DIY: the $30 Dolly!!!

Look out Hollywood! For thirty bucks you can set up dynamic camera moves to rival the pros. All you need are some skateboard wheels, angle brackets, plywood, screws, nuts, bolts washers and a couple of pieces of 1" PVC pipe.

This is so simple you don't need plans or schematics to create this engineering marvel. Just take a close look at the pictures, then head down to your local home improvement mega-center and grab all the necessary hardware (excluding the skateboard wheels and bearings).

As for obtaining the wheels and bearings... Ebay. I suggest purchasing these prior to your trip to the home improvement center. That way you can take a wheel and a couple of bearing with you to match up the hole sizes, etc.



Once I had all of the components gathered, the actual process of building this dolly took less than an evening.

A word of caution... this is a DIY project and the dolly is kinda flimsy so use extreme caution when loading it out with your costly camera equipment.

I hope this is useful info. Enjoy.

Production: Who does what?

As a self educating film student/filmmaker, one of the basic things many of us never really bother to remember or fully know is who does what on a movie set and what are their proper titles.

My guess... this basic information is probably rote in any film 101 class at every filmschool that you would pay big ca$h for. The thing is, the same information is easily gathered with a few internet searches. Since internet searches tend to suck up lots and lots of precious time and I have already started this process, I will share my consolidated findings.

The following list may be incomplete and may contain the occasional error so feel free to post any corrections or additions to the ever so under-utilized "comments" section of this blog.

In alphabetic(ish) order:

Actor - the person in front of the camera with the most talent

Art Director - designs the set

Best Boy - assists the Gaffer

Boom Operator - holds and maneuvers the boom mic

Camera Operator - hmmm... operates the camera

Compositor - 3D visual effects artist

Costume Designer - conceives of and designs the costumes

Craft Services - the people supplying and serving food/drink (beer) to the cast and crew

Crew - all technical and managerial positions besides director and producer (and exec. prod.)

Director - the person bossing around the cast and crew

Director of Photography - in charge of camera and lighting crew... (more to come on this one)

Dolly Grip - operates the dolly and crane

Double - person that stands in for main actor during lighting setup, etc.

Executive Producer - forks up the cash for the movie to get made

Extras - human props

Featured Role - the main actor or actors

Film Editor - assembles the various shots into a coherent film under the direction of the director and producer

Colorist - adjusts the color of the film either chemically or digitally

First Assistant Cameraman - (first AC) handles camera, pulls focus, takes orders from the camera operator and DP

First Assistant Director - (first AD) takes orders from the director, directs extras, etc.

Foley Artist - creates sound effects to replace the sounds captured (or not really) on set

Gaffer - chief lighting electrician... takes direction from DP

Grip - responsible for bounced and diffused light, camera and lighting rigging

Hairdresser - styles hair and wigs and polishes bald heads

Key Grip - boss of the grips... also helps DP and Gaffer set up lighting, etc.

Producer - the big boss responsible for everything from development to completion and release of the film

Production Assistant - (PA) assists the First Assistant Director, Production Office and everyone else with the little stuff

Production Designer - creates the overall "look and feel" of the film from set design to costumes, makeup, etc.

Production Manager - organizes and manages the shooting schedule, budget, etc. with very little creative input

Script Supervisor - keeps track of what has been filmed from script and makes note to track continuity

Set Decorator - gets bossed around by production designer, sets up props, etc.

Set Dresser - the Set Decorator's assistant... moves furniture, drapes, table clothes, etc.

Sound Designer - in charge of post-production sound

Sound Editor - edits sound and sound effects and I'm sure, answers to Sound Designer

Dialog Editor - edits the dialog and voice-overs

Music Director - supervises composer, mixers and editors... in charge of the music

Composer - writes the score (music)

Stunt Double - specialized pain absorber who stands in for an actor

Talent - the actors

Visual Effects Supervisor - oversees the visual effects department

Walk-on - a non-speaking roll (kinda talent)

Obviously a small zero-budget indie film (short or feature) does not need all of these positions filled. Logically, many of these responsibilities will be taken care of by the few crew members on hand filling multiple rolls.

