Our new sculptor is making some headway. Here is the latest WIP (no teeth in this one yet) >

I've been sharing our HD clips with Victor Wolansky at FXPhd.com for his advanced tracking classes.Now you can get them even if you dont take the classes...be patient if the download is slower...it's a big package.

FILE IS HERE

You need to sign up as a member for access HERE or @ Top Right Hand Corner of the mainpage ^

TRACKING CHALLENGES:

- No lens info

- Rolling shutter

- Blur

- Pillar occluding trackers

Let me know if you have issues. sd 202MB .zip

Factory HD tracking video- 896 1080P Frames. ------

Amazing find at Chapters...only $5!

Snagged this book last time I stopped in at Starbucks and saw it sitting on a clearance table at Chapters.

Just under 200 pages full color electron microscope photography for a few bucks.

Still designing little creature ideas for the film, and this is a great resource vault of ideas!

Grab a copy ISBN # 978-1-907446-17-7

 

 

The areas we use HDRIs for are: textures for CG models, sky domes as reflection maps, sky domes as HDR lighting map, and live action backgrounds. For textures, we usually only need three exposures, since a building wall, for instance, doesn't carry such a high dynamic range to warrant more.

For sky lighting maps, we definitely use 7-9 exposures, same for reflection maps. For live action backgrounds (meaning the background for a greenscreen or bluescreen shoot), we usually use 3-5 exposures.

We wouldn't necessarily use a tone mapped file as an actual background for a greenscreen shoot, since that would look fake. But I like to have the range, so we have more leverage in adjusting our backgrounds and playing with the lighting to make it more dramatic.

D.U.M.P.S. contains not the usual advice you get in film school about the elements of good screenwriting. No, no. Rather, it is a very specific list of common mistakes and trends which we\'ve seen in crappy student films again and again at screening after screening.
Before you even think of making a student film, read this list.
If you\'re a genius, then go ahead--- break these rules.
But let\'s face it, if you think you\'re a genius, you\'re not. So play it safe and spare your audiences the uneasy task of having to lie when you ask, \"So- what did you think?\"

Let the list of sucking begin!

 

Dolly/Zoom

No question. This is the most egregious, blatantly non-creative, non-cool, total student film red flag. Sure, Hitchcock used it in Vertigo, Spielberg used it Jaws, but enough is enough. It\'s cliched, overused, goofy, and overall a bad idea. By the way, what we\'re talking about here is a simultaneous Dolly-in/Zoom-out or vice-versa which compresses the background while keeping the subject at a fixed size during the shot.
A student-film no-no. (The dolly/zoom is such a mark of a student film, it\'s a joke in the opening of THE BIG PICTURE.)

The Tortured Artist Film

The story goes like this. A struggling artist (writer/painter/sculptor/musician -- 90% of the time, it\'s a writer) grapples with some sort of inner conflict, (a dead relative, writers deadline, religious confusion, etc). Our tormented soul encounters a muse (beautiful woman, endearing older character, magical artifact, etc) who helps the protagonist come to a sort of realization which ultimately opens the creative floodgates and allows the character to succeed (finish the novel, paint the painting, sculpt the likeness of the muse, or perform at the big recital).
The Tortured Artist Film usually involves a so-called \"man vs. himself\" struggle which is guaranteed to put you to sleep in the first two minutes. Related to this is the \"introspective shot\" which usually features the main character staring into space for a good minute (usually smoking a cigarette). File this under \"Pretentious as Shit.\"

Dream Sequences

If you don\'t want your student film to look like a friggin\' episode of Kung Fu, stay away from dream sequences, Grasshopper. A dream sequence generally says \"I couldn\'t think of a better way to reveal information about the character than this.\" So-called \"funny\" dream sequences are usually not.

Time-Elapse Montage

You\'ve got say, 15 minutes to get your point across in a short film. Every second of screen time should be treated like gold. A time-elapse montage not only demonstrates an inability to structure your film pacing-wise, it makes the audience wait unnecessarily. Try to find a simple and efficient way to indicate the passage of time without resorting to this too easy narrative device.

