September 23, 2017

Watch: How to Turn a Keychain into a Perfect DIY Follow Focus

Here’s a super cheap and easy follow focus solution.

Follow focus systems can be pretty expensive, between $100 to $1500 depending on features and quality of the build, but you don’t even need to spend more than a few bucks to get yourself a decent tool. In this video, filmmaker Dave Knop (aka: knoptop) shows us how he turned a random $4 dollar keychain he got from a hardware store into a pretty effective follow focus that fits large and small lenses. Check it out below:

The keychain Knop uses in the video is called the Key Band-It, a flexible band made out of waterproof, latex-free material. Though these things are designed to keep your keys safe, particularly while you’re at the gym, we can clearly see that it works well as a follow focus thanks to its accordion design and “ThermoPlastic Rubber” band, which provides plenty of grip. (You can get it for $4 at Lowes.)

Is it the greatest DIY follow focus ever? I don’t know, but it definitely looks like it works. So it might be worth a shot, especially if you’re not using anything right now to help you focus.

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Source: NoFilmSchool

September 23, 2017

This Is Not a Drill. Martin Scorsese is Teaching a MasterClass on Filmmaking

One of the greatest directors of all time, Martin Scorsese, wants to teach you filmmaking.

If you could pick any living filmmaking legend to teach you the art of making films, who would you pick? If you said Martin Scorsese, your dream is about to come true. The human cinematic encyclopedia himself is the latest high-profile filmmaker to join the ranks of MasterClass instructors, which includes director Werner Herzog, composer Hans Zimmer, screenwriters Shonda Rhimes, David Mamet, and Aaron Sorkin, as well as actors Steve Martin, Dustin Hoffman, and Kevin Spacey.

Check out the promo for Scorsese’s MasterClass to get a taste of what you’re in for.

If you’re unfamiliar with MasterClass, it’s an online platform that gives users the chance to learn from some of the most renowned experts in a given field, whether it’s cooking, music production, or chess, through a series of videos (2-5+ hours), class workbook, and interactive assignments.

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Source: NoFilmSchool

September 23, 2017

5 Things You Can Do Right Now to Make Your Screenplay Better

If your script just isn’t hitting the mark, here are a handful of things you can try in order to get it there.

Writing a screenplay is kind of like trying to carry too many things at once. At first, you think you’ve got a pretty good grip, but pretty soon you feel that grip start to loosen. So, you adjust your arms to accommodate the shifting weight only to realize that some items on the other side are now starting to slip. Then it happens: something falls. So you pick it up, but as you do, something else falls. So, you pick that up, but then another thing falls and so on and so forth until you’re just the jackass out in a grocery store parking lot dropping shit and picking shit up ad infinitum.

Yeah, so screenwriting’s like that. It can get frustrating at times trying to keep everything together (and off the ground), but the more you know about what works and what doesn’t work may help you put your narrative elements in places where they have a better chance of staying put.

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Source: NoFilmSchool

September 22, 2017

Keep a 360-degree view on Notre Dame-Michigan football game using Fox Sports VR

Fox Sports is teaming up with LiveLike to cover the game through the free Fox Sports VR app. This time around, Fox is adding a 360-degree Skycam view of the action between Michigan State and Notre Dame.

The post Keep a 360-degree view on Notre Dame-Michigan football game using Fox Sports VR appeared first on Digital Trends.

Source: Digital Trends VR

September 21, 2017

Stream yourself in a virtual costume with Instagram’s new live face filters

Instagram’s augmented reality face filters are now available in real time. With the update, users can try on as many virtual effects as they like while still live-streaming on their phone.

The post Stream yourself in a virtual costume with Instagram’s new live face filters appeared first on Digital Trends.

Source: Digital Trends VR

September 20, 2017

Afraid of heights? Scientists might be able to fix that — with magnets and VR

Could a combination of virtual reality and transcranial magnetic stimulation help people overcome severe phobias? Researchers from the University Hospital of Würzburg in Germany think so.

The post Afraid of heights? Scientists might be able to fix that — with magnets and VR appeared first on Digital Trends.

Source: Digital Trends VR