Vintage manual lenses can give you splendid results in both photography and filmmaking. There are some real gems among them, with exquisite sharpness or crazy bokeh. Filmmaker Brandon Li likes to use a couple of vintage lenses for his videos, and he shares four of his favorite ones and the reasons why he loves using them.
Filmmaker shows a journey from “impossible” idea to a successfully finished project
Most of the creatives have those ideas that keep stuck in their head and just won’t go away. Some of them are pretty crazy, they sound cool, but you don’t know if they would actually work. Filmmaker Max Joseph had an idea like this, and he shares how he turned it into a finished project although it didn’t seem possible.
Max wanted to use the dividers in the middle of a highway, cover them in art and film them as he drives by, so they turn into an animation. The project seemed impossible at first for many reasons. But with some brainstorming, adapting, help from friends and lots of trial and error – he did it and created an inspiring in-camera animation.
This short film was made almost entirely from cinemagraphs
Cinemagraphs seem to be more and more popular among photographers. If you like this type of artwork, this video will be a real treat for you. Filmmaker Erick Flores Garnelo has made a short film created almost entirely of cinemagraphs. It doesn’t only demonstrate Erick’s talent and skill. It has such a special atmosphere that it will make you feel like you are somewhere else.
Filmmaker shoots an awesome commercial to sell his girlfriend’s old car
In the sea of Craigslist ads or eBay auctions, you need to find a way to stand out if you want to get noticed and reach a good price. This is exactly what filmmaker Max Lanman did: he filmed a full-scale commercial for his girlfriend’s 1996 Honda Accord. And he did such a good job, that he got an offer 68x times higher than the car’s actual value.
These are the first 12 things a filmmaker should buy
If you have decided to start making films, there is a list of items you need to have before you get started. Darious Britt shares a list of 12 things you absolutely need to get before you start shooting videos and films.
If you are transitioning from photography to video, you already have some of these items. As for the others, you might need an upgrade to your gear or buy new stuff, so you can make the recording, storage, and editing possible. Darious suggests some budget-friendly solutions, so you don’t have to save up for years to start making your first film. For us with a smaller budget, it sounds pretty encouraging.
New to filmmaking? These are some mistakes you should avoid
We all make mistakes, and that’s okay – it’s one of the ways to learn and grow. However, it costs you less time, money and energy to learn from someone else’s mistakes, and Jordy Vandeput from Cinecom.net kindly lets you learn from his. He shares five biggest mistakes he made as a filmmaking beginner, so you can avoid them and be more successful in from the very beginning. What’s more, most of them are applicable to photography as well, and even to whatever you do.
These are some must-have accessories for smartphone filmmaking
Ryan Connolly of Film Riot recently gave us an example of a neat-looking video shot on a smartphone. Of course, if you’re limited only to the smartphone, it’s possible to shoot a movie, but there are certain challenges you’ll need to face.
In this video, Ryan gives you a few suggestions for improving your smartphone moviemaking with some additional accessories. They won’t only make the footage quality better, but they’ll make the shooting easier and less frustrating.
Gear doesn’t matter: here’s how to shoot a high-quality movie with your smartphone
“Gear doesn’t matter.” You may agree with this statement or not, but it’s definitely the case if you have a good idea and an engaging story to tell with your photos or films. Sure, expensive gear can make the job easier, but what if you don’t have a high budget? Well, in that case – just shoot with what you have in your pockets – a smartphone.
Ryan Connolly of Film Riot gives you some guidelines how to shoot a high-quality video using nothing but your smartphone camera. He gives his own example of a very file-looking sketch he filmed with an iPhone, along with the advantages and challenges you’ll have with this approach.
Inequality in filmmaking industry: do filmmakers need to be male?
When it comes to male and female roles in the society, there are a lot of stereotypes and a lot of inequality. One of the fields where disparity seems to be largely present is filmmaking, and movie industry in general. Simon Cade of DSLR Guide discusses this topic in his latest video trying to get some answers. Do filmmakers need to be male? And if not – why men are still predominant in this industry?
How to create epic 360 bullet time videos with some wood and a caster
Recently, we stumbled upon a video that was too good not to share. Made by Luca Amhofer, the video shows a 360-degree rig he made himself for shooting videos. The rig enables a filmmaker to place the subject in the center and rotate the camera around it. And unlike most creations of this kind, this one is inexpensive, yet still efficient.
We got in touch with Luca, and he was kind enough to share some details of his build with us. There are also some BTS images and the video, where you can get acquainted with the process. There’s also the final result, so you get to see what he achieved using this simple and cheap DIY solution.
