Here's a quickie post for my low-budget horror peeps out there. It's a short instructional video by Tressa Sanders of Still Guerrilla Films on how to make fake intestines.
I have yet to make an actual horror film, but love the genre and spent many years as a volunteer for the Woodlawn Haunted House in Baltimore where I also plied my trade as a self-taught Special FX Make-Up artist.
No matter how old I get, I still love a little juvenile humor and fun. Thanks for sharing Tressa. Enjoy...
Saturday, February 14, 2009
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Apple Improves the Suckier New Version of iMovie
If you've followed this blog at all, you that I am huge fan and proponent of Apple products. It's not just that they are sexy and cool (which they are), but for me it's that they are stable, simple and extremely practical and easy to use. Rarely do I need to even consult a manual to get a new Apple product or software up and fully running...and I'm not that bright.Substance - good fully-functional products - is always number one. (Think Volvo.) Style is fun and hip to look at, but annoying when it's not practical. (Think cheap iKea furniture.) However, when you find a way to successfully marry the two together - you've got a bonafide hit everytime. (Think the Mini Cooper, iPod, or The Daily Show.) In a nutshell, Apple does what I continually strive to do with Down and Dirty DV, which is marry substance with style. They generally do it consistently and well, so that's why I usually love their products.
But you lest you think I have a completey bias eye towards Apple, know that they are not infallible in my eyes. So I will share one BIG way that that I think they screwed up recently- and that is with the most recent incarnations of their editing program, iMovie. I have always loved and relied on iMovie to put together mostly personal projects such as podcasts and home movies.
iMovie's always been a greatly simplified, but powerful editor that had more than it's share of powerful professional features to pull off a variety of video projects, even some more complex ones. It's always the first place I recommend newbies start with editing.
That being said, my man David Pogue, Technology writer for the New York Times, just wrote a great article that sums up the virtues of the old stylistic and functional iMovie versus the last two versions which stripped away the most functional parts of this once beloved program. Anyway peep it out for yourself. He's much more eloquent than me...Best Double Down Film Show Ever!
Last night’s show was great and went right to core mission of The Double Down Film Show - to help you succeed and stay inspired as you make your way in the film and tv industry. We had more people in the chat room and listening in LIVE than ever before. (Truth is we were just getting warmed up and could've easily gone another hour!)
Listen to the show for yourself on the player below. Here are just a few comments we got from listeners already:
“GREAT JOB MAN !!!!!!!! I listened to the radio show and ya said the truth”
- Eric Arriola"I'm sure I don't have to tell you that the show is excellent. I also know that I don't have to tell you that I really enjoyed listening and will continue to listen. It's very motivating not only to film makers, but entrepreneurs, artists, designers and dreamers. I really enjoyed it. You two are top notch. Thanks for sharing the wisdom."
-Lenny Mayers"Your blogtalkradio presentation was awesome! I can't wait for the next 20 lessons."
-Amanda Guest“Nice show, I listened in. Keep up the good work :))”
- Jacqueline Cofield N’Namdi“Great show tonight, Anthony. Each one, teach one in full effect- beautiful, just beautiful.”
- Kia M. Neal“Pete that was AWESOME. I got a chance to listen tonight…..Thank you and Anthony so much. I am fired up, inspired and just so open to the many possibilities. As you say Onward and Upward….Continued blessings to you!!!!!!!!!!!!”
- Richarda Abrams
To get the complete breakdown of our “20 Filmmaking Lessons Learned the Hard Way” you’ve gotta join the DOUBLE DOWN FILM COMMUNITY. This will be uploaded to the site later today exclusively for our members, as well as my and Pete's “Recommended Reading List”!
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
20 Lessons We Learned The Hard Way
This week myself and co-host, Pete Chatmon, are going straight to the core mission of the Double Down Film Show- to give you "the real" on advancing in the film and tv industry in a special episode entitled, Filmmaking Lessons We Learned the Hard Way.This will be a candid point-by-point conversation on all the most valuable and practical wisdom that we learned only through many years of experience in the industry.
Everyone is encouraged to participate directly by sharing your own stories of Lessons You Learned the Hard Way by logging into The Double Down Film Community and leaving a comment on our Forum.
