For DIY filmmakers, it's always nice to have solutions to problems that are 1.) cheap or free, 2.) easy to pull off, and 3.) can be done using stuff that's probably lying around your house right now. If you're looking for a few new DIY tricks to add to your repertoire, you might want to check out the latest video from the Film Riot team. Learn how to fake a crowd, create colored light without gels, and get that iconic anamorphic light flare with nothing more than some fishing wire. Check it out below:

Here are the DIY tips host Ryan Connolly mentions in the video:

  • Spray paint light bulbs with high-heat paint to get colored lights without gels.
  • Tape a length of fishing wire over your lens to create an anamorphic flare effect.
  • Make thick, low-lying fog using a fog machine, a styrofoam cooler, and a chunk of dry ice.
  • Fake a crowd with only a few extras by placing your subject several feet away from them, zooming in, and having crew members walk in front of the lens occasionally.
  • Shower curtains make really awesome, cheap, and effective diffusers.

There are so many DIY projects out there that can not only make your life on set so much easier, but will end up saving you a ton of scratch. Here are some of our favorites from this last year, and if you're into the whole DIY thing, I highly suggest you take a look. There are tutorials for novices as well as you super duper experienced folk, and they show you how to make everything from custom lens caps to a portable fire effect light made out of a metal trash can.

Source: Film Riot

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