Within two months of signing with Osbrink, I booked my first voiceover job for Marvel’s Avengers Assemble: Black Panther’s Quest, voicing the role of Bask, the Queen of Wakanda.

Ashleigh’s Handy Dandy Tips for Aspiring Voice Actors!

The Insta360 GO 3S also expands upon the popular GO 3 with new Internal Video mode features which unlock fully automatic hands-free recording, plus some additional network compatibility perks all housed in a magnetic body that weighs less than 1.4 oz, making it basically the size of your thumb.

The Insta360 GO 3S is out and available online starting today June 13th, 2024 with the starting option being a 64GB version for just under $400.

In today’s episode, No Film School’s Charles Haine and Jason Hellerman discuss:

• Why writers need to improve their character introductions
• Examples of movie intros we love
• Copyright - should you copyright your script before sending it out
• Why you should join a writer’s group
• Asking for honest, constructive feedback from your network
• The importance of log lines
• Why most production companies don’t offer health insurance
• Exploring public healthcare exchanges

Mentioned

What is a Logline?

In a surprising move, Sony Pictures Entertainment has acquired Alamo Drafthouse Cinemas, a unique and beloved theater chain that delivers one of the best possible movie-going experiences.

Still, many people are wondering if it's actually legal for a movie studio to acquire a theater chain.

Available to test on the company’s website, Luma Labs reports that Dream Machine is a new AI model that is designed to make high-quality, realistic videos from text and images.

Introducing Luma Dream Machine

Designed to be a highly scalable and efficient transformer model trained directly on videos, this new AI should be capable of generating physically accurate and consistent shots of pretty much whatever your heart desires.

Thankfully Hollyland is around where they've developed the Pyro series lineup, redefining wireless video transmission.With support to HDMI and SDI input and output that can transmit to up to four receivers simultaneously, with a range of up to 1,300 feet and minimal latency of just 50ms.

Ramsey Avery was the production designer tasked with filling in the blanks of this world in collaboration with writer/director Brian Duffield.He also designed The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power.

The Godox BeamLight Max90

Here are specs for the Godox BeamLight Max90:

• For MG2400Bi & MG1200Bi LED Lights
• 5° Beam Angle
• Ideal for Long Throw Work
• Silver Interior
• G-Mount Accessory
• Works with Optional LiteFlow System
• Flexible 180° Adjustability
• Includes Flight Case

The Godox MG1200R

Along with the new BeamLight Max90 reflector, we also saw a new MG1200R, which is the colored version of the previous high-power dual-color temperature lamp MG1200Bi.

Our awesome friends at Filmevent have a brand new game they shared with us – it’s called "Road to Hollywood," and it’s a groundbreaking game that makes filmmaking accessible to everyone in your family or circle of friends.

AI Can Ruin Movies Now, Too—Aliens and True Lies on 4k

The AI struggles to accurately reconstruct details, resulting in distorted faces, unnatural hair, and inconsistent focus.

The video argues that these AI-induced artifacts detract from the viewing experience and could negatively influence how we consume and preserve films in the future.

Cinematographer Adriano Goldman shot almost half of all the episodes of Netflix's royal hit, The Crown.He also shot the series finale, which featured all three iterations of the show's Queen Elizabeth in a poignant last sequence.Have a strong opinion about the story, and try to help drive it in a way to make it more sophisticated, more elaborate, more interesting, because then you are going to feel enough motivation yourself to tell that story.

5Day Deals Bonus Bundle

The canted camera angle's history

3. Match the shots

In addition to the direction and speed of the pan, try to match the colors and/or brightness of each clip at the transition or “whip” points.

Obviously designed to partner with the Apple Vision Pro, the Blackmagic URSA Cine Immersive camera is set to become the first-ever commercial camera system to support Apple Immersive Video as it will be able to capture 8K, 3D video with a 180-degree field of view, and Spatial Audio to fully transport viewers to the center of the action with using Vision Pro headsets.

Blackmagic customers will be able to edit Apple Immersive Video shot on the URSA Cine Immersive camera.

Introducing the Canon RF-S 3.9mm f/3.5 STM Dual Fisheye Lens

The new Canon RF-S 3.9mm f/3.5 STM Dual Fisheye Lens is set to be available here later this month and is available to pre-order now.Designed for the EOS R7 APS-C mirrorless camera system, a full-frame equivalence of 6.2mm is provided.

The opening beat of this long take focuses the frame on Theo (Clive Owens) as he wakes up in the car.

What are some of your favorite long shots from film?

Before Tires debuted on Netflix, it was renewed for a second season.A passion project from comedian Shane Gillis, this hard-joke sitcom was self-financed and shot last year, then sold to Netflix for the tune of five million dollars.and the plus side of shooting yourself, is that you can also put them on YouTube or find a way to self-distribute after too, so selling to a huge place is not the only option.

Establishing shot examples

Harry Potter: Hogwarts Establishing Shots

Every since the first camera was taken off of a tripod and put into motion, stability has been one of the biggest challenges for filmmakers of all eras. Yet, even as cameras have developed much better built-in, in-body stablization systems, the need to add even more stability and smoothness to your shots is still crucial.

Which is why our "Deals of the Week" features three different Zhiyun handheld gimbal stabilizer kits which should make your shots much smoother and easier to work with. Let's look at three options ranging from smartphone gimbals to mirrorless camera options.

Smartphone Gimbal Combo Kit

The Smooth-5 Smartphone Stabilizer from Zhiyun-Tech has been updated and designed for a more compact and intuitive experience to provide cine-style functions to content creators using their mobile phones for video capture. When used with the free, downloadable ZY Play app, the control panel enables Android and iOS users to control both gimbal and smartphone camera functions such as focus, zoom, time-lapse, and still photo settings. This Combo Kit includes a magnetic fill light, four color filters, a wrist strap, and a custom carry bag.

Zhiyun Smooth-5 Smartphone Gimbal Combo Kit

The Smooth-5 Smartphone Stabilizer from Zhiyun-Tech has been updated and designed for a more compact and intuitive experience to provide cine-style functions to content creators using their mobile phones for video capture.

Handheld Gimbal Stabilizer Kit

Stabilize your camera footage and keep your rig running all day with this Zhiyun WEEBILL-S Handheld Gimbal Stabilizer with Power & Cleaning Kit put together by B&H. The kit includes the WEEBILL-S handheld gimbal stabilizer, two Li-ion batteries, a battery charger, a quick release assembly, USB charging and camera control cables, a mini tripod, a backing base, a cable case, and a storage case for the gimbal kit.

Zhiyun WEEBILL-S Handheld Gimbal Stabilizer with Power & Cleaning Kit

Stabilize your camera footage and keep your rig running all day with this Zhiyun WEEBILL-S Handheld Gimbal Stabilizer with Power & Cleaning Kit put together by B&H.

3-Axis Handheld Gimbal Stabilizer Kit

The Zhiyun CRANE 4 takes the familiar form factor and lightweight experience of previous Zhiyun gimbals while expanding the onboard features for native portrait shooting, Bluetooth shutter control, and an extended grip to accommodate cameras with full-frame lenses. This combo kit version outfits you with a sling grip and wrist rest for an improved low-angle shooting experience. Control the 360° pan, 207° tilt, and 70° roll rotation using the onboard controls.

Zhiyun CRANE 4 3-Axis Handheld Gimbal Stabilizer Combo Kit

The Zhiyun CRANE 4 takes the familiar form factor and lightweight experience of previous Zhiyun gimbals while expanding the onboard features for native portrait shooting, Bluetooth shutter control, and an extended grip to accommodate cameras with full-frame lenses.

As part of our comprehensive guide to the different types of shots in film, we’ve talked in our wide shot and medium shot posts about the importance of capturing emotion in a film. After all, we go to the movies not just to be entertained, but to feel something. That feeling can be happiness, joy, anger, sadness, laughter, etc.

No shot has a more direct impact on the audience than this one. We’re going to do a deep dive on the close-up shot, look at some of the examples, and also spend some time dissecting an extension of the shot.

So without further ado, let’s get started.

Close Up Shot Definition

A shot taken of a subject or object at close range that shows greater detail. The shot is tightly framed and is most often used to frame a character’s face in such a way that it fills the screen and dominates the scene.

Now that we’ve got a definition, let’s take a look at when you would use one.

Why Use a Close-Up Shot?

This shot is useful for showcasing the emotions and reactions of characters or showing details on objects.

The close shot provides the viewer a detailed and intimate look at a character and is the best tool a director has for conveying a character’s emotional state of mind; it draws us into the subject’s space and helps us understand their feelings.

You can also use a close shot to reveal details or information about objects or settings, so there is some flexibility to the shot, but by and large, it’s a character-focused shot that helps directors amplify the emotion of a scene.

But don’t take my word for it, let’s dive into some examples.

Close-up Shot Examples

Perhaps more than any other shot, memorable close shots have a way of imprinting themselves on your brain. That’s certainly the case with our first example, a bold and big close up shot from Stanely Kubrick’s The Shining:

In possibly the most famous scene from the film, Jack Torrance stalks his wife Wendy throughout the hotel, forcing her to take refuge in the bathroom. This close shot, which frames Jack’s face in the broken door, is utterly terrifying and perfectly encapsulates Jack’s mental deterioration. We see the madness in Jack’s eyes as he delivers the famous “Here’s Johnny” line and completely understands the fear Wendy must be experiencing.

Our next close shot hails from another psychological horror masterpiece, Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho.

Arguably the most memorable scene in cinematic history, the shower scene would not be the same if not for the jarring close shots of Marion Crane as she is savagely attacked in the shower. The absolute terror lining her face as she tries to fend off her attacker is one that could only be captured in a close-up. The scene is especially intimate and effective because we’re up close with Marion as she lets out her infamous screams.

The shot is extremely effective in violent sequences, but it can also be used to amplify tension. Perhaps the best example of this comes from Jonathan Demme’s Silence of the Lambs.

This scene of Clarice interrogating Hannibal Lecter starts on medium shots of each character, but Demme slowly pushes in on their faces as the scene goes on until we get three straight minutes filmed entirely in close up shots.

We learn everything we need to know about Clarice and Hannibal’s states of mind in these close shots. We see that Lecter is in control; his face relays confidence and power while Clarice’s portrays fear and vulnerability. This is a tense powerhouse of a scene, and Demme’s choice to shoot the head-to-head in close-up was perfect.

There may be one way to define a close-up shot on paper, but there’s no one way to use it. These shots don’t just have to be used in horror movies or thrillers; they can also be effective in comedies.

Our next example showcases this.

How do you introduce yet another quirky, crazy character in a film full of them? One option is to do what the Coen Brothers did with Jesus in the Big Lebowski.

Before we ever see Jesus’s face, the Coens use a series of close-ups—on his shoes, socks, and rings— to make it clear that we’re about to meet someone unique. Moments later, we see him lick the bowling ball in close up.

In 30 seconds, they create fascinating mythology around this character. Who is this guy?

We get our answer as he approaches the bowling lane when the Coens use yet another close up to reveal his name via the patch on his shirt.

Aspiring filmmakers should take note because this scene is a masterclass in how to introduce a character and it’s done almost entirely via the CU.

Now that we’ve thoroughly explored the close shot, let’s take a look at its variations, starting with the ECU.Extreme Close-Up Shot Definition

The extreme close up (“ECU” on a shot list) is an even tighter shot on a subject. The shot frequently has the subject take up the majority or even all of the frame when used to frame a person. It often features only their facial features.

We’ve got our extreme close up the shot definition, so let’s discuss when to use this shot.

When To Use an ECU

The extreme close up shot is generally used to allow the viewer to enter the character’s personal space, revealing traits and emotions that might otherwise go unnoticed. The frame is so tight that using an extreme close up shot gives the viewer no choice but to experience the character’s feelings alongside them.

Like the ECU, the definition says, it is the most intimate of shots, and it allows the viewer to get up close and personal with a character to see the raw emotion they’re experiencing.

ECU Examples

The extreme close-up shot is one of the less commonly used shots in the film, but when utilized correctly, it can be extremely powerful.

Perhaps the most well-known example of this is from Sergio Leone’s The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly.

The entire final sequence of this film is worth a watch, but this climactic moment is particularly impressive. Leone uses the extreme close-up to give us a very intimate view of our characters’ eyes, and in those eyes, we see three different stories. The differences in the characters’ facial expressions and slight shifts in how they look at each other ramp up the tension and make the final payoff all the more powerful.

There are a million ways to shoot that moment, and 99/100 directors would shoot it differently, but Leone knew the power of the shot is used to great effect.

Much like Leone, Darren Aronofsky is another director who loves to use the extreme close up shot.

Aronofsky is known for trying to push the limits and loves creating a sense of unease for his viewers. His style is hyper-specific, and there’s perhaps no greater visual trademark to it than his use of the ECU.

Rather than just give you one example, let’s take a look at a compilation of his ECU shots from perhaps his most memorable work, Requiem for a Dream.

Even for a movie about drug addicts, Requiem is a particularly brutal experience. No matter your thoughts on the movie as a whole, the film’s drug montages are a cinematic feat. They are designed to show the ugly side of addiction and don’t shy away from focusing on the dark underbelly of that lifestyle. Aronofsky uses extreme close-ups liberally in these montages because they build on the mood and atmosphere and drive home the ugliness.

In tandem with the film’s score and sound design, these ECUs make the viewer feel a real sense of anxiety and discomfort; Aronofsky forces us to get up close and personal with the ugly side of drug use.

For our last example, we’re going to take a look at a distinctly different sort of movie in Damien Chazelle’s Whiplash.

Chazelle uses his entire bag of tracks in this mesmerizing finale, and the ECUs on Andrew Neiman’s sweat-drenched cymbals, ear, and the shirt that add to the intensity of the moment. Andrew is working so hard that sweat has poured from him and onto everything around him and we can only see that level of detail in the ECU shot. Towards the end of the clip, we get another series of ECUs, the most jarring of which shows that Andrew has worked so hard that he’s bled onto his drum kit.

Summing Up the Close Up Shot

Remember, movies are all about feeling something. Your job as the director is to create a story that makes your audience feel deeply.

They can be laughing, scared, happy, or devastated; you just need to make them feel, and the close-up shot is one of your best friends in that process. As you plot your course, remember the close-up shot definition, revisit some of the examples we went over and seek out new ones, and don’t be afraid to mix it up and go to town with some extreme wide shots too.

Now it’s time to get to work, if you can get Marion Crane’s screams out of your head, that is.

Let me know what you think in the comments.

According to various reports, Nikon is on the verge of officially announcing the new Z6 III. Prototypes of the camera are out for review and first-reaction YouTube videos are undoubtedly in development right now.

As the much-anticipated follow-up to the Nikon Z6 II, the Z6 III should be able to nicely slot into a Nikon camera lineup that has quietly gotten quite robust over the years as the Z6 II, Z7 II, and Zf have been positively reviewed and proven to be solid options for both videographers and photographers alike.

So, in anticipation of this new Z6 III being announced next week, here’s everything we know so far, and what we can guess about how it might be appealing to film and video pros.

What to Expect for the Nikon Z6 III

Despite Nikon breaking protocols to let the cat out of the bag about the new camera set to be announced, the company has not shared any official specs or details about the camera just yet. So everything that we’d be able to predict for the Z6 III will be purely speculation at this point.

However, that being said, we can make a few educated takes as to what the Z6 III might include spec and feature-wise.

The Nikon Z6 II featured a 24.5MP BSI CMOS sensor which excelled in low-light shooting and was capable of recording UHD 4K video with full pixel readout at up to 30p and Full HD 1080p (which also supported up to 120p for slow motion playback). All solid specs that would still move the needle today.

So, it would be safe to assume that any Nikon Z6 III would include at least these same specs as a starting point, and most likely see some better video recording capabilities (perhaps UHD 4K, or even 6K, at up to 60p).

Price and Availability

Along with video recording specs and features, the biggest speculation here might simply be the price point. The Nikon Z6 II itself is already on sale right now for just under $1,600 (a savings of $400 off its original $2k price point). This would let us believe that the new Z6 III would either come in at just above the Z6 II’s previous price point—so in this case we could see a $2,500-ish level for the Z6 III.

Or, since the Z6 II is already on sale, perhaps it’s a preemptive measure to push the price down so that the Z6 III could really shock the industry and come in at $2,000 for the body only. Who knows at this point, but we’re excited to see what Nikon has to share next week.

Camera stability matters. Whether you're shooting a music video or TV episode or web series or a movie, when it comes to making sure your shots are on point, you might want to get a gimbal. But what is a gimbal? And why are so many cinematographers using them for their camera movements?

Today, our goal is to give you a base-level education into what a gimbal is and how you use one. We'll go over the definition and look at some tips for you to use on set. We'll also check out different ways you can use your gimbal to spice up your shot selection.

Sound good? Let's get started.

What Is a Gimbal? (Definition and How Do You Use One)

If you've been shooting long enough, you've heard the term "gimbal," but there's a high chance you may not know exactly what it is or what it can do. There are so many applications. You're going to want to know all this stuff.

Gimbal Definition

A gimbal is a pivoted support that allows for the rotation of an object about an axis. Most gimbals will either be two-axis or three-axis. The 3-axis is superior but much more expensive.

For cinematographers, handheld three-axis gimbals are used in stabilization systems. They are designed to give the camera operator the ability for handheld shooting but without the camera shake that comes with it.

Pitch, roll, and yaw—or tilt, roll, and pan

There are lots of terms when it comes to understanding how gimbals work. Some of them are the pitch, roll, or yaw axes. They refer to the points which allow the gimbal to stabilize. The pitch axis is also called the tilt axis. It’s the up-and-down movement of your camera.

The roll axis refers to the movement that feels like standing in a boat on the water.

Left-to-right movement happens around the yaw axis, or the pan axis. It’s used to capture objects that move horizontally, as in a panning shot or tracking shot.

Pitch, roll, and yaw – or tilt, roll, and pan Credit: GregorDS

How Does a Gimbal Work?

Gimbals work in tandem. They have three mounted circles with orthogonal pivot axes, which allows an object mounted on the innermost gimbal to remain independent of the rotation of its support, like a camera.

These moving pivots of the camera mount utilize quiet mechanical or brushless motors that make micro-adjustments to the arms so the footage you get is steady.

There are two versions of such stabilization systems—mechanical and motorized.

Mechanical Gimbals

Mechanical gimbals have a sled on top of the handle. A sled is a flat top stage where the camera is attached. They also have a post arm, which can be extended. The monitor and camera batteries counterbalance the camera weight.

It's the same basic principle of the Steadicam. The bottom is slightly heavier than the top, so the top stays stable. And in a gimbal, the top can pivot and have a range of motion thanks to the mechanical head that moves. This gimbal head allows for a wide range of motion.

Motorized Gimbals

Motorized gimbals are powered by three brushless motors. They can keep the camera level on all axes as the camera operator moves the camera.

So how do they work? Well, an inertial measurement unit (IMU) responds to movement and operates its three separate motors to stabilize the camera during aid movement.

The stabilizer can notice the difference between deliberate movement such as pans and tracking shots from unwanted shake.

That makes it very ideal for cinematographers since it is intuitive and not something they have to control themselves. These kinds of gimbals are also ideal for drones, where lots of movement can happen with little or no control from the ground.

How to Use a Gimbal

Not so long ago, epic cinematic shots were mainstays of jibs, cranes, and dollies. Now, a lone filmmaker with a few hundred bucks can pull off Hollywood-caliber movement—with one hand and a gimbal.

However, just buying a gimbal doesn’t equal good cinematography. You have to know how to use it, and how to communicate to your cast and crew what you are planning. Telling your actor that you’re doing the “Bad Boys 360-degree spin around thing” might work, but wouldn’t it be better if everyone had a more succinct working vocabulary?

Enter Steve Wright at Learn Online Video. Check out his video where he shows you 10 gimbal moves using the Zhiyun CRANE 2S that will make your footage look epic. And read our breakdown below.

What are Some Different Types of Gimbal Shots?

You saw the video above, now check out these very specific kinds of gimbal shots you can use at home or on set to make your footage more cinematic.

1. The Follow

The classic “follow your subject” shot.

Protip? Keep equal distance at all times to your subject, and for the most classic iteration, keep the subject in the center of the frame. You can experiment with lower angles to change the tone of the shot.

Cinematographer does the gimbal reverse follow on a subject. Credit: Learn Online Video

2. The Reverse Follow

Yup, just what you thought—tracking your subject from the front while walking backward.

Protip? Don’t trip!

A reverse follow gimbal move Credit: Learn Online

3. Step In Reveal

Using some very minor choreography, this shot first introduces your location, then introduces your subject by having them enter the frame as you track.

The step-in revela gimbal shot Credit: Learn Online

4. Mini Jib Reveal

This is when you track backward, starting on your subject’s feet, and then lift to end on their face.

Who is this cool? By going from shoes to clothes to personal effects to the body to the face, it gives the audience a lot of information to learn who our subject is.

Mini jib gimbal move Credit: Learn Online

5. Side Track

This is actually trickier than the Follow and Reverse Follow, even though it is just tracking your subject from the side!

Protip—don’t walk sideways and follow your subject. It makes for some much more bumpy movement. Instead, frame your shot by turning the camera to the left or right, and walking straight forward.

Side-track gimbal move Credit: Learn Online

6. Chest Transition

Ready to have some fun, and think about the edit while you shoot? Try this move that requires two shots.

For Shot 1, push forward until you are in the center of your subject's chest (here wearing a black shirt so the end frame is all black.)

Next, Shot 2 starts at your subject’s back as a black frame then moves backward as your subject moves forward. Cut between both at the moment in both where there is black frame.

Chest transition gimbal move Credit: Learn Online

7. Soft Focus Reveal

Frame your subject, lock focus on frame, then move backward. Start the shot as a wide and walk toward your subject until they are in focus.

Instant intrigue!

8. Wipe Transition

Here’s another one that involves cutting two shots together in editing for a cool combined effect. This involves two shots where you track from the side and use something in the foreground to wipe.

In Shot 1, you track from the side to wipe past the camera. (Make sure it is something unidentified and blurry, as Wright explains.)

Then Shot 2 starts at something equally unidentified and blurry, and moves past it to find your subject again. Edit together with a simple cut to create an interesting but invisible shift in direction for the audience.

Do a wipe with a gimbal Credit: Learn Online

9. The Orbit

Walk around your subject in a circle, Michael Bay style.

Protip—consider what focal length you want for your type of orbit. The wider your shot, the more environment. Angle up and you get something a little more dramatic.

The orbit gimbal move Credit: Learn Online

10. The Fake Drone

One of Wright’s favorite shots looks like it's been done with a drone. No props required!

To pull it off, you start close to your subject at a wide focal length. Then, as you steadily walk backward, raise your gimbal up as high as it will go.

The fake drone gimbal shot. Credit: Learn Online

Summing Up "What Is a Gimbal?"

Now that you know all about gimbals, it's time to assemble your own kit and start practicing your intentional movements. Capturing moving subjects has always been a little tricky but that's when a gimbal works best. Its camera mounts are crucial to stabilization (eliminating camera shake), canceling out unwanted movement.

Whether you're using motorized motion detecting with brushless motors or a mechanical gimbal, tracking shots will never be the same.

So go grab your DSLR camera or whatever you use and get shooting smooth footage with pivoted support!

We can't wait to see what you do out there.

Check out weekly specials, deals, and rebates: Pro Video Gear, Pro Audio Gear, Lighting

A well-known name in the photography lighting world perhaps, Profoto, a company based out of Sweden, is looking to finally make its move into the film and video profession. Profoto has just released their first ever cinema light—the L1600D Mono-LED—which promises to be a compact, versatile, and powerful LED COB light designed for video professionals looking to light their high-end cinema productions.

Let’s take a look at this new fixed 5700K LED and explore how it could be a great option either as a key or a fill on your sets.

Introducing the Profoto L1600D Mono-LED

Introduced as the brand’s first-ever LED fixture truly designed for film and video pros, this L1600D Daylight Mono-LED Light is focused on speed of use and superior light quality with an all-in-one IP54 body. The Profoto brand has been well-known for its strobe lights in the past, so it’s cool to see the company use its R&D to develop such a sophisticated LED for the cinema world.

Users will be able to experience the purest of light with 5700K CCT, multiple control methods, and dual mounting options for the most extensive array of Profoto and Bowens modifiers. The unit's ergonomic design with no separate ballast and included swivel yoke translates into a huge time-saving solution and more freedom on set. Its power, size, and weight are all worthwhile attributes for any professional lighting setup needing reliable, speedy operation.

An All-in-One Mono-LED

Some of the advantages of this new L1600D are brought on by having the advantages and conveniences of a powerful continuous light source. Designed specifically for high-end video productions, this 1600W point-source LED fixture will give you accurate colors, and most importantly, exceptional flicker-free brightness at any frame rate.

The L1600D also features a patent-pending HydroCTech cooling system that handles heat from the LED and its power electronics, ensuring longevity and silent operation. You can tell Profoto has considered every aspect of this light as they’ve been able to present it as the compact yet powerful LED solution that studios have been waiting for.

Also, according to Profoto, 97% of its electric input creates light output, which is at least 20% more efficient if compared to similar fixtures with an individual ballast and light head. This isa pretty great output when you consider that the L1600D outputs up to 3850 lux with its built-in 60° wide reflector, expanding to an impressive 49,000 lux using the included 12° boost reflector, both within a considerable distance of 16.4'.

Price and Availability

The Protofo L1600D is available to pre-order now with shipments expedited to begin later in the fall of 2024. Here are the full specs and purchase options.

• For Studio & Film/TV Production
• 49,000 Lux at 16.4' w/ Boost Reflector
• 5700K CCT
• AC Power
• Onboard, Wireless, DMX & App Control
• LumenRadio CRMX
• CRI 97 | TLCI 97
• HydroCTech Liquid Cooling System
• Dual Profoto & Bowens S Accessory Mount
• IP54 Rated

Profoto L1600D Daylight Mono-LED Light

Profoto is proud to introduce its first-ever LED fixture for filmmakers, the L1600D Daylight Mono-LED Light. Combining efficiency and advanced features, the L1600D is focused on speed of use and superior light quality with an all-in-one IP54 body.

Written by Victoria Male

There seems to be a disconnect in Hollywood at the moment. While most millennial and Gen Z audiences prefer original content over franchises and remakes, (according to a study commissioned by Tubi) it seems that everything on our screens, both big and small, seems to be based on something else - whether it be a book, podcast, documentary, or someone’s life.

The reason for this is if a movie or series is adapted from an existing piece of media, it’ll have a built-in audience and make a safer bet to invest the considerable amount of time and money it takes to make a feature or TV show.

It’s a frustrating conundrum if you’ve written original material – you’ve supposedly given the audience what they want, however, it’s difficult to get it made by the powers that be as the industry slowly and cautiously rebounds from last year’s strikes.

The good news is studios and production companies are expanding where they mine IP (intellectual property). In addition to the traditional avenues of scouting books and articles as well as acquiring individual’s life rights to adapt for the screen, podcasts have become bona fide fodder for the movies and television. Hulu’s The Dropout and Peacock’s Dr. Death are two of the many series based on podcasts, and even Kevin Smith’s horror-comedy Tusk had audio roots.

Another avenue that is oft-overlooked are short stories. Some of the most famous films were adapted from short stories: All About Eve, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Arrival.

While optioning a best-seller or hit-podcast can be expensive, time-consuming and laborious, it’s easier to generate your own IP from your existing material than one may think!

Victoria Male Monica Duarte

SCREENPLAY TO SHORT STORY

Creating a short story version of your screenplay has several benefits. Firstly it’s quicker than writing a book and a more appealing length to a beleaguered development executive. Furthermore, publishing your story before sending it out to the film community can serve as external validation for the piece.

I’ve adapted three screenplays into short stories, which have been published in nine literary magazines worldwide. The most straightforward approach for me when going from a sixty or one hundred page script to a short story that can range from one to ten thousand words is to

select a scene in your screenplay that you can adapt as a self-contained story. Likely, it’ll be a pivotal part of your script, therefore a scene that falls around an act break or midpoint is a good place to pull from. You want to find a snippet of your script that encapsulates the main conflict of the script. This way it can function as a successful standalone story as well as a preview of what the entire script will entail.

I took the midpoint scene from my screenplay CADER IDRIS to be the basis of my short story “The Crone of Cader Idris”. Cader Idris is about a man, Morgan, who while grieving a major loss goes camping on a Welsh mountain with a dark legend. However, his weekend trip becomes a deadly struggle where he must vanquish both his own and the mountain’s demons or else succumb to its curse. Throughout the movie, Morgan meets several monsters based on Welsh mythology as he reconciles his grief and guilt. For the short story, I chose the sequence where

Morgan meets one monster, the witch Matilda of the Night, and is chased by her for the basis of the narrative.

The biggest difference, in my opinion, between a screenplay and prose is how much detail you can put on the page. With a screenplay, it’s all about the economy of words. You’re trying to communicate as much as you can about the story and its characters in the least amount of space, while laying a foundation for all of the artisans who will bring the script to life on screen. Conversely, with a short story and prose in general, you are solely generating everything about the story.

In a screenplay, you learn about a character through behavior, subtext, and dialogue (or perhaps lack thereof) and that provides the depth as the script unfolds. In a short story, while you might not have as much space as a screenplay, you can go much deeper right off the bat through their descriptions and access to their thoughts. It’s my rule of thumb when writing a character in a script that you can’t write anything for a character that an actor can’t play.

In a short story, that limitation doesn’t apply. Illuminating a character’s thoughts in prose allows one to get to the heart of a character more quickly and therefore, condense the time it’ll take to learn about a character. It’s incredibly freeing after screenwriting for as long as I have, and writing in prose about your characters can be a great way to discover things about them for your script too.

Though it can feel laborious to delve into all the details of a scene when going from script to short story, prose also opens up the opportunity to dive so much deeper into your characters’ inner-lives.

When writing “The Crone of Cader Idris” I really enjoyed exploring Matilda’s inner-monologue in the piece. Whereas in the screenplay version, we see her solely from protagonist Morgan’s point of view. Re-imagining the story in prose allowed me to give Matilda a richer backstory and discover so much more about her. In turn those discoveries serve as helpful color for the director, actor, character designers, and others down the line when bringing Matilda to life on screen.

“The Crone of Cader Idris” condensed a ninety page script into just over three thousand words, and found publication in The Chamber Magazine, All Existing Literary Magazine, and Bards & Sages Quarterly.

The Icarus Writing Collective Cover Art by Venn Saphira

PILOT TO PODCAST

Adapting from podcast to pilot is always going to be a larger jump since you’re going from an exclusively audio medium to an audiovisual one.

Furthermore, when I was adapting my podcast Your Biggest Fangirl into a series, I was also going from a non-fiction, interview style podcast to a narrative series. In that case, it was most important to me to retain the themes and the mission of the podcast when writing the pilot. During the three years I co-created, produced and hosted the Your Biggest Fangirl Podcast, I learned so much about how women expressed their fandom, whatever it may have been – Supernatural, Doctor Who, wrestling, even collecting pins.

The people we spoke to were scholars, writers, a rocket scientist, entrepreneurs, and actors. I felt that up until now, “fangirls” have always been portrayed in the media as silly, hysterical devotees or Kathy Bates in Misery, and in my reality, it couldn’t have been further from the truth.

My motivation for the podcast and the series was the same - to broaden the definition of fangirl women and show them as real people. Therefore, when creating the character of Evie, my fangirl protagonist in the series, I took all that knowledge I gained from talking to my interviewees to craft a three-dimensional woman.

Much like in the podcast, I wanted to show why she loved her celebrity crush so much, and what that did for her, whereas on the podcast I could simply directly ask why someone connected with a piece of media in the way they did. I think it’s important to get really clear on your “why” when adapting across mediums and to be fluid on your “how”, since when shifting platforms, your storytelling will inevitably shift and change.

Getting specific on your “why” and main themes when going from podcast to pilot is also important because instead of fleshing out a scene from a screenplay, you’re likely condensing several hours of a podcast into a thirty or sixty page script.

I was only able to convert the fifty-three episodes of the Your Biggest Fangirl Podcast into a thirty-page dramedy pilot by having a crystal clear message I wanted to convey: that there’s more that meets the eye to your average fangirl.

Writer Victoria MaleJackie Male

SUMMING IT UP

Despite the weird moment in the industry right now, hopefully reverse engineering your own IP allows one the best of both worlds.

Not only does making IP for yourself make your work more competitive without sacrificing creativity, it also can be a great exercise in delving deeper into theme and character in your existing scripts!

Written by Melissa Kent

Even if I hadn’t been the one to edit Música, Rudy Mancuso’s debut feature as writer, director, lead actor, and composer, I would be obsessed with this movie.

Starting with the thoughtful transitions. The way we segue from one scene to another is something that so often gets overlooked, and these were planned like no other. The first one of note is after Rudy’s puppet, Diego, pseudo assures him that “everything will be alright…well, probably not,” and Rudy tilts to lean against the subway wall but we cut to him falling into bed. The camera rotates with him 90 degrees, and as it pulls out, his mother Maria comes knocking on his door, but because the camera is on its side, she appears to be standing in a horizontal position, with the door creating a horizontal split screen between mother and son.

Música - Official Trailer | Prime Video www.youtube.com

The following scene in her kitchen ends with Rudy swiveling his chair to face camera, and starting to clap his hands, finishing the movement on the bus where the other riders are performing a complex rhythm using books, phones, newspapers, and their hands and feet. This is the second “música” scene in the movie, where Rudy’s synesthesia turns everyday sounds into complex rhythms. They finish the “dance,” joined by Rudy, but his last action cuts midway and now we are in his college class. He finishes the movement as his elbow hits the desk, head in hand. At this point, my mind is blown and I’m totally hooked.

I got involved with Música a few months before shooting began. I was sitting at home, out of work, perusing a long list of movies that would be going into production soon when the title caught my eye because my favorite thing to do is to edit movies that revolve around music. And here is where I got lucky. I had just worked with Música’s producers McG, Mary Viola, and Steven Bello on my most recent movie, Tall Girl 2 on Netflix. I called them immediately, “what’s the plan with Música?” Because Rudy had edited all his YouTube videos, I wasn’t sure if maybe he felt ready to tackle a feature. But again, I was lucky, because he knew he was already wearing a lot of hats. We met on a Zoom job interview and immediately hit it off.

Many times during our collaboration Rudy told me, “Thank god you speak music.” We had a way of communicating in beats, and generally using musical language, especially when working on the rhythmic dance/synesthesia sections. Preview audiences remarked that Música reminded them of In The Heights and tick, tick… BOOM! which I considered the highest of praise as Thomas Kail and Lin-Manuel Miranda are big influences of mine.

Having edited about 30 movies so far, I think Rudy relied on my experience to craft the general structure of the movie and the dialogue scenes specifically. We worked virtually, where I was at home and he was anywhere from London to Vancouver, B.C., from New Jersey to Los Angeles. I kept regular hours and he would work at whatever time matched my schedule in LA. In many ways it worked best when he was in London, eight hours ahead. Musicians love to work late at night, I guess.

Música is based on a true story, and critics have said it’s the first movie to show successfully what it is like to have synesthesia. And because this condition expresses itself in a myriad of ways for Rudy, we have scenes where music is created from a dinner table conversation, from street vendors in the Ironbound (Newark’s Brazilian neighborhood) that erupts into a full dance number with horns and drums, and later, park goers whose games of basketball, soccer, checkers, and jump rope become a full-blown orchestra, just to name a few. This is not a typical musical where the main characters break into song, save for briefly singing along with a subway busker or when Rudy perceives his mom’s hair salon clientele to be pestering him to meet their daughters.

After that episode, Rudy hides in the salon closet, explaining to Diego the puppet that sometimes he has to just, “get away from the noise.” But as Diego wisely observes, “that noise is a part of you, bro.” This movie is the opposite of the usual studio strategy to try to appeal to everyone, and therefore please no one. By staying true to his unique experience, by crafting a movie that is very specific and unusual, by including some Portuguese, puppets, and casting his own mother as his mom, Rudy was able to create a movie that audiences and critics connect to and enjoy.

I am so grateful to have been a part of making Música, to have been able to call upon my own talents in music, dance, art, and editing to bring this unique movie to life.

As far as camera stabilizers go, tripods are relatively simple tools, right? At least compared to motorized 3 or 4-axis gyroscopic gimbals and Steadicam's iso-elastic arms. Tripods have been around forever, supporting the camera rigs of studio projects and the Sony Handycams of soccer dads everywhere. And they just—sort of—stand there, so it's easy to assume that there's not much to "operating" one.

If you want to find the BEST tripods for filmmakers and creators we actually did the research for you! And if you have a few of these guys lying around, we have some hacks for storing them! Plus if you want more insights into how to set up your shots, check out our complete guide to all of camera angles, shot types and moves you need to be a cinematographer.

But sticks really do require quite a bit of finesse and expertise. (Talkin' to you, Kurt...stepping over the sideline with your chunky cross-trainers and wraparound sports shades.)

In this video, Kai W goes over some helpful tips on using a tripod like an actual professional. Check it out below.

Scout First

I know you're itching to best out that tripod and get shooting, but you might want to keep those sticks put away until you're done scouting the location. This will allow you to find your shots without the added headache of carting around a fully extended tripod, whacking passersby in the shins or getting stuck in thick, prickly brush as you awkwardly maneuver.

