Another valuable interview is up at the Workbook Project, this time in the form of a roundtable discussion with Mark Stolaroff of No Budget Film School and Paul Harrill of Self-Reliant Filmmaking. Along with Lance Weiler, the group approaches the topic of DIY, low/no budget-style film production. Lots of topics are covered, including tips regarding fundraising, producing, directing, casting, and more. A worthwhile listen here.DIY filmmaking roundtable discussion
Another valuable interview is up at the Workbook Project, this time in the form of a roundtable discussion with Mark Stolaroff of No Budget Film School and Paul Harrill of Self-Reliant Filmmaking. Along with Lance Weiler, the group approaches the topic of DIY, low/no budget-style film production. Lots of topics are covered, including tips regarding fundraising, producing, directing, casting, and more. A worthwhile listen here.Small town film distribution
We might be guilty of associating successful distribution to landing films in major cities and established venues. But it doesn't necessarily have to be this way. Filmmaker Magazine has a great article detailing Jay Craven's experiences self-distributing his film, Where the Rivers Flow North in rural Vermont and applying his strategies and successes to his second DIY film release, Disappearances. "...I decided to launch a 100 Town Tour of the state. We needed cash, so while we waited for movie theaters to clear their schedules, we started playing town halls, granges and old opera houses. You can rent most of them for $50 and set up the show in less than an hour. And you take home all the cash at the end of the night."
Definitely an interesting look at alternative distribution strategies.
(via DIY Filmmaker)
RocketIndie: independent DVD distribution
Just discovered this on HDforIndies: Jarred Land of DVXUser.com will be launching a new website devoted to enabling independents to self-distribute their films on DVD. RocketIndie does the dirty work of producing the actual DVDs, processing orders, and shipping them out to customers, and this comes at no startup or monthly cost to the original creator. The service handles all the labor of organizing orders and getting the goods out to customers. They do not market the product, but instead act as an invisible store. Although you can send them your own mastered DVDs, they also offer the option of designing your disc from the ground up, but it is unclear at what cost. Nevertheless, if you want to get your film on DVD out there without having to worry about processing orders, and running to the post office, this could be a very convenient solution. Read the FAQ for the full scoop. RocketIndie launches on February 1st.Interview with Four-Eyed Monsters duo
Lance Weiler of the Workbook Project sat down for an interview with Arin Crumley and Susan Buice of Four-Eyed Monsters in the latest installment of 'this conference is being recorded'. The duo discusses everything from the inspiration behind their film, to of course their area of biggest innovation, film promotion through the web. The team is undoubtedly responsible for a lot of innovations in DIY promotion through their use of everything from MySpace and social networking, to videoblogging, to using Google Maps to track geographic interest in film screenings. It's a very lengthy interview, but the details and information provided by Arin and Susan about their approach to distribution is extremely informative.
How to make a dead guy
Sometimes you need a dead guy and you just can't find one. Well look no further because here's the scoop to make your own and it won't require any prison time. Check out this How to Make a Dead Guy 101 post for all the bloody details.
We just love folks that share their DIY magic.
We just love folks that share their DIY magic.
How to make a long tail movie
Long tail theorist Chris Anderson talks movie production and applies it to small scale, low budget filmmaking in a new blog entry which lifts from the recent DV Rebel's Guide for some examples and inspiration. The claim is that when costs of production and distribution decrease (as in, what is happening right now), new long tail markets emerge. (Read up on long tail for a clear understanding of the concept.) Anyway, it's a fresh perspective to see this theory applied to filmmaking. Plus, the low budget production ideas and tips from DV Rebel's Guide and very smart, and some are pretty surprising, too. Recommended read. (via HDforIndies)
My Life As A Child
Ahh to be young again! Full of dreams, uninhibited, not a care in the world...except for how many DV tapes it will take to record you friend Joey's birthday party...My Life As A Child is a 6-part documentary series where children record their lives on video from a first person perspective. The Learning Channel selected 20 youngsters ages 7 to 12 for the project, checked out some video gear to them, and let them tape for 4 months. The footage they captured makes up the 6 one-hour episodes, and marks a first for TLC in melding user generated content and television. The show claims to be "frank, intimate, and eye-opening" as children share their perspectives on growing up in the 21st century.
I couldn't find any hard DVGuru info about the production (camera info, production notes, behind the scenes info.) Still, I can't help but be a bit fascinated by the fact that this sort of thing wouldn't have been possible 7 or 8 years ago. The relative price of camcorders, this generation's experience with video, and the popularity of "viral" video content all seem to culminate in a project like this one.
My Life As A Child airs on
Stu Maschwitz interview on Filmmaking Central
Filmmaker Stu Maschwitz, author of the (should be) newly released book, The DV Rebel's Guide: An All-Digital Approach to Making Killer Action Movies on the Cheap was recently interviewed on Filmmaking Central. Maschwitz discusses some of his own filmmaking background, and delves into inspiration for writing the guide itself, and what readers should expect. The book's obvious goal is to help producing polished action films (as is clear by the title), but the guide seems to focus more on elements of post-production and easily creating polished visual effects with After Effects. Anyone intrigued by the book should give this interview a listen.
