Filmfellas Cast 1: Film School and Beyond
242 Responses to “Filmfellas Cast 1: Film School and Beyond”
Cast
FilmFellas Cast 1: “Film School and Beyond” features Philip Bloom (DoP, The Insider, If I Were Prime Minister) Peter Hawley (Director, Flashpoint Academy), Steven Dadouche (Director of Photography) and host Steve Weiss (Director FilmFellas/Critics). In the first webisode launching the FilmFellas web series, the fellas discuss the web of opportunities, using the internet as a delivery medium for entertainment and film school.
Continuing the round table discussion, the eclectic cast of filmmakers cover such topics as: learning your craft, building a body of work and finding mentors in the industry. The Fellas wrap up Season 1 by elaborating on the dynamics of the collaborative process, directing styles, editing and the importance of creating your own unique filmmaking style.
“But never forget…it all comes down to content.” ~ Steve Weiss
Steve Weiss (Cinematographer/Producer of FilmFellas/critics)
Robert Primes, ASC (Cinematographer)
Phillip Bloom (Independent DP and Director) Peter Hawley(Director, Chair film department, Flashpoint Academy)
Steven Dadouche (DP, Student & RED owner)
.jpg)
.jpg)
Zacuto Original Programming
Recent Posts
How To Bring a Cinematic Look to a Small Budget Commercial, part 3Zacuto heads to Cine Gear Expo
What Tripod Do You Use?
6 Tips for Professional Looking Food Photography
How To Bring a Cinematic Look to a Small Budget Commercial, Part 2
Recent Comments
401 W. ONTARIO AVE., CHICAGO, 60654 USA
OFFICE
PHONE: 888.294.3456
FAX: 312.863.3455
RENTALS
PHONE: 312.863.3453
FAX: 312.377.3016
GET ENEWS & UPDATES
talk and talk!great!
Great content for sure. But the food? No one’s eating. It looks delicious. Eat up folks.
<img style=”cursor: pointer; float: left; padding: 0px; margin: 0px; border: 0px initial initial;” src=”http://ps.vimeo.com.s3.amazonaws.com/564/5641_75.jpg” title=”bob lorrimer”/>bob lorrimer 3 months ago DeleteThank-the-Lord, you made a decision NOT to eat!
Crisp white napery, HD, and brilliantly clean tulip glasses of ruby, red wine.
Good content too.
This is really good. Thanks guys.
The old model for viewing any content is radiply dying, and those who try to hold on to that old model will sink down with it. I can’t BELIEVE that some film makers can’t see what is coming ahead. The web will let you control your own destiny, brand, content, and any filmmaker that does not want to embrace that, really is not switched on in my book. Sure, still do regular freelance work for industry, but use that as a marketing tool to bring people to your own content.
Great content
With such gorgeous filmic images and sound its a pretty compelling argument. TV is history.
Wow this is a great idea, like dinner for five but for vimeo, aimed soley at filmmakers. Keep this up, for long as possible, thats all i can say….
Oh and way to go Philip, repping the UK!
We have webisodes all the way to 6 currently and webisode 7 comes out April 1st. Please subscribe.
Yep, i am just watchin ‘webisode’ 5 now, seriously, soo good, thanks again Steve and for sure i’ll subscribe
Yep, i am just watchin ‘webisode’ 5 now, seriously, soo good, thanks again Steve and for sure i’ll subscribe
NICE TOPIC!!..keep on working!
Thank you for all the interesting talking and advices.
This is fantastic. As a 45 year old wannabe I can appreciate the voices of experience here.
filmed like the reservoir dogs conversation, very cool
but i do recommend putting the interviewee’s name next to them so we know who each one is.
very smart!
I ran across the second webisode of filmfellas on Philip Bloom’s website before I found it on vimeo. I find that the context of the screen makes a big difference on how things “feel”. On Philip’s website it had a black background that made the video pop out. That is one of the things I like about finding things in Vimeo’s groups and channels as opposed to on peoples user pages. That being said, I think it is very important for “new media” creators to have control of the context that their projects are found in because it can either heighten the experience or detract from it.
As a side note, I have not been able to subscribe to FilmFellas on iTunes.
I’m in the process of fixing iTunes, thanks for pointing that out. If you watch the videos on our Vimeo channel, it has the nice black background you like: Zacutovideo.com orfilmfelllas.tv
Steve, Please make these first two webisodes (I like that word) available for download like you did the third one.
And finish your spaghetti.
Done Bret, they are all downloadable now.
That’s great! I really appreciate it, Steve.
Hopefully your vids will inspire me to get out and shoot some video with my new 5D Mark II.
In future segments I’d like to hear you guys talk about editing, particularly the type of editing we can do on our computers, rather than professional stuff that is out of range for most of us hobbyists.
Thanks again
This series has shed light on some of the areas I need to touch on. I haven’t had any formal education on anything related to film. Finding tutorials on the internet has provided the education to get everything going.
I’m lookin’ at you Steve Weiss. The internet is still a forum for quick ideas and jumping around. Going to the theater is an event you go to. They are still considered seperate.
There still aren’t 150 comments about this video like the guy assumes.
I think this is a must for all film student to watch. I see so many students at my school think that oh If I have a bachelors in film I can get a job anywhere. And its not the case because all anyone gives a rats ass is about your reel. Your demo reel determines what jobs you will get because it is visual proof of what you have learned and what you can do.
Interesting…
Fame as priority.
One thing I’ve noticed is that different internet casting sites will give you a different feedback experience. I can do a short creative piece that may not have the best script, but that may have a very artistic look. If I put it on YouTube, I’ve seen more people try to pull out every negative and be, for the most part, uneducated film critics. Where as if I put it on Vimeo, there’s more of a community of encouragement and support.
Also, web forums can be a huge place for feedback and education. I never went to school for film and video production. I went on forums and YouTube videos and tried to learn as much as I could. As I went out and started making shorts, I grew and eventually landed a job doing what I love. I’ve still got a long way to go, but a lot of it I can learn right here on the internet and apply it right away. Instead of sitting in a class room and getting one perspective, you can log online and get 20 different approaches in one night. Now I’m not saying a good education isn’t necessary or important, but the internet is providing opurtunities to people that possibly wouldn’t have them. If it wasn’t for forums, I wouldn’t know anything about DOF adapters, rail supports, matteboxes, etc. But after weeks and months of research, I feel I have a healthy understanding of indie film production.
I would like to see some talk about the fact that YouTube now has HD… Are many of we the die hard Vimeo users going to start being pulled towards Youtube because of the large numbers of viewers?
No Chris, I haven’t been able to achieve the same HD quality on YouTube, nor does it have this nice user interface like Vimeo has. Plus Vimeo is a more defined higher quality crowd then all of the yahoos on YouTube.
Steve, that makes a lot of sense, I would agree that YouTube vs. Vimeo at this point is about more than quality of the stream itself but about the quality of the people who watch your videos. I also enjoy the positive community aspect of Vimeo as opposed to the overwhelming amount of disrespect there is in the YouTube “community.” Now if only Vimeo had an iPhone app
I’m sure it’s coming, an iphone ap. Boy that would be great.
Nicely done and great content, looking forward to more!
Steve, thank you for creating this series and for your
comments here. I am in film school now (which I
started later in life than most) and while I learn the technical knowledge I have an eye on the future in regards to the sustainable income you mentioned. The topics you discuss are very relevent to conversations I have everyday. Like many others I would love to have a film on the big screen, but I would much rather go the indie route than get lost in the gears of the Hollywood machine. I look forward to hearing about the alternative business models you’ve mentioned and welcome your thoughts on various distribution channels.
On a side note…I had conversation today regarding the general frustration over TV networks canceling shows after a season or two despite being relatively popular. I would hope to see the internet become an atlernative to this process. There are a lot of good ideas and talent out there and it seems that there is only so much TV air time to go around.
Neil really good point. I have never thought about the idea of cancelled shows maybe finding a home on the internet or the reverse which I am promoting of starting shows on the interenet at a lower cost and then moving them to TV once proven. They have already invested a lot of money, why not try to recoup some of it. Good thinking and we’ll talk about this in future episodes.
the cost of tv shows is so prohibitive for internet only, until decent revenue avenues can be achieved. Hence the only thing we see so far are webisodes of big shows or low budget stuff…
Exactly Phil, many shows can be proved from web shows and then the production value could be upped if bought by television. Personally, I wouldn’t even bother, I don’t care where your gathering place (where people watch it) is. You need a multi pronged approach to your revenue stream. Targeted ads can only be on part of the revenue. You need to sell people who arrive at that garthering place things that they buy in real life. If it’s soap, or batteries it doesn’t matter. I know it sounds wacky. This concept works better with “edutainment” than movies. I’m working on it with Shiv. More on this in cast three.
