f-making-ilm

Shine a Light.

2008-04-02T00:27:00.000-07:00

The joke that Martin Scorsese seizes on throughout his megawattage Rolling Stones concert movie, Shine a Light, is that the band's members have been asked 'How much longer can you stay together/productive/alive?' every year since Mick Jagger was a soft-faced boy who looked barely out of grammar school," writes David Edelstein in New York. "In the old days, Jagger seemed to be taunting us - or, more likely, his stuffy British headmasters and their blue-haired wives - by parading around the stage as everything most fearsome, the cock of the walk as a huffy black androgyne. Now he taunts us with his stamina.

Dear Film Noir Fans,

2008-04-02T00:15:00.000-07:00

Our latest update must begin on a sad note, as we observe the passing of two men important to the legacy of film noir.

The first is Richard Widmark, who died last month after 93 years of wonderful accomplishments.
Widmark was one of those actors whose emergence heralded something entirely new in the movies, something emblematic of noir but distilled into one performer--the guilty thrill of finding "badness" both sexy and sinister. Widmark allowed audiences to delight in his villainy, and American movies grew up a bit when he showed that a character could be simultaneously attractive and repulsive. That dichotomy was, and remains, an essential aspect of noir's allure.

Secondly, Much harder to take was news of the death of our friend Arthur Lyons, one of the great modern writers of crime fiction, who for the past seven years was the producer of the Palm Springs Film Noir Festival. Art came from a Hollywood family (his father was a well-known restaurateur) and he knew and loved show business, exemplified by the incredible amount of time and energy he devoted to bringing old-school stars to his annual summer festival.

Simon Pegg confirms potential 'Star Trek' sequels

2008-03-28T23:09:00.000-07:00

In news that will turn every Trekker a nice shade of cerulean blue, Simon Pegg confirmed in an interview with MTV Movies Blog that he's signed on for three Star Trek movies.

In fact, the concept of signing on for multiple movies caused him some trepidation at first.
"I thought about it for a bit because you have to commit to a series of films and that puts you in a situation where the studio has some control over what you do. I called up J.J. and I said, 'the idea is amazing but I'm worried.' And he said, â€˜what's the worst that can happen? We hang out every three years and make a fun film?'"
According to MTV Movies Blog, Pegg signed on for three movies. Of course, any potential sequels would be dependent on their predecessors being a box office hit. Of course, with the streak that director J.J. Abrams is on, I don't think that will be a problem.

What is the biggest money-making foreign language film of all time?

2008-03-28T23:07:00.000-07:00

Director Mel Gibson's 2004 film The Passion of the Christ is the biggest non-English language film at the box office. The movie, spoken entirely in Aramaic, made over $370 million at the box office domestically. The Chinese action movie Crouchgin Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000) is number two on the list with $128 million.
Another great foreign language film, The Kite Runner, hits DVD this week. The movie, directed by Marc Forster (Finding Neverland, this year's James Bond movie), is based on the best-selling novel of the same name.

5 Important Video Codecs You Must Know

2008-03-28T04:54:00.000-07:00

video codec is a device or software that enables video compression and/or decompression for digital video. Digital video codecs are found in DVD (MPEG-2), VCD (MPEG-1), in emerging satellite and terrestrial broadcast systems, and on the Internet.

Below are 5 Must Know Video Codecs and their features

H.263 – use for video conferencing

This codec is a good choice for the business community. It’s ideal for a video conference where you do not need high-quality pictures and where audio is going to take priority. It is best with low movement films, so a more or less stationary talking head is going to be just perfect. The data rate for thiswould be small, but much quality is lost. Perhaps the only use of this codec is if you wanted to send aquick version of a film for viewing by a co-worker; you may not worry too much about the way it looksas you just want quick feedback.

Cinepak – use for CD-ROMs

This is a good, well-established system which works best with small image sizes. This codec is outperformed by many others, even though its small picture size, at 120x90 pixels, is now getting bigger as computers improve. It is better used on low-end machines but is not usually the first option for web film, being more suited to CD-ROMs. A big advantage with this codec is that it allows the sender to customize settings throughout a film, so you can apply heavier compression to places where there is notmuch movement but lighter compression to where you need more detail on screen, perhaps during anaction sequence. This process avoids ‘data spikes’, where sudden increases in data cause a movie to stopplaying on the user’s PC because too much data is needed.

3. RealG2 – good for web work, not for other uses

This codec is widely used on the web. It uses ‘temporal scaleability’, which means that the result forthe user is smoother than others even on a wide range of computers or devices. This means movies encoded with it play at a high frame rate for fast processors and low for slow ones. This codec is hard to beat in terms of the number of users who may have access to it on the web and the ease with which the rest can download it (for free).

4. Sorenson – good all-rounder

This is a really good, high-quality codec and looks better than most at a screen size of 320x240. It’sa good solution for movies that are going to be viewed over broadband connections, but some editions (notably the Developer Edition) cater for the other users by enabling scaleable streaming. One aspect which puts many people off using this codec is the length of time it takes to encode a movie in this way,but it remains the method of choice for most short movies, for the web and CD.

5. Intel Indeo 4 and 5 – good, but mainly for high power

With this method of compression you get a good result with high picture quality, but it is only viablefor high-powered PCs or Macs. Version 5 allows for progressive downloads. Intel’s codec is generally better than Cinepak, but cannot match the picture quality of the Sorenson.

Continuity in non-narrative films

2008-03-28T04:15:00.000-07:00

Non-narrative movies demand a very different approach to narrative. They require that you embed continuity as a part of the whole structure of the film, not as an afterthought during filming.

Non-narrative movies such as music videos, abstract movies and multimedia projections used in live concerts are particularly susceptible to looking fragmented. At their most out of control, they look like you are channel surfing, looking at a number of clips of movies by different people. Of the following ideas, the more effective ones are those that are part of the planning and shooting stages rather than those placed over the film in post-production.

Methods of ensuring continuity in non-narrative film

Single filter effect (edit software filters, not camera filters)If your editing software has special effects that you can use to alter the look of clips – for instance, to make them change colour, stretch or change contrast and tone – you could apply one of these to the whole film, or at regular points. Restrict yourself to one filter only.

Tracking
A tracking shot – where the camera moves while it shoots, tracking the action – can make a good way of connecting shots. Decide on a constant speed of tracking and stick with it throughout the film. To enhance the effect, keep to one direction in the screen – for example, left to right. For example, you could show a slow, left-to-right movement of the camera along a beach, cutting then to a similar constant shot along a busy street

360-degree movement
This device is particularly effective in linking shots. Decide on the height of the camera and the speed of the camera as it moves, then shoot everything while moving 360 degrees around the subject, at every location, throughout the film.

Common space

This involves including an object or space in the background that is present in each shot, and could be as simple as a fireside with picture frame. This is commonly used in scenes with dialogue where it is useful to be able to locate two actors within the same space by showing some common space or object in each actor’s frame. In a non-narrative film you could choose a single prop that is present throughout.

Transitions

At the editing stage, you will need to decide how you cut between scenes. The most common – the straight cut and the cross dissolve – could be developed by trying something a little more noticeable. An example could be to fade fast to white as the picture cuts, suggesting flash photography.

The length of the shot

A style of editing that uses short cuts, with a high turnover of clips, will encourage the viewer to see these clips as linked in some way, even if the subject matter is not. Therefore, we tend to see a montage sequence consisting of a lot of quick images because the diversity of images needs to be balanced by speed of perception. But what is a ‘long cut’ or a ‘short cut’? In this case you could think of a quick cut as half a second or less and a slow cut as anything from three to five seconds, but your subject matter will dictate how fast your cuts will be.

Motif

In non-narrative films, a motif can be used with some thought to what kinds of objects or colours add to the overall theme of the movie. For example, in an interpretation of the word ‘anger’, we could justifiably use the colour red as a motif in the film. To stand as a motif you would have to see the object or colour recur often enough to be noticed. Alternatively, you could use images of a clenched fist or a brick hurtling towards a window, letting us see more and more of it as the film proceeds.

Linked imagery

For this idea we could take a look at Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968). After a lengthy start where we see ancient pre-human apes, Kubrick needed a way of jumping tens of thousands of years into the future without disrupting the flow of the movie. If ever there was a time to use a continuity device, this was it. His response was to have the camera follow a bone thrown high into the air, and immediately cut to a similar-shaped, bone-like spacecraft, occupying the same space in the frame. This is a daring way of connecting two shots that could not be more dissimilar, visually. While shooting, you could look for parts of the scene that visually resemble a part of another, with the aim of linking the two later.

Sound

This is a last resort method of connecting shots and is not the most effective way. A single piece of music is dubbed over the whole film as with a music video. If you want to use sound in this way, try to use a particularly noticeable home-made soundtrack of sounds, rather than music, and one where you have altered the sounds or looped them, producing a repetitive, rhythmic effect.

JUST ANNOUNCED ON DVD

2008-03-23T01:30:00.002-07:00

Batman: Gotham Knight (Collector's Edition)
Cloverfield
Darfur Now (Widescreen)
Dirty Harry (Special Edition)
ER: The Complete Ninth Season
Flawless (Widescreen)
The Incredible Hulk: The Complete Fourth Season
The Incredible Hulk: The Complete Third Season
The Signal (Widescreen)
Square Pegs: The Complete Series
Untraceable (Widescreen)
War, Inc.
Weeds: Season Three (Widescreen)

AT THE BOX OFFICE

2008-03-23T01:30:00.001-07:00

Horton Hears a Who!
10,000 B.C.
Never Back Down
College Road Trip
Vantage Point
The Bank Job
Doomsday
Semi-Pro
The Other Boleyn Girl
The Spiderwick Chronicles

In what year is the 1981 film 'Escape from New York' set?

2008-03-23T01:28:00.000-07:00

New York has been the setting for many futuristic/dystopian and disaster movies. The reduction of the Statue of Liberty to rumble -- as in director John Carpenter's 1981 film Escape from New York -- is a powerful visual. Kurt Russell starred as Snake Plissken in the movie whose events happen in the year 1997. In the movie, the entire Manhattan island has been transformed into a maximum security prison. The ex-soldier Snake is charged with retrieving the President after Air Force One crash lands in the havoc.

In I Am Legend, Will Smith stars as Army scientist Robert Neville. He is the last surviving human in 2012 New York City. A terrible virus has killed most of the planet's population. Neville remains, immune to the deadly virus. The film is based on Richard Matheson's 1954 novel of the same name. The book was first adapted into the films The Last Man on Earth (1964) and The Omega Man (1971).

