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News & Updates
August 6, 2017
Awesome tech you can’t buy yet: Home steam cleaning, futuristic pianos, e-skin
Check out our roundup of the best new Kickstarter and Indiegogo projects and product announcements that hit the web this week. You can’t buy this stuff yet, but there’s no denying that it’s fun to gawk!
The post Awesome tech you can’t buy yet: Home steam cleaning, futuristic pianos, e-skin appeared first on Digital Trends.
Source: Digital Trends VR
August 6, 2017
Here Are All the Reasons Why You Should Stop Making Films
Most of the time, there are more reasons to quit than to shoot.
How many times have you told yourself that you don’t have what it takes to make films? Films take time, money, talent, and creativity and more often than not you feel like you just don’t have any of those things. Maybe your parents have told you that it’s a waste of time. Maybe you’ve already tried to break into the industry and failed. Maybe you haven’t made anything in years because your inner child has been replaced by your inner critic who is constantly telling you that if you try you are going to fail.
If this is you, you should watch this video by Simon Cade of DSLRguide immediately.
When I was in first grade, my teacher asked the class to draw a picture of our favorite animal. Once everyone was done, we sat in a circle so we could show everyone what we drew. When my teacher held up my picture—it was of a cheetah—a boy laughed and pointed at it, and that was the first time in my life that I ever realized that something I made could be seen as “good” or “bad.”
Source: NoFilmSchool
August 5, 2017
13 Must-Have Accessories for Making Films on Your Smartphone
These tools will certainly come in handy if you want to make movies on Apple and Android smartphones.
Smartphones on their own make for some pretty rough filmmaking. Their lenses, microphones, and settings all have limitations that can make capturing the shots you want difficult at best and impossible at worst. But, if you’re a smartphone filmmaker whose ideas and visions surpass these technological constraints, there are lots of relatively cheap accessories out there that can help turn your device into a pretty beefy cinematic tool. The team over at Film Riot lists 13 pieces of gear, including lenses, stabilizers, and microphones, that you should definitely take a look at.
Here are the accessories (and app) mentioned in the video. (Links are available in the video’s description.)
Source: NoFilmSchool
August 5, 2017
Watch: How to Create Handheld Camera Shake in After Effects
This simple technique can help you give your static footage a nice handheld feel.
Shooting handheld is really straightforward; it’s literally “put camera in hand and shoot.” But handheld shots are not only created while filming, they can also be created in post-production with your favorite NLE or VFX program. In this After Effects tutorial, Nathaniel Dodson of tutvid shows you how to utilize the wiggle expression to transform your static footage into dynamic and realistic-looking handheld camera work. Check it out below.
So when would you ever need to use this technique—I mean, if you want the handheld look why not just plan ahead and shoot handheld, right? Right. You should probably try to plan ahead and figure out what look you want to give your footage, but let’s be real—that doesn’t always happen. Sometimes your unplanned, casual shoot turns into something much more important or maybe you thought you wanted a static shot and decided later that handheld would look better.
Source: NoFilmSchool
August 4, 2017
How a ‘Musical Doc’ Became One of Sundance’s Biggest Acquisitions
Amanda Lipitz, director ‘Step,’ shot 400+ hours of footage. Here’s how she did it.
There’s no razzle-dazzle, no fireworks, no mega screens. It’s only high school girls in jeans and T-shirts, stomping and clapping. And yet, the performance on stage is one of the most captivating that you’re likely to see. The work of the Baltimore Leadership School for Young Women’s step dance team is so powerful, in fact, that a documentary film about it had members of the cultural elite at Sundance 2017 on their feet, landing a multi-million dollar deal for distribution and remake rights from Fox Searchlight.
Source: NoFilmSchool
August 4, 2017
Live in LA and Need a Place to Write? Apply for This Free Fellowship
Coffee shops were not designed with writers in mind, but theOffice was.
Are you a writer living in LA who needs to get out of the house to write but is tired of trying to find a table at the local coffee shop? TheOffice is now seeking submissions for its free six-month fellowship until August 8, 2017.
TheOffice is a members-only, quiet, communal workspace for writers featuring 26 workspaces with Aeron chairs, plus complimentary coffee, tea, wifi, and Bose headphones. The free six-month fellowship is the equivalent of a Premium Membership, which offers private door code access to theOffice 24/7. So if the muse strikes at 3 AM on Thursday, theOffice is available to you.