Now we know. Big deal.

Got Your Ears On?

I just came across this podcast that focuses on producing. Oddly enough, it is called The Film Producer's Podcast... go figure.

Anyway, this is a refreshing break from all of the technical podcasts, blogs, user forums and other websites about shooting and editing. It's a decent look into the business end of the stick.

There are some great interviews.

Recommended.

By the way...

I have been meaning to post a link to this guy's podcast for quite some time. Overall, I'm not that fond of his films but what he has to say is great!

If nothing else, listen to his first three podcasts "Not for the Fain of Heart", "Knowledgeable Idiots" and "Forget Hollywood". He really puts things into perspective for beginners.

Check him out http://podbazaar.com/view/126100789566373898

Well worth the price of admission (free).
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HD is for Losers!

High Def is for losers. This may not be entirely true but...

Seems as though everyone is jumping on the HD bandwagon just for the sake of HD and writing off standard definition as "old-news". Don't get me wrong, I am thoroughly impressed with well shot HD, it is amazing but...

I feel that many beginning filmmakers (other than myself) and cinematographers use the high quality HD picture as a crutch. I've seen tons of footage and film shorts shot with HD that look like complete garbage. Additionally, I have seen standard-def footage where I had to ask myself, "was that high-def?"... and it wasn't.

"... but isn't the industry going HD?". Of course they are. What you should ask yourself is "Do I really need to spend more cash to shoot HD if all I am doing is compressing my footage for internet viewing?". My answer is "probably not".

If you are going to film-out and have a professional distribution deal HD is probably a good place to start... but if this is the case, you probably wouldn't be reading a beginner's blog anyway.

Just a note: Though there are now HD cameras that shoot 24p in the $1K to $3k price range, there are some things to consider. Number one is "professional features" such as manual zoom and focus, XLR inputs for mics, fast shutter adjustment, etc. Also, the lens quality and diameter are crucial to the quality of the picture (not just more pixles).

When it comes down to it... who the hell cares! Shoot good SD and you can tell everyone it's HD and 99% of people you tell will believe you.
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Links that Don't Stink

One of the most helpful and useful things when homeschooling yourself is a vast array of internet resources... or "links" as they are most commonly known. In Self-Film-School there are two main categories of useful "links". One category is Educational and the other is Tools.

In a previous post I had praised celtx screen writing software. Well... link added (see side bar).

An extremely useful capturing and editing freeware download that I highly recommend is VirtualDub. I won't go in to all of the great features but it is great... and free!

Go cheap with DIY DOF... one essential part in making your DV footage look like film is shallow depth of field. Check out the DOF Machine. (great DIY lesson)

As for DIY, check out the Home Built Stabilizer Group board for great education and ideas about cool film equipment you (and I) probably can't afford to buy.

Speaking of community forum boards, DVXuser.com is probably one of the most popular boards for the super-indie film making community. There are some pros there as well. Great place for many of your educational needs.

I will add links periodically but for now these are enough to keep us busy for a very long time.
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Just a Thought

Everyone is a filmmaker.

Not everyone is a good filmmaker.

Given a video camera, a computer and some editing software, anyone can make a film.

And they do.
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Screenwriting is for Chumps (like you and me)

For me, as with many, writing is (soon to be was) something that I dreaded. Whether it was writing a paper for school, posting to a blog, writing a letter to Grandma, whatever, it was a major chore.

To write my own screenplay seemed like a monumental task that I wanted nothing to do with. Unfortunately, getting someone else to write one for me (for free) was next to impossible. Even if I could talk someone into writing a screenplay, I would probably had to wait forever to read the first draft, since most people do have "lives" outside of my realm of make-believe.

This lead me to the point I am as of this posting. I am currently writing my own screenplay and am quite far along. "How?", you ask. Two reasons:

1. From what I have learned so far, when it comes to making an independent film (especially your first or second) you cannot wait on other people to get shit done. For me personally, writing my own script is a good indicator of my motivation to make a movie.

