» Posts Tagged ‘diy’
I’m sure many of you out there have some experience with DIY dollies and rigs, but this is an interesting design that incorporates some of the parts you may already have and makes the entire kit far more stable and useful. While this video is a bit older (and the parts may or may not cost $80 depending on what you get), it’s still a great idea and the potential for re-purposing equipment you’ve already bought is always enticing. This tutorial was sent over by DP Ryan E. Walters, who has contributed here before and happened to be the RED Epic shooter/technician on the recent Zacuto 2012 shootout. Check out the video below. More »
In the indie or DIY world, learning how to fix something yourself can save a lot of money. Certainly, there are cases where an item might be better off with a professional — like the internal electronics of your camera — but there are are plenty of fixes anyone can make with a little knowledge. John Hess of FilmmakerIQ (also a frequenter of this site) guides us through the steps of soldering on new XLR heads. This is great not only if you break a cable, but if you want to make a new one. More »
Shane Hurlbut –that never-ending font of cinematography knowledge– has another great DIY solution on offer. This time he tackles the simulation of fire light. In the past, Hurlbut had used various approaches to creating fire-like lighting, but none gave him the realism that he wanted to achieve. So for The Greatest Game Ever Played he dreamt up a better way: The Medusa. More »
Re-purposing something is always fun, especially when it can be used to help out filmmakers. This is one of the more interesting DIY monitors I’ve seen, and it’s got one of the largest screens I’ve ever seen for a device like this. Basically, the Motorola ATRIX 4G Laptop Dock for the ATRIX 4G phone can be used as an external monitor. The Micro HDMI port on the device senses any incoming HDMI signal and then outputs it on the screen. Check out the video below of the device in action with a Canon 60D: More »
Tired of squinting at your DSRL’s LCD screen? Maybe you need some extra lighting oomph for that indoors shoot? These two projects aim to make your no-budget existence a bit easier. The first is a DIY viewfinder from Knoptop and Learning DSLR Video, and the second is a big 800-watt equivalent CFL video light from IndyMogul (accompanied by a goofy short shot with it): More »
Have you been jonesing for arcing vertical and horizontal camera moves? Perhaps you simply want an easy way to elevate your camera without having to climb a fence or set your tripod ontop of a chair. Well, you’re in luck. Here are two DIY jib projects that will let you do those things for less than $30 and a bit of your time. The first is a small jib arm courtesy of Olivia Tech, the second is a slightly larger jib project from The Frugal Filmmaker, check out these videos to see them in action: More »
YouTube has released a 70-page Creator Playbook aimed at helping video creators build their audiences online. This is exactly the kind of thing that would come in handy for actors looking to build their own career, in addition to filmmakers. The digital download, which YouTube says will be updated regularly, looks to be an excellent resource on building an audience (not just with YouTube, but by using Facebook and Twitter as well). Here’s the release: More »
I heard recently from an NYC-based actor friend who is undergoing an internal debate common to his profession. Should he move to LA to pursue an acting career (uprooting himself in hopes of getting cast in a major TV show or film), or stay where he is and do what he can outside of Hollywood? As someone who runs a web site focused on DIY/independent careers, I thought I’d write him an open letter explaining why I think 21st-century performing artists should forget about putting their careers in the hands of others, and instead take the reins — and responsibility — themselves. Here is that letter: More »
French filmmaker Eric Bernaud has posted a short video on how he turned his garage into a prison set. When I see these kinds of DIY construction projects I always regret how little space is available in New York City, but you take the bad with the good I suppose. The walls Eric constructs could even be put to use as wild walls, in order to pull the camera back further and obviate the need for such wide-angle lenses as seen in the video (though with DSLRs and RED cameras nowadays, the depth of the camera is less of an issue than it used to be). Here’s his BTS: More »