Bad Audio

You can have a real nice looking short film, but if the sound is bad, the film itself comes across as bad. Nothing gives away a student film like the soundtrack. Budgets are tight, sure, but many student directors simply don\'t place any importance and give any thought to what their film sounds like. The result is often a beautiful picture with a badly mixed, distracting audio experience. In the same vein, if you\'re making a 16mm film, be aware of how crappy the 16mm optical track is going to sound (which is REALLY bad) and try to prepare for it.
And now, free of charge, a canonical list of BAD musical soundtrack instruments:

1. Synthesizer (the \"porn\" soundtrack)


2. Your friend\'s band (trust me, they suck)


3. \"the lone, slow piano\"


4. \"the lone guitar\" (flamenco esp.)


5. The \"impish\" clarinet


6. The cello dirge.


7. The \"spirited\" piccolo.


8. Any kind of wood blocks.

 

\"Look at me, I\'m a director!\" shots

Examples include-- the gratuitous \"fishbowl in the foreground\" shot, the \"overhead for no reason \'cept we\'re shooting in a soundstage\" shot, the \"we think it\'s cool canted dutch angle shot\" and perhaps most insidiously the \"fridge POV shot\", otherwise known as the \"put the camera inside the trashcan/toilet/mailbox shot\". Ok, maybe you need to get this stuff out of your system, but just be warned, it\'s total cheese.

Ultraslow Dialogue

A film professor once told me that on a film set, one second of \"real\" time equals three seconds of film time. Something to remember. Watch a student film and notice how often there are long pauses between lines of dialogue.
Why is this? I don\'t know, but if you watch the average \"real\" film, you\'ll see that the dialogue often occurs ultra fast. Maybe it\'s because we can hear faster than people normally speak. Who knows. A side note-- these pauses also extenuate bad lines of dialogue. A poorly written line is going to hang in the air like a fart if not closely followed by a fresh line to cleanse the air like a gentle breeze...

Blatant Miscasting

 

1. The audience can tell when you cast your significant other as the romantic object of desire.


2. Don\'t try to pass off someone who is shall we say, \"fugly\", as a supermodel.


3. In the same vein, why do so many student films cast SAG boy wonders as the \"computer nerd\" who can\'t get a date?


4. Mismatched couples. Be honest: \"Do you believe that SHE would go out with HIM?\" Make sure the answer is \"yes.\" The audience can only suspend their disbelief so much.


5. Don\'t have your friends play \"older characters.\" The baby powder grey hair trick doesn\'t work. Neither do the fake beards.

 

\"Eyebrow acting\"

It may work at the Golden Tugboat Dinner Theatre, but it don\'t come off on film. What\'s eyebrow acting? It\'s an overly expressive use of facial muscles more suited to miming than screen acting. This acting technique is only acceptable in films where the characters have sex within the first four minutes.

The \"Nothing Happens\"
short film

A very common bad student film. Usually consists of a main character who spends his or her time talking to people about nothing of consequence. Nothing happens for up to forty-five minutes. At the end, some contrived \"climax\" comes out of nowhere and tries to wrap everything up, but because there has been no conflict of any sort for so long, the audience is asleep and misses it. Common threads of these films include the \"personal discovery/epiphanies that go inside the main character\'s head\" film, the \"warm remembrances of my childhood that no one cares about\" film, and the \"Slice of Life that is more uninteresting than real life\" and \"funny people I know come to life on the big screen.\" Nearly 50% of these films include an alcoholic single parent.

The Feature Film Masquerading
as a Short Film

If you\'ve ever sat through a screening of student films, you\'ll notice that often the ones that are best received are the shorter films. Now it could be argued that this is due to the simple fact that they suck and less sucking is better than more sucking. It could also be because the audience is sitting through many many student films in one evening and appreciates the shorter ones because it means the whole thing will end sooner. In the short narrative film genre, every moment is precious. It\'s to your advantage to make your film short but sweet-- for one thing, shorter films cost less, take less time to edit, and allow you more time to focus on making your film as tight and well designed as possible. Ask yourself when writing (and editing) the film-- is this scene necessary? Is this moment necessary?
What does it do for the audience? We call this The \"Get In And Get Out\" Principal. Don\'t cram a full length feature into the short film style. Do what your film needs to do and then get the hell out. Remember, longer isn\'t necessarily better. Less is more.