Cool show!
I actually enjoyed seeing the Letus/Zeiss footage cut together with the raw HVX200 footage in the same lighting set-up. Maybe you can throw a Canon 5D mark II into the mix next time.
The naked HVXs were on the end of the lens in the far corners of the studio. Great set up they have there!
This is such an exciting time for anyone who wants to produce product and get it out there. I have been a cinematographer & director for a number of years now… mainly in television at the major studios in Los Angeles. In 1998 I got involved with my own HD feature and believe me it took so much $$ because all the post had to come out of Sony HD Center. I used up a lot of favors for equip etc…. but when all was said and done. I couldn’t get it distributed through normal channels. We won HDFEST 2001 and then the project sat on the shelf. Today… its a whole new ball game. Create your own distribution rules. Keep up the good work and I’ll be following the series.
This is such an exciting time for anyone who wants to produce product and get it out there. I have been a cinematographer & director for a number of years now… mainly in television at the major studios in Los Angeles. In 1998 I got involved with my own HD feature and believe me it took so much $$ because all the post had to come out of Sony HD Center. I used up a lot of favors for equip etc…. but when all was said and done. I couldn’t get it distributed through normal channels. We won HDFEST 2001 and then the project sat on the shelf. Today… its a whole new ball game. Create your own distribution rules. Keep up the good work and I’ll be following the series.
Steve, et al: thanks for conversation; it’s really useful to step back and speculate. And, perhaps time for me to review Thomas Kuhn’s 1962 treatise, “The Structure of Scientific Revolutions” in which Kuhn, a scientific historian, mused about the nature of paradigm shifts and the predictable, drawn-out process of design experiments, executing them and recording the results.
And, then sometimes… BAM! out of nowhere, a paradigm shift occurs! The theater vs. the living room vs. the computer/mobile device conversation exists inside of paradigm that we’re aware of, we can describe where things have been, and have some ability to speculate about where it’s going.
And, yet, we’re still stuck inside the existing paradigm. Predicting the next Google’s beyond our ken. Usually. But, not always.
Streamed, high-quality video is still trumped by bandwidth issues. I have a fast DSL connection and I saw a lot of transient delays while watching the webisode. I know that better codecs and more bandwidth are coming down the pike. But, it’s not there, yet.
Movies and TV aren’t going away. Sure, they’re morphing into something that we don’t fully get/embrace, but experimentation is the place to play. If you haven’t already, check out Late Fragment (www.latefragment.com) a Canadian Film Board feature that offers the viewer the ability to “cut” their own picture. That’s reinvention!
BTW, the webisode looks amazing. But, that cork in the wine bottle was, for me at least, a bit distracting. I kept wondering, “Are they not going to finish that red? What’s the matter with those guys?!”
Cheers!
oh the wine was finished!!
I’m of the same era as Steve, and in a smaller market taken much the same career path. I have to admit that maybe it’s because I’m older, have a family,etc., I have become absolutely agnostic in terms of delivery system. I have never had a viral video, but I get the feeling, I would feel the same if it was watched on youtube or vimeo or any other relatively non profit based outlet. It strokes the ego, but doesn’t necessarily pay a bill, unless it is used simply as your calling card for the next big thing. A theater, broadcast network, or corporate client ,on the other hand, is all about the profitability of your work.
This is where I think the industry has become very shizoid. You have tons of mostly young film makers out there experimenting, living the bohemian life, with very little care for the profitability, having the time of their life, and learning, and getting a lot of on-line accolades. On the other hand you have older guys who have been through the trenches trying to stay a step ahead of the 6 month industry cycle looking for the secret code of a business model.
Unfortunately, it just doesn’t seem as though short form programming will ever be a profitable venture on any delivery system. And, although there is an indie film industry, it is so only in name. I’m sorry, but when most indie films are costing 1-5 million, with a smattering of semi known actors, it’s no longer indie, as far as I’m concerned. Producers putting out that kind of investment are connected, and have a reasonable expectation/calculated risk for a healthy return.
In the end, I guess I still haven’t a clue how to turn internet based content into a profit center. Then again, I’m not in such bad company. After all, the Tribune, and most news outlets with all its brain trust can’t figure it out either.
Thanks Phil, great to see somone of my vintage out there. I too have a family and the key is SUSTAINABLE income. Your kids are funny like that they start expecting three meals a day.
My consistant message, work in production, get experience, make some money in film and video, better your craft, make any kind of entertainment, present it where ever someone will let you. Make a living with your camera gear to be able to afford to make your movie/show whatever.
Now we do have crazy outside the box business models for making money on the internet that we are going to be discussing in cast 3 which comes out before NAB. You won’t want to miss that.
Peace, Steve
First, I want to thank the filmmaker’s who wish to continue this dialog. Great stuff!
The debate is ongoing and is a personal one as well. Let’s face it the goal is still to get noticed and unless you are a trust fund baby with deep pockets you still need money/funding to do decent if not exceptional work on the web or otherwise. The percentage of projects, shows, music videos, documentaries etc, which have really benefited from posting on the web is small. One just has to sift through an ever-greater amount of bad content to get to the real nectar.
In addition, the web really is not paying anything, unless you are on one of the upper echelon web shows/ spinoffs. Even then, the “rate” is abysmal in comparison. It all comes down to number of hits and viability there after. By no means do I think that the Tila Tequila show is quality programming, but that how she made it on TV via the web.
SAG is dealing with this at present under the new media clause.
As a DP, I certainly want my work to be featured in the best possible way. The ASC has been fighting this for years. Traditionally, that’s been standardized 24 frame film projection.
Unfortunately, the quality on the web generally in lacking…it is getting better but overall lacking.
All this said, I believe the web will soon be the exclusive medium (for most) by which one’s project is viewed maybe not for 10 or 15 years, but we had better (including myself) embrace it.
Not to be overly dramatic about this topic but I see the whole world of entertainment and journalism as being in the midst of a revolution. The internet itself is very young 13 years or so I think- I’ll check with Al Gore… My point is that we just don’t know what changes it will go through to help clear up the various issues that many of us are currently wondering about. Let’s take the movie theater experience to start with. That experience has certain criteria- a large screen, High quality images, Surround sound and control of the environment to limit distractions. So right now the internet does not really satisfy those needs. But soon enough it could. Netflix and blockbuster both have digital boxes for downloading movies to be viewed in home theaters. Home theaters themselves are now pretty affordable if you have a little bit of extra room in your house/apartment. As for the revenue part, I don’t have the answer for that really but that should work itself out over time- it has to. The music industry is struggling with that but itunes makes money for artists even with file sharing readily available. So many films both short and long form come and go without being available to a large audience. The internet can certainly address that by giving many films accessibility and without a time limit. In the internets current form it would at least allow these films to get some notice even if they are not viewed in the ideal environment.
Many of the current commercial movie theaters don’t offer consistent high quality experiences when people do bother to go out to see a movie. While some people will always go to movie theaters I believe that many people will not continue to do that into the future. People have gotten used to controlling their theater experience at home. No rude people to deal with, no crappy sound quality and you can watch a movie at home any time it suits you. So could more film makers and television producers reach audiences through the internet but viewed in a home theater or a home television environment? My guess is that at some point in the next few years or so the internet will be seen on hdtv sets right along with cable and satellite television signals. I don’t think I am saying anything bold here that you all haven’t already considered but I am addressing the part of the discussion concerning the large vast internet audience verses the small movie theater only audience. I believe the forces of nature- i.e. financial realities, will decide which of those two worlds dominates going forward. I question the future viability of todays commercial movie theaters unless they are willing to go through technological changes to boost the experience for movie patrons.
Keep up the great webisodes, I look forward to the next one.
Internet Television is the future—expect to begin seeing more internet media broadcasts directly into televisions fairly soon.
The issue isn’t internet filmmaking as much as it’s reinventing the media distribution plat-form. In all, it’s an exciting time for everyone involved in media production.
Unfortunately, the key players who will miss out will be the ones who lack foresight into a more cost effective solution.
Man, you’re stuff travels like wildfire!!!
Just wondering, is anyone selling a Letus35?
What the internet has given us all is a place to showcase our work, get it seen, which before those days (I remember them!) you had to send out VHS tapes of your work. I haven’t done a showreel in two years, people go to my website or my vimeo page and see my work. There is an immediacy and an autonomy which is something very special.
I will be doing a third film competition very shortly where people have to make a short narrative film with no technical constraints, just content specifications. To mount something like this until now would be a logistical and expensive nightmare. Now it is simple to do and opens up filmmaking to people who until now would never have been able to take part.
