Since I'm running low on ideas for the weekly "Things..." and "Other Worlds Than These" columns, I'm going to put them on hiatus and start migrating my old "This Movie Ain't Gonna Shoot Itself" pieces over to this blog, hopefully at a rate of one per week. Aside from having all my movie-related writing in one place, I'll update each of the "This Movie..." columns with some four-years-later notes.
I'll be posting "This Movie..." part one in a few minutes.
Showing posts with label things.... Show all posts
Showing posts with label things.... Show all posts
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
"Things..." episode 030.
030: Cans, bags, and cores.
For shipping and storage, a roll of 16mm* or 35mm motion picture film is wound onto a plastic core, placed inside a light-proof bag, and sealed with tape inside a metal can.
If you're shooting film, you're going to need spare cans, bags, and cores for your short ends, if nothing else. And you can get them all free from whatever lab you use to do your film processing. Since labs have no use for the can, bag, and core after they process a roll of film, they have piles of the things lying around.
The lab will not, unfortunately, provide you with any tape to seal up those cans. Filmtools has some fancy "Warning: Exposed Film" tape and "Do Not X-Ray" tape, or you can just go with their 1" paper tape.
*Excluding daylight spools.
For shipping and storage, a roll of 16mm* or 35mm motion picture film is wound onto a plastic core, placed inside a light-proof bag, and sealed with tape inside a metal can.
If you're shooting film, you're going to need spare cans, bags, and cores for your short ends, if nothing else. And you can get them all free from whatever lab you use to do your film processing. Since labs have no use for the can, bag, and core after they process a roll of film, they have piles of the things lying around.
The lab will not, unfortunately, provide you with any tape to seal up those cans. Filmtools has some fancy "Warning: Exposed Film" tape and "Do Not X-Ray" tape, or you can just go with their 1" paper tape.
*Excluding daylight spools.
Thursday, April 3, 2008
"Things..." episode 029.
029: Velcro vs. zippers.
If you're making costumes for a project, and you have the choice, use velcro instead of zippers. While velcro will lose its effectiveness over time, slowly getting less and less "sticky," a zipper will work perfectly until it breaks, and then it's 100 percent useless.
We ran into a broken zipper on one of our space suits last weekend before we'd even loaded the camera. As we didn't have a spare zipper on set, much less the time to install one, we solved the problem with safety pins* and careful selection of camera angles.
*Keep plenty of safety pins nearby when you're filming -- you'll be surprised how often they come in handy for solving costume-related problems.
If you're making costumes for a project, and you have the choice, use velcro instead of zippers. While velcro will lose its effectiveness over time, slowly getting less and less "sticky," a zipper will work perfectly until it breaks, and then it's 100 percent useless.
We ran into a broken zipper on one of our space suits last weekend before we'd even loaded the camera. As we didn't have a spare zipper on set, much less the time to install one, we solved the problem with safety pins* and careful selection of camera angles.
*Keep plenty of safety pins nearby when you're filming -- you'll be surprised how often they come in handy for solving costume-related problems.
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
"Things..." episode 028.
028: Be careful with your stuff. Be real careful with other people's stuff.
Kyle Holman, Interplanetary actor and all-around good guy, let us borrow his electrical generator for some night shoots. Trap Traffanstedt, Interplanetary co-producer and all-around good guy, came up with this...
The genny never left the bed of Trap's truck--you can see a couple of extension cords running out of the tent and up into the building that served as our filming location. The tent protected the genny from the elements, and it stayed dirt-free since we didn't have to carry it into the incredibly dusty building. By the end of the night, I think it's safe to say the genny was our cleanest piece of equipment.
Kyle Holman, Interplanetary actor and all-around good guy, let us borrow his electrical generator for some night shoots. Trap Traffanstedt, Interplanetary co-producer and all-around good guy, came up with this...
The genny never left the bed of Trap's truck--you can see a couple of extension cords running out of the tent and up into the building that served as our filming location. The tent protected the genny from the elements, and it stayed dirt-free since we didn't have to carry it into the incredibly dusty building. By the end of the night, I think it's safe to say the genny was our cleanest piece of equipment.
Monday, March 24, 2008
Suggestions?
I'm at the doctor's office. I fear I may die before I complete the paperwork. Of old age, I mean.
Anyway. If any of you guys have suggestions for topics for either of the weekly columns, please send them my way. As we (hopefully) ramp up production again over the next few weeks, I'll need all the help I can get to keep the blog up-to-date.
