RON HOWARD: REEL LIFE, REAL STORIES
Here's an in depth interview on film and filmmaking with Ron Howard. It's fascinating beginning to end, but for those who want to glean his advice for filmmakers, that segment begins at 16:54.
MONEY, MONEY, MONEY
In the queue to post since day one, now's a fine time.
(Who says nothing good happens at 3 am?)
Courtesy of the Daily Planet team, this goes out to FX artists everywhere.
Thanks DP, for penning and producing our anthem. We've loved it since its release.
"I easy ease, ease out, then I ease back in…"
A VIEW FROM THE STEADICAM RIG ON HUGO
Here's a perspective you've probably never seen.
A camera was attached to the steadicam rig and rolled while the final sequence of Hugo was
filmed.
Hear the exhaustion of the operator at the end. Enjoy the perfectly timed wisecrack (quite possibly from the director). And watch in amazement as a professional boom guy ["it's tough to be the boom guy"] navigates through doorways and around the cameraman.
This is something you'll hardly ever get to see. And thank you to 'mirrorvids' for posting it.
NAME THAT MOVIE
This has the makings of a great cinematic game night.
100 classic films, illustrated in six line drawings each by Paul Rogers, a renowned artist. Some are instantly recognizable, others more obscure.
Can you identify a movie from a half dozen hand drawn icons? Sounds like a super fun challenge to me!
So who's hosting the first event?
WILL VIDEO CAMERAS KILL STILL PHOTOGRAPHY? RED EPIC VS. HASSEBLAD
Hey everyone —
I've made it a point not to throw anything too technical your way (even though I consume this kind of stuff morning, noon and night). But this is just too cool not to share.
It's been talked about for years now, how with the increase in resolution of video that you can pull a still from a 2K or 4K camera (there's now talk of 5K — whoa Nellie!) and it'll print as well as a medium format camera will.
I watched a video — probably a year ago — using a portrait session with Tina Fey as an example. To me it was pretty impressive. But this is downright A to the K.
It looks like we're just about there. At a price, of course. But we all know how technology works. Wait a year or three and every consumer's got access to the same gear in Prosumer format.
Read the article if you're a full fledged geek like me, but definitely watch the video. It's Epic!
Red Epic.
MEMORIAL DAY CHALLENGE: RYAN’S STORY
What a great honor and service to those who've served.
WHAT’S YOUR STORY?
I've a wonderful clip I use in my video production course of this master documentarian sharing how the Ken Burns effect came to be.
Well here's a look inside the storyteller's head, revealing some fundamental insights on what filmmaking is really about; telling a story and shaping the way it's told to elicit certain feelings and emotions from your audience.
If there's a common thread in these posts on filmmaking advice, it's to be true to yourself and your story. Be genuine. Don't make a film based on what you think will arouse. Let it move and excite you first. If it does then it'll move and excite others as well.
Enjoy.
KEEP MAKING FILMS
It's entitled Quentin Tarantino's advice, and he does make some good points (heavily peppered with expletives, but that's Quentin, right?).
But it's Sam Raimi's golden nugget at the beginning that shines here.
"Make films, no matter what anybody says, and you'll be a filmmaker."
FRIVOLOUS BUT FUN
Here's a neat compilation of on-set stills of Steven Spielberg through the years.
I've always chuckled at how images of directors have them wearing a hat. Usually a baseball cap. As if it were a prerequisite for directing. Might this harken back to the beret?
I've never worn hats. It's not my thing.
But I'm a director. Or am I?
I need a hat.
KINETIC TYPOGRAPHY: A PRIMER
This hardly scratches the surface, but it's enough to fan the flame and light the fire of a young creative eager to express themself through the medium of motion design, or what used to be known as motion graphics.
It will also demonstrate to anyone who hasn't yet experienced the phenomenon just how powerful moving words about the screen in rhythm to a soundtrack can be.
If you've ever seen Yahoo's "Who Knew?" http://news.yahoo.com/who-knew you know just how far this medium can be taken. In my estimation they're the best of the best and should be studied by anyone serious about this art form.
The following are a few select pieces chosen from many online that were set to the same soundtrack. I just happened to like the style of these. You can YouTube the titles to see how each artist has interpreted the track, which is what makes this medium so wonderful.
Like a snowflake, no two are ever alike.
And if you'll allow an ounce of self indulgence, I've included my very first effort at the end.
The Mickey Mouse Club Theme
Rocky Balboa's Motivational Speech
Network: Peter Finch Monologue
Portal: Still Alive
Andrew Wood: Tactics vs. Strategy