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The Silerado Dream Machine

red rocket mac pro

I do not know about you, but I can’t help myself when it comes to role playing the purchaser. If you have heard about or played Role Playing games – half the fun is creating your character on a character sheet. The purchaser in this fantasy world is someone who pretends that he/she has a certain amount of money and then goes to a store – choosing items that can be purchased (but not actually buying anything).

This I did on the  Silverado online store for their new RED Rocket Lab. For obvious reasons I went straight through to the store after a go an email about this. Also pretending that I need a Monster Dream machine for my R3D editing (although I do not have a RED camera – that is another dream altogether). Here is what I came up with (by the way there is an option to select 50 of these beasts): Continue Reading…

5 Weekly Filmmaking Links

Sprockets
Five interesting links I found that are filmmaking related. Feel free to add your own in the comments section.

  1. My thoughts on the new Canon EOS 60D & Canon L lenses : I find this very exciting since I am considering the purchase of a HDSLR – in particular the Canon 550D. And now this happens. Hopefully I can sell my Panasonic AG-DVX100BE by the time the 60D is available – or should I stick with the 550D.
  2. New DSLR Filmmaking Bundle available : I try to attend these Webinars as often as possible. Bought one (the one on the RED workflows) and won one (FCP Shortcuts). They are extremely useful, well presented and I am impressed with the connection handling. Now this Bundle is great on the heels of all the DSLR releases and discussions – I may just get this for myself. Only $40.
  3. How to make and sell your first documentary film : Free Podcast with James Collie on ‘Beyond Biba’
  4. Of HD-DSLR interest: H.264 to be royalty-free for the life of the license, beyond 2015 : There is a bit of a worry about this, what if this encoding has to be licensed. My first thought is : much can change in 5 years. Someone will come up with something else and if H.264 has to be paid for then many will jump ship.
  5. Build a DIY Fig Rig : Got to try this out when I buy an HDSLR camera. Althought it may be hard to handle with a big lens.

Facebook and Video FTW

facebookVideo

I posted a video on YouTube and Vimeo a few days ago:

Vimeo : http://www.vimeo.com/14333667 with almost 5000 views on vimeo

YouTube : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gpGqGNxtkSY with just over 150 views.

The same video. First Vimeo on the Sunday and then YouTube almost two days after that. Here are a few Observations:

Facebook is the Video Play King

According to the embed statistics of vimeo, people you load the video will most likely play the video: Continue Reading…

Big Break Movie Contest

BigBreakLogo

Attention Filmmakers

The submission period has started, but there is still time:

16 August 2010 to 15 October 2010

If you have already created a full feature length film/movie and you are looking for a way to get recognized and or discovered then here is a great opportunity. In fact any competition is a great opportunity. So check out the Big Break Movie Contest. Sontinue reading for more information.

Continue Reading…

Athlone Cooling Towers Demolition

demolition

Thanks to my Stuntman friend; John, and fellow traveler on the journey of filmmaking – I was able to take up a fantastic vantage point.
From atop John’s roof I was able to record the amazing demolition of the Athlone Cooling Towers. Unfortunate for some, they pushed the button early – I was not taking changes :) Also it did not seem that the explosion went to plan.
It was supposed to take 10 seconds for the first tower to go down, then a 10 second break before the next set of set of explosions – seemed like everything went off at the same time.
Check the video out – it is awesome : Continue Reading…

Filmmaker Interview: Louie Psihoyos

LouiePsihoyos

Oscar and Sundance Award winning filmmaker Louie Psihoyos discusses his feature film The Cove.

Synopsis

Using state-of-the-art equipment, a group of activists, led by renowned dolphin trainer Ric O’Barry, infiltrate a cove near Taijii, Japan to expose both a shocking instance of animal abuse and a serious threat to human health.

The interview :
Continue Reading…

5 Weekly Filmmaking Links

Sprockets
There are always interesting filmmaking articles out there; anything from a useful post production tutorial to an interview with a Director. It is the goal of this series to share 5 articles related to the film making process.
And of course you are more than welcome to add your own links – that can even be to your website/blog – in the comments section.

  1. Redrock Launches New “nano” Line of DSLR Rigs and Accessories : This is quiet important, with cheaper HDSLR cameras coming out like the Canon D60 and the 550D people will want and need “low-cost entry level” accessories as well. This is well timed.
  2. RED : No More Red Drives? Wow, posted in the complaints section of REDUser.net, this had brought up a lot emotion. I for one cannot understand it; if you don’t have a hard drive then you have to use CF card which are not that big and will require lots of swapping out. This will certainly force people to be stricter in what they film – for now at least.
  3. RED Post – the Easy Way III : The third part of a great series that Oliver Peters is writing. There is a huge wealth of information here if you are involved in RED One Post production.
  4. Looking For Mr. GoodEditor : Interesting to read about the rules for Film the Editing Award at the Academy Awards. And interesting that there is a distinction between “Best Film Editing” not “Best Film Editor.” . By the way only film editing is considered – how long will that last.
  5. RED vs Alexa : “Here’s a simple side-by-side comparison of the same test scenes that show how Red and Alexa handle it both pre and post grade” hmmmm – for me the comments too this video are the most interesting.

Athlone Cooling Towers

Athlone Cooling Towers

On the 22nd August 2010 the Athlone Cooling Towers will be Demolished. The Huge Demolition of 9000m2 concrete structure will take place at noon.

The reason for this is that the support structures have become compromised and the big structures (The Two Old Ladies) are a danger.

This video quickly gives a general over view in a kind of  Motion Infographic style.

I will be filming the demolition  and posting the video as soon as it is ready – probably before GMT+2 8pm. So keep looking here if you want to see the video. I must just be careful of all the dust and debris since I will be quite close.
Continue Reading…

Autodesk – The Area

Autodesk - The Area

When it comes to filmmaking, especially in the Post Production aspect (and even more so for independents and freelancers) Community is where it is at.
So it is great to see Software makers provide platforms for communities to engage, share and learn together.

Autodesk has one such great online platform called The Area. The Area is Digital Entertainment & Visualization Community for Autodesk users. Here there are: Continue Reading…

Inspiration: South African from the waist down

silver

Here is some inspiration.

“South African from the waist down” by the Car Guards

“South African from the waist down” is the story of a simple South African car guard named Silver, with a passion for poetry and music. Silver is given the opportunity of a life time to send out his uniquely South African message to the world and keep the flag flying.

So how did it all happen? Continue Reading…

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