Anyway. If any of you guys have suggestions for topics for either of the weekly columns, please send them my way. As we (hopefully) ramp up production again over the next few weeks, I'll need all the help I can get to keep the blog up-to-date.
Thursday, March 20, 2008
"Things..." episode 027.
027: Aspect ratio refresher (or why some movies are still "letterboxed" on your widescreen TV).
The vast majority of modern movies are filmed in one of two aspect ratios: 1.85:1 (also called "flat") or 2.39:1 (also called "CinemaScope" or simply "'Scope").
"Aspect ratio" refers to the relationship between the width and height of the movie image. An image filmed flat is 1.85 times wider than it is tall, and a 'Scope image is 2.39 times wider than it is tall.
A couple of examples...
Movies filmed in the 1.85:1 format include Juno, Pan's Labyrinth, and Eastern Promises (pictured).
Interplanetary and Hide and Creep are also 1.85:1 movies.
Movies filmed in the 2.39:1 format include No Country For Old Men, There Will Be Blood, and Jaws (pictured).
1.85:1 images are a good fit for high definition television. The HDTV aspect ratio of 1.78:1 is very close to 1.85:1, so any cropping or letterboxing of the movie image for video presentation is negligable, if even noticable.
2.39:1 images, however, are another story. Cropping them to 1.78:1 loses about 25% of the original content.
So, to keep the compositions as the filmmakers intended, some letterboxing is necessary. Even on so-called widescreen TVs.
The vast majority of modern movies are filmed in one of two aspect ratios: 1.85:1 (also called "flat") or 2.39:1 (also called "CinemaScope" or simply "'Scope").
"Aspect ratio" refers to the relationship between the width and height of the movie image. An image filmed flat is 1.85 times wider than it is tall, and a 'Scope image is 2.39 times wider than it is tall.
A couple of examples...
Movies filmed in the 1.85:1 format include Juno, Pan's Labyrinth, and Eastern Promises (pictured).
Interplanetary and Hide and Creep are also 1.85:1 movies.
Movies filmed in the 2.39:1 format include No Country For Old Men, There Will Be Blood, and Jaws (pictured).
1.85:1 images are a good fit for high definition television. The HDTV aspect ratio of 1.78:1 is very close to 1.85:1, so any cropping or letterboxing of the movie image for video presentation is negligable, if even noticable.
2.39:1 images, however, are another story. Cropping them to 1.78:1 loses about 25% of the original content.
So, to keep the compositions as the filmmakers intended, some letterboxing is necessary. Even on so-called widescreen TVs.
"Things..." episode 026.
O26: DVD-R of choice.
When you're making home-grown video DVDs, you have to choose between two formats and several brands of recordable media.
The format decision, whether to use DVD-R ("DVD dash R") or DVD+R ("DVD plus R"), is easy: DVD-R all the way, as that format has been around longer and is, therefore, compatible with more older DVD players. Do note, though, that some (usually really old) DVD players can't play back any recordable media.
As for which brand of DVD-R, I've had the most luck with Verbatim discs. Compared to other brands, I've found them less prone to errors during the recording process and more compatible with various makes and models of set-top DVD players. And I know Jimbo agrees with me on this one, so that's two votes for Verbatim.
(In a pinch, Maxell DVD-Rs are my second choice.)
When you're making home-grown video DVDs, you have to choose between two formats and several brands of recordable media.
The format decision, whether to use DVD-R ("DVD dash R") or DVD+R ("DVD plus R"), is easy: DVD-R all the way, as that format has been around longer and is, therefore, compatible with more older DVD players. Do note, though, that some (usually really old) DVD players can't play back any recordable media.
As for which brand of DVD-R, I've had the most luck with Verbatim discs. Compared to other brands, I've found them less prone to errors during the recording process and more compatible with various makes and models of set-top DVD players. And I know Jimbo agrees with me on this one, so that's two votes for Verbatim.
(In a pinch, Maxell DVD-Rs are my second choice.)
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
"Things..." episode 025.
According to this link I found on Google, the purpose of a DVD jacket picture is twofold:
1) When the disc goes to the "stop state," a full-screen image appears on the monitor. This image is usually a logo or text which is unique to that particular title/movie.
2) On certain DVD disc changer machines, the user can search through the titles loaded into the machine. In this case, a listing of all the titles loaded into the machine will appear on the monitor, with each title being denoted by a smaller image. Again, this image consists of a logo or text, which is unique to that particular title/movie.
