Despite being in a massive funk (see previous post), I did come across some inspiring things worth our time this week. To cheer myself up I also created an animated GIF for my linktresting posts – it’s corny but I kinda like it so there you go:
- 10 Forgotten Secrets of Great Movie-making From The 80s – there’s nothing like the movies of my youth to cheer me up. I’d link to this article just because it’s illustrated with stills from Ghostbusters (RiP Harold Ramis BTW) but there’s actually some things worth considering reviving in there.
- Cinematography Tutorial: Using Flags to Control Shadow and Light – videomakers get obsessed with lights and modifiers and forget about the power of simple flags and negative fill. This video tutorial is a great reminder of the creative power of the flag in lighting.
- Creating a How-to Video: 5 Ways Not To Blow It – How To videos are a staple of the corporate video world. Here’s a few reminders of things to avoid.
- How Do You Create An Online Presence With Videos? – very short article, but useful.
- Better B-roll: Slavik Boyechko show how he shoots for PBS Digital Studios series “Indie Alaska” – I’ll confess to loving creating b-roll more than the main interview but here’s some tips on getting the coverage you need.
- Uncover the Digital ‘Holy Grail’: How to ‘Get a Film Look Without Shooting Film’
- A Comprehensive Guide to Making the Most of Adobe’s Warp Stabilizer – a lot of editors swear by it, but I have struggled with avoiding the surreal warps in the image plane when trying to steady some slightly shakey footage. This is a great introduction to getting the most out of this powerful effect.
- FilmSkills.com – ADR and Dialogue Replacement – most of us try to avoid ADR like the plague but, sometimes it’s unavoidable.
- 10 Commandments for Directing (& Writing) Comedy from Director David Dobkin
- $40 Matte Box Hack – Caleb at DSLR Video Shooter is charmingly understated in a world of over-caffeinated, video shooting celebrities and hipsters. This hack is typical of his work: it’s based on common sense and is frugal without being too so.