FilmmakerIQ.com » General Production

Behind the Scenes of “Video Game High School”

John P. Hess — Tue, 22 May 2012 18:27:53 +0000

Go behind the scenes of “Video Game High School” – A feature length web series mixing real life and First Person shooters. From directors Brandon Laatsch and Freddie Wong.

You can watch the first episode here:

Magnifty LCD Magnifier for DSLR Rigs: Focus With Two Eyes

John P. Hess — Tue, 22 May 2012 02:45:33 +0000

Tired of the one eye strain of traditional viewfinders? Try the Magnifty LCD Magnifier – just don’t stand with your back to the sun.

Via Cinescopophilia

You can purchase it on their eBay Store and at Samy’s Camera in Los Angeles.

DIY Tilt Shift Adapter Using a 3D Printer

John P. Hess — Tue, 15 May 2012 20:45:48 +0000

Tilt shift adapters can be pretty pricey but Joe Murphy offers up an intriguing DIY solution – printing one up with a 3d Printer. You can use an online printing service if you don’t have access to a 3d Printer.

See more instructions Here

7 Top Film Producers Roundtable

John P. Hess — Tue, 08 May 2012 16:54:04 +0000

The Hollywood Reporter assembled a group of 7 producers with some seriously big credentials to sit down and talk about their experiences in the film industry.

The producers are: Letty Aronson (Midnight in Paris, Vicki Christina Barcelona), Michael DeLuca (the Social Network, Magnolia), Tim Bevan (The Big Lebowski, Fargo, Shaun of the Dead), Kathleen Kennedy (The Sixth Sense, Schindler’s List, Jurassic Park), Bill Pohlad (Into the Wild, Brokeback Mountain), Jim Burke (The Descendants, Election, Kingpin) and Chris Columbus (The Help, Night at the Museum).

The Galileo – a Remote Control Pan/Tilt for iOS Devices

John P. Hess — Fri, 04 May 2012 18:12:24 +0000

Do you want to be able to pan the remote iPhone when your using Facetime? Or how about motorized panning when shooting timelapses? The Galileo could be your solution.

The Kickstarter campaign raised over 700% the original goal and units should be shipping in June. The company behind it (Motrr) includes the creator of the GorillaPod so expect it to be available soon.

Timelapse demo footage:

Trigger Your Camera with an iPhone

John P. Hess — Tue, 01 May 2012 17:45:23 +0000

TriggerTrap Mobile is an ingenious app and dongle that connects your iPhone (or any iOS 5 device) and your camera allowing you trigger a photo in several interesting modes.

The Trigger Modes are:
Timelapse
Eased timelapse
Sound sensor
Shock & Vibration sensor
Metal & magnetism sensor
Facial recognition
HDR mode
HDR Timelapse mode
Distance-lapse mode
Motion detection mode
Cable Release mode
Star trail mode

Computerized DIY Motorized Dolly Slider

John P. Hess — Tue, 01 May 2012 17:11:22 +0000

There’s nothing like a computerized DIY Motorized Dolly Slider to show off your engineering skills. Bratan of ClickGlide.com runs through a parts list and how he pulled off this cool slider.

Because whole system is built around HTD-5 timing belt (High Torque Drive with 5 mm pitch) I had to find right timing belt pulley. But here’s the issue. Belt is metric so pully is metric to, however gear motors that I could find have shaft of 5/16? which doesn’t fit any HTD pulley I could find. Fortunately a company in Long Island, NY makes metric pulleys with imperial cores! And they sell timing belts too!

Another problem I encounter was with belt clamps. Very few companies sell HTD clamps, and the price they charge for them is astronomical. $60-90 per clamp, which is nothing but a small aluminum plate with ridges. It probably took me a week to find a company in New Jersey that makes these for just under $8! Not all parts were off shelf. Motor mount was made from old power supply cover which was made out of thick aluminum. Tension rollers were taken out of DLT tape drive but you can also find similar rollers inside VCR.

Click Glide.com | Read the Full Article

Fast Simple DIY iPhone Stabilizer

John P. Hess — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 04:00:20 +0000

Are you really going to shell out hundreds for a machined stabilizer rig for your iPhone? Gene Lythgow demonstrates how to assemble a very quick and basic stabilizer using some devices that may already be in your garage.

$25 DIY Mini Camera Jib Crane

Dennis — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 17:30:54 +0000

With basic angle aluminum and square tubing, Olivia Speranza created this simple DIY Mini Camera Jib / Crane. She used a GH2 camera, but it can also be used with small Sony NEX5n or NEX-7 cameras.

The Assistant Director’s Conundrum–”Sloppy” Filmmaking Versus “Good” AD’ing

John P. Hess — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 18:14:10 +0000

Know the difference between rushing to “make the movie” and rushing to “make the schedule”.

So, what is the difference between sloppy filmmaking and good assistant directing?

If you’re a fellow assistant director, or even a fellow filmmaker, you may or may not have ever been caught in a situation where you’re saying to yourself something along these lines: ”Well, we made our day, but in making our day, did we actually make a movie?” As in, a “good” movie.

Every show, whether it be a feature, a commercial, a TV series, an industrial…EVERY show has its own pace, and there are many variables that determine the pace at which any particular show moves–the size and experience of your crew, the style and working process of the director, the work ethic of the actors, your budget, the complexity of the scene of the movie in its entirety, the style of the show (period pieces tend to DRAG) what format you are shooting on (some digital workflows are time VACUUMS), etc, etc, etc (I’m sure we could let this list go on forever)–but, as an AD, it’s your job to be able to feel out the pace of the show and be able to move it along at its most efficient gait. Sometimes it’s a fine line…

Michael S. Chandler | Read the Full Article