…Of course, the landscape of the industry has evolved radically in that time. As studios consolidated and stopped making as many smaller films as they had in the previous decades, and filmmaking technology became cheaper and more accessible, indie filmmakers increasingly embraced the DIY ethos. Festivals began to spring up to showcase their work; the studios then jumped back in, seeing a way to engender themselves to the movement. While most indies don’t make a large profit (if any at all) for studios, it keeps directors and actors happy, and who knows, there might be a hit in there somewhere.

— Film Slate Magazine | Read The Full Article

VIA: Chicago Art Magazine

Filmmaker IQ’s John Hess runs down all the juicy details of the 2011 Las Vegas Film Festival including the a winning “Best Independent Film” for Pitch Black – a short film developed right here on Filmmaker IQ.com

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Show Notes

The official Pitch Black Wins “Best Independent Film” page.

Forum Posting about the Best Screenwriting tips from James Orr

No IQ Weekly Wrap up this week because we ran out of time. We will cover the best articles from last week (and there were some AWESOME ones) in next week’s podcast.

Watch the full film here

My deepest and warmest thanks to everyone here on IQ that has help massage and tear apart this film from conception to the finished product especially Da Cat for his insight in the Editing in the Dark Series where we went through each scene cut by bloody cut.

But my biggest thanks goes to the audience – the people that showed up to see a film they only read a blurp about. And to you, the IQ reader -for without you the audience our films would just be home videos…

THANK YOU!!

And I even made it to the CBS Las Vegas News (this time not for my alleged prostitution ring)

The tag on the end where the reporter is talking about “shot in days with a $2000 budget” – they’re referring to Pitch Black…

Be sure to check out the next edition of “The Wrap” (or own podcast) next Monday where I will run down my experience at the Las Vegas Film Festival. Here’s last week edition that was recorded in Las Vegas right before the festivities.

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Show Notes

A quick snap of Elvis who pulled in front of me…

My Favorite Short:

IQ Weekly Recap for the Week of July 10-16, 2011

Review of Canon XA10 XF100 XF105
In this video review Philip Bloom compares the small 1/3? chip full HD Cmos cameras from Canon.

Adam Sandler, ARE YOU F*CKING KIDDING ME??
It seems Adam Sandler has completely given up. “From the producers of Just Go With It and Grown Ups”. I guess that’s just his way of giving us the finger on the way out the door. And what the hell is Al Pacino doing in this? Poor… poor… Al. “First, you get the money. Then you get the power, then you become a complete whore.”

3 Ways to Shoot a Driving Scene (without driving)
Film Riot’s Ryan Connolly and his team try out three different methods for shooting a driving scene without really driving. These include the Greenscreen, Rear Projection, and Special effects lighting.

6 Tips to Manage Client Expectations in the Video Production Process
Working with a marketing department that doesn’t speak “film production” can be tough and mismatch in expectation can potentially lead to costly re-shoots, extra editing and a generally dissatisfied client. Her are six tips that can help you better manage those expectations and create a better working relationship.

The Portrait Photographer’s Rube Goldberg
This has got to be the single hardest way to take a photo.

Something Educational & Something F*cking Stupid: LLC vs LP + Helium Dog
We post lots of stuff about contracts, the law and other boring topics. I believe they are some of the most important articles on IQ. Although it may not be much of a surprise that they are the least read. So, in a effort to provide a spoonful of sugar to help the medicine go down we created this new series, “Something Educational & Something F*cking Stupid.”

Michael Norman Saleman and a yapping dog

How to Cook Like Hitchcock
Hitch by Felix Meyer, Pascal Monaco, Torsten Strer and others was their graduation project at the University of Applied Sciences and Arts in Hannover. It’s about an animated book containing the recipes for Alfred Hitchcock’s classics. “The Ultimate Hitch Cookbook” is made for Hitchcock enthusiasts and every other couch potato out there.

How to Make a Living as a Filmmaker
This event was co-sponsored by the Tribeca Film Institute and the Department of Media Studies and Film at The New School.

DSLR Film Look Using Shutter Speed
Olivia Speranza shows you how to simulate the film or cinematic looks with DSLR cameras. Without getting too technical, a basic rule is to keep your shutter speed at about twice the framerate. Using ND filters helps you to control that setting when out in bright daylight.

A Day in a Life of Pixar’s John Lasseter
What does it take to be the Chief Creative Officer and director at Disney and Pixar (other than an endless supply of Hawaiian shirts)? This 25-minute documentary takes us through A Day in the Life of John Lasseter and gives us some insights into the most powerful person in the animation industry.

Fair Use School: Response to YouTube’s Copyright School Video
This video from Patrick McKay is the winning entry for Public Knowledge’s video contest to create a response to YouTube’s new “copyright school” video.

The Sound of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
Director David Yates returns to direct his fourth Harry Potter film and returns with his talented sound team including Re-recording mixers Stuart Hilliker and Mike Dawson, Supervising Music Editor Gerard McCann, Supervising Sound Editor James Mather, and Sound Designer Dom Gibbs

6 Things to Check Before Hitting the Record Button On Your DSLR
In this video Dave Dugdale of Learning DSLR Video gives you six thing to check before hitting the record button on your DSLR.

5 Keys to Writing a Summer Blockbuster
It used to be that summer was the season for blockbuster movies. Now it’s a year-round phenomenon. Hollywood is in the business of selling films to a worldwide audience, which means they are always looking for a script with blockbuster potential.

Spielberg, Grazer & Howard: Cowboys & Aliens Interview
Jon Favreau sits down with Steven Spielberg, Brian Grazer and Ron Howard, three of the producers of Cowboys & Aliens. In these interviews they touch upon subjects like Jaws, the Oklahoma Land Rush, but the highlight is Spielberg telling the story of when John Ford told him to get the f*ck out of his office.