Episode 2 Show Notes...Coming

Just a quick announcement that Episode #2 show notes will be posted by Monday July 3rd or sooner. (I was able to post the episode sooner than I thought, so I'm behind on that.) Also, I'm still deciding what I want to do for Episode #3, so if you've got any guerrilla filmmaking topics you want me to speak on drop me an email.

-Ant.

International Shout Out

I was just checking the old site meter and was surprised by how many international visitors have checked out the blog lately, especially since I haven't really started to promote this site yet. So I just thought I'd take a quick minute to give some love back with a quick Down and Dirty DV international roll call...

Down and Dirty DV Worldwide Live International Roll Call
June 2006:

1. Finland
2. South Africa
3. United States
4. Cyprus
5. France
6. United Kingdom
7. Italy
8. Japan
9. Estonia
10. Poland
11. Germany
12. Venezuela
13. Netherlands
14. Hungary
15. Croatia
16. Canada
17. India

All over the world the digital revolution has taken hold and people are hungry to break with tradition and take filmmaking into their own hands. I see y'all, and I feel y'all. Keep doing that digital thang! Thanks to you Down and Dirty DV is officially Worldwide Live!

Peep the new podcast if you haven't already, stay tuned to the blog, and drop a brotha a line just to let me know you're still out there (anthony@downanddirtydv.com). 'Til next time, I'm out.

-Ant.

Podcast Episode #1 Show Notes

Additional Commentary

Okay, so these are the show notes for Down and Dirty DV Podcast - Episode #1: How to Choose a Camera. (See previous post to download or subscribe using link to your left.) This is a podcast series designed specifically for new and aspiring digital guerrilla filmmakers. The topics I address will be from the standpoint of low-budget digital shooting and solving the many problems that come along with it.

This was my first podcast ever and it was admittedly harder and more work than I thought it would be, but I’m fairly happy with the end result. If you weren’t aware, Episode 1 is enhanced with photos and links (included below) if you view it on an iPod or in iTunes.

It’s damn hard talking having a whole conversation alone to a microphone. Let me know I’m not really talking to myself and holla back. Your feedback let’s me know somebody cares about this effort and helps me improve the show. Please drop me an email at anthony@downanddirtydv.com with your comments, corrections, and suggestions for future show topics.

Enhanced Links and Additional Resources

My Online Bio
Want to know more about me? I’m an old-school digital pimp and a complex man of mystery, but I will share this much with you.


XLR Article – Berkeley Journalism
This article breaks down XLR cable basics and expands upon my comments about XLR adapters.

XLR Adapter Box – B&H Sales Page
Check out features and specs or purchase the popular Beachtek DXA Adapter Box here.


DIY Network - Low Light Article
This is a link to a very basic DIY Network article on shooting in low-light.

Here are the 2 forums I recommended for researching user experiences and reviews of cameras you are considering purchasing. (More such sights are listed to the left under “Links” section.):

Creative Cow Online Filmmaking Community & Forums

DVX User Online Filmmaking Community & Forums


I forgot to mention this site in Episode #1 , but UrbanFox.tv is a great little website run by a woman named Christina Fox out of London that provides consulting and some great free info and tutorials for people looking to get into DV filmmaking. Most notably for the topic at hand, she provides some great camera comparison buyer's guide charts that include most of the latest prosumer models. This info is often in magazines, but it's hard to come by comprehensive side-by-side comparisons online. Check out the charts here:

DV and DV Cam Cameras

HDV Cameras

Notes on Upcoming Episode 2

This first podcast was actually 42 mins., so rather than torture you that long, I broke it into 2 episodes, so Episode #2 is also Choosing a Camera. In Episode #2 I cover other features to look for in a prosumer camera. These aren’t the make or break features, but those that you may wish to also consider depending on your budget, experience-level and style of shooting. I also dicuss renting vs. buying and avoiding common scams when purchasing a camera online.

On a crappier note, I just discovered that I somehow managed to wipe out my master audio files for the fully completed Episode 2. I will have to perform some voodoo on a surviving MP3 version to see if I can put it back together or rerecord the whole thing, so hang tight for a week on that.

The Down and Dirty DV Podcast Goes Worldwide Live

The Down and Dirty DV Podcast is officially live and available to the free world. The podcast, like this blog is all about low-budget digital filmmaking. The podcast episodes will randomly alternate between enhanced audio and video podcasts.