After the show our full list will be emailed exclusively to members of The Double Down Film Community.
The Double Down Film Show...Filmmaking Reality Starts Here! TM
Date / Time: Wednesday February 11 - 9pm-10pm
Call-in Number: (646) 929-1956
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Christian Bale Apologizes
After a week of brewing controversy about his blistering tirade on the set of Terminator IV, Christian Bale has issued a public apology on the KROQ morning radio show. We discussed the issue some at the top of last week's Double Down Film Show before Bale's Apology.Here's a short excerpt followed by a link to the full audio version:
I think the incident is a tough career break for Christian and only time will tell if the public and Hollywood will ultimately forgive and forget his over-the-top on-set tirade. There's plenty of food for thought for budding filmmakers in this incident if you really think about it."The thing that I really want to stress is I have no confusion whatsoever. I was out of order beyond belief. I was way out of order. I acted like a punk. I regret that...There is nobody that has heard that tape that is hit harder by it than me. I make no excuses for it. It is inexcusable. I hope that that is absolutely clear." - Actor, Christian Bale
Apart from set etiquette and professionalism, I think there's a real lesson in the pressures of success and fame. Be careful what you wish for, because you just might get it...and once you get it, it may come with some unexpected strings attached...like paparazzi, total loss of privacy, 27 dependent employees, pressure to perform every time and possibly even a complete loss of perspective and reality.
I don't think it's cool to talk to anybody like that, least of all in front of crew, but I do understand some of the factors that can fuel such a freakout and based on another unfortunate incident with his family around the same time, Christian was/is clearly dealing with something else in his personal life. I think it's a good reminder of the importance of keeping our feet on the ground as we progress in our careers...especially if we do reach the top.
There's a flip side to everything.
-Ant.
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Christian Bale Completely Loses It On Set
(Above: Director, McG, and actor, Christian Bale, from Terminator IV)
The gossip website TMZ just broke this story today about actor Christian Bale who went ballistic on the set of Director McG's Terminator IV when the D.P. apparently walked onto a shot (or possibly the rehearsal of a shot) onset. I'm gonna post this one and let the audio speak for itself. Click below to listen...
WARNING: THIS CLIP CONTAINS SOME VERY GRAPHIC LANGUAGE.
Was Christian Bale in the wrong here?
Was the D.P. at fault?
Should the director have stepped in?
Will this hurt his career?
Is this really enough context to form a judgment?
How would you handle this situation on your set?
Is it ever okay to talk to anyone this way on set?
I wanna know what you think. I believe this is a real Hollywood learning opportunity.
Leave your comments below, better yet, call in or hit the chat room live tomorrow (Weds.) night at 9pm to discuss more at the top of The Double Down Film Show. Tomorrow's special guest will be casting director, Sig De Miguel.
Date / Time: Wednesday February 4 - 9pm-10pm
Call-in Number: (646) 929-1956
Casting Director Sig De Miguel on Double Down
Casting Director Sig De Miguel will be LIVE talking about how + who to cast in your projects and how to hire and work with a top casting director on your film.Sig de Miguel is the rare casting director who works on huge studio projects and unique indie films.
Learn how to cast your film with realistic goals and the best style of hustle. Great actors make great films -- you just need to know how to get to them.
More "real talk" with myself and Pete Chatmon of Double 7 Film on the real issues you want to know about a career in film and tv. Not to be missed!
Why...cause it's the DOUBLE DOWN FILM SHOW!!!
Date / Time: Wednesday February 4 - 9pm-10pm
Call-in Number: (646) 929-1956
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/DoubleDownFilmShow
Sig De Miguel's Bio:
SIG DE MIGUEL of S2 Entertainment worked alongside Amanda
Mackey and Cathy Sandrich Gelfond for six years where they cast such feature films as the award winning, critically acclaimed “United 93” directed by Paul Greengrass; “The Good Shepherd”, Robert De Niro’s epic film starring Matt Damon and Angelina Jolie, “The Lost City” starring and directed by Andy Garcia; “The Cooler” starring William H. Macy, Alec Baldwin and Maria Bello; “A Love Song For Bobby Long” starring John Travolta and Scarlett Johansson; “The Matador” starring Pierce Brosnan, Greg Kinnear and Hope Davis; “The Man” starring Samuel L. Jackson and “P.S.” starring Laura Linney and Topher Grace among others.With Mackey Sandrich he also cast the upcoming releases “Chapter 27” starring Jared Leto and Lindsay Lohan; “Fierce People” starring Diane Lane and Donald Sutherland and “Brooklyn Rules” starring Alec Baldwin and Freddie Prinze Jr. Sig’s other recently completed films include “Where God Left His Shoes” starring John Leguizamo and Leonor Varela, “A Crime” starring Harvey Keitel and Emmanuelle Beart and “Premium” starring Zoe Saldana and Dorian Missick.