Southland Tales

2008-03-21T05:51:00.000-07:00

"What an awesome disaster of a movie," writes Waggish of Southland Tales. "Panned at Cannes, left for dead by Sony, eventually raking in $300K on an $18 million budget and forcing a promise from Richard Kelly that he will be more commercial in the future, I now say that it's the major American movie of 2007 that I enjoyed the most, far more than limp critic-fodder There Will Be Blood and No Country for Old Men."

"I know, for myself, that whereas No Country for Old Men stunned me in its first weekend, by the time it won Best Picture I had come to feel what a bleak trick it is," writes David Thomson in the LA Weekly. "But I find myself still close to tears with Bonnie and Clyde, even though I know it shot for shot, and I'm not sure now whether I am moved by Warren and Faye, by the idea of cinema, or by the bloodshot summer of 1967. I cannot forget that when the picture opened (for me) in London that August, I saw it day after day, leaving the job I dreaded and telling myself that my life had to change, even if I ended up shot to pieces with those two shampooed darlings."

Online Video Using iWeb and Final Cut Pro

2008-03-19T06:54:00.000-07:00

If you have a .Mac account you can put a video from Final Cut Pro online with iWeb in a few steps. This is a great way to allow a client to preview a video without much effort. Making the site secure for only the client to be able to view the page is as simple as setting a login and password in iWeb before publishing.

To prepare a video for iWeb with Final Cut Pro, use the Quicktime Conversion Export option in Final Cut Pro. Selecting the iPhone Format option will compress the video to a 480x360 mpeg4 movie. The other preset mpeg4 format option in the Quicktime conversion is the iPod seting, which will output a 640x480 mpeg4 movie. Both of these options will produce an iWeb compatible video.

Starting a New Site with a blank page and dragging the MPEG4 video on the page is essentially all you need to do. It is very typical that you will get a warning saying that the file is too large, but I have yet to not be able to upload a video. There are a few minor options like adding the password protection that you can do, but for the most part all you have to do is publish the site to your .Mac account. If you intend on leaving the page up for a while you can set a domain to point to the .Mac link.

A Brief Introduction to Satyajit Ray

2008-03-19T06:48:00.000-07:00

"The quiet but deep observation, understanding and love of the human race, which are characteristic of all his films, have impressed me greatly. ...I feel that he is a "giant" of the movie industry."
- Akira Kurosawa

Satyajit Ray, an Indian filmmaker and among the dozen or so great masters of world cinema, is known for his humanistic approach to cinema. He made his films in Bengali, a language spoken in the eastern state of India - West Bengal. And yet, his films are of universal interest. They are about things that make up the human race - relationships, emotions, struggle, conflicts, joys and sorrows.

The Master StorytellerSatyajit Ray, the master storyteller, has left a cinematic heritage that belongs as much to India as to the world. His films demonstrate a remarkable humanism, elaborate observation and subtle handling of characters and situations. The cinema of Satyajit Ray is a rare blend of intellect and emotions. He is controlled, precise, meticulous, and yet, evokes deep emotional response from the audience. His films depict a fine sensitivity without using melodrama or dramatic excesses. He evolved a cinematic style that is almost invisible. He strongly believed - "The best technique is the one that's not noticeable".

Though initially inspired by the neo-realist tradition, his cinema belongs not to a specific category or style but a timeless meta-genre of a style of story telling that touches the audience in some way. His films belong to a meta-genre that includes the works of Akira Kurosawa, Alfred Hitchcock, Charles Chaplin, David Lean, Federico Fellini, Fritz Lang, John Ford, Ingmar Bergman, Jean Renoir, Luis Bunuel, Yasujiro Ozu, Ritwik Ghatak and Robert Bresson. All very different in style and content, and yet creators of cinema that is timeless and universal.

Impressive OeuvreSatyajit Ray's films are both cinematic and literary at the same time; using a simple narrative, usually in a classical format, but greatly detailed and operating at many levels of interpretation.

His first film, Pather Panchali (Song of the little road, 1955) established his reputation as a major film director, winning numerous awards including Best Human Document, Cannes, 1956 and Best Film, Vancouver, 1958. It is the first film of a trilogy - The Apu Trilogy - a three-part tale of a boy's life from birth through manhood. The other two films of this trilogy are Aparajito (The Unvanquished, 1956) and Apur Sansar (The World of Apu, 1959).

His later films include Jalsaghar (The Music Room, 1958), Devi (The Goddess, 1960), Teen Kanya (Two Daughters, 1961), Charulata (The Lonely Wife, 1964), Nayak (The Hero, 1966), Asani Sanket (Distant Thunder, 1973), Shatranj Ke Khilari (The Chess Players, 1977), Ghare Baire (The Home and the World, 1984), Ganashatru (An Enemy Of The People, 1989) and Shakha Prashakha (Branches Of The Tree, 1991). Agantuk (The Stranger, 1991) was his last film.

True AuteurRay directly controlled many aspects of filmmaking. He wrote all the screenplays of his films, many of which were based on his own stories.
He designed the sets and costumes, operated the camera since Charulata (1964), he composed the music for all his films since 1962 and designed the publicity posters for his new releases.

In addition to filmmaking, Ray was a composer, a writer and a graphic designer. He even designed a new typeface. In 1961, he revived and continued to publish the Bengali children's magazine "Sandesh", which was founded by his grandfather Upendrakishore Ray .

A Brief Introduction to Satyajit Ray
"The quiet but deep observation, understanding and love of the human race, which are characteristic of all his films, have impressed me greatly. ...I feel that he is a "giant" of the movie industry."
- Akira KurosawaSatyajit Ray, an Indian filmmaker and among the dozen or so great masters of world cinema, is known for his humanistic approach to cinema. He made his films in Bengali, a language spoken in the eastern state of India - West Bengal. And yet, his films are of universal interest. They are about things that make up the human race - relationships, emotions, struggle, conflicts, joys and sorrows.
The Master StorytellerSatyajit Ray, the master storyteller, has left a cinematic heritage that belongs as much to India as to the world. His films demonstrate a remarkable humanism, elaborate observation and subtle handling of characters and situations. The cinema of Satyajit Ray is a rare blend of intellect and emotions. He is controlled, precise, meticulous, and yet, evokes deep emotional response from the audience. His films depict a fine sensitivity without using melodrama or dramatic excesses. He evolved a cinematic style that is almost invisible. He strongly believed - "The best technique is the one that's not noticeable". Though initially inspired by the neo-realist tradition, his cinema belongs not to a specific category or style but a timeless meta-genre of a style of story telling that touches the audience in some way. His films belong to a meta-genre that includes the works of Akira Kurosawa, Alfred Hitchcock, Charles Chaplin, David Lean, Federico Fellini, Fritz Lang, John Ford, Ingmar Bergman, Jean Renoir, Luis Bunuel, Yasujiro Ozu, Ritwik Ghatak and Robert Bresson. All very different in style and content, and yet creators of cinema that is timeless and universal.
Impressive OeuvreSatyajit Ray's films are both cinematic and literary at the same time; using a simple narrative, usually in a classical format, but greatly detailed and operating at many levels of interpretation. His first film, Pather Panchali (Song of the little road, 1955) established his reputation as a major film director, winning numerous awards including Best Human Document, Cannes, 1956 and Best Film, Vancouver, 1958. It is the first film of a trilogy - The Apu Trilogy - a three-part tale of a boy's life from birth through manhood. The other two films of this trilogy are Aparajito (The Unvanquished, 1956) and Apur Sansar (The World of Apu, 1959). His later films include Jalsaghar (The Music Room, 1958), Devi (The Goddess, 1960), Teen Kanya (Two Daughters, 1961), Charulata (The Lonely Wife, 1964), Nayak (The Hero, 1966), Asani Sanket (Distant Thunder, 1973), Shatranj Ke Khilari (The Chess Players, 1977), Ghare Baire (The Home and the World, 1984), Ganashatru (An Enemy Of The People, 1989) and Shakha Prashakha (Branches Of The Tree, 1991). Agantuk (The Stranger, 1991) was his last film.
True AuteurRay directly controlled many aspects of filmmaking. He wrote all the screenplays of his films, many of which were based on his own stories. He designed the sets and costumes, operated the camera since Charulata (1964), he composed the music for all his films since 1962 and designed the publicity posters for his new releases. In addition to filmmaking, Ray was a composer, a writer and a graphic designer. He even designed a new typeface. In 1961, he revived and continued to publish the Bengali children's magazine "Sandesh", which was founded by his grandfather Upendrakishore Ray .
AwardsIn 1978, the organizing committee of the Berlin Film Festival ranked him as one of the three all-time best directors. In 1992, Satyajit Ray received the honorary Academy Award ©A.M.P.A.S. ® - Lifetime Achievement - "In recognition of his rare mastery of the art of motion pictures and for his profound humanitarian outlook, which has had an indelible influence on filmmakers and audiences throughout the world." Other honors include "Lègion d'Honneur", France and "Bharatratna" (Jewel of India).

CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS

2008-03-14T01:52:00.000-07:00

3/14 -- Billy Crystal (61)
3/15 -- Eva Longoria (33)
3/16 -- Victor Garber (How old? Find out)
3/17 -- Gary Sinise (53)
3/18 -- Dane Cook (36)
3/19 -- Bruce Willis (53)
3/20 -- Spike Lee (51)

Trailer for 'Incredible Hulk' debuts; Plus we've got new photos

2008-03-14T01:45:00.000-07:00

The first trailer for The Incredible Hulk premiered last night on various Viacom TV networks (like MTV). The video for Universal's movie mulligan is now online at incrediblehulk.com -- including in HD.

This is the first clear glimpse we've gotten of the reworked CGI Hulk. And, you know what? It looks a lot like the last one. (How much different can you make "big, green, and menacing"?)

What does feel different from Ang Lee's 2003 version is the action in this version. The inclusion of the villain The Abomination (that other creature in the trailer) makes a big difference. Having the Hulk battle a General just isn't enough for the big screen.

For comparison, take a look at the trailer for the 2003 film:

The new movie is led by French director Louis Leterrier from The Transporter and Transporter 2. The script was written by Zak Penn (X2, Elektra, Fantastic Four, and X-Men: The Last Stand) and tweaked by star Edward Norton.

The movie arrives in theaters exactly three months from today on June 13. Below are some pics provided by Universal Pictures.

