Crossing the line is a term for mis-matched screen direction. Christine & Steve discuss and show examples of when and why an editor would purposely "cross the line." Why would you want to cross the line? How can you plan ahead of time to allow or avoid crossing the line? What editing techniques can be used to "fix it in post?"
To learn more tips, check out the MacBreak Studio Podcast on iTunes!
ReelCast on Twitter has ALL the ReelCast info! Includes normal blog update notifications, and movie news not posted to the ReelCast blog!
"For Kathleen, (Catherine Mary Stewart) Christmas has always been an unwelcome reminder of her father's abandonment almost 30 years ago. Although she has tried to forget her past, it has not forgotten her, and in the days leading up to Christmas an unforgiving blizzard traps her in her own home with two unlikely roommates. Sam (Muse Watson), a gentle older man Kathleen took in for the night and Lucy (Cameron ten Napel), the daughter of her soon to be fiancé (Anthony Tyler Quinn) bring her face to face with the hurts of her past. Will she be able to let go and grab hold of a life changing forgiveness or will she continue to be haunted by the pain of the past?
A CHRISTMAS SNOW will challenge you with a message of forgiveness and redemption, as the storm of the century...brings the gift of a lifetime."
COMING FALL 2010!
- Watch the Tulsa News 6 interview with director Tracy Trost!
- You can also see Behind-the-Scenes Director's Diary videos here.
- Visit the Movie Website: www.achristmassnow.com
"Clearly, if the hype was at all true, the RED One was going to be a camera to be reckoned with. So, we took a deep breath, plunked down our deposit, and sat back and waited. Indeed, we waited so long that we became very concerned that our camera would not arrive in time to begin shooting in May 2008. But arrive it did. “Lewis” (RED One #791) became the very first RED One camera out here on the Kansas prairie. Shockingly, when Mary saw the quality of the footage we were capturing with “Lewis,” she immediately suggested we buy a second camera (which we named “Clark”), as well!
Let me cut to the chase: The RED One camera is everything we had hoped it was going to be. Properly lighted scenes really do look almost completely indistinguishable from the finest footage shot on 35mm film. Noise (except in improperly lighted scenes) is almost nonexistent.
As you might imagine, the resolution is extraordinary. Although, sadly, we do not have a monitor capable of actually letting us watch our footage in 4K (4K displays have yet to appear on the market, although 4K projectors do exist), even watching 2K proxy files pulled from the 4K RAW originals is a revelation. And artistic control over depth-of-field remains as bewitching as ever.
The ability to use completely different types of lenses on the front of the otherwise lenseless RED One camera is one of its great advantages. We shot our movie using Nikon manual-focus primes (single focal-length lenses) and controlled focus using the relatively inexpensive Redrock Micro follow-focus, since we cannot afford the PL-mount lenses and Arri follow-focus units typically used on Hollywood sets. The lenses were superb. The look was, well, just like film. Optically, this camera is a winner! (We have since changed out the front-end of the camera, and now use Canon L-series electronic lenses with a just released — and truly revolutionary — wireless follow-focus system developed by Birger Engineering.)
Is the RED One a perfect camera? No. Is it for you? Maybe, but it’s definitely not for everyone. If you are used to shooting with a fast-paced “run and gun” shooting style, the RED One camera is not likely to be your camera of choice. The RED One is a digital cinema camera — not a quick-as-lightning ENG system. It was designed primarily for set shots (“Lights! Camera! Action!”). It does not come with a lens and does not offer either auto-focus or zoom options. It has no internal microphone (but it is almost impossible to capture good cinema-quality audio with an on-camera microphone anyway).
The RED One camera is a bit bulky and heavy, as well. Our fully-equipped cinema set-up, which includes an LCD monitor, an electronic viewfinder, a typical lens, a follow-focus, hard-drive, audio connections, battery, carbon fiber rails, shoulder mount, front handles, remote camera trigger, and a swing-away mattebox, weighs in at about 27 pounds. That might not sound like much, but as anyone who has actually tried to use a RED One camera in hand-held mode can tell you, it gets very heavy in a hurry. Indeed, it is so heavy that we ended up investing in a special hand-held rig known as the Easyrig 3.0, to take the weight off our poor DP’s shoulder (a $2,500 accessory that we highly recommend to all hand-held shooters).... ~Stephen Pruitt
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You can read the full article/review and see more pictures of the camera and crew by visiting the Source Article.
"It’s an 18 megapixel entry-level DSLR for $800. It features all of the video modes of the Canon 7D and 1D Mark IV: 29.97, 23.976, and 25 fps at 1080p, along with 50 and 60 fps at 720p.