Saturday, January 31, 2009
A Surprising Horror Treat
My man Dustin Chang director of the indie, Obviously Subtle, is one of the single most prolific cinema-philes I know. This guy knows and has turned me on to really great obscure little movies from all over the planet that I would've never discovered were it not for his recommendation and eagle eye for cool, weird, cult and overlooked movies. He recently loaned me this DVD title that I want to share with all my horror peeps out there.
I love horror movies, but good and original horror movies are few and far between, so I'm really happy to pass on this title, which I found to be both. It's called Ginger Snaps and it's a Canadian movie by director John Fawcett made in 2000. And like some other titles I've gotten from Dustin over the years, it was a pleasant little surprise that I can't believe I never heard about before.
I thought it was pretty original in that it's about werewolves and creepy teenage girls and has a great dark sense of humor. (If you want my Hollywood comparative description, it's Heavenly Creatures meets American Werewolf In London with a dash of Mean Girls thrown in.) I thought the characters and story were surprisingly three-dimensional and more complex than I ever expected for a horror movie, least of all one with a predominantly teenage cast.
Put it in your Netflix cue, zap some popcorn, turn out the lights and enjoy this delicious little Canadian horror treat called Ginger Snaps. (And if you like it, the sequel- Ginger Snaps II, which I also just watched, is a completely different movie and plot line, but also original, creepy and darkly humorous, albeit not quite as good as part 1.)
Ginger Snaps Trailer
Ginger Snaps II Trailer
I love horror movies, but good and original horror movies are few and far between, so I'm really happy to pass on this title, which I found to be both. It's called Ginger Snaps and it's a Canadian movie by director John Fawcett made in 2000. And like some other titles I've gotten from Dustin over the years, it was a pleasant little surprise that I can't believe I never heard about before.
I thought it was pretty original in that it's about werewolves and creepy teenage girls and has a great dark sense of humor. (If you want my Hollywood comparative description, it's Heavenly Creatures meets American Werewolf In London with a dash of Mean Girls thrown in.) I thought the characters and story were surprisingly three-dimensional and more complex than I ever expected for a horror movie, least of all one with a predominantly teenage cast.
Put it in your Netflix cue, zap some popcorn, turn out the lights and enjoy this delicious little Canadian horror treat called Ginger Snaps. (And if you like it, the sequel- Ginger Snaps II, which I also just watched, is a completely different movie and plot line, but also original, creepy and darkly humorous, albeit not quite as good as part 1.)
Ginger Snaps Trailer
Ginger Snaps II Trailer
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
The Art, Craft and Hustle of Producing w/ Christina DeHaven!
Tonight on The Double Down Film Show we will delve deep into the art, craft and hustle that is producing. What exactly does a producer do? How do they do it? And more importantly, how can you do it better?
Veteran indie producer and NYU Film School adjunct producing professor, Christina DeHaven will help us break down "the real" tonight- only on Double Down!
Christina's Bio:
Since graduating from Tisch School of the Arts in 1999, Christina's career has led to a number of producing credits that include commercials, music videos, episodic television, documentary, and over a dozen short films. Her first two shorts 
Christina's recent projects include two feature-length documentaries, "My Uncle Berns" (directed by Lindsay Crystal, HBO), and "761st" (directed by Pete Chatmon), about 
Christina serves as an adjunct faculty member at NYU Tisch School of the Arts teaching Producing the Short Screenplay, as well as serving as an administrator for the Department of Film & TV.
Date / Time: Wednesday January 28 - 9pm-10pm
Call-in Number: (646) 929-1956
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