» Posts Tagged ‘production’
'Casper' Spreadsheet Template Makes Call Sheets and Production Reports Fast, Easy, and Free
Production reports, call sheets, time logs, and schedules are a very necessary aspect of a shoot’s organization. On smaller productions with a limited crew, you may be responsible for producing these documents yourself. Thanks to a developer called ThinkCrew, you now have access to a tool that makes creating these production docs that much easier. It’s called Casper, and it’s a totally free set of templates for Microsoft Office Excel designed for production management. Dynamic scripting under the hood means Casper automates the process for you, filling in relevant data across multiple documents as you input it. Read on to check out Casper, plus some videos breaking down this useful toolset. More »
Your iPhone is a Light Meter, Waveform Monitor, and False-Color Display with $5 Cine Meter App
Talk about your digital leatherman: The number of ridiculously handy — and practical, and portable, all in one — apps for filmmaking on mobile devices is probably one of the greatest tech-vantages we’ve got going for us these days second to low-cost high-res acquisition. Uses range from lighting plot diagramming and shooting scheduling all the way to Canon DSLR control via Android and RED control via iOS — there’s an app for all that, and more. Now, thanks to Adam Wilt of Pro Video Coalition (and a lot of other great stuff), your iPhone is now more of an asset on set than ever before — and that’s because his new $5 app Cine Meter turns your iOS device into a light meter, waveform monitor and false-color display. More »
Will Post Houses and DITs Be Extinct by 2017?
The media management and quality control handled by the digital imaging technician and post house is nearly universally vital in modern filmmaking, where each digital camera brings its own varying formats, workflows, and quirks. This need for DITs and post houses, however, may evaporate just as quickly as it has arisen — at least according to the predictions of Michael Cioni. As the CEO of post house Light Iron, he has helped pioneer RED workflows at the highest level of filmmaking, so his word is not to be taken lightly — particularly since he’s predicting the end of what his and any other post house does as we know it by 2017. Furthermore, what cameras (and therefore camera teams) will have to take care of themselves is staggering, especially taking a look at the duties fulfilled by today’s high-end DIT carts — including those assembled by Light Iron itself. More »
Over the past few years I’ve been doing a lot of work on other people’s video projects, and this past spring I quit my day job and started freelancing. While this has all been great for my reel, my resume, learning new skills, and cementing already learned knowledge through hands on experience, it meant I had to put my own film projects on the back burner. But eventually I reached a point where I felt it had been far too long since I worked on one of my own films. It was time to utilize the abundant knowledge and resources on NoFilmSchool and other filmmaking sites and to collaborate with my talented friends. It was time for a project that would force me to stretch myself and grow as a filmmaker. It was time to make Fugue, a project I’m running a Kickstarter for. Here’s what I learned from the process that started with preproduction and culminated with the first shoot earlier this month: More »
Why Do We Let Creative Pursuits Take Over Our Lives? A Lesson in Perspective from Linds Redding
I once edited for an entire weekend. I’m not exaggerating — I went into the media lab on a Friday afternoon, and left on a Sunday night after my girlfriend and some friends dragged me out. I was obsessing about the latest episode of our sketch comedy show, and completely missed one of the best homecomings my college had seen. When I came to my senses, this caused a sense of regret. It was an important lesson on getting out, having a life, and generally not letting creative pursuits ruin my life. More »
If you’ve ever been on a film set, you know there’s a good amount of jargon and a lot to be mindful of. Chances are there have been times when you’ve heard terms that you’re unfamiliar with, or maybe you haven’t been exactly sure about how to conduct yourself (and maybe ended up making an inadvertent faux pas). But in this video, Marc A. Hutchins of Alexander Films will show you what you need to know regarding common terminology and proper etiquette on film sets. Whether you’re just starting out in film or feel you need to brush up on the basics before you walk on set, this is essential viewing. More »
If you’re just starting out, or even an intermediate, you might be wondering why some people might get chosen for jobs over you even though you might have more experience. There could be lots of reason (and often it has to do with familiarity with the person that is ultimately chosen), but Adam Everett Miller, the editor for Aetuts+, sits down and goes over 5 reasons why a professional might be reluctant to want to work with you — or in his words, “5 Things That Tell Me You’re Not a Professional.” More »
We talk a lot about specific crew positions at times, but if you’re just starting out, it’s hard to get a sense of what many of these people do unless you can see them in action. Thanks to Evan Luzi at The Black and Blue, you can check out this video he posted showing the major departments and some of their crew positions. These positions can vary slightly depending on the country you’re in, but for the most part, this is what you’ll encounter on pretty much any organized set. More »
This is a guest post by indie filmmaker Jason Sokoloff.
