July 8, 2018

4 Camera Techniques All Beginner Filmmakers Should Know

If you’re new to filmmaking, here are some basic camera techniques that you’ll want to work on.

In the early days of cinema, around the late 1880s, the camera was a stationary storyteller. The technology at the time relegated it to capturing scenes played out right in front of it (usually in a wide shot) because the tripod allowed for zero movement. However, in 1903, director Edwin S. Porter and cinematographer Blair Smith were one of the first filmmakers to incorporate a pan into a film (The Great Train Robbery), and since then, cinematic technology has continued to reach new heights, giving directors and DPs more and more ways of harnessing the power of the moving camera.

So, what’s the deal with this history lesson? Well, it’s simple. Today, we have gimbals and ball heads and friggin’ miniature RC quadcopters that can shoot aerials of an entire city, so we often take simple camera movements for granted, like the pan, tilt, dolly, and boom. In this video, Fandor’s Jacob T. Swinney goes over these four different camera moves in hopes of explaining their significant contribution to storytelling.

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Source: NoFilmSchool

July 7, 2018

How to Recreate the Eye Zoom Transition from XXXTentacion’s ‘Sad’ Video

This spinning eye zoom transition might take quite a bit of work to create, but it’s so worth it.

One of the greatest things about music videos is that they often give filmmakers a chance to experiment with the medium and explore their own creativity. Just take a look at director JMP’s work on XXXTentacion’s posthumously released music video for his hit single “Sad.” It’s full of symbolism and controversial imagery (namely the fact that he’s seen attending his own funeral…eerily coincidental) but it also has some pretty interesting technical tricks, like the eye zoom transition that occurs near the end of its runtime.

Whether you’re a fan of XXXTentacion’s music or just a lover of a great transition, this tutorial from Jordy Vandeput of Cinecom walks you through the steps of creating the very stylish in-camera transition used in the late rapper’s music video.

But before we get to the tutorial, check out the music video to see the eye zoom transition in action. It occurs at around the 4:49 mark.

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Source: NoFilmSchool

July 7, 2018

Oculus Go vs. Lenovo Mirage Solo

Pitting the Oculus Go vs. Lenovo Mirage Solo with Daydream is our latest quest to find the best mid-tier, standalone virtual reality headset. They’re both lookers with lots of great content, but how do they compare?

The post Oculus Go vs. Lenovo Mirage Solo appeared first on Digital Trends.

Source: Digital Trends VR

July 7, 2018

Got 2 Minutes to Learn 6 Easy In-Camera Transitions?

In-camera transitions can give your project plenty of style without costing you a dime.

A good transition can add a lot of flair and production value to your project. Of course, you can try your hand at designing one in post, an endeavor made easier if you have at least some experience working with Premiere Pro, After Effects, or some other NLE. However, in-camera transitions are often faster, easier, and more fun to pull off—and you’ll spend considerably less time editing in a dark room (which is always good). In this quick video, the team over at Mango Street shows you how to do six different in-camera transitions that are sure to make your next project sexy as hell.

Though it’s not entirely essential, building up your arsenal of in-camera transitions is a smart move to make as a filmmaker. There are so many clever and unique ways to use the space around you, as well as the objects, people, and even light within them, to create some pretty cool ones, but just to give you a place to start, here are the six in-camera transitions mentioned in the video:

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Source: NoFilmSchool

July 6, 2018

Watch: Stanley Kubrick Interprets the Ending of His ‘2001: A Space Odyssey’

Confused by the ending of ‘2001: A Space Odyssey’? Let Stanley Kubrick explain it to you.

The pinnacle of science fiction cinema and the ultimate experience enhanced by an ample supply of hallucinogens, Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey celebrates its 50th anniversary this year. Hailed by Andrew Sarris of The Village Voice as a “major film by a major artist,” the film won the Academy Award for Best Special Effects at the following year’s Oscar ceremony. It is almost universally considered a masterpiece.

After having a recent theatrical run overseen by mega-fan Christopher Nolan—in which an “unrestored” 70mm print attempts to take us back to what it would’ve felt like to watch the film in 1968—now feels as good a time as any to revisit 2001. If you’re intimidated by that proposal, finding yourself more befuddled than enthralled by film’s end, perhaps you would request the director himself’s interpretation of the film, particularly its psychoactive, time-jumping ending. Thanks to a recently discovered interview with Kubrick, that’s now very much a reality.

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Source: NoFilmSchool

July 6, 2018

‘Sharp Objects’: DP Yves Bélanger on Letting Available Light and the Subject Shape Your Cinematography

For DP Yves Bélanger of the HBO miniseries ‘Sharp Objects’, following the moment is central, even in a narrative.

Sharp Objects, the new HBO miniseries adapted from Gillian Flynn’s novel and directed by Jean-Marc Vallée, could best be seen, at first, as a collection of highly nuanced parts. Some of these parts represent characters with complex backstories and even more complex exteriors. Some of these parts are mini-narratives that draw interest and then intensify. As the series develops, all of these parts draw closer and closer to each other until they join, forming a mural that is both otherworldly and distinctly familiar.

“We don’t add any extra light. So, the subject, the location, creates a different visual effect, because we respect it.”

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Source: NoFilmSchool