While I was updating my account, I went through a lot of old friend requests that I hadn’t read and came across Triune Films, a group out of South Florida. I wanted to pass along a link to their channel, because they offer up some great tips on how to achieve good-looking special effects for little to no cost. If you are a low-budget filmmaker and are looking for cheap resources, you might want to check out their site. Here’s their most recent video dealing with Perspective.
We did want to take an opportunity to make this initial announcement so you could be thinking about whether you would like to help.
Here’s what we’re looking for:
Cast:
VANESSA - Mid 30s. A classy woman who dresses smart. She’s not snobby or uptight. She suffers from emotional issues following a turbulent relationship. She has a close group of friends she relies on, and won’t really let anyone else in to her life. She’s guarded and introverted.
MATTHEW - Late 30s. Ex-boyfriend of Vanessa. Charming, but manipulative. Moderately successful. Moody. Insincere — will always tell you what you want to hear.
VANESSA’S FRIENDS - Three Women mid 30s-early 40s. Fun, sincere, trustworthy, just an all-around good group. Don’t think “Desperate Housewives” or “Sex in the City.”
THERAPIST - Male or Female - Late 40s to mid 50s. Intelligent, academic. Soothing voice, calming effect on others.
We will also have some supporting roles including:
WAITER
POLICE OFFICER
MAITRE DE
RESTAURANT HOSTESS
And we will also be in need of extras to fill out a restaurant scene.
Again, we will post the exact dates and times for the auditions at a later date. If you would like to go ahead and send a resume and headshot, please feel free to do so.
You can send it to clint@ParcEntertainment.com.
Shooting at 24fps is the film standard, while the video standard is 30fps. A few years ago, companies like Panasonic introduced 24p into their video cameras — a setting which allowed video cameras (for the first time) to shoot at 24fps, just like a film camera. The letter “p” in “24p” stands for “progressive,” meaning that an entire frame of video is captured at once, just like it would be in a film camera or a still camera. Before the introduction of 24p, interlaced video was the standard. Interlaced video means that two “fields” are blended together to create one frame. First, the odd numbered lines in a video field are scanned, then the even numbered lines. Put them together and you have an entire picture.
Making 24p available to videographers was a step toward making video look more like film, but there are many more techniques that must be employed besides 24p, like proper lighting, camera movement, and depth-of-field. Now with the rise of HD, 60p is not too far away. 60p means that 60 progressive frames are captured, not just 24. Now there’s a debate on the rise as to whether 24p is a limitation in the face of higher res HD video. Take a look at this article from Videographer and leave your comments.
One of the things I really like to do when I’m shooting is to capture the little details in close-ups and extreme close-ups. And I always offset those details to one side of the frame. Sometimes the beauty of a scene is found in those details that, from a wide shot, wouldn’t be all that impressive. It could be the worn edges of an old book, a tree limb swaying in the breeze, or the wrinkled hand of an elderly person. Shooting the small details focuses your viewer’s attention on what you want them to look at. It gives you control of the scene. How many times have you watched a video where everything was shot wide or in medium shots? Not very interesting. Why? Because this is how we view life through our own eyes. When you are shooting for video, the most interesting shots are from different and unique angles. Show your viewer the world in ways they they don’t ordinarily consider. That makes for more interesting footage. Good luck as you continue to work on your own projects, and keep shooting.
Video Cam Super Trick! - video powered by Metacafe
I always get quizzical looks when I’m preparing to place a gel on a light and I ask for a C-47. Those same people look even more confused when someone on my crew hands me a simple wooden clothespin. Inevitably I am asked the question, “Why do you call a clothespin a ‘C-47?’” Well, legends abound as to the exact origin of the term “C-47″ (there are a few theories in this Wikipedia article), but the one I have heard the most often says that in the early Hollywood studio days the designation “C-47″ was added as a line item to the production budget to make it sound more official so budget managers would approve their purchase. It was a way to get quick approval for purchasing a lot of clothespins and it was also a good way of padding out the budget to cover unforseen miscellaneous costs. And by the way, you should always use wooden clothespins when on set because they don’t conduct heat. A plastic one will melt over time, ruining gels and the barn doors to your lights.