Which movie was advertised as the first movie filmed on two continents?

2008-03-14T01:43:00.000-07:00

Given the blatant and obvious Irish theme of this email, you had to suspect that Ireland was involved somehow, no? A Lad from Old Ireland (1910) was filmed in County Kerry, Ireland and New York, making it the first movie ever filmed on two separate continents.

The highest grossing Irish movie in the United States was 1991's The Commitments. Its box office take of $14.9 million was slightly higher than that of other Irish films such as Angela's Ashes and Michael Collins.

The highest box office gross taken in on St. Patrick's Day belongs to Ice Age. It took in $13.6 million on March 17, 2002 on its third day of release.

JUST ANNOUNCED ON DVD

2008-03-07T01:53:00.001-08:00

27 Dresses (Widescreen)
Californication: The First Season
Friday Night Lights: The Second Season
Mad Money
The Orphanage (Widescreen)
Sleeping Beauty (Platinum Edition)
There Will Be Blood (Collector's Edition)

Individual 'Indiana Jones' movies hit DVD for the first time on May 13th

2008-03-07T01:50:00.000-08:00

Just in time to capitalize on the May 22nd release of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, Paramount and LucasFilm are releasing the first three Indiana Jones movies on DVD individually for the first time on May 13th.

Previously, the films were only available on DVD as a complete collection. In May, the films will be available as both singles and as a collectible set.

All three films have new bonus features:

Raiders of the Lost Ark
Raiders of the Lost Ark: An Introduction by Steven Spielberg & George Lucas
Indiana Jones: An Appreciation - The cast and crew of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull pay tribute to the original trilogy.
The Melting Face - A recreation of the amazing physical effect of the villain's melting face in Raiders of the Lost Ark, including Steven Spielberg and George Lucas commenting on the evolution of visual effects and CGI.
Storyboard Sequence - The Well of Souls
Galleries: Illustrations & Props, Production Photographs & Portraits, Effects/ILM, Marketing
Lego Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures Game Demo and Trailer

Indiana Jones And The Temple Of Doom
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom: An Introduction by Steven Spielberg & George Lucas
Creepy Crawlies - Steven Spielberg, George Lucas and Frank Marshall reminisce about snakes, bugs and rats
Locations - Travel across the world to discover where the films take place and where they were shot.
Storyboard Sequence - The Mine Cart Chase
Galleries: Illustrations & Props, Production Photographs & Portraits, Effects/ILM, Marketing
Lego Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures Game Demo and Trailer

Indiana Jones And The Last Crusade
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade: An Introduction by Steven Spielberg & George Lucas
The Women: The American Film Institute Tribute - The three Indiana Jones women (Karen Allen, Kate Capshaw and Alison Doody) reunite for a discussion.
Friends and Enemies - Steven Spielberg, George Lucas and Indiana Jones writers discuss how they created the most iconic characters in film history, including a look at new faces in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.
Storyboard Sequence - The Opening Sequence
Galleries: Illustrations & Props, Production Photographs & Portraits, Effects/ILM, Marketing

Performing an Audio Pan in FCP

2008-03-04T21:22:00.000-08:00

You can make your audio more dynamic in Final Cut Pro by panning sound effects from the left speaker to the right from within the Viewer Window.

A sound effect, such as a passing car panning from the left speaker to the right, can add another dimension to your project and lessen the flatness of canned sound effects.

Before you try this, keep in mind that you only need a mono clip to perform this effect, so if you have a stereo pair, unlink the two and delete one of the tracks.

1 Double click on the audio clip to load it into the viewer.2 Click on the channel tab in the Viewer Window.3 Option click on the purple audio spread overlay in order to get the pen tool to create keyframes and drag the points of the line so that it looks like the diagram below. When you begin to move the purple overly you will see a pink line underneath it. It helps if you think of it in this way: think of anything above the pink line as being the right channel and anything below as being the left channel.

Now the audio in this clip will pass from the left speak through the right when played.

Film

2008-03-04T01:42:00.000-08:00

Film is a term that encompasses individual motion pictures, the field of film as an art form, and the motion picture industry. Films are produced by recording images from the world with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or special effects.

Films are cultural artifacts created by specific cultures, which reflect those cultures, and, in turn, affect them. Film is considered to be an important art form, a source of popular entertainment, and a powerful method for educating — or indoctrinating — citizens. The visual elements of cinema give motion pictures a universal power of communication; some movies have become popular worldwide attractions by using dubbing or subtitles that translate the dialogue.

Traditional films are made up of a series of individual images called frames. When these images are shown rapidly in succession, a viewer has the illusion that motion is occurring. The viewer cannot see the flickering between frames due to an effect known as persistence of vision, whereby the eye retains a visual image for a fraction of a second after the source has been removed. Viewers perceive motion due to a psychological effect called beta movement.

The origin of the name "film" comes from the fact that photographic film (also called film stock) had historically been the primary medium for recording and displaying motion pictures. Many other terms exist for an individual motion picture, including picture, picture show, photo-play, flick, and most commonly, movie. Additional terms for the field in general include the big screen, the silver screen, the cinema, and the movies.

READING BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN

2008-03-03T21:20:00.000-08:00

Putting together a syllabus for a course at Dartmouth - Queers, Queens, and Questionable Women: How Hollywood Shaped Post-War GLBT Politics and Vice Versa - Michael Bronski was amazed "at not only how brief, and fast moving, the history of specifically queer criticism has been, but also how protean it has been." His brief history begins with "the brilliant, and now largely forgotten by younger queer writers and academics, Parker Tyler," and takes Richard Dyer, B Ruby Rich and Vito Russo into consideration on his way to the present: "Academic queer film studies now finds itself in the sometimes awkward position of responding both to a need to continue to professionalize its work as well as to wrestle with the changing state of the market, which is now utterly different than it was a decade ago, never mind three decades. This cultural shift is, to varying degrees, apparent in the three volumes of recent queer film writing under review." And they are: The View from Here: Conversations with Gay and Lesbian Filmmakers, The Cinema of Todd Haynes: All That Heaven Allows and Reading Brokeback Mountain: Essays on the Story and the Film.

What movie grossed the most on Leap Day (February 29th)?

2008-03-03T21:13:00.000-08:00

February isn't really known as a box office friendly month as most blockbusters either came out during the previous holiday season or are being held until the Summer. However, if you were to rank the highest grossing day from each month, February would come in 6th, behind only May, July, June, November and December.
The main reason for this uncanny success is due to one movie, The Passion of The Christ, which occupies four of the top five highest February days of all-time. The Passion of The Christ came out in 2004, also a leap year, and its Sunday take of opening weekend was $27.9 million, good enough for the second best single day in February ever. It so happened that is was also Leap Day.
Today, Will Ferrell's Semi-Pro opens and should do great business this weekend, but I would be shocked if it came close to challenging The Passion of The Christ's record.

Interview. Tony Gilroy.

2008-02-21T22:45:00.000-08:00

Tony Gilroy had been writing screenplays and watching directors turn them into movies for about a decade when he wrote Michael Clayton. For six years, the project simply would not get up off the ground. Then along came Jason Bourne. With the help of, among others, George Clooney, Sydney Pollack and Steven Soderbergh, he was finally able to get Michael Clayton made - and direct it himself.

The film was well-received when it premiered at the Venice Film Festival and lauded in Toronto. But when it hit theaters... well, you may have missed it. Now's your chance. It's out on DVD this week, just in time for the Oscars. It's been nominated for seven of those, including Best Picture. And Gilroy's been nominated for Best Director and Best Screenplay.
Michael GuillÃ

What is the most expensive film ever helmed by a first-time director?

2008-01-18T05:24:00.000-08:00

Movie studios usually like to have a seasoned veteran in the director's chair when they pony up the big bucks for their tent-pole picture, but that wasn't the case when Paramount decided to put a first-time helmer in charge of the third installment of their Mission: Impossible franchise.

But to be fair, when J.J. Abrams took the reins of Mission: Impossible 3, he was already a household name thanks to his very successful TV series Lost, Alias and Felicity. According to Hollywood legend, Mission actor Tom Cruise sought out and befriended Abrams after watching a few early episodes of Alias.

He convinced his new friend and the studio heads at Paramount that he was the right man for the job and the rest, as they say, is history.

J.J. is back this weekend as the producer of the soon-to-be cult hit Cloverfield that is riding a wave of Internet marketing brilliance to the box office. This Christmas, Paramount hopes that Abrams can work his magic again when he revives their Star Trek franchise with a whole new take on the beloved series.

Adobe Premiere Elements

2008-01-15T00:18:00.000-08:00

Overview

I think the programmers at Adobe simply placed a nice user interface on top of Adobe Premiere Pro to create Premiere Elements. There's a taskbar that guides you through the workflow, from capture to exporting. To help beginners, Adobe added a number of customizable presets for common operations, such as PiP effects and still-image pans and zooms.

Capturing Your Video

Using Adobe Premiere Elements to capture video is a fairly straight forward process. Elements will capture via Firewire, using either a camcorder or analogue capture via a analog-to-digital conversion device.

Once you've captured the raw video, there are a few things you can choose to do. A nice tool is to use Scene Detect, which automatically detects various scenes in the entire footage and exports it to the timeline. If you've used Pinnacle Studio Plus, you'll realize that Premiere Elements does not allows you to control brightness, contrast, hue, saturation and audio levels before or during capture.

Editing Your Video

Editing your video with Premiere Elements is pretty simple if you stick to the presets, operation remains fairly simple. However, if you venture beyond into the Effects Control palette, you'll immediately see the intimidating screens found in Premiere Pro - which may scare off novices. This is not a bad thing though - some Premiere Pro's most powerful functions like the titling tool and chroma key capabilities are at your disposal.

The timeline in Elements opens with 4 tracks showing: 2 video and 2 audio. Audio or video tracks may be added, and the link between captured audio and video can be broken so that clips can move independently. You can place transitions between 2 adjacent clips on the time line - and there is a wide variety to choose from.

Integration with Photoshop Elements

If you edit photos with Adobe Photoshop Elements, you'll be pleased to know that Photoshop Elements can be used to edit any image on the Premiere Elements timeline. Once edited, the image on the timeline is updated automatically. This tight integration with an image editor is not found in competing products like Ulead VideoStudio and Pinnacle Studio Plus.

Audio Capabilities

A note about audio capabilities to highlight here. In Elements, like in most other video editing programs, you need to record voice overs separately and then import it to the project. This is where Pinnacle Studio outshines over virtually every other editing program - you can record direct to the timeline.

