Last week we posted about the new Autodesk's and filmmaker, Jeremy Hunt's, new short film, 'Fix It In Post' demonstarting Autodesk's Smoke for the Mac. In this behind the scenes video Jeremy explains on how he came about joining Autodesk and creating the short film and how much he enjoys the new editing software. He also remarks on using the RED Epic and his reasoning behind that certain camera choice.
Preston Kanak has been featured here before for his wonderful tutorials on time-lapse cinematography. Now, he's back with an all-new 3 minute short called, ' A Moment of Silence. Shot with the Kessler CineDrive, Preston explains in this very comprehensive behind the scenes video how the CineDrive functions and gives some amazing tips on how to push your cinematography to new heights. You can view the 3 minute short in the full post below. Enjoy!
Independent Filmmaker Tom Durham recently sat down with the folks over at Red Giant and gave some very great advice on filming your very own independent movie. Tom has spent the last several years creating his newest independent movie, 95ers: Echoes and has endured both the highs and lows of independent filmmaking. Why not learn from his mistakes and successes? His biggest piece of advice when making your own independent movie... 'Whatever you do, don't go into debt!'
Just recently a friend of mine posted some rather stunning images on his Facebook page. While vacationing in Vegas, Réjean Brandt, a very talented fashion photographer from Canada decided to take the opportunity to organize a portfolio shoot. The photos taken at Red Rock Canyon were beyond splendid to say the least, and I quickly jumped on Réjean to get behind the scenes details for an article on this very site. The next day the images were abruptly taken down. Why? Because Red Rock Canyon threatened to seize his equipment if he didn't.
I am a self-confessed gaming addict, so when I found out about the new 'Cullinator' I was beyond thrilled. Finally my insatiable thirst for all things gaming related will no longer derail me from editing my photographs. 'The Cullinator' is an impressive program created by Ed Pingol Photography that takes any gaming controller and transforms it to a photo editing controller.
I've always found that photos that capture and freeze rain to be exceedingly interesting. Rain gives the photo depth and a moodier feel, but usually you have to wait for a storm to blow through your area, or invest in a rain machine. No longer. Benjamin Von Wong has figured out a way to create those wonderfully drenched and moody shots without even stepping outdoors.
Here's a little cinematography humor to brighten up your lazy Sunday. From the people over at Autodesk and filmmaker Jeremy Hunt comes a coming of age story of a dude. A dude who just wants to go about his business and a visual effects editor who ruins said dude's day. We all know the importance of 'getting it right in camera', but this is what happens when post-processing runs amok.
The great folks over at The Slanted Lens are back with another amazing tutorial. This time Jay takes you to Concord and Lexington Massachusetts at a recreation of a Revolutionary War battle scene to show you how to effectively light a composited image. He shows you how to shoot your background plates first, the main subject using a do it yourself motion rig and even shows you how to shoot explosions to help finish the image.
During this last superbowl there were some pretty amazing commercials, but one stood out to me. The new live action, God of War Ascension trailer. Being a huge fan of the God of War series I was happy to see the character, 'Kratos', brought to life. Below are the behind the scenes videos on how they brought the game out of the Playstation and into the real world.
The internet has become a gold mine of resources for photographers of all different genres, experience levels and styles. It's so easy to find inexpensive Lightroom or Photoshop presets to help create interesting post-processing colors and effects without spending hours trying to create them yourself. The only problem is: which ones do you use? SLR Lounge has released an all-comprehensive Lightroom 4 Preset System that is user-friendly and takes the headache out of using presets.
So, how do you shoot at the legendary Disney Concert Hall without breaking their rule of 'No Professional Photography'? You do it with finesse. Benjamin Von Wong was faced with the task of shooting the Trio Dinicu at the location without looking like a professional photographer. In this behind the scenes video he shows you how he accomplished that and also walks you through cleaning any distractions from your photo using Photoshop.
David Loftus has been working with food television star, Jamie Oliver, for over 15 years taking dynamic imagery of the culinary masterpieces that Jamie creates in his kitchen. In this behind the scenes video David is shooting with the Nikon D4. In a few short cuts Jamie is also seen trying his hand at taking his own food shots with the Nikon D3200.
Every Week Benjamin Von Wong releases new behind the scenes content for your viewing pleasure. This week Ben takes off for Paris and tackles the challenge of shooting a piece of fine art called the “WOM dog” by Cyril Anguelidis. Ben and his talented fire-wielding partner-in-crime, Andrey DAS, took their time in pre-production. They sketched out what exact effects were to be used around the expensive sculpture for the most dramatic look, while still keeping the crew and subject safe.
Back in November Profoto released a new softbox, the RFI line of softboxes that come in several shapes and sizes along with several other new features. Stockholm-based photographer, Tobias Björkgren, was one of the very first to try out the new softboxes at his studio. He chose to test the RFi 1×1.3’ and the RFi 1×6’ on model, Kajsalina.
A few weeks ago I posted about the outstanding newly released internet series, The Underwater Realm, and as promised I'm back with the full behind the scenes look at the underwater photoshoot by amazing conceptual photographer, Benjamin Von Wong. He explains how he was able to accomplish the shoot in the pool and how he brought all of the elements together to create a wonderful behind the scenes image of the entire cast and crew at work.
When I hear the name, Calvin Hollywood, a few things instantly pop into my mind. Photoshop guru, Scott Kelby instructor, 'freaky, amazing details', and lastly 'Calvinize'! Calvin is a master of digital art and his standing room only sessions at Photoshop World prove so. I had the chance to catch up with the intriguing and witty Calvin for an interview for an opportunity to see a glimpse into the mind of a digital genius.
Clients, deadlines, prints, taxes, insurance, equipment maintenance, paperwork... these are all responsibilities that can quickly fall on a full-time professional photographer's shoulders; the weight swiftly dragging you to the floor. Between trying to make a living and trying to be creative all at the same time, sometimes it's hard for us to just, 'stop and smell the roses', but it's important to. Let me tell you why.
Earlier this week Mass. Attorney General, Martha Coakley, filed a consumer fraud lawsuit against a Millbury, Massachusetts videography studio for allegedly scamming several newlyweds out nearly $75,000 worth of wedding videography services and precious memories. The company, Sure Shot Videography is accused of taking newlyweds' deposits and either not showing up to the wedding or for never delivering the final product videos.
Have you ever wanted to film yourself while doing a photoshoot for some behind the scenes action, but not one of your videographer buddies wanted to get away from whatever indie marathon was running that weekend and help you film it? Well, now with SOLOSHOT you don't have to worry about picking up the phone and degrading yourself by begging to your cinephile friends, you can do it yourself.
If you're looking for a way to really make your highlights stand out in your images, look no further; PHLEARN has released a new Photoshop tutorial dealing with accentuating highlights. Using Levels, Channels and Layer Masks in Photoshop PHLEARN shows how you can take highlights to the next level and make your images just a little more brilliant and detailed. Also, free 'Brownie points' to anyone who can guess what is used to create the slick effect on the model in the photo.
