NEW CAMERA

Wow! My awesome wife, daughter,  mother-in-law, and brother-in-law all pitched in together to get me a EOS Cannon Rebel T3i 600D for Christmas!  Now all I have to do is learn how to work this thing.  I will keep you posted on my progress.  Step 1 is to read owners manual cover to cover.

Audio with an iPhone 4s

So I have been experimenting with some different ways to record audio an found that my iPhone 4s with the iTalk app by Griffin captures audio quite well.  The app is free and easy to use.  I was able to record audio with the phone's built in mic and with an  ATR6550 Condenser Shotgun Microphone plugged into the headphone port of the phone.  The audio was easy to transfer from my phone to imovie and I was able to sync it with my video footage with a little effort.  I will be trying to perfect this in later projects.  Stay tunned.

Camera Crane

Work in progress

Sound Matters

One thing I think everyone already knows is that the audio/sound on your project can make the difference between an ok short film and a really cool short film.  I have tried to find a cheap solution for capturing audio and I have still been unsuccessful (sad).  It has also been difficult finding camcorders that have an auxiliary mic input.  It seems that is reserved for high end cameras which was not always the case in the past.  I remember this being a standard option on most cameras back in the day. ANYWAY!  I try to make sure that I get the camera as close as possible when filming dialog.  I also try to film in locations that will produce the least amount of echo.  There are some things that can be done in the editing phase that mask weird or unwanted sound.  In the following short I used audio effects to hide the fact that there was just not that much background sound.  The outdoor sounds were added during editing. https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=M0Yuzgwnfoo

Cheap can sometimes work quite well

Hey guys, as I was walking through a Family Dollar the other day I noticed a couple of mask on display for halloween.  They were 5 dollars a piece so I bought them.  I then proceded to put them to use in a tribute to Star Wars and Darth Vader.  The results came out pretty good. So proof again that you do not need to have the most expensive props to get the job done.  Have fun! https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=gSAH9_uNjPc

Prop Building

One of the things that I enjoy about my hobby is making the props for the films that I want to make.  You would be surprised at what you can build just from the junk in your garage.  Here are some images of a few things that I created from some imagination, scraps, and a little paint.

Predator costume all hand made.

Predator battle axe.

MY NEW ICON

GIVE A KID A CAMERA

I have the honor of being able to work in education and one thing that never stops amazing me is the excitement level of students when a video camera is incorporated into instruction.  Using video is a great way to get the student's attention, document activities, and bring focus to content.  Also! Let the students operate the camera especially those who may be reluctant to be in front of the camera.  If you don't feel comfortable with the idea of a camera in the classroom you may first want to try documenting activities in the classroom like a science experiment or the introduction of a new math rule.  However you decide to use it will increase student engagement and spark interest into your instruction. (NOTE: be sure to have all acceptable use policies and permission forms concerning student being filmed signed and filed.) So dont wait give a kid a camera!

Camera Stabilizer for hand held filming. I built this rig after watching a D.I.Y. project on youtube. I changed the design to fit my needs and it is surprisingly effective.

 I am 45 years old and getting into the filmmaking game a little late.  So I will opt to cling to the saying, "It's never to late" and continue to explore my passion for making films.  I would really like to give props to  Film Riot  and especially Bruno Vieira for the tips and encouragement over the past couple of weeks. If anything they have convinced me that I do have something to offer the film community.