DVD Authoring

Burning the edited video onto a DVD is always a problem for many consumers who are just starting out in digital video production. Fortunately, in Adobe Premiere Elements, the process is extremely simple.

The program provides 33 DVD menu templates, most of which are stunning. The program will automatically generate DVD menu markers, or you can set them manually in the timeline quite easily. However, there are restrictions - you can customize only text, neither can you modify the backgrounds that come from the templates.

Shortcomings

Although it has many great features, Adobe Premiere Elements is not without its quirks. In my test run, I found that Premiere Elements was very finicky with my MSI DVD burner during the DVD burn process. I had to render the files to a folder and then use a separate DVD burning application (Nero Burning ROM) to burn my video.

Conclusion

On the whole, Adobe Premiere Elements is a nice consumer video editing program that will please many. By incorporating high-quality effects and precise controls, along with a chroma key tool and picture-in-picture options, Premiere Elements is will allow you to make amazingly good movies. Definitely worth a look for the budding videographer.

What ultimately decided the format war between Betamax and VHS?

2008-01-12T21:37:00.000-08:00

Some claim that it was the relatively short recording time of the Betamax as compared to that of the VHS. Others argue that it was Sony's short-sightedness not to bring in other manufacturers to help make Betamax machines.

Some other theories range from the "cutting-edge" deployment of pause buttons and timer features on the VHS machines/remote controls to the vastly superior marketing techniques employed by the backers of VHS.

there are even some that still maintain that it was the availability of pornography on VHS that tipped the scales in its favor. And then, there are those that claim it was a vast government conspiracy.

All of these reasons probably played a part towards the ultimate demise of Betamax, but the real reason that VHS emerged as the clear winner in the format war was because of you, the consumer. Ultimately, for whatever reason, people chose VHS over Betamax.

Thirty years later not much has changed. You still have the power to decide the outcome of the high def DVD format war.

15 Deserving movies that will be overlooked at this year's Oscars

2008-01-11T20:32:00.000-08:00

Across the Universe What are the chances this delightful musical gets nominated for Best Picture? Slim to none, unfortunately. Especially in a year with lots of great dramas at year's end. It might sneak a lesser nom.

Amazing Grace This powerful film really deserves nods for Best Picture and Best Director but it'll probably get shut out. What a shame.

The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford Andrew Dominik deserves recognition as director of this film as does Casey Affleck for his role. Affleck might get a sort-of cumulative nomination for his work here and Gone Baby Gone.

Away From Her Julie Christie could very well get a Best Actress nod for her performance as an Alzheimer's victim. But why not Best Director or Best Screenplay for first-time filmmaker Sarah Polley?

Breach This movie has gotten some well-deserved attention on DVD but that probably won't be enough to give it a nomination -- either for its screenplay or for another excellent job by Chris Cooper.

Eastern Promises Viggo Mortensen and director David Cronenberg deliver another critical hit after 2005's A History of Violence. Neither were nominated for that film and they most assuredly deserve it here again.

In the Valley of Elah For some reason political films have been box office poison this year. Regardless, this is a fine film that deserves more attention from the Academy than the Tommy Lee Jones and writer-director Paul Haggis nominations it'll probably receive.

The Lookout No one seems to be talking about this movie in the Oscar race this year. It should be up for screenplay and possibly even for the underrated Joseph Gordon-Levitt.

A Mighty Heart Because of her celebrity status, Angelina Jolie might get a Best Actress nomination for her performance as Daniel Pearl's wife. She definitely should get one for this forgotten film.

The Namesake Another early release that won't get a fair shot at Oscar glory. It really begs attention in Best Picture, Best Director and Best Screenplay cats. Maybe even more so an acting nod for Irrfan Khan. Number of Oscar nominations it'll get: zero

Once The people who see this romantic musical can't help campaigning for it. It'll assuredly get attention in the Best Song category but it needs to be up for Best Picture as well.

Rescue Dawn Christian Bale and writer-director Werner Herzog really should demand attention for this unrecognized achievement. I'm guessing they won't get anything at this year's awards.

Waitress Late director Adrienne Shelly will probably get a token nom in the screenplay category but the movie should be up there for Best Picture as well.

The Wind That Shakes the Barley This movie is perhaps the biggest of these dark horse picks. Director Ken Loach and lead actor Cillian Murphy would be the best choices for recognition in this Irish war story.

Year of the Dog C'mon, Academy! Give Mike White some recognition for his brilliant writing. Molly Shannon is a great long shot in the actress category as well.

Zodiac The last film in our list alphabetically and perhaps the worst victim of poor timing. Director David Fincher really needs a nomination for magnificently recreating San Francisco in the '60s and '70s. A Best Picture nod would be worthy as well.

One last, bonus consideration: Ratatouille is a gimme in the Animated Film category but why not Best Picture as well? Critics as well as the general public loved it. It's a great achievement in filmmaking and doesn't deserve to be pigeon-holed in just the cartoon list.

There Will Be Blood

2008-01-10T20:28:00.001-08:00

Someone we know said Paul Thomas Anderson's There Will Be Blood was going to be the best movie of the year, and f-making-ilm scoffed. But turns out we kind of have to eat our words, because PTA has made an incredibly tense and powerful film filled with gorgeous cinematography and spectacular performances, particularly the one by Mr. Method Daniel Day-Lewis. We also absolutely loved Johnny Greenwood's score, it creates the most intensely palpable tone of dread. The title tells you oh yeah, there will be blood, but Greenwood's score has you on the edge of your seat waiting for it. The only thing that made CC put it on our top 10 list in the number two spot was the lack of female characters. Weren't there any ladies of interest in independent oilman Daniel Plainview's life? This bleak story could've used an infusion of estrogen, in our opinion. But regardless of the gender imbalance, get thee to a theater to see this movie. It's going to be considered a classic and start sweeping the awards season.

Do I Really Need a Script Coach?

2008-01-09T18:14:00.000-08:00

Experienced, working screenwriters get professional feedback all the time from their agents, managers, other writers and producers before they go to market with a new script.

What about unproduced screenwriters? Typically, unsold writers only get one chance to impress an individual agent or film executive. To make sure these opportunities are not wasted, some screenwriters use an experienced script coach to help them polish their script for the marketplace.

Script coaches take workshop techniques to the next level - the marketplace. Services vary among the different companies, but most include extensive script notes, phone conferences, and personal industry referrals. Script coaches can be expensicem but if your coach has legitimate industry credentials, they can become the professional referral all screenwriters need.

Why Polarizing Filters are important to Filmmaking

2008-01-08T07:47:00.000-08:00

The polarizing filter has great possibilities. Its main feature is its ability to eliminate reflections from non-metallic surfaces, which makes it almost indispensable for filming water, glass (including mirrors), enamels, jewels, plastics, etc. The filter factor is about one stop. In digital camcorders with through the lens light meters, there is no need to make any correction.By turning the filter in front of one eye, you will be able to decide the angle at which it has its best effect, and place the filter on the lens at this angle. Best results will be obtained with lateral or frontal-lateral lighting.

Other advantages of polarizing filters
They make blue sky look darker.
They make white clouds stand out against it.
They reduce the effect of distance haze.
They reproduce green tones exactly as in nature.
They reduce the effect of ultra-violet which occurs at high altitudes and which causes considerable blueness in the film.
They create moonlight effects in films taken during the day with sunlight at 90 degree to the camera if you close the diaphragm by half, or perhaps full stop.

How to pitch your script?

2008-01-05T22:11:00.000-08:00

Always ask production companies or producers IF they will be prepared to accept a submission from you. Failure to respect this will more than likely ensure that your submission/screenplay will end up in the recycling bin. There are two consequences of this. 1)The company may be reticent to accept anything from you and you may be added to the spam list. 2) You could be waiting forever for the postman to show up with an acceptance letter from that company

Most of the big production companies will not accept unsolicited material. It can come back to legally haunt them if their future project has similarities to one they accepted from you years ago

Agents can be very advantageous. They take a small percentage of any earnings they can get for you - so they have a vested interest in getting the best deal possible. They know the ropes and have connections. Many companies screen out cold-calls unless an agency is mentioned. Because everyone knows SOMEBODY in Hollywood, production companies rarely avoid agents who have grass roots connections. After all every "overnight success" started somewhere - and most had agents. It is not good policy to mention that you are talking to other agents while angling for someone to represent you

Develop your logline. In a single sentence you must be able to capture a busy executive's attention. They are not looking for the next Dostoyevsy. They are looking for High Concept. The writing can always be improved or doctored. If the concept does not have them reaching for your wallet, then you need to rethink your approach. A high concept pitch was " Die Hard on a bus". On the strength of this logline, the movie Speed was made. The most successful pitch was of "Snakes on a Plane". What else do you need to know about Snakes on a Plane? The title tells you all you need to know. Merely on the strength of the title 99% of people know whether they want to see this movie.

After completing your screenplay, put it in the cupboard/drawer for at least one week. Refrain from sending it out the moment you have completed it. After a period of time you are able to see the OBVIOUS mistakes and can correct them. Human nature is that we want agents to see our work the moment we have had them printed. This would be a mistake - an expensive mistake. There are always minor adjustments that need doing and - as they say - you only get one shot at making a first impression. You have probably taken months to write your screenplay. so look on the delay as an investment in your future success.

2008 Satyajit Ray Foundation Short Film Competition

2008-01-04T19:50:00.000-08:00

This Competition is open to all film-makers, of any age, either resident or studying in the UK.

The closing date, after which no entries can be considered, is 29 February 2008.

Film Content: The film, of not more than 30 minutes running time, should express and inform aspects of the experiences of South Asians (Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka) either within their own countries or the Diaspora. All submissions must have been completed within two years prior to the closing date. Previous entries cannot be considered.

Format: Whilst the films can be shot on any standard format (film, digital or video), entries for consideration should be submitted in VHS or DVD formats. These entries should be forwarded to: Julian Pye, British Council, 10 Spring Gardens, London SW1A 2BN, email: julian.pye@britishcouncil.org for consideration by the jury.

Award: The Satyajit Ray Foundation is pleased to announce that it will be presenting a cash prize for Best Film of £1,500.