The One Joke Film

A good short film has got to be a collection of good ideas, not one good idea stretched out for fifteen minutes. In any event, at least make an attempt to fill your time with stuff that\'s actually interesting to someone other than yourself. I don\'t know how many bad student films I\'ve seen that are actually about the filmmaker\'s uninteresting life or contain vignettes that go on and on and on. Before you shoot, make a list of all the \"good ideas\" in the script.
You should have lots of them. How\'s that for a generic tip?

The \"Walk into the Camera\"
Transition

This one is zany. A character walks INTO THE CAMERA LENS! And then we fade to black, or more commonly, cut to the reverse-- someone walking AWAY FROM THE CAMERA LENS! OOOooo!
What a good idea...

The zany \"Slacker with a Gun\" film

You\'re not Quentin Tarantino.
Stop trying.

Overused video effects

Keep dissolves to a minimum. They are not synonymous with cuts. Same goes for wipes, keys, etc. The 80\'s are over. Video effects suck.

The \"Dramatic Cigarette\"

A character is having a dramatic crisis: So what does he/she do? Whips out a smoke and puffs dramatically as if to say, \"Look, this is so serious I\'m smoking.\" YES, people do smoke when they are nervous or excited, or under pressure. But there\'s no excuse for using the long, boring \"drag \'n puff\" scene as a lazy alternative to finding a more original way to express the same thing.

Ramblers: The \"Quest for Truth\"

There are several permutations of this theme. #1. The Puzzled Scientist. The \"story\" deals with a puzzled reclusive scientist who learns to forgo cold, hard science for something warm, gushy and intangible, like love, god, morality, religion or free will. Films in this genre are usually condescending to the audience and set up bogus sounding explanations of scientific principals (look for glossed over references to Chaos Theory, Grand Unification Theory, Relativity, etc.) and far-fetched reconciliations of the two. Filmmakers, please: if you must write one of these and want to be taken seriously, at least do a little research so you don\'t insult real scientists in the audience. #2. The Venting film. Broke up with your boy/girlfriend? Please, don\'t make a movie about it! It\'s dangerous-- These self-examinatory \"why my ex dumped me\" films that turn into long diatribes about the nature of love, the nature of mankind, etc. are rarely insightful and usually about as interesting as listening to a friend complaining about a relationship gone bad. In short, philosophical examinations of human existence and relationships, when discussed on an abstract level, will almost guarantee that the audience will become bored and/or confused.

Shooting into Mirrors

Now don\'t get me wrong, shooting into a mirror can be used to great effect when used at the right time and for the right reasons. But like so many narrative devices abused by student filmmakers, the \"reflective\" shot has become a staple of the bad short film. \"Cool! So she puts her hand mirror right there and then we can see her boyfriend yelling at her behind her and it\'s all in one shot. Man, I\'m a genius!\" -- .niaga knihT

New! Interminable Credit Sequences

We know you\'re excited about your film and you have a lot of people to thank, but please consider the poor audience member who has to sit through ten films. We\'ve seen credit sequences that last longer than the film itself! Here\'re some things to think about: (1) Scroll fast. Real fast. (2) Small fonts are great. (3) Title cards are fast but not every crew member needs one. (4) Must you really thank your entire family tree by name?

New! Scene One: The protagonist wakes up.

There\'s nothing INHERENTLY wrong with starting a film with the buzz of an alarm clock, a hand slapping the snooze button, eyes fluttering open, followed by a yawn or an \"oh my god, I\'m late!\" - But why so much of this? We see it all the time. It\'s as if the writer/director woke up one morning, looked around and said \"Wow. This is cool!\" Uh yeah. Better go back to sleep.

Why aren\'t zooms in general on this list?

Often in film school, the only aesthetic advice you will get is \"Don\'t use zooms.\" Screw that.
Zooms are NOT on this list. That\'s because zooms, while potential cheese, can be used even at the student level effectively and are much cooler than most film schools even understand.

Contributors: Waldo, Keir, & Steve @filmmaker.com

**Does this list need an update to address new suckage that has appeared with the HDSLR equpment everyone seems to making films with lately. For example I could add :

Pointless use of sliver thin DOF.

