I can’t say that any of the 3D movies I have seen have blown me away. Avatar was ok but I just kept thinking about how much I hate smurfs and that was distracting. Actually the story was poor and that was more distracting. Or rather it was obvious and undemanding and it pissed me off. Apart from Terminator, Aliens and some parts of the Abyss, Cameron has done a good job of convincing a lot of people that he’s really good.

Anyway,  “Up” is the winner for me in the 3D stakes. But this general insistence on tacking 3D onto every big blockbuster movie is taking the biscuit. Clash of the Titans is a case in hand. It was put through that 3D process and released and poor innocents got their asses scammed but again that was mainly because it was badly written. If a film is written well and it is justified to have in 3D then maybe it will be wortht it but such a film hasn’t been written yet.

Thank f**k Inception wasn’t like that. Isn’t Lucas releasing Star Wars in the new format? Maybe that will be worth it, but I’ve seen that movie, damnit.

We’re having 3D televisions pushed down our throats. The marketing gods have decided that our lives are worthless without such gadgets. Oh, ok then. I mean, I dont want to be left behind do i?

Ok, I’m ranting. Back to this camcorder. It is 3D because it has a converter lens on the front which allows the recording of low res images (960×540, or 960x1080i) in 3D. You can take the lens off and shoot hi-def 1080 p in 2D too.

It retails about $2000 so you can shoot all your home movies and low budget films in the format. It might be a noveltycool for family stuff but you will need one of those TV’s to watch it on.

At the end of the day, if you come with a great story you can shoot in most formats and engage the viewer. People get engaged by great stories which begs the question, why shoot in 3D anyway?

I’ll wait for the holodeck.

Anyone who saw the “Transformers” second movie will know what its like to have your eyes metaphorically sodomised by a film. The pain was so bad I couldn’t go out in the sun for a week. There were so many things that annoyed me about this film like putting Jordan’s city of Petra and the pyramids of Egypt about five minutes distance from each other. Michael Bay has finally admitted that trying to get the script together to a high standard was too much of a rush job after the writers’ strike left things all in a mess.

“I’ll take some of the criticism…It was very hard to put together that quickly after the writers’ strike”

The third film in the franchise will be released in, wait for it…3 dimensions! But it’s not clear whether it will be shot in that format or re-jigged afterwards – which is never as good.

What’s certain is Megan Fox won’t be starring as they have already found some new piece of eye candy to fill the role. Megan famously slagged the last film off saying it was stupid or something, and Mr Bay probably took exception to this. Has she shot herself in the foot? It will be interesting to see whether she will continue to get the work in Hollywood and if she can sustain her rise to the heights of fame. I hope she can as I like someone who comes out and admits they’ve made something below par.

While you and I may not be in this position of global distribution in the traditional sense, we are in a position to leverage one of the greatest communication tools ever known – the internet.

The internet is such a revolution for artists and business as it stands right now. You are able to get your goods up on the web and then pretty much anybody can come and see it.

This isn’t to say that it will always be this way. Who knows how the web will look in ten years from now but it will probably be based around much more video and moving picture content than written text pages. As browsing become integrated more and more with visual content and individuals get more organized with their own channels. Here are the advantages to having your own shop window.

• Get a website or video blog now and upload your latest masterpiece.
• Start making content on a regular basis and build a following.
• In two-five years time you have your own massive channel with a back log of quality material.
• Follow some simple search engine optimization rules and you can become an established presence on the internet!
• You can be a TV channel of the future.
• People will come to you for content, entertainment, advertising and perhaps even offer you work!

Start now and get organized for your future by becoming your own multimedia empire. It may seem like you have a long way go but you only need to take one step right now, followed by another one after that. Keep making movies and great content and be in it for the long run.

I love this saying and it is now used across the board when it comes to illustrating how much passion is needed to master a craft. I was listening to “Slash” – the Guns and Roses guitarist –  the other day on the radio and someone rang in and said something along the lines of:

- “How long did it take before you mastered the guitar?”

Now you know this guy has been asked this more times than he’s had bottles of vodka – and he’s had a lot of booze (by his own admission). His answer was simple, he said he hasn’t mastered the guitar..yet . Slash knows that he still has stuff to learn and that’s a great attitude. Sure he has spent a lot of time butt naked, face down in his own vomit which he could have used for practice but he’s pretty good despite that.

This applies to learning and making films – you have to be consumed with the desire to know everything about the subject – that’s real passion. You have to be out there making films even if they are only one or two minutes long and you have to want to be out there doing that when you can’t.  When you feel like this you build up a momentum that is unstoppable as well as learning your craft.

Back in the old, early, wild days of Hollywood when the little independent studios were starting up there were hundreds of movies made every month and a lot of famous directors such as John Ford, learnt their skills here by churning out B-movie after B-movie.

Modern technology has provided us with similar opportunities today. There is cheap equipment and a place to show the finished product – the Internet.  How passionate are you to succeed as a film maker?

An essential part of this being sure then is to totally flesh out your sketch, minute long trailer or longer project. Write the script! Write it out and write it again to improve it. The process of redrafting is simply going over your material until it is the best it can be. Professional writers do this all the time and directors do it all the time. Sometimes they may be pressured by outside elements like studios who make them start filming before things are as good as they can be but that’s the reality of the business. For you starting out or following your own projects without backing, the script or story is all you have so you better make it a good one.