A few months ago, I stumbled across the jacket option in Apple DVD Studio Pro and started adding jacket images to my own DVDs. If you'd like to do the same, check out this how-to from ProMax.
1) When the disc goes to the "stop state," a full-screen image appears on the monitor. This image is usually a logo or text which is unique to that particular title/movie.
2) On certain DVD disc changer machines, the user can search through the titles loaded into the machine. In this case, a listing of all the titles loaded into the machine will appear on the monitor, with each title being denoted by a smaller image. Again, this image consists of a logo or text, which is unique to that particular title/movie.
A few months ago, I stumbled across the jacket option in Apple DVD Studio Pro and started adding jacket images to my own DVDs. If you'd like to do the same, check out this how-to from ProMax.
Monday, March 17, 2008
"Things..." episode 024.
024: Go tapeless.
Way back in episode 001, I talked about ditching videotape for Interplanetary. A few months ago, John purchased the awesome Sound Devices 702 audio recorder. As the 702 records to compact flash media, Interplanetary is pretty much tapeless at this point.
It's a good thing. I am much happier now that tape is mostly gone from my filmmaking life (we still occasionally employ the DVX100 as a video tap, and the DVX uses MiniDV cassettes). The only disadvantage I can see, as also mentioned back in episode 001, is the need for more backups. But tapeless means faster transfers of picture and sound from device to editing machine (via FireWire and/or USB 2) and less equipment (goodbye DigiBeta decks!).
Way back in episode 001, I talked about ditching videotape for Interplanetary. A few months ago, John purchased the awesome Sound Devices 702 audio recorder. As the 702 records to compact flash media, Interplanetary is pretty much tapeless at this point.
It's a good thing. I am much happier now that tape is mostly gone from my filmmaking life (we still occasionally employ the DVX100 as a video tap, and the DVX uses MiniDV cassettes). The only disadvantage I can see, as also mentioned back in episode 001, is the need for more backups. But tapeless means faster transfers of picture and sound from device to editing machine (via FireWire and/or USB 2) and less equipment (goodbye DigiBeta decks!).
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
"Things..." episode 023.
023: DIY ADR.
I blogged a little about ADR a few weeks ago. I finally got around to the first rerecording session for Interplanetary last night, so I thought I'd post some details on the ADR setup (Mark I).
One of our closets is the "sound booth." The hanging clothes baffle one wall (to cut down on reverb), and blankets and sheets are hung to baffle the other walls. There is another blanket hanging in the doorway. The baffles also help insulate the closet from outside noise. Luckily, it's pretty quiet in our condo at night.
The trusty MacBook (perched atop a stepladder) serves as the actor's monitor. I'd pre-loaded the MacBook with QuickTime videos of the scenes the actor would be rerecording. The MacBook makes a good monitor because (1) the LCD screen looks so good and (2) it is virtually silent when playing QuickTime videos off the hard drive (as opposed to, say, a portable DVD player). Though it'd be on the small side, a video iPod would also make a good monitor for DIY ADR.
A headphone splitter attached to the Mac feeds audio to the actor's headphones so she can hear the dialogue she's trying to match. The same shotgun mic we use for production recording is attached to a small mic stand, and the mic's cable runs out of the closet to John's super-awesome Sound Devices 702 digital audio recorder. That headphone splitter connected to the Mac also feeds audio to the 702. My headphones are plugged into the 702, and I end up with the actor's new dialogue (from the mic) in my left ear and the old dialogue (from the QuickTime videos) in my right ear.
Both the Mac and 702 audio recorder can run on batteries, so no AC power is required.
After all that stuff's set up (which only takes 15 or 20 minutes), it's time to get the actor (Amanda Myers in this case) in the "booth" and start rolling. My first plan is to get Amanda to recite the lines in time with the original takes, so I can listen to the playback and get an immediate feel for how closely the new dialogue take matches the original. However, this is easier said than done, since it's tough for Amanda to figure out exactly where to begin the line.
On to plan B: Amanda hits "play" on the Mac, listens to a line of dialogue, hits "pause," then repeats the line. This seems to work pretty well, as Amanda is good at gauging the meter and tempo of the original dialogue.
The only downside of this method is I won't know for sure how well the new lines play with the original film footage until I get them all synced up. I'm not too worried about it, though. Past experience has shown that, as long as the looped lines are fairly close to the originals, timing-wise, there won't be any noticeable "drift" between the picture and dialogue.