The cost of cameras and edit gear of course is as integral to this revolution as the internet itself…
I missed the product placement on the wine. Just what brand were you guys on.
i like it…keep em coming..
For example, for TV, you often have people taping it for their own personal use (like, to watch it again). This means that releasing it on TV and then on a DVD isn’t that great an idea.
In the theatres, you have more focused viewers, meaning that you will have people coming into the theater and taping it for their own use as well as use for other people (pirating). This means that releasing to the theatres and then to a DVD is great (since the pirated version has a lower quality), but as you mentioned, there are a few downsides.
As for the internet, the main concern you’ll probably have is people taping it and then claiming that it’s their own, since on the internet you have viewers that are the least focused (i.e. just browsing around stuff).
Ad revenue on the internet shouldn’t be a problem if you know where to look (I believe YouTube has something kinda like that), so I don’t really see where that argument is coming from.
I’d also like to mention that YouTube only looks “terrible” if you don’t click the “watch in high quality” (or, if you exported it right, “watch in HD”) button. It does exist now, but it takes a long time to load due to YouTube’s ridiculous popularity nowadays.
).
I would consider Vimeo to be a more community-oriented site, where you can connect with a smaller number of viewers, and with people who are more focused (there’s that word again). As in, Vimeo is more in the direction of the theatres, except as far as I know, with no revenue of any sort.
This means that Vimeo is the best option in terms of people not stealing your video, but it’s not the best in terms of getting your video out there to millions of people and such (although the comments will undoubtedly be better on Vimeo
That’s just my view. Note that none of this is from experience, it’s just speculation.
-Hedge
VERY interesting. I just wish there was more… Oh well, I guess I’ll just have to wait :p
As for the discussion on distribution: I agree that different content best suits different venues. An epic narrative deserves a theatre with a focused audience, and the AV tech to do justice to the experience being created. That’s why people buy home theatres, or pay to go to the movies.
Something web-oriented like this still draws an audience in, but let’s be honest, would the experience benefit from being on the big screen in full surround sound? No… but the ability for me to instant message my friend with a link to this page, or subscribe to the feed on iTunes, is huge.
So, for me it depends on what you’re making. If you have something that doesn’t just tell a story, but immerses the viewer and creates an experience that won’t soon be forgotten, then a proper theatre is by all means the place to show it.
But if your goal is to simply entertain, or inform, then the theatre isn’t nessecary. In fact it might well be a hindrance. It doesn’t make sense to head down to the local multiplex to watch the news… if you just want to spread the word (whatever that word may be), the theatre setting is far to restrictive. Media like TV and the web bring the content to the audience, and that’s huge.
Great stuff guys…the future is understanding how to monetize our content online, those who have an “in” with the advertising world are at an advantage. Question is, how do we as indy producers get our hands into the pockets of the advertisers to sponsor our content. TV market is dying before our very eyes, larger budgets in television seem to only exist on the BBC, so whats the answer for the future of Web based content? Product placement maybe? Soon to see!
Greg, I love it, you are thinking. Yes you have to be a businessman and a filmmaker. We have some great ideas for indie folks like you to generate income. Some are way out crazy and some are not. Not every episode is going to deal with revenue. But our key idea is try to get your daytime job be in film and video so you are constantly improving your skills. I was in a production company for 20 years and made a great living doing mainly corporate videos, I learned a ton in the process. Keep watching we’ve got some amazing content coming.
My advice for any Filmmaker is work really hard writing interesting stories and good scripts. It is as simple as that. Don’t bother with what camera, what lens. And certainly don’t try and side-step everything by dreaming up ‘new-platforms’ that don’t exist. Just work hard at your film-making and you will make a film!
I almost understood all!!
And i agree with you fellas, viva Internet.
I`ll be specting the next webisodic.
Saludos desde Chile.
I’m hooked.
This is all well and good with the right intentions, but at the end of the day, I bet everyone sitting around that table is paid handsomely by the very industry they claim stifles their creativity. The desire to progress to bigger projects is normal for any filmmaker – the issue is (and always will be) HOW AM I GOING TO PAY MY PHONE BILL…FEED MY KIDS…FEED MYSELF EVEN…Making films is not a problem for most filmmakers these days – if they have the desire and will, they’ll do it. The only mystique the industry retains these days is through its cheque book.
This is all well and good with the right intentions, but at the end of the day, I bet everyone sitting around that table is paid handsomely by the very industry they claim stifles their creativity. The desire to progress to bigger projects is normal for any filmmaker – the issue is (and always will be) HOW AM I GOING TO PAY MY PHONE BILL…FEED MY KIDS…FEED MYSELF EVEN…Making films is not a problem for most filmmakers these days – if they have the desire and will, they’ll do it. The only mystique the industry retains these days is through its cheque book.
Lovely discussion. One point which I hope will come up in future episodes is that the quality of the film, whatever the medium, is essentially based on the quality and talent of the filmmaker.
In the end, I don’t see how you can say that there is a right or wrong place to show your work – they all have their pros and cons, but the true distinction between the films or clips published is the content itself.
Or so I hope.
I appreciated the conversation, although I wish it had been a bit more in-depth and lengthier–but I do have to say that the pacing of the editing was very distracting. The dolly shots were unnecessary and seemed just a showcase for the DOF lenses and slick glides. I would much rather just have a nice clean shot of who is speaking rather than such a fast pace of unnecessary cuts….But nonetheless I look forward to the rest of the series. You can always count on Vimeo for higher quality work.
Hey FilmFellas,
Great commentary.
I want to go on record as not trying to hurt people’s dreams, visions or stories. You need to do what makes you happy. If telling your story on the big screen is what you need to do, then do it.
I’m a businessman as well as a creative. I need to tell my story too. I just want to make a living doing it.
Many of you are asking for the business model for the web. Here it is. It’s ever changing. If I tell you a potential model today, it may need to be changed within 6 months. Don’t look at what people are doing now, look at what you think the future will be and try to make it happen.
When I started in production in 1980, I started doing weddings when nobody was doing them. The I shifted my model when weddings took off to POP Fashion Videos and talked people into doing those. Then shifted to corporate video and so on. It’s a giant chess match. In the 80’s a business model was good for 5 years. Today a model is good for 6 months.
You need to see the trends which we will talk about in future episodes and adapt them to fit you, your business model and content. Be as creative with your business model as with your actual work. The business part can be fun too. But as I always say, for it to work, everything has to be in place including the business model, timing, luck and as always content will be king. It has to be great not good.
Just like your movie, let’s look at this as an exciting adventure that you are playing to win. More to come. Steve
Jon,
I understand where you are coming from. But I think we need to realize that it’s a long shot to only plan on making films to only be played in theaters. It’s great if you can do it, no argument here. What I am saying is that a good business model is to make a living in production doing whatever you can, corporate, commercials, TV, weddings, whatever. This way you get experience and make lots of mistakes along the way that you won’t have to make on your feature. The next episode delves more into this. It is certainly a lot better to me then having a day job not in film/video business and then making and making a movie once a year. Try to do both, if possible. Of course, aesthetically, the theater is a nice place to present your movie. We all agree on that. But there is no shame in presenting on television, DVD or the web. Hell, if you can make a living creating any kind of imagery, you’re doing better than most.
Steve
I get where you are coming from, but the start of your comment seems to lean towards the idea that big screen fascination leads to less money. Like there is some ethereal quality to ‘big screen’ production.
There is no comparison to motion pictures and ANY of the above (Weddings, corporate, Pop videos, Web). You are mixing apples and oranges. These are 2 different industries that, certainly for me in Europe, rarely mix – when they do it’s……. MTV
which is like one giant promo wedding viral production. As many buzzwords as possible.
Functioning professionally within 6 month business models is not good! People still want to watch movies in the traditional sense. Look at the Harry Potter franchise. It is incomparable to Web, corporate, TV etc. It’s a whole different world.
You make money out of the big screen by having good scripts that are filled with people drama and are marketable within the motion picture screen. If your scipts, stories, directing, cinematography is good it will get noticed. If it’s only OK, then it won’t make it.
Jon,
I understand where you are coming from. But I think we need to realize that it’s a long shot to only plan on making films to only be played in theaters. It’s great if you can do it, no argument here. What I am saying is that a good business model is to make a living in production doing whatever you can, corporate, commercials, TV, weddings, whatever. This way you get experience and make lots of mistakes along the way that you won’t have to make on your feature. The next episode delves more into this. It is certainly a lot better to me then having a day job not in film/video business and then making and making a movie once a year. Try to do both, if possible. Of course, aesthetically, the theater is a nice place to present your movie. We all agree on that. But there is no shame in presenting on television, DVD or the web. Hell, if you can make a living creating any kind of imagery, you’re doing better than most.