Presentation of Award: Extracts from a representative selection of entries will be screened at the Award Ceremony to be held in the David Lean Room of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA), Piccadilly, London, W1., on the afternoon of Sunday 27 April 2008, after which the winner will be announced and the winning film shown in it's entirety. Selected entrants plus one guest will be invited. The celebrated film director Mike Leigh is Patron of this short film award.

filmmaker's quote

2008-01-03T21:05:00.000-08:00

My name is "Gustavo Serrate"

My experience in filmmaking:(sorry for the bad english, it may need corrections)I think I start to get the taste of movies when I saw Blade Runner directed by Ridley Scott. In the time I cannot understand the movie because I was only a child, but that was the beggining of my interest in the manipulation of the time, space and human emotions. There is a scene where the replicant smashes the head of his creator, this scene is not just violent, it has something hide between the lines, it has emotion and sickness, it talks about the desire of the replicants to live forever, they´re perfect but their lives is so short, that´s why their vandals, theys errants and rebels. So, with the time I was gaining the perception that the art of cinema can bring concepts that is almost unexplainbles in otherways, even in literature and theather.

Years later my father bought a camera, and I started to make short and crazy films with my brothers and friends. When I became older I started to gain experience, and my films became better, but I wasn´t toughing in take this as a serious profession, it was just for fun, but I was in university, and very unhappy, living in my city Brasília, Brasil. So I moved to São Paulo to study cinema in AIC (International Cinema Academy) and there we made various films, we have to pratice, making something like 3 short films each six months. Two years later I had finished my studies, and so I write my first long film, 80 minutes, and I waiting, because in future I want to film it. In this moment I am in the process of production of my first serious short filme, "HOMICIDA É!", a autoral short. I hope it open the doors for me to keep going in the world of cinema.

I don´t want to stay away from cinema anymore, it´s not just about film making, but about watching life with better eyes.

"People like me, make´s no sense. People who make no sense are always searching for sense in things, and if something definitly does not make sense, people who does not make sense, like me, will need to explain of how senseless this thing can be"

longest continuous (uncut) shot in cinema history?

2007-12-31T23:29:00.000-08:00

. The long tracking shot (one continuous take) has been a cinematic marvel and a calling card of sorts for directors ever since Orson Welles opened Touch of Evil with one long tracking shot.

It's true that the advent of steadicams and digital editing have helped today's filmmakers do what their predecessors only dreamed of, but the long tracking shot continues to be one of the most impressive feats of cinematic magic out there. Scorsese used it extensively in Goodfellas, Alfonso Cuaron used a particularly long shot to show the chaotic nature of a shootout in last year's Children of Men and even Alfred Hitchcock used the technique, filming Rope in only 10 total shots.

Those shots were all impressive, but the record-holder for longest tracking shot goes to Aleksandr Sokurov for his 99 minute shot in Russian Ark. Yes, the famed Russian filmmaker actually shot his entire movie, chronicling 300 years of Russian history, in one take.

Film Festivals as Markets

2007-12-30T20:48:00.000-08:00

The main film festivals are also markets, helping the acquisitions executive spot unsigned films that could be picked up. This is the place where you and your sales agent can start to cash in on the buzz that you have worked hard to create through screenings at smaller festivals.

There are five major markets, spaced throughout the year:

European Film Market in Berlin in February.

American Film Market (AFM) in Santa Monica in February.

Marche International du Film in Cannes, France in May.

London Film Festival, in October.

Mercato International Filme e Documentario, in Milan, Italy, also in October.

Finished product vs short clip
If you are trying to sell a movie to potential distributors, it helps if you have a finished product; surprisingly, up to 80 per cent of films submitted to Sundance are incomplete. However, incomplete projects are bought in special forums at most of the main film markets. For example, the Independent Feature Film Market each autumn in New York attracts buyers who are able to see special screenings of partially completed work. Incomplete movies are inevitably less attractive because the producer usually asks for completion funds, but distributors are well versed in deciding whether to buy based on just a small section of a film; even in full screenings, potential buyers make up their minds from just short sections of a movie and may leave midway through in order to attend other screenings.

Goran Paskaljevic

2007-12-29T22:30:00.000-08:00

The first comprehensive American retrospective of the films of Goran Paskaljevic (b. 1947, Belgrade), one of Europe's most respected directors, featuring new 35mm English-subtitled prints of thirteen features and two shorts by the director. Though Paskaljevic's films are narrative-based, they are driven by restless, idiosyncratic, and all-too-human characters, and often veer off in surprising and fanciful directions. Paskaljevic finds the extraordinary in the reality of the everyday, and his realism, informed by the political transformations he has witnessed, is inflected with irony. He has written, "The beauty of film for me is its closeness to life. And if it is going to reflect life faithfully, it has to draw on metaphor, just like poetry."

Seven golden rules to remember for writing in films.

2007-12-28T20:36:00.000-08:00

Assume a conversational tone by using short sentences and an informal, approachable style.

Engage your audience emotionally; make them care about both the people and content of your production.

Provide adequate logical structure; let viewers know where you're going, which concepts are key, and when you're going to change the subject.

After making an important point, expound on it; illustrate it.

Don't try to pack too many facts into one program.

Give your audience a chance to digest one concept before moving on to another.

Pace your presentation according to the ability of your target audience to grasp the concepts.

biggest gross on Christmas day?

2007-12-27T20:19:00.001-08:00

When you think of movies that had huge box office days in December, Titanic and The Lord of the Rings movies come to mind, but neither one of them came close to nabbing the title of top Christmas day grosser of all-time.

Nope, ironically, the movie that grossed the most money on one of the biggest family holidays of the year is none other than the dysfunctional tome Meet The Fockers. That's good news to Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story, the only comedy opening this weekend.

With such new movies as National Treasure: Book of Secrets, Charlie Wilson's War and Sweeney Todd, one thing is for certain, this weekend will be a busy one at movie theaters.

awaraaaaaaaaa

2007-12-23T20:18:00.000-08:00

My film is an attempt to represent the most profound and diverse human emotion: love. Love is a very tricky subject. With love as the subject, one can communicate essential messages with ease. The audience drops its defenses and agrees to look into the reason and mode of communication of the storyteller. In my film I have tried to capture the emotional journey of two lovers. The film starts with an intriguing insight into the pain of a man in love, only to find out that he has lost the chance to love. Although his love is alive in vivid memories of his lover, the woman who has sown the seeds of this love has disappeared into the abyss of time. The film is to communicate the fact that love comes in unfamiliar packages. A small and seemingly insignificant gesture can upturn the whole meaning of one’s life. The choice of the accompanying song is to show the intensity of the lover’s pain and the deep impact of this love in his life. Although my film is a cliché about unconditional love, I have nevertheless chosen this subject because love is one human emotion that never ceases to grip and surprise us. I believe filmmaking is all about clear communication. You are a good filmmaker when your audience can see your imagination crystal clear on the screen.

What’s a codec?

2007-12-22T20:52:00.000-08:00

Codecs are all designed to work on two fronts: temporal and spatial y of using the internet for vidcompression.the only viable way of using the internet Tjay TtTta That means they both compress the picture in terms of the amount of information used, but do this in different ways. Beyond this, there are other ways to compress further, by reducing colour quality, audio, pixel rate or frame rate.

Within these two formats, codecs are found in either hardware or software form. Hardware codecs are fast and more efficient but more expensive, and require that the receiver of the images has the same codec device. Software codecs do not have the same quality as hardware versions but most are available free on the Internet, and are more widely used on editing programs.

There are two ways of compressing a film. Here’s how it works:

Temporal compression: Temporal compression takes out lots of information that you don’t miss by comparing the individual pixels in a frame-for example, if a frame looks almost the same as the last, perhaps with the same background colour, it recognizes this and hangs on to only those bits of information that differ from what was in the first frame, called the key frame. All other frames after the key frame it names "delta frames" and only starts a new key frame when the scene changes significantly. In this way, it manages to remove much information and reduce the overall file size.

Spatial compression: Spatial compression works differently: it still looks for data that appears more than once but instead of studying each pixel, it divides up the whole picture into blocks of pixels. It looks for patterns of repetition within these blocks, enabling it to map them using much less data. Pushed too far this can result in blocky, jagged looking images but it remains a powerful, if unsophisticated, compression solution.

Make A Movie With Microsoft MovieMaker

2007-12-19T21:18:00.000-08:00

Capture Your Clips
The first step in using Moviemaker is to capture your clips. Start the program and after it starts, capture your video from your camcorder. You can do this by clicking the tasks icon and choosing Capture Video, or clicking File => Capture Video.

Arrange Your Clips

The next step is to use the storyboard in Windows Moviemaker to arrange your clips. In the film industry a storyboard is known as a series of panel sketches showing how the different scenes in the movie will play out, and in what order.

Microsoft Moviemaker uses the same concept: its storyboard is where you’ll set your clips in the order that you want. First make sure you’re in storyboard mode by clicking View => Storyboard. Then, begin by looking for your clips in the Collections panel. If you don’t find them, click on the Collections box and select your clip.

Once it’s in the panel area just click and drag your clip to the storyboard below. You can preview a clip in the Moviemaker monitor window at any time. Just use the VCR-like controls at the bottom of the window. Save your work, and move the clips around until they’re in the order you want. Save your work again. If you want to rename your clips to something meaningful, just right click and choose Rename.

Edit Your Clips
First, switch to Timeline view by clicking the Show Timeline button above the Storyboard, or by clicking View => Timeline. In place of the Storyboard boxes you see something that looks like a filmstrip.

To edit, double-click on a clip to let it play in Preview mode, and then choose Clip => Set Start Trim Point, where you want the clip to begin. This is the start of the clip. Now, to set the end of the clip double-click it again, and then choose Clip => Set End Trim Point. The clip will be trimmed, with extra footage removed. Do the same for the other clips, then save your work in Microsoft Moviemaker.

Add Some Transitions

To begin, let’s toggle back to Storyboard view by clicking the Show Storyboard button just above the timeline. Alternately, you could click View => Storyboard from the menus. To access transitions, from the menus click Tools => Video Transitions. You’ll see a whole list of transitions in the Collections Panel of Microsoft Moviemaker. You can preview a transition by double-clicking it, and watching it play in the Monitor window.

Now, how do we apply transitions to the clips? You’ll notice that there are smaller boxes separating the clip boxes from each other. This is where you drag your transitions from the Collections Panel onto the clip. You can use the VCR-like controls on the Monitor to view how your movie will play with the transitions. Remember, however, that with transitions, more is less. Be subtle, and you’ll make an effective presentation.

Add Some Background Music

Your production would not be complete without background music and narration. To add music in Microsoft Moviemaker, in the Tasks pane choose Import Audio or Music and select your files.