Spread Those Legs Out

Fully spreading out your tripod legs will give you more stability than if you keep them part-way closed. Now, if you're just being a little lazy, just go ahead and spread 'em. However, if you're thinking you need a smaller footprint while working in a tight space, that makes sense. Just be sure to keep a steady hand on your camera in case your setup gets an unintentional hip bump.

How to Position Your Legs (Level Ground Edition)

Very simple: point one leg toward your subject. Why? Because that means that one leg isn't invading the space between your own human legs.

How to Position Your Legs (Uneven Ground Edition)

If you're trying to shoot on uneven ground, like on the side of a mountain or hill, stability becomes a bigger issue. That's why Kai suggests placing two legs downhill, because your setup will have more balance and stability if there's a sudden gust of wind, a bump, or nudge. Placing one leg downhill makes your setup more prone to tipping, meaning you'll most likely have a fallen camera on your hands.

Extend From the Top

Why? Because that means you're using the thicc, beefy parts of your tripod legs first, keeping your setup as stable and durable as possible. That's not to say that you shouldn't extend the thinnest section of your tripod, or your center column for that matter—if you need more height, do it. However, it's a no-brainer to ensure that the majority of your camera setup's weight is supported by the strongest parts of your tripod.

Composing Shots on a Tripod

Okay, you've scouted your location, extended your legs out, positioned it like a champ, and now you're ready to shoot. Except you're not. You still have to adjust the ball head. Kai suggests loosening the ball head, cupping your camera lens with one hand to make adjustments, and using your other hand to tighten things up once you've got your shot.

Remove Weight from Your Tripod Hook When Moving

It's a great idea to add some weight and stability to your setup by hanging your camera bag (or something) from your tripod hook. However, if you're changing locations, even just moving over a few yards, take that weight off. You don't want to be fumbling around with a tripod that keeps changing its weight distribution due to a pendulous bag. In fact, it's a good idea to close the legs and carry that baby over your shoulder as you move from one spot to another.

DIY Weight for Your Tripod Hook

Don't have a heavy camera bag to hang on your tripod hook? Well, if you have a camera strap you can add some weight to your camera setup by attaching it to the hook (Kai uses some bungees), and applying some pressure with his foot. Boom!

Turn Image Stabilization Off

If your camera has image stabilization, great! It's really helpful for certain applications...but maybe not for this one. Your camera is already locked off on a steady (and very still) tripod, so you're not going to need the magic of IS. Better to save your battery and turn it off.

What are some other helpful tripod tips? Leave them in the comments below!

We also have 13 additional tips for maximizing your tripod!

Source: Kai W

As a filmmaker, one of your primary responsibilities is to translate what’s on the page to the screen in a way that is both emotionally charged and reveals the necessary information.

There’s no one way to do that. There’s no secret formula. No one-size-fits-all guide. But there is a canon of the hundreds of thousands of existing films. And one of the most common and reliable visual tools that directors have used in those films is the medium shot.

This workhorse is perhaps the most commonly used shot in films and when used properly, can serve as the visual glue of a scene. It’s more than just the glue, though.

The camera angle can be used to reveal character and ramp up emotion while also revealing setting and allowing the character and setting to play off one another. It's a crucial shot type in the wide array of camera shots, movements and angles.

No filmmaker should operate without a firm understanding of this shot, so what we’re going to do today is discuss it and explore some shot examples. We’ll also touch on this shot's 'siblings'.

Before we do all that though, what is a medium shot in the first place?

That’s a fair question to ask, so without further ado, let’s define it!

Medium Shot Definition

A medium shot (“MS” on the shot list) is captured at a medium distance from the subject. It is often used for dialogue-heavy scenes, but also depicts body language and can reveal more of the setting. Oftentimes it will frame multiple subjects as well as a portion of the background.

An alternate and perhaps simpler way to think about this camera angle is that it shows less than a wide shot but more than a close-up.

Let's dive into when to use this shot.

When to go medium

There’s no one instance in which this shot is called for, but all that means is that it’s up to you as a filmmaker to decide when to use it.

A medium shot is often overlooked in favor of a close-up shot that captures more granular detail or a wide shot that captures more scope, but the benefit of the medium is that it’s a happy marriage between the two. You can capture fine details, while also achieving some scope and filling in the surroundings of your character(s).

It can be used to frame large groups of people or individual characters in settings that have more going on in the background, or can also provide a sense of scale between the subject and their surroundings. It allows character and setting to play off each other in a way that other shots don’t allow.

This shot is truly a workhorse; it fits the character, dialogue, setting, and occasionally action all into one shot.

That’s enough talk though, let’s take a look at this in practice!

Medium Shot Examples

Let’s start off with an example from Hitchcock’s North by Northwest.

The shots in this scene capture Roger Thornhill as he’s repeatedly attacked by a crop duster. The sequence beginning at 1:30 is particularly astonishing as we get real character detail while also getting a sense of scope and danger.

We’re with Roger as he realizes the crop duster is returning for him and we see the sense of urgency on his face as the plane gets closer and closer. The camera angle also reaffirms that Roger is in a remote area, which further amplifies the danger he’s in; there’s nothing but he and the plane and it’s coming straight for him.

This scene is an achievement in filmmaking and is only possible because of our new favorite shot. A close-up wouldn’t capture the sense of scope and danger Roger is in and a wide shot wouldn’t allow for us to see the emotion on Roger’s face.

Now let’s change gears a bit and take a look at how the shot is used to fully capture emotion.

This sequence, among the most powerful in Spielberg’s incredible filmography, features the iconic shot of Private Ryan at the Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial. The entire scene is full of emotion, but in this particular moment, we see Ryan gazing not only at the grave of Captain Miller, but at the graves of all the American men lost during WWII.

Ryan is our window into the scene and through him, we see the sheer scope of the loss that occurred on the battlefields. The shot is not only visually arresting but also packs an emotional punch. It feels both personal and intimate and yet grand and unimaginable.

Such is the magic of this 'tweener' of a camera angle.

We said earlier that medium shots are often used to frame multiple characters in a scene, so let’s take a look at an example of that from Sofia Coppola’s Lost in Translation.

This film is a "two-hander" focused on the relationship between Bob and Charlotte, and this shot almost perfectly encapsulates the complicated dynamic between the two. Both characters are at points in their lives where they feel lost and vulnerable, and they take solace in each other and develop a bond that is somewhere in the messy void between platonic and romantic.

This shot captures all of that in one frame; it’s clear that they’re more than friends, but it’s also clear that they’re not quite lovers. That’s a lot of information to convey.

For our next example, we’re going to take a hard right turn and explore how to amplify atmosphere.

American Psycho is among the more polarizing films of the 21st century, but (hopefully) everyone can agree that this shot is dynamite.

This film is all about tone and this shot really helps create that tone; it’s evocative, eerie, reveals character, and tells us something about the setting all at once.

The movies above use this tool in moderation, but there are some films that use them so frequently as to be...

Medium Shot Films

A whole film defined by one shot? Well...

The Searchers is a medium shot film.

John Ford was not only a master filmmaker, but one could argue that he helped define this shot, or at the very least, mastered it.

In this clip, Ethan returns home and nearly every shot is a medium. Through these shots, we meet the various characters, get a sense of their relationships with each other, and are also introduced to the setting.

More Medium Shot Examples

The infamous Cowboys vs. Indians scene is another example of Ford’s heavy reliance on the angle. Nearly every shot of Ethan and the rangers is a medium, which allows us to feel close to the characters and the action while also giving the sequence a sense of scope.

Here’s another example:

The iconic sequence of Ethan picking up and rescuing Debbie in this frame achieves maximum emotional impact. We see exactly what Ethan and Debbie are feeling in the moment, but also see the rugged terrain as dust is kicked up in the background, which highlights the setting and adds to the atmosphere.

Now that we have the basic version down, let’s start tackling variations.

Medium Long Shot Definition

The medium long (or medium wide shot) frames a subject from the knees up. It’s an intermediary between the long and the medium and it slightly prioritizes the background over the subjects and the foreground.

Makes sense, right?

When to use the Medium Long Shot

The main reason to use it is to highlight the background, but also show the character in relation to it. In a medium long shot, you can see enough of the character to see his or her facial expressions, but the focus is on their surroundings.

Medium long shots are also commonly used for group shots or two shots because they provide enough room in the frame to include multiple characters simultaneously.

Medium Long Shot Example

Quentin Tarantino is no stranger to the medium long shot and this frame from Inglorious Basterds perfectly highlights what the shot can really do for you.

In this frame, Shoshanna Dreyfus captures our attention in the foreground, but the reason this shot is so evocative is because of how it pairs Shoshanna with the various visual elements in the background. We see Shoshanna’s reflection, the film poster, and the red Nazi banners and the interplay between these and Shoshanna herself creates a frame that perfectly encapsulates her state of mind as she prepares to enact her revenge.

On the other end of the spectrum is the medium close-up shot.

Medium Close Up Shot Definition

A medium close-up (MCU) frames a subject’s head and cuts off around mid-chest. The focus is on the subject, but the shot does reveal a little bit of the surroundings.

When to use this shot

If you want to focus on a subject’s face in detail, while also including enough of the background so as to make clear the setting we’re in. The shot allows that setting to interact with the subject.

It also allows for nuanced shifts in facial expressions, while also allowing the actor(s) to convey more emotion through body language via their shoulders and chest.

Medium Close Up Shot Example

Medium close-ups can be used to great effect in all genres, but one of the most memorable examples comes from the opening scene of Dario Argento’s horror film Suspiria.

This scene is a masterclass in the atmosphere. By the time Suzy Bannion has gotten in the cab, we’re already uneasy and the medium close-up shot of Suzy in the back seat only amplifies that. She’s soaking wet, it’s pouring rain outside, and she’s clearly in a foreign place based on how she reacts to her surroundings.

This not only highlights Suzy’s state of mind but also allows enough space for the flashes of color and practical thunderstorm effects to take place. The result is a compelling interplay between Suzy and the eerie kaleidoscope of a world she’s just entered.

Not too wide and not too close... in summary

We've defined the shot, and we've looked at prime examples.

If you’re ever doubting the value of this visual workhorse, remember, there’s no other shot that can simultaneously reveal intimate emotion and nuance in a character while also allowing for scope and atmosphere.

So as you draw your storyboards or otherwise visually plan your next film, keep this angle in mind. After all, it is often the visual glue of a scene. But don’t take it from me, take it from Spielberg, Ford, Tarantino, and Hitchcock.

Let me know what you think in the comments.

If you're like me, then you sometimes have trouble getting your thoughts precisely down on paper. As storytellers, we want to be as concise and articulate as possible, but we also want people to feel and connect with our characters and screenplays.

This is a very delicate balance. Often, I find it best to write the first draft and get all my ideas out on the page. Then, when I have time to rewrite, I go back and do a pass where I supercharge my words. 

What is "supercharging" your words? 

Basically, you want to have a diverse amount of words inside your script. Words that help you pull emotions out of the reader. Sure, someone can "walk" across the room. but what if they strut? Or saunter? Or slink? That conjures many different characters and emotions. 

That's great writing. What can you say about a character that better indicates their mood, their personality, their goals? Since screenwriting is entirely visual, the words you choose need to help fill in the blanks for the reader or viewer.

In the moment, it can be hard to think of the perfect word. So we compiled this list to help you brainstorm what fits your scene best. 

Check out this list of words. Hopefully, it helps you on your screenwriting journey. 

If someone were to ask you what kind of horror you like, what would your answer be?

The horror genre is the only genre that proves to be a hit across film and television time and time again because of its ability to adapt and appeal to specific audiences' tastes. While some fans of horror might prefer the blood, guts, and gore, other fans of the genre may prefer the slow-burning psychological horror that doesn't show much blood.

The horror subgenres are numerous, and it makes sense since the genre has been around since someone could hold a movie camera and make a film. Let's break down why the horror genre remains dominant in film and TV culture, and what subgenres were born from horror.

'Nosferatu' Credit: Film Arts Guild

What Is Horror?

Horror is a film genre that can strike fear into people’s hearts for entertainment. Films that fall into the horror genre tend to prey on the viewer’s biggest fears or worst nightmares through dread, gore, and a rush of adrenaline through jumpscares.

Not every horror film looks the same. The horror genre is one of the most freeing genres in cinema since it allows filmmakers to play with tropes and uncommon techniques that are not often seen in mainstream media.

The horror genre is a blanket term for all the types of horror films that exist. There are different types of horror, from psychological to gore, that filmmakers use to create great horror films. The genre also overlaps with many other genres like mystery, sci-fi, fantasy, and drama to lure audiences in with a familiar feeling before scaring them.

'Alien 3' Credit: 20th Century Fox

What Was the First Horror Movie?

The first horror film was a 3-minute short film called Le Manoir du Diable (1896), known in English as both The Haunted Castle or The Devil’s Castle. The film was thought to be lost but was discovered in 1988 at the New Zealand Film Archive. You can watch the short below.

The film tells the story of an encounter with the devil and the various attendant phantoms in a castle. The early short was not meant to scare or shock the viewers like modern horror films, but its goal was to amuse audiences. The cinematography to create the shocking visuals established the genre as one that was free to explore new visual languages.

The horror genre wouldn’t be defined until director Robert Wiene’s German Expressionist masterpiece The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari. The silent film drew the attention of a global audience to horror and plot twists, which led the film to have a massive impact on film and the horror genre.

The scenery of Francis’ (Friedrich Fehér) nightmare sets the film apart as it immerses the viewer into the chaos and horrors of the story. The harsh lines, crooked backdrops, and painted shadows created a surreal and terrifying atmosphere that still lingers in the genre, influencing the works of Tim Burton and David Lynch.

When Did Horror Become Popular?

Although horror has a long history in cinema, the genre did not make it to the mainstream until the 1970s.

Before then, Universal Pictures set out to establish its own style of horror in Hollywood that would introduce American audiences to the genre. Through the Universal Monsters, which included films like Dracula, Frankenstein, The Mummy, The Wolfman, and Creature from the Black Lagoon, the studio made room for horror in the mainstream.

The Universal Monsters Credit: Universal Pictures

Unfortunately, 22 West Magazine found that the studio began to cheapen the genre by oversaturating it with multiple spin-offs and sequels to the franchises, which made people abandon horror films in favor of comedies.

After World War II ended and audiences were experiencing an economic boom, they were ready to be scared for entertainment. By the end of the 1950s, audiences got The Fly, The Blob, Rosemary’s Baby, Night of the Living Dead, and The Haunting.

Although these films did not start a new franchise, they served as placeholders for the horror renaissance. They provided new scares and techniques to the genre while tackling themes of racism, misogyny, and abortion rights.

While The Exorcist was a horror success, the genre did not become mainstream until the late ‘70s with Halloween, The Amityville Horror, Friday the 13th, and Alien. Audiences were impressed by the special effects, uncensored gore, and unconventional structure of the stories.

Now, horror is finding a new way to scare with a more “sophisticated” mindset. Horror has always had complex themes and moral messages, but it never fully dove headfirst into the art house style of Hausu or Giallo films like they do today. Horror is constantly shifting and evolving, but they do so within the molds of its specific subgenre.

'The Exorcist' Credit: Warner Bros.

What Are the Characteristics of Horror Films?

While many horror films may incorporate physical violence and psychological terror, there are horror films that don’t show any acts of violence. Each subgenre of horror has its unique characteristics, but horror has a few distinct characteristics that define the genre.

The AMC site defines horror as containing "dark, primitive, and revolting traits that simultaneously attract and repel us."

They go on to describe its subgenres:

"Horror films are often combined with science fiction when the menace or monster is related to a corruption of technology, or when Earth is threatened by aliens. The fantasy and supernatural film genres are not synonymous with the horror genre, although thriller films may have some relation when they focus on the revolting and horrible acts of the killer/madman. Horror films are also known as chillers, scary movies, spookfests, and the macabre."

Some common elements that can be found throughout the horror genre are:

• More action than dialogue
• Mounting suspense
• Jumpscares
• A villain or a monster

35 Horror Subgenres to Know

While the slasher genre is the most well-known and well-defined subgenre in horror, there are so many subgenres that carry their own set of rules to horror.

Let's break down the main subgenres of horror.

Psychological

1. Phobia: As the name suggests, phobia/isolation horror focuses on the horrors of survival. There is typically a district phobia present in these films like claustrophobia. If the characters do make it out alive, there is usually a heavy price they have to pay to survive.

• The Descent
• Gerald’s Game
• Frozen

2. Madness and Phobia: This subgenre focuses less on the deaths of the characters, but on the madness that drives them forward in the story. The terror is whether they have lost their minds due to circumstances, mental illness, or just psychopathic tendencies. This subgenre overlaps with the slasher genre but focuses less on the killing and more on the force that drives the character to kill.

• The Shining
• Jacob’s Ladder
• In the Mouth of Madness

3. Home Invasion and Survival: This subgenre normally involves a woman home alone or a group of people that are threatened by one or more assailants who are typically masked. The main focus of the home invasion film is whether the victim(s) will survive.

Unlike slashers, home invasion films focus more on the stalking of the victims rather than their kills. The villains do not reveal their identities until much later in the story which enhances the claustrophobic fear.

• The Strangers
• The Purge
• Funny Games

4. Arthouse: Also known as elevated horror, arthouse horror focuses on psychological themes and atmosphere. Often, arthouse horror films have a distinct cinematic style that may delve into philosophical ideas that challenge the viewers' beliefs.

The story can be simple or complex, but the core of the film tends to be the cinematography. The experience of the movie matters more than sticking to the traditional film structure. Sometimes, arthouse horror can feel empty and without substance, but it is undeniably stunning.

• Under the Skin
• Climax
• Mandy

'Mandy' Credit: RLJE Films

Killer

5. Slasher: The slasher genre is probably the most well-known subgenre in horror. Typically, these films feature a human-like killer (sometimes with supernatural powers) that hunts down a group of people, usually teenagers. The deaths are bloody and unique, which makes it a fun yet gruesome watch. It is also the genre that is responsible for the Final Girl trope that we can’t help but love.

• Halloween
• Child’s Play
• Candyman
• Freaky
• Happy Death Day

6. Crime and Giallo: Crime and Giallo films focus on elements from other genres like slashers, crime fiction, psychological thriller, psychological horror, exploitation, and supernatural horror. These films are harder to define due to their thematic and stylistic nature. Many of the films that fall into the genre have lavish set designs with vivid bold, surrealist qualities and acts of violence toward beautiful middle-class women.

• The Girl Who Knew Too Much
• Blood and Black Lace
• Suspiria

7. Backwoods Horror: Backwoods horrors are easy to define. They are simply slasher films that are set in forests, woodlands, or rural locations that are affected by rural poverty. Oftentimes, city slickers traveling through rural territory run into the country folk who eventually hunt the city slickers down in a grisly manner.

• The Texas Chain Saw Massacre
• The Hills Have Eyes
• Wrong Turn

'The Texas Chain Saw Massacre' Credit: Bryanston Distributing Company

Gore and Disturbing

8. Torture: Also known as torture porn, this subgenre depicted bouts of extreme violence and explicit scenes of torture and mutilation. The subgenre inherently indulges in sadism delivered by an often-motiveless villain, granting audiences satisfaction and gratification when it comes to gore and physical violence.

• Saw
• Hostel
• The Devil's Rejects

9. Body Horror: At its most basic form, body horror films show grotesque or disturbing violations of the human body. The most popular forms of body horror involved mutations through disease or infection, uncontrolled transformations, and depictions of unnatural movements of the body.

• The Fly
• Videodrome
• District 9
• Tusk

10. Splatter: Also known as gore films, splatter films focus on the mutilation of the human body. Though gore films are often criticized as being gratuitous and referred to as torture porn, many gore films have social commentary attached to them.

• Final Destination
• Tag
• Terrifier 2

11. Cannibal: This subgenre uses cannibalism for shock value. The realistic and graphic violence and genuine cruelty to animals are hard to stomach, which serves as the main advertising draw to cannibal films. The subgenre's reputation is often viewed negatively, causing cannibal horror films to be taboo. It's hard to hit the mainstream with these films, but Eli Roth's Green Inferno and Julia Ducournau's Raw brought cannibalism back into the mainstream.

• Cannibal Holocaust
• The Green Inferno
• Raw

12. Extreme: Exploitation horror features the most extreme examples of gore, mutilation, and cannibalism in films. The graphic nature of these films is hard to stomach as they put all of the brutality on display. Due to their taboo nature and plotless nature, a lot of these films have been banned in various countries.

• Thriller: A Cruel Picture
• Ichi the Killer
• A Serbian Film

'Raw' Credit: Focus World

Monster

13. Zombies: Popularized by George A. Romero, zombies have a deep and rich history in cinema. Zombies unconsciously terrify the human brain and have been featured in many cultures across the world.

• Night of the Living Dead
• Train to Busan
• 28 Days Later

14. Virus: There is a lot of overlap between zombies and viruses, but it is important to remember that zombies are not all based on viruses and not all viruses lead to zombies. In non-zombie-virus films, those infected will often maintain control until the virus completely takes over.

• The Crazies
• Pontypool
• Mayhem

15. Vampire: Vampires have been a staple in the horror genre long before any other movie monster. Vampire films all have different sets of rules for their vampires, but they always keep one thing the same—they need blood to live.

• Let The Right One In
• Blade
• Midnight Mass

16. Werewolf: Werewolves are an underutilized movie monster that have struggled to find many homes in the horror genre. Unlike vampires, werewolves are not given the same horror status and are often poorly received by audiences. However, werewolves provide a lot of space to explore “otherness” and allow special effects artists to show off their talents during the transformation scene.

• An American Werewolf in London
• The Wolfman
• Howl

17. Classic and Mythological: This horror genre is rooted in the mythos of a culture. These films are based on the legends we heard growing up that scared us. Whether the villain is a masked killer, deranged lunatic, or supernatural creature, the classic and mythological horror speaks to the inner child who believes that something could be lurking just beyond the light.

• The Ritual
• La Llorona
• Krampus

'The Ritual' Credit: Netflix

18. Neo-Monsters: Neo-monster is a term that describes everything else in the monster genre. All of the strange, creative, and downright weird new monsters that don't have a home in the monster genre live in this subgenre. Neo-monsters are prevalent in B-movies but have found a new life in the mainstream thanks to CGI.

• A Quiet Place
• Pumpkinhead
• Stranger Things

19. Animals and Nature: This subgenre of horror features natural forces at play in the form of an animal or plant. Typically these animals or foliage are the antagonists in the films, threatening the lives of the human characters.

• The Happening
• Jaws
• Creepshow

20. Giant Creatures: Similar to animals and nature, giant creatures are often the villains in these horror films. Mutated by radiation or an altered DNA strain, these creatures terrorize characters, often serving as a metaphor for Mother Nature's revenge.

• Godzilla
• King Kong
• Crawl

21. Small Creatures: Unlike most horror, these creature features have cute little monsters terrorizing the town. Size is not an issue when it comes to monsters with malicious intent. These are often family-friendly horror films that can still scare the pants off both adults and children.

• Ghoulies
• Gremlins
• Munchies

22. Sci-Fi and Aliens: Sci-fi horror combines the terror of the unknown with science. Featuring futuristic threats or species that have been disturbed unwittingly by humans, sci-fi horror promises that horror will exist no matter the time or the place, and that includes space. Where the monster genre may offer a loose or fluid explanation for the animal attacks, there is often a lot of investigation into where the aliens came from or why.

• Alien
• Nope
• Prey

'Nope' Credit: Universal Pictures

Paranormal

23. Ghost and Spirits: This subgenre is another one that doesn't need an introduction. In horror cinema, ghosts and spirits are often the souls of dead people who have unfinished business or seek revenge.

• Ghost Ship
• Poltergeist
• Thirteen Ghosts

24. Haunted House: Could you have a ghost movie without a haunted house? The simple answer is yes, which is why this subgenre focuses on the location more than the ghost themselves. The plot usually revolves around a group of intrepid newcomers who enter a haunted house.

• The Amityville Horror
• Beetlejuice
• The Grudge

25. Possession: This subgenre is pretty straightforward. Someone or something is possessed by a spirit. The spirit can be good or bad, but this is horror, so most of the time we will get a malevolent spirit. Sometimes, humans don't have to be the ones that are possessed. Some of my favorite horror films include inanimate objects coming to life to kill.

• Christine
• Oculus
• Possession

26. Devils, Demons, and Hell: Very rarely in possession films does the devil do the actual possessing, but when he does inhabit a human body the stakes are always much higher. Demons and lesser imps often do most of the devil's heavy lifting, but they don't always have to possess a body to create a living hell for the characters in the film. Instead, they can simply be entities that leave a wake of death and destruction.

• The Omen
• Devil
• To the Devil a Daughter

27. Witches and Occult: Films that feature witches or cults tend to play on the tropes that have been given to the characters long ago in history. Some movies depict a hierarchy with other lesser magical beings, but the goal of the cults and witches tends to be the same—serve a higher being.

• The Craft
• The Witch
• Silent Hill

28. Supernatural Power: Supernatural powers in horror often feature a teenager or child that has inexplicable powers that they cannot control. Often, this leads to a lot of terrible events happening before the character can hone their ability. The final scene often involves the character taking their rage out on those who shunned or manipulated them throughout the movie.

• Firestarter
• Carrie
• Seconds Apart

'Carrie' Credit: United Artist

Miscellaneous

29. Comedy Horror: Comedy horror plays in both the comedy and the horror genres, which thrive well together. Comedy often comes from watching someone else suffer in amusing ways, and the set-up for a joke is often the same setup for a satisfying kill.

The creatures can be cute or playful more than frightening, yet they are maleficent creatures who cannot be trusted.

• Shaun of the Dead
• Jennifer’s Body
• Eating Raoul

30. Parody Horror: Parody horror is a subset of comedy horror, but with a twist. Parody horror is almost self-explanatory. It pokes fun at horror franchises or tropes. Some parody horror movies almost mimic the plot of the films they are parodying or they may have their own unique plots while leaning heavily on horror movie stereotypes.

• What We Do In the Shadows
• Scary Movie
• The Cabin in the Woods

31. Lovecraftian/Cosmic Horror: Named after H.P. Lovecraft, Lovecraftian horror, or cosmic horror, places horror on the unknown or beings beyond human comprehension.

• The Mist
• The Void
• Annihilation

'The Mist' Credit: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Dimension Films

32. Gothic Horror: Gothic horror takes a lot of its tone and aesthetics from gothic literature. There is a delicate blend of romance and melancholy mixed in with horror elements.

• Sleepy Hollow
• Crimson Peak
• Interview with the Vampire

33. Found Footage: While found footage is more of a filming technique, the style boomed in the 2010s in the horror genre, making itself a sub-genre by default. The style of the film typically has a character filming the other characters or GoPros attached to their body. The shaky camera disorients viewers, adding to the chaos of the film’s horror, and plays with the ideas of perspective as technology develops.

• Deadstream
• Cloverfield
• [REC]

34. Folk Horror: Folk horror consists of movies that are heavily focused on a community's relationship with the earth. Often set in rural or secluded areas, the brutal clash between modernism and primitive societies comes to a head, and Mother Nature tends to always prevail.

Folk horror often dabbles in old ideas or folklore and focuses on themes of isolation and a character’s relationships with themselves and the earth.

• Midsommar
• Lamb
• The Wicker Man

35. Post-Apocalyptic: Post-apocalyptic films feature characters in a wasteland location. In a world destroyed by various causes, such as nuclear war or a medical pandemic, these films tend to focus on the end of the world and the struggle for survival.

• Doomsday
• Bird Box
• Daybreak

'Bird Box' Credit: Netflix

All of these subgenres showcase the fantastically unique quality of the horror genre. There is a little bit of something for everyone. Each subgenre dives further into niches that can be broken down even further. The possibilities are endless, and it is all about what you think serves your taste and story the best.

Horror is an ever-expanding genre that will continue to find new ways to reinvent itself. Many of these subgenres tend to dip into each other, borrowing some elements while creating their ethos.

Don’t be afraid to play within subgenres of horror when writing your next project, and don’t feel like you have to adhere to any subgenre. Create a horror project that you want to see, but it does help to turn toward specific movies and borrow a few characteristics from them.

What’s your favorite subgenre of horror? Let us know in the comments!

Look, we all know the meme this conversation comes from, so I won't belabor the point. But let's all agree that Pixar moms are stacked.

Turns out, there's a logical reason for it, and it's not pilates. It's a strategy used by animators.

Check out this video from fullcomma where it's explained why Pixar moms look Like That. Then let's talk after.

It turns out at the end of the day, the choice to thicken body parts is to differentiate age. That's really it.

It's called Hartman's hips, named after animator Butch Hartman. Basically, if you give a cartoon woman big breasts, they're not considered family-friendly by a code from back in the day. So hips became the standard substitute to denote a mature adult woman.

This hourglass figure, with a tiny waist and large hips, became the standard across the animation. And still is today.

As TV Tropes points out, we may call them Hartman's Hips solely due to alliteration, because that female shape may be better associated with other artists such as Genndy Tartakovsky or character designer Stephen Silver.

Yes, they're all male animators. As the field gets diverse, maybe we'll see a change in the portrayal on-screen.

Let us know what you think in the comments.

Source: fullcomma

Within the elite group of website-giants is a video-sharing platform that we all interact with at least once a day. Known as the second largest search engine on the web—the first being Google—the platform is the go-to website for anyone who wants to watch... well, anything.

That’s right folks, I am talking about the good, the bad, and the ugly—YouTube.

YouTube is an essential part of many people’s lives. Whether you are a content creator who lives off making YouTube videos or someone like me who watches older movies like The Red Shoes and Joe Versus the Volcano for free, the video-sharing platform revolutionized the way we watch videos online. Thanks to three guys, Janet Jackson, the urge to create a dating website, and the beautifully terrifying internet, we have an easy-to-use video-sharing and streaming platform that makes it hard to stop watching.

Who invented YouTube?

The brainpower behind YouTube could be found working at PayPal in the early 2000s. Three guys—Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim—met while working at the e-commerce company.

Chen and Karim both studied computer science at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, but Karim left to work at PayPal while still pursuing his degree at Stanford. After graduation, Chen would also be employed by PayPal. Hurley attended the Indiana University of Pennsylvania where he studied design, and would later meet Chen and Karim at PayPal after he graduated in 1999.

YouTube co-founders Chad Hurley, Steve Chen, and Jawed Karim Credit: Brand Success Story

The idea behind YouTube

There are multiple stories of how the three men came up with the idea for YouTube. Unfortunately, there is no hard evidence that can prove which story is false and which one is the truth, but you can believe which one you like best.

The first story that is often repeated in the media is that Hurley and Chen developed the idea for YouTube after experiencing difficulty sharing videos that had been shot at a dinner party at Chen’s apartment in San Francisco. To eliminate this issue, the two men decided to create a platform that would make sharing videos with a large number of people easy. Although this story seems very plausible, it is a very clean story that looks good in the eyes of families and worried mothers who are wary of the internet.

YouTube co-founders Chad Hurley and Steve Chen Credit: Business Insider

Karim did not attend this party and denied that Hurley and Chen thought of the idea that night. Chen even stated that the story was probably a marketing ploy that was easily digestible, and convinced people to check out the family-friendly video sharing site.

The second origin story is my personal favorite. Karim said that the inspiration for YouTube first came after the Super Bowl XXXVIII halftime show in 2004. Janet Jackson had been performing with Justin Timberlake, and at the end of their act, Timberlake pulled off a part of Jackson’s top, exposing her right breast. Luckily, Jackson had worn a nipple shield, but for less than a second, the world saw a famous woman's boob on TV.

Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake performance at the Super Bowl XXXVIII Halftime Show that would later become Karim's inspiration for YouTube Credit: Kevin Mazur/WireImage

Karim wanted to find this video clip of the incident, but couldn’t find it anywhere online. Since there were no video-sharing sites online, Karim saw the benefits of creating a site that could feed this demand.

Hurley and Chen said that their original idea for YouTube was a video online dating service that had been influenced by the website Hot or Not—a dating site that allowed users to rate the attractiveness of photos submitted by the user or others. They asked women via a Craigslist post asking to upload videos of themselves to the video-sharing site in exchange for a $100 reward. Unfortunately, Hurley and Chen were unable to generate enough dating videos to launch their site, and they decided to change plans. Instead of just dating videos, the founders decided to accept uploads of any type of video.

In the end, it is possibly a mix of Karim's idea and the efforts of Hurley and Chen that made YouTube what it was. It is understandable why a cleaner version of the story was produced to encourage the average family to use the site; no parent would feel comfortable with their kid using a site that once uploaded dating profiles.

Was YouTube the first video-sharing platform?

Surprisingly, the idea for YouTube was not very original. The first video-sharing platform on the web was Vimeo, a site that focused on many of the same aspects YouTube would later incorporate into their site.

Vimeo was mainly a side project for Jake Lodwick and Zach Klein who both assisted in developing CollegeHumor, a site that caters to comedy-based videos. The inspiration for Vimeo came after CollegeHumor received a large number of views from a posted video clip of Ashlee Simpson’s infamous lip-syncing incident on Saturday Night Live back in 2004.

Google even tried creating a video streaming platform in January 2005. Google Video was a free video hosting service that allowed video clips to be hosted on Google servers and embedded onto other websites without running into bandwidth or storage capacity issues. Unfortunately, Google Video failed to generate much traffic.

How did YouTube get its name?

YouTube’s name is pretty simple and self-explanatory.

The “You” represents that the content is user-generated, created by the individual users and not the site itself. “Tube” is a nod to the original term for television, implying that this video-sharing platform is like viewing home videos on the internet.

Some users confused YouTube’s URL for Universal Tube & Rollform Equipment’s URL, www.utube.com. The company filed a lawsuit against YouTube after their site was regularly overloaded with people looking for YouTube, but the lawsuit was unsuccessful and the company changed its URL to www.utubeonline.com.

The launch of YouTube, and this first video posted

In February 2005, the company launched YouTube.com from an office space above a pizzeria and Japanese restaurant in San Mateo, California. On April 23, 2005, the first video was uploaded to YouTube by co-founder Jawed Karim:

The video, titled “Me at the zoo,” shows Karim at the San Diego Zoo standing in front of the elephant exhibit. While not much is happening in the 19-second video, it is the first test to see if the site could function as a video-sharing platform. Little did Karim, Hurley, and Chen know that they were making a little piece of history when that first video was posted.

What was the first video to reach 1 million views?

YouTube launched a public beta version of the site a month after uploading the first video to the site. It was recorded that around 30,000 visitors came to the site each day.

In November of 2005, Nike saw the marketing potential with YouTube and decided to create a channel. They uploaded an ad featuring Mundial Ronaldinho receiving a pair of golden boots. The views on that video skyrocketed, making it the first video to reach one million total views.

By the time the site officially launched on December 15, 2005, the site was receiving 8 million views a day. Each uploaded video was limited to 100 megabytes, which is about 30 seconds worth of footage. In July 2006, the company announced that more than 65,000 new videos were uploaded each day and that the site received 100 million video views per day, making it one of the most successful and popular platforms on the internet.

What was the first viral video on YouTube?

Youtube’s launch was a successful one. With videos being uploaded constantly to the site and the constant flow of traffic, the site became the go-to place for all video content.

During YouTube’s launch week, Saturday Night Live ran the skit “Lazy Sunday” by The Lonely Island, and it was quickly uploaded to YouTube by multiple users.

“Lazy Sunday” became an instant hit, boosting ratings for Saturday Night Live and traffic to YouTube. The unofficial uploads of the skit to the video-sharing platform drew more than 5 million views by February of 2006 before NBC Universal requested it to be completely removed from the site based on copyright concerns. Regardless of NBC Universal’s actions, “Lazy Sunday” became the first viral video that established YouTube as an important website for the average person.

YouTube decides to sell to Google

The success of YouTube came with its own set of problems. The company had to purchase more computer equipment and broadband connections to the Internet to keep up with the site's traffic. YouTube also had some financial struggles as many companies discovered videos that contained copyrighted material on the site and took the company to court. With this overwhelming success and limitations, the founders began looking for a buyer.

After the failure of Google Video, Google decided to purchase YouTube for $1.65 billion in stocks in November 2006. Rather than merging their website with YouTube, Google continued YouTube’s operations as before. Why try to fix something that works perfectly?

Google buys YouTube for $1.65 billion Credit: The New York Times

Google was a bit concerned with copyright infringement though after the viral success and banishment of “Lazy Sunday.” To reduce this risk, Google negotiated deals with several entertainment companies that would allow copyrighted video material to appear on YouTube, giving YouTubers the right to include certain copyrighted songs in their videos. The deal also agreed to remove tens of thousands of copyrighted videos from YouTube that were uploaded by third parties.

In November 2008, Google made a deal with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) to show some of the studio’s full-length films and television shows for free on YouTube with advertisements running alongside the programs.

Making your homepage personal

The ubiquitous "algorithm" is always present in our lives and affects what we watch on YouTube. Karim’s purpose for creating YouTube was to crowdsource videos that people wanted to find, so the YouTube algorithm recommended the videos that attracted the most views or clicks. This, unfortunately, led to an increase of misleading titles and thumbnails that intrigued viewers enough to click on them—in other words, clickbait.

As user experience plummeted due to clickbait videos leaving people feeling tricked and unsatisfied, the algorithm changed. Instead of recommending videos based on clicks, YouTube decided to recommend videos based on time watched. When people find videos valuable and interesting, they watch for longer.

