Part 1: Basic Terms French for "author". Used by critics writing for Cahiers du cinema and other journals to indicate the figure, usually the director, who stamped a film with his/her own "personality". Opposed to "metteurs en scene" who merely transcribed a work achieved in another medium into film. The concept allowed critics to evaluate highly works of American genre cinema that were otherwise dismissed in favor of the developing European art cinema. Director Abbas Kiarostami appearing as himself in the last scene of Taste of Cherry (Ta'm e Guilass, Iran, 1997) The diegesis includes objects, events, spaces and the characters that inhabit them, including things, actions, and attitudes not explicitly presented in the film but inferred by the audience. Different media have different forms of diegesis. The joining together of clips of film into a single filmstrip. Picture: Yelizaveta Svilova at the editing table of Man with the Movie Camera (Chelovek s kinoapparatom, Dziga Vertov USSR, 1929)
10 Creative Block Breakers That Actually Work Doesn't matter what you call it: writer's block or creative block or simply "Where is my inspiration when I need it?!" All creative individuals find their work coming less easily at some times than others. That's when you need strategies, and plenty of them. There are at least 90 such tips, tools, and techniques in , edited by Alex Cornell, with a foreword by Erik Spiekermann. is a fresh compilation of practical, real world solutions offered by a range of creative individuals, including graphic designers, artists, writers, and photographers. These are people who are employed in jobs where they are required to be creative, regularly (brief bios are in the back of the book). The insights in this perkily designed, light-hearted, and useful little volume are sometimes amusing, often unexpected. to find it more compelling. Place an ink-stained handprint on its blankness so you have something to fix. You can't criticize the results. in your episodes of creative block. , not just one. Blocked?
Saskia’s Guide to Producing: The Film Package « New Breed This is a series of posts delving into the gory details of what it takes to produce an independent film. Covering the entire process — from development to fundraising, production, distribution, online strategies and beyond — they will be written in real time, from first hand experience, as I go through the process of producing a feature-length documentary. A few weeks ago I posted about some legal issues and paperwork that you needed to get going for your production. That’s all well and good, but there’s no use in having all your legal stuff worked out if you don’t have a story, and — of course — a really good film package. What follows is all information I’ve gleaned from various sources- including the internet, several lawyers, and my colleagues and friends in the industry. First and foremost, it’s important to clarify to yourself what the purpose of your film package is. Since the document then functions as a strategy AND as a sales document, writing it becomes quite the art.
Opening Scenes of Alfred Hitchcock films (film directing, criticism, story settings) Borgus.com - Geography and space were important factors in Alfred Hitchcock’s storytelling technique. So much so that film scholar Paul Duncan (2003) described his formal style as merely "a series of set pieces linked together by plot." In 1934, Hitchcock wrote to readers of Film Weekly declaring his appetite for more "freshness in choice of backgrounds" citing mundane locations in other British films (Gottlieb 1995). Here we will examine more specifically the opening scenes of Alfred Hitchcock films and examine his strategy for introducing his stories to the viewer. In his opening scenes, Hitchcock established tone and setting from a point of objectivity toward the subjective, flirted with the boundaries between public space and private space, and painted a satirical world filled with a tapestry of caricatures. 1. In the early part of Hitchcock’s career he wrote about the need for shifts in tone throughout a film, and that a comic opening is essential to suspense. 2. 3. 4. References:
art of influence Secrets to complaining effectively, motivating loved ones, and getting what you want without being a jerk. Illustrations by Lou Brooks Babies and psychopaths have one thing in common: They're excellent at getting what they want. Many of us could learn a thing or two from these creatures, tantrums and dirty tactics notwithstanding. That's not to say that, like these ingrates, we should feel entitled to everything we want. But for some, grabbing the brass ring is a constant source of stress and confusion. Were it uniformly advantageous to be aggressive, timid, positive, or negative in pursuit of one's goal, evolution would have selected for only such types. Complain to Win —Not to Feel Worse Kvetch, Bitcher, Debbie Downer: No one likes a chronic complainer, and we've got multiple derogatory terms to prove it. The first step to effective complaining, then, is deciding if you truly want a concrete result or if you just need emotional validation. Figure Out What Others Want
