Emerging Filmmakers to Watch on The Double Down Film Show - Tonight!

Tonight - Weds. April 8th - on The Double Down Film Show:

On the next Double Down Film Show we'll examine the conundrum of achieving high production value with limited resources with some emerging filmmakers who are creating considerable buzz with their latest projects.

Rashaad Ernesto Green is an actor turned filmmaker whose film, Premature, was recently screened on HBO and Starz and just took second place at the NYU First Run Film Festival last week. He was just named by Indiewire Magazine as one of "Ten Exciting New Voices in Black Cinema".



We'll also be speaking with Director, "Black Magic" Tim and D.P., Eric McClain of RVI Motion Media and Cyberstorm Digital about the secrets to their success in shooting the new low-budget big-action sci-fi series "Vector 2033" using the latest greenscreen and CGI technology.

Click link to: Watch the "Vector 2033" Trailer - Full Screen

Production Stills from "Vector 2033":

Create Your Own

The Double Down Film Show...Filmmaking Reality Starts Here!

Date / Time: Wednesday April 8 - 9pm-10pm

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Call-in Number: (646) 929-1956

Listen To It Online Here:

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/DoubleDownFilmShow

*PS - If you can't tune in live, you can still stream the show or save the podcast to your iPod later at the site above.

A Lively Conversation w/ Outrageous Director Lloyd Kaufman - Tonight!

Tonight on The Double Down Film Show we’ll have a conversation with legendary modern B-movie director, Lloyd Kaufman. Co-founder and president of Troma Entertainment, arguably the longest-running independent film studio in the world.

Lloyd has operated outside of the studio system for more than 40 years, writing, directing and producing outrageous low-budget independent films that have influenced a generation of directors including Peter Jackson, Eli Roth and Quentin Tarantino. He also has an insightful and hilarious new film book out called, Direct Your Own Damn Movie.

FAIR WARNING: There WILL be some offensive content for everyone.

The Double Down Film Show…Filmmaking Reality Starts Here.

Date / Time: Wednesday April 1 - 9pm-10pm

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Call-in Number: (646) 929-1956

Listen To It Online Here:

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/DoubleDownFilmShow

Watch "Paper Chasers" Online for FREE!

Many of you have emailed me asking about director Maxie Collier's documentary Paper Chasers which is an inspirational and instructive doc about Hip Hop entrepreneurs. I mentioned it several times in my book, The Shut Up and Shoot Documtary Guide, because it's the project where the very idea for the book and this business (Down and Dirty DV) was born.

Almost every production technique I write about in the book was applied to this low budget documentary production...Shooting in the Hood, Stealth Camera Techniques, Feeding Your Crew, Traveling w/ Equipment, 10 Ways to Lower Your Budget, etc.

Paper Chasers is a great and rare study in the realities of low-budget filmmaking as half of the documentary is about us making the documentary. It's a stand alone doc and a making-of doc rolled all in one. (I pop up in a few cameos throughout, but I'm mostly behind the second unit camera for the crew shots.)

I served as Associate Producer/Gaffer/2nd Unit Camera/2nd Unit Audio, etc. It's always available on Netflix and at better video stores everywhere, but for a limited time it can be viewed online for FREE at Maxie's site, PaperChasers.TV .

Of the many projects I've worked on in 17 plus years on the film grind, this one is still probably my favorite on several accounts: I was working with a crew that I truly consider to be friends. We hung out with each other socially on a daily basis long before, during and after the production. I futher learned how to really make those limited dollars show up on the screen. And biggest of all, it literally changed my life by inspiring me to start my own film educaton business (which you are enjoying right now) and write my first book (which is now a bestseller).

It introduced me to so many influential people in the entertainment industry that started with much less than I had, but had managed to parlay it into so much more with four simple ingredients: PLANNING, HARD WORK, FAITH AND PERSERVERANCE. I still think back to and try to apply the many lessons of Paper Chasers to my life and business on a daily basis.

The movie has been edited down to an hour and half, but I sat thru at least 56 hours of great advice from the likes of Fat Joe, Jamie Foxx, James Brown, Chuck D, Ludacris, Damon Dash, Chuck D, Tony Mercedes, Flavor Flav, etc. (Yes, even Flav had words of wisdom- "Don't work with people that want to make money off you, try to find people that want to make money with you.")

Not only that, but it was mad inspirational to interview someone who was at the time a complete unknown outside their local area, have them share their plan, then see them execute the plan they told us about and blow up on the world stage- Ludacris, South Park Mexican, 5th Ward, Big Moe (R.I.P.), and others.

Anyway, it's got a real cult following amongst urban entrepreneurs and music industry types, but the valuable lessons I took away from the film and the making of it are all 100% applicable to any struggling filmmaker or artist. You may know the "show", but if you want to actually succeed, you need to also know and understand the "business" part of the equation. That's what this film helps deliver.

I don't know how long it will be posted, so enjoy the flick while you can. You will learn, laugh and be inspired by the end. Let me know what you think afterward.

The Paper Chasers Trailer (1:26):

TO WATCH "PAPER CHASERS" FULL-LENGTH FOR FREE:
CLICK HERE

Client's Corner - Ian Hutchinson

Many people confuse the terms "Down and Dirty" and "Guerrilla" filmmaking as somehow being inferior or half-assed filmmaking methodologies or philosophies that compromise quality and professionalism.

