DIY FILMMAKING 101

In the spirit of Halloween we present the staples of the cheap horror flick genre...great tips on how to create cheap effects, props, DIY film equipment etc etc. Check these out...
Briefcase of Prop Money


This affordable underwater camera rig is perfect for filming that last surreal near-drowning scene for your psychedelic boat journey of self-realization masterpiece. Or filming just capturing cool fish and trash-treasure onto your Youtube channel.


For Halloween, want to learn how to create real looking cuts on the cheap???


A reminder for the Criterion Collection fans....Hulu is a great place to catch up on the classics
Read more....Criterion Comes to Hulu Plus - Movies - News - IFC.com

Blank City....and more

First-time director Celine Danhier assembled archival footage and contemporary interviews about New York's underground film scene in the 1970s and 80s. As self proclaimed film jeeks, we can't see enough documentaries about the process of making film, music, and art. Should be an interesting doc....


DIY TIP OF THE DAY:

How to make an explosion- After Effects Tutorial



Ever wanted to know how to create realistic looking Terminator make-up effects??? Look no further.

Film Rumors...Tips and Tools and...Hobo with a Shotgun

Hello everyone...sorry for the delay between posts. We are working on that. But honestly we are knee deep in editing GWAG at the moment and hopefully we will be finally done with it soon. Anyway whilst taking a break in the action I stumbled upon these interesting Quentin Tarantino rumors....first off, Hobo with a Shotgun premiered at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival and is set to be released on March 25th....well at least in Canada. But this is the 2nd Grindhouse Trailer film spinoff to be released. The trailer is of course ridiculously funny and honestly I can't wait to see it.

The 2nd rumor is that several media sites are reporting that Tarantino is getting behind the directors chair to make a Spaghetti Western staring Christoph Waltz among others....stay tuned.

Cheap Film Sound Tips..

Sunday Night Editing

While we are both really busy working on some editing projects, I managed to stumble upon these tutorials on how to create basic effects in Final Cut Pro. Enjoy!

Muzzle Flashes/Explosions and more!

How to Clone Yourself and more....in Final Cut Pro....

So we are currently working on A's film and have been researching on how to do all kinds of stuff when we stumbled upon these cool tutorials....I always wanted to learn how to create a clone effect and never knew it was this easy.

Want to know how to layer video???

How to remove camera shake in Final Cut Pro

How to Composite Video

Wanna learn how to composite video using Adobe Premier or Final Cut Pro? Checkout how to do it using Adobe Premier and After Effects from Videomaker.
How to Composite Video for Inserting Backgrounds in Sets
Own Final Cut Pro? Then checkout the video below:

And one more FCP how to video..

Coming Soon...
Even in the Rain

Not Dead Yet....

With advances in digital video and photography happening all the time, many professional filmmakers and photographs still prefer the film medium over digital. Although many believe digital video will surpass film or is now actually a better medium, the debate goes on. Not sure which you prefer? Checkout John Mellencamp's tour trailer shot entirely with super 8mm.

John Mellencamp Trailer from Rounder Records on Vimeo.

Don't even think about putting away that super 8 camera...thanks to popular demand Kodak has recently released a new super 8 motion picture film. According to the article on Kodak's website:

"Super 8 mm film is a versatile, affordable option for filmmakers who require the image quality and flexibility of film," says Chris Johnson, product manager, Entertainment Imaging Division, Eastman Kodak Company. "Quantum leaps in film emulsion technology have made Super 8 - once considered a hobbyist's format - a viable option for professional filmmakers and students."

As a fan of all things film, (I regularly shoot 35mm and super 8mm) I am excited to see what the new super 8 color reversal film can do. Recently we shot some test rolls of Kodak Ektachrome 64T color reversal film and some Kodak TRI-X B&W reversal film, to see if we can employ this into our rig as alternative to the cold crisp reality that HD delivers. Yes film is slow, grainy, unpredictable, and development and transfer costs can add up. However, regardless of what anyone tells you, most Hollywood pictures today are still shot with 35mm film. Yes there has been a number of advancements such as the Red Camera or high-end HD cameras such as the camera that George Lucas used during his Starwars Prequels, or plugins and even iPhone aps that replicate the look of film.... but nothing delivers the warm, resolution, and depth of field of film. So for filmmakers and students alike, super 8mm is still a viable alternative. To read more about Kodak's new Super 8mm film, click here.