Episode #1 - Choosing A Camera
In Episode #1 I break down how to choose a camera for purchase or rental. Specifically, how to choose a prosumer DVcamera in the $2,000-$10,000 range. Episode 1 covers the key considerations to look for in a DV camera for guerrilla shooting. (Run Time: 20mins.) Episode 2 is actually Part 2 of the same topic where I cover secondary camera features that you also want to consider when choosing a camera. Episode 2 will be posting in the next week or sooner, as I just need to polish up some things.

Enhanced for Your Guerrilla Pleasure
Episode 1 is enhanced audio. If you view it via an iPod or iTunes on your computer, you will also see pictures and links to some of the topics at hand. The links will generally be to articles or websites where you can get additional info, see reviews or purchase the product being discussed.

How to Subscribe to the Podcast

• Easy Method 1 - Pod Catcher
  Cut and paste this address: http://feeds.feedburner.com/downanddirtydv/EUyi into a "podcatcher" such as iTunes or iPodder or any of the ones on this podcatching software list . (*On the iTunes menu bar go to Advanced - Subscribe to Podcast, paste the feed URL in and click "OK".)
  
  
• Easy Method 2 - iTunes Music Store
  Search for "Down and Dirty DV" or me "Anthony Artis" in the iTunes Music Store. When you locate the podcast on iTunes hit the silver "SUBSCRIBE" button to add to your iTunes podcast library.
  

Once you subscribe, you will automatically receive new podcasts everytime we drop one. Subscriptions are totally free and can be cancelled at anytime, so you've got nothing to lose

Direct Download
Don't want to or can't figure out how to subscribe? Download the MPEG-4 (.m4a) file directly here: Enhanced Audio/Photo Version or MP3 Audio Version.

Feedback
Anyway, I hope you enjoy these first two episodes and get something out of them. Please holla back at a brotha and let me know if you find these podcasts helpful. If you have constructive suggestions for how I can improve upon this broadcast, please feel free to share them.

The First Feature Film Shot On a Cell Phone

Check out how Down and Dirty they get in Italy. Italian filmmaker's Marcello Mencarini and Barbara Seghezzi shot their feature-length doc, "New Love Meetings" on a Nokia cellphone. I shit you not.

The movie is an updated version of the 1965 Italian documentary, "Love Meetings", by Pier Paolo Pasolini. They shot some 700 interviews using a Nokia N90 cellphone that holds about 1 hour of video and whittled the footage down to 100 interviews with people discussing their love and sex lives and attitudes about sex. The whole thing cost them a few thousand dollars, most of which was spent on travel an hotels.

They are still exploring options for distribution. Undoubtedly, all the attention their unique choice of recording medium has garnered will make distribution much more likely, similar to the unfolding story of the "Four-Eyed Monsters" team which I posted back in January.

No it ain't a High Def XDcam, but they've got compelling content, a completed feature film and publicity splashed across the pages of USA Today, Yahoo News, Showbizdata.com and I'm sure a dozen other major publications around the world. I don't know about you, but I think that's a damn good result having started with an idea, a cell phone and a few thousand bucks.

Click here to read the USA Today article on "New Love Meetings".

Yet another example of how imagination, creativity, and let's face it- outright balls, can trump a lack of money and traditional resources. That people is the essence of the Down and Dirty DV philosophy...

It doesn't take money to make films, it takes resources.

Stop trying to mimic the methodologies of maintream filmmakers that have more cash and resources than you'll ever have and start trying to figure out ways to maximize the resources you do have at your disposal. Focus on the content. Get creative with your execution and storytelling and you will get results. As Sly and the Family Stone would say...

Free your mind and the rest will follow.

(Or was that the Staple Singers?) Either way, Barbara and Marcello are bonified straight-up guerrillas. 'Til next time. I'm out.

-Ant.

What the Hell is Machinima...and Why Should Aspiring Filmmaker's Care?

Simply put, it's the latest hypest in filmmaking. I honestly, don't know much about it, but my friend, Skye, sent me a link to a machinima contest sponsored by Intel and I've been hearing some buzz about it for the past few months.

In short, it's a new form of filmmaking using video game technology to create worlds, control actors and camera angles and moves. The new Activision game entitled "The Movies" employs this technology to allow you to choose actors, settings, props, add dialogue, music and then control and record the action in real time. It's like directing a blockbuster without ever leaving your laptop. And as they say in Hollywood, "this baby has legs!" (Unfortunately, it's currently P.C. only, so us evolved Mac users can't check it out. However, there are other machinima tools and software out there.)

Machinima technology has been used for awhile now to do animated storyboards for complex action scenes in big budget movies, but somewhere along the line someone must've realized that if they spruce up the graphics and added some more features that the animated storyboards could actually be the movie, although obviously not a Hollywood blockbuster. Nevertheless, several machinima films have actually competed in film festivals.

