September 29, 2018

5 Essential Cuts You Should Master as a Film Editor

As an editor, if you want to make the cut, then you’ve got to know your cuts.

Editing is an arduous, time-consuming, and complicated craft that challenges both hemispheres of your brain as well as your assertion that, yes, filmmaking and editing is something you want to do for the rest of your life. (Pretty sure I’ve wanted to quit after almost every project I’ve ever edited.) However, one thing that makes the process a little easier and go a little more smoothly is knowing your editorial tools like the back of your hand, namely the types of cuts that you’ll use most often in your work. The team over at Filmora breaks down five of them in the video below, offering explanations of what they are, what they do, and how to use them when you head into post.

Now, before we get into all the fancy schmancy cuts (they’re really not that fancy), I think it’s important to first establish what a standard cut is and how it functions. For most of you, I know, this is like the first day of Remedial Editing for First-Time Beginners 101, but stay with me.

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Source: NoFilmSchool

September 29, 2018

The Oculus Quest’s competitor isn’t Rift or Vive. It’s the Nintendo Switch

While Oculus is optimistic that its standalone Quest VR headset will deliver a quality experience, the headset was designed on a mobile chipset. That means its less of a Rift replacement and more like the VR equivalent of Nintendo’s Switch.

The post The Oculus Quest’s competitor isn’t Rift or Vive. It’s the Nintendo Switch appeared first on Digital Trends.

Source: Digital Trends VR

September 29, 2018

Let This Infographic Tell You How to Be the Best PA You Can Be

If you’re a production assistant and want to stand out among the rest of your fellow PAs, take a look at this.

Production assistant: it’s often the first position aspiring filmmakers take on their journey to becoming rich and famous and mega respected directors, so suffice it to say that it’s really, really, really important to be exceptional at it. But— how? Isn’t the job mostly just taking drink orders and generally being in the way of everything? Well, yes…but no. There’s so much more to being a PA than being a coffee mule. Being prepared, able to communicate clearly, and anticipate the needs of the cast and crew are just a few of the highly desired qualities directors look for in a PA, but there are many other qualifications and skills that will definitely help you shine brightest while on set.

Lucky for you, Sean Baran of FilmToolKit has put together a super handy infographic that goes over several important aspects of being a production assistant, from being well-equipped with all of the necessary tools and gear to how to comport yourself while on set to make sure you come across capable and professional. Check it out below:

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Source: NoFilmSchool

September 29, 2018

4 Ways You Can Use Silhouette Lighting in Your Films

There are many ways to use silhouettes creatively in your films. Here are a few ideas.

When filmmakers talk about cinematography they often described as “painting with light.” However, great DPs don’t just know how to wield light like Picasso, they also know how to wield darkness, and one lighting technique that utilizes the dark stuff to make shots more dynamic and visually interesting is the silhouette. If you’re interested in learning more about the different ways in which you can use silhouettes effectively in your work, check out this video in which Aputure’s Ted Sim and DP David C. Weldon Jr. share four examples of silhouette lighting, how to light them, and how use them cinematically.

There are not only many other ways to utilize silhouettes but also achieve them with different lighting setups. Sim and Weldon provide step-by-step instructions on how each of their four setups were done. These are the four they demonstrate in the video:

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Source: NoFilmSchool

September 28, 2018

5 Tips from Director Liu Jie on Exceeding as a Filmmaker

“I think it’s possible to ask too much about what effect a film might have.”

Award-winning Chinese writer/director Liu Jie—known for his vérité explorations of social justice issues—premiered his latest cinematic baby, Baby, at TIFF 2018. The film has already amassed glowing reviews and is currently playing in San Sebastian, Spain, for its second festival at the end of September.

Baby is Chinese Neorealism with an edge. The native title of the film, Bao Bei Er, means “precious”—but the children in the film are anything but. Liu turns his lens on the Chinese working class with searing emotional intensity.

We follow Meng, a 19-year-old foster child who suffers from a congenital illness. She wants to support her ailing foster mother but faces discrimination from employers due to her disability. Her friends are even worse off: deaf-mutes who rely on disability pensions. When Meng finally finds work as a hospital janitor, she discovers a disabled infant abandoned by her parents. A reminder of her own infancy, the baby’s fate becomes an ethical bone of contention…and Meng doesn’t know how to let go.

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Source: NoFilmSchool

September 27, 2018

Oculus Quest hands-on review

Oculus announced that its Project Santa Cruz virtual reality headset will ship next year as the Oculus Quest, and we got to try out several new game titles on the Quest. Find out our impressions of VR without wires.

The post Oculus Quest hands-on review appeared first on Digital Trends.

Source: Digital Trends VR

September 27, 2018

The Facebook Red Manifold shows what 360 content from 16 8K lenses looks like

Hollywood videos will now get the same movement seen in VR video games. The Facebook Red Manifold is a 6DoF camera that uses 16 8K sensors from Red to capture 3D video with enough data to move in. So what’s 6DoF cinema look like?

The post The Facebook Red Manifold shows what 360 content from 16 8K lenses looks like appeared first on Digital Trends.

Source: Digital Trends VR

September 26, 2018

The $400 Oculus Quest brings more power to untethered VR gaming

Oculus announced its latest stand-alone virtual reality headset, the Oculus Quest, at its Connect 5 keynote. The new Quest headset is intended to deliver a more immersive VR experience without the need for a powerful PC.

The post The $400 Oculus Quest brings more power to untethered VR gaming appeared first on Digital Trends.

Source: Digital Trends VR