Source: NoFilmSchool
August 4, 2017
PanelPicker Community Voting Begins Monday, August 7
We need YOU – the community – to lend us your expertise and weigh-in on the proposals we have received for the 2018 SXSW season during PanelPicker Community Voting from August 7-25. Browse submitted ideas, leave comments, and vote on what programming you would like to see at the 2018 SXSW Conference, SXSW EDU, and SXSW Gaming in March.
How to Vote
To be a part of the voting process beginning Monday, August 7, visit panelpicker.sxsw.com and login or create an account. If you created a SXSW account in 2013 or later, you will be able to use the same login and password.
Once you are logged in to PanelPicker, you can begin the voting process. Filter through proposals by session format, programming track, and level. You can also search for by title, description, tags, and speakers in the search field.
Each voter can vote once per proposal – selecting “arrow up” for yes or “arrow down” for no. You can also leave a constructive comment about the proposals you vote on. Have a question for the organizer? This is also a great place to post all of your questions.
During Community Voting, it’s also important for anyone who submitted a proposal to rally online support for your idea and encourage voting through your personal blog or social media channels. We have created handy “Vote For My PanelPicker Idea” graphics for you to use for social media sharing on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Inside the PanelPicker Process
Each year, SXSW PanelPicker helps shape the majority of the SXSW Conference programming. Community Voting comprises 30% of the SXSW Conference programming decision, plus input of the SXSW Staff (30%) and Advisory Board (40%) helps ensure that less well-known voices have as much of a chance of being selected to speak at SXSW as individuals with large online followings. Together these percentages help determine the final content lineup.
For more information about the Community Voting process, read the PanelPicker FAQ and visit the SXSW PanelPicker page.
Join Us in March
SXSW 2018 registration and housing are open for business! The SXSW early-bird has a lot of advantages including the biggest discount on registration fees and the best choice of Austin hotel rooms – register before September 8 and save.
SXSW 2017 Music Industry Track Panel – Photo by Judy Won
The post PanelPicker Community Voting Begins Monday, August 7 appeared first on SXSW.
Source: SxSW Film
August 4, 2017
The Daily Chord Weekly Recap – Friday, August 4
In the past week, we’ve seen music events marred by fire, thunderstorms and bees. Spotify passed 60 million subscribers and delayed the Billboard charts. The Daily Chord sorts through the music stories of the day and picks a handful to bring to your attention. Check out this week’s links below and subscribe to our email for a handy reminder in your inbox each weekday.
Monday, July 31
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Massive fire forces evacuation at Barcelona EDM festival
Post from Rolling Stone -
SZA: ‘The record company took my hard drive from me’
Interview from The Guardian -
Quincy Jones’ lawyer explains the crux of the case against the Michael Jackson estate, what happens next
Post from Variety -
‘TRL’ officially revived as MTV continues live push
Post from Hollywood Reporter -
YouTube wants to fix its awkward relationship with the music industry
Post from The Verge -
D.L. Menard, ‘the Cajun Hank Williams,’ is dead at 85
Obituary from NY Times
Tuesday, August 1
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Spotify surpasses 60 million subscribers
Post from Variety -
Pandora sort of bounces back after months of chaos
Post from TechCrunch -
Bruce Springsteen signs worldwide deal with Universal Music Publishing
Post from Billboard -
Bandcamp donating proceeds to Transgender Law Center this Friday
Post from Pitchfork -
An encore for the Native Americans who shook up rock ‘n roll
Review from NY Times -
The absolute best of R.E.M.: All 282 songs ranked by Slicing Up Eyeball’s readers
List from Slicing Up Eyeballs
Wednesday, August 2
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New bill calling for transparency in music is surprisingly opaque
Post from NPR -
Sad songs, artificial intelligence, and Gracenote’s quest to unlock the world’s music
Post from Variety -
Arbitration sets SESAC rate
Post from Pollstar -
If SoundCloud disappears, what happens to its music culture?