It looks great but pretty well all the HDSLR cameras that shoot video will do shallow depth of field. Just because you can doesn't mean you should use it in every shot. I love the effect, but I have a feeling if I keep watching the latest films people are shooting I will learn to hate it.

Have you ever looked into your vid folders and asked "What are all those .THM files for anyway...why not just delete them?" This clip is a tip I picked up recently and it should cause you to think twice before trashing .THM files.> http://vimeo.com/14837492

 

How to CAST a Movie   

• * MARK HARRIS >>
  -The first thing that comes to mind is, do not, under any circumstances, hold auditions in your home. I've heard of people doing it without actors minding, but it's such a massive violation of professionalism in my mind, I would never, ever insult an actor by doing it.
  -But the other thing I've started really doing is asking for a reel. In 2009, EVERY actor should have a reel online. It saves everyone so much time, and allows you to see the actor in the context of a movie.
  -When they come in, I always put them on camera. It's old Hollywood-think, but I think it's absolutely true that the camera likes some people and does not like others. This has most to do with the actor's ability to leave themselves alone when a camera's on them. This is extremely difficult to do, but absolutely imperative to a film. It's what separates a good screen actor from a bad. It's also what makes someone a movie star.
  -I never ask to see a monologue. I give them sides, and then work with them as if a rehearsal. Again, the key thing I need in the audition is that they can absolutely leave themselves alone and behave as if no one is watching.
  -I never ask them to mime anything. Nothing is dumber to me than this. If the script says: "She picks up a glass," I tell them to ignore it.
   -I am always shocked in auditions, how many actors don't understand how to act for camera. Many don't seem to understand that when performing on camera, you don't have to do a single thing to communicate your intentions, feelings, etc. You just have to be. The camera will see everything. So I see a lot of actors come in and sort of flail about, until I stop them, sit them down and get them to do nothing. Like James Cagney said: "You walk in, plant yourself squarely on both feet, look the other fella in the eye, and tell the truth." Deceptively simple, but profoundly accurate advice for acting on camera.

 

      MIKE HEDGE >>
    * Cast someone who wants to make the role their own. In the end it will look more real on screen....

•       KEVIN K. SHAH >>
      * Ask actors if they are available for your shooting dates BEFORE the audition.
      * Shoot your auditions as well as your Q&A afterwards with actors you like.
      * Have actors that are called back read with each other if they have scenes together.
      * Ask actors to improvise a scene using simple objectives like: You want to leave, she wants to stay.
      * Ask actors what favorite movie role they wish they were cast in / they could have played (tells you a lot about your actor's   aspirations)
      * Audition scenes that are NOT in the film, but show a variety of "changes" in emotion, pacing, and thought.
      * Do not cast anyone that blinks too much. You can't control it on-the-day or in the edit.
•       JUSTIN EVANS >>
        DO:
      * take months to cast. If you can cast for 10 hours a day, six days a week for three months you have only begun to be on the right track.
      * write lengthy character descriptions for every role no matter how small. If you trivialize how you
      * treat your own characters why would actors not do the same?
      * write a director's statement and include it with the materials for your actors. You are auditioning for your actors as much as they are auditioning for you.
      * use breakdown services and actors access as the backbone of your audition process. It is free and if you manage this correctly it will lead to thousands of submissions.
      * attend all casting sessions yourself. After the screenplay, this is the greatest set of decisions you'll make as a filmmaker.
      * provide water in the front room. A case of water will last all day and cost you $8.00. It will surprise the actors auditioning. It will help them relax. It will enhance their performance. It will separate you from the rest of the filmmaking world who spend money on a fancy space but provide nothing for the actor.
      * rent the cheapest space you can find. Putting money into your audition space is ego-driven.
      * Who are you trying to fool? If you're budget is 2 million or less any money spent on the space is money not spent on the movie.
      * provide lengthy sides two weeks in advance of the audition. Most auditions provide minimal sides the night before an actor is to audition. Is it any wonder most actors show up unprepared?
        insist that the actors are off book. If you've been a professional and provided sides two weeks in advance then there is nothing wrong with insisting that the actors have their sides memorized.
        be kind, be patient, be quiet, be humble...and after the actor leaves be critical, picky, demanding, cynical and require definitive proof that an actor can fully deliver what you need.