Don't agree? Here is some experts debating the subject:



Can't get enough? Checkout Robert Rodriguez - Film is Dead

DIY steadicam

This is probably the best steadicam tutorial we've seen yet. And the parts are all fairly cheap to purchase.

Hollywood still hasn't figured it out...

According to the LA Times article on Blu-Con, Hollywood is looking for even more ways to milk as much money they can out of consumers. Below is excerpt from article:

"We want to advantage methods that are more profitable," Craig Kornblau from Universal, told the audience of home entertainment industry professionals. "We don't have an obligation to give consumers what they want when they want it."

“While there are things in the Netflix system that are clearly cannibalistic [to sales], there are things we can change…They can pay us more or we can reduce the quality of what we give them.”

Based on these comments, I am thinking that the film industry hasn't learned from the demise of the music industry. Hopefully Mr.Kornblau's views don't represent the views of all of the studios and this doesn't happen. Stay tuned.

Frontera Filmmakers Presents
Feature Filmmaking workshop this upcoming Sat.,
Nov. 13th, 10AM-12PM at Media Arts Center SD. - Ethan

WORKSHOP! Learn How to Make an Independent Sci-Fi Feature Film

* Learn how to create affordable special effects!
* Make-up
* Writing that suspensful script
* How to distribute your Sci-Fi Films
* Two directors and Distributor IN PERSON!

Directors Rodrigo Ordonez (Seres Genesis) and Angel Mario Huerta
(Despositarios) will be present at the workshop on Nov 13th, 10AM-12PM
at Media Arts Center San Diego (2921 El Cajon Blvd., SD, CA 92104).

Learn strategies for affordable special effects, lighting, directing
actors, writing suspenseful scripts and creating that Sci Fi make-up.
Distributor Jesus di Sica will also attend to talk about distributing
your independent feature film.

Sat., November 13, 2010
10AM-12PM

Where: Media Arts Center San Diego (2921 El Cajon Blvd., San Diego, CA 92104)

Food and drink will also be served.
$5 donation

INFO/RSVP Lisa Franek: lfranek@mediaartscenter.org, 619-230-1938 x 102

This Frontera Filmmaker Workshop is made possible with funding from The Hollywood Foreign Press Association.

Read more here.

If your a fan of Danny Boyle, then you might enjoy this IFC Podcast. Check out the article and Podcast here,

Halloween is here!!!

Need a last minute Halloween costume idea??? The folks at IFC offer some tips for a film fan.
Last Minute Halloween Costume Ideas for the Lazy Film Fan - Movies - News - IFC.com
Wanna know how to create a impaled Zombie chest effect??? Look no further...

As we mentioned before, we love lists. And in celebration of Halloween, here is:

El Roberto's Top 10 Zombie Flick List.

10. Resident Evil
09. Fido
08. Dead Alive
07. 28 Weeks Later
06. Planet Terror
05. Dawn of the Dead - Original
04. Shaun of the Dead
03. Dawn of the Dead - 2004 Remake
02. Night of the Living Dead
01. 28 Days Later

Honorable mention: Zombie Land. We really like this film but not enough to place it on our top 10 list. Night of the Living Dead#2??? That's right, 28 Days Later was a somewhat fresh take on the genre that helped bring Zombie movies back to the mainstream. What do you think?

Zombies, Halloween, DIY Effects, and more!!!

With Halloween this weekend our focus is on scary movies and DIY zombie or horror film makeup tips. Check out this trailer for the upcoming low budget (500k) movie Monsters.

Now we normally don't post anything about video games but this one caught our attention. The folks at Rock Star Games makers of Grand Theft Auto have created an expansion pack for their Red Dead series titled "Red Dead Undead Nightmare." Rockstar tends to draw upon thematic influences such as Spaghetti Westerns for their Red Series which only add to quality of the games. This time they are combined the old west with Night of the Living Dead. Checkout the trailer...

Zombies and Reality TV Stars???? Now this looks interesting....

DIY Halloween Zombie Stomach Rip Effect!!!



You know you love film lists as much as we do....click here to see Time Magazines top 25 horror films....

The Question of the Night.....

Fast zombies or slow zombies??? Personally I prefer slow zombies so I can get away.... Still can't make up your mind??? Read this article and you decide!!!

This looks like it has potential...I am really stoked on the audio and visuals in the trailer and apparent use of an Lensbaby during production.

Read more about the Stake Land production here. And if you are looking for a great Halloween flick to see this weekend, checkout IFC's list.

Zombie Alert!!!

