Pre-visualization Software

Filmmakers often use storyboarding to plan their shots. Here are two tools that kick it up and notch and allow you to create animated shots to visualize your ideas:

http://www.moviestorm.co.uk/

https://www.frameforge.com/

Camera Rental Communities

First there was AirBnB, then Uber, and now the social economy is moving to videography with a number of sites dedicated to connecting people with gear to people who need gear. Check out these these ones:

KitSplit 
KitSplit is making gear rentals more enjoyable and affordable for a huge community of artists and filmmakers. Called “the Airbnb of cameras” by Forbes , No Film School , and Fast Company , our community marketplace connects creative professionals with owners of top notch equipment, including production companies, individuals, and rental houses.

KitSplit saves time and money with a streamlined rental process. Renters can search across thousands of vendors at once, buy shoot insurance on the spot, and order on-demand delivery and pickup. Equipment owners can safely make money renting gear out to vetted and fully insured professionals.

ShareGrid
ShareGrid is an online marketplace for sharing film and photography equipment with other people in your city. We call it 'The Camera Sharing Community'.

Our members rent everything from tripods to grip trucks, DSLRs to drones. If you can find it in a photo studio or on a film set, you can find it on ShareGrid.

Need equipment for shoot? Use ShareGrid to find exactly what you need locally. You can rent using one of our instant coverage options. And because you're renting direct from the owner, our prices are the most competitive in town.

Got equipment that you're not using all the time? Rent it out and make some extra cash! Every rental on ShareGrid is protected by one of our coverage options, and we verify each person who joins the site, so you can rent out your gear with confidence.

With over 40,000 members sharing more than $400 million worth of gear, ShareGrid is the place to go for professionals, hobbyists, students and part-time film-makers.

Borrow Lenses
Browse the largest online selection of photo and video gear. Choose your period of rental, and we’ll send you what you need.

Your order will arrive on the day you specify. You also have the option of picking up your order at one of our locations.

Shoot to your heart’s content with the highest quality professional equipment.

When your due date arrives, just use your prepaid label and the box your order came in to ship it back to us.

13 Creative Film and Video Editing Techniques

Once you master these edit types and learn why each one is important in different circumstances, you can make your projects more entertaining and your editing more efficient, and you can create a whole editing style of your own that reflects your creative side. Visit our blog to learn more: http://bit.ly/2uq0qDV In this video we review: 1. standard cut 2. fade in/fade out 3. jump cut 4. montage 5. cross dissolve 6. wipe 7. J/L cuts 8. cutting on action 9. cutaways 10. cross cut parallel editing 11. match cut 12. smash cut 13. invisible cut Check out all the Pond5 footage used in this video:
https://www.pond5.com/collections/1988966-13-editing-techniques-media-collection

Basic Audio Mixing for Video

One minute wonder

Further on the theme of one minute movies is a site called http://oneminutewonder.tv/. It features a variety of artists in one minute profiles. Each video follows almost exactly the same shot list and structure, but they are beautifully done.

One Minute Wonder 60 - Sir Peter Blake from Present Plus on Vimeo.

One minute movie

I've seen several one minute movie competitions lately. The constraints of making something just 60 seconds opens you up to some interesting creative possibilities. Here's a very simple story of a mother and daughter having an intimate moment on the young girl's birthday...


Little One from 1-Minute Film Competition on Vimeo.

Spider Lite Holster

Best Camera for Beginning Filmmakers

Cinematic Lighting Part 1

Language of Editing - Basic Cuts

This video has a great way of explaining types of cuts in editing.

There are two basic categories of cuts:

1) Mechanical: How the film is assembled. Form. 

2) Narrative: What the cut says (i.e. what meaning lies behind the cut). Function. Intent. 

Mechanical:

• The straight cut. Just a simple cut from one viewpoint to another. 
• The split cut. There are two types: The L-cut and J-cut. With this cut, the audio of the next scene either leads or trails the previous clip. This usually works best in scene transitions.
• The jump cut. A clip cuts into itself or a cut into two very similar clips. YouTubers use it all the time. 
• Transitions. Fades, wipes, dissolve, cross zoom, etc.

Narrative: 

• Match cut. Some visual element is present that makes two clips looks continuous. ex. the arm raises in a long cut and continues to raise in a tight cut. 
• Graphic match cut: A similar visual element is present as you transitions from one shot to another. ex. someone gets up from the couch and the shot transitions to someone getting out of their chair at work. Bone/space station in 2001. Lost World Jurrasic Park has a scream on the beach that transitions another character yawning (audio match cuts as well).
• Contrast cut: Two completely different feelings are juxtaposed, ex. Jurassic Park cut above with terrified woman to bored man. For example, flock of sheep compared to crowd of people. 
• The cross cut. Also parallel cutting. Not a single cut, but a series of cuts between two actions to indicate they are happening simultaneously. For example, Hannibal lecture when SWAT team is heading towards the house with the killer as we see the killer getting ready for someone to arrive (used misleadingly in the movie). In Bruges where three actions are happening at the same time in three places. In can also be used in the same setting where there is not necessarily continuity in action, like fight scenes for example. 
• The insert. A cut from the main action to a detail of interest. For example, in movies when anyone does something with their hands, like look at their phone. In documentaries they are used to add interest or illustrate a point. Also referred to as B-roll. 

YoloLiv: Stream Live Video from Your DSLR

I have avoided live streaming because it just seems complicated. This new device, currently on Kickstarter, appears to make the process much easier. And it's cheap!!

http://www.yololiv.com/

Alternative Slider Design - Andoer

Here is a slider alternative for less than $200. It is compact and has some nice features, but probably not sturdy enough for larger DSLRs.

Produced by: https://www.andoer.com

How to plug multiple mics into your camera...

Here's a great device for inputting more than one mic into your camera and monitor audio without an output jack.

5 Basic Principles of Video Editing

There are five editing principles outlined in this video:
1) No jump cuts: They draw attention to themselves and take the viewer out of the experience.
2) Use B-Roll: Supplemental footage that is cut into your shot. It is a great way to hide jump cuts and can provide more context or meaning to the shot.
3) Cut on motion: Cutting on motion hides the cut. You can cut on motion in the same scene or as a transition to move from one scene to another (nice example at 3:17).
4) Use the 180 degree rule: This is not so much an editing rule as it is a shooting rule.
5) Make sure the cut is motivated: There should be a reason for cutting rather than simply cutting randomly.
6) Direction of Movement: Movement to the right usually indicates moving forward in a positive direction. Movement to the left usually indicates regression or danger. 

Buying Camera Gear - Suggestions

Here are a couple of no nonsense videos that outline some of the things you need a filmmaker.

When your starting out as a filmmaker it can be tough to figure out what you should invest in. Usually the best things to invest in are accessories like variable ND filters, microphones, lenses and stabilizers.



Here is another video with some recommendations...

For the most part, the equipment and gear you buy will depend on your needs. If you are shooting mostly interviews indoors, then your needs will be very different from someone shooting travel videos. And that will be very different from someone shooting narrative film or shooting weddings.

One thing is clear is that the camera doesn't really matter all that much. The quality of most cameras and even phones are more than adequate for most filmmakers.

In my opinion, DSLRs are a relatively low cost and provide excellent quality and the functionality that most of us need. I shoot on the Canon 80D and usually just use the kit lens.