Some creators tried to make their videos shorter to have viewers watch the video all of the way through, while other creators made their videos longer to increase the overall time watched.

In 2016, the algorithm got more personal.

A breakdown of YouTube's algorithm Credit: Paul Covington, Jay Adams, Emre Sargin

YouTube released a whitepaper describing some of the inner workings of its AI, and it was revealed that the new algorithm targeted videos that were similar to a particular viewer's watch history. In a 2017 interview with Verge, a YouTube executive said the new algorithm was capable of drawing users deeper into the platform by creating an “adjacent relationship” between videos and the viewer. The idea was to match viewers with videos that they would want to watch, which in turn made users spend more time on the site.

Although we can thank the algorithm for personalizing our YouTube home pages, the algorithm can heighten a topic’s sensationalism and pull users deeper into conspiracies. It can be hard to escape videos that all say the same thing if you don’t search for the opposing opinion yourself.

On the positive side, the algorithm knows what type of content you would like, and filters out the videos that the site knows you would never click on.

The beauty of YouTube for filmmakers

There is no way to ignore the influence that YouTube has had. Right now, YouTube is the second most popular website, with Google being the first, accounting for 15% of traffic on the internet. Every minute, 500 hours of videos are uploaded, which means that 720,000 hours of content is uploaded every day to YouTube. It is hard to say there is nothing to watch when there is that much content to consume.

The platform also offers people a space to showcase their amazing skills and talent to an audience, for free. The platform is a space for a diverse amount of creators from every corner of the world to provide content that they are interested in. Some people have even been fortunate enough to turn their content creation into a job. YouTubers can receive a generous income from each of their videos based on ad sponsors, fan funding, and merchandise.

If they are lucky enough, they might be noticed by companies, like Shamook, who was offered a position with ILM/LucasFilms after posting a video of how he would have deepfaked Luke Skywalker in the second season finale of The Mandalorian.

The platform is also a great way for filmmakers to upload their short films after the film festival season has come to a close. While YouTube does not directly target a film community, it does expose the filmmaker to a wider audience that would have not engaged with the short film in any other way. The best thing that can come out of uploading a short film to YouTube is that it goes viral, and generates a fanbase who will follow the creator’s future projects or that it will catch the eye of a talent agent or producer.

It is undeniable that YouTube has ingrained itself as an important website and tool in our day-to-day lives. In an instant, we can watch and share videos with our friends and find ourselves in a community with others online who are interested in a certain video topic. The unique face-to-face communication platform has created a different style of journalism in the digital age that has made its presence known.

So if you are looking to turn that hobby of yours into a part-time job, hit record on your camera and upload your video to YouTube. The results may be better than you could ever imagine.

Let us know your thoughts on YouTube and its impact on your life in the comments below!

When you're trying to put together a film you need to sit together with your director of photography and make a shot list. That's where you'll pick the different camera angles and movements that will build out your story. So what angles do what? And how will the audience feel if you pick the wrong one?

Today we're going to narrow our focus to the high angle shot. We'll look at examples, learn why and when you use it, and leave you with a list of other camera angles that can help you plan your next project.

Let's jump in.

High angle shot definition

A high-angle shot is a cinematography technique where the camera points down on the subject from above. High-angle shots are used to make the subject or object seem vulnerable, powerless, or weak.

High angle shots in Hitchcock

Alfred Hitchcock was very famous for using these shots in his work. He loved using them to capture people right before they're about to die or when characters have a sudden revelation. They even became part of Hitchcock's signature. The website Alfred Hitchcock Films even has a breakdown of shots in Hitchcock movies:

Categories of High Angle Shots in Hitchcock Movies

• DEPRESSION/SHOCK etc.
  In the library when little Charlie realizes that her uncle Charlie is a serial killer.
• DANGER
  The camera shows the dangerous situation the character is in, as it shares the view from a great height. Like when the drunk Roger O. Thornhill (Cary Grant) is looking down in the abyss during his wild car ride (a parallell scene is in Family Plot). Or in Vertigo when Scottie (James Stewart) is looking down the stairs in the bell tower.
• SUBJECTIVE CAMERA
  The camera shares the character's view, like in The 39 Steps when Richard Hannay (Robert Donat) is looking down on the street seeing the bad guys who want to kill "Annabella Smith"".
• GIVING AN OVERVIEW OF THE SCENE
  In The Birds Hitchcock wanted to show the exact topography of Bodega Bay, with the town, the sea, the coast, and the gas station on fire, in one single image (when the birds descend).

Let's take a look at a few examples from two of Hitch's most famous films.

First up is this high angle from Psycho.

We get the POV of Norman Bates here as he looks directly down on his victim, This puts us in the shoes of the killer and can make the audience feel uncomfortable. The violence feels more visceral if we imagine ourselves inflicting it.

Psycho (1960) Paramount

After that, I want to look at a movie that's built around high angle shots, Vertigo.

Vertigo is an unusual film where we're always trying to catch up to Hitchcock's message. And we're one step ahead of the characters as well. Still, Hitch puts extra effort into getting us to identify with Jimmy Stewart's uncomfortableness with heights, mostly shot from a high angle.

We also have to pity him, so to accentuate his helplessness we're often looking down on him as well. He's swallowed up within the image, draining everything from the fore and background into his look.

Vertigo (1958) Paramount

Let's take a look at examples from other films throughout the decades.

High angle shot examples

One of the most famous high angle shots of all time comes from the Shawshank Redemption. While this is meant to make Andy feel vulnerable, it's actually coming down at him from a god's eye. We get to see Andy feeling free, but also vulnerable as a prisoner on the outside for the first time. This vulnerability makes us both happy and worried about him. How will he get away?

Shawshank Redemption (1994) Warner Bros

High angle shots are often used in the climax of movies, like the Harry Potter series. Here we see a character about to fall to his fate.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 (2011) Warner Bros

Harry is overmatched by Voldermort and near his demise...or is he?

Lastly, let's look at this still of the Avengers taking in the incoming alien hoard. We see shock and awe on their faces. They're ready to fight and are insignificant to the cause. This gets contrasted later in a low angle when they're realized how to battle together.

The Avengers (2012) Marvel

What's next? 50+ camera angles and movements!

Have you ever been overwhelmed at the possibility of every camera angle, framing, and shot type available as a filmmaker?

Us too.

So we provided a cheat sheet with definitions for you! Check them all out, and watch the videos!

Writing credit matters. It can help get you into the WGA, it affects residuals, and the more produced credits you get, the better it looks on your resume. But there is a slight complication with writing credits.

There are a few different kinds and they mean different things! How do you know which credit you should get?

Today, we're going to get you all the answers.

As always, let's start with a question...

What is the difference between "Story by," "Screenplay by," and "Written by?"

To answer this question, we consulted the WGA handbook on the matter. Let's go through possible credits one by one and detail them. Side note: Over here you can learn about adaptations

Story By

A common misconception of "Story by" is that it refers to the person who came up with the idea. Not quite...

What it actually means is that anyone who worked on a treatment or any other story outline is entitled to credit for the story.

You may also get this credit if you're hired to do a page one rewrite that gets you sole "Screenplay by" credit, despite the initial writer having written a complete script.

The first writer on an original screenplay is entitled to a shared "Story by" credit. That bylaw is called the "Irreducible Story Minimum."

Screen Story by

If a writer gave some ideas and allowed other people to use those ideas as a jumping off point for the actual screenplay, then they are entitled to "screen story by" credit.

But... that only comes via arbitration, which we will cover later.

If that writer and their springboard idea were from a publication, they may receive credit as follows "Based on an X PROPERTY BY", an example of this would be 'Based on an article by So and So.'

Screenplay By

This credit goes to writers who physically wrote drafts or scenes that are included in the final version of the movie. "Screenplay by" can only be shared by three people or three teams of people.

That idea of 'teams of people' is where you might run into those jam-packed writing credits sections.

Written By

This is used when writers are entitled to both "Screenplay by" and "Story by" credit.

This does not apply to adaptations or any screenplay with source material; but that does not count newspapers, articles, or biographies.

As a rule "Written by" will not be shared by more than two writers.

The ampersand (&) vs. "and"

If the word "and" is found in between the names of two or three different screenwriters, that credit identifies the two or three different writers attached to the project during separate drafts.

The ampersand "&" means that the names are a writing team.

Avengers: Endgame was written by Markus & McFeely

What does John August have to say?

John August's helpful blog has seen this question asked to John. Here is his answer:

“Scripts” and “screenplays” are interchangeable when it comes to feature films, but television scripts are always called scripts. (Except when they’re called teleplays, which is only in certain on-screen credits.) “Story” is more or less what it sounds like: the plot, the characters, the settings and tone. It differs from a script or screenplay only in that the dialog often isn’t written out, and the overall action may be somewhat compressed. A writer might be credited with the “story” for a movie, but not the “screenplay,” if he wrote a treatment but not the final script. Usually, if one writer handles both “story” and “screenplay,” he/she receives a more general “written by” credit.

Download The WGA Credits Handbook

When all else fails, click on the above link and let the WGA handle it. They'll take any questions you have to arbitration.

What is Arbitration?

According to the WGA, Legal Arbitration is...

"As a benefit to writers and companies alike, the Minimum Basic Agreement or “MBA” establishes an arbitration procedure for the binding resolution of disputes arising under its terms. Arbitration is similar to a civil trial. Instead of a judge or jury, a neutral arbitrator will be selected to hear and decide this dispute. Most MBA arbitrators have years of experience handling disputes under the Guild agreement."

Arbitration occurs when writers from film and Tv challenge the credits given on different episodes or feature films. This process happens a lot.

In an LA Times article from 1998, we learned that "Between 1993 and 1997, the credits on 415 films--over one-third of the number submitted for credits--were decided through arbitration conducted by the Writers Guild. Of these, about 40% involved disputes pitting writer against the writer in a contest over money, fame and prestige."

A lot of times, I want to show my friends something particular on my Macbook, whether that's how I use a program or even just the way I have things set up. To best do this, I want to record a video on my computer. But I also don't want to do it while holding my iPhone.

That meant I had to learn how to screen record on a Mac.

Apple makes this easy, by offering a way to record my screen. But there are a ton of third-party options that might function better depending on what you need it to do.

Today, we're going to spend some time learning about Mac screen recording. We'll go over the way to do it using only a few keystrokes on your Macbook, and we'll also talk about the 15 best screen recording programs available for you.

Sound good? Let's hit "record."

How to Screen Record

There are lots of reasons to screen record, and also lots of ways to do it. First, I want to start with the Mac-sanctioned ways to do it. These are the ways that Apple Support says you should do it. Later, we'll dig into the other programs that might meet your fancy.

Before we get into recording, let's begin with screenshotting on your Mac.

How to Screenshot on MacBook Pro

I'll take you through the steps of how to do this procedure. Let's jump in.

1. On your Mac, press Shift-Command-5 to open Screenshot and display the tools. It will offer you several different options
2. Click a tool to use to select what you want to capture or record (we'll get to that later).

Credit: Apple

• You'll be given these options:
  1. Capture the entire screen
  2. Capture a window
  3. Capture a portion of the screen
  4. Record the entire screen
  5. Record a portion of the screen
• For a portion of the screen, drag the frame to reposition it or drag its edges to adjust the size of the area you want to capture or record.
• If you want to skip right to picking what you want to screen grab, you can click Shift-Command-4
  • This will allow you to select what you want on the screen, and send a screenshot to a folder for you.

But what about if you want to record a video of the screen? It's very similar.

Use the Screenshot toolbar to screen record on a Mac

To record a video, you're going to repeat the same process as above. To view the Screenshot toolbar, press these three keys together: Shift, Command, and 5. You will see onscreen controls for recording the entire screen, recording a selected portion of the screen, or capturing a still image of your screen.

We've already gone over the still image part, so instead, you want to pick the last two options:

1. Record the entire screen
2. Record a portion of the screen

Once you have the toolbar up, you make a choice.

Credit: Apple

• To screen record the entire screen or a portion of it: Click Capture.
• For a window: Move the pointer to the window, then click the window.
• For recording the whole screen: Click Record. To stop recording, click the Stop Recording button in the menu bar.

These recordings will open Finder, where you will be able to name them and save them where you please.

Credit: Apple

15 Screen Record Programs for Mac

Now that we're through with what Mac wants you to use, we can check out other programs that might work a little better, depending on the scenario. We'll list the program, and then some pros and cons (if applicable) for each. Sound good?

1. Movavi Screen Recorder

Perfect to use for capturing streaming videos, webinars, and Zoom calls. There's even a free version.

2. Screen Capture

You can use it quickly and don't have to install a program. Simple to use.

3. Loom

If you're sending videos to friends and coworkers, this is effective. There are even ways you can do a team-record with other people. Outside of business, it's not the best.

4. Movavi Screen Recorder for Chrome

This is perfected for Chrome use, while many others are not for Macs. They also have great storage options.

This post was written by Michelle Gallina and originally appeared on the Adobe blog on June 6th, 2024.

Behind the scenes, there was an editing team of more than ten editors and assistant editors working to organize archival clips, sift through footage, and carefully edit each episode. The team relied on Adobe Creative Cloud including Adobe Premiere Pro and Adobe After Effects as well as Frame.io to create a gripping part two docuseries surrounding the life of Robert Durst. We heard from one of the editors, David Tillman, along with the lead assistant editor, Pedro Vital, who took this feat head on.

Read on below to learn more about the post-production workflow, and check out the series on MAX.

How and where did you first learn to edit?

Tillman: As a child of the 90’s, I was probably one of the last people to learn how to edit tape to tape in my high school’s TV production class in Maplewood, NJ. We also had an elective film class where we learned to shoot and splice 8mm film together. Then, my sophomore year of high school, the TV production class received a bunch of new computers equipped with some early prosumer digital editing software. I was hooked immediately.

Vital: My parents gifted me a camera, and I started trying out different softwares. I had a neighbor that used to edit his own films using both Adobe Premiere Pro and Sony Vegas, and I started learning from him. Eventually, I started editing myself and took a university degree in film editing.

How do you begin a project/set up your workspace?

Tillman: When starting a new project, I want to watch as much of the footage as possible before I begin editing. In documentary editing, it often makes sense to look at footage chronologically if you have that benefit. But whether it’s selects or raw footage, I always want to dig into the major beats of the material to get my mind around those scenes first.

Vital: I transcode all the footage to Apple ProRes Proxy and add a conversion LUT if needed. After that, I import it into Adobe Premiere Pro, sync the video and audio, and then proceed to organize it in a way that makes it efficient for the editors to find it and work with it.

Tell us about a favorite scene or moment from this project and why it stands out to you.

Tillman: Hearing the Susan Berman phone call recording in episode 3 in “The Jinx – Part Two” is such a powerful moment, and Charles Olivier’s brilliant editing just really sticks with you — It’s so visceral. When I listened to that audio recording for the first time, it was such a profound revelation, it almost felt like Part Two’s version of Bob’s famous bathroom confession.

In terms of working on this project, the quality of creative collaboration was second to none. We had an amazing team of editors on this season with Sam Neave, Camilla Hayman, Charles Olivier, Lance Edmands, Sean Frechette, Jesse Rudoy and Richard Hankin, and we often passed scenes from one editor to another as we tried different structural changes across the season. It was always inspiring to watch the other editors’ work and fun to collaborate with each other as well as with the executive producer, Zac Stuart-Pontier. Our lead AE, Pedro Vital, was basically a superhero/Adobe Premiere Pro shaman and was truly indispensable to the editorial process.

Vital: The Houston apartment archival footage in episode 201. It stands out for me, since I had to go through all the different cameras to not only find Bob, but also find the Lovells, who were helping him plan his escape.

What were some specific post-production challenges you faced that were unique to your project? How did you go about solving them?

Tillman: We used Productions in Adobe Premiere Pro, which was a first for me. It worked really well, and I hope to use it again on future projects. One issue we ran into was searching the Production for a file name — you could only search individual projects. So to get around that, we created ALL projects for our photos, video and audio clips so we could search those for a specific file by name.

Vital: We ran into an issue with merged clips when trying to finish the show — the initial assistant editor had synced the various interviews and verite sequences we had with merged clips. We ended up using an external software to break the merge in order to send our sequences to the Sound Design facility.

What Adobe tools did you use on this project and why did you originally choose them? Were there any other third party tools that helped enhance your workflow?

Tillman: When working on documentaries, especially ones with tons of interviews and archival footage that span years, transcripts are an invaluable tool to help find relevant material. When we discovered the transcription feature built right into Premiere Pro, it was a boon to our workflow. Not only did it help us quickly transcribe archival material, but it also helped us easily make transcripts of our cuts as well, which was very helpful in the editorial process.

Vital: We used Premiere Pro (offline editing), After Effects (for some cleanups and temp VFX), Adobe Photoshop (for graphics and still cleanups) and Adobe Illustrator (for converting PDF documents into stills) for this project.

If you could share one tip about Premiere Pro, what would it be?

Tillman: Make proxies. For everything. There’s no reason to be editing anything at full resolution, especially when Premiere Pro gives you the ability to toggle proxies on and off. Using proxies makes a huge difference in overall performance, and unless you’re editing on a huge monitor, the difference in quality is negligible.

Vital: Spend the most time and attention to detail on the setting up part of the project.

How did your team use Frame.io on this project?

Tillman: Frame.io was a very important cog in our workflow. We used it to review cuts, leave notes and house raw footage. The best part was when the supervising editor Richard Hankin would leave jokes interspersed with notes. The jokes would inevitably resurface during Zoom meetings and get a second life. It sounds like I’m making a joke, but Frame.io genuinely helped bring a little humanity to what could have been an impersonal remote workflow (or maybe that was Richard).

Vital: We also used Frame.io for stringouts, VFX reviews, screeners and storage for the investigative team.

What were the features you relied on most?

Tillman: When I’m reviewing a cut and doing notes, most of those notes are added to Frame.io. Since I was working remotely, it was incredibly helpful to be able to communicate using Frame.io notes — checking them off, making replies, giving a ‘thumbs up,’ all had their place in helping address notes expeditiously while keeping everyone on the same page.

Vital: Inside Premiere Pro, we relied mostly on Productions, since that was the base of our project. On Frame.io we relied a lot on the note system on the links, and the "export to CSV" feature. That's how we made notes and brought all of them into a shared document so we could all discuss in a meeting.

Can you describe how it helped you logistically or creatively or can you quantify how much time or money you saved by using it?

Tillman: Frame.io is definitely a lifesaver in its ability to make something so complex as the editorial review process more simple and streamlined. I’ve been using it since the company first started, and it’s just gotten better and better with each update. As an editor, it is always helpful to watch your work back outside of Premiere Pro, in a place where you can’t stop to make a quick trim or fix an audio edit. With Frame.io, you are forced to watch from the audience’s perspective. Sometimes I will even watch scenes using the Frame.io app on my phone as I’m walking my dog, and then leave a comment for myself with an idea of something to try later. I’m not sure I can quantify the amount of money we might have saved, but I will say, although there may be ways to accomplish the same tasks outside of Frame.io, it simplifies the process so much, and so elegantly and effortlessly, it has become essential.

Vital: I think it dramatically helped and provided the base for our project and collective effort to make the show. Being able to work remotely and share our work was vital to the team. I have no idea how much money we saved by it, but I'm sure we saved a lot of time in the process.

Who is your creative inspiration and why?

Tillman: I’ve been incredibly inspired by Brett Morgen’s documentary films — he has managed to take historical subjects and make them feel incredibly fresh by showcasing incredible archival footage in creative ways and really taking the concept of “montage” to the next level. His editing techniques are always pushing the boundaries of the documentary form while dazzling the eye.

Vital: Walter Murch and Thelma Schoonmaker. As someone from a completely different generation, it makes me very happy that these people have dedicated their life to editing and are still working.

What’s the toughest thing you’ve had to face in your career and how did you overcome it? What advice do you have for aspiring filmmakers or content creators?

Tillman: I’ve worked on a lot of archival-driven documentaries, which are fascinating to work on and a massive amount of work to put together. But one other huge challenge is telling the story, while also adhering to the archival budget. Often at the late stages of a project, it will become necessary to cut out or replace archival footage in order to save money. That’s often a very challenging task, requiring you to sacrifice some of your favorite images or soundbites, or replace them with something cheaper, which can sometimes feel like a downgrade. Instead of getting discouraged, I try to mentally flip the switch and use these replacements and substitutions as a pass to make the show better — rediscover material that may have been overlooked, reimagine certain segments, anything to improve the film in new ways, while also making the budget work.

Vital: I think working 100 percent remotely and outside of the US is really hard. Consistency, passion and great connections have been the base for my career so far.

Share a photo of where you work. What’s your favorite thing about your workspace and why?

Tillman: I’m lucky to have a home office with its own separate entrance and enough space to screen my work on a television adjacent to my edit bay. I’ve also adorned the room with some posters of my previous projects, which gives me inspiration as I edit. It’s nice to be reminded where all the work will eventually lead.

Vital: I think having a big mousepad and some natural light is quite nice, but it’s definitely not my desired workspace yet. The view outside is nice though!

It goes without saying that Charlie Kaufman is one of our greatest living darkly comedic filmmakers. I'd even go so far as to drop the qualifiers, but, hey, my brain loves introspective existential character pieces maybe too much.

I was lucky enough to attend a double feature of I'm Thinking of Ending Things and Anomalisa for the American Cinematheque's 2024 Bleak Week series (highly recommend) where Kaufman himself popped by for a Q&A. I was honored to sit and listen. It was a bit of a life accomplishment to sit and listen.

During the interview a crowd member asked a question we've probably all wondered at some point as fans of Kaufman: why does he think the brain and consciousness are so fascinating?

Read below for his answer, as well as some other interesting takeaways from the Bleak Week Q&A.

Editor's note: the following quotes from Charlie Kaufman have been edited for length and clarity. Please text me if you have any notes, Charlie Kaufman.

"I think what occurred to me is that I'm stuck here in this, in this contraption. Everything I experience is subjective and through this brain. And so I yeah, I find that that's what I have to write about. It wasn't like a moment—it was more like I trapped and I have to find a way out. I'm trapped.
I don't think everybody's necessarily trapped. I feel like I'm maybe it's maybe it's a me problem."

Animating the Pig in 'I'm Thinking of Ending Things'

"We were told two things. Once it was researched by our prop department—because the prop people are the people in charge of acquiring the animals, which is weird—but I learned that pigs are terrified of slippery floors, and you have to put down some carpeting or something, which didn't make any sense in a school hallway.

The other is that pigs can't turn their head. So I had this idea in my head that we were going to hire a real pig who was going to be able to come back and talk to the guy? And we couldn't.

So I thought, okay, we'll just animate it. And then I asked, and Duke [Johnson] and and Rosa [Tran]."

The Meaning Behind 'Oklahoma!' in 'I'm Thinking of Ending Things'

"I knew the play. I was in it when I was a kid.

I liked the dream ballet, which I thought was really appropriate for that moment in this film. And I needed a musical because I decided that the janitor was going to be, you know, working in the school for such a long time. And they would be doing these musicals. And the story takes place in Oklahoma, decided so they would do Oklahoma! every few years.

My composer, Jay Wadley, who's from Oklahoma, told me it is exactly how it worked at his school. Like every every three years they do Oklahoma! And so much of it fits with this with this story. And that's just a coincidence. I don't know very many musicals. So I was lucky that this one worked in terms of the choreography and doing the dance numbers."

The Adaptation of 'I'm Thinking of Ending Things'

"There were basic things, a basic sort of story that I was working with. And then I just kind of did what I wanted to do with it. I didn't really go back to the book once I was, writing it and, you know, once I was sort of developing Jesse Buckley's character, everything changed.

I would just write the scenes, and if they if they were interesting or amusing to me, then I, I kept them.

I mean, it's a slow process for me. It's always a slow process, too. And even not just adapting but doing anything, it takes me forever. So I didn't know how to do it for a long time. And there was the ending. The book is different in its specifics. I mean, the character does die at the end, but in a very, very violent way.

I didn't want to do that. And I also felt like there was, a reveal at the end of the book that didn't seem to me that was going to be surprising, so I figured I would give it enough clues at the beginning that people could sort of start to understand. So that wouldn't be the the point of the thing this person is the same person.

Those were the two, like story-wise things that I did. And then I developed, the character of the young woman, in a way, I wanted to give her some agency, which I didn't think was in the book. And, I wanted to sort of allow her to try to get out of this, and perhaps succeed. She also, kills him in the book, which I didn't want her to do. I wanted her to have some sort of freedom."

Written by by Richard Rutkowski, ASC

This project takes a well-known Film Noir staple and brings it into unexpected places amid audacious style choices. An enigmatic Los Angeles private detective is hired to search for a beautiful missing woman and discovers that secrets surrounding her disappearance mirror his own interior conflicts and discoveries. Classic. The writing, direction, and Colin Farrell's performance acknowledge the influence and famously dark tones of these stories.

However, our approach was not solely to emulate older films visually but to experiment and riff off such well-known plots and characters. Fundamentals of the style were established in the first filming block by the Brazilian director Fernando Meirelles and his wonderful longtime DP Cesar Charlone. They run multiple cameras in multiple formats, capturing scenes from myriad angles, and admittedly find the final result once in their edit. They collaborate closely, and the results are unique to their established aesthetic vocabulary.

By the second block, when director Adam Arkin and I started into our material, a sense of style had emerged, and we devised how to best dovetail our work into it. But foremost, a sense of adventure had taken hold!

Cinematographer Close Up: Richard Rutkowski, ASC on Sugar www.youtube.com

In classic noir fashion, the camera closely follows our protagonist and title character, Sugar. Like the narrative attachment to Jake in Chinatown or Elliot Gould in The Long Goodbye, we discover the world of the Siegel family and their missing granddaughter Olivia, and a host of other disturbing secrets by staying close to Sugar nearly all the time.

We track him, hear his voiceover, and share his observations directly. This led to a mixture of handheld work, steadicam, driving shots, and using remote heads for dramatic crane moves. In all modes, the show was blessed that our leading man, Colin, works skillfully with the lens no matter the action happening or lack thereof.

It was a gift, making the photography better as he understood how to choreograph his movement and tempo to our cameras. Visual storytelling! It freed us to avoid marks for actors and to imagine more dynamic shots, both on locations and on the sets. Because of a central character with a tremendous ability to "hold the screen," we extended into working underwater, long takes of Sugar driving in-process shots as well as free drive, and a cool move from high outside a theater marquis down to see the crowds and flashbulbs then Steadicam behind Colin to inside with one long take.

These ambitious shots were inspired by the collaboration our actor had with the camera and vice-versa.

Los Angeles itself is a character in the storytelling, necessarily creating a foundation for the color palette. Referencing a tradition of marvelous Color Noir films like LA Confidential or The Grifters, we sought to alter and exploit the color saturation and hues. Working towards a nuanced LUT on camera, we created a specific gamma curve that allowed the overexposure of LA daylight to stay "hot" while still having a pleasant film roll-off.

The work balanced the desire for the image to exploit higher contrast, another noir touchstone, with the goal of flattering the performers' faces. Amid dark scenes and dark themes, we also wanted to depict the many beautiful things Sugar sees in his starry-eyed version of Los Angeles. With saturation particularly, there was a concern to draw the image away from deep true blues or fire truck reds, most primaries actually, and to bend the tones into the more original territory, attractive but off-beat colors whenever possible.

We also encompass a huge visual range in LA's multiple settings. Starting from Jonathan Siegel's expressly fabulous Beverly Hills mansion (marvelous acting from the legendary James Cromwell) to decaying hideouts in oil fields above Culver City, the work encouraged varied color tonalities: the warmth of Sugar's pretend mother's home in Arizona, the sophisticated, wealthy palette of his exclusive hotel's grounds and suite, on to the chilly pale blues of the "torture basement" that eventually reveals the long-sought Olivia dramatically.

Our cameras were from Panavision Woodland Hills, mixing Sony VENICE 1 and VENICE 2 bodies, especially useful for their Rialto mode, which allowed Cesar, myself, and the operators to move creatively in handheld shots with the smaller sensor block. Equally, that mode helped us place the camera into tight spaces, including Sugar's classic Corvette. Lenses were the PanaSpeeds alongside PV Lightweight Zooms.

Cesar introduced using iPhones with lens adapters as a standard capture option, hiding into the set or filming close and handheld. We even dropped them in and out of his pool, rigging them to C-stand arms. It was the acceptance—really encouragement—of this mix of capture that helped shape Sugar's unique POV and edit style.

Episode four, in particular, allowed information created for social media to integrate meaningfully into our storytelling—a very contemporary twist on the mysteries of identity and intent that fill the Noir canon. In a very "meta" moment of the story arc, we even captured images on old school anamorphic film to fill the screen at a cinema retrospective where almost every one of our characters arrives to celebrate the career of Sugar's client Jonathan and his late wife Lorraine Everly, the actress seen onscreen.

Sugar — Official Trailer | Apple TV+ www.youtube.com

How that image was achieved is one of my favorite stories from this show. Instead of allowing a blank screen to be filled by VFX, we actually shot and printed a scene on 35mm. After scouting the location for this sequence, a restored Warner Movie Palace in Long Beach complete with working film projectors and the adapters for anamorphic prints, I advocated for avoiding VFX and instead creating our own 'vintage Noir film' to be edited and printed in repeating segments onto a reel projected live for the actors all to see.

Foto-Kem was the lab and also cut the A-roll negative, arriving at a timed answer print within a couple of days. Just three nights before, we had made our "film within a film" on the Paramount backlot. This highly stylized nod to the films of Douglas Sirk had many elements of classic Hollywood melodrama: a boldly saturated night alleyway lit by neon outside a nightclub, vintage 40s cars lurking in the shadows or cast headlamps onto wet pavement, the femme fatale in her soon-to-be-revealed clue of a shiny gold dress, her handsome bodyguard in his tuxedo being drawn into a passionate kiss, all in backlit rain no less.

Our director, Adam, was excited about this process, and our crew was equally psyched to see film magazines going onto the Panaflex Platinum and have old-school working methods return to our set. In the theater, we had the ability to move our digital cameras around to capture details of the projector beam, reflect off the actual screen softly illuminating the faces of our actors, and frame compositions that combined the onscreen image with our audience.

Such a godsend, both aesthetically and for efficiency during very full shooting days. It brilliantly fits the show's overarching stylistic heartbeat, with Colin's newly imagined contemporary Noir hero, the suited PI who himself holds tremendous secrets, engaging the playful self-awareness of this legacy Sugar joins.

One of the things I love about film and TV is that there are so many people who work to make what you see on screen special. One of the most unsung jobs is the "rigger." That's a person who works behind the scenes to do the little things that help make your shows come alive.

But what is a rigger job? And what is rigging? Also, what does it pay?

Back in the day, when people sailed across the world, riggers were the ones who controlled the ropes and the sails. And on boats across the world, there are still ones who do that.

But in film and television, they have a very different and also very similar job.

There are lots of questions surrounding this profession, so today, we'll answer them. We'll dig deep into what riggers do on set, and why they're crucial to certain aspects of production.

Sound good? Let's dive in.

Rigger Definition in Movies and TV

A rigger works on ropes, booms, cameras, lights, lifts, hoists, and other similar apparatuses for a film or television show.

'The Mandalorian' Credit: Lucasfilm

What Is Rigging?

Back in the early days, the golden age of Hollywood, backdrops were made of canvas that resembled sails. This came from the theater. People who manipulated these backdrops were called riggers. And people would use whistles to signal them to change things, like was done on ships.

But as the film industry advanced, specializations such as people who needed to rig cameras, scaffolding, lighting, and other equipment got the term "riggers" on the call sheet.

What Does a Rigger Do?

Production rigging depends on what you specialize in.

Camera-rigging people are sometimes seen as rock stars. They get angles no one has ever dreamed of, and figure out how to film in hard places. They work with the cinematographer and experiment and tinker, often creating their own devices.

The same goes for lighting riggers, who sneak lights places you have never imagined and figure out how much or how little light can be used in a scene.

What about animation? Yes, they still have riggers. Riggers create digital skeletons for 3D computer-generated characters. Instead of rigging wires and ropes, they rig bones. These rigs define the movements of a character or creature.

'Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit' Credit: BBC

Rigging even is involved in stunts, since someone has to help rig the apparatuses in place for the particular scene.

Keir Beck was the stunt rigger on movies like Mad Max: Fury Road and Casino Royale. He described his day job like this:

"My title is either stunt rigging coordinator or just stunt coordinator. Working on a film that is heavily weighted with rigging-related stunts means that on a day-to-day basis, I would be either designing rigs from the storyboards or pre-visualization, doing safety reports, overseeing rigs going up, rehearsing, or filming. With more complex rigs, there’s a lot of time just thinking about how you can achieve what the director is asking."

Kier Beck on the set of 'Mad Max: Fury Road' Credit: Warner Brothers

Rigger Jobs on Set

If you're reading this and thinking, "Being a rigger sounds exactly like being a grip," then you're right, it does. In fact, most of all the rigging falls under the job of a grip. I think we can go so far as to say all grips are rigging people, but not all rigging people are grips.

Grips have to be ready for any rigging jobs on set. They work with equipment like:

• Tripods
• Dollies
• Tracks
• Jibs
• Cranes
• Static rigs
• Camera mounts
• Light mounts

SNL Dolly Crane Credit: NBC

How Much Does a Rigger Make?

It's hard to pinpoint what a rigger can make, since the term is used across Hollywood to signify different jobs. For example, a key rigging grip might expect to make between $60,000 to $100,000 a year if they are regularly working.

All grips are governed by IATSE, and on union shoots, may find themselves subject to union payment rules.

And in stunts, it depends where you are in your career and the size of the budget of the film or TV show. The salaries of stunt coordinators in the U.S. range from $11,043 to $294,246. That's very wide.

And the average annual pay for a rigging artist in the U.S. is $71,030 a year. Again, that depends on who you work for and what you're working on.

Credit: Jen Reel, University of Texas at Austin, College of Fine Arts

Summing Up "What is a 'Rigger'?"

As you can see, Hollywood has a diverse array of rigging and riggers across every aspect of the industry. It's really interesting to see how the origin of the word evolved from ship work to now having people do stunts, animation, and making sure a camera can fit into hard places.

Are you a rigger? We'd love to hear from you. Put more about your job in the comments.

As Canon’s full-frame mirrorless camera lineup continues to evolve, the multinational and multi-faceted tech company continues to find new ways to improve its camera and lens options. As an updated, new model to their Cine-Servo lens, Canon has announced a new CN7x17 KAS T/R1 and T/P1 lens which will be available with a native RF mount.

The Cine-Servo lens also gets an upgraded PL mount option, plus some new specs and features, including a removable Servo Drive unit and added metadata output support for your new fangled virtual productions.

Let’s take a look at this Canon 17-120mm T2.95 cine-servo lens and explore how it could be right for your broadcast or cinematic productions.

Canon Cine-Servo 17-120mm T2.95-3.9 Lens

Looking at the RF mount version here to start, this Cine-Servo 17-120mm T2.95-3.9 Lens from Canon has been designed to combine the functionality and form factor of a broadcast, ENG-style motorized zoom lens with the optical precision of a cinema zoom.

The Cine-Servo 17-120mm T2.95-3.9 Lens features a native RF mount for use on cinema cameras such as the new EOS C400 and should cover sensors up to Super35—plus it will also be suitable for 8K/4K acquisition as well.

Next-Generation e-Xs V Servo Drive Unit

One cool feature for this new lens is its next-generation servo e-Xs V drive unit which features the same operability and usability as ENG lenses, while adding faster focus and iris speed, Focus Breathing Compensation, and a USB-C connector.

In particular, the USB-C port will allow drive unit settings to be saved and loaded into other lenses. Shooters can also record and save maintenance history. Three 20-pin connectors below the servo housing allow many Canon and third-party zoom, focus, and iris controllers to be connected.

The lens will also feature Canon's optical technology that uses large-diameter aspherical lenses and anomalous dispersion glass to deliver optical performance that supports 4K and 8K cameras throughout the zoom range. Aberrations are controlled from edge to edge for clean image performance.

Price and Availability

These new Canon CN7x17 KAS T/R1 and T/P1 17-120mm lenses are available to pre-order now and are expected to begin shipping here this fall. Price-wise, they’re not cheap of course, but their retail price is pretty high but on par with previous Cine-Servo lenses and other competitors.

Here are the full specs and purchase options:

• Supports 8K/4K Cameras, Native RF Mount
• Servo Lens for Broadcast or Cinema
• Next-Gen e-Xs V Servo Drive Unit
• AF, Metadata, Distortion Correction
• Hirose 20-Pin for Zoom, Focus, Lens Data
• Zoom/Focus Breathing Compensation
• USB-C Data Terminal
• 11-Blade Aperture, 7x Zoom Ratio
• 127mm Hood/112mm Lens Filter Diameter

Canon Cine-Servo 17-120mm T2.95-3.9 Lens (Canon RF)

The RF-mount Cine-Servo 17-120mm T2.95-3.9 Lens from Canon is designed to combine the functionality and form factor of a broadcast, ENG-style motorized zoom lens with the optical precision of a cinema zoom.

As camera-to-cloud technology has been rolled out over the past few years, it’s taken a bit to become as widely used and popular as some might have predicted when the possibilities of this seamless, global production style were first introduced.

But all that might change as major players such as Blackmagic Design continue to develop and innovate their own live sync solutions as we see with the company’s new Blackmagic Cloud Live Sync which is being demonstrated at the Cine Gear Expo this year in LA.

