Written by StudentFilmmakers Magazine
By Sherri Sheridan If you’re a screenwriter, or filmmaker writing your own script to shoot and edit yourself, and need a bit of help to get your creative juices flowing, here’s something that could really help you when you’re experiencing temporary writer’s block. These are 40 basic plot points that you can either work with, … Continue reading “Screenwriting Tips – 40 Basic Plot Points for a Feature Film”
Written by StudentFilmmakers Magazine
“In the world of mostly every successful producer and director, talent is of critical importance.” By John Carrico Every filmmaker who’s ever cast a cousin, a sister, a new friend from the softball team, or some really hot ingénue in the theater department has learned the same lesson: working with professional actors is indispensable in … Continue reading “Cast the Right Kind of Talent for Your Story and Project”
Written by StudentFilmmakers Magazine
By Bryant Falk One of the most challenging types of audio recording is when the shoot takes place outside. Numerous variables start showing themselves. From car traffic and wind noise to ocean waves, leaf rustling, and rain. One of the worst modern audio culprits today is the jet airplane! Keeping all this extraneous noise out … Continue reading “Audio Recording in the Great Outdoors”
Written by StudentFilmmakers Magazine
By David Kaminski I never throw anything away, unless I have to, and I am deaf to the argument that something is too old to work. It either works, or it doesn’t. And either it can be fixed, or it can’t. It is useful, or it isn’t. In the end, maybe the old stuff can … Continue reading “Ghetto Tech”
Written by StudentFilmmakers Magazine
by Bryant Falk Since the early 60’s, the lavalier microphone has been used to capture audio. Its concept allowed the audio engineer to get the cleanest voice recording by getting the mic closer to the source. Some problems we get from doing this include clothing shuffle, muffled sound, microphones falling off, hand smacks, and many … Continue reading “Lav It Up: Effectively Mic Up Your Talent”
Written by StudentFilmmakers Magazine
by Carl Filoreto It’s 7:15 in the morning, and in Tempe, Arizona, the speed dial is already active. Simultaneously, in four other locations spanning the nation, eager bureau chiefs are joining in the daily conference call to the mother ship in New York. Story ideas are pitched and dissected, resources are gathered and committed, and … Continue reading “Creating Journalism in a New Way”
Written by StudentFilmmakers Magazine
Assessing Costume Requirements – Not Always a Straight Forward Task By Richard La Motte Usually, assessing background costume requirements is pretty straight forward. You start with the script – list the various crowd scenes and break them down by type, gender and action; then, check with the production department for amounts of extras anticipated and … Continue reading “Working in the Wardrobe Trenches During Production of ‘Gods and Generals’”
Written by StudentFilmmakers Magazine
by John Hart Keep your ‘sets’ as simple as possible, especially, since your ‘set-ups’ usually consist of available ‘on location’ areas, like tables, chairs, benches, etc. Move or get rid of anything extraneous that you do not absolutely need in your shot. If you are working on an almost non-existent budget, just being aware of … Continue reading “Art Director, How to Make your Set Tips”
Written by StudentFilmmakers Magazine
Don’t Depend on Your Characters Alone by Terence Brody Have you ever come across films that have very vivid and interesting characters, but often the circumstances they are in aren’t that interesting at all? Writing great characters isn’t easy. We better know them very well before we share our story about them. So we do … Continue reading “Screenwriting Tips – Focus on Plot”
Written by StudentFilmmakers Magazine
Break into the Animation Industry by Tony White Today the odds are always stacked against the first time job seeker as there are quite often more individuals seeking work than jobs to satisfy the need. Therefore, as a young and emerging animator it will pay you to prepare for your own career path wisely. Self-evaluation … Continue reading “Showing Your Work for That All-Important First-Job Interview”
Written by StudentFilmmakers Magazine
Connect Your Audience to the Rich Stream of Meaning By Pamela Jaye Smith In our multicultural, instantaneously interconnected global village, we speak hundreds of languages and thousands of dialects with diverse and specific cultural backgrounds. How can we communicate effectively across all these borders? Symbols and images affect people emotionally – hence their exceptional effectiveness. … Continue reading “Symbols & Images for Sex, Love, and Romance”
Written by StudentFilmmakers Magazine
The Acting is the Thing Written by Jonathan Moore I always enjoy the look on my students’ faces when they learn that they will have to act in a scene for my Directing for Film and Television class. At first, they exhibit surprise and even shock. Many students are likewise surprised to hear that … Continue reading “Elicit an Organic and Believable Performance from Your Actors”
