, textures, templates, and other elements is a crucial step to maximizing your design capabilities and efficiency. The other thing I learned was: you don’t really have to know what you’re doing! Thanks to thousands of readily available tutorials on the ‘net, if you’re not sure how to achieve a particular look or effect, all you have to do is google it. My favorite resource at the moment for tutorials and resources (including helpful posts like 50 Free UI and Web Design Wireframing Kits, Adobe Illustrator Tutorials – Best Of, and 40+ Excellent Freefonts For Professional Design) is Smashing Magazine. If you’re a graphic designer you probably already know about Smashing, but if you’re a filmmaker who also does some design — and a lot of us do, these days — check out the site (they also have a book).
Link: Smashing Magazine.
Independent producer Ted Hope (Adventureland, 21 Grams, In the Bedroom, and seemingly a thousand other films) is expanding the perception of what “independent film” is and how it should be distributed. I had a chance to sit down with him at Power To The Pixel, where he gave me some very valuable advice; we share the same view of independent film, that with crisis comes opportunity. Ted’s been very generous on his Truly Free Film blog by sharing advice like Ten things to do before you submit a script and Display your value: you are different from them, as well as asking pertinent questions such as What defines an event? In short, his blog is a must-read for independent filmmakers. Here, he answers some questions for the forthcoming film Press/Pause/Play. More »
Thanks to everyone for checking out The DSLR Cinematography Guide, which is up to 20,000 views since launching less than a month ago. While it’s great to get traffic for something, what I’m most impressed by is the average time spent on the page: 12 minutes. This is an eternity by internet standards, where most people click on something, find it’s not for them, and immediately click away. I’m sure many visitors to the guide itself fall into that category, which means the rest of you are spending double or triple that on the page, so I’ll take that as proof it’s helpful. And, of course, thanks to everyone who’s commented on the guide.
Today I made some revisions and posted some new sections to the guide; read on to find out what’s new. More »
It’s rare that a song’s music video relies on the viewer to understand the other tracks from the parent LP. But The Antlers’ Hospice is essentially a concept album about a relationship that withers away — every track is an entry in the same story of emotional and physical wilting. Seen in that context, this video for “Bear” makes a lot more sense. More »
Are you a first-time feature filmmaker? Are you in post-production? Then you should really apply to IFP’s Independent Filmmaker Labs. What exactly goes on in the labs? From the horse’s mouth:
Through five days of workshops, mentorship, networking opportunities and creative guidance on their project, Lab filmmakers are able to gain editorial feedback, assess strategic partnerships & marketing opportunities, and evaluate their options for maximizing the reach of their film via festivals, traditional theatrical roll-outs or through innovative, DIY distribution methods. Filmmakers also meet with cutting-edge technologists to build their brands, as well as explore the myriad of modern web and promotional tools necessary to build engaged audiences for their projects.
Documentary applications were due February 12th (I’m a bit late with this) but narrative entries aren’t due until March 26th (the lab itself takes taking place June 7-11). As a panelist at last year’s (or was it two years ago’s?) Independent Film Week, I saw several work-in-progress screenings and shared drinks with many of the lab participants; across the board, they were full of effusive praise for the program. If you’ve got a project in the rough cut stage, by all means check out this year’s lab, and if not, definitely keep the labs in mind for a future project.
I was thinking of doing my own parody of Dos Equis’ “The Most Interesting Man in the World” ad campaign — which I find to be clever and effective — by flipping it on its head and doing “The Most Uninteresting Man in the World.” It’d just be some couch potato doing banal tasks all day. But with the NBA All-Star festivities this weekend, I discovered Vitamin Water has created their own parody, “The Most Ridiculous Man in the World,” starring none other than two-time NBA MVP Steve Nash. More »
Arev Manoukian’s award-winning short “Nuit Blanche” is deservngly making its rounds on the internet: it’s the rare effects-laden film that doesn’t feel effects-laden. More »
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