The secret, according to BMD, is the abilities unlocked by the company’s latest cameras, in particular the URSA Cine, PYXIS, and the Cinema Camera 6K. Let’s take a look at how remote shooters can use these cameras and this updated system to upload, sync, and edit within seconds.

Blackmagic Cloud Live Sync

Basically, this new camera-to-cloud-style workflow is powered by live syncing between Blackmagic Cloud and the cameras recording footage and sharing it with DaVinci Resolve workstations connected to the same project. Blackmagic shares that this is an automatic process that can work with full-resolution HD proxies in H.264.

When using one of the aforementioned Blackmagic cameras, all shooters will need to do is log into the Blackmagic Cloud and select a DaVinci Resolve project before recording. The recording will start to live syncing directly to any and all connected Resolve workstations where editors will be able to edit, color correct, etc…

Of course, this is ideal for news or other broadcast-esque projects, but the possibilities here do extend beyond the immediate and can be a great way to simply speed up your workflows for any project.

Price and Availability

So, this new Blackmagic Cloud Live Sync feature is set to release as a free public beta download available in mid-June 2024. It’ll be made available first for cameras like the Blackmagic URSA Broadcast G2 and the Blackmagic Cinema Camera 6K, although it sounds like it will also come to the Blackmagic Camera app here shortly as well.

Other cameras will be added to the live sync ecosystem here soon too with the PYXIS 6K and URSA Cine 12K on the roadmap as well. And, as mentioned above, it will all be offered as a free upgrade to current Blackmagic Cloud users.

We've had a lot of discussions about sex scenes on No Film School. So it's always nice when a huge A-list director makes a movie for adults and decides to add a little spice into the mix.

In a recent interview with The Film Stage, Richard Linklater, director of Hit Man, was asked about the eroticism in the film. He gave a thoughtful answer about why the movie contains some very steamy scenes.

Linklater said, "It’s rare that that becomes a subject that is necessary. Offscreen I would think Jesse and Céline have that same kind of carnal lust; it’s just not when we’re dropping in on them those times. But before and after, it’s definitely going on. So it’s an element. I’m not that interested in showing it explicitly, but in this case the story––I really had to show that carnal desire. If you see Gary’s story going from a dispassionate introvert––an all-in-his-head guy––to a passionate, sexual being, he’s put himself in a very vulnerable spot. That is how you commit. When you jump to that it’s like, ooh. People do crazy things because of sex. People kill people. People kill themselves. It gets volatile. They do illegal shit. That’s the one thing that can drive you crazy in the world: when you’re in that kind of white-heat passion. That’s what a lot of film noirs are based on: the guy who goes down that path. So we’re our own version of that for both those characters, for sure."

It turns out, those sex scenes are part of character development and necessary to see the change in him as a human.

And, it's also a genre convention.

Linklater continued, "But I think we had to show it, too. It felt like an old-fashioned––in a genre sense––movie. As in: ‘80s. There’s an adult movie. They’re fucking. It’s real. These are real things. It’s just not a part of cinema, by and large, right now. The infantilization is complete. The culture that wants us to… you know, when I was a kid––when I was 13––I was watching a lot of adult movies, very intrigued with that world. “Ahh.” I looked forward to it but it was a little scary because it had all these things I hadn’t experienced yet. But I couldn’t wait to be an adult. They seemed smart. They seemed passionate. There was all kinds of fun things awaiting me. And it was through adult movies."

Yes, this R-rated movie is for adults. And in this movie for adults, we're able to see two great starring performances by Glen Powell and Adria Arjona, who get to do adult things.

Adults have been underserved as a demographic for decades. the death of the mid-budget movie has completely taken away the streams of films they could go see in theaters. My hope is that a place like Netflix could bring those back, and that's why I'm rooting for Hit Man. Plus, I find everyone involved to be awesome.

Let me know what you think in the comments.

Short films are a specific art form that many filmmakers use to break into Hollywood and then showcase their talents for the opportunities to pitch on larger projects at studios.

While parts of that are still true, shorts have sort of hit the backburner of Hollywood as the town figures out what it wants and from who.

But as short films find their place in Hollywood, AI is already coming for them.

The 2024 Tribeca Festival, in collaboration with OpenAI, will premiere five groundbreaking short films created using OpenAI's innovative text-to-video AI model, Sora.

This marks the first ever showcase of films produced with this technology at a major film festival.

And it may also mark a changing of the guard at these festivals, as they begin to accept films created by AI, or in conjunction with AI.

This is all born from the desire to get real artists using AI.

By providing award-winning filmmakers and Tribeca Festival alumni access to Sora, this initiative aims to explore the potential of generative AI as a creative tool in filmmaking.

The filmmakers were given only a few weeks to complete their projects, pushing the boundaries of both creativity and technological innovation, to see if they can work together.

“Tribeca is rooted in the foundational belief that storytelling inspires change. Humans need stories to thrive and make sense of our wonderful and broken world,” said co-founder and CEO of Tribeca Enterprises, Jane Rosenthal. “Sometimes these stories come to us as a feature film, an immersive experience, a piece of art, or even an AI-generated short film. I can’t wait to see what this group of fiercely creative Tribeca alumni come up with.”

As for the OpenAI team and their thoughts on collaborating?

“It's great to see how these filmmakers are extending their creativity with Sora, and we are honored for their works to debut at the Tribeca Festival,” said COO of OpenAI Brad Lightcap. “We're excited for their short films, and eager to learn how we can make Sora a better tool for all creatives.”

Let me know what you think in the comments.

Crafting sound is so difficult. Doubly so when a project uses sound design to reflect the mental state of its lead character, which is certainly the case of Netflix's Ripley, a sexy noir adaptation of Patricia Highsmith's work starring Andrew Scott.

Here, sound is at the forefront before anything else is seen on screen in the opening seconds of episode one. A ticking clock—then lots of them—then the ominous toll of a church bell. Before long, we're thrust into Tom Ripley's world, and to some it might be auditorily unnerving. Everything is crisp, heightened, on edge, much like the character.

The talented sound team elevated this adaptation in a way that no other recent television project has done, and their process is fascinating. We were able to speak with Michael Feuser, supervising sound editor, Michael Barry, re-recording mixer, and production sound mixer Maurizio Argentieri to learn about their unique gear (tube microphones), their collaboration with Steven Zaillian, why they used wired booms, and more.

Enjoy.

Ripley | Official Trailer | Netflix www.youtube.com

Editor's note: The following conversation has been edited for length and clarity.

No Film School: I want to start with the way the show starts itself. It opens with sound, this heavy focus on the environment. What was your process to establish the tone of Ripley?

Michael Feuser: Larry Zipf, the other supervisor and the sound designer on this show, he was the main person who created the atmospheric sound in addition to Maurizio's beautiful production sound.

It was important for Steve to have somebody around pretty early on. Larry worked roundabouts for 16 months on this show. He started doing a couple of key scenes and then quite quickly moved his sound design room to the cutting rooms, which was quite essential for Steven because he could walk between the cutting rooms and to Larry's room, and then they could develop together certain scenes. Like the boat scene for example, in episode three, or in episode five, when you see the elevator, Ripley trying to get rid of Freddie's body, that whole sequence.

And so Steve was super involved in all aspects of the show, and especially in sound too. So it was beneficial for him to have Larry around. They developed that kind sound at the cutting room.

Michael Barry: Enough can't be said for the integrity of Steve Zaillian to get exactly what he wants from the film. He is so hands-on, it's indescribable, really. And as Mich was saying, it started 16 months ago, but right up until the very last day of mixing, we changed stuff, and Larry had to redo stuff, all based on what Steve's vision was. And it's such a pleasure to work with someone like that. All praise to Steve Zaillian.

Maurizio Argentieri: I think that I was the first one who put the first stone on this project. I had to make some crucial decisions that, at the beginning, I shared with Steven. At the beginning of the show, he was inside a lot of other things. You have to choose location, you have to choose a lot of things. I was the only person around taking care of sound.

At the very beginning, I met Steven during the location scout, and only after one week of scouting, I had the chance to talk personally with him and introduce myself. He was so pleased to meet me, and we started talking, in a very simple way. I understood that he was someone that really cared about sound. I found myself [making] crucial decisions, because I really wanted to give this show a unique characteristic in terms of sound because it was period, and it was black and white.

We didn't know if it was black and white or color [until] the very end. Even after we finished shooting, we didn't know if it was black and white or color. So I imagined—because on set, we had both kinds of monitors—and from the very beginning, I understood that this show cannot be other than black and white. So I got inspired, and I [made] some crucial decisions. I recorded the sound in a very specific way, so the guys after me couldn't interpret it too much. ... It wasn't something that went against the work, the beautiful work that Mich and Michael and Larry did on the show.

RipleyCourtesy of Netflix

Michael Barry: Maurizio, can you speak a little about the technology you used?

Maurizio Argentieri: When I was talking about about the decisions that I made to give this show a unique sound, it was based, first of all, on choosing a specific way to pre-amplify, for example, to create the sound. The first generation for us audio engineers was to choose the right pre-amplifier to pre-amplify the sound of the microphones.

So I used original tube microphones and pre-amplifiers, because I love that kind of sound. The sound that was produced by the tubes—I think you noticed that there was something different.

Michael Barry: Absolutely.

Maurizio Argentieri: It matched perfectly with the noir style of the show and with the black and white. I wasn't happy only with this. I didn't use any wireless boom connections. I wired physically, because I didn't want to lose any bits of this, any tiny element of the sound, from the microphone to the very end of the recorder.

I used only large diaphragm microphones. It was very heavy. I talked with my boom operators to take care of that and to join this decision to be creative, just to give the shot the right sound.

I decided during the recording process to apply a light amount of compression to the sound coming from the boom just to enrich it a little more, because even the compressor was a tube compressor. So [this was] to enrich with a little harmonic distortion that is beautiful the voices of all the actors, and to create a contrast necessary from those very warm voices with a very hard characteristic.

For the spaces, I used a special rig that was custom-designed by me, but all the spatial audio was recorded with the most top-class level digital immersive sound technology. I created this contrast between all the ambient sound recorded. And then all these other guys here, they created such an amazing soundscape to give them just the first note to get tuned on these elements, to have this contrast between the actors and the space.

NFS: I love to ask sound teams what their favorite sequence to work on in a project was.

Michael Feuser: Good question. To pick up on Maurizio, he basically set the tone. I would maybe focus in on the long dialogue scenes. I think what struck me when I got the tracks, and what Steven wanted us to do, he was very focused on craftsmanship. It was about using the right technology but not go too far in terms of plugins and all that kind of stuff, what we can use nowadays.

It was really a brilliant recording going straight through to the editor's hands just to line it up and to the tracks for the mixer and then it goes straight through. And then I think that makes the sound of Ripley so special because it's very clear and modulated and not too much dealt with or changed.

And I think this came out in the dialogue scenes for me especially. And then what we just did was we just carved out breaths and these kinds of things to make reactions to lines more present and help the tension in the scene with that. But there was a lot of fun for me to deal with these scenes.

RipleyCourtesy of Netflix

Michael Barry: What technology did you use, Mich?

Michael Feuser: It was just old-fashioned editing, for the most part. ... We did a little bit of noise reduction on some of the exterior scenes, but very, very carefully without compromising the dialogue itself. We were very careful not to go too far with these scenes. Otherwise, it was just good old-fashioned editing that we needed to do just to have the best mics at any time present and ready for Michael to balance them and to mix them.

Michael Barry: I don't have a favorite. I like them all. I wish we had more to do. I was sad to see it end.

NFS: A very valid answer!

Maurizio Argentieri: I have the same answer as Michael because, for me, it was just a blast to work with such an incredible director.

I don't know if you remember all the telephone scenes, even those telephone scenes, the guy on the other side was real. We modified for real the practical telephones. We created under Steve's request an interface so they could interact with each other.

My first day of work was the telephone call that Tom did in New York. This was my very first day of work. I had a lot of anxiety because on set, all these things, it never works, never. We stayed for one entire day on the line with an actor on the other side of the world, and we shot on the stage in Rome, and it worked like a charm. And that was my first day of work.

I'm remembering the attention that Steve had during the production. He was excited to hear, for example, all the tiny sounds of footsteps, of the crackling, little stones.

And to obtain that, I really had to pay attention to every detail during preparation. For example, Tom's apartment in Rome, it was on a stage. During the construction of this apartment, I was there bitching at the construction department. Because, for me, the floor needs to be perfect. I gave them a project to uncouple the wood floor from the structure that elevated from the main floor of the stage to avoid any drum effect while they walking.

In general, I try to put a magnifying glass on those kinds of elements because normally all these things are background. In this case, I treated them as another lead character who was acting with the main actor.

And then these guys here took so much care about those details that I tried to give them in the best way I could. They transformed those sounds into another character that tells the audience what, for example, Tom was thinking in his head. Those kinds of elements come through the sound that, during the show, is managed in a beautiful way. Those tiny elements tell exactly what he felt inside.

Michael Barry: That's one of the many things I love about Steve's direction in this show is so much of it happens in Tom's head. He doesn't plan it in advance in many situations. He has to react to what happened in front of him. And so you can sense that thought process, which is very unusual these days. I loved it. So it's done with sound like you said.

RipleyCourtesy of Lorenzo Sisti/Netflix

NFS: In your vast experience, is there one key bit of advice that you would give a new person in each of your positions?

Michael Feuser: Well, I would say hire Maurizio, that would be the first one. A lot of people don't appreciate how important that first step actually is. He set the tone, and it made my life very easy because it's always a pleasure to work with beautiful tracks. And so if you want to shoot something, get a good sound recordist.

Michael Barry: There's very little ADR in the show, and most of it's off-camera anyway. It's amazing.

Maurizio Argentieri: And of course, I can suggest having a post-production team like you guys. I had this vision, because I'm a sound designer too. I work in Italy as a sound designer ... [some of] my colleagues, they think that their job is just go on set, record the dialogue, and that's it. And for me, it's totally different. It's not like this.

At some point, I put myself in the game because all the time that I was going to movies—and at the first projection of a movie that I did as a production mixer—I always had frustration because I said, "No, this is not the right way. I was thinking that the sound had to be managed."

I said, "Okay," I think that I have to go and put my hands in post-production to get a sense, a total sense of the sound project from the beginning to the end. And in this case, I put the first stone in the road, but then these guys did exactly what it was in my mind.

Another thing that I can say is try always to tell a story with sound. Always. Sound has so much power. Especially nowadays with these immersive techniques, and Netflix, they transport immersive sound formats, and it's absolutely beautiful. There's such a huge amount of expressivity that can be used.

Michael Barry: I would just say to be very patient and learn from others as much as possible, as slowly as possible. Don't rush things. But the most important thing, as Maurizio alluded to, is the story and the intention of the director to tell the story in a certain way.

They should be experts in their technology, but most people can learn the technology. What you can't really learn, at least not quickly, is how to tell the story. How to use sound, in our case, to help tell the story the director wants to tell. And that's something you can't teach per se, but students should learn how to pick up on that and focus on that as they go forward in their careers.

It's not often that we get a chance to view a famous scene with music that didn't make the final cut. It's even rarer that that scene is a monumental one in cinema's history and features one of the most iconic pieces of music ever written. I'm talking, of course, about the opening sequence to Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey, which featured the previously little-known tone poem "Thus Spake Zarathrustra" by German composer Richard Strauss.

Kubrick and company had originally commissioned seasoned film composer Alex North, whose work can be heard in classic films such as Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf, A Streetcar Named Desire, and Spartacus, to create an original classical score for 2001: A Space Odyssey. As you're about to hear, it's not quite what Kubrick had in mind.

Although it's hard to say whether or not this particular section of North's original score was actually meant to underpin the film's opening -- I have my doubts that it was -- it's still fairly clear that the opening feels sorely lacking without the Strauss piece and that some of the cheerful, antiquated horn riffs in the score just weren't what Kubrick had in mind for his philosophical space epic.

As for how Kubrick ended up with the musical choices that we've all come to know and love (well, most of us anyway), here's what he had to say about the process in an old interview with Michel Ciment.

Why use music which is less good when there is such a multitude of great orchestral music available from the past and from our own time? When you're editing a film, it's very helpful to be able to try out different pieces of music to see how they work with the scene. This is not at all an uncommon practice. Well, with a little more care and thought, these temporary music tracks can become the final score.

When I had completed the editing of 2001: A Space Odyssey, I had laid in temporary music tracks for almost all of the music which was eventually used in the film. Then, in the normal way, I engaged the services of a distinguished film composer to write the score. Although he and I went over the picture very carefully, and he listened to these temporary tracks (Strauss, Ligeti, Khatchaturian) and agreed that they worked fine and would serve as a guide to the musical objectives of each sequence he, nevertheless, wrote and recorded a score which could not have been more alien to the music we had listened to, and much more serious than that, a score which, in my opinion, was completely inadequate for the film.

Luckily, North's original score for the film is available in multiple places and is actually a really fantastic listen for lovers of classical film scores. It's tremendously haunting and beautiful, and it's easy to imagine some of these illustrative musical cues in another film -- just not in Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey.

And, just in case you haven't been thinking about this delightful cinematic moment throughout this entire article, I will leave you with this.

Source: Robert Beardsley

There's no better feeling than completing a project you’ve been working on for, what feels like, forever. On one hand, you’re relieved but you're also anxious to figure out what to work on next. How do you decide what your new project will be, and what is the most efficient strategy for getting started on it?

In today’s episode, No Film School’s GG Hawkins and Jason Hellerman discuss:

• The first questions you need to ask yourself before deciding on your next project
• Doing market research and getting feedback on your initial ideas
• Narrowing down on your ideas
• Writing with specific actors and directors in mind
• Developing relationships and keeping track of your interactions
• The draft-writing process
• Setting parameters for the people who will read your first drafts
• Being selective about who will receive your final spec
• Why you should give yourself time off

Mentioned

• Oscar-Winning Screenwriter Eric Roth Takes You on a Tour of His Writing Process

Subscribe to the No Film School Podcast on:

• Apple Podcasts
• Spotify
• Google

Listen to more episodes of the No Film School podcast right here:

_{This episode of The No Film School Podcast was produced by GG Hawkins.}

If you were a fan of the Canon EF 35mm f/1.4L II USM lens then, well, we have very good news for you. Canon is doubling down on one of its more popular lens options and has announced an RF version with the new RF 35mm f/1.4L VCM. Which, as Canon seems to be aiming it, is very much positioned to be a popular hybrid lens for both photo and video pros alike.

Let’s take a look at this new 35mm lens and how its new (and lighter) design should pair well with its solid specs and useability features to be a potential go-to lens for a variety of your shooting needs.

Introducing the Canon RF 35mm f/1.4 L VCM

While we say hybrid lens here quite a bit, make no mistake, this new RF lens from Canon has truly been designed with high-end cinema video needs in mind. The Canon RF 35mm f/1.4L VCM Lens is a wide-angle L-series hybrid prime featuring an ultra-fast f/1.4 maximum aperture to suit working in a variety of challenging and difficult lighting conditions.

This upgraded version of its EF counterpart also features a Voice Coil Motor (VCM) for fast floating rear focus and a Nano USM for quick and quiet floating autofocus performance. Its optical design incorporates specially developed elements as well that help to nearly eliminate chromatic aberrations and color fringing for notable clarity and color accuracy.

The lens still features two ultra-low dispersion elements and two aspherical elements are also featured to further control various aberrations and distortion for great sharpness and resolution.

Price and Availability

Overall, this new RF 35mm f/1.4 L VCM should be reliable and versatile with its durable physical construction is dust—and moisture-sealed with ASC (Air Sphere Coating), SSC (Super Spectra Coating), and Fluorine coatings for use in any environment and to prevent ghosting and flares.

Here are the full specs and pre-order options:

• Full-Frame Format | f/1.4 to f/16
• Extremely Fast Design, Advanced Optics
• Voice Coil Motor (VCM) for Rear Focus
• Nano USM for Fast Floating Autofocus
• Manual Iris/Full-Time Focus Rings
• Air Sphere (ASC) Coating
• Two Aspherical Elements, Two UD Elements
• Rounded 11-Blade Diaphragm
• Weather-Sealed Design
• Attachable Rear Gel Filter Holder

Canon RF 35mm f/1.4 L VCM Lens (Canon RF)

Designed with high-end cinema video in mind, the Canon RF 35mm f/1.4L VCM Lens is a wide-angle L-series hybrid prime featuring an ultra-fast f/1.4 maximum aperture to suit working in difficult lighting conditions.

It's been 80 years since the D-Day assault that brought the allied forces to the Normandy beaches, and began the push that would end the second World War.

There have been many incredible war movies made about that attack. And one of my favorite is The Longest Day, which had the jaw-dropping cast including John Wayne, Robert Mitchum, Richard Burton, Sean Connery, Henry Fonda, and many others.

That's a movie that I saw on TCM as a kid and that I've tried to watch on June 6th every year since. The film tells the story of D-Day from multiple perspectives, including American, British, French, and German soldiers and commanders. This provides a comprehensive and nuanced view of the events.

And it has some of the most wondrous cinematography ever put to celluloid.

Every time I show someone new the film, we always wind up talking about the French assault on Ouistreham, which contains a oner that has to be seen to believe.

Check it out below.

The French Assault on Ouistreham from 'The Longest Day'

What I love about this movie are all the practical effects we see employed. This was made in 1962, so there's no CGI. These are real men running through real explosions—done safely with a crew and planned explosives. But the reality here is striking and moving.

The film frequently employs wide shots and aerial views to showcase the vast scale of the D-Day operation. These shots establish the geographical context and emphasize the sheer number of troops and equipment involved in the invasion.

The scope and scale on screen during this oner is just breathtaking, and there are a few other shots in the movie that rival it—like the wall climb.

The Longest Day was a massive production with multiple directors for different segments:

• Ken Annakin: Directed the British and French exterior scenes.
• Andrew Marton: Directed the American exterior scenes.
• Bernhard Wicki: Directed the German scenes.

The film had several cinematographers as well:

• Henri Persin: Primarily for French sequences
• Walter Wottitz: Primarily for American sequences
• Jean Bourgoin: Additional photography

Each of these talented individuals contributed to the unique visual style and impact of The Longest Day, making it a cinematic masterpiece.

The Longest Day is a testament to the skill and artistry of the filmmakers. The combination of wide shots, close-ups, handheld camera work, and dramatic lighting creates a visually stunning and emotionally powerful portrayal of D-Day. And the way the directors meshed their points of view in the editing is astounding.

The film's black-and-white aesthetic has become iconic, contributing to its enduring legacy as a classic war film.

Let me know what you think in the comments.

While most of the big news shared so far here this week by brands looking to turn some headlines during the Cine Gear Expo in LA have been some big (and expensive) swings, it’s nice to see that brands like Tamron remember the DIY shooters as well.

No knock on the new Canon C400 cinema camera, or the actually quite affordable Panasonic LUMIX GH7, both just announced, but this new Tamron telephoto zoom lens is about as affordable as a lens of this quality can come.

Let’s take a look at this new 50-300mm F4.5-6.3 VC zoom from Tamron, and explore how its compact size, lightweight design, and long-range videography capabilities could be right for you.

Tamron 50-300mm F/4.5-6.3 Telephoto Zoom

Officially launched as the Tamron 50-300mm F/4.5-6.3 Di III VC VXD (Model A069), this new lens from Tamron is a unique 6x telephoto zoom lens that starts on the wide end for added versatility. A true “all-in-one” telephoto zoom, the lens features class-leading weight and mobility.

With a vast zoom range, shooters will be able to seamlessly capture subject matter ranging from street scenes to intimate portraits as well as wildlife. The lens also includes Vibration Compensation (VC) image stabilization which should reduce camera shake and overall contribute to sharper images—which should be particularly useful when shooting at the maximum 300mm focal length.

The telephoto zoom is driven by a VXD linear motor focus mechanism that enables quick and precise autofocus performance with impressive subject tracking throughout its zoom range.

Price and Availability

All told, this 50-300mm F4.5-6.3 VC is packed with all of the features and support that you’d expect with a new telephoto lens these days, including Moisture-Resistant Construction, Fluorine Coating, and the connector port for Tamron’s Lens Utility software.

Here are the full specs and price options, with pre-orders available now.

• Full-Frame | f/4.5-6.3 to f/22-32
• Compact Telephoto Zoom
• VXD Linear Motor Focus Mechanism
• Focus Set Button
• Zoom Lock Switch
• VC Image Stabilization
• Rounded 9-Blade Diaphragm
• Moisture-Sealed Design, Fluorine Coating
• Tamron Lens Utility Connector Port
• 67mm Filter Thread

Tamron 50-300mm f/4.5-6.3 Di III VC VXD Lens (Sony E)

An all-in-one telephoto zoom with class-leading weight and mobility, the 50-300mm f/4.5-6.3 Di III VC VXD Lens from Tamron supplies extreme versatility to Sony E-mount full-frame camera systems.

While the buzz has died down just a little bit, thanks in part perhaps to Blackmagic Design announcing their new flagship URSA Cine 12K at NAB 2024 this year, as well as due to AI taking up a lot of headlines. But the Sony BURANO continues to be one of the most fascinating, and popular, new cameras of the year.

And while solo shooters and production crews alike continue to explore renting (or even purchasing) the BURANO for their projects and shoots, Sony—for their part—continues to crank out new resources and ways to promote the camera.

In the latest BURANO news, Sony has revealed a roadmap of the next couple of firmware updates which should be coming to the BURANO here in the next couple of years. So, if you’re curious to see what the BURANO will have to offer in the future, here’s everything you need to know about what’s coming to BURANO versions 1.1 and 2.0.

Sony BURANO Version 1.1

Planned for release later this month in June 2024, the highlights of this next firmware version 1.1 are going to be new features for live event productions as well as the addition of a 1.5x de-squeeze display for anamorphic lenses. This version 1.1 will add S700 Protocol over Ethernet which will enable remote control of a BURANO using an RCP (remote control panel).

In addition, the BURANO Version 1.1 will also allow support for Sony’s Monitor & Control app version 2.0.0 which should enable in-demand features such as the Multi-Camera Monitoring function for iPadOS which allows feeds to up to four cameras, precise exposure monitoring including such as waveform, histogram, false color, and zebra.

Some other features include intuitive focus control, and frequently used functions' control as similar operation as Sony's CineAlta cameras using a mobile device, such as frame rate, ND filter, sensitivity, look, shutter speed, and white balance.

Sony BURANO Version 2.0

The next firmware update for the BURANO is set to be released in March 2025 (or perhaps later) and will offer many new features and improvements requested from the user community, including new recording formats, new 1.8x de-squeeze, and monitoring improvements.

Version 2.0 will also include new recording formats including a new 3.8K Full Frame crop that leverages nearly the entire sensor and can shoot up to 120 fps. This new recording mode allows the filmmaker to prioritize faster sensor performance depending on the needs of their application.

In addition, this BURANO Version 2.0 will also add a 1.8x de-squeeze setting as well as additional high frame rate (S & Q) modes including 66, 72, 75, 88, 90, 96, and 110 fps.

Version 2.0 also offers monitoring improvements, including standardized SDI video output for monitoring across X-OCN and XAVC and an improved on-screen display that places camera status information outside of the image. Version 2.0 will also include View Finder Gamma Display Assist while using S-Log3 for monitoring.

BURANO Version 2.0 also includes additional exposure tools (High/Low Key) derived from the flagship VENICE camera system. Version 2.0 will also expand white balance memory presets from 3 to 8 and support Active/High Image Stabilization in Full-Frame 6K and Super 35 1.9K 16:9 imager modes.

Price and Availability

As mentioned above, the new BURANO Version 1.1 will be available here in late June 2024. And BURANO Version 2.0 will be available in March 2025 or later. Filmmakers can easily download the update directly to their camera using a Mac or PC and can find updates on Sony’s website here.

If you’re curious to check out the BURANO itself, here are the specs and purchase options:

• Compact, Highly Mobile Design
• Full-Frame CMOS 8.6K Sensor
• 16 Stops of Dynamic Range
• In-Body Image Stabilization|E & PL Mount
• Dual-Base 800/3200 ISO Range
• Electronically Variable 0.6-21ND Filter
• Phase Detection AF | Face/Eye Tracking
• Full-Frame & Super35 Sensor Modes
• Supports Multiple Frame Rates & Codecs
• Dual CFExpress Type B Card Slots

Sony BURANO 8K Digital Motion Picture Camera

Designed for highly mobile, solo cine-style shooting, the Sony BURANO 8K Digital Cinema Camera offers up to 8.6K video capture in a compact, full-frame form.

As we mentioned in our 5DayDeals 2024 kickoff announcement the annual ensemble of video production tools and educational package is back with and offering more affordably discounted assets than ever.

Broken down by the three-tiered bundle package—Main to Pro to Charity (as well as an added Bonus bundle roped in with the Charity Bundle)—5DayDeals starts at $98 for the main bundle, adding up to only $166 for the whole dang package for all four. Pretty crazy deals, ya'll.

Get One of Three Video Creator Bundles!

These bundles are crazy stacked with some of the best packages you can get your hands on, whether you're a seasoned pro or just finding your footing in the industry. While there's a lot of packages to cover amongst the four bundles, let's break down and take a closer look at what you get with the Charity Bundle.

What's All in the Charity Bundle, Exactly? 

Take a look at this breakdown of everything the Charity Bundle has to offer:

Educational Assets

• Secrets To Growing A Successful YouTube Channel: Step by step guide for every new YouTube video you make. (typically $129 before deal. Premiere Basics)
• Movie Trailer Style Video Ads: Learn the 12 step process for creating EPIC, ENGAGING, HIGH CONVERTING, Movie Trailer Style Video Ads from a 20+ year Video Pro. (typically $97 before deal. Kevin Anson)
• Design Theory Bootcamp: At 4+ hours in length, you'll learn the four pillars of design & animation from a professional art director. (typically $197 before deal. Film Editing Pro)
• From Blueprints to Screenplays: The Journey of a Filmmaker Engineer: A journey from an engineer to a film director and editor. (typically $15 before deal. Cut to the Point)
• Growing Your Career as a Cinematographer: Learn how to build a strong professional reputation, market yourself, expand your network and attract higher-profile clients. (typically $149 before deal. No Film School)

Tool Box Kit

• Meteors: The Meteors collection brings you 13 versatile VDB assets. (typically $299 before deal. ActionVFX)
• Magical Symbols VFX Pack: A collection of 80 stock footage assets for VFX compositing and graphic design. (typically $49 before deal. Triune Digital)
• Iceland: 4K Cinematic Stock Video Pack: This pack contains 99 video assets shot on SLR and drone in a LOG color profile. (typically $39 before deal. Premiere Basics)
• Gun Smoke: 7 VDB assets, perfect for gunfire effects or anytime you need a smoke puff. (typically $199 before deal. ActionVFX)

Help Out Some Cool Charities

5DayDeal donates 10% of their profits to charity, raising $3,000,000 plus donated since 2014. Now that's some serious dough, dawg!

With the purchase of one of any bundle, you could become what they've deemed a "5DayDeal Difference Maker" and make your mom really proud. With an initiative towards education is this year, they are donating a portion of each sale to providing educational opportunities to those in need as well.

Check out more about the 5DayDeal Video Creator Bundle here.

There are very few opportunities for filmmaking teams to work within the same universe for over a decade, but if you're lucky enough to be part of the Mad Max series from mastermind George Miller, then you've spent a good chunk of your life on the Fury Road.

That's the case for art director Jacinta Leong, who worked on both Fury Road and the recent release Furiosa, helping the team design and build those wild vehincles and flesh out the story's key environments. Art directors are the "get stuff done" part of the crew. They help conceptualize and make sure that concept makes it into reality.

On the day I spoke with Leong, she was about to head to another set to pour a concrete slab, but she graciously spent time on Zoom talking about Furiosa's fancy new war rig, how the wastelanders source their parts, and more. Strap in for a ride with Leong and Furiosa!

FURIOSA : A MAD MAX SAGA | OFFICIAL TRAILER #1 www.youtube.com

Editor's note: The following conversation has been edited for length and clarity.

No Film School: How did you get into art direction?

Jacinta Leong: For as long as I can remember, I think I've been drawn to structure and shape and color. And when I was 6, my parents bought me a set of 24 coloring in pencils. It was a memorable moment. We were also, my sisters and I, we were put into violin and piano lessons, which I think is standard issue for Asian kids.

I thought that I would have a career on stage performing, because I enjoyed theater. But my parents, I think they put a spell on us that we would always go to tertiary education, which might be something of that generation, as well. So I was in a play called the King and I. I was quite struck by the set designer and it turns out that the set designer was an architect, and I thought, "Oh, I could do that like she did." I could study architecture, be a theater set designer, but also have that uni degree.

So I actually did that. I went to uni and studied architecture, and throughout that course I became more interested in film design than theater design. When I graduated, I started writing to studios and production designers and art directors. This is in the days of writing a letter, putting a stamp on it, putting it in the post box or faxing it. And from there I did get a response or two out of many letters, and started in the industry soon after that.

NFS: Furiosa is a return to a world that a lot of us know and love. What elements or settings were you most excited to explore in a new way in this film?

Leong: The new environments that were inta were not only the Citadel, which we saw in Fury Road, but we also got to see the other two trading hubs, which were Gastown and the Bullet Farm. So fleshing out that part of the story, that was another exciting and challenging design project within the project.

And it was good to see these hubs to get the whole story about bartering in the wasteland. The Citadel had produce and water and mother's milk. Gastown had gas and oil. And Bullet Farm had metal and bullets. It was a mine.

So it was lovely. I can't describe it. I think it was a completion of that story and that environment in the wasteland to see those other two hubs.

Furiosa: A Mad Max SagaCourtesy of Warner Bros.

NFS: As I was mentioning to you, I am pretty obsessed with this new war rig. So can you tell us how you and the team landed on the look of that and any little tidbits in its creation?

Leong: Actually, it was George Miller's idea to have it chrome. In Fury Road where they spray their mouths with chrome, so that they can enter Valhalla shiny and chrome, that was a design thing with the war rig. It was Immortan Joe's vehicle, the Citadel vehicle that takes the produce to trade, and it is like a flagship. It's a very important vehicle that has to look good too.

How we designed it, after knowing that it's chrome, we needed a real-live prime mover [truck] that could do the moves. In the the stowaway sequence as well as where we see it also at Gastown and the bullet farm, we had Kenworth prime movers.

We had to play as one vehicle. We had three prime movers and they were two automatics and one manual. The tanker itself, we made from the tanker from Fury Road, the war rig of Fury Road. We put bigger tires on it.

And that's another interesting thing with how far do you go with the design? With the Kenworth prime movers, we ordered them with the axle spaces a longer distance to accommodate the larger tires. We extended it by about half a meter for starters. The new ones were delivered to us with this customized axle spacing. And with the manual, which we bought secondhand, we extended it with our very clever team of mechanics and steel workers.

The excavator arms that you see on the prime mover—our mechanic, Mark McKinley, who I worked with on Fury Road as well, he found these excavator arms. I think he looked online for a wrecking site. I'd love to show you photos of how they were delivered to us. They were rusted and yellow and the controls had seized up, but we sand-blasted them and polished them to get them all shiny and chrome. It was like a mirror with beautiful imperfections, is how I would describe it.

And then we added, instead of just the bucket, we had different claws on them for the sequence where the Mortiflyers attack, those excavator arms were hydraulically powered, and that was installed by special effects. They have to make things move safely in camera.

Other fun behind-the-scenes logistics. We had a generator in that large tank that's supposed to be delivering produce and then being filled with "guzzoline." We had a generator in there to make the arms work. Yeah, there's a lot behind the scenes. When you see something and see it work, it's like the tip of the iceberg for all the decisions and all design moments that lead up to that.

Furiosa: A Mad Max SagaCourtesy of Warner Bros.

NFS: The other thing that I would love to explore is the various locations that we are exploring up close for the first time. There are also all these different factions and vehicles. I'm wondering if you have a favorite one.

Leong: Oh, wow. Oh, so much to say about this, Jo. But I suppose I can really comment more solidly on the ones that I worked on, which were the Citadel war rigs.

There were two of them, the shiny juggernaut, but also we see for a moment War Rig A, which Dementus is looking at from afar as War Rig A leaves Gastown. And that's when they converge on it, hijack it, and then dress themselves up as War Boys to pretend to return to the Gastown.

That war rig also was fun to work on, even though it only appears in that scene. It was a Mack truck. And to illustrate reuse and repurpose in the wasteland and Dementus' way of taking things, he's reused that Mack truck hood for his six-wheeled monster truck.

NFS: Just thinking about the practical things that you did in this film to reflect on characters in their environment is one reason I just love these movies so much. The worldbuilding feels so expansive.

Leong: And that's how I felt when I read the script. Actually, Jo, when I started on Furiosa, I thought, "Well, how do you top Fury Road? What's next?" And then I read the script, and I went, "Ah, that's how. All these backstories, all these characters, Furiosa and her childhood." That's a really interesting timeline to explore as well. I love how everything's connected. Costumes, sets, vehicles, environments, all being guided by this script, which itself is a distilled document from thousands of other words, other ideas all put into this one script.

Furiosa: A Mad Max SagaCourtesy of Warner Bros.

NFS: I know that art departments can be very difficult to get into. Do you have any advice for someone who wants to get into an art department?