Steve
As a young aspiring filmmaker, I am truly inspired by your video. I too want to live the dream…
I think web-based content will certainly be the way to go in the near-future, but, as some have already said, the idea of having your film playing on the big screen, even with an audience of 1000 people, is something I’m really looking forward to.
But I’ll certainly start with a simple web-series or some shorts that I’ll post online just to get my stuff out there.
good stuff…
Wow, small world as I’ve had these same discussions with my group of creative colleagues. Looking forward to future installments and what I am able to take from these and apply going forward.
Very interesting guys. However, the food must have been TERRIBLE! Looking forward to future webisodes though.
my mum told me never to talk with my mouth full
I think the internet has opened up a lot of great ways to get content shown. Yes at first I was a little against it, weather it be someone taking my ideas or just being not a pristine way of showing content, but that has now changed. I’ve lived in Hollywood for a year and a haft now and I’ve been making movies since I was a kid. I want the theater system to stay alive. The internet will never be the same as watching a show with hundreds of people and all being on the same wave link. When chemistry like that takes effect it’s unlike. That’s the only reason traditional theatre still operates in an age where everything is not that, because there is nothing quite like watching a live performance in its own world and with many others at the same time. Like conventional theatre, the movie theater has its own world. However mostly due to good quality video and the technologies that are making viewing on the internet more pleasurable I’ve been opening up to it way more. I think the biggest thing is that it’s a great tool and from my perspective I want people to know about me and I’m a filmmaker.
Thanks fellas! This will be followed. …And thanks again Phillip. Two out of two. Damnit, sleep is annoying.
itunes will be active this week. We just released on the 1st and with the holidays, itunes comes next.
Great show, I love how video is getting professional online. With a show like this you guys are true pioneers.
I can’t wait for the next episodes, and YEAH you’re on iTunes!! Good job, it shows you know what you’re doing.
Subscribing NOW.
[edit]
I don’t get any hits in iTunes on ‘filmfellas’ or ‘zacuto’. I’m allready subscribed here on Vimeo, but I would appreciate it if you would supply an iTunes link when it’s on there.
Fascinating. I keep an eye on this space.
From BanDfilms – I can see a curious spectrum of film makers. The chumps like me who don’t try to make any money and chumps like you guys who are in it up to your elbows and feel you have to profit to continue. Forces tugging in both directions.
Right at the end you all laugh at Steven, I thought that was funny. I really liked this video though, being and indie filmmaker. Even though most of it was about distribution, and getting your film seen (both of which I don’t really care about. I just make the movies because I enjoy it), I still liked the conversations. The information given was great even if it doesn’t directly effect me. Good job you guys
Wow, nice movie! I’m actually feeling like ‘I want to participate in that discussion’!
Iv been on the internet since the mid 90s. So I have grown up with it. Its only now that the quality of video online is good enough. The internet provides far more opportunities for people to know about and see your films. you just have to be a bit smart.
I own a ton of DVD from around the world, that if it was not for the Web i would have never heard of.
Making a good film is the goal never mind what medium its on. The film industry has to adapt just as the music industry has too. There are far more options then the big hollywood movie. which become out of date very fast. I remember it used to be almost a year before films whent from Cinema to VHS Tape. Now people are consuming things at a faster rate.
If you want to make films for young people you have to realize that you need a more multi-targeted approach. Cinema is only one part of it. The internet is on not just on your Laptop, its on your Playstation, your phone, your car…everything. It all depends on who your targeting.
Mo matter what type of film your making there is always demand for it. You just have to know the people who want to see it. And no where is better for that then the internet. marketing, distribution, promotions, feedback, its all available for filmmakers online.
good stuff gentlemen. It raw talk about working in the industry. Very much like dinner for five. Its great t here different opinions and thoughts of people who are working in the industry. Keep it up. You should defiantly make it a longer discussion 7 17 really is much to shot, let us get in to it before cutting us off next time
Jim, please dont take this the wrong way but cameras are kind of irrelovent to the concept of how to get indie filmmaking to any size screen and make a profit doing it. Picture quality is not why so many indie makers are having a hard time. And my show is really not a gear based show, it’s more summed up by how to make a living creating entertainment, no matter where it is screened. I don’t really know much about these new RED cameras but unless Mr. Jennard can start funding programming it’s not going to matter much when we get saturated with REDS and have no money to shoot with them. Income is the key.
The most important thing that struck me after watching this interesting discussion is something about the physical ‘medium’ of cinema. Cinema is ‘cinema’ because it has been created by years of filmmaking…. for the theatre. This is the key point for me.
Movies are made for the screen size – Panaflex lenses come in different focal legnths than are normally available. They come in 38mm, 62mm, 103mm for example, specifically for a large theatre screen. Giving the director chance to harness different shot sizes, specifically suited to the big screen , to tell his/her story.
Just shooting stories and presenting it in moving images is not Cinema. Saving Private Ryan has not been made for YouTube, but for 35mm projection, in the dark, with sound wizzing around your head, bullets from the back. That is part of the story telling – the whole concept of deciding to utilise the theatre space is part of Cinema!
I just feel that any web-based moving image story telling will be different in style to anything we have seen before, specifically designed to represent the way we will be watching it.
Just like lenses and aspect ratios, and even styles of film-making have over the years been designed and altered to augment the theatre experience a new technology and story-telling style will emerge to exist on the web.
I look forward to the other clips
It’s curious. I’d read a few hours ago what you’ve said here about how images, sound, all that goes into the production of a piece, should fit the means of presentation, and I wanted to say emphatically how much I agreed with you. And then I thought: who am I with my dinky Photostories to stick my two cents in. And miracle of miracles, I saw your “Like” on my September 12 piece–just the one I had in mind when I said to myself that I’d tried to adhere to your dictum–and I said to myself that I’m going to tell this guy that I think he’s got it right.
“I just feel that any web-based moving image story telling will be different in style to anything we have seen before, specifically designed to represent the way we will be watching it.”
That’s the key. Thanks, Jonathan, for articulating it so well–and thanks for your appreciation of my clip.
Jon/Ray,
I would love to make a picture and have it play in a theater too. I can dig what you are saying about lenses, cinema and that. Hell, I come from releaseing on SD VHS and trying to get that to look good. That really sucked. There was no 24p, no 16×9, no gamma that looks like film, no DOF adapter. I guess my coming from that is what makes me so excited about what I can create on the internet. I watch all kinds of things on the interent and they look and feel amazing. The internet gives you an immediate international release. You can keep the content the way you like it. Yes, the theater is the best, but the internet is better then what I had and it’s going to get better every day.
I promise we will eat more next time. That was the idea but it’s kind of hard to eat and talk when the shots are so CU. The food was all prepared by chef Joe Dugan and was excellent. The next casts menu will be spaghetti, salad, salmon and soup
I had just come from lunch at a BBQ restaurant so that was my excuse for not eating the food. It did look pretty awesome though..
really great guys, you should discuss the new red releases and what that means for independent cinema in a declining economy. Will Indie be the new hollywood, now that people have become bored with the films we’re forcefed nowadays. Will the accessibility of these new cinematic quality cameras pull aside the curtain of Hollywood? Obviously, being a redman, I believe it will.
Brilliant discussion, I applaud you. I’ve been looking for a podcast akin to discussions like these, and I’m glad I stumbled across FilmFellas.
And I’m sure I’m looking far too into this, but I noticed nobody ate anything. I think someone may have taken a swig of wine, but your meals remained pleasantly untouched. Shame really, it looks delicious.
Love it! Brilliant stuff.. But come on. 6-7 minutes? It’s ridiculously short. Just as I start getting into it it’s over. You have be hooked and then leave me hanging.
Keep up the good work fellas. But please make them longer..
very cool. i agree with Collin, this is exactly what I have been talking about with my comrades lately and it is incredibly interesting to see intelligent gentleman talking about the same topics.
I gotta get more toys…..
I could watch you fellows talk all day. These are conversations I’m having with my friends and I’m fascinated by them. Thanks for the video.
wow, excellent job, i love the chill attitude with serious conversations. The 5 HVX200s made this quite nice to watch as well
5 HVX200′s, one of them on a dolly with a Letus Elite and Zeiss ZF 35mm prime.
what was this shot on?
To answer the question about where I would want my stuff seen; nothing beats a huge screen in a theater (even if its just me and a few crew watching).
The way my young mind sees it; there are two kinds of content you can make, the kind that makes money and the kind that needs to be made, sometimes they overlap but often they don’t. I know how to distribute content for free on the internet, but what is the model for making money?