In fact, depending on how it performs, the Rebel may just be the new sweet spot. In the same way that the 1D Mark IV’s $5,000 price tag accounts for a bunch of pro stills features that don’t net much for the filmmaker, the shortcomings that put the Rebel at half the 7D’s price are most likely all in the stills department as well. If video is your primry interest in a DSLR, the Rebel could well represent the most bang for the buck." ~Stu Maschwitz
Amazon's pre-order price is listed at $799.
- You can read more info on the ProLost blog.
- Also, here is another take on the new camera by The Frugal Filmmaker.
It's an established fact that SATA is faster than FW800. I know a lot of editors who own external drives like G-RAIDs but never use the e-SATA connection, sticking to FW800 instead. I recently purchased a SATA card for my Mac Pro and connected my G-RAID up via eSATA. Here are the speed differences:
G-RAID via FW800
Via eSATA:
A $40 or so internal card and a different cable and you get a pretty decent speed increase. So if you own a G-RAID or another external drive that includes an e-SATA port, you should definitely consider getting the most out the drive as you can.
For those that aren’t on Twitter I wanted to post this amazing video that shows how the BBC series Life was able to achieve an amazing plant growing shots for the episode “Plants.” It involves multiple time-lapse tracking shots in the wild as well as the same shots recreated on blue-screen in the studio. All shot with a DSLR and brought together in the all-powerful After Effects.
in March we will be airing the radio drama of one of our best known titles, A Peep Behind the Scenes. But long before the day of the first broadcast, much must be accomplished to get the drama produced. The script must be written, actors need to be hired, the studio needs to be booked, and travel arrangements must be made.
For most of our dramas we head across the Atlantic to record with one of the world’s most talented radio theatre producers, Phillip Glassborrow at SoundHouse Studios, London. In the future, we’ll tell you all about Phillip. But as a precursor to that, I’d like for you to see some of our actors and production staff in action with these “behind the scenes” (pun intended!) videos from the recording sessions for A Peep Behind the Scenes. Enjoy!
(Source Article) - Visit the Lamplighter Blog for more info!
I see a lot of PSA's out there, trying to get drivers to wear their seatbelts, stop texting while driving, or the classic, 'don't drink and drive' commercial. They typically feature emotional trauma, blood, bruises, horrific accidents, and guilt ridden drivers who caused deaths with their carelessness.
But I recently saw a commercial with a much more appealing and memorable approach to the topic. Check out the commercial below.
The breakdown of the commercial:
00:00 Key Turning. 00:04 Foot on the gas. 00:06 Family watches, entertained - trucking right. 00:10 Driving happily - push in. 00:14 Family laughter, mid shot - push in. 00:17 A happy father, - truck right. 00:20 Daughter laughing, - push in. 00:22 Fearful driver, mid-shot - push in. 00:28 Panicked daughter, close up - push in 00:31 Yanking the wheel, close up - push in 00:35 Family leaps into action - push in 00:36 Daughter at his side 00:43 Her Fingers interlock 00:46 Wife grabs him 00:48 Her Fingers interlock 00:50 Impact Close-up 00:50 Impact Wide 00:58 Glitter Falls 01:02 A Family Embrace
You might say, "That's 19 shots in an 88 second commercial. That's averaging a cut every 4.5 seconds... How is that economical?" Well, in this instance, we're going to examine the setups and angles, or shots and not the number of times a shot is edited in, or cuts. There is a lot we were able to learn in this very short period of time, and a lot of action taking place. Yet the reason we were able to remember it all so very clearly, is that we didn't cut to a new angle every time.
The setups are actually very simple throughout the short. Shots 1 and 2 are throwaway angles. That's why the content in the shot is very limited. A key turns, a foot presses the gas pedal. But even though they pass by in six seconds, we know he's starting a car. There is very little to see in the shot, other than the hand with the invisible key, and the foot on the invisible gas pedal. This way, all our attention is devoted to the actions, not the environment.
This is true with every shot in the film; the environments are simple and unassuming, familiar to the viewer, so that the characters become the focal point....
Learning from the professionals in any industry is of utmost value, that is, if you are serious about your craft. This is no different for film composers. While it may be relatively simple to add just any score to a film, the intricacies covered in Richard Davis’ presentation at the New Mexico Filmmakers Conference in 2008 have to be understood, assimilated and utilized in order to take any score to the next level.
Richard Davis teaches at the Berklee College of Music and at this presentation addresses the basic process and timelines, MIDI mockups, temp tracks, and a requirement for the composer not only to be a musician, but step into the mind frame of a filmmaker as well in order to understand the needs and process of telling the story through the score.
Thanks to composer Jurgen Beck for posting these on his website.
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