I have an idea (Interplanetary ADR Mark II, maybe) for another setup that might allow immediate ADR plus picture playback, but I'll write about that if and when I have time to try it.
I blogged a little about ADR a few weeks ago. I finally got around to the first rerecording session for Interplanetary last night, so I thought I'd post some details on the ADR setup (Mark I).
One of our closets is the "sound booth." The hanging clothes baffle one wall (to cut down on reverb), and blankets and sheets are hung to baffle the other walls. There is another blanket hanging in the doorway. The baffles also help insulate the closet from outside noise. Luckily, it's pretty quiet in our condo at night.
The trusty MacBook (perched atop a stepladder) serves as the actor's monitor. I'd pre-loaded the MacBook with QuickTime videos of the scenes the actor would be rerecording. The MacBook makes a good monitor because (1) the LCD screen looks so good and (2) it is virtually silent when playing QuickTime videos off the hard drive (as opposed to, say, a portable DVD player). Though it'd be on the small side, a video iPod would also make a good monitor for DIY ADR.
A headphone splitter attached to the Mac feeds audio to the actor's headphones so she can hear the dialogue she's trying to match. The same shotgun mic we use for production recording is attached to a small mic stand, and the mic's cable runs out of the closet to John's super-awesome Sound Devices 702 digital audio recorder. That headphone splitter connected to the Mac also feeds audio to the 702. My headphones are plugged into the 702, and I end up with the actor's new dialogue (from the mic) in my left ear and the old dialogue (from the QuickTime videos) in my right ear.
Both the Mac and 702 audio recorder can run on batteries, so no AC power is required.
After all that stuff's set up (which only takes 15 or 20 minutes), it's time to get the actor (Amanda Myers in this case) in the "booth" and start rolling. My first plan is to get Amanda to recite the lines in time with the original takes, so I can listen to the playback and get an immediate feel for how closely the new dialogue take matches the original. However, this is easier said than done, since it's tough for Amanda to figure out exactly where to begin the line.
On to plan B: Amanda hits "play" on the Mac, listens to a line of dialogue, hits "pause," then repeats the line. This seems to work pretty well, as Amanda is good at gauging the meter and tempo of the original dialogue.
The only downside of this method is I won't know for sure how well the new lines play with the original film footage until I get them all synced up. I'm not too worried about it, though. Past experience has shown that, as long as the looped lines are fairly close to the originals, timing-wise, there won't be any noticeable "drift" between the picture and dialogue.
I have an idea (Interplanetary ADR Mark II, maybe) for another setup that might allow immediate ADR plus picture playback, but I'll write about that if and when I have time to try it.
Monday, February 11, 2008
"Things..." episode 022.
022: Four for filming.
Anytime you're out filming, know the location of the nearest...
Anytime you're out filming, know the location of the nearest...
- Radio Shack (cables, adapters, gadgets)
- Lowe's / Home Depot (extension cords, light bulbs, tools)
- Wal-Mart / K-Mart (sundries)
- Hardee's / Carl's Jr.* (breakfast biscuits)
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
"Things..." episode 021.
021: The high cost of HDMI.
There are several ways to hook up your DVD player or cable box to your television. The latest and greatest connectivity method is known as HDMI. A single HDMI cable can carry all of a device's high def video and audio output to a digital TV in pure digital form -- the signal isn't converted to analog until it hits the display screen and speakers.
So HDMI is clean and efficient. Is there a catch? Oh, yeah. That'd be the retail price. Best Buy's "bargain" HDMI cable costs 50 bucks, and the cheapest HDMI cable I've seen at Wal-Mart is almost 30 bucks. Which wouldn't be an issue if you couldn't find them online for less than five dollars.
If you're in a hurry for an HDMI cable (as I was recently) and can't wait for shipping, check your local Apple Store. They carry an "XtremeMac" branded cable for $19.95. I wonder... is this is the first time Apple has undersold Wal-Mart on anything? Maybe they're hoping their HDMI deal will help them move more Apple TVs.
EDIT: Arik Sokol mentioned in the comments that he saw HDMI cables at Big Lots for $11.99. Thanks, Mr. Sokol!
There are several ways to hook up your DVD player or cable box to your television. The latest and greatest connectivity method is known as HDMI. A single HDMI cable can carry all of a device's high def video and audio output to a digital TV in pure digital form -- the signal isn't converted to analog until it hits the display screen and speakers.