Hunter, we are not saying which way is right way (theater, TV or internet), we are all just speaking to how we feel and the experiences we’ve had. There are many ways to make money with your video camera. You have to decide what it is you want. There is no one model for making money on the internet. Keep watching, we are going to be talking about some of these models in upcoming episodes. All of my guests have been great in really getting to heart of 21st Century “Indie Entertainment” marketing in every venue possible. Try to keep an open mind, realizing there are many paths to both indie financial success whilst keeping you integrity. Content is still and always king.
very very cool and interesting discussion.
Hi Steve (& the rest of the Zacuto Guys)!
It’s Jack Waldenmaier over at The Music Bakery.
As I said, I absolutely LOVE the look of your video.
Can’t wait to see it with my music.
Although, I like this in-the-raw version too!
My best to you, Steve!
-Jack
musicbakery.com
Really? I believed everything he said
That Bloom fella doesn’t know what he is talking about!
Really? I believed everything he said.
Agreed. He didn’t even have the courtesy to turn off his English accent when talking to Americans!
I hear he knows a thing or two about 35mm lens adapters though
Oh Philip. Perhaps you’d be more convincing if you had a monocle or a giant afro? I’m glad you got the chance to be in this series!
Bloom where did you study?
I think that English chap is pretty smart
You know, I really love this show. I think Steve is great. And I really want to like it even more. But something is stopping me falling in love with it. Being a huge fan. Why?
I have told other filmmakers about it, and a LOT of them have came back with “lots of wanks on it”. More or less those wordss.
Well, I like to try and articulate a little more than that whats the problem for me.
I guess it’s the insecurity that seems to be coming through in some people, maybe because they go on the defensive because they don’t make feature films.
No matter what anybody says, there is that divide. Movie Makers can dismiss corp video makers, weddings, viral vids. But equaly, corp video makers also diss movie makers! And I think that is why a lot of movie makers don’t like the show.
I guess its that bullshit that spoils the whole show for me. I can appreciate EVERYBODY for what they do, but I can’t go the insecurity. It comes through, and spoils the show for me. I will continue to watch and plug it though.
cheers
David
Like watching your series, but boy oh boy, some of the dudes on this show are so pretentious and have got it so wrong!
The only dude I liked is Steve Weiss
oh man, really, i love everything you guys are saying. as a fresh, early graduate of film school (where production outside of courses was DISCOURAGED), i can say my work was better than other students because i had been doing video production since i was in jr. high and still made anything i could outside of the classroom. to further bring the point home: nothing on my reel is from class projects. we weren’t even encouraged to make a reel. it was all pretty surreal and ridiculous, ha. but after having such a frustrating time in film school (which i believe many people DO need), it is nice to hear comments from people actually working in the industry. so thanks again!
Ok these are too short! Once I start getting drawn in it’s over..owell, I love the webisodes!
Great video
Love it
Thanks for using less dolly the second video
It got to be a little much on the first one
nice. looking forward for episode 3.
Dan, you remind me of a young ambitious kid in the early 1980′s. Here a fun story along these lines. My producer and I were doing fashion videos (to be precise: 9 projector multi-image slide shows) for Christian Dior. Before video projection many companies opted for multi-image slide shows for projection at runway shows and conventions. The were very cool you could do effects and it was all automated to a click track on the soundtrack. Sounds primitive, but the resolution was “FILM” and fashion companies didn’t like how the garments looked on video. I’m going to try to find one of these shows that we transferred to video and post it on vimeo.
So we originally sold Christian Dior’s mens suits on doing this cool kind of 1940′s film Noir look, because that was the look of the line that year. After a year of doing shows for them they told us they wanted to have a more hip modern feel for their line, so we were cool with that. But the head designer said they wanted to hire some young guys to do it instead. I was like, “I am a young guy”, being 25 years old, but was perceived as the dude in the 1940′s. So you are correct, age is not really what I should have said. Experience will be my new word.
you need to let bloom and the younger guy talk more … also – highly disagree with the whole “i need to work with someone that’s over 35″ … how much sense does that make? with new technologies/internet/along with jobs being ALL over the place now a days, you would almost think that the younger guys are more ahead of the curve than the old school guys. i’m 25, shot 35mm, 16mm, RED, and every digital camera under the sun … would you not work with me because of my age? here’s my reel: dandobi.com/reel-sizzle.mov
am not old school Dan but am over 35!!
hah – that specific comment wasn’t directed at you : )
Actually, Dan I was the one that made that comment. But I may have to recant it after watching your work. You are definitely a shooter and yes, I would love to work with you. I was trying to make a point, although sometimes I tend to go overboard. The point being that experience is important. I’m 46 years old and literally never had the options to make a movie in the 1980’s and 90’s. A bit jealous of you younger folks but also trying to make a point. A lot of young filmmakers are shooting films which don’t really give you daily experience of shooting, editing, etc. The point is get out and do other things along with your films and try to earn your total living with whatever kind of film/video work you can get. This to me is far superior to working a day job and making a movie once a year. Thank you for allowing me to clarify. I hope you can hang in there, we go to some crazier places in the upcoming webisodes
Steve – all good my man! i totally respect you along with this series, i think it’s great & am looking forward to future episodes … i might have come off a little rude earlier, so i apologize if what i said came off snappy. Because of age, i feel some people “put you in a box” and it’s a stereotype that i hope one day will shatter, but to your credit, age = experience … (or number of years working we should say)
it’s often that with first time clients, i’ll purposely push BACK face to face meetings until i get a deposit because when people see a young face, their first reaction is “whoa, he’s a kid”. I get that, I’m not dumb, it’s part of the game. i think what you guys said it best in this episode “let me see your reel” is really what should count regardless of age, resume, school, etc.
Reel is everything. I think we agree on that! Please keep these videos going … looking forward to more!
VERY respectively,
dd
We are living in SUCH an exciting time, sites like this and exposure room and even HD youtube are giving creative people outlets to have their work shown. Embrace it and spend your free time making stuff. You’ll only get better and better. Exposure room comments are generally more critical, but sometimes you get good constructive criticism here too and that is so important.
Another fun informative episode. I love your comments about experience and/with age (not hiring a DP under 35). I do have to say I wish I had the chutzpa like these young people starting out. As I did when everything was new and fresh. I bring enthusiasm to the job but, I’m not out there trying new things everyday like the newbies . Responsibilities!
Steve,
Another fun informative episode. I love your comments about experience and/with age (not hiring a DP under 35). I do have to say I wish I had the chutzpa like these young people starting out. As I did when everything was new and fresh. I bring enthusiasm to the job but, I’m not out there trying new things everyday like the newbies . Responsibilities!
Great Stuff
One overhead softbox with a 1 foot duvotine lip hanging down to contain the light falloff. The white table cloth helps a lot with bounce to fill in faces.
A lighting question: How did you light your stage for the webisodes? China Balls?
These are really gaining momentum. I’m a vet of the business and really into these webisodes. Like most, I really liked the comments regarding school. As someone who currently also works part time in the collegiate ranks, I can really relate. Unfortunately, I think too many students think that by having the tools at hand they are professional. As Dirty Harry said, “A man’s got to know his limitations”. Exactly as you guys pointed out, the newbies have years of mistakes to make before they are really ready. When they learn to embrace that, they will gain a lot of respect from other pros.
great video, i go to a film school “Five towns college” on long island and its a 4 year bfa degree. I do lik eit alot becouse it gives me good head on how to approach certain things and as well as have a huge selection of equitment for my use almost whenever. One thing that is prob the biggest plus to a film school is the ability to use equitment such as sr3 16mm film cameras and expensive gear and lightning one normally would not be able to use and learn properly hands on at the age of 18. you guys made alot of great points to the video good job!
John, definitely. I think the most important thing, film school or not, is that you have to physically get your hands on equipment, get out there and keep shooting. The barrier to entry is getting smaller as far as camera costs are concerned, however it is still a significant amount to shoot with equipment close to what the pros are using today. If its school, a friend, interning, volunteering whatever way is available that lets you get some hands on time with experienced people is, in my opinion, a viable avenue.
Thanks Steve. I agree with you 100%. If you can get it use it!
Same here. I am hooked. From Mr Bloom’s experience on wedding videos and doing 3 and calling it quits, to realizing that these conversations are close to same that I am having with my mentors and peers. Thanks to all of you.
<img style=”cursor: pointer; float: left; padding: 0px; margin: 0px; border: 0px initial initial;” src=”http://assets.vimeo.com/portraits/defaults/d.75.jpg” title=”Alan Bradley”/>Alan Bradley 11 months ago DeleteO.K., I’m hooked. I am seriously bummed when it ends. Now I’m waiting for the next one.
nice webseries. only, are they ever gonna eat that food in front of them!? I say either let them eat or start shooting it after theyve eaten… ie, they still drink wine but have empty plates.