If you want to add narration, just toggle to Timeline view and find an empty space in the audio track for your narration. Then click Tools => Narrate Timeline. You now have audio both in the original video clips, and in additional tracks that you created.

To adjust the audio levels in your clips, right-click on any clip in Moviemaker and adjust volume, fades or mute if you desire. If you want to balance how the music works with your clip audio, click Tools => Audio levels and adjust with the slider.

Create The Final Output
Now is the moment you’ve been waiting for! You’ll create your final output. In the Tasks Pane of Moviemaker you’ll see a list of output options under Finish Movie.

You can send to web, write back to digital video, save to CD, save to your hard, and so forth. Select the one you want to use. A wizard will come up, guiding you through the rest of the output creation process.

Depending on your selected output, you will be prompted for certain specs to supply. If you send to web, for example, Windows Moviemaker will want to know what your audience’s likely Internet speed and method of access will be like.

Operation Filmmaker.

2007-12-18T01:08:00.000-08:00

In the wake of "Operation Iraqi Freedom," American actor Liev Schreiber had an idealistic notion: to rescue an Iraqi film student from the rubble of his country and bring him to the West to intern on a Hollywood movie (Everything Is Illuminated). It promised to be a heartwarming tale, a small victory out of the troubled mission of the U.S war in Iraq. But as in the war itself, "good" intentions yielded unintended consequences, and even this operation doesn't go according to plan. Director Nina Davenport becomes personally involved in Schreiber's charitable effort, and soon finds herself embroiled in a complex moral quagmire and all-consuming power struggle between filmmaker and subject. Operation Filmmaker is an engaging, sometimes comical political parable, taking the viewer on a riveting ride from Baghdad to Hollywood.

"No man is an island"

2007-12-16T20:45:00.001-08:00

John Donne's statement "No man is an island" could fittingly describe the art of filmmaking, which involves a team of artists and craftsmen, each with a clearly delineated role. Though each member of the filmmaking team has a specific job, no one works in a vacuum. Their collaborative efforts combine to produce the final film, and this reciprocity in the creative process often produces singular works.

street light

2007-12-15T07:29:00.000-08:00

Dear reader,I would like to use this platfoam to promote good cinema.Please watch the film and give your comment.

Words From The Maker.
I am cameraman for TV channel. Yes this is my first short film; literally I have done everything from direction, camera. I have written the dialogues & story, produced too. Both actor are my friend whom I told them one hour the before shoot & showed them reference of al pachino’ film scent of woman for blind character I know I could have given that electrician uniform but no money. This film could have been lot better with lot of help & little bit money but never the less will do better one next time. the quality in youtube is very low resolution than actual final film.

Wax

2007-12-15T07:22:00.000-08:00

Wax is a high performance and flexible free video editing software program. It started out as a college project, and has since grown. Wax is good for both home users and professionals. It can be used as a stand-alone application, oras a plug-in to other video editors. The software also features unlimited video and audio tracks with top-down compositing.

It is a high performance and flexible video compositing and special effects software. The idea for Wax is to be very general purpose and flexible in video compositing and effects, so that you can compose your dream video sequence with ease everytime.

Wax can create 2D & 3D special effects and can work in two modes - as a standalone application which would appeal for home users/beginners, and as a "plug-in" to video editors/NLEs which would be more useful for professional editors. Currently Wax can work as a plug-in with Sony Vegas®, Pure Motion EditStudio and Adobe Premiere® and work for integrating with various other NLEs is in progress.

Hey, look! It's the new 'Indiana Jones' poster

2007-12-14T21:55:00.000-08:00

May 22 isn't too far off. That's when we'll get to see the next (and perhaps last?) Indiana Jones movie -- Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Paramount has released the official poster for this long-awaited fourth film in the franchise. You can see it in all its glory below.

Spanish Cinema

2007-12-13T20:57:00.000-08:00

For all those who - frequently and with abandon - toss out the dismissive phrase, "It's only a movie!", and for others who claim that no movie can approach the breadth and depth of "real life," here comes Solitary Fragments (La Soledad) as one of - perhaps the - best corrective you'll encounter. This is not a documentary, although it possesses the feel and sound of one, if not the look. Most of us by now know that, while the documentary may be truthful, it can also be biased and judgmental, coming, as it does, from a single viewpoint and often taking in a single character, subject or event. But La Soledad is a narrative feature.

films

2007-12-10T20:26:00.000-08:00

Films, also known as movies, motion pictures, flicks, the pictures, and the cinema, are undoubtedly the most influential art form of the 20th century. From the early days of Hollywood to the high-tech cinema of today, the silver screen has projected our dreams and fantasies, presented both glamour and works of social conscience, and served as our collective memory.

what to consider when purchasing a camcorder?

2007-12-09T21:34:00.001-08:00

The basic attributes to consider when purchasing a camcorder are

Firewire/IEEE 1394 support

Lens Quality

LCD Size

Optical Stabilization System

Digital Still Image Capability

the first attribute (Firewire support) is absolutely critical. Never buy a digital camcorder that does not have Firewire support . The other attributes like lens quality, LCD size and optical stabilization are nice to have but should not matter if you are just an average home user.

The last attribute - digital still image capability - gives you the ability to shoot pictures just like a digital still camera. I personally think there's no need for this feature, as it jacks up the price tag way too much. I'd prefer to get a basic videocam and a proper digital still camera separately if I want to both shoot videos and take still pictures.

2007 ALL ACCESS SCREENWRITING COMPETITION

2007-12-08T19:32:00.000-08:00

Dear Reader,

There are just 8 days to go until the entry deadline for this year's All Access Screenwriting Competition!

You can choose to take advantage of an extraordinary opportunity for talented screenwriters to open the door to Hollywood and its deal-makers and have your work submitted to participating companies that have already requested the top three Winners.

Additional prizes for the winners include software giveaways, cash, and special exposure to the winner.

There are plenty of other opportunities and prizes to go around, with five finalist prize packages and random entry prizes.

Snake Eyes in 'G.I. Joe' comes true

2007-12-07T21:14:00.001-08:00

Ray Park has been cast as Snake Eyes in 2009's G.I. Joe movie. Park is best known for his role as Darth Maul in Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace.

Park's performance as the barely audible Sith apprentice is the perfect foundation for Snake Eyes. After all, the mysterious G.I. Joe character is a martial arts-trained soldier known for his stealth abilities. Snake Eyes also happens to be a mute.

The Scotland-born Park, himself a world champion martial artist, also played Toad in the first X-Men movie. There is talk he'll star as the martial arts comic book hero Iron Fist in his self-titled movie.

Park becomes the second actor cast for G.I. Joe. We carried the news previously that Sienna Miller would star as Baroness, the evil Cobra's intelligence officer.

Billy The Kid

2007-12-04T21:11:00.000-08:00

I’m not black, I’m not white, not foreign…just different in the mind – different brains, that’s all…" explains 15 year-old Billy in Jennifer Venditti’s provocative coming of age film. Billy's intuitive commentary and intimate verité footage reveal a unique attitude as he responds to a painful childhood, first time love, and his experience as an outsider in small town Maine. By turns humorous and disturbing, this portrait challenges the viewer to look beyond labels and contemplate the future of a teen still in the process of becoming.

GIUSEPPE DE SANTIS

2007-12-03T19:59:00.000-08:00

Giuseppe De Santis (February 11, 1917 - May 16, 1997) was an Italian film director. One of the most idealistic neorealistic filmmakers of the 1940s, he made films punctuated by ardent cries for social reform

He was first a student of philosophy and literature before entering Rome's Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia. While working as a journalist for Cinema magazine, De Santis became a major proponent of the early neorealist filmmakers who were trying to make films that mirrored the simple often tragic realities of proletariat life using location shooting and nonprofessional casts

De Santis unites a cinema instinct of the highest order and a deep directing wisdom. In Tragic Hunt (1947), Bitter rice (1949), No peace under the olive trees (1950) he transfuses his curiosities for a rural world, theater of conflicts and tensions represented in the characterizing key of an adjourned and sophisticated fiction of appendix, soaked of democratic contents. Bitter rice marks the explosion of an erotic bomb in the Italian cinema, Silvana Mangano, in whose footsteps a squad of florid and seductive beauties , defined curvaceous women because of their attributes, will oust the stars' dominion survived to the war uproars.

A Little Fable

2007-12-02T19:18:00.000-08:00

"Alas," said the mouse, "the whole world is growing smaller every day. At the beginning it was so big that I was afraid, I kept running and running, and I was glad when I saw walls far away to the right and left, but these long walls have narrowed so quickly that I am in the last chamber already, and there in the corner stands the trap that I must run into." "You only need to change your direction," said the cat, and ate it.

Breathless original poster

2007-12-01T21:26:00.001-08:00

Breathless shocked contemporary audiences with its bold visual style and editing—much of which broke the rules of classical Hollywood cinema. Most notable of its innovations were jolting jump cuts and hand-held camera.

Test Your Imaginative Faculties

2007-11-30T22:05:00.001-08:00

Dear reader the above image is trying to tell a story. Try sharping your creativity and see if you can think of a good story which matches the above image.

TRIVIA QUESTION

2007-11-30T02:17:00.000-08:00

What movie script did Quentin Tarantino sell in order to finance Reservoir Dogs?

Quentin sold the script for True Romance to Warner Bros. for the WGA minimum at the time of $50,000. He used the proceeds of that sale to finance his first full-length feature Reservoir Dogs.

Starring a veritable who's who in Hollywood including Christian Slater, Patricia Arquette, Dennis Hopper, Val Kilmer, Gary Oldman, James Gandolfini, Brad Pitt, Christopher Walken and Samuel L. Jackson, the movie also featured Jack Black's film debut, but his role was cut from the final film.

True Romance is one half of a larger script written by Tarantino and Roger Avary. The discarded half was later turned into the feature length film Natural Born Killers. Tom Sizemore, who celebrates his birthday today, played a cop in both movies and lost out to Steve Buscemi for the role of Mr. Pink in Reservoir Dogs
.
Patricia Arquette's character of Alabama is mentioned briefly in one of Mr. White's flashback scenes in Reservoir Dogs. Tarantino's original intention was to have Alabama join up with Mr. White and live a life of crime.

ERRORS AND OMISSIONS INSURANCE

2007-11-29T01:22:00.000-08:00

E & O insurance is insurance that will be required for the film separate from the standard insurance for accidents, shooting days, etc. The purpose of this insurance is to assure your investors that they will be protected in case the production is sued for slander or improper use of a copyright.