These are the very same type of people that marched the well-uniformed British Army in straight orderly lines across open fields while a ragtag bunch of American patriots whipped their ass with rusty muskets while wearing plain clothes and hiding and shooting from behind any available rock, tree or gulley.

It's not really these people's fault, they just have very limited imaginations, so they don't get it. It ultimately may take a few musket balls in the head and bayonets to the groin to make them realize the potential effectiveness of superior guerrilla tactics that don't depend on overwhelming numbers, superior weapons or endless resources.

As I see it as a bonafide DV Evangelist, guerrilla filmmaking (when done right) often takes MORE careful planning and execution to make the very most of limited resources. Every move has to be thought out, every contingency planned for, and every dollar stretched to make it up on the screen.

Sneak Preview
Down and Dirty Filmmaking: Guerrilla Tactics for Professional Results DVD


Down and Dirty Filmmaking DVD - Guerrilla Special Forces from Anthony Artis on Vimeo.

(*This full 1hr. 22min. Seminar DVD will be available soon on this website.)


So to the Down and Dirty guerrilla filmmaking philosophy is not about being cheap and taking shortcuts that make things easier and compromise quality. Rather, it's about being ultra-efficient and using creativity, labor and planning to make up for your lack of resources and find a way to match or emulate the big budget filmmakers with half the money and crew.

The video below was done by talented animator/filmmaker Ian Hutchinson, one of my very first consulting clients. I helped Ian figure out where to put the (very limited) dollars in the budget for this project, so that they would have maximum impact onscreen.

People always ask me things such as should I rent a stedicam? A 35mm lens adapter? A Red Camera? A jib?...and my answer is different for every case, because it always depends on the COST vs. VALUE that that element brings to a particular project. In this case the big ticket item was a Steadicam operator and it was money well spent to execute the concept.

So don't get it twisted, I'm not a proponent of cheap and quick...I'm a proponent of effective and efficient. Peep Ian Hutchinson's video, Chocolate Pom Pom, below and see what can be accomplished with a small budget using creativity, hustle, an smart planning...

Chocolate PomPom
by animeboy46

Filming underground

It has long been believed, by many filmmakers and photographers, that shooting in the iconic New York City subway system is against the law and a great way to get the unwanted attention of transit cops. In a post 9/11 city, this belief is generally accepted as untested fact. Why should you expect to be allowed to freely capture images in such a potentially sensitive environment?

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) has tried at least twice in the past few years to institute a ban on photography and filming for safety reason. But public outcry has so far succeeded in stopping them in their tracks.

And so, buried in the Restricted areas and activities section of the MTA's the rules of conduct is Section 1050.9 C.

Why not print out a copy and take it along on your next low-budget, hand-held, unlit shoot?

"Section 1050.9 C

Photography, filming or video recording in any facility or conveyance is permitted except that ancillary equipment such as lights, reflectors or tripods may not be used. Members of the press holding valid identification issued by the New York City Police Department are hereby authorized to use necessary ancillary equipment. All photographic activity must be conducted in accordance with the provisions of this Part."


And for anyone interested in making a big budget Hollywood movie in the New York Subway - heres a great how-to article from the MTA:
http://www.mta.info/mta/news/newsroom/nyct-lopez.htm

Meanwhile London's metro system, considered by many to be almost as scenic as New York's, requires permits for all filming and photography:
http://www.tfl.gov.uk/tube/arts/filming/filming-faqs.asp

Down and Dirty DV Raincover

Down and Dirty DV is all about teaching you to make the most of whatever you've got to work
with and finding 

low-cost effective solutions to everyday filmmaking problems.

Video cameras and water don't mix.  However, sooner or later, we all have to deal with
shooting in the rain or not getting our shot.   Rain covers are often a pricey and
low-priority accessory for guerrilas.  Here's a very simple alternative to keep your
camera dry when it drizzles.  It's virtually cost-free and will take you less than the
time to read this article to actually do.

Guerrilla Recipe - 30 Second Down and Dirty DV Raincover














Ingredients:
1. Clear Plastic Bag
2. Rubberbands

Utensils:
1. Razorblade or scissors to slice bag

Instructions:














1. Get a clear plastic trash liner. Those plastic bags from the vegetable section
of the grocery store might work as well if they're big enough. Cut about a 4" slit
in the side of the bag (just big enough for your hand to fit through).















2.Place the camera inside so that the lens is facing out the opening of
the bag and the slit you cut is at the bottom of the camera.















3.Secure the bag around the lens hood/shade with a rubberband so that only
the lens glass is left exposed.   Smooth out the plastic over the lcd flipout
screen and secure with a seperate rubberband.

4.Slip your hand in the bottom and shoot like normal.

Additional Tips for Shooting in Wet Weather:

-It's always best to still have an assistant with an umbrella for heavy rain.
-Use 2 bags for extra protection.
-Dry off any exposed parts of the camera that get wet ASAP after shooting.

Total cost of professional raincover = $85.00
Total cost of the down and dirty raincover = $.33

If you find this type of info helpful, holla back at a brotha and let 'em know with
the handy "comments" buttons below any of the blog posts.  Happy guerrilla filmmaking,
y'all.  

Peace, Love and Video,
-Ant.