Yes, funny about the food. When we shot these episodes everyone was so enthralled with each other that I don’t think anyone ever realized there was food.
Starting with webisode 5 most of the NEW cast wolfed the food down before we even started, they showed up hungry and thought we were really having lunch.
We tested it and it’s kind of gross seeing people shot in a CU and watching and hearing them eat food. The food is kind of pretty to look at, so having it all missing would lose something.
OK, in a nutshell here it is. Yes, we have 5 cameras, they all have operators, 4 cameras are stationed in or around the four corners of our stage, then we have a dolly on track wrapping around the table and chairs. The tricky part is the dolly can be blocking one or two cameras at any one time, so you need to have a good reaction shots to cut to. We roll all of the cameras once and I clap my hands for a sync point. All of the cameras are put into Final Cut and aligned to the sync point. The editor edits the show carving the stories from what is said. When we finish the dialogue bed the you can literally switch the show live with the multi-cut feature in Final Cut picking the shots that are best for each particular moment. The interesting thing is that every shot, every reaction you see is really what happened at that moment.
Can you provide any insight on how you make these videos? My company has been asking me to shoot round table discussions for months. How many cameras are you using? Do they all have operators? Are you using a dolly track for the moving wide shots? BTW, I like the black background compared to some of your older round table videos. Nice not seeing the cameras anymore.
O, the internet…it’s defiantly changing the medium in so many ways.
As for the learning curves, I agree, there’s always much to learn. However, since time is money, the trick is to find out first what you’re good at, and then exploit your talents.
For instance, I am learning that hiring might be a wiser solution—may take a bit of humility, but it’s worth it. Let’s face it…there are just some people that are more gifted in what they do, plus, it can give you more time to focus on what you do best.
There is so much to learn, I really am learning every day. Almost 20 years after I turned pro. Watch and learn whenever you get the opportunity, offer your services for free as an assistant. The rewards are often far more valuable than being paid!!!
The other thing is just keep shooting. I have started another little film comp to get people off of their backsides. Zacuto have kindly offered to co-sponsor it. Go to my websitephilipbloom.co.uk to learn more. It’s a lot more fun than sitting on the net watching other peoples’ work!
Yes….I agree with Phil offer your services for free it really works you can learn so much. I can vouch for this and immerse yourself in films, read, watch, learn, and dissect films by people that inspire you. Learn techniques from books, courses everything, and join Philip’s competition…and use the internet as it’s free, and it’s great for exposure. and then you can build yourself look at what I am doing londonmarkfilms.com I am changing my life after many years in business to something I truly love and enjoy.
Fantastic episode!
I’m currently in film school but I feel that I learn a lot more from doing my own stuff. This course has been a great experience and I’ve been learning a lot about the History of film, film theory, etc. But everytime I film a short video with my friends, I feel like I learn so much more. This “trial and error” process has been a lot more useful than a whole year of film school.
I still plan on doing a 1 or 2-year filmmaking course just to learn more about lighting, editing, etc.
This made my hair rise all over my body (in a good way!) and my heart skipped a beat when you said you don’t care for film school degrees (once again, in a good way).
This may sound stupid, but basically this confirmed I’m on the right track. I’m writing, shooting, testing, editing, tweaking, practising on a daily basis and just learning my own ass off. And uploading everything from the little tests to full short film productions for critiques.
Well and the production of this series is just excellent, this is such a pleasure to watch. I’m sure I’m not the only one who’d love to see a making off of this.
I’m especially wondering how you did the lighting, the absolutely black background is so wonderfull.
Only one negative thing, I can’t believe you’re putting these eps out in such a slow pace. Is that because of the time it takes to edit them, or are you just trying to torture me?
Oh and again, no eating?
Robert, thank you for your support. Yes, the editing is a pretty serious endeavor and our editor George Patey is taking an hour and 15 minutes worth of footage and cutting it down to 4 webisodes. It really takes a couple of days to finish one webisode and he is a pretty in demand fella. Last week we shot Cast two, it’s going to be riveting. People said things I never thought they would say. Stay tuned. You can see a behind the scenes photo here: zacuto.blogspot.com/
Ok thanks.
I’m definitely staying tuned. And since I found the show on iTunes now I will even receive it on my iPhone, may I miss it in my Vimeo-subscriptions. (Which I find very unlikely.)
Keep up the good work!
pleased to hear you are out there DOING it. It’s totally the way I believe. Keep at it!! Phil
Nice! Thanks!
Love this,
I am suffering through a film theory class right now at UCSB, not liking it… too much Karl Marx and not enough Groucho Marx… if you know what I mean.
GREAT Video Steve. I’m excited to see where FilmFellas is developing and heading. I can’t wait for Cast Two and for the next Cast One episode.
Some interesting points made there! from what I can see it seems there is a bubble (online) of these people who are obsessed with what people are shooting with rather then what they are actually shooting..
You guys are a lot of inspiration to me. Some of my teachers and friends get on my case because I can’t afford the most expensive equipment (I use Sony Vegas and an HV30). I’m trying to make a lot of videos with my cheap equipment to show people that quality comes from the filmmaker and not all about the technical aspect of their camera. Thanks for keeping my rhythm going. I really appreciate! You guys are really a big inspiration to me, and I thank you again, haha. Take care. -Matt
I’m gonna start a ‘Film Discussion Dinner Series’ in my area
I just wanna say thanks for making these downloadable. I’m renaming them mp4′s and throwing them on the PS3 and watching them on my Sony Bravia where they look great!
Great episode guys. I do agree that sometimes it’s a good idea to invest in better gear up front (mainly a good camera) so you can learn on that gear. It’s like the difference between learning to edit on iMovie vs Final Cut. Yeah you can do it, but no one will hire you to edit something on iMovie
<img style=”cursor: pointer; float: left; padding: 0px; margin: 0px; border: 0px initial initial;” src=”http://images.vimeo.com/11/53/47/115347760/115347760_75.jpg” title=”Tony Reale”/>Tony Reale Great episode guys. I do agree that sometimes it’s a good idea to invest in better gear up front (mainly a good camera) so you can learn on that gear. It’s like the difference between learning to edit on iMovie vs Final Cut. Yeah you can do it, but no one will hire you to edit something on iMovie.
I enjoy the series immensely. I have been working in film and broadcast for 10 years and have decided to go get my MFA to teach. For me I learn best through teaching…any advice Peter?
Hey Steve, thanks for making this episode available for download. Can you make the first two installments available as well?
Guys, thanks for a very informative series. I’d love to know your lighting setup for the guys around the table; very simple yet effective.
one soft box with siders directly above the table. The white table cloth helps fill in as well. That’s it.
Great series guys. I look forward to each webisode.
Why aren’t these available for download?
I like to download clips and watch them on my TV (via WD’s cool little WD HD unit), rather than on the computer.
smart guys.
I love this series.
Reminds me of Dinner for Five.
Wish I had a group of filmmaking buddies I could hang out with taking about filmmaking.
Start Taking Ryan, that’s what we are all doing here hanging out and talking about filmmaking.
Yeah, but I mean talk face to face. It is fun to talk online about it and give each other feedback, but it’s so much more fun when you can actually sit down with that person and talk about filmmaking while having a beer
Agreed but is there on topic you’d like to discuss and where are you from?
is what on topic?
Sorry, Is their a topic you would like to discuss?
Oh, no, not at the moment…. I am very opinionated.. especially when it comes to filmmaking and so if I hear, or read a conversation that I can contribute to then I’ll chime in…. if you have anything you want to discuss then feel free to contact me…..
I think a great topic for your next FilmFellas would be about Film School and why someone should, or shouldn’t go to one…. I already have an opinion, I just think it’d be cool to hear your guys’ views.
Schools was really the topic of webisode 2:vimeo.com/2831148
Oh, I don’t remember that…. Maybe I skipped two on accident after 1 and went straight to three…..
Very true
great advice, it’s cool to see that you guys actually care that your equipment is used in the best ways possible and for the right reasons.
Very true
there is a lot of junk
you don’t need stuff to make you films look good
You are correct – give them good stuff, they come back!
Give them garbage, they go away.
REMEMBER:
Take care of the client and the money will follow
Great discussion!
Love this series, hopefully you guys keep making them.
Thank you for sharing this! As an eighteen year old filmmaker, it is very inspiring to hear the fantastic topics discussed from such a great panel. I really hope you continue to shine a light on this next generation of filmmaking with more web episodes in the future!