Leong: It's advice which worked for me, so I don't want to say that this is the surefire way to get in and do what you want. Everyone's experience will be different.

However, I think the first and main thing is you, and what you want to do. If you have the willingness to do it, you'll get there. You'll chase things and get into it because you want to.
The more you make contact, the better. As I said before, I sent out letters to production designers, and studios. Don't worry at all about rejections, it's just send them out there.

Speaking of No Film School, can I just say I didn't go to film school? I actually applied to get in, and I didn't get in. And that rejection lasted only a few seconds. I read this letter saying you didn't get in, and I thought, "That's fine. Instead of three more years studying after architecture, I'll get that job."

Either path would be fine. If you want to go to film school, absolutely apply and get in there. That is definitely a way to get in. You'll have your contemporaries. If you are studying production design, I think you get to work on a film together with cinematographers, writers, lighting, all your peers, your fellow students, and then when you graduate, quite often, the films take interns. So that is another way to get in.
So if not online, join a guild, go to their functions, read up about it on the website, No Film School, and the more you involve yourself in it, the bigger the chance you'll get of finding yourself where you want to be and you will get there.

NFS: Is there anything else about the film that you want to highlight in terms of your work?

Leong: It was fantastic to be involved in the project. You have an apocalyptic world set two weeks from next Thursday, so you have the Citadel, Gastown, the Bullet Farm, and all their associated vehicles, and it is a wonderful world to explore.

You can't go just nuts going, "Oh yes, we can have anything we want." You do have constraints, which lead you to the design. It was a great project to be involved in. I was on Fury Road 10 years before, and I met new faces, but also had again got to work with Mark Gatt in steel, Mark McKinley, mechanic, Mark Natoli, the sheet metal worker. So it was a reunion, and I didn't think I'd get another chance to work on a Mad Max movie. I worked two years on Furiosa and over one year on Fury Road, and I think in my 30-plus year time in the industry, it's taken up 10% of my work in life. And that is a highlight not only in my career, but also in my life.

Aputure, a leading innovator in professional lighting equipment, has raised the bar once again with the introduction of the Light Storm 600c Pro II.

This groundbreaking fixture is a testament to Aputure's unwavering commitment to delivering cutting-edge technology and exceptional performance for filmmakers and photographers alike.

Let's dive in.

Aputure has significantly enhanced its flagship Light Storm series with the release of the 600c Pro II. This powerful light fixture boasts nearly double the brightness, superior flicker-free performance, smoother dimming, and a rugged IP54 weather-resistant design.

Key features include:

• Dramatically increased output: An 85% increase in brightness when paired with the F10 Fresnel lens ensures optimal lighting conditions in any setting.
• All-weather reliability: The weatherproof construction allows for consistent performance even in challenging environments.
• Seamless compatibility: The Bowens mount and Sidus Link app enable effortless integration with all Aputure accessories and complete control over your lighting setup.

Tech Specs

• 600W Full-Color Point-Source Bowens Mount LED Fixture
• 720W Maximum Power Draw
• Daylight Output Comparable to 1200W HMI
• Upgraded Small-Diameter COB Design with Significant Output Improvement: 82% More Output Than the LS 600c Pro with New Hyper Reflector (91,500 Lux @1m, 5,600K)
• CCT Range of 2,300K to 10,000K

Let me know what you think in the comments.

The photographers and videographers in the streets are celebrating the news of Panasonic unveiling the long-awaited follow-up to their popular GH6. (Mind you these are smaller, micro-four thirds photo and video pros, but pros nonetheless.) Panasonic has officially, and finally, announced their GH6 successor, and the GH7 mirrorless is here.

Featuring improved Phase Hybrid Autofocus, Active Internal Stabilization, and Prores RAW video recording capable of 5.7K at up to 60fps, the LUMIX GH7 should turn some heads as it’s set to make its premiere at the 2024 Cine Gear Expo in LA this week.

Let’s check out all the new features and updates to this new LUMIX GH7 and explore if it might be right for you.

Introducing the Panasonic LUMIX GH7

Now set to include ProRes RAW internal recording, the new LUMIX GH7 picks up where the last GH line camera left off and adds on a bunch of new features including 32-bit float recording with the optional DMW-XLR2 audio interface, Adobe Cloud Frame.io compatibility, versatile Open Gate framing, and real-time custom LUTs.

This new micro four-thirds flagship will also include all of the past features found in the GH6, plus will include the same compact form factor, a 25.2MP sensor, 5.7K30 Apple ProRes 422 HQ internal recording, improved AF performance, a 13+ stop dynamic range boost, and 5-axis stabilization to accommodate indie film, pro/consumer photography, documentary, or even as a B-camera in high-end productions.

Flagship Imaging Platform

At the heart of the new GH7 is a high-resolution 25.2MP sensor capable of recording 5.7K Raw video. This sensor has been redesigned from the ground up and is set to improve upon its predecessors in the GH Series with new silicone and software.

The GH7 boasts an improved 13+ stops of dynamic range boost despite its reduced cell size due to the increased number of pixels on the Micro Four Thirds sensor. It will also use a CFexpress Type B card to internally record 5.7K Apple ProRes 422 HQ and ProRes RAW HQ, or the SD slot can capture up to 10-bit 4K120p footage.

Also, for maximum sharpness, the sensor is unhindered by a low-pass filter, which should help it smooth out any moiré through intelligent detail processing from its updated Venus engine—which itself features twice the power of previous generations, enabling 75 fps burst shooting or up to 240 fps variable frame rate (VFR) slow motion video footage.

Price and Availability

There’s a lot more to say and explore about this new LUMIX GH7 later, but the highlight features sound very good and it’s always great to get even more competition in this jam-packed camera market.

If you’d like to check out the camera, here are the full specs and pre-order options with the GH7 expected to ship in early July 2024.

• 25.2MP BSI CMOS Micro Four Thirds Sensor
• 4K60 4:2:2 10-Bit Unlimited Recording
• 5.7K60, 4K120 HFR, FHD 240p VFR
• ProRes RAW, 32-Bit Float, 13+ Stop WDR
• Dual I.S. 7.5-Stop 5-Axis Stabilizer
• 3.68m-Dot OLED Electronic Viewfinder
• 3.0" 1.84m-Dot Free Angle Touchscreen
• CFexpress Type B & SD UHS-II Card Slots

Panasonic Lumix GH7 Mirrorless Camera

Get ready for raw with the latest Micro Four Thirds Lumix GH7 Mirrorless Camera from Panasonic, which now features ProRes RAW internal recording, 32-bit float recording with the optional DMW-XLR2 audio interface, Adobe Cloud Frame.io compatibility, versatile Open Gate framing, and real-time custom LUTs.

While Canon is a major multinational corporation whose reach extends far beyond the film and video industry housed in Los Angeles, California, it does seem like Canon is timing out some of its major announcements this year to hit right here on the eve of the 2024 Cine Gear Expo in LA.

On the heels of announcing their latest cinema camera—the new Canon EOS C400—the brand has also revealed that a host of firmware updates are set to come out for several of their most popular cameras. These updates will add plenty of different new features and improvements, but the most notable might be a new “Sensor Mode” which could be great for on-the-run videographers.

Let’s look at all of the new firmware updates set to come to a range of Canon cameras, including the EOS C500 Mark II, EOS C300 Mark III, EOS C70, EOS R5 C cameras, as well as Canon XA75/70, XA65/60 and VIXIA HF G70 camcorders.

Canon Cinema Camera Updates

Starting off with the Canon cinema cameras, the EOS C500 Mark II and the EOS C300 Mark III will both get updates to help keep up with the features housed in the new C400, including:

• “Sensor Mode” will be saved to an assignable button on the camera body to quickly change between Full-frame, Super 35mm, and Super 16mm crop modes.
• The Focus Guide box will have two size options: Standard and Large (approximately two times larger than standard).
• The camera LCD screen will display a playback marker in Media Mode.
• For the EOS C300 Mark III camera:
  • Cinema RAW Light HQ/ST/LT recording modes will be added.
  • Auto ISO/Gain functions that can be operated from the camera menu, an assignable button, or with a compatible remote-control unit will be added.

Canon C70 and R5 C Updates

• The same Focus Guide and playback marker enhancements as the C500 Mark II and C300 Mark III cameras will be added.
• The option of assigning functions to the select dial on the back of the camera, including AF subject selection, shutter, iris, ISO/gain, and white balance mode will be added.
• For the EOS R5 C camera, the following will be added:
  • Ability to adjust the thickness of the AF frame, making it easier to see in certain lighting conditions
  • Ability to reset the AF position by pushing the joystick or setting buttons
  • When shooting RAW VR content with Canon’s dual fisheye lens, you will be able to record both the peripheral illumination and chromatic aberration data. This will help with processing footage into smoother and even more amazing VR content than before the firmware update.
  • New features from the March 2024 R5 firmware update.

Canon Camcorders Updates

• The option to view the date and time in the on-screen display (OSD) while recording will be added. The white balance will be able to be changed while recording.

How to Download

As always, to check for and download all of the latest firmware updates for your Canon cameras, you can find all of the latest information on Canon’s website here.

Well, here we go!

Cine Gear Expo 2024 is set to kick off in LA tomorrow and we already have a bombshell new camera announcement to share with y’all. Canon has officially unveiled its latest RF-mount cinema camera with its powerful 6K Full Frame image sensor and Cinema RAW Light recording up to 6K at 60fps directly onto your CFexpress memory cards.

This new Canon cinema camera is also set to include a 3.5” full touchscreen LCD monitor, HDMI and SDI output ports, and three ISO bases of 800, 300, and 12,800. All major new features which should make this C400 a true Cine-style and broadcast-ready camera that solo shooters and small video crews should strongly consider moving forward.

Here’s everything you need to know about this new EOS C400 from Canon.

Introducing the Canon EOS C400

Designed for creators looking to capture a rich cine look while accessing versatile imaging tools can now turn to Canon's RF-mount EOS C400 6K Full-Frame Digital Cinema Camera.

The new C400 is based around a new 6K full-frame, back-illuminated CMOS sensor, which is set to feature not one, but three ISO bases of 800, 300, and 12,800 which will cover a truly wide range of light levels.

Canon’s newest cinema camera option will also blend high-resolution imagery with both cine-style and broadcast features like an optional Cooke/i PL mount, return video, and both Super35 and Super16 modes with solo shooter-friendly functions such as Dual-Pixel CMOS AF II, internal ND filters, and a compact, lightweight form.

6K Full-Frame Sensor and Recording Formats

What’s cool about this new C400 is really the 6K CMOS sensor at the heart of the camera, which enables it to offer exceptionally low noise, increased sensitivity efficiency, and better 4K imagery via 6K oversampling. And this is all thanks to the improved light capture technology of the back-illuminated, stacked CMOS sensor.

And, as we all know, different projects demand specific recording formats, and the C400 offers up to 6K60 Cinema RAW and HQ, ST, and LT Cinema RAW Light 12-bit modes. The oversampled 4K with amazing detail, in particular, is available in 10-bit 4:2:2 with frame rates up to 120p, all without cropping the image on the sensor. Slow- and fast-motion can also be captured at rates up to UHD 4K120 and 2K180.

We should also note that Canon has made your editing processes easier with two new codecs as well: XF-AVC S and XF-HEVC S, both of which feature an easier naming system and folder structure and metadata preservation, all within the established MP4 format.

Price and Availability

Overall, this new C400 should be a popular new cinema camera option for Canon and those looking to explore a suddenly very robust and competitive market. There’s a lot more to be said and explore with this new C400, but for now here are the specs and a pre-order link if you’d like to act fast and pre-order before its expected availability in September 2024.

• 6K FF Back-Illuminated CMOS Sensor
• Full Frame, Super35 & Super16 Modes
• 6K60, DCI 4K/2K, UHD 4K120
• Triple-Base ISO: 800, 3200, 12,800
• PL Mount Adapter Available Separately
• Improved Dual-Pixel CMOS AF II
• Record Internal XF-HEVC S, XF-AVC S
• Record Internal Cinema RAW Light, XF-AVC
• Timecode, Genlock & Return Video Ports
• Compact Form, Ethernet & Wi-Fi Control

Canon EOS C400 6K Full-Frame Digital Cinema Camera (Canon RF)

Creators looking to capture a rich cine look while accessing versatile imaging tools can now turn to Canon's RF-mount EOS C400 6K Full-Frame Digital Cinema Camera.

When I was a kid, I would curl up on the couch on Saturdays and watch war movies on TNT. I would spend a lot of afternoons tuning into things like The Dirty Dozen, The Great Escape, Stalag 17, and Twelve O'Clock High.

Those movies really formed a lot of the way I feel about the world, in a weird and interesting way.

War is hell, it's easily the worst thing that can happen within the confines humanity, ever. But it happens, and as filmmakers, we have a responsibility to tell those hard stories to help cope with the harsh realities it renders.

Today, I want to get into the best war movies of all time, dig into their history, tropes, and see what we can learn from all these stories.

Let's dive in.

What Defines a War Movie?

War movies are films primarily set in the context of armed conflict, often focusing on the battles, strategies, and experiences of soldiers and civilians.

They can span various subgenres, including historical, action, thrillers, and even comedies.

What Are the Tropes of War Movies?

War movies have lots of things in common across the genres they can be mashed up against. Let's take a look at a few of them.

• The Hero's Journey: A soldier's transformation from innocence to experience.
• Band of Brothers: The camaraderie and bonds formed among soldiers.
• Anti-War Sentiment: The futility and horrors of war.
• The Lost Cause: The tragedy of fighting for a doomed cause.
• Shell Shock/PTSD: The psychological trauma of war.

The History of War Movies

The war movie genre has evolved significantly over time, reflecting changing attitudes towards conflict, advancements in filmmaking technology, and a deeper understanding of the psychological impact of war.

Here's a glimpse into its fascinating history.

Early Beginnings (1900s - 1920s):

The earliest war films were often short documentaries or fictionalized accounts of battles, serving as propaganda tools to boost morale and support for ongoing wars. Examples include Tearing Down the Spanish Flag (1898) and The Battle of the Somme (1916).

These films often depicted heroic soldiers and glorified the idea of fighting for one's country.

The Golden Age (1930s - 1950s):

The 1930s and 1940s saw the rise of classic war films that tackled more complex themes. All Quiet on the Western Front (1930) offered a stark and unflinching portrayal of the horrors of World War I, while Casablanca (1942) blended romance and espionage against the backdrop of World War II.

This era also saw a shift towards more realistic depictions of combat and the human cost of war.

The Vietnam Era (1960s - 1970s):

The Vietnam War sparked a wave of controversial and introspective war films that challenged the patriotic narratives of earlier decades. Apocalypse Now (1979) delved into the psychological darkness of war, while MASH (1970) used satire to critique the military-industrial complex.

This period saw a rise in anti-war sentiments in cinema, reflecting the growing disillusionment with the conflict.

Modern Era (1980s - Present):

Contemporary war films continue to explore a wide range of themes, from the experiences of individual soldiers in Saving Private Ryan (1998) to the moral complexities of war in The Hurt Locker (2008).

Technological advancements have allowed for more immersive and visceral depictions of combat, while the rise of independent cinema has enabled filmmakers from diverse backgrounds to share their unique perspectives on war.

Global War Movies

While Hollywood has dominated the war film genre, many other countries have produced powerful and critically acclaimed war films that offer unique cultural and historical perspectives.

War movies aren't exclusive to Hollywood. Many countries have produced powerful films reflecting their own war experiences:

• Japan: Grave of the Fireflies (1988), an animated film about two siblings struggling to survive in World War II.
• Germany: Das Boot (1981), a claustrophobic submarine thriller set during World War II.
• Russia: Come and See (1985), a harrowing depiction of a young boy's experiences during the Nazi occupation of Belarus.
• France: The Grand Illusion (1937), an anti-war film set in a World War I prisoner-of-war camp.

The Best War Movies of All Time

• Apocalypse Now (1979): A psychedelic journey into the heart of darkness during the Vietnam War, following Captain Willard on a mission to assassinate a rogue Colonel.
• Schindler's List (1993): A powerful and harrowing depiction of the Holocaust, showcasing Oskar Schindler's efforts to save Jewish lives from the Nazis.
• Saving Private Ryan (1998): A visceral and unflinching portrayal of the D-Day invasion and the subsequent battles in World War II, as a group of soldiers search for a paratrooper behind enemy lines.
• The Deer Hunter (1978): An epic and emotional exploration of the Vietnam War's impact on a group of friends from a small Pennsylvania town, focusing on their experiences before, during, and after the war.
• Platoon (1986): A raw and realistic depiction of the Vietnam War from the perspective of a young soldier, Chris Taylor, caught in a moral conflict between two sergeants.
• Das Boot (1981): A claustrophobic and intense submarine thriller set during World War II, following the crew of a German U-boat on a dangerous mission.
• Full Metal Jacket (1987): A darkly satirical and disturbing look at the Vietnam War, divided into two parts: the dehumanizing basic training and the brutal urban combat in Hue.
• Paths of Glory (1957): A powerful anti-war film set during World War I, focusing on a French colonel who defends three soldiers court-martialed for cowardice after refusing to participate in a suicidal attack.
• The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957): An epic war drama set during World War II, exploring the themes of honor, duty, and obsession, as British POWs are forced to build a bridge for their Japanese captors.
• Come and See (1985): A harrowing and unflinching depiction of the atrocities committed during the Nazi occupation of Belarus, seen through the eyes of a young boy who joins the resistance.
• The Great Escape (1963): A thrilling adventure based on a true story, depicting Allied POWs' elaborate plan to escape a German prison camp during World War II.
• The Dirty Dozen (1967): A ragtag group of convicted felons are trained for a suicide mission to assassinate German officers behind enemy lines during World War II.
• Inglourious Basterds (2009): A fictional, alternate history of World War II, where a group of Jewish-American soldiers known as "The Basterds" are tasked with killing Nazis.
• Letters from Iwo Jima (2006): A companion film to "Flags of Our Fathers," this Japanese-language film tells the story of the Battle of Iwo Jima from the perspective of Japanese soldiers.
• Dunkirk (2017): A visceral and immersive experience of the Dunkirk evacuation during World War II, told from land, sea, and air perspectives.
• 1917 (2019): Two young British soldiers are given a seemingly impossible mission to deliver a message that could save their battalion during World War I.
• The Hurt Locker (2008): An intense drama about a bomb disposal unit in the Iraq War, following their dangerous work and the psychological toll it takes on them.
• All Quiet on the Western Front (1930): A classic anti-war film depicting the disillusionment and trauma experienced by young German soldiers during World War I.
• Stalag 17 (1953): A cynical POW in a German camp during World War II is suspected of being an informer when two fellow prisoners are killed during an escape attempt.
• The Grand Illusion (1937): A French anti-war film set during World War I, exploring themes of class, camaraderie, and the futility of war.
• Battleground (1949): A realistic portrayal of the Battle of the Bulge during World War II, focusing on a group of American soldiers trapped behind enemy lines.
• Twelve O'Clock High (1949): A drama about a tough U.S. Air Force general who takes command of a demoralized bomber squadron during World War II.
• Patton (1970): A biographical epic about the controversial General George S. Patton and his leadership during World War II.
• MAS*H (1970): A satirical black comedy about a group of surgeons and medical staff stationed at a Mobile Army Surgical Hospital during the Korean War.
• Cross of Iron (1977): Set on the Eastern Front during World War II, this film follows a German sergeant who clashes with his ambitious superior officer over their differing views on military honor.
• The Thin Red Line (1998): A philosophical exploration of the Battle of Guadalcanal during World War II, focusing on the lives of several soldiers in an American rifle company.
• Ran (1985): A Japanese epic based on Shakespeare's "King Lear," set in feudal Japan, depicting a warlord's descent into madness as he divides his kingdom among his three sons.
• Gallipoli (1981): Two young Australian sprinters enlist in the army and are sent to Gallipoli during World War I, where they face the brutal realities of war.
• Downfall (2004): A German-language film depicting the final days of Adolf Hitler in his Berlin bunker during World War II.
• The Pianist (2002): A Polish Jewish pianist struggles to survive the destruction of the Warsaw ghetto during World War II.
• Life is Beautiful (1997): An Italian Jewish man uses his imagination and humor to shield his son from the horrors of their imprisonment in a Nazi concentration camp.
• The Ascent (1977): A Soviet film set during World War II, where two partisans are captured by the Nazis and forced to collaborate with them, leading to a moral dilemma.
• Black Hawk Down (2001): A dramatic account of the U.S. military's 1993 raid in Mogadishu, Somalia, where a mission to capture warlords turns into a desperate battle for survival.
• Hamburger Hill (1987): A realistic portrayal of the U.S. Army's assault on Hill 937 during the Vietnam War, highlighting the brutal nature of combat and the human cost of war.
• The Killing Fields (1984): A journalist and his Cambodian assistant are caught in the turmoil of the Khmer Rouge regime in Cambodia during the 1970s.
• Casualties of War (1989): A group of American soldiers in Vietnam kidnap and rape a young Vietnamese woman, leading to a moral crisis for one of the soldiers.
• We Were Soldiers (2002): Based on the true story of the first major battle between the U.S. and North Vietnamese forces in the Ia Drang Valley during the Vietnam War.
• Jarhead (2005): A young Marine's experience in the Gulf War, focusing on the boredom and psychological strain of waiting for combat that never comes.
• The Big Red One (1980): A group of U.S. Army soldiers, known as "The Big Red One," fight their way through World War II, from North Africa to Sicily and Normandy.
• Enemy at the Gates (2001): A fictionalized account of the Battle of Stalingrad during World War II, focusing on a duel between a Soviet sniper and a German sharpshooter.
• A Bridge Too Far (1977): A dramatization of Operation Market Garden, a failed Allied attempt to secure a series of bridges in the Netherlands during World War II.
• Born on the Fourth of July (1989): Based on the autobiography of Ron Kovic, a paralyzed Vietnam War veteran who becomes an anti-war activist.
• The Best Years of Our Lives (1946): Three World War II veterans struggle to readjust to civilian life after returning home.
• The Longest Day (1962): An epic depiction of the D-Day invasion from the perspectives of both the Allied and German forces.
• The Guns of Navarone (1961): A group of Allied commandos are sent on a mission to destroy two massive German guns on a Greek island during World War II.
• Tora! Tora! Tora! (1970): A Japanese-American co-production detailing the events leading up to and including the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941.
• Lawrence of Arabia (1962): An epic biographical film about T.E. Lawrence, a British officer who found himself in the middle of a war and became a leader.
• The Dam Busters (1955): British engineers develop a "bouncing bomb" and train a squadron of Lancaster bombers to destroy German dams during World War II.
• Memphis Belle (1990): The crew of a B-17 bomber, known as the Memphis Belle, struggles to complete their 25th and final mission over Germany during World War II.
• Castle Keep (1969): A group of American soldiers during World War II find refuge in a castle occupied by a countess and her retinue, leading to conflicts and a moral dilemma when faced with an impending German attack.
• Kelly's Heroes (1970): A group of American soldiers in World War II go AWOL to rob a bank behind enemy lines.
• Where Eagles Dare (1968): A team of Allied commandos is sent on a daring mission to rescue an American general captured by the Nazis in a mountaintop fortress.
• The Eagle Has Landed (1976): A fictionalized account of a German plot to kidnap Winston Churchill during World War II.
• The Battle of Britain (1969): An epic depiction of the aerial battle between the Royal Air Force and the Luftwaffe during World War II.
• 633 Squadron (1964): A British bomber squadron is tasked with destroying a German rocket fuel plant in Norway during World War II.
• Aces High (1976): British pilots in World War I face the horrors of aerial combat and the loss of their comrades.
• Flyboys (2006): A group of young Americans volunteer to become fighter pilots in the Lafayette Escadrille, a French air squadron, before the U.S. enters World War I.
• The Red Baron (2008): A biographical film about Manfred von Richthofen, the legendary German fighter pilot known as the "Red Baron," during World War I.
• The Blue Max (1966): A German fighter pilot in World War I becomes obsessed with earning the Blue Max, the highest military honor, by any means necessary.
• Von Richthofen and Brown (1971): Another depiction of Manfred von Richthofen's life and career as a fighter pilot during World War I, focusing on his rivalry with Canadian ace Roy Brown.
• Hell's Angels (1930): A silent film epic about two brothers who become fighter pilots in the Royal Flying Corps during World War I.
• Wings (1927): The first film to win the Academy Award for Best Picture, this silent film tells the story of two young men who become rivals in love and war as fighter pilots during World War I.
• Sergeant York (1941): A biographical film about Alvin York, a pacifist from Tennessee who becomes a decorated war hero during World War I.
• The African Queen (1951): A gin-swilling riverboat captain and a prim missionary team up to attack a German gunboat in Africa during World War I.
• Farewell to Arms (1932): Based on Ernest Hemingway's novel, this film tells the story of an American ambulance driver in Italy during World War I who falls in love with a British nurse.
• Beneath Hill 60 (2010): An Australian mining engineer leads a team of tunnelers tasked with planting explosives beneath German lines during World War I.
• Passchendaele (2008): A Canadian soldier fights in the Battle of Passchendaele during World War I and returns home to try to rebuild his life.
• The Trench (1999): A group of young British soldiers await their deployment to the front lines during the Battle of the Somme in World War I.
• Journey's End (1930): A British play adapted for the screen, depicting the lives of British officers in the trenches during World War I.
• The Dawn Patrol (1930): A silent film about British fighter pilots in World War I who face the dangers of combat and the loss of their comrades.
• The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (1921): A silent film epic about a family divided by the outbreak of World War I, featuring Rudolph Valentino in his breakout role.
• J'accuse (1919): A French silent film directed by Abel Gance, depicting the horrors of World War I and the return of dead soldiers to haunt the living.
• Shoulder Arms (1918): A silent comedy starring Charlie Chaplin, featuring his iconic Tramp character as a soldier in the trenches during World War I.
• The Big Parade (1925): A silent film epic about an American doughboy who falls in love with a French girl during World War I.
• What Price Glory? (1926): A silent film about two rival U.S. Marines who constantly compete for the same woman, even while serving in the trenches during World War I.
• The Lost Battalion (2001): Based on the true story of a U.S. battalion that was surrounded by German forces in the Argonne Forest during World War I.
• Joyeux Noël (2005): A French film depicting the true story of a Christmas truce between German, French, and Scottish soldiers in the trenches during World War I.
• A Very Long Engagement (2004): A French film about a young woman who searches for her fiancé, who disappeared during World War I.
• Westfront 1918 (1930): A German film depicting the brutal realities of trench warfare during World War I.
• King & Country (1964): A British film set during World War I, where a soldier is court-martialed for desertion and a young officer is assigned to defend him.
• Oh! What a Lovely War (1969): A British musical satire about World War I, told through a series of songs and sketches.
• War Horse (2011): A film about a young man who enlists in the army during World War I to find his beloved horse, who has been sold to the cavalry.
• Regeneration (1997): A film based on Pat Barker's novel, depicting the psychological trauma experienced by British soldiers during World War I and their treatment at Craiglockhart War Hospital.
• Forbidden Games (1952): A French film set during World War II, where a young girl and boy become friends after her parents are killed in a bombing raid and they are forced to flee to the countryside.
• Hope and Glory (1987): A British film about a young boy growing up in London during the Blitz in World War II, seen through his innocent eyes.
• The Diary of Anne Frank (1959): Based on the true story of Anne Frank, a young Jewish girl who hides from the Nazis with her family in an attic in Amsterdam during World War II.
• Empire of the Sun (1987): A young British boy is separated from his parents in Shanghai during World War II and finds himself living in a Japanese internment camp.
• The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas (2008): A young boy living near a concentration camp during World War II befriends a Jewish boy on the other side of the fence, unaware of the horrors that lie within.
• The Counterfeiters (2007): An Austrian film about a Jewish counterfeiter who is forced to work for the Nazis during World War II, in a plan to undermine the British economy.
• The Boat is Full (1981): A Swiss film about a group of refugees fleeing Nazi Germany who seek asylum in Switzerland during World War II.
• Europa Europa (1990): A German film based on the true story of Solomon Perel, a Jewish boy who survives the Holocaust by posing as an Aryan German.
• The Last Metro (1980): A French film set in Nazi-occupied Paris, where a theater company tries to continue operating under the watchful eye of the German authorities.
• Army of Shadows (1969): A French film about the French Resistance during World War II, focusing on a group of underground fighters and their dangerous missions.
• Au revoir les enfants (1987): A French film about a young boy in a Catholic boarding school during World War II who befriends a Jewish classmate hiding from the Nazis.
• The Sorrow and the Pity (1969): A French documentary about collaboration and resistance in Nazi-occupied France during World War II.Shoah (1985): A nine-hour French documentary about the Holocaust, consisting entirely of interviews with survivors, witnesses, and perpetrators.
• The Night Porter (1974): An Italian film about a former Nazi officer who rekindles a sadomasochistic relationship with a concentration camp survivor years after the war.
• The Conformist (1970): An Italian film about a man who joins the Fascist party in Italy during World War II and is tasked with assassinating his former professor.
• Rome, Open City (1945): An Italian neorealist film depicting the resistance movement in Nazi-occupied Rome during World War II.
• Paisan (1946): An Italian neorealist film depicting six episodes of the Allied invasion of Italy during World War II.
• Germany Year Zero (1948): An Italian neorealist film about a young boy trying to survive in the ruins of Berlin after World War II.
• The Garden of the Finzi-Continis (1970): An Italian film about a wealthy Jewish family in Italy who tries to maintain their sheltered life as the threat of Fascism and war looms.
• The Train (1964): An American film about a French Resistance group attempting to stop a Nazi train carrying stolen art treasures during World War II.
• Is Paris Burning? (1966): An American film depicting the liberation of Paris from Nazi occupation in 1944.
• The Young Lions (1958): An American film following the lives of three soldiers, two Americans and a German, during World War II.The Bridge at Remagen (1969): An American film about the U.S. Army's attempt to capture a strategic bridge over the Rhine River during World War II.
• The Longest Day (1962): An epic American film depicting the D-Day invasion from the perspectives of both the Allied and German forces.
• The Guns of Navarone (1961): An American film about a group of Allied commandos sent to destroy two massive German guns on a Greek island during World War II.

Let me know what you think in the comments.

Written by Lydia Muir

Hosting a screening for your project is a huge feat in itself, but in an age where most people would prefer to stay in than attend an in-person event, it's important to find creative ways to make your screening memorable. Last week, I hosted a screening for my web series The Roommate Contract and here are three simple low-cost things I did to make it more interesting for my audience.

Do more than just a screening + Q&A

When most people think of a screening, they imagine watching a film or episode and then listening to a Q&A and that’s it. However, if you think about your audience and your project, I’m sure there are other fun little short elements you can include.

For example, in the third episode of my series there is a sequence of bad dates my protagonists go on. So, before the event, I collected bad date stories from my audience on Instagram and had one of my actors read them out during the event.

Not only were they funny and made the audience laugh, but some of them submitted stories and were excited to hear their's read out loud by a cast member.

The Roommate ContractDev Hardikar

Another fun segment we included was a live acoustic rendition of the theme song performed by one of our lead actresses.

However, you can always be creative. Think outside the box of segments that your audience would enjoy with the resources and connections you have!

Dev Hardika

Include interactive elements that audiences can participate in

Another way to make audiences feel special is to include interactive elements where attendees can either have a voice or be included or complete an activity. I have seen some filmmakers include a live tweeting activity or hosts who are great at audience engagement. I decided to include two activities that related to the premise of the show.

The first was a poster where attendees could fill out their own rules for The Roommate Contract. The other activity included inviting attendees to fill out which qualities they would look for in a roommate. They wrote their answers on a post-it note and stuck it on a poster by the door. We then shared these responses on social media.

This was a very simple activity that was also very low-cost but gave audiences something to do as they waited for the event to start. It was also a great conversation starter and a great way for audiences to mingle with each other.

Give your audience a souvenir to take home

Finally, I had special exclusive wristbands created with the title of the show and a link to the website to watch the show. Not only do people love to receive free gifts, but it is also a good way for them to be reminded of your project when they go home.

Unfortunately, out of sight out of mind is a common problem with indie projects so this is a way to increase awareness and engagement. Try to be creative and create something that won’t just get thrown away and ideally also links to the themes of your project.

These are by far not the only things you can do to create an unforgettable screening but hopefully it inspires you to think outside of the box and come up with creative ways to make your screening stand out!

This post was written by Lydia Muir, a New York based filmmaker. She developed a web-series The Roommate Contract which is now available on YouTube. She has also produced award-winning short films and is currently developing various film and TV projects. If you have any questions or want to chat, feel free to reach out to her on Instagram @lydiamuir_film

One of the most popular shows on Netflix in 2024 was the thrilling docu-series Escaping Twin Flames. Millions of people tuned in to see how you can get out of a cult and what the ramifications of cults are on society.

I found the show to be incredibly engrossing, but what surprised me was how much care the filmmakers took with their subjects. The story was human, vulnerable, and poetic.

Cecilia Peck and Inbal B. Lessner are the director/producer/editor team behind the three-part series. I was so excited when we got the opportunity to speak with them about bringing this story to the screen.

Check out the full interview below.

Escaping Twin Flames | Official Trailer | Netflix www.youtube.com

No Film School: Hey Cecilia and Inbal! As executive producers and showrunners on Escaping Twin Flames, you both developed, pitched, sold, and produced the show. Could you walk us through how you first discovered the cult and decided it would make for a worthwhile documentary subject?

Cecilia Peck: Outreach beyond the scope of our films has always been part of our process. Our website for survivors of rape, www.bravemissworld.com, providing resources and a safe space to share testimonials, has over 12 million unique visitors. After making SEDUCED: Inside the NXIVM Cult in 2020, we launched www.seduceddocumentary.com to provide information for people leaving cults or high control groups. We started hearing from people all over the world who were trying to escape or who had family members trapped inside cults.

One of our main participants, Keely, contacted us through the website the day she escaped from Twin Flames Universe. She was in shock and afraid for her life when she reached out. She told us about followers of Twin Flames Universe who had been sex trafficked to strangers, forced into servitude to the leaders, cut off from their families, and whose sexual orientation and genders were being manipulated.

Inbal B. Lessner: We’re interested in identifying systems of control that masquerade as something beneficial, but which are actually exploiting and abusing people for financial gain. Our work exposes manipulators and coercive control, and it was clear that this cult had a lot of elements that would make it a compelling documentary.

NFS: Escaping Twin Flames is impressive in its ability to sensitively broach complex and controversial topics such as trans identity and coercion. How did you navigate your treatment of these topics in the show?

CP: We knew we needed to pay particular attention to how, under the guise of being LGBTQ-friendly, TFU had successfully recruited within the gay, bi, and trans communities and then proceeded to force a strict heteronormative ideology onto its members. They paired same sex couples as “twin flames” and then pressured one of the members to transition because, according to their spiritual teachings, each couple had to be made up of a “divine masculine” and a “divine feminine.” Jeff and Shaleia state that “homosexuality does not exist.”

We consulted with GLAAD on how to tell this story without propagating the myth that transitions can be coerced, and we reached out to Dr. Cassius Adair, author, and professor of gender studies at The New School, to help us navigate the topic with utmost sensitivity to the trans community. The series is told through the voices of former members, and through the mothers who still have children in the cult. We wanted our viewers to understand how intelligent, professional people could be lured into what became such an abusive and controlling group.

IBL: The former members shared their materials with us, and we were able to access thousands of documents including photos, screenshots, emails, and communications as well as over 1,000 hours of TFU-produced videos, from former members and from the cult’s social media platforms. We used advanced AI tools to scan this mountain of evidence and identify the most compelling excerpts. Late in our editing process, we also received an additional hard drive containing recorded Zoom calls of the cult’s inner circle business meetings, and featuring the most troubling and potentially illegal interactions. We made sure to locate the most relevant nuggets, and we presented many of the excerpts to Dr. Adair—as well as to cult authority and sociologist Dr. Janja Lalich—to seek their analysis of the material.

We used the evidence not only to show how the group initially presented itself as a positive and welcoming space for people looking for love and community, but also to corroborate the testimonies of the former members and to present the inner workings of what we believe is a criminal organization, engaged in tax fraud, forced labor, and human trafficking.

NFS: Cecilia, you also directed the series, while Inbal you also served as an editor. What was the collaborative process like between the production and post-production teams?

IBL: The way we work, there is a symbiotic relationship between production and post. We relied on our in-depth development process to build a detailed storyboard and write a scene-by-scene outline before we started filming, but we remained open to new revelations, especially since events were unfolding in real time. The mothers of children trapped inside the cult were meeting each other for the first time to share information, and we were able to document those meetings.

We also followed one of our main contributors as she was coming to terms with what she had been forced to do inside the cult. Due to our accelerated schedule, we started editing while still filming and reviewing archival, so, while Cecilia directed and was showrunning in the field, I monitored most shoots remotely and was showrunning post. We had weekly meetings where all team members discussed the story and brainstormed what interviews, verité and visuals we needed to capture on location in order to make the cuts work better. With the exception of our editors, all our team members alternated between working on set and supporting editorial between shoots.

CP: Once production wrapped, we were all hands on deck in the edit rooms, shaping the cuts and adding archival, graphics, animation, and music. There are so many intertwined creative, logistical, and legal decisions that have to be made every day on a series like this, in addition to continuously holding space for and communicating with our cult survivors, so we must stay in lockstep and collaborate on every aspect from beginning to end.

