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Lance Weiler's Head Trauma in Filmmaker 1970-01-01 00:59:59 Lance Weiler is one of the guys who brought us The Last Broadcast (1998), a faux documentary about a killer in the Pine Barrens of New Jersey. Last year he self-distributed his latest feature Head Trauma, to seventeen theaters across the country, followed by a prompt DVD release. A master of web promotion, Weiler has as wealth of knowledge and wants to share it--which makes him even Read more:Filmmaker
, Lance
YouTube to Spread Wealth with Content Creators 1970-01-01 00:59:59 AP is reporting that YouTube
co-founder and CEO Chad Hurley has announced that the video sharing behemoth will start sharing profits with video uploaders. While no model is yet in place, this is fantastic news for video producers everywhere. With the insane amount of traffic that goes through the YouTube servers, this could be a worthwhile outlet for the starving filmmaker to not only get Read more:Content
, Spread
, Wealth
The Departed 1970-01-01 00:59:59 Vintage Scorsese
You just can't keep a good filmmaker down. Martin Scorsese is considered one of the best (if not the best) American filmmakers alive, yet has no Oscar for Best Directing. He's been overlooked five times by the Academy, but I predict this will be his year. This will be the year of The Departed
, an excellent crime drama rife with fine performances, an engrossing story, and
The Prestige 1970-01-01 00:59:59 Too Much Sleight of Hand
The last time Christopher Nolan directed a script written by his brother Johnathan, one of my favorite films emerged in the form of the backwards-forwards mystery narrative, Memento (2000). They have reunited to bring an adaptation of the award-winning novel, The Prestige
, to the big screen, and have done so quite grandly. Those familiar with their previous work will
X-Men: The Last Stand 1970-01-01 00:59:59 Stands and Delivers
I like the X-Men franchise. Not only is it freakin' cool to watch, but actually has something to say. The first two films have done well, both with audiences and critics. Now comes the inevitable third installment in the series, X-Men: The Last Stand, which may be a misleading title, since I highly doubt this will be the "last' time we see these characters or this Read more:Stand
World Trade Center 1970-01-01 00:59:59 Intimate Stories of 9/11 Told Well
I can tell you exactly where I was during the attacks on the WorldTradeCenter
on September 11, 2001. I was working my TV news production job during the morning news broadcast. After the show had ended, NBC's Today show began with a gaping hole in one of the Tower buildings. As they were reporting live, the second plane exploded into the second tower and I Read more:World Trade
, World Trade Center
Take the Lead 1970-01-01 00:59:59 More of a Follower
Pierre Dulaine did something truly remarkable. He introduced a ballroom dancing program to hundreds of New York City elementary school children, changing their lives for the better. This program has been chronicled in the acclaimed documentary, Mad Hot Ballroom. Now we get the fictionalized version of this story, Take the Lead, which is "inspired by true events"
Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit 1970-01-01 00:59:59 Delightfully Zany, Hilarious Fun
I'm just going to say it now: "Nick Park is a genius".
Having already garnered three Academy Awards for three claymation shorts (two featuring Wallace
and Gromit and Creature Comforts), he has proven his talent is no fluke. In 2000, he ventured into features with Chicken Run, which he co-wrote and co-directed. With Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Read more:Rabbit
Flags of Our Fathers 1970-01-01 00:59:59 Noble, but Heavy Handed and Dull
The last time Clint Eastwood sat in the director's chair, he won an academy award (and deservedly so) for Million Dollar Baby (2004). This time he tackles the events surrounding the famous photograph of the soldiers who raised the flag at Iwo Jima during World War II. It's a departure for Eastwood, who usually concentrates on intimate characters in intimate Read more:Fathers
Technique: Time-Lapse Video 1970-01-01 00:59:59 Time-Lapse
Photography is the method of capturing one frame of film at set intervals. When played back, the subject appears to animate. Typically this is done with an anchored tripod (such as with the orchid above), to capture movement imperceptible to the human brain.
Using a film camera, one frame was exposed when a timer activated the cable release, but how is this accomplished on video?
Technique: Dropped Frames 1970-01-01 00:59:59 While editing my most recent short film, Middle of Nowhere, I came across a shot I wanted to tweak. In one scene the character of Peter (Tye Nelson) is literally shot while running away from a parked car. Tye did a good job a faking the bullet hit, but I wanted a more violent reaction.
After pondering a bit, I came across a fairly simple solution: the jump cut. Since the camera was fixed on Read more:Dropped
, Frames
Feature Film Reviews 1970-01-01 00:59:59 I loved it!
I liked it
it was okay
sucked
Unlinked reviews are currently published at thenettle.com, a subscription-based web business magazine and will be archived here shortly after publication there.
American Dreamz
Batman Begins
Borat
The Black Dahlia
Cars
Casino Royale
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Charlotte's Web
Children of Men
The Chronicles of Narnia
The Da Vinci
DV Guru Stops Publishing 1970-01-01 00:59:59 The digital video blog, DV Guru put up its last post yesterday. That's too bad. DV Guru was a great way to find information about various video topics from all over the web, and I made a habit of visiting there frequently, if not daily. There was always something good it would point me to, and its content will be missed. Here's wishing good luck to all those that made a visit there worthwhile. Read more:Publishing
, Stops
Stranger than Fiction 1970-01-01 00:59:59 Sweet Love Story
I can't say I'm a big Will Ferrell fan. He seems to be the modern day Chevy Chase, an actor playing himself and taking whatever role comes across his agent's desk. He has the goofy dork thing down pat, but doesn't ever challenge himself--until now. Stranger
Than Fiction
still has Ferrell playing to type, but it's a much meatier role than he is used to. Add a good director,
Borat 1970-01-01 00:59:59 Pathetic Excuse for Humor
Tragedy is when I cut my finger. Comedy is when you fall into an open sewer and die. --Mel Brooks
No one likes to be the victim of joke, while everyone will probably laugh at the misfortune of others. I still giggle whenever I see Moe smack the crap out of Curly, or watch a show like the original Candid Camera or the current version, Punk'd. Tom Green used a Read more:Borat
Letters From Iwo Jima 1970-01-01 00:59:59 Unique Perspective on Famous Offensive
Earlier this year Clint Eastwood directed Flags of Our Fathers, a WWII drama that focused on several soldiers and how they fit into the famous photograph of the flag raising at Iwo Jima
. Now comes Letters
from Iwo Jima, also from Eastwood, that tells the story of the Japanese soldiers involved in that very same battle. It's a very refreshing change, not
Online Video Competitions: Drive for the Prize 1970-01-01 00:59:59 This Superbowl ad was the result of an online contest
"What's my motivation?" This phrase is a long-running joke referring to what method actors say to their directors. They have to know what is motivating their character in order to produce a "realistic" emotion. The same could be said for filmmaking itself. Without some kind of motivating force, there is a very good chance that nothing Read more:Competitions
, Online Video
Technique: Airsoft Guns Make Great Prop Firearms 1970-01-01 00:59:59 DISCLAIMER: Remember that whatever kind of firearms you use in a production, always inform local law enforcement about what you are doing. No movie is worth the price of someone getting hurt or killed due to a prop weapon being mistaken for a real one.
When I decided to produce my short film Middle of Nowhere, one of the biggest issues was the gun used in the story. Not only is it wielded by Read more:Airsoft
, Firearms
, Great