How to find top quality crew. — Cinema Advanced Cinema Advanced It’s your first film, you’re under the gun and have to get things done. Money is disappearing by the second. The actors are getting antsy (or possibly drunk). Finding a good crew isn’t impossible, in fact its probably not nearly as hard as you might believe. Where to find film crew members Well…first things first…where not to find crew: your non film making friends . Don’t get me wrong, your friends will want to help…at first. So where do we start our search? The absolute best way to find crew The absolute best way to find crew, is to volunteer for someone else’s production. But, most importantly, joining another production helps you to meet people and see how they work, before you are actually dependent upon them. Third, those people will see that you work. So now that we’ve found a crew, my next article will cover how to keep them working hard for you. Tagged as: film crew , filmmaking tips
666 DIY Horror Filmmaking Tutorials It’s that time of year again, so we thought it was time to update last years killer feature “Horror Filmmaking: From Script to Scream.” That’s right a sequel! This time we are narrowing the focus a bit and concentrating on the DIY (Do It Yourself) elements. Hopefully this will help you slash the budget without murdering your production values. DIY: Blood, Bullets & Stunts DIY: Stage Effects/Green Screen DIY: Digital Effects After Effects Sony Vegas DIY: Make-Up/Costumes DIY: Static Props DIY: Motion Props DIY: Horror Sets DIY: Packaging Prop Shops & FX Supplies how to learn almost everything This is a guest post by Glen Allsopp of PluginID. Have you ever read an informative book, only to later remember just a few main points — if anything at all? The problem might be that you’re using one of the least efficient ways of learning available. The Cone of Learning I remember back about 7 years ago when I was taking music lessons at school, there was a poster on the wall that really grabbed my attention. Image Credit After doing some research, I found that the contents of that poster were based upon the work of Edgar Dale back in 1969. Today, many of you may know this as the Cone of Learning, but beware: although the cone is in fact based upon the results of Dale’s research, the percentage figures were never actually cited by Dale, and added by others after the initial investigation. Based on the research we can see that: The Cone of Learning suggests why you are more likely to remember parts of a movie than you are from a book on the same topic. Learning Almost Anything
202 DIY Filmmaking Tutorials Why buy it when you can build it? Well… most of the time you don’t have a choice. Other times it’s just way too much fun! ****Update: We have two new entries in our 202 Series “202 Sony Vegas Tutorials,” “202 Final Cut Pro Tutorials” and coming soon “DIY Horror: From Script to Scream!” Dollies XL-1 Table DollyIroning Board DollyDolly and Track SystemBuild Plan DollySkate Wheel DolliesRadio Controlled Camera PodBuild a Tracked Camera Dolly for CheapSimple DollySnodart’s DollyPVC dollyEazy DollyD8 Ladder DollyFilming Dolly With 10′ TrackSodart’s DollyJsal27′s Dolly system Stabilizers/Steadicams $14 SteadycamLight-Duty “Steady Cam” StabilizationImproved Steadicam for under 40 dollars! Car Mounts Poor Man’s process method for shooting an in-car sceneBack-seat-view car mountExterior car mountLow-budget (not DIY) car mountCar RigsCinesaddle Car Mount JIB Arms/Cranes Misc. Lighting Audio Stage Effects/Green Screen Blood, Bullets & Stunts Make-Up/Gore Costumes Props Featured Photo by Asiatic League
marbled glassware When graphic designer and artist Joanna Bean Martin shared with us her technique for marbling the bottoms of glassware with nail polish, we couldn’t wait to try it ourselves. Who knew it would be such an easy way to add color and pattern to your next tablescape or party? Remember, the brighter and bolder colors you use, the more the glasses will radiate and glow. Have fun! You’ll need:flat bottomed glasswarevariety of colorful nail polishclear nail polisha disposable plastic containernail polish removerpainters tapetoothpicks Mask off the bottom of the glass with painters tape. Fill a disposable, plastic container with water. Layer the colors one on top of the other. Submerge the bottom of the glass into the polish. Allow to dry completely before applying a layer of clear polish. Once everything has dried, remove the painters tape and touch up with nail polish remover and a cotton swab. Your glowing glasses are finished! Bottoms up!