NFS: Cecilia—The series includes several dynamic interviews. Could you describe your strategy for creating a comfortable and safe environment for your interview subjects?

CP: My relationships with many of our contributors began two years prior to filming. The development process of understanding the cult and contacting former members was very extensive. The decision to take part in a documentary isn’t easy, and we spoke at length about what it would require of them and what it would mean to their lives. In many cases I also spoke to their family members and answered questions about the process.

We did pre-interviews over many months about Twin Flames Universe, and discussed what they were willing to share both on camera and what evidence they felt comfortable providing. We were looking for videos, photos, emails, and documents that would show the pressure they were under to accept the belief system of the cult leaders. By the time our cameras rolled, we had developed relationships, and they knew their questions would be answered honestly. The fact that our previous series was a survivor-based investigation of coercive control definitely helped reassure them that they wouldn’t be exploited. Our contributors are trauma survivors and it was very important to minimize any further harm to them, and to not mimic the conditions of the cult, where they were coerced or afraid to question authority figures.

The participants wanted to use the documentary as a way of standing up against the abuse of power in Twin Flames Universe and we made sure at every stage to keep them informed and to give them agency over what they wanted to share. On the set we made sure that everyone in the crew was trauma-informed and able to provide support and reassurance. We went over the questions beforehand if they wished to, and allowed for breaks and deliberately did not rush them to talk about the most traumatic things until they felt comfortable.

We had therapy available before, during, and after filming, and raised funds ourselves to provide additional support when what was offered by the network or production company wasn’t sufficient. Our contributors were our collaborators in telling the story of Twin Flames Universe, and we had a very open channel of communication throughout the entire process and we are still in close touch with all of them today.

NFS: Inbal—Do you have any favorite moments or scenes that did not end up in the final cut?

IBL: We were hoping to make a four part series, and had material for four very dramatic episodes. However the sweet spot for the network was three, which meant we couldn’t go into as much depth as we would have liked. There was a scene where two of the moms whose children had transitioned in the cult went to consult with gender expert Dr. Cassius Adair on how to communicate with their children. Dr. Adair’s advice was that, even if the moms felt that the transition was forced, they needed to accept their children as they are identifying at this time.

This was a very emotional moment and a difficult scene to let go of. We also filmed other powerful reunions between former members who had been taught to distrust each other by the cult leaders. We filmed a survivor whose whole story ultimately had to be left out as we cut down to three episodes. And, while this process is familiar for us, we had to be extra sensitive to the on-camera contributors and help them understand these cuts and why they were necessary to serve the ultimate goal of the series.

NFS: You both previously collaborated on the Starz docuseries Seduced: Inside the NXIVM Cult. What draws you to these types of stories?

CP: Initially, the story found us, not the other way around. My first encounter with high control groups was when a former intern of ours tried to recruit her into NXIVM. She didn’t join, but it gave us access to a community of people trying to escape from that cult. As we documented their stories and attended Keith Raniere’s trial, we came to an understanding of how these groups operate as crime rings, using members to recruit others and forcing them to police each other.

These groups masquerade as offering something positive, whether in wellness, business, spirituality, or elsewhere, but they are basically MLM structures which sell expensive, unneeded courses and systematically enslave people for profit. There are over 10,000 cults operating in the U.S. alone, and we think it’s essential to expose the mechanics of recruitment, grooming, and manipulation that make educated, professional people vulnerable to sociopathic, manipulative narcissists.

'Seduced: Inside the NXIVM Cult's' Cecilia Peck and Inbal B. Lessner: 'Exploring coercion' www.youtube.com

NFS: You also collaborated on the 2013 documentary film Brave Miss World, which played an instrumental role in raising awareness around sexual assault worldwide. How do you think about the intersection between documentary storytelling and political/social activism?

IBL: We’ve seen documentaries challenge commonly held perceptions and pave the way to social change, whether through legislation or heightened awareness. Brave Miss World was on the crest of a wave of films that created a conversation around sexual assault, culminating in the #MeToo movement. It’s a great privilege to create work that helps transform the way people feel and think about a certain issue, and we take that seriously. The stories we tell often follow subjects as they heal and recover from trauma and reclaim their voices.

We think that well-told, character-driven stories can help create empathy, and empathy has the power to move hearts and minds, so that makes us part documentarians/journalists and part activists.

NFS: With three acclaimed projects under your belt, you seem to have solidified yourselves as one of the industry’s most promising producing duos. Could you talk a little bit about your relationship and how you collaborate in your day-to-day life?

CP: We met in 2003, and after seeing each other’s films we started talking about collaborating. We shared similar taste and a desire to tell stories that matter, and we had a lot of respect and admiration for each other. When you’ve been in the trenches together for as long as we have, you get to know and rely on each others’ skill sets, and are able to work very efficiently without any delays. Our collaborations are actually velocitized because we know exactly what each other can do without even needing to ask.

NFS: Do you have any projects in the pipeline or topics that you are excited to tackle in the future?

CP: We have a slate of projects in development both together and separately in the true crime and cult space. We have a focus on women’s stories and trauma-informed filmmaking, and we’re also interested in music, the natural world, and in people who turn challenges into activism.

There's nothing we love better at No Film School than a bunch of free lessons from an established filmmaker. And Jim Cummings checks all the boxes for what we love about movies.

He's an independent voice who cranks out features and shorts to huge accolades.

Now, he's letting us in on his process in a unique and engaging video.

'The Beta Test' Documentary 

— (@)

In the video, Jim Cummings basically goes through the process of how he made the movie, The Beta Test, and lets us into the production, planning, writing, and making of the movie.

These kinds of lessons are invaluable because so few people actually get to make successful indie movies. It's amazing to get a window into the sacrifice, planning, and actual execution of a project like this, and it gives you something to emulate as well.

Let us know what you think in the comments.

Are you ready for the looming revolution of 3D photo and video? What’s that, you ask? Are you still trying to wrestle with the already-coming AI and camera-to-cloud revolutions? Well, too bad—tech is gonna tech.

The Taiwanese multinational technology company Acer is pushing 3D in all directions as the company has already released an array of 3D products and devices under their SpatialLabs umbrella, and this new camera—the shortly titled Acer SpatialLabs Eyes Stereo Camera—is set to be a major player for the coming 3D revolution.

Let’s take a look at this new 3D content camera and explore what it could offer for the 3D photo and video industry as it continues to evolve over the next year and beyond.

Introducing the Acer SpatialLabs Eyes Stereo Camera

So, we’ve covered 3D cameras in the past, and we’ve seen some traction in this space at trade shows over the last couple of years to be honest. Yet, while 3D hasn’t taken hold of the industry in the way that AI has so far, it’s indeed still coming.

“The SpatialLabs Eyes Stereo Camera completes Acer’s stereoscopic 3D portfolio, providing solutions from content capturing and creation, to display and interaction. We hope to empower users to capture the world around them in stunning stereoscopic 3D through the new camera, and we’re excited to see the possibilities and the amazing content they will be able to create and share.” — Jerry Kao, COO, Acer Inc.

This new SpatialLabs Eyes Stereo Camera from Acer promises to be one of the most compact and usable 3D cameras on the market when it releases later this year, and it features some decent specs for what is ultimately going to be a very reasonable price point.

The Future of 3D Cameras

A stereo camera design, the SpatialLabs Eyes Stereo Camera is two cameras joined together each with their own 8-megapixel resolution. The combined camera features two f/2 lenses which are 3mm and 21mm equivalent, and can provide plenty of basic functions like autofocus, touch focus, electronic image stabilization, and even a built-in selfie mirror.

The camera also features a 2.4-inch touchscreen and can record directly to a microSD card, plus includes a USB-C port for both interfacing and charging needs. However, its most important specs have to do with its 3D capabilities as it will be instantly ready to stream 3D video content directly to YouTube or for 3D video functions on apps like Zoom.

Users will also be able to shoot and record 3D content to be displayed on AR/VR rigs like the Apple Vision Pro (remember the Vision Pro?) and other headsets. Which, if we’re being honest, is pretty much everything any potential 3D content creator would want to hear about a new 3D camera.

Price and Availability

The real kicker here too is that Acer SpatialLabs Eyes Stereo Camera is set to retail for $549 and will be available sometime in late 2024. Will this play by Acer end up pushing the 3D video boldly forward? Perhaps a little bit, but only time will tell when 3D will catch up to AI and the rest of the industry as the new tech everyone has to adopt—as opposed to just keeping tabs on.

Most people think the only way to create a film score is from instruments, but that’s not the case at all. Music for films can be made out of anything, really.

Musician Emil Richards (Mission: Impossible, Jurassic Park) became well-known for supporting this theory. Emil was constantly banging on objects everywhere he went, to see the sounds each item would produce. Before his death, composers such as Danny Elfman and Michael Giacchino would come to regularly for these sounds. He is also the man behind the famous finger snaps in The Adams Family theme.

When it came time to score Shudder’s Nightwatch: Demons Are Forever, the sequel to the 1994 Danish horror film Nightwatch, composer Ceiri Torjussen knew he wanted to do something unique with non-musical sources, as he does with a lot of his sci-fi and horror projects. Since moths are present in both this film and the original, Ceiri recorded moth wings and buzzes and found that when manipulated and slowed down, produced a sinister rhythm. These recordings quickly became one of the signature sounds in the score.

In the below interview Ceiri discusses everything from his Nightwatch: Demons Are Forever score to creating new sounds from uncommon places.

Nightwatch: Demons Are Forever feat. Nikolaj Coster-Waldau | Official Trailer | Coming to Shudder www.youtube.com

Editor's notes: the following interview is edited for length and clarity.

No Film School: First off, what led to your career in music?

Ceiri Torjussen: Music is what I’ve always done since I was a pretty young kid. I studied and loved the natural sciences also, and my mum wanted me to study medicine. However, I knew I’d be way too absent-minded for a ‘serious job’ like that, and would most likely leave a scalpel inside a patient or something.

I started out playing the trumpet and sax in youth orchestras, bands, jazz groups, etc. I also had piano lessons but I found practice too boring, so I started to improvise and compose my own pieces. That led to me writing a string quartet at about the age of 16, and from then on I was pretty smitten with the idea of becoming a composer.

Also, my dad was a director/producer for our local Welsh TV station and made mostly documentaries. My first gig was doing little bits of music for one of his documentary shows and that was the first time I used a (very early) digital sequencer to create music. I then did a degree in music at York University in the UK, followed by a Masters in (classical) composition at USC in LA, where I also started scoring short films for the students at the film school. My first real gig out of school was orchestrating for composer Marco Beltrami (Scream, Terminator 3, A Quiet Place). I learnt so much orchestrating and later writing additional music for Marco, especially since he had a similar background to me in composing concert music.

NFS: Nightwatch: Demons Are Forever is a sequel and the first film was scored by another composer. Did you use any of the same sounds that were in the first film or did you want to go in a completely different direction?

Torjussen: We went in a completely new direction. Ole didn't want me to reference the original film in terms of themes or 'sound', so I had pretty much a blank slate from which to start.

'Nightwatch: Demons Are Forever'Shudder

NFS: Did the director, Ole Bornedal, have a pretty clear idea of how he wanted the score to sound in pre-production or did you have more room to experiment? What did your collaboration with Ole look like?

Torjussen: I was actually brought onboard way into post, once they already had a rough cut of the film. Ole was very open-minded about how the score should sound. He did give me some notes as to where he thought music could come in and out, so these were some good guideposts to start from.

Also, a cool thing about this film was that Ole and Anders Villadsen (his editor) had used almost no 'temporary music' as they were editing. This was very refreshing for me since most of the films I score often come with a temp score from early in the edit. It's nice not to feel influenced or creatively stifled by a temp score so I'm thankful for that!

NFS: How would you describe the Nightwatch: Demons Are Forever score?

Torjussen: Spine-chilling and terrifying! Ole originally said that he wanted an electronic score, but this approach evolved as we progressed through the film. The final result is a mixture of hard-edged electronic sounds alternating with gentler cues featuring piano, strings and softer ambiences.

NFS: Did you give any of the characters their own themes? If so, can you talk about those?

Torjussen: Yes, I did. My “themes” are not always melodic though. Emma, the lead character, does have a rather lyrical theme, first heard on piano. However other characters’ themes are much more abstract. For example, the arch villain, Wörmer, has a slowly undulating texture of low bassoons, bass clarinets and dark analog synths. Kind of a sinister wheezing which I thought was befitting this old, evil character.

Ceiri Torjussen in studio.

NFS: We heard you incorporated sounds from moths into the score. Can you elaborate on this?

Torjussen: For the creepy character of Bent, we thought it would be fun to represent him as some kind of insect. Since moths make an appearance in both this and the original film, I decided to use moth wings and buzzes as the basis for a new, unique sound to represent Bent.

I recorded some local moths near our house in Topanga Canyon and was able to manipulate the source sound by pitching it down several octaves and varying the speed. It turns out that moth wings end up having a cool, sinister rhythm if pitched and slowed-down intensely. This became one of the signature sounds in the score.

NFS: Did you use any other sounds from non-traditional “found objects” in the score?

Torjussen: I made use of “infinite glissandos” a lot. The idea is to have a pitch that sounds like it’s constantly ascending or descending ad infinitum. I did this using Shepard and Risset tones—superimposed sine waves that continuously slide up/down and seem to go on forever. Doubling these synthesized sounds with things like violins created a creepy effect that continuously built tension.

NFS: Are moths the most unique object you have ever used for sounds in a score? Or do you try to do something unique like this in all your film scores?

Torjussen: In almost all of my scores (especially in my horror and sci-fi scores) I like to create original sounds from non-musical sources. I approach it as a creative challenge: “how could I make this insect, this iron girder or this bonfire come to life musically?” It means thinking about how the particulars of a sound’s frequencies and timbre can be exploited.

With software these days we can dissect a sound completely then put it back together again, but in the process bring out the features of a sound that we’d like to emphasize and that could be ‘playable’ on a keyboard, say. In the case of my moth for instance, an interesting feature for me was how, when the wings flapped at a certain velocity you heard a specific pitch. Then when you slowed the sound down, the pitch started to disappear and you just heard a percussive noise. Transitioning form ‘percussion’ to ‘tone’ (or vice versa) was an effect I used a lot. I could also drop the pitch of the flapping artificially which then gave me a sinister ‘throbbing’ sound—very useful and quite haunting.

'Nightwatch: Demons Are Forever'Shudder

NFS: What was the most challenging scene in Nightwatch: Demons Are Forever to score?

Torjussen: Ole needed me to write some music for the hospital Halloween parade (when Bent is trying to escape the hospital via an impromptu parade of patients using toy instruments and hollering. The music needed to synch with the dance and shouts of "Hey!" on screen, so it was a bit tricky. I managed to find a tempo that worked in the end though, so I wrote a new piece and we recorded it at my studio using my collection of toy instruments, some ukulele and tuba. The cue features my 7-year-old daughter, Anwen, on plastic piano-horn, party noise-makers and mini pan panpipes.

Also, Anwen, my wife Tricia, and I contributed some shouts to the cue which synch up to those on-screen. This was definitely the most fun cue to write!

NFS: Did you learn anything in particular from working on the film?

Following up on their successful efforts to pass a TikTok ban, U.S. legislators apparently have their sites next on the drone industry, and DJI in particular, the brand warns on recent social media posts. If you haven’t been following this story, this might come as both a surprise, as well as an empty threat.

But, coming from DJI’s recent messaging surrounding this topic, it appears that the Chinese-based drone technology company is quite worried that Congress could indeed pass legislation that could impact its ability to operate in the United States—and could so as early as June of this year.

Here’s everything you need to know about this DJI drone news and how you might want to prepare to adjust accordingly if needed.

DJI Drones in the Crosshairs

See on Instagram

If you’re already a DJI drone owner or at least an occasional user, you might also follow the brand on social media—which means you might have seen a recent post from the brand that warns of this expected move against DJI by the U.S. Congress.

Here’s the full message from DJI’s official accounts:

A bill against DJI is expected to move in the U.S. Congress in June, which would impact U.S. operators‘ access to DJI drones. This applies to recreational, commercial, and government use.
If DJI’s FCC authorizations are revoked, U.S. operators would no longer be able to access new DJI drones, and their existing drone fleets may even need to be grounded.
This bill is based on inaccurate claims and contradicts a technology-based policy approach that would raise the bar on drone security overall. — DJI

The post ends with the brand urging its audience to take action by supporting the Drone Advocacy Alliance, which further outlines ways for DJI drone supporters to contact their local representatives in the U.S. House of Representatives.

A Major Impact on the Drone Market

For those of us who work in film and video, DJI has become synonymous with drone videography technology and has cemented itself as the flagship brand for this type of aerial cinematography. Yet, a Countering CCP Drones Act bill has been introduced by Congresswoman Elise Stefanik (R-NY) and Congressman Mike Gallagher (R-WI) of the U.S. House of Representatives and appears to be quickly moving closer to being passed.

According to reports and interviews from the past year, it sounds like DJI has countered by maintaining that the company does “not collect flight logs, photos, or video,” as well as clearly clarifying that “DJI is not a military company” and that they are following “the rules and regulations in the markets it operates in.”

What we do know though is that DJI is ramping up the rhetoric and imploring its followers to take action now, signaling that the brand thinks that these threats are serious and that the company's future in the US could be in jeopardy.

We’ll keep you posted as things develop, as well as encourage you to look for more info about this topic as you decide how you might want to support, or pivot, your own drone videography operations.

Written by Segun Akinola

I’ve always loved period dramas and period drama scores (thank you, John Lunn). Plus, I’ve been watching Columbo since I was about 9 years old (I now own the complete box set), and consider murder mysteries essential family viewing.

So when the chance to work on the BritBox adaptation of Agatha Christie’s Murder Is Easy came along, and it was being produced by Mammoth Screen (who have made many of my period drama favs), I jumped at it. Add in the fact that the lead character, Luke Fitzwilliam, is Nigerian (I’m British-Nigerian), and it seemed like the perfect fit.

The original idea for the score referenced 1950s Hollywood music which influenced the first couple of themes I wrote whilst the series was being shot. Once the director saw some assemblies with music, however, this changed to incorporate more modern elements, and these two steers were my brief, one I had complete freedom to interpret and express.

My initial approach was to write themes for Fitzwilliam, his blossoming relationship with Bridget and a death theme. The melody of Fitzwilliam’s theme is used with orchestra a number of times at the start of the series to establish his character and on the flute in a few key mysterious moments, but there’s also a shorter motif that’s used whenever he is investigating the murders or making a discovery.

All the while, an internal battle is raging in Fitzwilliam about whether he should be in England or back home in Nigeria. To reflect this, I used the Igbo (the Nigerian tribe Fitzwilliam is from) percussive instrument Udu as part of his theme. One of many uses elsewhere in the score is alongside experimental orchestral and flute techniques when he’s having, or recounting, his forest nightmare. A nightmare through which his motherland almost calls to him.

Fitzwilliam and Bridget’s theme is first introduced after an inquest, which might sound very serious, but my direction was to underline their flirtatiousness, so I decided to use percussion instruments and rhythms associated with Latin music to achieve this. This was certainly one of those ‘love it or hate it’ moments, but thankfully the response was very positive from all involved. It’s a small moment but one I’m really pleased with because it’s not necessarily what you might expect. Experimenting with ideas and sounds is a really important part of my process, so this isn’t the only piece of music that resulted from my experiments.

Early on in the process, whilst trying out ideas, I had a feeling that ambient electronic soundscapes would work well in moments of suspense and help to differentiate the series. The director and executive producers responded positively to my initial sketches so this forms another important part of the score. For example, when Fitzwilliam and Bridget are investigating at Ashe Manor, the suspenseful soundscape accompanying them is a version of their theme, which I have manipulated and processed; as Reverend Humbleby becomes more irate at dinner and collapses, the ambient electronic soundscape increases the suspense and is felt more than heard, again helping to both underscore the drama and make this series distinctive.

Finally, we arrive at the death theme (dun-dun-duuuuun). Not only is the death theme used every time someone dies in Wychwood, but elements of the theme have been taken and used in many places to underscore the latent threat of murder throughout. In the opening titles, the melody is the same one from this death theme, and it forms the basis of the bass line, too; additionally, a combination of this melody and Fitzwilliam’s investigative motif is used as a sub-theme whenever Fitzwilliam thinks he’s closing in on the killer.

These are just two examples, but there are so many more, as every single piece of music in the score for this series is based upon one of these three themes. Sometimes in obvious ways and other times not, but always with the aim of creating a cohesive score that supports the storytelling.

I thoroughly enjoyed working on Murder Is Easy. Not just because of the great script, performances and filmmakers but also because it allowed me to combine my love of period dramas and murder mysteries with my dedication to authentically representing the music of other cultures and experimenting with ambient electronic music. All those hours watching Columbo were well worth it!

If you know horror films, you know Mark Shostrom's work.

He worked in the makeup department on Evil Dead II, creating some of the horror genre's most iconic walking dead. He also worked on From Beyond and The Mutilator. He provided makeup effects for cult series like Star Trek, Phantasm, A Nightmare on Elm Street, Poltergeist, and The X-Files.

I could go on, or I could just say he's a legend because the credits keep going.

I was honored when Shostrom agreed to speak with me about his extensive experience in film and what creators and filmmakers should know right now, especially about creating great makeup effects. Enjoy!

FROM BEYOND "Easy Prey" Clip (1986) Body Horror www.youtube.com

Editor's note: The following conversation has been edited for length and clarity.

No Film School: Let's talk about how you got started.

Mark Shostrom: Well, I basically began with creature effects, and [was] interested in makeup in general. I was a monster kid, and when I moved to LA to get into either music or makeup, I happened to see an ad for a dramalogue for a student film at the American Film Institute. It was called Violet.

And that led to my first makeup job. I think it did five or six projects with the American Film Institute. I just missed David Lynch. He was there a couple years before. But I got to work with a lot of people who had worked with him in the early days.

And it was a very weird period in 1980 because the makeup effects field was just about to be born with the release of American Werewolf and The Howling and The Thing, things like that. So I got in right before that happened, and when that did, the whole town picked up.

It went from, I remember there's a Time magazine or Life magazine cover story called, I think it was called "Makeup Artists, the New Stars of Hollywood." And it was all about The Elephant Man and Raging Bull.

LA at the time had four or five makeup studios in it. It went from that to in 1985 having 70, including mine. So it was a nonstop period of about seven years of just constant work, basically having weekends off because they were making so many drama films during the '80s.

Behind the scenes of A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream WarriorsMark Shostrom/Provided

NFS: What you're discussing right now is basically one of my favorite eras of film. I am a big horror fan myself, and I love to see the practical effects in that period. It really was an art form and it's sort of coming back around to that now.

Shostrom: I'm on a Fangoria email [list] and it mentioned a new horror film being made about a polar bear, and they're doing it all practical.

So yeah, you're right. It's making a comeback. I mean, back in the mid-'80s, we didn't call it practical effects. We just called it effects because there was no CGI. I remember getting called for reshoots on the film I had done in '93. They went some pickup shots, a foot getting shot off and scars on a guy's chest, and I gave them a price, and they called back and said, "Well, we want you to do the foot, but we're going to do the scars in CGI." And I said, "What's CGI?"

NFS: I would love to just have a little bit of a conversation about that, too. I know why I feel that there's so much value in practical effects, but what do you think it brings to a project?

Shostrom: Well, one thing is I know working with actors that they have something real to react to. I remember working with one of the guys from a Ray Harryhausen movie, Sinbad, and I said, "What was it like?" And he said, "Well, we're standing on a beach looking at a tennis ball on a C-stand, moving around. We can't really get into it and act as far as technically and artistically."

You just get something really tangible that is there on the set. You can tell when it's there. When you're watching a movie, you can tell that it's something real that was there. When it's well made, it will look real.

And they can do great stuff with CGI. But one thing I've noticed in the creature stuff is the creatures don't seem to have weight. I mean, technically, the skin looks good and all that, the hair, but there's something about them that the human eye can detect that it's not real, that it was never there. I mean, the best directors, in my opinion, are the ones who know a lot about CG and practical, and they know when to blend the two, when to use one over the other, or like Guillermo del Toro. He is brilliant at blending the two.

Behind the scenes of Evil Dead II Mark Shostrom/Provided

NFS: What work are you most proud of?

Shostrom: Well, I think there'd be two. One would be Henrietta from Evil Dead II, the whole prosthetic bodysuit for Ted Raimi. And the other would be the Pretorius Creature in From Beyond.

Because I was, at that point, I did those films back to back, From Beyond first and then Evil Dead following, and I was really, really ambitious. And when I got the script to From Beyond, I thought, "Wow, this is going to cost a ton of money. They don't have it." And I just recruited a small team of guys who had as much enthusiasm as I, and we just said, "We're going to do this and we're going to make it really, really cool. We're going to give them more than they're paying for."

And technically, the From Beyond creature was an animatronic puppet. It wasn't practical, it was real. It moved around on the set with the aid of a fulcrum device, kind of like a seesaw device, but there was a guy in it operating the arms and the head and neck and all that.

But all the fine facial movements were by pole cable, little hand devices you could make your eyes open and the lips snarl, and things like that. So I was very proud of how that came out. And I had a great crew that worked their butts off on that.

And as far as Ted Raimi, Henrietta, it was just a complete transformation of the guy. And you don't see half of what comprised the suit in the film because it was very detailed down to every little piece of flesh sticking through his rotted body and things like that. And it was a lot of work. I mean, all these things are for practical effects. You work your tail off for three months, six months, and on-screen time, it could be a few seconds. Nature of the beast.

NFS: Evil Dead is one of my favorite horror movies ever. And Sam Raimi is also such an inspiration to so many indie filmmakers because of that series of movies ... it was all about the passion and putting something together that was fun, but did not have a ton of money or time.

Shostrom: No, I think it's kind of ironic that I'm sure there's a lot of kids that go to film school today who are inspired by Sam Raimi, who didn't go to film school, who shot some films on Super 8 and then walked around to the dentist's office and asked for a thousand dollars to invest in a movie.

And Bruce [Campbell] and Sam told me all these stories about just knocking on doors for years, trying to get money to do the first project, which I think was called Within the Woods or something.

But yeah, the whole thing about No Film School I think is great is—I was listening to an interview with my friend Buddy Cooper who did The Mutilator, which I worked on 41 years ago, and he had saved $84,000 to go to film school. And then he read something, an article in The New York Times that said, "Don't go to film school, make a film."

And he did that. He didn't go to film school; he made The Mutilator instead.

And I encountered this all the time. I meet young people. I met a girl at the checkout. She was a checker at the pet store I go to. And we got to talking one day. "What are you doing?" "I'm going to film school." And I said, "Hold on. Stop right there." ... And I said, "Don't go to film school. Get yourself a job in any movie. You're going to learn more in two months than you will in two years at film school."

... I mean, ironically, I started at AFI, one of the best film schools there is, but most of the crews working on those films like me, that was our film school, is working on the films, not going to class. There's no better teacher than an indie film. Really. Roger Corman days. Those are great.

Behind the scenes of From BeyondMark Shostrom/Provided

NFS: I think that's great advice. Just the practical knowledge that you get being on a set is not knowledge you can necessarily get anywhere else.

Shostrom: I had a friend who was a PA in the film in 1980, a little student film, and he would work for two days with camera department a couple days with the art department the next day as director's assistant. I mean, he learned so much. And he went on to be supervising producer of District 9.

NFS: Oh, wow.

Shostrom: And one day I asked him, "Michael—supervising producer, what do you do?" And he said, I supervised all the other producers in three countries. So he went from being a PA, he didn't know anything. The camera operator one day said, Michael, go get me a "cookie," meaning a cucoloris. Michael went to craft services and brought back chocolate chip cookies and peanut butter and a whole selection on the tray, because he didn't know what a "cookie" was.

But then he's producing this massive movie for two years. I love stories like that. ... His name is Michael Murphey.

NFS: A lot of our readers are working on indie or lower-budget things. Do you have any advice for making creature effects or practical effects look really good on a budget?

Shostrom: I guess the first advice would be a person's inclination is going to be to jump on YouTube and say, "How do I do this or that?" There are so many bad makeup effects tutorials on YouTube.

There's a Facebook group called "Practical Effects Group" which you can join, and that is a bunch of professionals and interested people who post endless photos and information about their work. And you could probably go on there and ask for tips.

NFS: Let's say that you need to create a wound. Do you have advice for materials a low-budget production could use, or tips for application?

Shostrom: Say you have to create some wounds, some cuts on a person or some burns. I think the first thing I would do is avoid YouTube tutorials, because you're going to be barraged with tens of thousands, and you're going to have to spend so much time wading through to find a good one.

I'd say get a good book on makeup, an actual book, get one that has most high recommendations. Like a book by Vincent Kehoe. There's Stage Makeup by Richard Corson. I mean, the internet is a great resource, but you're almost barraged with too many choices. So you get confused: "Where do I really go?"

Because the actual materials and methods are fairly simple. It's just a matter of finding the best information. And you're probably going to get that from a good book or a professional makeup magazine like Makeup Artist Magazine or back issues of Fangoria and Cinefex.

Then [when we] actually talk about the practical methods, you really have to just find what materials you need and practice a little bit. You can go on the internet, you find good Dick Smith blood formulas, things like that. It's just a matter of trying it a few times before the shoot, obviously practicing until you feel comfortable making it look real.

NFS: Is there any other advice you have offered? Maybe to a beginning makeup artist or creature effects person?

Shostrom: Don't give up. Stay at it. Because that's the nature of the film business is it's a tough field to break into. It's a tough field to stay in, even if you've been in for decades, you just got to stick to it.

Now, we know you don't have to have a laptop computer with you every time you go on set for every video shoot. That being said, no one has ever been super inconvenienced by someone bringing a laptop along just in case they need to download some files, review some footage, or have a back up for storage, or whatever.

So, for our "Deals of the Week" this week we're going to look at three Apple MacBooks which make use of the now outdated M3 chip and are actually on sale. And then you can decide if you want to bring one on set with you or not—it's totally up to you.

Apple 13" MacBook Air

Built on 3nm process technology, this 13" MacBook Air's M3 8-Core Chip is combined with a 10-Core GPU. The next-gen GPU features Dynamic Caching, hardware-accelerated ray tracing, and mesh shading, all of which significantly increase performance for the most demanding creative apps and games.

The M3 Chip also has a 16-Core Neural Engine that can leverage the power of AI for both macOS and a growing number of supported apps. It also has 16GB of unified RAM and a 256GB SSD. Add Wi-Fi 6E (802.11ax) and support for two external displays, and this MacBook Air delivers performance, power efficiency, and portability.TEXT

Apple 13" MacBook Air (M3, Midnight)

The Midnight Apple 13" MacBook Air now features the Apple M3 chip, which has many improvements over its predecessor, the M2.

Apple 14" MacBook Pro 

The system features the Apple M3 Pro 12-Core Chip, which provides the power and performance efficiency needed to handle all your professional workflows. Now built on 3nm process technology, the M3 Pro 12-Core Chip is combined with a 18-Core GPU. The next-gen GPU features Dynamic Caching, hardware-accelerated ray tracing, and mesh shading, all of which significantly increase performance for the most demanding pro apps and games.

The 14.2" Liquid Retina XDR display features a 3024 x 1964 resolution, 1000 nits of sustained brightness, 1600 nits of peak brightness, P3 color gamut support, and more. With 18GB of unified RAM and 1TB of SSD storage, you'll be able to load massive files and launch apps quickly, enabling you to work with photo and video libraries from almost anywhere.TEXT

Apple 14" MacBook Pro (M3 Pro, Space Black)

Built for all types of creatives, including photographers, filmmakers, 3D artists, music producers, developers, and more, the space black Apple 14" MacBook Pro is the ultimate pro mobile workstation for the ultimate user.

Apple 16" MacBook Pro

The system features the Apple M3 Pro 12-Core Chip, which provides the power and performance efficiency needed to handle all your professional workflows. Now built on 3nm process technology, the M3 Pro 12-Core Chip is combined with a 18-Core GPU. The next-gen GPU features Dynamic Caching, hardware-accelerated ray tracing, and mesh shading, all of which significantly increase performance for the most demanding pro apps and games.

The 16.2" Liquid Retina XDR display features a 3456 x 2234 resolution, 1000 nits of sustained brightness, 1600 nits of peak brightness, P3 color gamut support, and more. With 36GB of Unified RAM, 512GB of SSD storage, and improved battery life of up to 22 hours, you'll be able to load massive files and launch apps quickly, enabling you to work with photo and video libraries from almost anywhere.

Apple 16" MacBook Pro (M3 Pro, Space Black)

Built for all types of creatives, including photographers, filmmakers, 3D artists, music producers, developers, and more, the space black Apple 16" MacBook Pro is the ultimate pro mobile workstation for the ultimate user.

This post was written by Michelle Gallina and originally appeared on the Adobe blog on May 28th, 2024.

From New Jersey nightclubs to massive global fame, this series offers an inside look back into the band’s path to stardom as they prepare to launch their 2022 tour.

Producer and editor Alex Trudeau Viriato played a critical creative role in shaping the series. We sat down with Alex to learn more about his editing process and how he used Adobe Premiere Pro and Frame.io to create this docuseries.

You can learn more about Alex’s editing process and hear from Jon Bon Jovi himself below, and you can watch the series now streaming on Hulu here.

How and where did you first learn to edit?

I started editing trailers in high school. I would take movies I loved and make my own trailers for extra credit. Those were just for fun, but I really learned how to edit stories after I graduated from film school. At that time, I took any editing job I could get, and I learned by doing it over and over. I cut my thesis film (that I also directed), and that’s when I truly discovered the creative power an editor has.

How do you begin a project/set up your workspace?

I start by watching everything we have. I like to go through all the material before I start piecing anything together — that’s when I’m learning, taking notes, color coordinating clips, and labeling moments or lines that I like.

Tell us about a favorite scene or moment from this project and why it stands out to you.

I remember the first time I read about the 240-show tour of “Slippery When Wet” in 1986. The schedule sounded so exhausting — just reading the descriptions, I could feel it. I wanted to accomplish that same feeling in episode two. I wanted the touring, performing and routine to feel exhausting to the viewer, so I cut it at a cadence that was on the brink of being too fast, too much but kept it on the edge. So, when the scene is over, the viewer would take a breath, like they just experienced something that was overwhelming.

What were some specific post-production challenges you faced that were unique to your project? How did you go about solving them?

One of the challenges we had in post was the unpredictable amount of footage we would get and not knowing when we would get it. Some weeks we would get 50 clips, other weeks just a couple. I would be editing with what we had, but the next week we might get multiple relevant clips and would need to reconsider the edit and the focal part of the story. One archival clip could change the entire perspective of the scene. We were constantly pivoting and considering new pieces. We had a great archival producer, Shane Munguia, who weathered the barrage of footage we received while also getting all the licensing.

On top of that, I was not the only editor — we brought in Brady Hammes to edit episode three. Brady and I had worked a little on “Man in the Arena”, and I was excited to collaborate with him again since I felt he would understand the subtext of this story. After adding Brady, we now had multiple episodes going at once and needed to keep everything fluid. We had to make sure, thematically, that there was no overlap and wanted each episode to have its own arc without feeling repetitive. We also needed another assistant editor, Charlie Manclark, who is incredibly talented and also a stud editor. Those two worked as a duo while Charles and I would be working on another episode.

What Adobe tools did you use on this project and why did you originally choose them? Why were they the best choice for this project?

Adobe Premiere Pro’s ability to transcribe a clip as well as the sequence is such an incredible new feature. We saved so much time by searching for words or sentences. We also had the project in Productions in Premiere Pro, which keeps everything running even when the sequences get big and the archival clips are in the hundreds. This allowed us to have multiple editors and assistant editors working in different projects at the same time.

We also always use Frame.io. Our entire team was working remotely, so I was cutting the series from my room at home. When I felt good about a cut, I would share it with our team on Frame io. The most helpful feature is that our EP Giselle, or director, Gotham could leave notes on the exact timecode. I could then respond directly within Frame.io and acknowledge the note or give context on why an edit was a certain way. Something else that is extremely helpful is the ability to upload a new version of a cut without creating a new link. I could upload an updated version, and it retains both versions, on the same link.

What do you like about Premiere Pro, and/or any of the other tools you used?

For me, it’s a lot about the way it looks, and the way I can move clips around the timeline. I’m a visual person and seeing everything color coordinated is helpful. I like to move pieces around the timeline to try different things without having to worry about unlinking clips or having them go out of sync. The effects panel is also such a time saver. Using this panel, I can easily manipulate the clips, and I don't have to add an effect. That seems like such a small thing, but when you’re managing hundreds of clips, it makes a difference.

What’s your hidden gem/favorite workflow tip in Adobe Creative Cloud?

I have two workflow tips. One, find a collaborator — AE, director, producer — someone that you can regroup with in the morning. For me, it’s my assistant editor Charles Farrell. We talk every morning before we get started to discuss what the plan is, who’s doing what, and what’s working. Especially if you’re working remotely, it’s important to find someone to check in with. You don't want to be stuck in a bubble.

Secondly, workflow is also about getting away from the computer. Go outside, hike, run, and explore. Stepping away from an edit can sometimes be the best thing for it. On my desk I have a flag from a region in Patagonia where I went backpacking in the middle of editing this project. It serves as a reminder to explore and have my own adventures, not just edit other people’s experiences.

Who is your creative inspiration and why?