Everyone wants to write and direct, but the reality is it doesn’t happen immediately. Coming out of NYU’s Graduate Film Program, I was surrounded by talented filmmakers, but, while you’re writing scripts and trying to do what you love, you have student loans to repay, rent that’s due, and health insurance would be nice. Quite simply put, you need a job – preferably with benefits. In order to pay my bills and still be active in the film community, I found my niche working as a production manager and line producer. I cannot express how important it is to work on a film set and what better way to continue growing as a filmmaker than by helping others produce and make their own films. More »
This is a guest post by Evan Luzi, a camera assistant who runs The Black and Blue.
You step on set for the first time ever on day one of a shoot and you’re ready to impress everyone. You’ve worked hard to get to this point and it feels like now — finally — you’re where you want to be. From here on out, it should be easy.
Well, if that were the case, we’d have a lot more people working in the film industry. Instead, there’s no doubt about it: it’s tough to make a living in Hollywood.
Getting on set is just the first step in a long process. In the beginning, you need to “wow” those who gave you your opportunity in the first place.
Lucky for you, I’ve got a secret to help and it’s bound to make your first day a better one. But before I reveal it to you, let me tell you a story. More »
This is a guest post by cinematographer Angelo Lorenzo.
So there we were: my production partner rented some of our gear for a music video and roped both of us in to camera operate. The crew was made up mostly of film students still in, or just recently out of, an expedited 6 month film program. The director had bailed the night before principal photography and had left our DP in charge. Throughout the course of the two day shoot we watched the production slowly implode; not because these guys lacked knowledge or enthusiasm, but because they hadn’t gained the experience to “turn the ship around” when a production starts sinking into turmoil. With this recent experience in mind, I wanted to share some advice to novice filmmakers to help their days on set go as smoothly as humanly possible. If you’re battle worn then let this serve as a gut check when shooting lean. More »
Evan Luzi, who runs the camera assistant blog The Black and Blue (and who also wrote a guest post here on NFS), takes a look at the crucial but unheralded position of data wrangler. The data wrangler is the person on set who is responsible for making sure that what gets recorded on camera makes it back to the editor without any data loss or corruption. This is not an action-packed video, but if you might find yourself doing work in this position it’s a nice and informative behind-the-scenes commentary. There, I warned you: I don’t want to hear any comments of “this was boring!” Hmm, that wasn’t a very good front page teaser. Well, check it out anyway: More »
This is a guest post by Evan Luzi, a camera assistant who runs The Black and Blue.
The most amazing part of the digital cinema revolution isn’t the streamlined workflows, 5K resolutions, or the high dynamic range. It isn’t even the versatile cameras available for a couple grand. What is truly remarkable about digital cinema is its impact in the democratization of film. In theory, right now, you could take your film school money, grab a kitted out Canon 7D and go shoot a movie that visually holds up against the films playing at your local theater. The opportunity is there and while you might not need a crew for a self-made film such as a wintry montage or short landscape piece, to really dive deep into a project like a narrative feature or short film, you still need a crew. And while the technology is cheap, the people aren’t. More »
Scenechronize is a browser-based production tool that breaks down scripts, prints sides, helps with scheduling, and does a number of other production tasks that I don’t have experience with myself. It looks similar to Movie Magic Budgeting, except Scenechronize is a web-based, and instead of a flat price of $500 it’s modular and is priced anywhere from free to $2,800. In the works since 2006, the program’s creators claim Warner Bros. and Columbia Pictures are already using it. An example screen: More »
Call sheets, shot lists, release forms, location contracts, editing logs, script breakdowns, storyboard templates… one could spend hours creating such documents, but that would be asinine. Instead, check out this list of tools and utilities for filmmakers and download other people’s forms to your heart’s content — all of them are free-99. Thanks to the guys at Dependent Films for compiling such a resource.
If you don’t find the particular form you’re looking for at Dependent, I recommend this ridiculously long list of 588 Free Film Contracts and Forms at Filmmaker IQ.
[via FreshDV]
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