Hi Steve, thanks for sharing this. It’s a great series this and so much wise words which I wish were around when I decided to start. However Philip steered me in the right direction through his support and very kind advice.
My production ‘Behind the Night’ was weeks of pre-production planning on scripts, actors auditions, scouting locations, agreements and permissions to film. You are right on the money when you say that a lot of time and effort goes into telling a story. Not to mentioned storyboarding, a plan of shots, lighting. For me the production before hand is everything.
Today it is so easy to go out and shoot but with a little planning you can create a fantastic production that other people can relate too. Then not forgetting everything can be made so much better in the editing process but if you don’t have the right take and shots it doesn’t matter and you will never make it any better.
So well done in what I can say is truly very good words of advice for all those budding filmmakers. Listen up everyone out there because these guys are giving away invaluable advice for free.
Best wishes
Mark
londonmarkfilms.com
Mark, it’s amazing what you are doing. Giving up a v successful career to pursue your dreams. You are incredibly passionate about it and am certain you will make it.
Thanks Phil
And I was just going to buy thousands of dollars worth of Zacuto gear! I better refocus…
Thanks for this series. All great stuff.
bravo. thanks for the series.
I couldn’t agree more!
Cinema is interesting in that, similar to music, it dynamically shifts between art and entertainment. Hollywood delivers both types of films, and the best films are a mixture of both. Inevitably, strong story and performance will prevail as they always have.
Great discussion!
i like the shoutout in this!!!!
Another great episode. It would be great if actors held their DPs with the same regard…Mr. Bale…
Yeah, really. The DP should have walked and said you shoot the scene Batman.
Indeed he should….. i also recall Mr. Bale making 20 million for the terminator. As well as beating his mother and sister. honestly i don’t even know what to say about this guy.
FANTASTIC EPISODE once again btw guys i really appreciate people putting up conversations that i love talking about!.
I think i am gonna start cooking up a pasta dish when viewing these hah
seems like all that shouting on terminator has apparently amounted to nothing, I’ve yet to see the film yet.
Steve this is a great episode, for me, its amazing to hear you guys talking this stuff. I’m 25 and working in a lot of live music but moving into film soon. I hope I can build the same grounding as you guys.
Really great stuff! Can’t wait for the cast two…
BTW Boogie Nights is definitely one of the greatest movies i’ve seen.
I agree on Boogie Nights it’s hightly under-rated. It has a lot of innovative camerawork and editing. But I’m also a huge fan of the Original “Planet of the Apes” Franklin Shaffner’s masterpiece. Unbelievable direction, camerawork, music, editing and concept.
Well… being a huge SciFi fan i must CONFESS i haven’t seen it yet, but i will certainly correct that soon.
Also speaking about SciFi and innovative camerawork and editing, my personal favourite is new Battlestar Galactica – i fell in love with it from the first episode i saw.
in my top 3 that one Steve
thanks for sending the recommend, I wouldn’t have known when this was out otherwise, keep em coming!
-zack
Absolutely terrific discussion!
I don’t agree that there has to be any heated arguing on a set before a good film is made. That being said, my favorite director is Terry Gilliam and every film he’s ever done is a battle, tooth and nail, with his producers. His DP though, usually never has to even have dialog with Terry. They have an almost telepathic relationship. The Director’s DP has to be (the way I see it) pretty much of the same mind as the director, but for checks and balance, or crossing T’s and dotting I’s.
I have a different take on creating your own style too. The way I see it, it is impossible not to have your own style, even if you were to blatantly try and be like somebody. Every director is ultimately TRAPPED in his own creativity. The best thing to do as a director is to do what inspires you, and not be afraid to be influenced by other great directors. Like I said, you’ll end up with your own look no matter what anyhow.
You guys are letting your food get cold…..
Man, I was watchin this with my kids around and Steve drops an F Bomb! Jens must bring out the best in ya..
haha
Ohhh. Sorry about that Brad. I didn’t think kids might be watching. I’m a Dad and I wouldn’t like that either. Very sorry, I’ll clean it up in the future.
hahahaha Steve, it’s ok man. She didn’t even notice. Daddy was just “watching a boring video on the Playstation again” in her eyes I’m sure.
Just playful harassment!
I am finding just now that I’m getting into videography/cinematography that I’m appreciating older films and even new ones coming down the line. I may not always agree with the CONTENT of the movie, but every other aspect is now heavily appreciated. I watch things will a whole new perspective now.
another great entry into this. and whenever people say ‘develop your own style’ i always think of Wes Anderson. he totally makes his own movies and that’s what will make or break the audience about to watch the film.
also, PTA and Boogie Nights are the shit.
Steve, Phil and all,
some very interesting points are raised here in this discussion. Steve is right to say that you must have you own style and to be type casted this is born out of your approach to framing, camera angles, building and telling the story. Irrespective of influences and styles from your favourite Directors or DP’s you will always film it your way. My homage to Philip, Richmond Lock vimeo.com/871713 was inspired by the location and his choice of framing in his original concept of the same name. Yet despite this my style comes through in my short.
Philip is also right it doesn’t always have to be dialogue to be classed as a film, many examples exists who can forget Sergio Leone ‘Once Upon Time in the West’ the opening scenes! The themes and motifs created visually yet so descriptive and speaking volumes.
Working as I do currently, I approach this in two ways directing, a very collaborative approach all cross board taking ideas and creative input from actors and crew. Second when communicating isn’t enough and those around you don’t understand the vision means a very driven approach keeping integrity to the concept.
Today we as Directors also need be aware of the entire process, editing, filming, directing, sound and lighting. Only then can we truly achieve our visions in the best possible way. Knowing your limitations of what is, and is not possible, makes for a more realistic project with higher production values. Why? Because you have approached this being aware of what will be required to make something good, ultimately translating and transcending your message on screen and to the audience.
A great series Steve, one I think you should be proud of.
Best wishes
Mark
londonmarkfilms.com
I agree with the idea of least amount of dialogue as possible for short and some feature films.
When a film of any type can symbolize and tell a story with the shots used rather than the words, i think is film telling way that can be really cool.
What camera was used for this?
5 HVX200a’s and 1 HPX170 on a dolly with a Letus Elite and Zeiss ZF 35mm lens
Why so many camera’s?
Only way to get 4 clean singles, also one cutaway camera, one dolly camera.
actually thinking about it I thought we only had 5 cameras. the four singles and the dolly…
you’re right, Phil. I forgot, we added the 6th camera for cast two. We shot cast two a while ago and I mixed the two shoots up. I’m getting old.
Wow! You can do in with 3 cameras but a lot of editing.
My favourite episode. Just worried that the director i talked about will see this! whoops! Never yack on camera after a few glasses of wine!
Hey! You’re talking about me. Just kidding. Hear you about being careful what you say on film though
I hope you are better now than when I worked with you last time Ed
am almost certain one person I mentioned has seen this and it upset with me…I never could take my booze!
I can’t wait to see what the next cast has to bring to the table (no pun intended).
am sure the quality will dip
i love this webisode, you guys are genius
I enjoyed this series very much! I can relate a lot to Philips upbringing in the business.. I started in TV news as an editor.. then sound tech.. and worked my way up into shooting (as they called it back then) in TV news. I can also relate to Philips comments about not being able to afford personal gear back in the day.. My avatar is a picture of me back in 86/87 with an Ikegami 79D.. there was no way I could think to afford this camera in it’s day. I remember the ike 79E was known as the $100K camera! and it had to be connected to a seperate 3/4″ tape deck.. that was state of the art back then!
I still shoot today (at that same network I started at in 1983)..
using either BetaSX or XDCAM.. both gorgeous cameras in their own rights..
I am purchasing a little Canon HV30 to play around with on my own after looking at the videos that little $500. camera produces! it’s amazing!
It’s easy to imagine the possiblities..
People like Mr. Blooms make videography look easy. But study the texture of his shots.. the color.. the composition.. the seamless flow and pace of the editing..
did you notice he uses hard cuts rather than dissolves or transition effects? this is the sign of an experienced shooter/editor (sorry if the term ‘shooter’ offends)
I really liked the point made about a 16 year old kid wants to spend 10,000L on gear and thinks that makes him a DP..
My suggestion would be to use that money to learn the craft hands-on.. get a job in a small shop and make the ‘rookie mistakes’.. become consistant.. learn how to operate their camera.. then learn to become a photographer.. then put the two together..
Then.. learn about audio..
then learn about lighting..
then learn about background..
foreground..
lighting background/foreground..
how to use your lens..
etc…
this is a constant learning process…
Here I am after 25 years in the biz.. and still loving it!