Keeping up with the tradition of Halloween, AMC is premiering its show The Walking Dead this Sunday. The promotional machine has been in high gear for this program and after seeing the booth AMC had setup at this year's Comic Con, I am anxious to checkout the show. Here's a synopsis of the show on AMC's site:

"Waking up in an empty hospital after weeks in a coma, County Sheriff Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) finds himself utterly alone. The world as he knows it is gone, ravaged by a zombie epidemic. The Walking Dead tells the story of the weeks and months that follow after the apocalypse. Based on Robert Kirkman’s hugely successful and popular comic book series, AMC’s new original series, The Walking Dead, premieres with a 90-minute episode on Halloween night: Oct. 31 at 10/9c. Written and executive produced by three-time Academy® Award-nominee Frank Darabont (The Shawshank Redemption, The Green Mile), who also directs the pilot, and executive produced by Gale Anne Hurd (The Terminator, Aliens), the series debuts during AMC Fearfest, the network's annual blockbuster marathon of thriller and horror films.

The Walking Dead is an epic, edge-of-your-seat drama where personal struggles are magnified against a backdrop of moment-to-moment survival. A survivalist story at its core, the series explores how the living are changed by the overwhelming realization that those who survive can be far more dangerous that the mindless walkers roaming the earth. They themselves have become the walking dead."

Checkout this video for tips on how to create Zombie makeup for Halloween or film productions.

Creating a Film Look in Final Cut Pro

Today we are focusing on completing a script for a film project we have been working on for a long time. More about that later, but in the meantime here is a great tutorial on how to create a film look within Final Cut Pro. Enjoy.

Monday....

Filmmaking Tips, shorts, and more....what else do you need on a Monday night?

Check out theses original shorts....

Dictaphone Parcel from Lauri Warsta on Vimeo.

Spider from Mister K Cartoon on Vimeo.

Sound Editing Tips

Equally as important as good video, good sound can make or break a project. Here are some tips and techniques that should know.

FINAL CUT PRO TUTORIALS

With all of the film editing tutorials available on YouTube, here are a few that stand out:

The Bleach Bypass Film Look

Slow Motion Tips with Final Cut Pro Studio

Final Cut Pro- Storyboard Editing Tutorial:

Final Cut Pro Workflow Tutorial:

Film News and more....

Vincent Gallo strikes again!!! According an article on IFC, actor, director, musician, model, aka jack of all trades, Vincent Gallo seized control of his latest film from an inept director. Reportedly hard to work with, Gallo was irritated by the director onset and had threatened to walk if he wasn't given complete control of the project. But of course, as i am not a huge fan of his work (Buffalo 66 excluded) and regardless of what happened on the set of his latest effort, and whatever reviews it may get, I will probably just wait until its released on video to go see it.

DIY FILM TIP OF THE DAY: Rip a Bloody Heart Out of a Chest!!!

God With A Gun Redux

Over the past several months (working between El Roberto Projects) I've been tasked with completing my thesis film which I started shooting back in the fall of 2004. Over the years I have completed several cuts and have never felt that it was quite right. Last year, based on a new edit that we had assembled, C wrote a new script that utilized most of the existing footage that we assembled and added a few new scenes and a new story arc. After reviewing the material with the lead actor we decided to scrap the idea and go another direction.

A year later we are making progress and should start shooting some additional scenes in August and September....that's of course if we can agree on a script and set some time aside to finish it. Right now we are getting ready to cover Comic-Con for Moviejungle.com so be sure to checkout our daily video posts starting this Wednesday. Also we have a couple of other large projects coming up now through September to keep us busy. So stay tuned.

This looks interesting....Ben Affleck returns to acting and directing in The Town.

Predators Review

Now I have said this before in my reviews but despite what you may have heard...Predators is actually an entertaining film and is probably the best Predator flick since the original. From the beginning, the film doesn't waste anytime getting to the point and starts with film lead Adrian Brody
free-failing unconscious, presumably dropped from a plane...(quite possibly the first time in cinematic history a film starts this way). After meeting up with a rag-tag group of elite "killers" Brody and company try to make sense of what exactly is going on. Now with the exception of some cheesy looking cgi monsters and an underused Laurence Fishburne... the film mostly works and is to the point. Now is Predators as good as the original??? You already know the answer to that....is it better than Twilight or The Last Airbender???....you already know the answer to that....Go see it now....


DIY FILM TIP:Creating basic animation in Final Cut Pro/Express