So HDMI is clean and efficient. Is there a catch? Oh, yeah. That'd be the retail price. Best Buy's "bargain" HDMI cable costs 50 bucks, and the cheapest HDMI cable I've seen at Wal-Mart is almost 30 bucks. Which wouldn't be an issue if you couldn't find them online for less than five dollars.
If you're in a hurry for an HDMI cable (as I was recently) and can't wait for shipping, check your local Apple Store. They carry an "XtremeMac" branded cable for $19.95. I wonder... is this is the first time Apple has undersold Wal-Mart on anything? Maybe they're hoping their HDMI deal will help them move more Apple TVs.
EDIT: Arik Sokol mentioned in the comments that he saw HDMI cables at Big Lots for $11.99. Thanks, Mr. Sokol!
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
"Things..." episode 020.
020: Don't fear the ADR.
Of all the lessons I learned working on Hide and Creep, "Don't be afraid of ADR," might be the most important.
"ADR" is short for "automated dialogue replacement" or "additional dialogue recording." I prefer the latter definition, as there is nothing "automated" about ADR in the low-budget world.
I spent many hours trying to fix Hide and Creep problem audio -- dialogue recorded on set marred by traffic noise, airplane noise, and/or poor choice of microphone placement. It would have been easier (and, in the end, better-sounding) to just rerecord any problem dialogue.
There is one cardinal rule of do-it-yourself ADR: record the sound as "dry" as possible, with no natural reverb. Have the actor get close to the microphone and record the sound in a small room with carpeted or padded walls. The reason for the dry approach is simple -- you can easily add reverb to dialogue in post-production, to make it match the sound of the original room, but you cannot remove reverb.
I've been working on a new setup for Interplanetary ADR. I'll post details after I've had the opportunity to try it out with an actor (hopefully sometime next week).
EDIT: Looks like I opened up a can of worms with this topic. Please read the comments for more ADR info.
Of all the lessons I learned working on Hide and Creep, "Don't be afraid of ADR," might be the most important.
"ADR" is short for "automated dialogue replacement" or "additional dialogue recording." I prefer the latter definition, as there is nothing "automated" about ADR in the low-budget world.
I spent many hours trying to fix Hide and Creep problem audio -- dialogue recorded on set marred by traffic noise, airplane noise, and/or poor choice of microphone placement. It would have been easier (and, in the end, better-sounding) to just rerecord any problem dialogue.
There is one cardinal rule of do-it-yourself ADR: record the sound as "dry" as possible, with no natural reverb. Have the actor get close to the microphone and record the sound in a small room with carpeted or padded walls. The reason for the dry approach is simple -- you can easily add reverb to dialogue in post-production, to make it match the sound of the original room, but you cannot remove reverb.
I've been working on a new setup for Interplanetary ADR. I'll post details after I've had the opportunity to try it out with an actor (hopefully sometime next week).
EDIT: Looks like I opened up a can of worms with this topic. Please read the comments for more ADR info.
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
"Things..." episode 019.
019: Make your own space helmet.
To paraphrase my friend Andrew, when you're making a space suit for a sci-fi movie, "the helmet is the trick."
If you're looking for materials for a "bubble-style" helmet, please allow me to save you a bit of time. Go to ComplexPlastics.com and place your order. Complex Plastics, Inc., manufactures clear acrylic spheres in a variety of sizes. For Interplanetary, we're using spheres with a 14" diameter, pre-cut with a 10" hole at the bottom.
I believe we paid around $95 per sphere. One caveat -- ordering from Complex ain't like ordering from Amazon -- expect a few weeks turnaround time from order 'til delivery.
One more helmet tip -- if you want it tinted, sunglasses-style, spray the inside of the sphere with a couple of cans of "clear transparent black" model paint. Our tinted helmet doesn't look super smooth on the inside (and it's not as easy to see through as a pair of Ray-Bans), but it looks pretty dang cool from the outside.
To paraphrase my friend Andrew, when you're making a space suit for a sci-fi movie, "the helmet is the trick."
If you're looking for materials for a "bubble-style" helmet, please allow me to save you a bit of time. Go to ComplexPlastics.com and place your order. Complex Plastics, Inc., manufactures clear acrylic spheres in a variety of sizes. For Interplanetary, we're using spheres with a 14" diameter, pre-cut with a 10" hole at the bottom.