As you know, this site is about DIY filmmaking and independent creativity, and few filmmakers are a better example of these pursuits than fellow 25 New Face M dot Strange, who self-distributed his animated feature We are the Strange in 2007. Now he’s back with a trailer for his new project, Heart String Marionette. More than just an atmospheric Tim Burton-esque trailer, the video also includes a call-out to an associated product that speaks volumes about forging an independent DIY career: More »
Did you know you can change the shape of your bokeh by cutting out paper shapes and placing them over your lens? Maybe you did. I didn’t, though, and found out about this simple trick from DANIELS (the guys who brought us this music video), in their mini-video for “Who Do You Love” by Sue Scrofa. Hearts, shapes, letters, entire words: you can make your background highlights appear in the shape of anything you can cut out with scissors. More »
Tze Chun’s feature Children of Invention was the subject of a NoFilmSchool interview, and the film’s much-talked-about D.I.Y. distribution has now landed it on Hulu for the next two months. Hit the full-screen button and kick back to the indie film Variety deemed “austerely poetic”: More »
Gareth Edwards’ appropriately-titled monster movie Monsters opened earlier this year and has grossed $1.7 million to date. With a $500,000 budget, Edwards shot the film himself on a Sony EX-3 and a Letus 35mm adapter; here’s a look behind-the-scenes. More »
*Okay, so it’s not actually a dolly move. But it looks like one, and all you need is a tripod. My co-panelist at next week’s PhotoPlus Expo, Vincent Laforet, posted this neat tip for getting a smooth, short dolly-ish move from any camera. Check it out: More »
Last week I wrote about bestselling author Seth Godin’s switch to self-publishing and what it could mean for filmmakers. Scott Macaulay at Filmmaker Magazine linked to the post in his invaluable Instapaper Sunday Morning Links, along with a pro-publisher argument written cogently at TechCrunch by author Paul Carr (whose book Bringing Nothing to the Party: True Confessions of a New Media Whore has been in my queue for a while). The slug of Carr’s post — “Self Publish and Be Damned” — makes his views pretty clear, but upon further reflection I think both Carr and I are oversimplifying the argument and missing out on a viable distribution strategy for the published and unpublished alike. More »
NoFilmSchool is “a site for independent creatives,” and to that end I’d like to make it about independent creatives other than myself. If you’re a writer, director, producer, artist, designer, programmer, blogger — anything, really, as long as you are supporting yourself without a day job — I’d love to hear your story, and I think the NFS readership would too. More »
It hasn’t been easy writing a blog about filmmaking without having a project of my own to show since my 2007 fly-by-night production of The West Side. The main reason for this? I tried to get something made in the studio system. 200 pages of screenplay and twenty-something meetings later, I arrived at the conclusion that I should’ve stuck to the DIY route. However, there’s another reason you haven’t seen a new project from me in a while: I haven’t had access to a camera, to actors, or to much of anything, because I’ve been living out of a suitcase for a year. Why did I decide to do this — and why do I recommend others do the same? More »
My forthcoming (at some point!) project 3rd Rail takes place in a snow-blanketed New York City. From a production standpoint this poses significant problems, perhaps not as challenging as depopulating New York City like we did in The West Side (see also: hanging a guy from a 40-foot lamp post), but while we could use visual effects to overcome those problems in The West Side, snow and rain are more of a special effect that requires a practical approach (or just good luck with the weather). Here are a couple of really cheap methods worth considering if you need snow and rain but don’t have a large budget (or a direct line to God). More »
Or not. Still, the idea of a twisting handle for the follow focus is great, as it allows one to use both hands to support the camera while pulling focus.
[via Engadget]
Here is how many in my parent’s generation spent their careers and made their money:
They got paid by one company, and there was an assumption that the company would take care of them, providing health care, a retirement plan, and eventually, some sort of tacky gift to celebrate their 30 years of service.
But this isn’t the case for my generation; I don’t know anyone my age who’s going to work for one company for 30 years. Times have changed and no (large) corporation is going to take care of anyone, except maybe its executives. Indefensible golden parachutes. Fading pension plans. Growing income inequality. The writing is on the wall: it is up to us as individuals to take care of ourselves and forge independent careers. More »
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