How many times have you heard or uttered the phrase “The Show Must Go On!” in your video-producing world? It gets our blood pumping to know we can make the impossible possible.
This weekend we hosted one of our Basic Production workshops, and launched our newest class as well: our 3-day intensive Lighting Workshop. Everything was going well until about 11:15 in the morning when everything… raced… to… a… complete… halt.
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Ever wondered what the pinout for a cable (or connector for a device) was? Wonder no more: AllPinouts has you covered. There’s an exhaustive listing of pinouts for all kinds of exotic (and mundane) equipment that can light the way to connection nirvana.
There are a few rough edges to this wiki, but if you know what you’re looking at, you can add to it and expand on it–and possibly help a fellow enthusiast find their way through the jungle.
The best way to search for now is probably to type the connection you’re looking for into the search box, though you can certainly browse if you’re so inclined. (You’ll probably learn a lot that way, actually.)
From a International Documentary Association press release.
International Documentary Association Announces twenty-eight films to be shown in New York and Los Angeles from July 31st - August 20th, 2009. From the astonishing stories of starvation, persecution, and escape from the world’s worst human rights violator to the surprising inside story of an iconic cult, the International Documentary Association (IDA) presents this year’s DocuWeeks™ Theatrical Documentary Showcase. www.documentary.org/docuweeks09
Screening in Los Angeles and New York City July 31st through August 20th, 2009, IDA’s 13th Annual DocuWeeks™ Theatrical Documentary Showcase will present 18 feature films and 10 short films, a collection of some of the best groundbreaking documentary films from around the world. DocuWeeks™ returns to the ArcLight Hollywood (6360 W. Sunset Blvd in Los Angeles) and the IFC Center (323 Sixth Avenue at West Third Street in New York City) for this annual showcase of documentary films qualifying for Oscar® consideration.
You gotta check out this video I found this morning. It’s 2-minutes long and is about the woes we’ve been discussing here in this blog regarding people who hire us and then don’t want to pay for an honest day’s work and can’t understand why we charge for our work. It was posted on the ProVideo Coalition site. Mike Curtis, at ProVideo Coalition tags this at the end of his post:
“PS - and thanks to my friend from a post facility who sent me this link - to protect the innocent from the guilty, we’ll just call him a John for now….”
So to all the Johns, Jills and everyone else working in the trenches and not being appreciated for their work: this one’s for you.
I know this video has been making the rounds on the video-blogs lately, originally at the Art+Copy Club, this presentation by Joy Moeller explains the pet peeves of the editor / producer relationship, from an editor’s perspective. I’m a pretty mellow editor, but a lot of her complaints really resonated with me, especially the ones about not touching my computer screen, and sitting so close that we’re sharing the edit desk. I had a good laugh and thought I’d share it with you.
Hearing the news that Star Trek had a $76.5 million box office in its opening weekend, I thought that I had to chime in for a moment just to get a few things off my chest. Now listen up movie goers: Hollywood stinks! The current trend of rehashing old movies with a ramped up budget is driving me nuts. It is not creative, it does not require any skill or talent, it is obviously a movement based purely on capital that shouldn’t be rewarded. It is also creating a downward spiral for new directors and movie creators with original concepts. Who because of this trend can’t find work due to the proven trend of turning old movies around. I haven’t been to a theater in years, and the only reason is that I have seen all of the movies the first time around, when they were original in nature and new ideas based in skill and fresh concepts.
Why would I go see Jason again when I saw the original years ago? I want to remember it as it was, a very talented display of what horror can be and an entirely new take on the genre. Why should I see the new version, it has moved away from everything that made the original unique. Why should I pay to see a Land of the Lost movie? The reason that I enjoyed the show was because it was so cheesy and made me smile as an 8-year-old who liked dinosaurs. Now, it’s a Will Ferrell movie. Imagine if every CD you bought was nothing but cover songs from 10 years ago. Would you feel that you’re really getting a “new” CD? No, you wouldn’t. And I want to see new movies, I want to hear new music, I want to know that there is a reason that a certain director made $50 million off of a concept. I want to support what I feel is truly deserving of my money. The economy is bad, so we are essentially voting with our Bejamins, and I refuse to vote for unoriginal, force-fed concepts that are based more in marketing than in true artistic merit…
Hollywood-you stink!
Videomaker’s Video Production Associate, Igor Zarubin, passed an interesting 12-minute video along to us the other day. It’s called Signs, and it is such a simple yet well-produced video that I thought I’d share it with our readers, too.