Commentary from NY Times Magazine -
Kanye West sues insurer Lloyds of London after cancelled Saint Pablo tour dates
Post from BBC News -
My Buddy (Patti Smith on Sam Shepard)
Post from New Yorker
Thursday, August 3
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The young Asian artists bucking hip-hop trends
Feature from CNN -
Lana Del Rey is named no. 1 after a rare delay holds up the Billboard chart
Post from NY Times -
Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five’s Kidd Creole arrested for murder
Post from Rolling Stone -
Burt Bacharach calls for a change in music plagiarism law
Post from BBC News -
This music production tool is the reason why all new music sounds the same
Post from Quartz -
Hard Events founder Gary Richards says he’s leaving Live Nation and Holy Ship Cruise
Post from Variety
Friday, August 4
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Inside Patreon, the economic engine of internet culture
Post from The Verge -
Bobby Bones vs. country music
Story from The Ringer -
Berklee students and grads create a noteworthy niche: music for videogames
Post from Boston Globe -
Lollapalooza cancels first-night performances due to weather emergency
Item from Pitchfork -
Bees delay Matchbox Twenty concert in Tucson
Item from BBC News -
Paradigm acquires Monterey International agency
Post from Variety
The post The Daily Chord Weekly Recap – Friday, August 4 appeared first on SXSW.
Source: SxSW Music
August 4, 2017
Editorial & Graphic Design: Everyone, El Salvador
Editorial & Graphic Design: Everyone, El Salvador
The mighty folks from Toronto-based Underline Studio have partnered with the Salvadoran human rights organization, Asociación Pro-Búsqueda. To create and design a special edition newspaper that highlights the atrocities of El Salvador’s civil war through art, poetry and action. Their goal is to spread awareness and promote their cause. You should definitely check out their Kickstarter and give them your support.
Behind this Kickstarter Campaign, it’s the work from Underline Studio. Based in Toronto, Ontario; they focus their work into brand, corporate and marketing communications.
Project Gallery
More Links
- Support their campaign now on Kickstarter
- Learn more about Underline Studio at underlinestudio.com
- Follow Underline Studio on Instagram
AoiroStudio
Aug 04, 2017
Source: Abduzeedo Editorial Design
August 4, 2017
How to Create a Composite Dreamscape using two photos in Photoshop
How to Create a Composite Dreamscape using two photos in Photoshop
It’s Friday and we would like to share this fun tutorial from Adobe in collaboration with photographer named Jaxson Pohlman. It’s about creating a composite dreamscape using two photos in Photoshop. As most of us like photography, it’s always nice to add some spark to your pictures with a simple technique. Let’s take a closer look.
Our friends from Adobe has released an easy step-by-step tutorial by fine art photographer Jaxson Pohlman. You can follow the steps from the Photoshop’s Instagram post and we have stepped them out below in the article as well.
In their words
Step 1
Hey guys! It’s @jaxsonpohlmanphotography here. I’m going to show you how to create a composite dreamscape using two photos in just a few steps. Swipe through to see my mini #Ps_Swipe tutorial!
Step 2
Using sunrise or sunset photos will add some spark to your final creation.
Step 3
Begin by opening the foreground photo in #Photoshop. We are going to mask a portion of the background out to create a smooth transition between the horizon and stars.
Step 4 (Video)
Use the Rectangular Marquee tool (M) and click and drag across the photo. Make sure to select in between the horizon and the top border of the photo. Go to Select -> hold the “Shift” key and click “Select and Mask.” Adjust the edge by dragging the “Feather” option to approximately 200px, then click ok.
Step 5 (Video)
Next, use the Move tool (V), click and drag the selection over to your star photo (background). Make sure the foreground layer is above the star layer. Use the Crop tool (C) to extend visibility. Using the Move tool, drag your foreground layer down to the bottom of the cropped area.
Step 6 (Video)
Duplicate the foreground layer by going to Layer -> and click “Duplicate Layer.” Label it as “no. 2” and click Ok. Select the original foreground layer. Go to Edit -> “Free Transform” and increase the vertical size. Double click to confirm, and then drag the photo down so that is transitions smoothly into the stars.
Step 7 (Video)
Using the Brush tool (B), we are going to add a bright star to make the transition between the horizon and sky feel a bit more real. Click the Brush Preset picker and adjust to 25px with a hardness of 50%. Change the mode the “Lighten” and have an 85% opacity and flow. Select the duplicate layer “no. 2” and apply the brush where the horizon fades into the stars.
Step 8 (Video)
After applying the brush to create a star, we are going to apply a second brush to give a glow to the star. Adjust your brush settings to 175px, 0% hardness, 50% opacity, and 25% flow. Apply this brush over the star just created.
Step 9
Add final touches such as exposure, contrast, color balance, etc. And that’s how you can create a simple composite dreamscape!
More Links
- Check out Jaxson Pohlman’s site: jaxsonpohlman.smugmug.com
- Follow Jaxson on Instagram
- Learn more Adobe Photoshop Blog: blogs.adobe.com/photoshop
AoiroStudio
Aug 04, 2017
Source: Abduzeedo Tutorials