Australian "Backyard feature" films and other stuff...

In the past twelve months I have been witness to the unveiling of many an Indie Aussie flick. They're not Hollywood, no sir. They are the blood, sweat and tears of our young film industry. If they were a movie themselves, we'd see them appear in slow motion clawing their way up an incredibly steep hill, reaching the top... and roundhouse kicking you in the face.

These films have come from the hearts and minds of my fellow film makers Jake Reedy, Dicky Tanuwidjaya, Andrew Thatcher, Joshua Long and many others. These films are each special in their own right. They aren't your typical "Kid in the backyard with the family camcorder and sticks for swords" type film makers... they're just like you and me. I believe, judging by the quality of their work, that they have big dreams of being the best at their craft... or at least, one of the best. I've never had the pleasure of meeting any of these guys, but I'll be damned if I doubt their drive!

Each of these directors has given me ideas and strength to step up my own game. When I first saw their work, I almost gave up. I wasn't going to compare to them. But something about the way they worked, the way I could relate... made me change my mind.

You know the old saying: If you can't beat 'em, Join 'em!

I want you to open a new tab in your browser right now, navigate your way to Youtube... and search these names. Search their names, or the films they've been working on. Tell me you don't see the potential, the skill... the DRIVE in that work. Can you smell the sweat? That's how hard these guys worked.

So look up the following, on Youtube and Facebook:

Tin God

Axed

The Devils 6 Commandments

Loyalty

Charity Hurts

What I would give to have the skills of these guys. Thank you all for helping me understand that I need to step up my game, and 'grow some balls' when it comes to my film making.

Making music videos

Recently I decided to persue an old idea I had of making music videos.
So.. naturally, I've been watching a lot of music videos just to get a feel for them.. and you know what? I believe there is some SERIOUS SHIT out there. No, I'm not kidding! Who thought up the idea of doing a 'film/Hollywood dolly + tripod' music video for the metal goodness that is Breaking Benjamin - I Will Not Bow needs to sit down and think about what you feel when listening to metal. If I had been the one behind the camera, I would have shot/edited that bitch until it gave everyone nosebleeds! Metal is hype, exciting, worth screaming to. It's not Hollywood film! You smash cut the hell out of it, mix in some white flashes.. and shake that camera a bit. Let me give you an example of a well made music video:



Before you groan and say "But it's not metal!"... let me explain. It's rap, rap is similar to metal in these ways: It's exciting, it's fast paced... and the subject tends to change quickly. Let's examine the way they made this video. In the first few seconds, we see a nice smooth Dolly/crane shot. Not one shake. Until we cut to a close up, which was obviously shot with a shoulder mounted camera. Progressively through the video, they mash nice "Hollywood" camera movements (Dolly, Crane, possibly steadycam) with those elements of 'nauseacam' or shoulder mounted/handheld work. It's shaky, but its tolerable for your average music video viewer.

This is where slower paced editing, and dolly work is better suited (not that it didn't suit the above video):
(Click the link, Embedding is diabled) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T-MvTpOQhCU&feature=related

Even when the band begins to rock out, there is some element of 'shakycam' in there. The director could feel the emotion behind the song, and when the song changed from haunting piano to glorifyed rock ending... he made sure the viewer knew it!

So, my message to those of you who make music videos... for the love of god, analyze the genre of music you're shooting for... and edit/shoot accordingly. Metal videos with just wide shots SUCK... Metal videos that are shot on tripods SUCK. Get in there, don't be afraid to stick a camera in the singer/guitarist/drummer's face and ROCK THAT AUDIENCE!

Thanks for reading.

For those shopping for a Camera!

OK, so those of you who follow me on Youtube will know that I bought myself a new Canon HV30 some months back. This camera is a great little cam, perfect for short films and such... with the High Def, external mic jack, Headphone In jack and all on DV tapes. The only real issue I have with this camera is the zoom. The built in lens is simply CRAP for wide angle capturing (You need to be a state away from your subject just to give the wide effect!), and pretty shit for close-ups too. If you're gonna buy one of these cameras, I suggest you buy the 43mm lens kits (Go for Raynox, if you can afford it... or just buy the lens' from Canon) and filters as well. That way, you get the WHOLE picture, not just a small piece. The wide angle lens really does help for those who will end up converting they're footage to 2.1 aspect ratio, as you can capture a lot more in frame, and not lose half of the picture when converting!
Anyway... Canon HV30 + Canon lens kit is upwards of $1000US ($1500AU) but totally worth it. It's also cheaper than the XHA1... but the image quality isn't as crisp. Check out YouTube for all the test footage :)