Many producers use music to enhance dialog and SOT, keeping the bed low and just bringing it up at key points. This lovely video does just the opposite. There is no dialog to speak of, what voices you do hear is under the music bed, which is a different concept.
There are also no fancy wipes or effects to speak of, which is something we advocate for producers who are sharing video on the internet, as effects can make your video slow down and get wonky. This video is made well using just good tried-and-true shooting techniques, tight editing, and utilizing the art of the cutaway to it’s fullest.
I hope you enjoy it. Let us know what you think.
Credits go to: Created by Publicis Mojo and @RadicalMedia Director: Patrick Hughes
Anyone who aspires to make the Next Great Masterpiece needs to watch lots of movies in every genre that are NOT box office hits. There’s nothing wrong with the movies released in popular theater houses, but they were selected by distributors who think they can make a good amount of money on them, not for their cinematic value.
Enter the prestigious Los Angeles Film Festival, a festival for film independents where the cream of the crop producers and directors are invited to showcase their movies. 
Including more than 100 documentary and narrative films, the festival draws about 85,000 attendees, including well-known industry names and celebrities. Some of the shows are free to get into, like the outdoor movie night, where they show the movies on projected screens in the middle of the streets in quaint Westwood Village.
It’s too late to enter for this year, but if you get the chance to attend this festival, you might be inspired to get working on your own masterpeice showcase.
Start savings your nickels and dimes, this year’s festival runs June 18 through 28th in Westwood California. Westwood is a charming little area, just a few miles from the famous Santa Monica beach, nestled between Hollywood and Beverly Hills, where all the “It” people hang out and play. Make sure you bring your shades, June in L.A. is an incredible time of year.
Are you ready for a video challenge? The 3rd annual Film Racing Tour is preparing to “race” across North America and all you need to enter is some creativity, a camera, and the guts to get it done in 24 hours. 
Sponsored by NYC Midnight Movie Making Madness, this annual video challenge is open to anyone wishing to participate, as long as they can follow the guidelines, work in the cities the race reaches and deliver a finished product by the deadline. Rules and sponsor cities can be found on the website: www.filmracing.com
How one of these Video Races work is, typically, after you’ve signed up and been accepted, you pull together a team of local producers, and then wait for your Midnight Assignment. You can’t start working on your video project until you have an idea of your Theme, or assignment requires, such as a particular prop, or a line that needs to be spoken, or even the genre you’re required to film in, like Western, Sci-Fi, Romance, etc.
Most of us are lone wolf producers, and challenges like these are great ways to network with other videographers in your community and get some creative juices going. Read the press release below to find out more, and get ready to race!
Just wanted to point out a very important award show coming up: The Annual Society of Camera Operators Awards. Which is an award show that honors the unique contributions of camera operators in the cinematic experience. Here’s a little more from their press release.
Will Arnot, SOC (Milk), Stephen Campanelli, SOC (The Changeling), Robert Gorelick, SOC (The Dark Knight), Kim Marks (The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button) and Martin Schaer (Eagle Eye) are the finalists in the feature film category of the Annual Society of Camera Operators (SOC) Lifetime Achievement Awards Camera Operator of the Year competition. The recipient will be named during the awards celebration at the Leonard Goldenson Theater of the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences on February 21, 2009.
“The Camera Operator of the Year Award enables our peers and the industry to realize the importance of the Camera Operator’s contribution to the Cinematography, the Director’s vision and the story to make the films the success that they are,” says SOC Past President and Awards Event Producer David Frederick, SOC. “It establishes an arena where individual contribution of below the line crafts are recognized and awarded the credit due.”
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and The Dark Knight are also nominated this year for Cinematography Achievement awards by the American Society of Cinematographers (ASC) for their Directors of Photography.
“Camera Operators have long since remained the quiet force behind the lens in support of the Director of Photography and the Director. It is now, more than ever, important that the Operator is recognized by the industry and the public for their critical contribution to the success of every film or television program,” adds Frederick. The process of selection, nomination and final choice of the winner falls upon the shoulders of the active members of the Society of Camera Operators. “The SOC has shown its support and charity to the Vision Center of Childrens Hospital Los Angeles for more than 20 years. This contemporary contest helps to draw more attention and attendance to our event that is a principle fundraiser to aid in the treatment of Children’s eye care. It is a noble and worthy effort by the members of the Society which is in turn graciously supported by the industry sponsors of the event.”
For more details on the event and the Vision Center of Childrens Hospital Los Angeles please visit www.soc.org
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