Search results

I never use the Text tool. Better to use the one called "Boris 3D Text". It not only has better-quality text, but also has it's own interface for adjusting the spacing of the text. You can also use different text sizes without having to build separate text boxes that are harder to align in the...

This happened on my last shoot too. I had several actors begging to be in the film. So, I made all the agreements with their agents and even talked to them personally the night before the shoot. They never showed up and never even bothered to call. They are now permanently removed from my list...

RAW is just the untouched data from each pixel of the image sensor. Any settings you set in-camera (like saturation, white balance, etc) are not permanent. When you open the RAW file on a computer, you first must process the file, where you can adjust all the settings and change them if desired...

Guess my post got lost in the server issue, so... Here are some stills from my last short, "Suffering Fools", which should premiere at the On Location Memphis Film Fest and then at the Oxford Film Fest. That's me filming our crazy killer. Telling our makeup artist (my wife) where to...

I have both, and after trying to get into Motion for several months, I just gave up. It tries to hold your hand way too much, which actually makes it more difficult when you are trying to do a very specific effect. So, I purchased After Effects, which is much more my style. Masking is so much...

I've had my shorts shown on large theater screens (using a digital projector). My first few were shot with a Canon HV20 consumer HD camcorder. They looked decent enough. The last one was shot with a Sony HVR-Z5U pro cam and it looked much better. The pro cam has less noise, better color...

I wasted money buying a cheap Smith-Victor light kit. While we use the mess outta them, I'm starting to gradually replace them with ARRI heads. Also bought a super-cheap boom arm. Serious waste of money since it will barely even handle a small ARRI 150. Plus, the handle already broke due to the...

That was great! Cinematography was excellent, as were the F/X and sound. Great job.

I shoot everything at 1080/24p native at 1/48 shutter speed, and edit and export in 24p. That gives me the closest to that "film look" as I can get. Never tried shooting at 30p, but I'm sure it will give you a slightly smoother look, commonly associated with video. When I shot a commercial at...

I edit with an iMac. I import all my footage from my HDV camera via FireWire to an external hard drive that is also attached to the iMac via FireWire. Just plug the camera in, turn it on in playback mode, open your capture software, and capture the footage. You just tell your capture software...

I'm going through this right now. Had a great idea for a visually stunning short where a character steps into the pit of hell. Did some 3D test comps to see if I could model this hellish environment and was completely stoked that I could indeed pull off this visual feast with some technical...

Another trick to light small objects is to use a small make-up mirror. You can buy these on rotating stands for under $15. Bounce your light off it and direct the narrow beam to where you want it. Adjust the width of the beam by moving the light closer or father from the mirror. Simple. BTW...

My first film was lit with those cheap clamp lights. They are around $6.00 each at Wal-Mart. Pick up one of those aluminum basting trays and use that to shape the light or reduce spill. I still use these all the time.

Edit in Final Cut Pro 6 (though now dabbling in Premiere Pro CS5), audio mixing in Soundtrack Pro 2, compositing in After Effects CS5, and DVD authoring in DVD Studio Pro 4.

Sunshine has beautiful photography. One of the best in the sci-fi genre.

Thanks. It was edited in Final Cut Pro using Magic Bullet Looks. Needed more precision to cut this exquisite piece of art. :D

Flicker, is it true that you can only have one sequence per project? If so, that would drive me nuts.

"The Fountain"

Yes! "Dreams" has to be one of the most beautiful films ever shot. The cinematography is spectacular. Wish this would be released on Blu-ray. "Hidden Fortress" is also a great Kurosawa film. I enjoyed "Seven Samurai", but I certainly could tell something had to be missing in the translation.

I'm having a hard time grasping that FCPX doesn't support tape-based capture, based on the Creative Cow article. Really? Apple's FCPX features page says it supports capture via Firewire. Guess I'll wait until the dust settles from this.