nofilmschool » socialmedia

Finally the Reason for Vine's Existence: 'Ryan Gosling Won't Eat His Cereal'

Joe Marine — Fri, 10 May 2013 08:13:58 +0000

Vine, the Twitter-owned iOS app that lets you take, upload, and now embed 6 seconds of video, has been making the rounds since it was released back in January of this year. Tribeca held a contest for filmmakers to make movies with Vine, but similar to Twitter itself when it began, we haven’t quite figured out its true purpose. That is, until now. Ryan McHenry, who directed a BAFTA-winning short film called Zombie Musical, has created something of true genius with the app. Behold, Ryan Gosling Won’t Eat Cereal, the very reason Vine, and possibly the internet, was created: (more…)

Director Edward Burns Looking to Twitter Followers for Feedback on Upcoming Film Project

V Renée — Tue, 05 Mar 2013 03:21:29 +0000

Edward Burns, director of Nice Guy Johnny, Newlyweds, and most recently The Fitzgerald Family Christmas, is utilizing social media not only to get in touch with his fan base about all sorts of topics related to filmmaking, but also get his films out to his audience without spending money on advertisement. He’s even trying to get input from his Twitter followers on his upcoming film project. Recently he sat down with Sheri Candler to talk about making and distributing films for little money outside of the studio system, and we’ve got the second part of that interview below: (more…)

Twitter Launches Vine, the 'Instagram of Video' (in Lieu of Owning the Instagram of Pictures). End Saga?

Dave Kendricken — Fri, 25 Jan 2013 23:32:43 +0000

Twitter is “the internet’s SMS.” Instagram is the Twitter of pictures. Some app somewhere is prophesied to be “the Instagram of Video.” I’ve used epic words for social media’s ‘cinemaminigram’ before, because it’s apparently that big of a deal — or it may just be YouTube. Then again, if Instagram is Twitter for photos, but Facebook nabbed Instagram — all while ‘Instagram for Video’ is still out there — what’s a Twitter to do? The next best thing, or better: Twitter has just dropped Vine for iOS. It’s a lot like Instagram, but for 6 second looping videos. Given that Twitter already is, well, the Instagram of words, this app could be the ‘IoV.’ Is this saga at the beginning of its end? (more…)

Google Shaking Up Video Recording/Sharing on Apple's iOS with the New 'YouTube Capture' App

Dave Kendricken — Wed, 19 Dec 2012 16:09:14 +0000

I wasn’t really expecting to have to refer to the theoretical ‘Instagram of Video’ for another while — major choices for mobile users are already in place and ‘in the running’ for such a title, and it could be a while before everyone in the discussion unanimously declares one app the victor (if ever). The Verge (seemingly in a nod to comments) acknowledged YouTube as the elephant in the room for these apps, because even on iOS where the YouTube app is read-only (well, watch-only — no uploads), the service is the megalith for easily-socialized video. A complete YouTube experience is already native on Android (again, YouTube is Google is Android), perhaps to the chagrin of recent Android-joiner Viddy. A new development may totally shift the dynamics of this interplay, however: Google just yesterday released YouTube Capture for iOS. (more…)

'Video Instagram' Crusade Rages On: Viddy Goes Android, Lumify Asks 'Why do Mobile Videos Suck?'

Dave Kendricken — Sat, 15 Dec 2012 18:34:14 +0000

Where is the supposed ‘Instagram of Video?’ Is it even possible for a motion-based media/social service to be as lightweight, sharable, and just plain easy as Instagram makes stills? The jury is still out, the verdict on which of the contenders will stick — if any at all — is still to be determined. We covered a bit on some of the startups stepping into the ring already, and since then, some other relevant material has surfaced. In one corner, heavyweight Viddy (one of the favorite bets) has just released an Android version of its service for many smartphones, while in the other, small independent startup Lumify wants to make “filmmaking for everyone” and attempts to answer “Why our mobile videos suck.” (more…)

Attention-Deficit Audiences and How New Media Might Be Affecting Traditional Filmmaking

Dave Kendricken — Wed, 28 Nov 2012 16:42:45 +0000

There’s a big difference between what me might call traditional filmmaking and what Ray William Johnson does. Ray has over 2 billion total views and is the most subscribed-to YouTuber ever, but his work is definitely achieving its goals in a different way than some of the pieces we champion here at NoFilmSchool — especially when you consider its rapid-fire pace. In what ways does (or should) the micro-attention span of audiences drive and shape films that make berth on the web? Filmmaker Magazine has recently posted on the subject, with some interesting commentary and findings. (more…)