The Workbook Project shaping up
A bit over one month ago, I made mention of Lance Weiler's the Workbook Project, a new website promising to build a community-based resource for DIY filmmakers. Since then, the website has made a strong start in offering just what was promised, with a solid website framework in place and the beginning of a host of valuable resources, such as interviews with Scott Kirsner of CinemaTech, and Eric Bassett, who is working on distribution for Lynch's Inland Empire. Anyway, if you haven't made a visit, I'd recommend doing so and subscribing to their feed, since I expect a lot of good things coming down the line. Good stuff!
More capacity for your Sony HDR-SR1?
I love people who aren't scared to take their stuff apart. Here we have a Sony HDR-SR1 owner who was curious if the hard drive was easily accessible and if it could be replaced with a larger capacity drive. It turns out all you need is tiny philips screw driver and you're in.
So it may be possible to replace the standard 30GB drive that comes in the camera with a larger capacity 1.8" inch drive. Maybe the new Toshiba 100GB? Since he didn't have a replacement drive to try, it's unknown if there is anything special on the drive that the camera needs to operate. But even if there is that should be an easy hack to move to the new drive. So if any of you guys try this, let us know how it turns out for you. Just keep in mind if something goes wrong, you may void your warranty if it's discovered you were poking around in there.
[via Camcorderinfo]
So it may be possible to replace the standard 30GB drive that comes in the camera with a larger capacity 1.8" inch drive. Maybe the new Toshiba 100GB? Since he didn't have a replacement drive to try, it's unknown if there is anything special on the drive that the camera needs to operate. But even if there is that should be an easy hack to move to the new drive. So if any of you guys try this, let us know how it turns out for you. Just keep in mind if something goes wrong, you may void your warranty if it's discovered you were poking around in there.
[via Camcorderinfo]
Interview with Eric Bassett, Inland Empire release manager
Lance Weiler of the Workbook Project (and director of Head Trauma) has recently interviewed Eric Bassett, a managing partner of Absurda, which is currently overseeing the DIY distribution of David Lynch's Inland Empire. It's an excellent and lengthy interview that covers all of the reasons, inspiration, and strategy behind Lynch's turn to self-distribution for his newest film. There is a clear sense that this distribution move has been well-planned, and Bassett does a good job of providing a lot of details about how things are actually progressing behind the scenes. There are definitely big plans in store for Inland Empire, and this is a recommended listen for both Lynch fans, and those interested in all things DIY filmmaking. (via DIY Filmmaker)
DIY skater dolly
A resourceful reader, Tom Meyer has kindly sent us a link to his own little DIY masterpiece, the skater dolly. This three-wheeled tabletop dolly uses three rollerbalde wheels for mobilization, and has indentations suitable for using with a tripod. The construction looks top-notch, and it's heavy duty enough to support an XL1. Quite beautiful! Thanks for sharing, Tom! If you have links to your own DIY work, send 'em in.
DIY: Voice over booth, travel size
Who better to come up with a road warrior setup for audio recording than a popular voice-over actor. After a bit a trial and error, Harlan Hogan came up with a setup that allows him to do his work pretty much anywhere. He follows the logic that for good sound you don't need to be inside a sound box, the microphone does. Checkout the setup he came up with and it might spark some ideas for your own version. While he may use this as a portable solution, something similar will work as a more permanent solution for those of us who don't have official sound booth areas to work in.PSV-351 - Disposable video camera evolves - now reusable
Last year Pure Digital Technology released a disposable video camera that recorded 20 minutes of video onto a built in hard drive and sold for $29.95. It was a nice idea but not without its drawbacks. Fundamentally the idea of a disposable digital video camera is flawed, in this day and age it's better to re-use it. Well with the PSV-351 Pure digital has done just that. This very simple video camera records 30 minutes of video which allows you to copy all the data to PC via USB and re-use it. You can also scroll plug the camera directly into a TV through and delete clips you don't need as you use it in the wild.For the video producer this camera might be a nice solution when you need to take some quick shots in an area that you might not want to take an expensive camera. It also might come in handy as a video recording device to hand over to the amateurs if you are running some sort of documentary, reality show or news program where footage may pop up at anytime or anywhere and needs filming. It's cheapness at $100 and ease of use is perfect for the shoddy dim-witted hand of an amateur.
DIY pocket tripod
Instructables, home to many previously linked DIY projects, features instructions on how to assemble your own pocket tripod. We're talking a really low tech, no flair tripod that uses a few wires and some electrical tape, so this might not be entirely useful for serious camerawork. In fact, it's probably better suited to a small still camera, if anything. But anyway, maybe you'll find some useful application for this thing. It certainly won't cost you much to make.