 

•       DON'T:
      * spend your money on a casting director if you have less than $500,000.00 USD to make your film. You can't afford a great casting director, you can't afford to exploit a casting director's relationships with famous actors and you can't expect a casting director to take your film seriously.
      * Spend that money on your space, on water and on yourself, so you can attend every day and sift through the actors on your own.
      * be surprised when you discover that casting is slow, boring, tedious and painful. If you see 100 actors you'll be lucky to find one actor worth casting. That's the ratio, that's the business, that's your job...and if you don't like it then get out of film now.
      * write character names like "Joe" or "Girl #2? or "Crazy Guy". Any good actor simply ignores these types of postings on Actor's Access.
      * expect good actors to audition if you aren't paying them. How many auditions do you think they've been to where a director says "We'll supply you with a DVD when we finish the project. And, we'll feed you every day." If you offer $50.00 a day you'll immediately jump into the top 10% of auditions on Actor's Access.
      * neglect to put one of your trusted teammates in your front room acting as the receptionist. The front room is where actors are the most honest. Have your receptionist write down every time an actor undermines another actor, is rude to someone else, takes two bottles of water instead of one, refuses to share sides or treats the receptionist as anyone less than the direct line to the producer. The audition begins in the front room.
      * Show up late to your own audition. Seriously. You look like a jackass.
      * forget to provide a qualified actor to read across from the other actors. If you can't afford to hire one, then audition actors two at a time so they become their own readers. If you have a non-actor read lines it kills the performance of the actors auditioning for you. You'll get false-negatives. Your job at every turn is to enable actors to do their best. If you do everything in your power to help actors do their best 1% will rise to the challenge...and as low as that percentage is, given enough time you'll find the cast you need to make a killer movie.
      * cast for faces, height, eye color, hair color, breast size or body type. It's fair to expect an actor to be in shape. However, unless your project is about lifeguards or male strippers, who cares if they have a six-pack? Actors of ordinary stature, looks and fitness have an ability to take on the aura of a superstar if they can bring a character to life. When you cast for a face, that's all you'll get. When you cast for a performance you'll get both. Dustin Hoffman looks like a movie star. Why? Because he's an amazing actor. Robert De Niro looks like a movie star? Why? Because he's an amazing actor. Casting for physical attributes in any way is the surest way to guarantee you'll look past every actor who could have transformed your movie into something special.
      * apologize for being picky, perfectionistic or demanding. Any good actor will respect this. Any great actor will be far more demanding of themselves than you ever could be. And, if this turns off some actors then you've done yourself a favor. It is best to scare away wannebes early on than cast them and realize halfway through a project that they never understood how anyone can make a movie, but only the exceptionally brave and driven can make a great one.
      * Excuse tardiness, rudeness or lack of preparation from an actor. If you've done the above you've proven yourself to be exceptionally responsible and respectful of the acting process. Therefore, it is fair for you to expect the same from those auditioning for you.

 

•       GARY KING >>
        DO
      * be courteous
      * give sides in advance to the actors
      * audition the actors in the waiting room - evaluate their demeanor the moment they check in with the casting assistant
      * give direction during the audition to see if the actors listen
•       DON'T
      * approach the characters only looking for a specific type in mind or you may lose out on someone special
      * tell people you will get back to them if you don't plan to - just thank them for their time
•       ZEKE ZELKER >>
        DO
      * audition as many people as possible for a role. If you aren't finding who you need hold auditions in another city
      * Hire a great casting director if you can, they can me a valuable resource.
      * Hire actors who you have seen act before
      * If there is nudity involved: be upfront, describe exactly how the scene will be shot and why the scene matters. During call backs ask the potential cast member to get undressed to the point required in the script, with a member of your team present of the same sex of the potential cast member
      * Rehearse, rehearse, rehearse
•       DON'T
      * Hire friends
      * Hire actors who worry about how they look
      * Sleep with any of your cast
      * Take advantage of anyone
      * Vacillate, make a firm decision and stick to it, if not your cast will walk all over you