The good folks over at machinima.org have a great short Flash introduction to machinima at www.machinima.org/whatis.html. And the site machinima.com has a huge array of info, tutorials and streaming and downloadable machinima movies.


Here's a machinima film by Byrche Wroot entitled "Lover, You Should've Come Over" that was created using Activision's "The Movies" game. It's an excellent example of the storyboarding and storytelling possibilities that machinima has opened up for us digital guerrillas. I don't know about you but I'm impressed an intrigued.


Could this be the future of filmmaking? Was the poorly received Pacino film, "S1mOne", in which a producer slips a "virtual actress" into his film unbeknownst to an adoring public, actually onto something?

I don't have a clue, but my guess is that as technology improves and video game technology becomes more and more life-like (See Xbox 360 or Playstation 3) the possibility is definitely there. I'm not saying that Angelina Jolie is going to be replaced by the "real" Lara Croft anytime soon, but come time for Tomb Raider - Part 5, Angelina might get a run for her money... by a computer-generated character that doesn't require a trailer or a $20 Million dollar paycheck.


Seriously though, I don't know that machinima will dramatically change the film game, but I do think it is an exciting new genre that's worth paying attention to. It's certainly intriguing and sounds like a great way to practice filmmaking and try out different shots and action sequences without all the real-life expense and hassle. No doubt some of tomorrow's great directors will have played out their entire masterworks on computer before a single frame is even committed to camera.

Please post a comment if you are down with machinima and let people know about your experience or other machinima filmmaking resources out there. Most interesting development... stay tuned.

-Ant.

In case you don't click on the comments below, here's some additional resources from Booklad and Tom Jantol both of Premiere Machinima:

More info:

Machinima Premiere

Academy of Machinima Arts and Sciences

Wikipedia entry on Machinima

And a few favorite films:

The French Democracy

Person2184

Only the Strong Survive

Toybox

Anthony's Film Book Shelf 1

Anthony's Film Book Shelf 1, originally uploaded by downanddirtydv.

You can't learn this game without putting your head in some film books. What's on my film bookshelf? CLICK ON this interactive Flickr photo to find out my recommendations for gaining guerrilla knowledge.

DIY Ring Lights

Add a little sparkle to your subject's eyes with a homemade ring light. What's a ring light you ask? Well it's a circular shapped ring of lights that mounts around your lens to give a nice even glow to your subject. More notably, the reflection of the ring-shaped lights, literally adds a brilliant sparkle to your subject's eyes.

I believe they are commonly used for macro still photography, but they are also used in video for commercials, glamour shots, and music videos. Professional units run in the hundreds, but if you're on a Down and Dirty budget, you can build your own for less than $50.

Peep out this DIY tutorial from fellow blogger, Joseph Holst, who is a still photographer out of St. Louis. It's a work in progress, but I think the pix and descriptions are more than enough to pull it off. If you're not afraid of electricity and powertools, give it a go or see if you can talk one of your more "D.I.Y." friends into helping you. It's a cool thing to have in the arsenal to add some production value to your more flashy shoots. Click the link below for the tutorial. Peace.

Joseph Holst's Ring Light Tutorial

(Photo: Ring light effect as seen on Joseph Holst. Source: Jyoseph.com)

The Power of Podcasting

These Kids Are Very Visible... ...thanks to podcasting. A few weeks ago I came across a podcast called "Invisible Children" that was set up by 3 high-school students (or possibly recent H.S. grads) that did a documentary of the same name.

The documentary is about children who are forced to fight in the war in Uganda. Like many other issues in Africa, the problem has largely been ignored in the U.S. until this incredibly driven group of young people decided that they would try to stop the war. How can 3 high school students stop a war in Africa you might ask? Simple... they started by harnessing the incredible power of podcasting to drive a national campaign to raise awareness of the issue an raise money.

Their efforts are chronicled in regular video podcasts which feature scenes from the doc which is still being cut and behind-the-scenes footage of their hustle to make it all happen. (You can also subscribe to the podcast by searching iTunes podcast directory.) Apart from the power of podcasting, "Invisible Children" also represents a great case-study in guerrilla video activism. These young filmmakers who want to make a difference started with a little doc and expanded their efforts into podcasting, house parties, town-by-town public screenings, merchandising, a national tour... even a video musical to raise awareness of their issue.

Follow their case-study and make a donation at the site. It's worthy cause and just may rekindle that idealistic young filmmaker that still lives somewhere deep in your soul.

-Ant.

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.