Photographer Scott Bourne Shows You How to Build Your Audience with Twitter

Justin Minich — Fri, 23 Nov 2012 20:33:11 +0000

Being an independent filmmaker usually requires one to wear a lot of different hats — not only during the production process — but also in the arenas of promotion and marketing. It’s hard work to build your audience from the ground up, and NoFilmSchool has covered this topic in multiple posts that will hopefully make this process somewhat easier and more understandable. But while we have explored audience building on YouTube quite a bit, we haven’t really gone into using social networking sites as much. However, in his recent webinar Richard Harrington talked to Scott Bourne — one of the most followed photographers on Twitter and Editor of PhotoFocus.com — about the best methods to use for audience building on Twitter. (more…)

Social Media Quests for Its Next Holy Grail: a 'Video Instagram.' But What Might It Mean for Filmmakers?

Dave Kendricken — Fri, 23 Nov 2012 16:30:37 +0000

Instagram has proven to be a social media force to be reckoned with, and none of the major players already entrenched (or looking to break into) that world are treating it lightly. In fact, several are attempting to reinterpret its model in some fashion or another for a more video-based type of platform. There are already a few startups offering Instagram-type creation and integrated sharing, though it’s unclear what staying power or growth any of them will have in the long run. If one does start growing roots, an ‘Instagram for video’ could become another prime facet of the increasingly cross-pollinated social media ecosystem. But what, if anything, does this all mean for we who deal in pretty moving pictures as our profession? (more…)

Five Ways Filmmakers Can Use Pinterest

E.M. Taboada — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 02:52:33 +0000

It’s more likely than not that you’ve heard of Pinterest — the fast growing social media network that lets folks create an online scrapbook of images they can share or re-share with others. Being such a visual medium, it’s no surprise many filmmakers are exploring ways in which they can put this new social media tool to use. With that in mind, here are 5 ways filmmakers can use Pinterest to their advantage: (more…)

A Comment on the Internet was Acquired by Warner Brothers

Ryan Koo — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 21:53:31 +0000

Community-based website Reddit has an ask reddit section wherein users can pose questions for other users (aka “redditors”). Redditor The.Quiet.Earth posed the question, “Could I destroy the entire Roman Empire during the reign of Augustus if I traveled back in time with a modern U.S. Marine infantry battalion or MEU?” In response, Prufrock451 (real name James Erwin) began writing a serialized story of this exact scenario. Madhouse Entertainment’s Adam Kolbrenner caught wind of the story after it hit the reddit front page, helped develop the story further, and sold the idea to Warner Brothers. Now called Rome, Sweet Rome, here is an excerpt from the short story as it first appeared on reddit: (more…)

'Take This Lollipop' is a Short Film that Stalks You, Literally

Ryan Koo — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 22:28:09 +0000

Do you ever worry that all your freely available online information makes you a potential target for stalkers who may be psychotic/dirty/violent/evil? If so, don’t watch “Take This Lollipop,” a short film that uses Facebook to make you a central character of its story.
Click through to the site itself and connect to Facebook for the full experience, but if you truly are paranoid about online privacy and want to watch what happens without putting yourself at fictional risk, here’s an example of what viewers get: (more…)

'PressPausePlay' is a Free and Timely Feature Film on Art and Technology

Ryan Koo — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 17:56:35 +0000

PressPausePlay is a feature-length documentary on “hope, fear, and digital culture” that has been making the festival rounds for a while and is now available gratis on the internet. It’s highly recommended viewing at any price — you can buy it for $14.99 on iTunes or rent it for $3.99 on Amazon — but now you can also download it for free (in 1080p, no less) on the PressPausePlay site. There’s also a nifty Adobe AIR interactive version (also free) with interactive hotspots and links to full interviews. Here’s not just one but three relevant trailers: (more…)

Ten (More) Must-Read Posts Before Running Your Own Crowdfunding Campaign

Ryan Koo — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 16:44:32 +0000

I’ve learned a lot over the past 36 days of running a potentially record-breaking Kickstarter campaign for my film Man-child. The clock has switched from “days” to “hours” remaining and we may or may not make it! I’ve tried to share what I’ve learned about crowdfunding along the way, including a Ten Must-Read Posts Before Running Your Own Crowdfunding Campaign post. Here’s a second compilation of valuable posts.

One thing I learned after the first couple of weeks: I implemented an unsaid rule for my twitter account that I wouldn’t mention my film campaign (or retweet the mentions of others) unless I had talked about something else since my last mention of the campaign. There’s a balance between talking about yourself and remaining relevant. And while that might balance might have shifted over the past few days — there are only 2 days left, so my sense of urgency is overpowering the desire to show self-promotion restraint — this Twitter lesson is included in one post below.