Some examples of what Errors and Omissions concerns can be found in "Too Many Locations", "Specific Music" and "Uniforms, official Vehicles".

Basically you have to keep in mind that if you use a brand name, feature a still (or moving) photograph, a celebrity's name or likeness, or virtually anything in your script that you have not invented specifically for the film, the producer will be required by the insurance company to get written permission from the company or individual to use it. On the other hand, the insurer may judge that such use will not infringe on any copyright, etc., and therefore permission would not be necessary.

If for example you write a scene that has "Nancy" reading a National Geographic magazine, the producer will need the written permission from National Geographic, and might also need written permission from the photographer. The permission could take weeks or even months. For whatever reason, they may not grant permission, and if they don't, but it is vital that "Nancy" be reading a magazine about geography, then the art department will have to mock up a magazine cover, which will take more time and money.

The Exorcist

2007-11-27T23:06:00.000-08:00

The story may seem bland and simple on the surface but there is much more going on inside than just a hidden ghost. Instead it presented to an audience that had grown up in a modern society that their worst fears still had a place. The era for many people was between the modernism of the sexual revolution and the conservatism of a more religious observant past. One part of the population had written off the devil as an embarrassing myth or boggey man, the other part still believe him to be real. The entire first half of this film follows that dilemma before concluding that it is in fact a devil inside her.

The battle that followed was for something that most of society still believed in at that time. It was a battle for the soul of the victim and the fear of the rescuers losing theirs. Most partically the self doubting priest. Note the ending. And if someone as holy as a priest can be dragged in by a devil what hope does the rest of us?

Anyway the fear of eternal damnation is a primal fear and perhaps even an escapable thought. The presentation of a devil that wants the soul only to defile it and torture it is shown by the way it defiles and tortures the victims body.In every way it is horror of the imagination and psychology more than the visual.

Pier Paolo Pasolini

2007-11-24T08:22:00.000-08:00

Pasolini is usually remembered as one of the most important of the directors who emerged in the second wave of Italian postwar cinema in the early 1960s but, within Italy itself, Pasolini was always much more than just a distinctive and innovative filmmaker. By the time he came to make his first film, Accattone, in 1961, he had already published numerous collections of poetry, two highly-acclaimed novels, had collaborated widely in cultural-literary journals and firmly established himself as one of Italy's leading writer-intellectuals.

In the 15 years that followed, before being brutally murdered in 1975 — and always inspired by what he himself called "a desperate vitality" and a "love of Reality" — he made a dozen feature films and half a dozen shorts, wrote, translated and sometimes directed theatrical works, published several further collections of poetry, two volumes of critical essays, painted some 40 canvases and, through his numerous articles in journals and his caustic columns in daily newspapers, became the loudest dissenting voice in Italian political and cultural debate.

Intensely passionate and iconoclastic, often paradoxical and contradictory, Pasolini was almost certainly, as Zygmunt Baranski has written in a recent critical reappraisal, Italy's major post-war intellectual.

So is noir a genre or a style?

2007-11-23T09:50:00.001-08:00

Depends on your own philosophy. If you think movies are defined by their themes, then you probably think of noir as a genre. If you define films by their visual look and tone, then to you noir is definitely a style. Here's my take: If a private eye is hired by an old geezer to prove his wife's cheating on him and the shamus discovers long-buried family secrets and solves a couple of murders before returning to his lonely office - that's detective fiction. If the same private eye gets seduced by the geezer's wife, kills the old coot for her, gets double-crossed by his lover and ends up shot to death by his old partner from the police force - I can say with complete assurance: you are wallowing in NOIR.

kill the Writer's Block

2007-11-22T22:07:00.000-08:00

Writer's Block is nothing more than a confusion of two different states of mind: the Flow state, where you produce new text, and the Editing state, where you evaluate and polish what you have written."

The reason WB is such a killer is that most of us have done far more reading than we have writing, and spend far more time in critical analysis of finished, polished work of the masters than in experiencing our own early drafts. So when we try to create text, we measure our first draft efforts against the polished work of the world's great writers. Immediately, that "this is garbage!" voice goes off in your head, and you have a block.

It is said that novice writers must work through a million words of garbage before reaching their true voice. How in the world will you ever get through it if you constantly judge every word? If you will learn to turn that voice off, you will learn a massive and important lesson about the structure of the human psyche.

Tribute to stop-motion master Ray Harryhausen

2007-11-22T00:57:00.001-08:00

Ray Harryhausen refined and elevated stop-motion animation to an art. His Dynamation technique of matting animated creatures into live-action settings revolutionized the use of stop-motion animation in visual effects.

Ray was a master of his medium, applying skills as diverse as sculpture, illustration, painting, optics, history, and acting. Take any of his best-known creatures - The sword-fighting skeletons in Jason and the Argonauts, the Cyclops from The Seventh Voyage of Sinbad, or Clash of the Titan's Medusa, for example. Ray conceived and designed each shot; sculpted, cast in latex around an articulated metal armature, painted and detailed the stop-motion puppet; staged and lit a miniature set of his construction; and infused it with poetic animation. Lacking any practical pre-visualization tools, he knew if a shot succeeded only after the film was developed. He executed his shots single-handedly, working months at a time, in tiny converted storefront studios.

Beyond the sheer spectacle of his films, Ray never lost sight of the realities of commercial filmmaking. Shot in exotic (and cheap) locations with local crews, his techniques were tailored to deliver effects on time and on budget. His business sense led to scripts both visually rich and commercially viable, and kept him consistently employed from 1953's The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms until his retirement after 1981's Clash of the Titans.
The Ray Harryhausen Creature list emphasizes Ray's work in feature films. Not included are his early Mother Goose shorts; test reels and unrealized projects; and some stop-motion effects shots (such as the discus toss in Jason and the Argonauts), live-action effects (like the Iguana stand-in dinosaur from One Million Years B.C.), miniatures (including the Mysterious Island balloon), makeup & prosthetics, and animated replacements for humans caught in creatures' clutches. Ray Harryhausen deserves further credit for his groundbreaking work in composite effects, demonstrated to great effect in The 3 Worlds of Gulliver.

Best Film Not Playing at a Theater Near You award.

2007-11-20T19:12:00.000-08:00

MoMA's Department of Film, in collaboration with Independent Feature Project (IFP) will screen the five nominees for the Best Film Not Playing at a Theater Near You award. The nominees were selected by senior members of the Filmmaker editorial staff and a MoMA film curator. The five nominees represent this year's best American independent films on the festival circuit that have yet to be picked up for theatrical distribution.

Off The Grid: Life on the Mesa. 2007. USA. Directed by Jeremy and Randy Stulberg. With little resources and no electricity, a group of outcasts live their version of the American dream on a sixteen-mile patch of barren land in New Mexico. Beautifully rendered by brother-sister team Jeremy and Randy Stulberg, this documentary explores the lives of the people who make up the Mesa, where police are not wanted and firearms are a necessity. After getting over the bizarre lifestyle decision these people have made, the viewer begins to respect them: people who are not looking for pity or assistance, but just to be left alone to live off the land and enjoy the country they love so dearly. 70 min.

August the First. 2007. USA. Written and directed by Lanre Olabisi. With Ian Alsup, D. Rubin Green, Kerisse Hutchinson, Joy Merriweather. A powerful drama in which old tensions resurface—and a family is torn apart—when a son invites his estranged father in Nigeria back to the United States for his graduation party. First-time feature director Olabisi, who shot August the First almost entirely in his mother's suburban home, is remarkably attuned to the language and behavior of middle-class American life. 81 min.

Mississippi Chicken. 2007. USA. Directed and photographed by John Fiege. The U.S. poultry industry, located in the American South, has been recruiting Latin American workers, largely undocumented, to work in their plants. Communities of immigrants now dot the landscape, but remain susceptible to exploitation and abuse by employers, landlords, neighbors, and the police. The lives of workers are shown through the eyes of those who live in a Mississippi trailer park adjacent to a processing plant. Filmed in Super 8mm, the saturated color of Mississippi Chicken provides a textured glimpse of lives most U.S. citizens know little of, as well as uniquely capturing the shimmering light of summer in the Deep South. 82 min

Frownland. 2007. USA. Written and directed by Ronald Bronstein. With Dore Mann, Mary Wall, Paul Grimstad, David Sandholm. A self-described "troll from under the bridge," the painfully awkward Keith Sontag spends his days selling coupons door-to-door and his evenings trapped in a squalid apartment situated in some particularly hellish outer ring of New York. With the most basic elements of human communication a struggle, Sontag lurches through an uncaring city, attempting to aid a suicidal friend, evict an unctuous roommate, and simply attain some measure of self-respect. With Frownland, Bronstein has made a bold and bracing film that is both a hilarious black comedy and a ragged love letter to an earlier era of independent film. Both the film and its singular hero are raw

Loren Cass. 2007. USA. Written and directed by Chris Fuller. With Kayla Tabish, Travis Maynard, Lewis Brogan. Set against the backdrop of racial unrest in 1996 St. Petersburg, Florida, Fuller's striking debut feature presents a trio of disaffected, angry, and frequently bored teens who yearn for change but mostly just drift and hook up in lonely diners and nocturnal parking lots in this "dirty, dirty town by a dirty, dirty sea." Precisely shot and sound-designed, Loren Cass fully evokes a state of aimless frustration and barely suppressed rage that extends its relevance far beyond its particular period setting. 83 min.