2. I ran across some free script writing software that makes the entire process somewhat enjoyable. Behold celtx.

Not being much of a writer, I was not very excited to download celtx and get it installed on my computer. This meant that I would have to start writing. Anyway, I forced myself to hit the download link, I forced myself to install it and I forced myself to start writing... and low and behold, I have discovered that I like to write (fiction).

I am very close to finishing my first draft of an actual screenplay (treatment completed early on). This new software help tremendously. It helps keep me and my thoughts organized like never before. I have tried other project and word processing software but this one just seems to fit. And so far, they aren't charging a dime.

This, I'm sure, sounds like an advert for cletx but I just like this software so much that I gotta toot their horn.

Take a look for yourself... www.celtx.com
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Sensitivity and the Internet

Well, I guess the name of my blog is offensive to some. I got my link removed from a forum that I frequent. Hmmm.

Here's the deal. I changed the blog URL from fuckfilmschool to forgofilmschool... but I'm keeping the header name.

Hopefully this is more palatable to most.

Mr. D&D
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Learning is fun?

Yes. When you are not supposed to be doing it. Kind of like sneaking into the boys/girls bathroom and hot-boxing a cig (or joint). Smoking is a stinky and disgusting process yet when you're not suppose to...

At work you like to surf the net for shit related to film making. Are you supposed to be doing that? Is that what you are getting paid for? Probably not. If you think about it, the fact that you are not "supposed to" makes it kind of fun.

You get the point.

Regardless, you are reading this blog to obtain knowledge and to explore someone else's perspective. Without further ado, I will supply some content and insight.

Book review time!

From Reel to Deal: Everything You Need to Create a Successful Independent Film - by Dov S-S Simens

If I had to recommend a "first book" to read before venturing into film making, this would be it. This guy really lays out the realities of the business in a novel "no B.S." style. At the end of each chapter he gives a huge list of resources related to what you have just read.

There is lots of useful stuff in this book. I am talking insight and experience not resource lists.

I highly recommend purchasing this book asap. Since we are doing things guerrilla style, buy the book used.

Over and out,
Mr. Down and Dirty
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Welcome Welcome Welcome

Well, here we are. Post number one.

Hopefully, the header description for this blog explains it all. Obviously, I have an issue with dropping lots of cash on film school... as should you.

It's simple really. Do you have natural talent? Maybe, maybe not. If not, you aren't going to "learn" natural talent in school. Do the schools know this? Yes. Do they care? No. As long as you are signing the checks to pay the tuition, they will blow sunshine up your skirt all day long.

What if you have real natural talent? Won't film school give you the tools and hone your skills? Yes, it will but... you can force yourself to read books and give yourself exercises and assignments for free! Plus, from what I hear, unlike other industries, nobody cares if you have a film degree as long as you can produce top notch stuff. (that is only what I have read and heard, albeit from several sources)

Isn't film school a great place to network and get ideas from other aspiring filmmakers? Yes, but so is the internet. Compare the costs: Film school could be $20,000 to $50,000 per year whereas a good high-speed connection is about $40 per month or $480 per year.

So what, my parents are paying for it anyway? Come up with a clever way to get your parents to spend that money on killer camera and sound equipment (usually never happens but worth a try) and start putting it to good use.

Anyway... I am probably going to piss off an entire shitload of people who are attending, have attended, teach at or work at some sort of film school. That is not the intention of this blog. My intention is to school the rest of us... those with low income parents, those who are getting too old to go to film school (myself included), those who want to do it the hard way... and most importantly, those who just want to make films for the love of making films (again, myself included).

I have been severely infected with the film making bug. I am too old and too broke for film school. With this in mind, I am on a quest for knowledge and a mission to make movies anyway (good movies, not that YouTube garbage). Whenever I can, I will share what I have learned with you.

Thanks,
Mr. Down and Dirty