Great comments Will. We have serveral HD79D’s & E’s hanging on the walls here at Zacuto HQ. For a guy like you it’s like a museum of cameras here. Every office, every room has vintage 1950′s – 1990′s production cameras on the walls. I really need to get some photos of these on the web.
I couldn’t agree with you more. Phil’s work is wonderful, excellent screen direction, lighting, composition & editing. You’re preaching to the choir, that’s why we love having Phil in our videos. But more then that he’s just a very nice guy. We are coming out with a new webisodic series called Zacuto Indie Basic Trainging and Phil will be featured in some of these videos. Thanks for the great comments, Steve
cheers william. Am glad you like my editing, it’s a big part of what I love. A very famous editor once said to me “phil, a dissolve to an editor is an admission of failure”. So many people stick dissolves in between every shots when they don’t need to. I learnt to edit front panel tape to tape, so a dissolve was a treat when we could have access to three machine. With the advent of NLE transitions are by far the most overused and worst thing to happen to editing. Don’t get me wrong, i use transitions, for effect. I also use dissolves too (sometimes when my edit has failed!!)
It’s nice to see that some of the old-school ‘tape to tape’ editors are still kicking around!
I personally have found that my upbringing in editing has taught me to ‘edit’ in the camera as I shoot. (especially on news/feature stories). I had the distinct pleasure of working with some of the best shooters in the US a few years back.. (several NPPA Nat’l Photogs of the year winners) and it was such a rewarding experience personally and professionally. I can’t begin to tell you how much I grew as a photographer.. Now I have the artists here on vimeo to study.. in the world of News photography (at least where I work).. the words color-grading.. 24p.. film-like.. 16×9 are never spoken or even understood.. my goal is to introduce these concepts to them..
Interesting Phil,
I too was an editor first, Director second. Back in the day we used to refer to dissolves as a change in time. So if you want to go from now to tomorrow you could dissolve. A cut is in real time. From this second to the next second.
Coinsidentally, A few weeks back we had a kid editing one our videos (didn’t go to well) and in one scene he cut from a shot of me talking to a shot of me taking and put a dissolve in. I said, you don’t put a dissolve there, you are telling the viewer that it’s a later time (when it really wasn’t), here’s the fun part I left out (he had 5 other in-sync cameras to cut too) Lazy.
Thanks Steve! I look forward to see some of those relics from the past! How fun was it back then! The rules were different shooting with a tube camera!
I also look forward to the new series!
Funny you say that, Jens and I were just talking today about how great it would have been back in the day had we had:
1. HD
2. 24p
3. 16×9
4. Cine gamma looks
5. Cheap lightweight dollies
6. Vimeo to present it on instead of VHS
But we used filters and the tools we could to make things look film’ish using a JVC KY1900 & KY320 tube cameras. I was showing all of the guys in rentals the other day how we used to register the tubes with a tweaker.
Will,
I found some pics of Zacuto HQ and some of the cameras we have hanging that Joe Stunzi shot when he was here in November and you can see them here:zacutoimages.com/p709661843
Wow! those cameras bring back the memories!!
My first gig in TV was at a tiny local indy in Atlanta back in 82 which had 1(one) RCA TK76 (I saw you had one hanging on the wall).. and one set of bogan sticks that was held together by gaffers tape.. back then the station was owned by the CBN and we used to gather around the TK76 and pray it worked before each shoot!!
My next gig was at CNN and used a Sony 330 connected to the monster sony 110 3/4 deck then later to the BVP3a w/beta deck.. then up to DC and worked at Potomac TV in 89 and used the Ike79D hooked up to the smaller Sony 50 deck which was lucky since I was one man band
Then to Conus DC and had the JVC KY15.. (we used to laugh that we needed the KY for bending over for the boss!) then to San Diego and the horrible world of SuperVHS and M2.. they later switched to beta.. then rounded things back to CNN and off to the new world of SonySX and now XDCAM..
Those pics really brought back memories!
Thanks for posting those Steve!!!
You’re welcome Will. I’ve used a lot of the same cameras you’ve mentioned. We are going to be releasing a new video “The Definitive HPX300 video” on Monday and when we were making the video yesterday, John Terendy, who is a producer in Chicago and in the video was also talking about the old days of lugging around a BVU80 3/4″ recorder and that reminded me to get these pics up for you. Glad you enjoyed them.
I can’t stop watching these. Will you be selling a DVD of these and your new series (Zacuto Indie Basic Training) Steve?
I would definitely pay to watch this stuff as there is probably thousands of dollars worth of info just in this one vid for us newbies.
Could be a market there Steve. It would sort out my Christmas presents for this year. A DVD with me on it. What more could someone want!?
I showed my wife Lucy your restaurant video and even she is like “boy your English friend can shoot”. And now she wants to come to England on vacation. Bloom, your talent is starting to cost me some money. DVD’s I think not, you can watch the videos for free on the internet and download the original HD files. With that I think people should be able to get enough of Philip Bloom ;o)
Phil is so humble! when are we going to have the bloom masterclass Film??
Masterclass Hmmmm… Don’t worry Mark, we are going to have the Bloom Master ….. b…a…tor class, wanna sign up? ;o) I have a feeling we are stroking this guy so much he is going to lose his head.
With our pound worth about 15 cents there has never been a cheaper time to come to the UK, probably not since 1856 or something!!
I like these, you hit a lot of stuff on the dot. I do wish you would have some hardcore DP’s that shoot only on film for their imput as well. My teacher Clark Harris knows DP Stephen Campbell real well and he is an amazingly nice guy. Maybe you could try to pull him for your next one. He talked to our class and he was just so interesting to listen about all the big projects he has worked on and things he has learned through out the years.
Oh and I am happy to tell you that I will be shooting on your american rig with a magic arm with a sony ex3 or hvx and letus ultimate for my first independent film for miami film festival. Looking forward to trying your set up out.
Thanks,
J
This is the only show worth watching online.
out Of Curiosity Who’s idea was it to pitch the idea for these Webisode’s ?
Pitch me
Steve@zacuto.com
Im thinking there should be a Legit button that we can all click.
Steve, stop with the self loathing on your age. You’re a young guy. But you’re making me feel old. It’s just a number. Love your work here.
<img style=”cursor: pointer; float: left; padding: 0px; margin: 0px; border: 0px initial initial;” src=”http://images.vimeo.com/11/34/07/113407502/113407502_75.jpg” title=”Brent Murray, Ascent Imagery”/>Brent Murray, Ascent Imagery 5 months ago DeleteThese shows are fantastic. I keep feeling like jumping into the conversation.
They didn’t eat much…
Great series, some good information.
In response to FilmFellas Cast 1: webospde 1 ……. what do you guys think about this?
D8 Video: James Cameron Talks Movie Release Window
http://video.allthingsd.com/video/d8-video-james-cameron-talks-movie-release-window/83EE9950-9FE1-4982-8019-119E04D3D34D
webospde 1 ……. what do you guys think about this?
D8 Video: James Cameron Talks Movie Release Window
http://video.allthingsd.com/video/d8-video-james-cameron-talks-movie-release-window/83EE9950-9FE1-4982-8019-119E04D3D34D
He makes a good point about preserving the theater experience; however, I believe the content should be available across platforms. (web, big screen, tv, etc.) Why dont they do all mediums (theater, online, tv) of the bat?
Honestly, my parents watched the bootleg version of avatar, before I took them to the theater. Because I wanted to take the full experience in the theater, understand the movie and not leave the theater as if they missed something or miss understood the story. Perhaps, it has to do with language or culture, but I think it interesting how they still preserved the theater experience. In comparison to me, I saw it twice, once in 3d and second on imax 3d. I didnt see the bootleg, but perhaps that’s a good route for some people. So why doesn’t Hollywood deliver both of the bat? I’d pay $10 bucks to watch the real thing from the comfort of my house on release date with my HD TV and audio.
Man, I’ve been getting chewed out over my comments on this forum – “Blind Director: Let me know your thoughts?” - http://linkd.in/dD74FC
They don’t like my thoughts! lol – Anyone wish to help me out? I could really do with some Film fellas muscles on this one.
In a nutshell, I believe a ‘film’ director, needs to be able to SEE!
Am I wrong?
Echo,
Can you send Steve the direct link to this? I tried to look at it, but it won’t let us into the site because we are not in the LinkedIn group…
Thanks!
Sara
Zacuto Films
Boogie Nights is “definitive”?
It’s definitely definitive for PT Anderson but PT Anderson ripped off Scorcese big time on the screen direction for Boogie Nights and that should be obvious to the FilmFellas.
Try Raging Bull, Breathless, or Once Upon A Time In The West for “definitive”.