I believe we paid around $95 per sphere. One caveat -- ordering from Complex ain't like ordering from Amazon -- expect a few weeks turnaround time from order 'til delivery.
One more helmet tip -- if you want it tinted, sunglasses-style, spray the inside of the sphere with a couple of cans of "clear transparent black" model paint. Our tinted helmet doesn't look super smooth on the inside (and it's not as easy to see through as a pair of Ray-Bans), but it looks pretty dang cool from the outside.
Wednesday, January 9, 2008
"Things..." episode 018.
018: Shine a light.
When it comes to horror movie props, I'd guess flashlights are as popular with the good guys as machetes are with the killers. The cinematographer in me thinks they look pretty cool on camera, too.
Having done a few flashlight scenes for Interplanetary, I've come up with some tips that might help you release your inner Mulder or Scully.
When it comes to horror movie props, I'd guess flashlights are as popular with the good guys as machetes are with the killers. The cinematographer in me thinks they look pretty cool on camera, too.
Having done a few flashlight scenes for Interplanetary, I've come up with some tips that might help you release your inner Mulder or Scully.
- Brighter is better. We've been using Mag-Lites, which are okay, but I'd like to find something even brighter. Any suggestions?
- Keep plenty of fresh batteries on hand. That'll keep whatever lights you're using as bright as possible.
- A little party fog will break up the light and give your beam(s) more definition. Don't overdo it (unless you're going for a Sherlock Holmes thing or something).
- No matter how bright your flashlights, you're probably going to need some supplemental lighting (unless you have many flashlights or are shooting in a very confined space).
Sunday, January 6, 2008
"Things..." episode 017.
017: Edit while you shoot.
If you're on one of those crazy ten or twelve-day feature-film shooting schedules, you probably aren't going to have much time for editing during principal photography. As I'm on the every-other-weekend-forever shooting schedule for Interplanetary, I don't have much of an excuse for waiting almost a year to get seriously into editing. Well, I'll count as excuses the day job and all the pre-production that goes on the 26 days a month we're not filming.
So, I guess the real trick would be to have an editor for your movie who isn't involved in day-to-day production. On a low-budget project, this would be difficult, but not impossible.
If you're on one of those crazy ten or twelve-day feature-film shooting schedules, you probably aren't going to have much time for editing during principal photography. As I'm on the every-other-weekend-forever shooting schedule for Interplanetary, I don't have much of an excuse for waiting almost a year to get seriously into editing. Well, I'll count as excuses the day job and all the pre-production that goes on the 26 days a month we're not filming.
So, I guess the real trick would be to have an editor for your movie who isn't involved in day-to-day production. On a low-budget project, this would be difficult, but not impossible.
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
"Things..." episode 016.
016: Don't trust the government.
We recently got hit with a fine from the IRS for late payment of some Hide and Creep taxes. Not that we actually paid late -- Stacey sent the check at the appropriate time. But the US Post Office, incompetent as usual, never delivered it to the IRS. By the time we found out and were able to get another check out, it was too late.
If you're sending anything important to the IRS, play it safe and use certified mail.
We recently got hit with a fine from the IRS for late payment of some Hide and Creep taxes. Not that we actually paid late -- Stacey sent the check at the appropriate time. But the US Post Office, incompetent as usual, never delivered it to the IRS. By the time we found out and were able to get another check out, it was too late.
If you're sending anything important to the IRS, play it safe and use certified mail.
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
"Things..." episode 015.
015: Keep in touch.
I'm getting ready to ship some equipment out to my pal Mike Harring. Mike's a super-nice and super-talented guy, and he's about to shoot his first feature. The equipment loan is a way for me to make a small contribution to Mike's project, and it will hopefully save him some time, hassle, and money.
I mention this to remind you to keep in touch with your friends (especially your filmmaker friends) about your movie projects. You never know when they'll be able to help out.
I'm getting ready to ship some equipment out to my pal Mike Harring. Mike's a super-nice and super-talented guy, and he's about to shoot his first feature. The equipment loan is a way for me to make a small contribution to Mike's project, and it will hopefully save him some time, hassle, and money.
I mention this to remind you to keep in touch with your friends (especially your filmmaker friends) about your movie projects. You never know when they'll be able to help out.
Tuesday, December 4, 2007
"Things..." episode 014.
014: Get a FedEx account.
Shooting 16mm film in Birmingham means shipping 16mm film out of Birmingham, for processing elsewhere. So, during a busy shooting period, I might use FedEx once a week.