As I say in the introduction to the first ten, “luck favors the prepared.” And in setting out to run this campaign, I read a whole lot more than ten posts. So here’s a second set of ten posts to read when preparing your own campaign. (more…)

'From a Copy Economy to an Access Economy': Gerd Leonhard on the Future of Media

Ryan Koo — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 15:40:41 +0000

Media futurist Gerg Leonhard’s presentation at DES may not concern filmmakers in the sense that he’s talking about how to make movies in the future. But he is talking about the way media will be distributed and consumed going forward. You can look at this presentation a couple of ways: “none of this has anything to do with being a DIY filmmaker” — or, in the era of the artist-entrepeneur, all of this has to do with being a DIY filmmaker (as both a content creator and a distributor). I think it’s worth a watch: (more…)

We're Past the Halfway Point: Let's Try to Get #MANCHILD Trending on Twitter

Ryan Koo — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 18:55:24 +0000

As I say in the video, thank you guys so much for your support. We’ve gotten this far, but we’re past the halfway point and we’ve started falling behind. So I wanted to share a way you can help make the Man-child campaign a success — even if you don’t want to back the project (or if you already did — thank you!). Anyone who appears on the Twitter lists below is a prominent member of the basketball community. Let them know about this film — it’s a well-researched movie by an indie filmmaker who’s played basketball all his life (@ryanbkoo), it’s about part of the basketball world that you don’t normally see in the movies (the recruiting of middle schoolers), and it could really use their support! By reaching out to them as a community (and by talking amongst ourselves), let’s see if we can get #manchild trending this week on Twitter — together:

I’ve included some example tweets below. A couple more things: (more…)

YouTube Releases 'Creator Playbook,' a Handy Guide for Building an Audience Online

Ryan Koo — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 16:46:49 +0000

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…)

Thanks to You, NoFilmSchool Wins Total Film's 'Best Creative Blog' Award!

Ryan Koo — Sat, 29 Jan 2011 17:01:47 +0000

The 2011 Total Film Blog Awards results are in, and NoFilmSchool has won the Best Creative Blog award. Thanks to everyone who made this possible by voting! In fact, so many of you voted for NoFilmSchool that I was accused of cheating by some commenters and temporarily removed from the contest by the organizers. The controversy stemmed from the fact that many of you voted within a narrow window of time, and some believed this could only be the result of fraud. It was no such thing. If you’re curious as to how this happened, read on; otherwise, thank you again for your support. The award should help this site grow and improve in the future. (more…)

Social Media as an Agent of Change for Documentary Filmmaking

Ryan Koo — Thu, 23 Sep 2010 13:27:00 +0000

For every filmmaker I know who is a social media maven, there are at least two who are skeptical about Twittering and Facebooking their projects into existence (or at least, into popularity). I think it’s a common misperception that using Twitter and Facebook somehow comes at the expense of the actual filmmaking part of… well, filmmaking. I myself was a late adopter of Twitter (follow me here), and I understand the line of thought that goes into being a social media luddite. But the fact is, to reach an audience a hundred years ago, you would literally have to get out a soapbox and stand on it to shout at people passing by on the street. Now there are instantaneous, free tools of mass communication and some are worried that these tools are more trouble than they’re worth? In this light, Mashable has a nice story that rounds up many options for how social media has changed the game for (documentary) filmmaking, and it goes beyond just Twitter and Facebook: (more…)

A Slight Design Refresh and a Bit on NoFilmSchool's (Social Media) Traffic

Ryan Koo — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 20:02:51 +0000

You may notice things look a little different around here today (if everything looks the same, you might have to hold Shift and click your “refresh” button). Note there are no major aesthetic changes — I switched the titling and typography (I was always more of a sans-serif kind of guy, whatever that means), and there are now Twitter, Facebook, and StumbleUpon badges on single posts. I’ve also created a NoFilmSchool Facebook Page, which now has a home in the sidebar. Many of these changes have been driven by a look inside the analytics of this site, so let’s look at NoFilmSchool’s recent stats: (more…)

Even social media videos get sequels

Ryan Koo — Sat, 08 May 2010 20:03:22 +0000

If you saw the original Social Media Revolution video a year ago, let me save you some time: the new version making the rounds (yes, via social media) isn’t worth watching. However, if you didn’t catch that video or you’re one of the people who responded “I am afraid of social networks!” on my ongoing survey (please take it if you haven’t already!), this might serve as good brain candy for you: (more…)