Jimmy Chin because of his versatility and his relationship with filmmaking and the outdoors. He’s found a way to have a family while being an incredible photographer, rock climber, and filmmaker. The balance he has found, and his talents are inspiring.

What’s the toughest thing you’ve had to face in your career and how did you overcome it? What advice do you have for aspiring filmmakers?

When I first started working as an editor, I was taking every job I could get, which was a lot of web series or very small commercials. They didn't pay well, and I floated between those and unemployment. I had just become a new Dad, so my priorities were shifting, and I started to question the dream of making movies for a living. I stayed the course and kept working and meeting as many editors as I could. When I would edit commercials, I would always put my intentions out there that I wanted to be editing long form. Eventually, I honed in my skills, elevated my work, and made contacts that lead to my first feature doc, “Unbanned”.

My advice for aspiring filmmakers would be to keep at it — work hard, network and take as many jobs as you can in the beginning so you can start honing your craft. Make sure to surround yourself with people you want to spend 10 hours in the editing bay with (sometimes I chose the team over the subject matter). Collaborating and creating can be so rewarding when you're surrounded by people you enjoy being with. Also, don't set out for just one genre or just one craft, being creative for a living is incredibly rewarding, but the path takes turns and detours you never expected — be open to those as well.

Share a photo of where you work. What’s your favorite thing about your workspace and why?

My workspace is a collection of things that bring me joy, including books from projects I'm proud of, items given to me by my family, and reminders of what I strive for away from the computer. As I mentioned before, I have the flag of Magallanes (Patagonia/Chile) on my desk to remind myself to explore and have my own adventures.

I also have a little figure of Bandit, the Dad from Bluey. He's the benchmark of a present and creative Dad. Working from home during the pandemic was a balance that took time, and it wasn’t easy being at home and available to spend time with my kids while also trying to focus on work. Over the years, I've gotten much better at finding a balance, and it came down to being present with my boys when I was giving them my attention. Bandit’s character always has that five minutes to fully commit to creativity and play with Bluey. So yes, it may be a fictional cartoon, but I think about him and stepping away from the computer for a few minutes to play would never erase the progress of my work. I can usually find time to finish the work, but I can't always have the alignment of my kids being home wanting my love and attention.

It’s that time of the year again when a huge collection of some of the top filmmaking creators and e-learning experts band together to provide aspiring filmmakers and videographers the opportunity to level up their craft with one huge, helpful package.

The Videographers Bundle 2024 offered by 5DayDeal is here to ignite your artist's pursuits with not one, but three bundles, each tailored to fit your budget and needs.

And, best of all, excerpts of our very own No Film School course, are included in this year’s charity extravaganza.

Get One of Three Video Creator Bundles!

This 5DayDeal isn’t just an affordable resource for creators to learn, grow, and reload their toolkit, but a wonderful way to support some amazing charities.

The only catch is that the sale will only last through June 13th at Noon Pacific, so to give you as much info about the bundles and courses as possible, here’s everything you need to know about this year’s Videography Bundle options.

Three Videography Bundles to Choose From

Similar to last year’s bundle options, the 5DayDeal 2024 Videography Bundle will come in three different versions. Filmmakers, content creators, and artists who work in the medium of video and film will have the opportunity to pick the one that fits their exact needs.

Each bundle contains resources, tools, and educational content from some of the most talented digital content creators, filmmakers, and cinematographers.

Let’s explore some of the highlights of each below.

The Main Bundle

Let’s start off by exploring the Main Bundle option for the 5DayDeal Videography Bundle 2024. This option is the perfect starter kit for creators looking to take their video skills from a simple creation to a viral sensation.

No matter your final exhibition, the Main Bundle gives you the tools you need to sharpen your senses and techniques to make the perfect post for social media, promotional content, high-end film, and everything in between.

Some of the course highlights include lessons in Premiere Pro from Premiere Basics, Austen Paul’s Ultimate Template Pack, and Productivity resources from Cut to the Point.

All told with the main bundle creators will get 11 courses and well over $2,000 worth of value for just $98, plus they’ll be supporting charities that are crucial to helping those in need.

Check out the Main Bundle here.

The Pro Bundle

The next level up of the 5DayDeal Videography Bundle is the Pro Bundle which further gives creators even more tools to learn their trade and develop their filmmaking craft. The Pro Bundle includes everything covered in the Main Bundle, but then adds even more courses and add-ons for just $39 more.

Some of the highlights from the Pro Bundle include film-inspired LUTs by Triune Digital, professional 3D models for gas explosions and debris, and some helpful film emulation nodes from Sareesh Sudhakaran.

The Complete Charity Bundle

Finally, the Complete Charity Bundle includes everything from the previous bundle sets but also offers additional products for a massive array of tools and courses. This includes an additional lesson from No Film School’s How to Make Money as a Cinematographer course: Growing Your Career as a Cinematographer.

Covering a wide range of topics to help you master the art of capturing stunning visuals, this lesson from our course teaches you everything from the fundamental principles of three-point lighting to smart side lighting and the intricacies of lighting night scenes, filming interviews, and capturing product shots.

Still not enough? 5DayDeal will also include a BONUS of additional resources!

Get the complete Charity Bundle for only $166, which is a value of $4,700. That’s over $4,500 in savings!

Check out the Complete Bundle here.

Ready to Get Learning?

To be perfectly honest, these are just some of the main highlights of this year’s 5DayDeal Videography Bundle as there’s plenty more to explore on the site’s full page.

The big highlights here are really just the sheer amount of resources you’re set to get and the insane savings opportunities which just don’t come around often in this industry. Plus, if you are interested in investing in yourself you’ll be both supporting No Film School and charities.

It’s really a win-win for those already looking at leveling up their videography games. So Check out the 5DayDeal Video Creator Bundle to learn everything you’ll get this year and to choose the bundle that’s right for you.

Just be warned, this deal ends June 13th at Noon Pacific, so if you’re going to act you better act now.

Sigma just announced a new zoom lens that is set to be the world’s first full-frame zoom to feature a constant f/1.8 aperture throughout its entire zoom range.

This is huge news for videographers looking to get the best of both worlds really as they’ll be able to shoot even more run-and-gun without swapping lenses as much, plus still get that beautiful sharpness and clarity that you usually only find with high-quality prime lenses.

Let’s take a look at the new Sigma 28-45mm f/1.8 DG DN Art lens from Sigma and explore what it can offer for your videography (and photography) needs with its sharpness and versatility.

Introducing the Sigma 28-45mm f/1.8 DG DN Art Lens

Designed as a spiritual full-frame successor to Sigma’s hugely popular 18-35mm f/1.8 DC HSM Art lens for your APS-C cameras, this new 28-45mm f/1.8 DG DN Art Lens represents some truly breakthrough technology as Sigma’s found a way to create a zoom with an unheard of aperture.

The 28-45mm f/1.8 DG DN Art Lens is the world’s first zoom lens for full-frame mirrorless cameras with an f/1.8 aperture throughout the entire zoom range. It features prime-like optical performance, video-friendly design, and functionality, and it looks to include a wide-to-normal focal range that should make it a lighter camera overall without surrendering image quality.

The lens features a total of 18 elements in 15 groups, with three aspherical and five Special Low Dispersion elements to minimize flare and ghosting and suppress various aberrations, which should result in an optical performance that should meet or exceed that of any other Sigma Art lenses—including the primes.

Video Production Features

Sigma also reports that this 28-45mm f/1.8 DG DN Art Lens was designed with video creation in mind. The lens' bright f/1.8 aperture and wide-to-normal zoom range could make it a versatile tool ideal for single-shooters and run-and-gun setups.

There’s also an internal zoom design that maintains the overall length during use, making it easy to balance on different gimbal setups. The design also suppresses focus breathing for smooth movement across the focal range. Sigma's high-speed, high-response linear actuator autofocus remains both quiet and accurate, while manual focusing is improved with click-and-lock mechanisms.

Price and Availability

The Sigma 28-45mm f/1.8 DG DN Art Lens is set to be available here soon for both Sony E mount and Leica L mount cameras, with pre-orders available now. Here are the specs for the Sony E mount version.

• Full Frame | f/1.8 to f/16
• Superfast Wide-to-Normal Zoom
• HLA Autofocus
• 11.9" Minimum Focus Distance
• Aperture Ring with Click & Lock Switches
• SLD and Aspherical Elements
• Nano Porous & Super Multilayer Coatings
• Dust & Splash Resistant

Sigma 28-45mm f/1.8 DG DN Art Lens (Sony E)

Sigma introduces the Sony E-mount 28-45mm f/1.8 DG DN Art Lens, the world's first zoom lens for full-frame mirrorless cameras with an f/1.8 aperture throughout the entire zoom range.

I've been sitting at home, reading the headlines out of Cannes, and checking out the conversation Twitter. It feels like there are a lot of people out there clowning on Kevin Costner and Francis Ford Coppola, who each put part of their massive fortune up to make a passion project Hollywood refused to budget.

While their work is getting mixed reviews, we should be throwing these icons a parade down Hollywood Boulevard. and if you hate what they're doing, I think you're crazy.

Hollywood has been incredibly frustrating lately. We're constantly fighting the battle between art and commerce, and now AI has entered the ring and is threatening to replace all of us.

On top of this, tech companies have a lot of power, as well as foreign money, and they're driving a ton of creative decisions.

Well, know how you don't have to deal with any of that stuff?

Put your money where your mouth is and make stuff on your own.

And if you have a lot of money, do that at the largest scale possible.

Francis Ford Coppola and Kevin Costner are beacons in all of this darkness. They're hugely successful Hollywood figures who have bucked the system and decided to leverage their massive fortunes to chase a dream.

Their movies, Megalopolis and Horizon: An American Saga are stories that have burned inside their creators for a long time.

I find that to be so incredibly inspiring and beautiful. It gets to the heart of how we're all here to tell a story we believe in. and they're doing it, spending their own money, employing their friends, and creating something on a huge scale that they believe in.

A long time ago, I learned that Hollywood doesn't owe you anything, but no one can stop you from self-producing a story you believe in.

What these two generational voices are doing feels like getting back to the root of how Hollywood should function, and I hope each of those movies is able to make their creators enough money to keep going.

The world is a much better place when artists are making art.

When I sat down to write this week, I sat there feeling inspired and believing that if I ever made it and made that kind of cash, I'd like to follow in these guys' footsteps. And I hope more rich and powerful across Hollywood do similar.

Hollywood is still a place where dreams come true, and seeing these two continue to dare to dream should be inspiring to everyone watching.

And if it's not... you're crazy.

In life, we can’t please everyone. There will be people who “get us” and others who simply don’t. It’s the same when you’re a filmmaker. Your work won’t vibe with everyone who sees it, and that’s totally okay! It's actually probably for the best.

In today’s episode, No Film School’s GG Hawkins speaks with filmmakers Sam Baron and Madison Lanesy to discuss:

• What it’s like to receive polarized reactions
• Feeling terrified to share projects with personal subject matter
• Career lessons from Ice Age and Mrs.Doubtfire
• Having a YouTube video go viral at 17 years old
• The story behind the name of Sam’s short, The Orgy
• Turning in films as book reports in middle school
• The beauty and freedom of improv acting
• Sam’s process of submitting shorts
• Pushing past fear and discomfort
• Working with a team that believes in your project
• Making personal sacrifices while working on projects

Mentioned

Is This the Tool Filmmakers Need to Find Their Audience?

Short: Tall Dark and Handsome

Short: The Orgy

Short: YES, DADDY

Follow Sam on IG

Follow Madison on IG

Subscribe to the No Film School Podcast on:

• Apple Podcasts
• Spotify
• Google

Listen to more episodes of the No Film School podcast right here:

_{This episode of The No Film School Podcast was produced by GG Hawkins.}

I watch so many TV shows that I can get a little burnt out after a while. Sometimes when you binge or watch multiple seasons with the same characters, you might feel this way too. Well, the anthology series might be your new favorite thing.

They're sort of the best of TV and movies mixed into one thing. It's various plots and characters that take you on new adventures.

But what is an anthology series? And what are some examples of them in TV?

Today we're going to define anthology TV shows and go over a few from Netflix, FX, and all sorts of other channels.

Make sense? Let's get started.

'American Crime Story' Credit: FX

What Is an Anthology Series?

Anthology series cover all sorts of media, from radio to novels to short films to TV shows and so on. The world loves diversity in characters, storylines, and situations. These series open up different seasons and even episodes to change.

Anthology Series Definition

An anthology series is a radio, television, video game, or a film series that presents a different story and a different set of characters. They make these switches in each episode, season, segment, or short, as determined by the creators.

Why Do Writers and Directors Like Anthology Series?

As I mentioned in the opener, as a viewer, I like the contestant switch of characters, situations, and stories. Well, writers and directors like that too. Anthology series allow creatives to play with different genres, characters, and situations while maintaining a clear title.

Series can be sold by genre or by characters or even by place. They have a ton of elbow room for people to play with different ideas. They keep them from getting too stagnant or overstaying their welcome.

What Are the Best Anthology Series?

There are so many excellent series out there. Some of my favorites are American Horror Story, Love, Death, and Robots, and most of True Detective. The ability to change stories and characters has always been interesting to me.

TV shows like The Twilight Zone are sold on the idea that they can change weekly. They explore different big ideas. They can scare you, make you laugh, and even be a place where you can take a small idea and twist it into something larger.

Horror anthologies, TV shows like Tales from the Crypt, do their best to scare people week in and out. where a traditional horror TV show might lose its luster after you get used to the scares, anthologies let you terrify people every week with something different.

I think it's hard just arbitrarily to pick the best. So instead, here are some examples from lots of different genres.

'Love, Death & Robots' Credit: Netflix

Adult Animation Anthology Series

• The Boys Presents: Diabolical (2022)
• Cake (2019–present)
• Cartoon Sushi (1997–98)
• Greatest Party Story Ever (2016)
• Jokebook (1982)
• Like, Share, Die (2015)
• Liquid Television (1991–1994)
• Love, Death & Robots (2019–present)
• Off the Air (2011–present)
• Party Legends (2016–17)
• Robot Chicken (2005–present)
• Spicy City (1997)
• Sunday Pants (2005–06)
• Children and Family
• ABC Afterschool Special (1972–1997)
• ABC Weekend Special (1977–1997)
• CBS Afternoon Playhouse (1978–1983)
• CBS Children's Film Festival (1967–1978)
• CBS Children's Mystery Theatre (1980–1982)
• CBS Schoolbreak Special (1984–1996)
• CBS Storybreak (1985–1987)
• Disneyland (1954–1958)
• Dramarama (1983–1989)
• Faerie Tale Theatre (1982–1987)
• The Fox Cubhouse (1994–1996) (contains Johnson and Friends, Jim Henson's Animal Show, Rimba's Island, Magic Adventures of Mumfie and Budgie the Little Helicopter)
• It's Itsy Bitsy Time (1999) (contains Budgie the Little Helicopter, 64 Zoo Lane, The Animal Shelf, Tom and Vicky, and Charley and Mimmo)
• Jackanory (UK, 1972–1985)
• Lift Off (1992–1995)
• NBC Children's Theatre (1963–1973)
• Noddy (1998–2000)
• Off to See the Wizard (1967–68)
• Once Upon a Classic (1976–1980)
• Shining Time Station (1989–1993)
• Shirley Temple's Storybook (1958–1961)
• Special Treat, also known as NBC Special Treat (1975–1986)
• Tall Tales and Legends (1985–1987)
• Walt Disney Presents (1958–1961)
• Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color (1961–1969)
• The Wonderful World of Disney (1969–2009)
• WonderWorks (1984)
• The Wubbulous World of Dr. Seuss (1996–98)

'Robot Chicken' Credit: Cartoon Network

Comedy Anthology Series

• The Comic Strip Presents... (1982–2015)
• Carol and Company (1990–91)
• Cilla's Comedy Six (UK, 1975)
• Cilla's World of Comedy (UK, 1976)
• Comedy Lab (1998–)
• Comedy Playhouse (UK, 1961–2014)
• Dear Uge (2016–)
• Dr. Terrible's House of Horrible (2001)
• The Eddie Cantor Comedy Theatre (1955)
• El Chapulín Colorado (1973–1979)
• Ripping Yarns (UK, 1978–79)
• George Burns Comedy Week (1985)
• Good Heavens (1976)
• The Guest Book (2017–2018)
• High Maintenance (2012–2015, 2016–present)
• Human Remains (2000)
• Inside No. 9 (2014–)
• Oboler Comedy Theater (1949)
• Love, American Style (1969–1974)
• Miracle Workers (2019–present)
• Murder Most Horrid (UK, 1991–1999)
• The Ronnie Barker Playhouse (UK, 1968)
• Seven of One (UK, 1973)
• Six Dates with Barker (UK, 1971)
• Undressed (1999–2002)

'High Maintenance' Credit: HBO

Crime Anthology Series

• Adventure Theater (1956)
• American Crime (2015–2017)
• American Crime Story (2016–)
• Agatha Christie's Marple (UK, 2005–2014)
• Agatha Christie's Poirot (UK, 1989–2014)
• The Big Story (1949–1958)
• The Black Robe, also known as Police Night Court (1949–1950)
• Crime Patrol (2003–)
• Fargo (2014–)
• FBI: The Untold Stories (1991–1993)
• Gang Busters (1952, 1954–55)
• Lawbreakers (1963–64)
• The Man Behind the Badge (1953–1955)
• Official Detective (1957–58)
• Police Call (1955)
• Police Story (1952)
• Police Story (1973–1978)
• Tatort (1970–)
• The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes (UK, 1971–1973)
• They Stand Accused (1949–1952, 1954)
• True Detective (2014–2019)
• Underbelly (2008–)
• The Walter Winchell File (1957–58)
• The Whistler (1954–55)
• The Sinner (2017–2021)
• Educational
• Inside/Out (1972–73)
• Omnibus (US, 1952–1961)

Chris Rock in 'Fargo' Credit: FX

Historical Anthology Series

• Captain Newfoundland from the Tip of Atlantis/Captain Atlantis Late Night (Canada, 1972–present)
• The Great Adventure (1963–64)
• Our American Heritage (1959–1961)
• Profiles in Courage (1964–65)
• Saga of Western Man (1963–1969)
• You are There (1953–1957)

Medical Anthology Series

• The Doctor, also known as The Visitor (1952–53)
• Medic (1954–1956)
• Medical Story (1975–76)

Military Anthology Series

• Flight (1958–59)
• Men of Annapolis (1957–58)
• Navy Log (1955–1958)
• The Silent Service (1957–1959)
• The West Point Story aka West Point (1956–57)
• Mystery and suspense
• Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1955–1965)
• Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1985–89)
• Behind Closed Doors (1958 TV series) (1958–59)
• The Best in Mystery (1954)
• The Boris Karloff Mystery Playhouse (1949)
• Byline, also known as Adventures in Mystery and News Gal (1951)
• The Chevy Mystery Show (1960)
• The Clock (1949–1952)
• Danger (1950–1955)
• Dark of Night (1952–1954)
• Darkroom (1981–82)
• Dow Hour of Great Mysteries (1960)
• The Edgar Wallace Mystery Theatre (US TV version of British theatrical second features, 1960–1965)
• Escape (1950)
• Escape (1973)
• Espionage (1963–64)
• Eye Witness (1953)
• Fallen Angels (1993–1995)
• George Sanders Mystery Theater (1957)
• Gun (1997)
• Hands of Mystery, also known as Hands of Destiny, Hands of Murder (1949–1952)
• The Hitchhiker (1983–1987)
• I Spy (1955–1957)
• Inner Sanctum (1954)
• Invitation Playhouse: Mind Over Murder (1952)
• Kraft Mystery Theatre (Summer 1961, 1962, 1963)
• Kraft Suspense Theatre (1963–1965)
• Mr. Arsenic (1952)
• Murder in Mind (2001–2003)
• Murder Most Horrid (UK, 1991–99)
• Mystery! (1980–)
• Panic! (1957–58)
• Philip Morris Playhouse (1953–54)
• Rebound, also known as Counterpoint (1952–53)
• Scene of the Crime (1991–92)
• Stage 13 (1950)
• Sure as Fate (1950–51)
• Suspense (1949–1954)
• Suspicion (1957–58)
• Target (1958)
• Twisted Tales (1996–97)
• Two Twisted (2006) (Sequel to Twisted Tales)
• The Vise (1955 TV series) (1955–57)
• Volume One (1949)
• The Web (1950–1954)
• The Web, syndication title Undercurrent (1957)
• Your Play Time (1953–1955)

Alfred Hitchcock, the Master of Suspense Credit: Getty Images

Science Fiction and Horror Anthology Series

• Alcoa Presents: One Step Beyond
• Amazing Stories (original series)
• Amazing Stories (reboot)
• American Horror Story
• American Horror Stories
• Are You Afraid of the Dark?
• Beyond Belief: Fact or Fiction
• Black Mirror
• Castle Rock
• Channel Zero
• Chiller
• Darknet
• Dark Realm
• Deadtime Stories
• Dimension 404
• Electric Dreams (2017 TV series)
• Exposure
• Fantasy Island
• Fear and Fancy
• Fear Itself
• The Fearing Mind
• Freddy's Nightmares – A Nightmare on Elm Street: The Series
• Friday the 13th: The Series
• Ghost Stories
• Ghost Story
• Goosebumps
• Great Ghost Tales
• A Haunting
• The Haunting
• Historias para no dormir
• The Hunger
• Infinity Train
• Inside No 9
• Into the Dark
• Journey to the Unknown
• Lee Martin's The Midnight Hour
• Lights Out
• Lore
• Love, Death & Robots
• Masters of Horror
• Masters of Science Fiction
• Métal Hurlant Chronicles
• Monsters
• Mystery and Imagination
• Night Gallery
• Night Visions
• The Nightmare Room
• Nightmare Cafe
• Nightmares & Dreamscapes: From the Stories of Stephen King
• Out of the Unknown
• Out of This World
• Out There
• The Outer Limits
• The Outer Limits
• Perversions of Science
• Play for Tomorrow
• Quinn Martin's Tales of the Unexpected
• The Ray Bradbury Theater
• R.L. Stine's The Haunting Hour
• Room 104
• Science Fiction Theatre
• Scream
• Slasher
• Strange Stories
• Tales from the Darkside
• Tales from the Crypt
• Tales of Mystery
• Tales of Mystery and Imagination
• Tales of the Unexpected
• Tales of Tomorrow
• The Terror
• Thriller
• Trapped
• The Twilight Zone (original series)
• The Twilight Zone (first reboot)
• The Twilight Zone (second reboot)
• The Twilight Zone (third reboot)
• The Unexpected
• Urban Gothic
• The Veil
• Way Out
• Welcome to Paradox
• What If...?
• Star Wars: Visions

'Twilight Zone' Credit: Syfy

What Are Keys to Writing An Anthology Series?

Writing an anthology series presents a unique set of challenges and opportunities compared to traditional serialized storytelling. Here are some key considerations and steps to keep in mind when developing an anthology series:

• Theme or Concept:
  • Identify a unifying theme or concept that ties together each installment. Whether it's a genre (e.g., horror as in "The Twilight Zone") or a more abstract theme (e.g., technology's impact on society as in "Black Mirror"), having a strong central theme will give your anthology coherence.
• Diverse Voices:
  • Given that each episode or installment will be its own unique story, it's a chance to bring in different writers, directors, and actors for each. This diversity can provide a richness of perspectives, styles, and voices.
• Consistent Tone:
  • Despite varying stories and possibly varying creators, maintain a consistent tone throughout. This could be achieved through similar pacing, mood, visual aesthetics, or musical choices.
• Character Development:
  • Since each story will be relatively short, characters need to be quickly and effectively established. Dive into the heart of the characters' motivations and conflicts to immediately draw the audience in.
• Self-Contained Stories:
  • Each installment should be satisfying on its own. While some anthologies might have subtle connections or Easter eggs between episodes, each episode should have a clear beginning, middle, and end.
• Varied Storytelling:
  • One of the joys of an anthology series is the opportunity to experiment. Consider varying the structure, setting, time period, or narrative style from one episode to the next.
• Connection to Contemporary Issues:
  • Many successful anthology series resonate because they tap into current societal fears, hopes, or dilemmas. Think about the larger themes or questions you want to explore and how they relate to the world today.
• Satisfying Endings:
  • Given the standalone nature of each installment, it's important to provide resolutions that feel both unexpected and earned.

Remember, the beauty of an anthology series is its flexibility. By keeping these guidelines in mind but also allowing for creative freedom and experimentation, you can create a compelling and memorable series that captures the imagination of your audience.

Summing Up "What Is An Anthology Series?"

Now that you know what an anthology series is, you can go create your own. Enjoy the freedom of writing new characters and worlds with each season or episode.

Before you go, let us know what your favorite anthology series is in the comments!

From the dawn of cinema, Hollywood has debated aspect ratios. While it has changed with different projectors and types of film stock, the original aspect ratio has survived and is still used today. I'm talking about the 4:3 format. It was what they shot the first movies on, and what shook everyone up last year when they saw Zack Snyder's Justice League broadcast in the same ratio.

Hollywood has been talking about aspect ratios since the very first film. People had to determine the size, project, and what parts of the story actually happened within the frame.

Today we want to focus on just one. What does 4:3 aspect ratio mean? Why was it chosen, and why has it withstood the test of time?

Let's dive in.

What Is the 4:3 Aspect Ratio?

The 4:3 image is one of the most indelible remnants of films from the past, but it also shows us where the future of cinema may go, thanks to IMAX and large-format cameras. It's fitting that where Hollywood began could also be a signifier of where it will go.

What Is Aspect Ratio?

The aspect ratio of an image describes its width and height.

It's usually written as two numbers separated by a colon, as in 16:9. It can also be written with an “x” between the numbers, like 4x3.

What Does 4:3 Mean?

Let's talk history. Before the 24mm x 36mm "still" 35mm image, there was the 24mm x 18mm "cinema" 35mm image.

Movie film runs vertically to be projected. Therefore, the traditional movie aspect ratio was 4 wide by 3 high. This means a frame four by three, or in the more technical 1.33:1.

This square frame was the dimensions of early TV box sets and also the default size of the first 35mm celluloid film.

Aspect Ratio History

Aspect ratios have changed over time, depending on what people use to view media. As screens got bigger, the aspect ratio adjusted. As they got smaller, it continued to happen. Over 100 years ago, the very first films were projected in 4:3. The standard film strip was run through a projector and the light behind it threw the image onto a wall.

The 4:3, or 1.33:1, was the literal measurement of the strip.

When sound became standard, the extra space on the film stock required the aspect ratio to be adjusted to a slightly wider 1.37:1. This is known as the Academy Ratio, which is often represented as “4:3."

Modern TV and Film Aspect Ratios

TV boxes were 4:3 until widescreen televisions debuted in the 2000s. Many older programs had to convert their 4:3 shows to 16x9. But people who watched movies on TV rejoiced. The theatrical experience had finally come home. And as TVs grew in size, aspect ratios began to reflect the change.

This led to the idea of pan and scan, where widescreen films were reformatted to fit 4x3 television sets. But widescreen TVs became all the rage in the early 2000s, and those smaller televisions disappeared. Older sitcoms had to be reformatted to show in 4x3, and TVs had to be able to create a 4:3 format box in the middle of their wider screens to capitulate to the changing times.

Aspect Ratio 1.33:1

As we mentioned above, the 1.33:1 is another way of saying the 4:3 aspect ratio frame.

For example, an aspect ratio of 1.33:1 means the image's width is 1.33 times the size of its height. You can trace this all the way back to Thomas Edison’s equipment. Since that's one point where movies began, there was not much of a move to change them right away.

The ratio 1.33:1, which was dubbed “Academy aperture” in 1932 by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, soon became the standard ratio in film, and was used until the 1950s. That's when CinemaScope and other aspect ratios were developed and expanded upon.

Modern Uses of 4:3 Aspect Ratio Frame

We've seen these aspect ratios make a comeback, with people like Wes Anderson, Paul Schrader, and others using it in their films.

The compressed frame can allow you to feel claustrophobic or even evoke different kinds of memories. It can also be used to feel old-timey and hearken back to forgotten eras. If you want to check out No Film School’s interview with Rick Alverson about his movie The Mountain, he talks about shooting in 4:3, and he shared how it informed blocking his actors.

He's not alone. David Lowery used it for A Ghost Story, Paul Schrader for First Reformed, and Andrea Arnold did it with American Honey. But the most revolutionary recent use was Zack Snyder going 4:3 in Justice League.

Why Is Zack Snyder's Justice League in 4:3?

When you turn on The Snyder Cut on HBO Max, you will be immediately notified, “This film is presented in a 4:3 format to preserve the integrity of Zack Snyder’s creative vision.” This disclaimer is to make sure people know it's supposed to look like that. But why?

When asked why he used the 1.33:1 aspect ratio framing, Snyder said, "My intent was to have the movie, the entire film, play in a gigantic 4:3 aspect ratio on a giant IMAX screen. Superheroes tend to be, as figures, they tend to be less horizontal. Maybe Superman when he’s flying, but when he’s standing, he’s more of a vertical. Everything is composed and shot that way, and a lot of the restoration is sort of trying to put that back. Put these big squares back... it’s a completely different aesthetic. It’s just got a different quality and one that is unusual. No one’s doing that."

Of course, these plans were made for the theatrical version of the film. We haven't seen it grace IMAX, but I bet we do eventually. Snyder could not shoot the whole film in IMAX due to the technical limitations of bulky IMAX cameras and the massive cost, but he instead could shoot the film on 35mm with a 1.33:1 aspect ratio. That way, when it was broadcast on an IMAX screen, it would take up the whole thing, and become an immersive spectacle.

Summing Up the 4:3 Aspect Ratio

Filmmakers are always looking for new ways to use old Hollywood tricks. The boxy aspect ratio of 1.33:1 is no different. The rise of television allowed filmmakers to keep the 4:3 aspect ratio, but times changed, and now we favor widescreen.

Still, filmmakers will always look back to change certain aspects of their story or just to pay homage. We have become interested in larger images thanks to IMAX, and that's let the 4:3 frame come back and get popular.

It seems like, with anything, this kind of framing will come and go from popular culture but never truly disappear.

Let us know what you think in the comments.

Written by Walter Schulz

VFX work is one of the most challenging and rewarding crafts one can be involved in. Fortunately, I’ve had a long career of multi-discipline work, having done everything from modeling, animation, MoCap, and AI digital crowds.

My background includes being a Creature Developer (ILM San Francisco) and Crowd Department Supervisor (ScanlineVFX), Pixomondo) in the post-production field. That, combined with having had large-scale On-Set Supervision experience for projects such as Midway (2019), gave me a thorough understanding of my process and approach to keep high-quality work on my most recent project, The Curse.

The Curse allowed me to return to the basics of the craft. The different sets presented some of the most feared challenges when doing On-Set Supervision: “mirror walls”. Reflections are something you are always looking out for and doing your best to advise the Directors on how to avoid them. This is when my passion for physics came into place, and I had to suggest all the best setups for camera and crew in order to stay out of the reflections at all times. By projecting the building surface planes, I drew the exact spots where there would never be reflections of the crew, resolving most possible issues.

There were so many memorable moments during the production of The Curse. In order to have all the references for motion and positions for the actors and the set, which eventually became the center of the story, I always had two witness cameras running whenever I needed to supervise those key moments. All that footage became instrumental at the time of completing the VFX, but also as a side element we ended up also capturing amazing BTS material with those witness cameras. I got to work closely with the wardrobe department to capture outfits for digital doubles. I had close communication with set design for all the necessary builds and for keeping track of furniture and even minor set decorations to replicate digitally in post if needed.

The most memorable collaboration was my continuous interaction with the stunt supervising coordinator, Timothy Eulich. We had worked together on a previous project, and his knowledge and experience helped us plan and execute everything without any incidents. The stunts were very challenging, and we had to evaluate every aspect to minimize risks and, at the same time, be able to capture all necessary footage and data from my end.

This show has an amazing character and timeline curve, going from a small-town drama to ending as a sci-fi thriller; therefore, I had to use a specific approach to each defining moment of those episodes. Each one posed a new challenge. In order to capture some of the key elements, I used LiDar and photogrammetry to provide exact locations and props. Early on I also built some 3d scenes for the production to prepare for the difficult stunts that were on the upcoming schedule.

The Curse was an amazing project to work on and I had a great time collaborating with the rest of the crew to create such a unique show.

We've all heard the word before, but if I asked you to define "narrative," could you do it? I feel like it has become one of those amorphous things in Hollywood, but narratives have their roots in literary terms and have evolved a lot since the dawn of Tinsel Town.

Today, I want to dive into that evolution and track the term from its origins to where it stands today. Ready to get started?

First, let's define the narrative and then figure out what's a good narrative example.

'Trumbo' Credit: Bleecker Street

Narrative Definition

Simply put, a narrative is a story. It can be spoken or written. "Narrative" can also be used as a noun or an adjective.

As a noun, "narrative" refers to the actual story being told. It is a series of events, experiences, people, and details. It also refers to the storytelling process itself.

As an adjective, "narrative" describes the form or style of the story being told. There can be narrative poems, narrative art, narrative essays, or narrative dances. (If you can have something tell a story, it is narrative.)

Narrative Example

Let's say you retell your parents what happened at school earlier in the day. You're telling them a narrative. That's it!

Narrative Format

There are several structural ways to approach narratives.

If you're writing an essay, the narrative format is one introductory paragraph, followed by three body paragraphs, and the last narrative paragraph is the conclusion. This is important to learn. It can help you make a persuasive argument someday. You can find examples of narrative essays here.

What Is a Narrative Story?

Traditionally, a narrative story is a fictional story told by a writer who invents the characters, situations, and plot to entertain an audience.

'Moonlight' Credit: A24

Literary Narrative Definition

In literature, a narrative is a written story, whether nonfictional or fictional, that details events, people, places, and things.

Literary Narrative Examples

What's your favorite book? If it tells a story, it's a narrative. I'm talking Huckleberry Finn, To Kill a Mockingbird, Election, Where'd You Go Bernadette, Little Fires Everywhere, We Own This City, and even The Berenstain Bears.

If it tells a written story, it is a narrative literary work.

'To Kill a Mockingbird' Credit: Universal Pictures

Narrative Film Definition

A narrative film is a movie that tells a fictional story. Commercial narrative films with running times of over an hour are movies. (There are also narrative short films.)

Narrative Film Examples

There is no shortage of examples here, from The Godfather to Paddington 2 and all the way back to A Trip to the Moon and forward again to Mean Girls. Fictional movies are narrative movies. Pick any of your favorites.

'Mean Girls' Credit: Paramount Pictures

What Is Narrative Writing?

To define narrative writing, we have to look at story writing.

Narrative writing is characterized by a main character in a location who encounters a problem, and we follow them as they attempt to fix it by getting themselves into different situations.

What Is the Purpose of Narrative Writing?

Narrative writing is art. Its purpose is to tell a story and entertain the audience as well as communicate a deeper meaning or theme to them.

What Does "Narrative" Mean in Writing?

Narrative Writing Definition

A narrative is a way of presenting connected events in order to tell a story. Whether it's an essay, biography, novel, or TV/movie, the story is what matters the most. Many narratives share the common structure of a beginning, middle, and end.

Narrative writing covers all mediums—film, TV, literature, podcasts, etc. As long as you're telling a story, there's a place for you.

'The White Lotus' Credit: HBO

The Four Types of Narrative Writing Examples

What Is the Purpose of Narrative?

Storytelling is the quintessential human art. We started by sitting around a fire, listening to people talk about the hunt. It began with paintings on walls, and as language formed, the spoken word from people like Homer was passed down to writers, who got those ancient stories on the page. We had things like the Epic of Gilgamesh and even the Bible, recounting tales that gave purpose to our lives.

As literature expanded, so did the narrative. We saw books written about different stories and fantastic places. We saw people invent new genres like horror, epics, science fiction, and even romances. We were treated to indelible characters and even repurposing of classics.

When movies came around, narratives jumped again, this time expanding from the big screen to the small screen in the ride of television. And don't forget the narrative radio stories, which have now evolved into podcasts. The narrative is directly aligned with being human. We live to tell stories. And it will continue to evolve with us as we continue to change as a species.

The best is yet to come.

'Everything Everywhere All at Once' Credit: A24

The Narrative Form

As we have discussed, the narrative can take many forms, from books to movies to TV shows. For a complete list of narrative forms, head over to Wikipedia.

Other narrative forms include:

• Autobiography
• Biography
• Captivity narrative
• Epic
• Epic poem
• Essay
• Fable
• Fantasy
• Flash fiction
• Folk tale
• Historical fiction
• Legend
• Memoir
• Myth
• News
• Nonlinear narrative
• Novel
• Novella
• Parable
• Play
• Poem
• Quest narrative
• Realistic fiction
• Screenplay
• Short story
• Tall tale

'Bridgerton' Credit: Netflix

What Is Narrative Description?

When you're writing any of the aforementioned types of a narrative, the narrative description is the physical words on the page.

In movies and TV, that's action writing. In books, it's the words on the page. It could be what people read on podcasts or just the most flowery description inside your favorite novel. Words are king.

Summing Up "What Is a Narrative in Movies and TV?

After all this celebration of the narrative form, it's hard not to be excited to read and write the rest of the day. Narratives expose our humanity. They help us understand ourselves and other people. They are windows into new cultures and new identities that may not have been open to us before.

What are some of your favorite narrative ideas and stories?