Why not UPS or the U.S. Post Office? Well, the Post Office is useless, unless you are a stamp collector. And, unlike FedEx, both the Post Office and UPS use X-rays to inspect packages, which is bad for film.
So it is FedEx for me. That used to mean actually going to a FedEx or Kinko's and filling out that little shipping form by hand, which I really hate. Then, one day, one of the Kinko's FedEx guys talked me into signing up for a FedEx account. I'm glad he did, because...
FedEx account holders get other perks, too. And it doesn't cost anything to sign up for the account.
If you're interested, check out https://fedex.com/us/OADR/index.html for more info.
Shooting 16mm film in Birmingham means shipping 16mm film out of Birmingham, for processing elsewhere. So, during a busy shooting period, I might use FedEx once a week.
Why not UPS or the U.S. Post Office? Well, the Post Office is useless, unless you are a stamp collector. And, unlike FedEx, both the Post Office and UPS use X-rays to inspect packages, which is bad for film.
So it is FedEx for me. That used to mean actually going to a FedEx or Kinko's and filling out that little shipping form by hand, which I really hate. Then, one day, one of the Kinko's FedEx guys talked me into signing up for a FedEx account. I'm glad he did, because...
- I can now use the computer to print shipping forms.
- I get a 10% discount on shipping.
FedEx account holders get other perks, too. And it doesn't cost anything to sign up for the account.
If you're interested, check out https://fedex.com/us/OADR/index.html for more info.
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
"Things..." episode 012.
012: Critics are your friends.
Some filmmakers have an antagonistic relationship with the critical community. I don't get that. Critics write about movies. They might write positively or negatively about a particular film, but they're still writing about movies.
Before people can watch a movie, they have to know that movie exists. You can advertise a movie, but that's expensive. The only thing a review costs is a DVD screener and some postage. And maybe a little pride, in the case of a negative review. But if you're making indie movies, you have more pride to spare than cash.
Critics don't just write about which movies are "good" and which movies are "bad." They write movie news stories and interviews, too. So there's always the possibility that a positive or even mixed review can turn into an interview, or at least a notice when the movie is screened in theaters, released to DVD, or shown on television. Or maybe a separate story for each of those events.
I've stayed in touch with several of the critics who praised Hide and Creep. I've met a few of them in person, even drank a few beers with one of them. I just received an email from a critic who wants to help me find a new distributor for Hide and Creep. Good critics are like good filmmakers -- they love movies and want as many people as possible to see good flicks.
There's a lot of talk these days about how inexpensive technology has made it possible for just about anyone to shoot a movie. More movies means the independent movie scene is more competitive. It is less often mentioned that inexpensive technology has also made it easier for people to write about movies, creating more opportunities for people to read about any given movie. Make life a little easier for all those critics -- send 'em a screener of your movie. They might respond by making life a little easier for you.
*I'm not talking about random hecklers, but actual critics who write actual reviews with complete sentences and everything.
Some filmmakers have an antagonistic relationship with the critical community. I don't get that. Critics write about movies. They might write positively or negatively about a particular film, but they're still writing about movies.
Before people can watch a movie, they have to know that movie exists. You can advertise a movie, but that's expensive. The only thing a review costs is a DVD screener and some postage. And maybe a little pride, in the case of a negative review. But if you're making indie movies, you have more pride to spare than cash.
Critics don't just write about which movies are "good" and which movies are "bad." They write movie news stories and interviews, too. So there's always the possibility that a positive or even mixed review can turn into an interview, or at least a notice when the movie is screened in theaters, released to DVD, or shown on television. Or maybe a separate story for each of those events.
I've stayed in touch with several of the critics who praised Hide and Creep. I've met a few of them in person, even drank a few beers with one of them. I just received an email from a critic who wants to help me find a new distributor for Hide and Creep. Good critics are like good filmmakers -- they love movies and want as many people as possible to see good flicks.
There's a lot of talk these days about how inexpensive technology has made it possible for just about anyone to shoot a movie. More movies means the independent movie scene is more competitive. It is less often mentioned that inexpensive technology has also made it easier for people to write about movies, creating more opportunities for people to read about any given movie. Make life a little easier for all those critics -- send 'em a screener of your movie. They might respond by making life a little easier for you.
*I'm not talking about random hecklers, but actual critics who write actual reviews with complete sentences and everything.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