AVCHD (Advanced Video Codec High Definition)

2007-11-19T20:13:00.001-08:00

Advanced Video Codec High Definition is a high-definition recording format introduced by sony and panasonic. It can use numerus storage media, including 8 cm recordable DVD discs, a hard disk. The format is to compatible with other handheld video camera recording formats, particularly HDV and MiniDV.
AVCHD uses an MPEG-4 AVC (H.264) video codec. AVC's better compression (compared to the older MPEG-2 codec of HDV) lets it record video of the same quality of MPEG-2 but in less space. The audio track can be stored as uncompressed 7.1 linear PCM or compressed AC-3 5.1. The compressed audio and video data are encapsulated in an MPEG-2 Transport stream called BDAV. This stream format and most of the structure of AVCHD are derived from the Blu-ray Disc BDMV format. Consequently, AVCHD recordings can be played without modification in most set-top Blu-ray Disc players, such as the Sony BDP-S1, Panasonic DMP-BD10, and the PlayStation 3.
AVCHD supports a variety of resolutions and aspect ratios, all the way from 480/60i to 1080/24p "Full HD" with 1920x1080 pixels in 16:9 aspect ratio. The typical maximum bit rate for HD recordings is ~24Mbps when recording to hard disk or flash memory and ~18Mbps for when recording to DVD. This results in 3MB or 2.25MB used per second respectively. (which is about 6 minutes of recording for every GB of storage
Sony claims the format has a total storage time on a MiniDVD of about 20 minutes of high-definition video using "average" bitrates. By comparison, today's 8 cm discs can store 30 minutes of standard-definition MPEG-2 video, and MiniDV tapes can store a full 60 minutes of either standard-definition DV or high-definition (HDV) video. At the maximum resolution, a standard 8cm DVD will hold just 15 minutes of material. The newer dual layer disks will hold 27 minutes. AVCHD camcorders using hard disks or flash memory such as SD or MemoryStick overcome this constraint and typically offer USB connections to access their content
Among the touted advantages of AVCHD over MiniDV tapes is random access, since AVCHD does not need to be fast-forwarded or rewound as on tape formats such as MiniDV. For advanced users, however, digital video-footage is rarely edited in-camera anyway; instead, it is transferred entirely to a computer, where the operator uses video editing software. So random access is less important to some professional users but may prove valuable to professionals in electronic news gathering.
The biggest problem with editing and converting these files is the sheer amount of resources they require—decoding and re-encoding AVC is much more intensive than, say, MPEG-2. Furthermore, AVCHD employs long-GOP frame storage, which while space-efficient, introduces problems into editing and decoding of material. Even so, just as MPEG-2 was originally taxing to home PCs, even needing special PCI decoder cards, AVC's challenges will be overcome with time, especially on multi-core CPUs

FILM FESTIVALS

2007-11-18T04:31:00.000-08:00

There are now more than 2000 film festivals world wide, and the number grows each year. Festivals used to be free. Most now charge for entry - anything from $10 to $50. Those that encourage mass applications may merely have found a lucrative way to finance their festival. Be warned, and be aware that research is the key to finding the right festival for your short film.
www.withoutabox.com is a good place to start. This US based site facilitates registered members to apply to festivals online. Members can make as many applications to festivals as they wish (they still have to pay the entry fee, but Withoutabox acquires discounts at many festivals).
At Withoutabox, film-makers can track their submission status, find fests that fit the film, even get email reminders for upcoming festivals. There is a message board for film-makers to network, and an online guide for creating a Press Kit. Follow the link to see the PRESS KIT for Greta May.

The Life and Death of a Pumpkin

2007-11-17T19:24:00.000-08:00

Final Cut supports RED camera

2007-11-17T00:19:00.001-08:00

The Apple Gazette announced a number of key features for Final Cut Studio 2.
One key upgrade is its support for 4K video (4,096 x 2,160 pixels) and in effect support footage that originated from the RED camera (the RED camera stole NAB in 2006).
More info: FCS2 will cost $1,299, or $499 for an upgrade from FCS. FCP users can upgrade to FCS2 for only $699. Final Cut Studio 2 will be available next month.

Video Editing

2007-11-16T23:41:00.001-08:00

If you intend to capture and edit any of your video footage, a computer system is a must.I'd recommend the eMachines T3985 desktop PC. This is a powerful computer with an affordable price tag. The Intel Pentium 4 2.93 GHz processor, combined with 512 MB of DDR memory and a 80 GB hard drive, gives you the power to handle almost every video editing task. An excellent choice for those who are just starting out in video editing.

Change The Speed Of Your Videos

2007-11-16T23:28:00.000-08:00

Have you done video editing and wondered if you can slow time down? Sort of like a 'slow motion' sequence you see in the movies. Well, not to worry, with the video software out there, this can be easily done. Two of my favorites are iMovie and Movie Maker. They have excellent effects that anyone can use to adjust the speed of video footage.
For iMovie, you should look at the video effect 'Fast/Slow/Reverse'. This effect adjusts the speed of your video clip. You can also make it play in reverse for all sorts of interesting results.
For Movie Maker, there are video effects like Slow Down, Speed Up, Half and Double to let you play your video at different speeds.
So the next time you have a need to change the speed in your videos, try out the above tools and see what happens.

The Nanny Diaries

2007-11-16T00:40:00.000-08:00

The husband and wife team that brought us the innovative American Splendour (2003) has worked together again for a more conventional comedy with The Nanny Diaries. The film satirises a tendency among some of the extremely wealthy of Manhattan's Upper East Side who, courtesy of their husband's huge income, can afford to both not work and pay others to raise their children.Paul Giamatti and Laura Linney play Mr. & Mrs. X, Scarlett Johansson plays Annie the Nanny and Nicholas Art plays Grayer, the X's young son. The performances are acceptable enough, and there is some genuine humour, but the writing felt clumsy to me, and fell into stereotypical cliché. Johnasson has potential with comedy, but while the clumsiness of her role in Woody Allen's Scoop melded reasonably with the narrative and style of the film, it doesn't quite gel in this film. Maybe that's a weakness in the direction or editing - I couldn't really tell. It just didn't quite work for me.There wasn't enough material to engage an audience for over 90 minutes and the film would have benefited by having some 15 minutes cut to bring it to this length. The film basically is a single joke that gets too repetitious as time wears on. The aspect that bothered me the most was a convenient and emotionally tidy ending. This may not concern a more conventional audience, which should find this enjoyable enough. Good for a bit of light but forgettable entertainment.

BBC INNOVATION LABS

2007-11-15T22:03:00.001-08:00

BBC's Innovation Labs programme is holding a launch day in Yorkshire. The initiative brings together BBC Commissioners and independent UK companies to develop and commission pioneering new products and services for the corporation.
Last year a number of Yorkshire companies benefited from developing projects with BBC Commissioners whilst taking part in the Labs. Screen Yorkshire funding will support Yorkshire and Humber companies who are successful in applying for the Labs.
The Innovation Labs will be launched in Leeds on 19th November at The Carriageworks. The event will outline the programme's concept, BBC technology strategy and potential areas of commission in addition to holding Labs workshops to give attendees an idea of what to expect if they apply to take part in the Labs.
This year participants will have the chance to have their work commissioned by executives from BBC News, Vision, Audio/Music, iTV, Nations & Regions and Mobile with applications open to 40 companies across four regions.
During the final stage of the programme participants will get the chance to pitch their prototype ideas to BBC commissioners, who will offer further development commissions for the best ideas at each Lab.

Meet The Commissioner - Next event 21 November with ITV

2007-11-15T21:57:00.000-08:00

Meet The CommissionerAs part of our business support programme, Screen Yorkshire is hosting a series of Meet the Commissioner briefings for independent production companies and new media companies based in the region.
Due to the popularity of the series events that ran over the spring, we have lined up the following sessions for Autumn 2007.
For those of you haven't been along to one of these sessions before, these events are an opportunity to meet with commissioners face to face, to start building a relationship with the channel and to ask questions on a one-to-one basis. The commissioners will all be talking about the vision for their channel, the submission process, opportunities for specific slots, and will also be offering their perspective on cross platform opportunities

Multiple BIFA Nominations for Leeds Thriller Exhibit A

2007-11-15T21:56:00.000-08:00

Following its Best UK Feature win at the Raindance Film Festival earlier this month, Exhibit A has now received three BIFA nominations, including Best Achievement in Production, Most Promising Newcomer (Bradley Cole) and The Raindance Award. The awards take place on 28th November. The film was supported by Screen Yorkshire's Production Fund.

Screen Yorkshire Launches Dynamic New Website

2007-11-15T21:55:00.000-08:00

We've launched a brand new website with a clear user friendly focus, featuring online video content, panoramic location shots, podcasts, rss feeds - and all you need to know about the vibrant film, broadcast, interactive media and games industries in Yorkshire and Humber. To celebrate the launch, we're offering all our e-bulletin subscribers the chance to win a champagne package weekend in partnership with Residence 6* - please tell your friends and help us spread the news.

SHORT FILMS

2007-11-08T06:57:00.000-08:00

The Foundation realizes that Short films are an important and integral part of all cinema produced in the world. In fact, 60 to 80 per cent of all films produced are actually short films. The Foundation also recognizes that India has no dearth of creative & artistic talent in the area of short film production. Unfortunately, there is no professional Body or Organisation in India, that can take Indian Documentaries / Short films to various International buyers / festivals / TV channels and so on.
This task of taking the work of Indian documentary and short film makers to the world and marketing it, is now being taken up by the Foundation's SHORT FILM DIVISION. It’s a big challenge but, there is also a big market out there waiting for such films from India.
To our surprise, TV Channels around the world commission documentaries and short films worth US $ 5,00,000 to $ Two Million, depending on the concept and place of execution. This commissioning is generally offered to the producers / directors whose work is already seen or used by the Channels. We present an opportunity to let the Foundation introduce you to them.
The Foundation has professional people with hands on experience on it’s Board and also as it’s collaborators internationally. We write this to say that a film maker like you is sure to benefit from all this, as much as the world is going to benefit from viewing your work.

Advantages of digital filmmaking

2007-11-08T04:35:00.001-08:00

The future requires content to be of digital format because of broadband and theatres obtaining digital servers/ projectors. Content has to be developed for the global market to earn more revenue and, naturally, this requires knowledge of digital technology and efficient production techniques in the digital format.
The future will be triggered by three media -- IPTV (Internet Protocol Television) broadband, radio and mobile. The formats for viewing and hearing are different, but the nature of content required is the same -- digital. The future leaders in the industry will be those who will have and control content in different formats for different devices

films

2007-11-08T04:31:00.000-08:00

The international entertainment industry is projected to touch a massive growth of US$ 1.8 trillion by 2015. Most of it is directed towards the Asian region, specifically India, which -- according to some recently published reports -- has the potential to grab an impressive amount of nearly US$ 200 billion!
India is the largest producer of films in the world. 934 films were produced in 2004 alone, with more than 3.1 billion admissions (those admitted to cinema halls). The industry's current worth is about US$ 1,256 million, which is expected to grow at a compounded annual growth rate of 18 per cent for the next five years.
At this juncture, career opportunities are booming in this industry. With more than 9,000 studios and production houses across India, educational institutions will have to bring about the revolution of technology input into the Indian industry by teaching digital filmmaking, to improve quality, cut costs by more than 40 per cent and increase the range of deliverable formats, unlike conventional film making which is time consuming and much more costly.