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I'm in agreement with the other comments in this thread. My addition is that the music just kills it. This doesn't feel like a film, it feels like a music video. The scoring should follow and be a part of the visuals. What you've got is just some music slapped on top of video.

Unless you've got the time to sink into massive color grading, I'd recommend getting as close to your final look as you can in-camera, shooting with a flat profile if you're using a DSLR. Also DSLR-specific: due to compression issues, you risk making compression artifacts very visible if your...

I do script reviews if you need an uncompromising, objective look at it.

I agree with it being better if the director doesn't have to run the camera. I had the pleasure of working this way only once, and it made a huge difference having a real cinematographer handle the camera and lighting while I directed.

I think it's a fantastic start, but if you fail on the pay-off I'll get grumpy. :P (I've seen far too many films that start out great but then never live up to their potential.)

The 5D Mk III is a fantastic camera, if you can get good lenses for it. I personally prefer the look you get from a full-frame sensor, and the Mk III does brilliantly in low light. (It's no C300, but it's also waaay cheaper.)

Again, this will only be a problem if the camera is very distant from the subjects. Think about it -- when was the last time you shot video where the on-camera audio was noticeably out-of-sync from the video due to the camera's distance and the speed of sound? That's the only case where a manual...

It's just a file, so it's easily deletable simply by plugging the card into your computer. The other great thing about Magic Lantern is that it never installs itself inside the camera. Need to stop using ML? Turn the camera off and then on again.

Ah! Got it. I'm not lucky enough to be shooting with EPICs. Or in jungles.

No idea, I've never worked on a shot where the camera was so far away that the speed of sound was a factor.

What it does is automatically synch externally-recorded audio with the camera's audio track. Then you mute the camera's audio and use the external audio.

Canon 5D Mk II. I kept upping the bitrate until it got crashy, then went back down to the last stable setting (I forget the exact one). It worked fantastically! Didn't even overheat. Then for the last shot of my current short I forgot to set the bitrate and got some horrible compression...

I find one of the greatest features of MagicLantern is the ability to increase the video bitrate -- this help cut down on compression artifacts on smooth gradients.

PluralEyes does an excellent job of syncing audio. As for slate apps, there's one simply called MovieSlate that gets fits the bill.

My best work was the most recent thing I finished... two years ago. Argh. Adam Funn

Which programs do you need that are Windows-only?

The Mk II is a fantastic camera. The Mk III is obviously better, but the II is no slouch. Be sure to get the latest Magic Lantern firmware, if you're going to be shooting video. Among other things, it lets you increate the bitrate of the encoded video, drastically lowering compression...

I had no idea they supported that! Fantastic.

Something just occurred to me... I've seen films take absolutely ridiculous things and make them work, just by how the script builds up the world that the story takes place in. You can make just about anything believable so long as the world built up in the story supports it. You could...

If you've got Premiere CS5 or better, there's an even easier solution: Create your editing sequence in a 2.40 ratio! No cropping or mattes necessary. For HD, the sequence should be 1920x800. Just toss your original 16:9 footage into the timeline and edit!