Let me know in the comments.

Since announcing their ultra-compact, yet quite powerful and video-capable, Lumix S9 the other week, Panasonic has been scrambling to make their tiny and ultralight camera even more appealing to on-the-go content creatives and creators.

When combined with the Lumix S f/8 pancake lens the S9 is indeed one of the tiniest and most lightweight camera and lens options on the market, and—if you love creating, editing, and working with different LUTs for your photos and videos—Panasonic has just announced a new app to specifically pair with the Lumix S9.

The new LUMIX Lab app is an Android-based (iOS reportedly coming soon) smartphone app that will allow shooters to be able to create, edit, download, and upload LUTs directly to their S9 camera. Here’s everything you need to know about it.

Introducing the LUMIX Lab App

In a bold choice going against many of the more recent smartphone filmmaking apps as of late, Panasonic is releasing this new LUMIX Lab app for Android first and then developing it for iOS smartphones second. (A big win for all of you Android users out there!)

The LUMIX Lab app is chiefly designed for the use of LUTs as it will allow users to create, edit, download, transfer, and upload LUTs directly to their Lumix S9 camera faster than the traditional SD card upload method.

This is great news for S9 shooters as the camera was designed to store up to 39 LUTs internally, so you’ll have plenty of space to explore creating and downloading LUTs for pretty much all of your photo and video needs.

Camera Compatibility

What’s interesting about this new LUMIX Lab app too is that it is most certainly designed to help promote Panasonic’s new Lumix S9 camera as that’s the only camera it will be compatible with at launch. Panasonic has shared that they plan for it to be compatible with a few more cameras in the future, notably the LUMIX S5 II, the LUMIX S5 IIX, and the G9 II.

The LUMIX Lab app will also allow shooters to be able to wirelessly transfer videos and images from their S9 camera directly to their smartphone as well, which should be great for on-the-run content creators looking to get images or videos up on social even faster.

There’s also even an automatic version of this unlocked with the app with an “automatic image transfer function” that will do this seamlessly with all of your selected content.

Price and Specs

The Panasonic LUMIX Lab app is out now and available for free for Android users in the Google Play store. Panasonic has shared that an iPhone iOS version will be available here soon as well. And, as far as specs go, if you haven’t checked out the Panasonic LUMIX S9 yet, now’s a great time to review this exciting new camera from the brand as well which we’d recommend with the pancake lens bundle.

• 24.2MP Full-Frame CMOS Sensor
• Compact, Lightweight Design
• 6K30p 4:2:0 10-Bit Video Recording
• C4K/4K60p 4:2:2 10-Bit
• 3.0" 1.84m-Dot Tilt/Free-Angle Touch-LCD
• 5-Axis Sensor-Shift Image Stabilization
• ISO 100-51200
• Real-Time LUT (Signature Presets)
• 4:2:0 10-Bit Fast-/Slow-Motion Video
• Lumix S 20-60mm f/3.5-5.6 Lens

Panasonic Lumix S9 Mirrorless Camera with S 20-60mm f/3.5-5.6 Lens

Pairing the lightweight, convenient full-frame system in dark olive with a standard zoom, the Lumix S9 Mirrorless Camera with S 20-60mm f/3.5-5.6 Lens from Panasonic is the perfect on-the-go camera setup for content creators.

In a promising step forward for user privacy and creators’ rights, Vimeo’s CEO has issued a statement regarding the company’s plans to not let any generative AI models be trained on videos hosted on their platform—with the caveat of stating “without your explicit consent.”

This announcement from new Vimeo CEO Philip Moyer comes after a month of deliberation when the top seat at Vimeo opened up his inbox to hear from Vimeo users about this decision following reports that AI scraping and training options were being considered.

This is an important decision that’s reflective of discussions going on in boardrooms across the globe as tech companies and social media platforms alike are deliberating as to how to handle the many scraping requests from the major AI players looking for quality training materials.

Here’s the full statement from Vimeo and what it means for your content going forward.

Vimeo’s Stance on AI

The headline here might simply be that Vimeo is, more or less, saying “no” to big AI interests by not allowing outside companies to come in and use Vimeo users’ videos as assets for their generative AI algorithms to train on.

Here’s what the Vimeo CEO had to say on this specifically:

After extensive outreach and hearing your thoughts, we are taking a definitive stance contrary to many other community websites: Vimeo will not allow generative AI models to be trained using videos hosted on our platform without your explicit consent, even if you use our free offerings. In addition, we prohibit unauthorized content scraping (by model companies) and continue to implement security protocols designed to protect user-generated content. — Philip Moyer, Vimeo CEO

Moyer followed up his thoughts (which you can read in their entirety here) by underscoring the company’s promise to serve as a “protector of creative rights” for its users and to strive for “the ethical and transparent use of technology.”

The Ethics of AI Training

Now, all that being said, as we’ve covered before, Vimeo and many other tech companies that serve filmmakers and video creatives of all types are still pulling out all of the stops to add AI-powered tools and features to their platforms and services.

For the most part, while many creators worry about their roles being so advanced and streamlined by AI that they could lose work opportunities, the majority of the industry is hungry for workflow improvements and sophisticated additive AI features.

The real issue for most Vimeo users and content creators hosting their videos on trusted platforms like Vimeo, YouTube, or others is that their content will always be private, and protected, it is up to them to decide how it’s used for any other commercial purposes—including AI scraping and training.

This decision by one of the major players in the space is encouraging that with the support of product users and the filmmaking and video production public at large, these companies are going to make decisions that will put content creators and owners first.

Víctor Tadashi Suárez has a lauded career in documentary film and TV. He's a two-time Emmy award winner and a 13-time Emmy-nominated director of photography who has worked on projects with Al Jazeera, Frontline, the New York Times, and more.

He brought those talents to the recent viral hit docuseries, Quiet on Set, which explored the predatory, sexist, and racist experiences of child actors and crew members in the heyday of Nickelodeon's variety and sitcom programming—think All That, The Amanda Show, and Drake & Josh.

The series tells those stories primarily through interviews with those sharing their experiences. Suárez was tasked with setting up and capturing those interviews and establishing the visual tone of the series, ultimately leaning on Nickelodeon as inspiration. Suárez told us about his experience in the nonfiction space, tips for intimate sets, and more.

Quiet On Set: The Dark Side Of Kids TV | ID www.youtube.com

Editor's note: The following conversation has been edited for length and clarity.

No Film School: I’d love to know how you got into cinematography.

Víctor Tadashi Suárez: I did not go to film school. I went to Columbia University, but I didn't study film. I studied economics and philosophy. I was self-taught, like many people. I just grew up making films with friends, my parents’ Handycam. The time I was in school was when the SLR revolution was coming about. So I got a Canon Rebel T2i, and I was super stoked on how that looked straight out of the box.

In college, in the summers, I would gig off of Craigslist, just working on really random film projects, but learning that way. When I graduated college, I did the same, I worked off of Craigslist as a DP. I had a little Sony FS100 then, which I thought was so exciting.

And then one day, randomly, a producer from Al Jazeera on this show called Fault Lines did a Google search, I think, for “DP in New York City" and “[Canon] C300,” which I had at the time. They emailed me, and they asked if I shot documentaries. And I said, “Absolutely, yes.”

I barely knew what Al Jazeera was at the time, and I really didn't have any interest in documentaries. I worked for that show for the next six years, traveling all over the world. It was like a precursor to Vice, HBO, Showtime shows—one correspondent, me, and a producer in the field. It was very run-and-gun, but we were trying to do something that felt not like the news, that felt like an immersive documentary, more like narrative language than doc language.

And that was a great way to learn about the world and how to light stuff, shoot stuff, coverage. After that, I worked for Nat Geo Explorer for a bit, and then someone noticed my work at Left/Right, this production company that ended up doing the New York Times' weekly documentary program. I developed the look for that with them. It was that same showrunner that launched this company, Maxine, that did Quiet on Set.

NFS: It's kind of wild that they just emailed you out of the blue, and that ended up being your path. Right answer, though, just say yes.

Suárez: You always say yes, and you get that SEO right from the beginning.

NFS: What are the challenges of working in the nonfiction space? You mentioned it being a lot of run-and-gun.

Suárez: I think the main challenge is always just time and resources, and trying to make something that looks as premium and filmic as possible with very, very big constraints on time.

[And] working with small crews, sometimes. I mean, for all of Fault Lines, there was no sound person, and I was just learning. I had no idea what was normal or was not normal. I learned how to run my own sound, and for better or worse, today, for a lot of the projects I work on, I still run my own sound. I did it for Quiet on Set. A lot of the vérité stuff. Which is good, because it has its benefits, keeping a small footprint.

For the vérité stuff, trying to get those intimate moments is a challenge. You get one chance to capture them properly. And if it's a good documentary, these moments are intimate, and the access is precious. It's all about trying to capture these intimate, spontaneous moments on the very first take with the best cinematic language that you possibly can.

The other challenge I feel is in interview settings, the language of documentary is so rigid. We're always trying to advance the language or borrow more from music videos or other genres. But on the whole, if you're doing something that has interviews, and it's for a streamer, let's say, it's very rigid, the conventions. So it's one main challenge that we're always coming up against, how do you shoot these frigging interviews in a way that looks not like everything else, that feels new? And how can you push it just enough where it feels like its own thing?

Lately that's been just the most challenging thing, just trying to hit your head against the wall. How do you make this feel like something new and not just the same old stupid stuff?

Víctor Tadashi Suárez working on Quiet on Set
Provided/Víctor Tadashi Suárez

NFS: You mentioned the importance of those intimate moments. So what, if anything, do you do as a DP to create a sense of safety and vulnerability on a set?

Suárez: It's very hard, as well, because one way of doing that is just building trust, which takes time. But the challenge is sometimes you get dropped into a place, especially if you're just the DP, maybe the director and producer have been building a relationship on the phone or whatever for a couple of weeks, but the first time I'm meeting them, maybe we have one afternoon with this person. Maybe we have one day, maybe we have a couple of hours. You're often getting dropped into this very intimate moment. How do you do that with no time? There's no magic way to do it. I think just respecting people and just being a nice person.

You show up with all this massive gear, and it's scary. I would be freaking out if I were them. So you just want to just treat people very gently. It helps. I think having a very small crew for the intimate stuff. That’s why it's good sometimes running your own sound, because you don't have to have all these different people touching you and doing all this crazy stuff.

And also for covering scenes, build up to the close stuff. Starting wide, letting people get used to your presence, and then just very slowly working your way around, maybe from the back, just creeping around to the more intimate moments. Just your whole vibe just being like, "I'm so sorry. Thank you so much. Everything's good. Thank you so much.”

NFS: I did want to talk about your setups on Quiet on Set.

Suárez: Mary Robertson, the creator and executive producer, approached me about this project that was looking at these Nickelodeon shows that I grew up on, All That and The Amanda Show—I watched those every day. When she approached me for this, the idea was for this series looking at these shows that were so foundational to my consuming of TV as a child. I'm looking at them in this 2024 lens. I was very excited at the creative possibilities for it, and scared for what it meant about who I was as a person growing up on it.

Like I said before, the thing that we knew right away was what we didn't want it to look like, which is every other premium streaming show out there, and we didn't want it to look like a trashy true crime series—and it could have very easily been both of those things.

With those two things in mind, we developed this look that was sort of “Nickelodeon noir.” We took as our starting point the shows themselves, the color palettes from the shows. If the shows are sort of this hallucination of primary colors and high key lighting, then the look for this series was the inversion of that, the comedown or the bad trip in front of the camera.

We use the same color palette, but we changed the lighting entirely and made it super moody and made it feel dangerous. It’s a lot of archival, interviews, and some [re-creation], but so much of it's going to be interviews. We wanted to tell as much as we possibly could story-wise in the interview setups themselves. So the idea of this whole show is these behind-the-scenes stories, taking them and literally putting them center stage, literally shining light on these spaces where these traumatic events happened.

So that was the idea. We built these sets that look like behind-the-scenes support spaces of these shows. The writers’ room, the hair and makeup room, the wardrobe, the green room for parents. We built these worlds for our interviews, making it not look super premium and glossy. We wanted to stay away from something that looked super digital and clean. And because we're cutting against the archival material so much, which was in the ‘90s and 2000s, we wanted the interviews to feel a little bit dirty or filmic.

We shot on two Alexa Minis, and we underexposed by a stop. We pushed the grain. … We also used the Alexa Mini in Super 16 mode with a vintage Canon 8-64mm lens for some of our recreations and present-day LA stuff. That Super 16 combo, I think that worked really well with the archival stuff.

Behind the scenes of Quiet on SetProvided/Víctor Tadashi Suárez

NFS: Was that the main lens you used?

Suárez: Most of it was shot on Angenieux Optimo zooms, the 28-76mm and the 45-120mm, and then we had that Canon lens for our modern-day LA visuals, and we shot that at the highest ISO on the Alexa. We just tried to break that image apart entirely, and it was so satisfying.

That's what's so fun about this project, we were trying to just do things that were not what you would expect. Trying to break down the image. The lighting is super weird and dark, but with these weird pops of color and lime green oozing into each of the frames. It was cool. It was weird.

NFS: What are mistakes you see rookie DPs make, and how should they avoid them?

Suárez: I'm constantly making rookie mistakes to this day, so it's inevitable, I think. I'll tell you one mistake that I think a lot of DPs, rookie and otherwise, make to this day, which is setting up interviews where people are just in a chair floating in space in the middle of nowhere.

I don’t know if I should be saying any of this, but for a lot of my career, I didn't use any filtration in front of the lens. For a long time. No one told me that was a good idea, and I feel like everyone should be doing that all the time—a soft effects filter with the cameras these days.

I feel like the only rookie mistake you can really make is just not shooting as much as you can when you're first starting out. What was so great about the DSLR thing was suddenly, you have a camera with you all the time, and you shoot all the time. I feel like today, a lot of people are always trying to level up their gear really quickly to work, which makes a lot of sense, but there's a lot to be said for just having a camera that you can carry around all the time. That inspires you to shoot all the time and just be making stuff.

The bigger the cameras get, It gets really hard to go out there and shoot something when you have to build a whole rig out of a Pelican case. I think just going out there and shooting as much as possible is the best advice I could give to anybody.

NFS: What about advice getting into the nonfiction space?

Suárez: I think it's the same thing as getting into any space. I imagine it's like when you're starting out, the projects that you're working on as you're building your website and your reel, those are the projects that people are going to call you for.

So if you want to work in nonfiction, then you just need to work on nonfiction stuff. I mean, the good thing about nonfiction is, if you're starting out, there is in some sense a lower barrier to entry than some of the other genres.

Find a good story, a good character, a story you care about, and make a project for your website with not a ton of support. Because I didn't go to film school and I just did it all myself, I feel a bias toward just going out and building your own website, building your own portfolio, with friends and with yourself.

But I work with a lot of people that come through the Berkeley J school or the Columbia J school. I think that's a good thing about going to film school—amongst many other reasons, like learning to use filters in front of your lenses before you get too far along in your career—you get an amazing network straight out of the box. I didn't really have that when I was starting, which was definitely a challenge. I would say just make stuff that you're passionate about, and the rest will come, hopefully.

Fable Studio has announced a new streaming service called Showrunner where the subscribers can use generative AI to create animated shows for them to watch based on prompts.

The Hollywood Reporter first broke this story, where it details how the company says the platform will write, voice, and animate the show the subscriber wants to see.

The subscriber has a lot of input, apparently able to choose the shot type, style of animation, and more.

You can see their launch video below.

What is Showrunner?

The video uses animation styles heavily borrowed from anime and South Park, which stands out in that generative AI-stealing way.

“The vision is to be the Netflix of AI,” said chief executive Edward Saatchi. “Maybe you finish all of the episodes of a show you’re watching and you click the button to make another episode. You can say what it should be about or you can let the AI make it itself.”

You can now join the waitlist to be one of the first to test the platform.

They'll have their own shows for you to watch as well, but the central idea is that you have a point of view in what you want to see, and it will service your desire for that.

“It’ll understand the core conflict of your episode and develop it with another character or location,” Saatchi says. “Or you can say, ‘I want this specifically to be the next scene.'”

They have experience doing that in the past, and even released an app last year that allowed you to make your own South Park episodes.

Fable actually published a research paper on how they built the program that generates the show.

“Our South Park episodes were a research project that took on a life of their own,” Saatchi said. “Seeing the huge desire of people to make their own episodes of TV, we’ve built Showrunner as a Netflix of AI to power original works of art that can stand the test of time, and to let people bring their stories to life.”

Let us know what you think in the comments.

Lights, camera, but no sound? Welcome to the world of silent cinema, where storytelling unfolds through captivating visuals and expressive acting, rather than spoken dialogue.

I'm here to transport you back to the early days of film, before synchronized sound was even a twinkle in a filmmaker's eye.

Let's dig in.

What is a Silent Film?

A silent film is a motion picture that does not include synchronized recorded sound or spoken dialogue. These films convey narrative and emotions visually, through:

• Visual storytelling: Actors rely on exaggerated expressions, gestures, and body language to communicate their emotions and intentions.
• Intertitles: These are cards inserted between scenes with text to provide dialogue, narration, or other pertinent information.
• Music: Live music, often played by a pianist or organist, was a crucial element in silent films, setting the mood and enhancing the emotional impact of the scenes.

Although called "silent," these films were rarely experienced in complete silence.

The era of silent films lasted from the late 19th century until the late 1920s, when sound technology was developed and synchronized dialogue became possible. However, some filmmakers, like Charlie Chaplin, continued to make silent films even after the advent of sound.

'The Great Dictator' nofilmschool.com

Are Silent Films for Snobs?

I'm not sure if I consider myself to be a film snob, but I will say that I do love spending time reading about Hollywood's history and watching lesser-known titles that I bore my friends with by describing at parties.

Oh, god, I am a snob.

Look, I'll deal with that later. The point is, silent films are really fun and most people haven't seen any. I had seen like three until the pandemic hit, and I developed all sorts of weird hobbies.

Silent films can be hard to get into when you're first starting. They are just so different than the typical Hollywood movies we're used to, but they're amazing places to get ideas for set pieces to modernize and stories to tell. They're also lost artifacts of a time gone by, ones that open our eyes to the soul of the past.

I found this video from Eyebrow Cinema made the process of enjoying silent movies a little easier by offering some tips in terms of what films to start with, as well as some dos and don'ts when watching silent movies. It's also a big celebration of silent cinema, a wonderful and exciting period in film history with some of the best movies ever made.

Check it out and let's talk after.

There's an Art to Watching Silent Films

One of the first things I noticed about silent movies is that you have to put your cell phone down. I don't mean this to sound elitist, I know many people are enjoying movies on their couch and not paying total attention, but in silent cinema, there's no latent dialogue to bring you back into the story. There are music cues, but what happens on-screen shows you all the exposition you need to know through action.

Silent films had a lot of weight to carry. They had to tell us a story without any spoken dialogue. Sure, sometimes random title cards would come up with words on them, but mostly these movies had to have stories that survived without any dialogue to solidify the story. They were the embodiment of the rule "show, don't tell."

— (@)

You can travel all over the world and watch movies made anywhere because language is no longer a barrier. That means you can open yourself up to the French fantasies of the 1890s-1900s or the Keystone comedies of the 1910s. There are even the wildly creative German films of the 1920s.

One thing that sticks out in all of the above is the special attention paid to the mise-en-scene in each scene. There's a lot of depth here because each scene has to help tell the story. Without dialogue, settings really do become characters and contribute to tone and themes.

We wrote an entire staff article on our love for silent film, which I think is a great starter pack for people who want to dip their toes into the waters.

— (@)

Another cool thing is how they move the camera or don't. Many silent films leave the camera static and move the actors a lot. This is something we don't see as much in Hollywood today, but it could give you some fun ideas.

They also learn to move the camera a lot, doing intense tracking shots and crane shots that we don't see as much nowadays. There are lots of hidden lessons and even hidden shots we see from modern Hollywood taken from the past. Like this shot from Wings that's also in The Last Jedi.

— (@)

Above all else, the way to enjoy silent films is just to watch a lot of them. You might hate some! That's okay, I hate some modern movies. But when you find the ones you love, you can forever have something cool to bring up at parties.

Let us know what you think in the comments.

Source: Eyebrow Cinema

If you’re a director who has become too attached to the temp score, you’re essentially falling in love with something you can’t have. While it may feel impossible to let go, but it is possible. Let’s look at some ways you can break up with your temp score and move on.

In today’s episode, No Film School’s Charles Haine, GG Hawkins, and Jason Hellerman discuss:

• Why you shouldn’t use temp scores from other movies
• Collaborating with composers early on
• The benefit of switching up scores in the edit
• How directors fall in love with what they see in the edit
• How the score is almost like a character within a scene
• The dangers of placeholders
• Getting attached to character names
• NAB - why you should go
• Blackmagic cameras - affordable, efficient, and high-quality
• The Blackmagic camera phone app on Apple and Android
• Shooting with cinema lenses versus still photo lenses

Subscribe to the No Film School Podcast on:

• Apple Podcasts
• Spotify
• Google

Listen to more episodes of the No Film School podcast right here:

_{This episode of The No Film School Podcast was produced by GG Hawkins.}

Big movie studios relationship's with AI most commonly are conversations behind closed doors. But this week Sony Pictures Entertainment CEO Tony Vinciquerra came out very strongly in favor of artificial intelligence being used in movies.

During an investor event in Japan, Vinciquerra said, “We are very focused on AI. The biggest problem with making films today is the expense,” and he continued, “We will be looking at ways to… produce both films for theaters and television in a more efficient way, using AI primarily.”

This is the first time we've gotten a completely straightforward answer when it comes to how a studio wants to use AI and why. Although cutting costs is a little vague, to me it seems like they're turning over every rock to figure out a way to make things less expensive.

Movies are expensive for a number of reasons, but to me, the use of AI to cut costs usually comes at the expense of hiring human beings, and is not something used to cut costs elsewhere.

It's hard to sit here and come up with a better business plan for Sony without looking deeply into their books. But I would avoid the high cost of making movies by making more movies—hear me out—I think that Sony has been in the business of making very expensive blockbusters, and maybe as a change for a year, they should try making a few more movies that cost less.

Greenlight more mid-budget movies, and you'll be able to have a few more chances at having a surprise blockbuster that allows you to fund the other ones. When you take a few limited, expensive shots; you really need them all to be mega hits.

If we pivot toward modest hits, those profits might be able to pay for a lot more in the future.

I'm not against AI as a tool that we wield to make better or cheaper movies, but I think it's a real buzzword that people say without physical implications on how AI would deliver those things.

I look forward to seeing where this all goes.

Let me know what you think in the comments.

If you saw the new Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga film in theaters and also thought to yourself, “Man, they did a great job of casting the child actor playing the younger version of Anya Taylor-Joy’s character Furiosa because she looks almost just like her.” Well, we have some interesting news to share with you.

Alyla Browne plays the younger Furiosa in the film and we actually see her at what is supposed to be a couple of different ages, and while Browne does resemble Taylor-Joy quite a bit indeed, Taylor-Joy has revealed in an interview on The Kelly Clarkson Show that George Miller and the Furiosa team used AI to blend Taylor-Joy’s face with Browne’s own to make the resemblance even more pronounced.

Taylor-Joy goes on to share that AI was also used in Fury Road and her thoughts on the use of AI in film which can be “frightening” when not consensual. Let’s explore.

AI in Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga

In a film, and with a filmmaker, so highly regarded for its use of practical effects and stunts, it’s a bit odd to hear that Furiosa (and Fury Road even) used AI as part of its process. Of course, though it would make sense that everything you see on the screen wasn’t shot in-camera as that’s incredibly rare and hard to do these days.

Furiosa most certainly used plenty of visual effects and other digital VFX for large parts of its productions. Which, when done as well as in Furiosa and Fury Road, these VFX can very much be an additive part of the filmmaking process when combined with the very real stunts and stunt performers' performances.

Using AI to Mix Actors’ Faces Together

Still, it’s a bit shocking to hear the news that AI was used in both films with Taylor-Joy sharing details about how wild it was to see in the final product.

“George Miller had the idea very early on. The audience was already getting used to a new Furiosa [Charlize Theron in ‘Fury Road’]. He wanted the transition from both actors [Browne and Taylor-Joy] playing her to be seamless. And so I did two days of the craziest things you could ever possibly imagine. And they mixed our faces together.” — Taylor-Joy in an interview on “The Kelly Clarkson Show.”

The discussion revealed that most of the AI use had to do with Browne’s portrayal of young Furiosa with it being about a “35 percent mix” of Taylor-Joy’s face on Browne’s at one point in the film, then roughly “80%” later when the character is older and about to be replaced with Taylor-Joy on the screen.

Consent and the Ethics of AI

Taylor-Joy would go on in the interview to acknowledge the many legal and ethical issues that come with the use of AI in film and television, as well as her support for the many AI-adjacent causes which she and her constituents went on strike for in the SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes.

However, it’s perhaps most important to note that Taylor-Joy summed up her thoughts by sharing that she does feel that “it is frightening, and I think if you’re going to use it you have to be honest about it and it always has to be consensual. It’s the lack of consent in anything in life that is the scary thing.”

This seems to indicate that the use of AI in blending the actors’ faces together was the predominant use of AI in the film and that everything was agreed to beforehand by all parties (and, again assuming, their representatives).

Written by Emilee Ford

My first professional industry gig was working as 2nd Assistant Camera on an independent feature film as a part of an internship I was doing the summer after my junior year of college.

I was 21 years old, and had just come off of shooting my thesis and my first film ever as a cinematographer. I didn’t know much, but one thing I knew for certain was that since I wasn’t at a traditional film school getting a more technical education, I had to learn by doing.

During this project, I had the incredible pleasure of working under a female cinematographer, Elle Schneider. I studied every camera angle, lighting setup, and lens choice she made. I was enamored by her fluidity and how much care she took in capturing every beat of the story.

It was so inspiring watching her and being her helping hand. However, throughout this shoot I was very insecure in my lack of knowledge. Though it was not expected of me to know everything, I was very intimidated by the environment. Despite the pressure, I knew the opportunity I had on my hands, and, ultimately it was up to me to make the most of it.

'Dirty Towel'

One night at dinner I asked Elle what her best advice is for me as someone who wants to pursue cinematography but isn’t going to film school. She responded by saying, “Honestly sometimes I think it’s better when you haven’t gone to film school because it teaches you to be scrappier.”

This was probably the most validating thing I could’ve heard in that moment and I took this advice to heart.

A year later I found myself gearing up to shoot my first independent post-grad project in Los Angeles called Dirty Towel.

With an extremely low budget and a dream, I knew the way to be successful in this project was to be scrappy to make something amazing without a lot of financial help. The scrappiest feat was navigating working with rental houses to secure gear for the project. It goes without saying that I had zero experience or guidance when it came to this step in the filmmaking process. I was used to checking out equipment in the basement of our journalism building and calling it a day.

'Dirty Towel'

I did hours of research and asked many experienced friends for help throughout the process. But given our budget, our dream camera package was just too far out of reach.

So, with the advice from a friend I redirected this search into becoming a pitch to rental houses as to why they should partner with us for this project. I leaned into the strengths and appeal of our project, one of them being that we were an entirely female key crew telling a story about female-empowerment.

I started researching rental houses whose mission statements similarly aligned with these values and landed on the perfect fit, Rare Breeds West.

I wrote what was essentially a love letter to their team about how inspired I was by their mission and how it would be an honor if they could work with us in any capacity. Never underestimate the power of an email because the Rare Breeds team was more than happy to support us on this endeavor by giving us a substantial discount on our entire gear package.

'Dirty Towel'

We were able to shoot digitally on the Arri Alexa Mini with a selection of Zeiss B Speed Primes, both of which I’ve never had the opportunity to work with before, but am beyond happy with how it turned out.

Without this innate mindset to be scrappy, it’s hard to tell if this project would’ve been able to become what it has. It’s thanks to this hard work and generosity from Rare Breeds that I was able to put together my dream camera package for this passion project near and dear to my heart.

I’m happy to say that Dirty Towel will be premiering at Tribeca Festival on June 7th in New York City.

I am so grateful for everything I learned from Elle almost two years ago now, and I’m not exactly sure where I would be today if I didn’t have this scrappy mindset. It’s important to always make the most out of every situation you're given and to never let the quality of your work falter because of the nature of your resources.

There is always room to make something out of nothing.

Stay scrappy.

If you’re a cinema lover, you’re an art house theater lover. There’s something just special about seeing independent and restoration films at a classic cinema that is a completely different experience than going to your local AMC or even Alamo Drafthouse.

And of course, while we love and support movies wherever they are, it’s very cool to see organizations like Art House Convergence (AHC) put together events like Art House Theater Day which is set to return this year on Thursday, July 25th.

So, if you too love cinema and want to support your local art house theaters, here’s what you need to know about this one-of-a-kind event.

The History of Art House Theater Day

Launched back in 2016, Art House Theater Day is an annual program of AHC that brings audiences together to celebrate all that art house theaters —and independent film—contribute to our cultural landscape. Their motto, so to speak, is to provide ambitious and innovative art that provokes, challenges, entertains, and inspires, and the day is very much in that vein.

“We haven’t gathered synchronously since 2019, and July 25th will be a great day to celebrate the art house - which extends beyond any genre of film and truly exemplifies community-driven curation. We’re excited to remind movie-loving audiences that their local art houses are the premiere theatrical destination for independent film.” — AHC Managing Director Kate Markham.

The original Art House Theater Day in 2016 reached more than 150 cinemas across the country and, in addition to programs like Art House Theater Day, AHC offers networking opportunities, resources, and best practices to independent exhibitors at large.

Art House Theater Day 2024

This year’s lineup features the premiere of the 40th anniversary 4K restoration of The Terminator released by Park Circus, along with an exclusive Q&A with Director James Cameron and Producer Gale Anne Hurd on the film's indie roots and the critical importance of art house theaters today. This conversation will play following the film and will be moderated by Amanda Salazar, Director of Programming at Vidiots, a non-profit video store and entertainment events hub for film lovers in the Los Angeles area.

"Knowing that many people have never seen the film, or missed out on seeing it on the silver screen, I couldn’t be more thrilled to celebrate The Terminator's 40th anniversary with its return to cinemas on Art House Theater Day. People may wonder if The Terminator is truly an indie film. As the film’s producer, I can assure you it is. Jim Cameron and I made the film for $6.4 million, which included a completion bond and a 10% contingency. We had a variety of co-financiers, pre-sold rights and our distribution was through Orion Pictures rather than a major studio - the very definition of an indie film, both then and now. We hope you’ll enjoy the nostalgic experience of seeing it this summer!" — producer Gale Anne Hurd (“The Walking Dead,” Armageddon).

Additional titles for Art House Theater Day are set to include Janus Film's 4K restoration of West Indies: The Fugitive Slaves of Liberty (Director Med Hondo, 1979) and Suburbia (Penelope Spheeris, 1983) courtesy of American Genre Film Archive.

For more information on Art House Theater Day, you can visit the ACH site here as more programming announcements are set to be revealed later this month.

When I'm scrolling on a streamer, I have to admit that if I see a famous face in the thumbnail, I take that title a little more seriously. Streamers know that they need those faces to get average people to click.

But we have a situation where we don't have enough stars anymore.

And while some shows with great reviews, like Baby Reindeer, are able to surpass stars, it does feel like streamers need stars., and stars need streamers in order to make them more famous and get them paid.

So how can this work out?

Well, streamers are trying to find a new way to pay the stars of their shows.

Let's dig into it.

Why Are Streamers Changing the Pay Structure?

At the beginning of the streaming era, stars were paid a lot of money upfront. The thinking was that since they would get no box office reward for being in one of these movies, they should be paid out now.

Well, a lot of streaming movies didn't become hits, and yet stars were still paid.

According to a Bloomberg report, Apple has already met with high ranking talent reps to propose a new way to pay actors in these roles, in order to level the playing field.

SAG and the WGA went on strike last summer because they felt as if they were not participating in the profit share of hits on streamers. So there is a bit of a disconnect here. Especially since the actors typically getting these big payouts were just the two leads, with others not getting the protections they'd get if a movie was released theatrically.

So, what's the new proposal?

The details of the leaked Apple deal is that talent will receive performance-based bonuses determined by a points system. The points awarded will be based on three factors:

1. New Subscriber Acquisition: The number of people who subscribed to streamers specifically to watch the show.
2. Total Watch Time: The cumulative amount of time viewers spent watching the show.
3. Cost Efficiency: The show's production cost relative to the size of its audience.

The talent involved in the top three highest-scoring shows will be eligible to share a bonus pool of up to $10.5 million per season.

Now, we don't have details on how this stuff would be tracked -- so it's a bit of a moot point without those abilities.

In order for any of this to happen, streamers would have to give real numbers to reps and lawyers. And this comes on the wings of Netflix saying they're done releasing numbers to the general public and investors.

Transparency has always been the key in all these negotiations, so I don't think any plan that makes whether or not a show is a hit or a star is a star more opaque will work, but time will tell.

Let me know what you think in the comments.

Now we don’t usually do write-ups every time a camera drops in price because, well, it happens a lot, especially in today’s fast-moving camera market where brands are cranking out newer generations almost every quarter. However, when a camera as quality as the Blackmagic URSA Mini Pro 4.6K G2 reduces its price by nearly half, it’s hard not to take notice.

This also comes on the heels of Blackmagic Design offering a nearly 40% price drop to their Cinema Camera 6K a few weeks ago. This makes us wonder what BMD might ultimately be cooking up as well.

Still, if you’ve ever been interested in considering the Blackmagic URSA Mini Pro 4.6K G2, now might be a time to give it a very intense look as its price has been reduced from $5,995 a day ago to just under $3,000 today.

Revisiting the Blackmagic URSA Mini Pro 4.6K G2

Announced back in 2019 the URSA Mini Pro 4.6K G2 was Blackmagic’s obvious follow-up to their popular URSA Mini 4.6K, which we reviewed favorably back in 2017. The G2 introduced an updated Super 35 4.6K sensor which features 15 stops of dynamic range at 3200 ISO, as well as high frame rate recording up to 300 fps and additional updated recording functionality.

The G2 version also saw the addition of external camera controls which allow menus to be accessed to change exposure settings, activate slow/fast motion, or engage focus assist or other functions. The exterior of the camera also gained a monochrome LCD panel which displays essential shooting data at a glance. Another welcomed pro feature is the built-in ND (neutral density) filter wheel.

Overall, at the heart of the G2’s Super 35mm 4.6K sensor block was the ability to capture 4.6K footage at 120 fps, 4K DCI at 150 fps, or even 1080p footage at 300 fps, all great specs at the time and very much still today.

Why the Price Drops

Now, as mentioned above, the URSA Mini Pro 4.6K G2 is five years old at this point, so a price drop is not entirely surprising. Cameras get older, newer models come out (which in this case would be the highly impressive URSA Cine 12K LF) and it just makes sense to drop prices accordingly.

Still, with basically a 50% price drop, this one’s a bit extreme. When coupled with the price reduction to the Blackmagic Cinema Camera 6K as well, BMD is certainly opening itself up to rumors of even newer cameras perhaps being on the way.

We’ll see though as it’s hard to even imagine what new cameras could come out to compete with the URSA Cine 12K as that camera was such a giant step forward for the brand and felt fast-moving even in this extremely fast-moving camera market itself.

Price and Availability

All that said, any film or video pro worth their weight will know that cameras depreciate with age so any investment would have to be carefully considered against the competition and against how long they’d plan to use it.

Still, the URSA Mini Pro 4.6K G2 is a very useful digital cinema camera today and, with this price drop, it’s much more in line with its competition and one of the more affordable, yet still quality, cinema cameras now on the market.

Here are the full specs and purchase options.

• 4.6K Super 35 HDR CMOS Sensor
• 4.6K up to 120 fps, 300 fps at 1080p
• 15 Stops of Dynamic Range at 3200 ISO
• USB-C Expansion Port for External Disks
• Blackmagic RAW & ProRes 444/422 Support
• Dual CFast 2.0 and SD Memory Card Slots
• 12G-SDI Output, Timecode and REF Input
• 2 XLR Audio Inputs with Phantom Power
• 2-/4-/6-Stop ND Filter, Magnesium Body
• Interchangeable Lens Mount

Blackmagic URSA Mini Pro 4.6K G2

Upping the electronics and recording capabilities of its Mini Pro predecessor, the Blackmagic Design's URSA Mini Pro 4.6K G2 Digital Cinema Camera brings expanded control set and even more functionality.

Everyone I know out here has a different breaking-in story. Mine was via the Black List website but I have a lot of friends who came into Hollywood via various writing programs.

One of the best programs was NBC's Writer's on the Verge, which has now changed into the 'Launch' program.

NBCUniversal's premier TV Writers Program is designed to cultivate the next generation of showrunners and storytellers. The program champions emerging episodic television writers whose unique perspectives and experiences enrich the writers' room.

Over eight months, participants develop an original pilot, retaining full rights, while receiving mentorship from NBCUniversal programming executives. They also attend weekly workshops to hone their creative, professional, and industry-specific skills. This immersive experience includes building relationships with network executives, showrunners, agents, and managers.

Upon completion, writers are considered for staff writer positions across NBCU Television and Streaming, as well as Universal Studio Group series.

Sound like a good gig?

Check out the application website and the FAQ page for eligibility.

Applications will open June 3, 2024 and will close at midnight on June 23, 2024.