Granted, there are many industries who operate under the own arcane gobbledegook. ‘Management speak’ is often touted as an example of language gone loopy. Movies, however, are a very public affair and if you have the slightest interest in getting under that glossy and glamorous sheen to see how they are really made, then you will soon come across some very mystical incantations which will befuddle your brain and murk your mind. Reading like something out of “The Lord of the Rings” are words, phrases, job titles and techniques from “Gaffers to gobos, dollies to doughnuts, apple-boxes and Auteurs.” Were you aware that if you are at all interested in looking through the camera then, one day, you may have to put your face against a “teddy bear’s asshole”? I’ll leave you to find that one out for yourself.

Anyone getting to grips with film terms and movie terminology should be rewarded with a certificate of achievement and a badge. If you have ambitions to study film technique, make films yourself or just appreciate the art and craft of movie making, then at some point you will begin to encounter these obscure and esoteric nuggets of mouthery that are found nowhere else. They are mysterious and strange and, like some ancient Masonic code, designed to act as a barrier to those who are merely curious and of the fair-weather variety.

To the committed seeker though, they represent the first layer of initiation into the movie world. They are the first test of worthiness which you must conquer before those who have travelled before you will even consider looking down upon you and letting you fetch them a cup of coffee.

What sets film making apart though is – it is a creative industry which recognises talent when it sees it. This means that if you are working alone doing something you love – animations, short films, independent feature films on a low budget – there is always the possibility that your work may be seen by the right people. If this happens then you may find yourself propelled into an opportunity that may have taken much longer to arrive in the normal scheme of things. If this happens to you – fantastic, make the best of it.

Is it that easy to get you or your film noticed?

But wait a minute here. This is a long shot. If you have been interested in movie making for a while or been to a few festivals or chatted to other film-makers, then you will know that there are an awful lot of people who are convinced that they are the next big thing. How many times have you heard the following?

• My movie is really different
• It’s never been done before.
• I’ve got a great script!
• We got a great actor for the main part so it will be a success.

I’m all for success. It’s good when people succeed. But the creative medium of film and video has more than its share of overly confident people. Some might say delusional. When you consider the amount of individuals graduating from various film schools and film courses around the world and the amount of independents working to achieve their dreams then that is quite a number in terms of competition for attention.

The cream of the crop.

The cream will rise to the top though. So if you do have a project that is good, don’t be afraid to get it out there. This is particularly true if you have a good script. A lot of first time screenwriters have fears about losing their copyright or having their idea stolen but you really can’t let this stand in the way of letting people read it.

Paths to being a film-maker.

If you are starting out and are interested in the process of film making then how do you go about learning what you need to know? Well there are several paths open to you to begin with:

1. Read as much as you can on the subjects that interest you – acting, drama, animation, producing, directing – whatever it is there really is no excuse to not get started with this one. You can read biographies, technical manuals, American Cinematographer Magazine and countless others.
2. Join on-line groups and forums based on film making – there are many of these – CML is a good one for everything cinematography.
3. Make a short film and submit it to competitions and festivals – use any image device or camera you can find, such as the “Flip” or a camcorder and shoot something – use your friends and family. Once you’ve done it, get it out to a few festivals. If it doesn’t do much the first time, try again. Enter into a film school or media course – From short four week courses to weekends to longer two year courses, there are a lot of options to choose from. The best courses have a highly practical element and this is what you need – hands on time. No-one in the business is interested in a certificate – they want to see what you’ve done.
4. Apply for work in a junior position within a production company or related business – This is the runner and personal assistant route. You will work like a dog for a while until you’ve proved yourself to your employers. If you have worked hard and are still there after a year and haven’t been given an opportunity – get out, they’re taking the piss, and you can do better.

Get started and keep moving.

You’ll find out which one of these is for you given time. If you choose the wrong path don’t worry. The most important thing is to keep going. It’s all about momentum and building your experience. Don’t stop moving forward because before you know it you’ve been doing it for a couple of years and you’ve made two, three or four films and have more experience than you realise.

Every movie has a totally different set of circumstances and problems, you know: how do you get the doughnuts from the Grand Canyon Motel down into the gorge and keep the generator running at the same time? It was very much a learning experience. My theory on it was that I didn’t know anything about it to start. I related to somebody who was a professional in their job. I would say, “I don’t really know anything about this, so If I go overboard or if I start bullshitting you in some way, just let me know. I won’t be nervous about it. Just tell me, you know, and I would like to learn because it’s not the only movie I’m going to do.” They were always helpful.

In other words, if you did nothing, the movie would get shot. If you want to sleep all day, the technicians would go on. They have their own style. It’s really how much you affect their style as opposed to vice versa.”

From “Directing The Film – Film Directors on Their Art“,
Eric Sherman, 1976, Acrobat books, Los Angeles.

I told him that it was a matter of intuition, that I didn’t feel I needed an establishing shot in that scene. But that didn’t suit him. He insisted that I should give my reasons. I could tell that the whole crew was just as wary as he was. He had another idea in mind, and I had to fight him for an hour before winning the point. It was a very important shot – in fact, it ended up on the cutting-room floor – but it was a matter of principle. I had to impose my credibility as a filmmaker. And that lasted throughout the shoot.”

From “Moviemakers Masterclass – Private Lessons from the World’s Foremost Directors“, Laurent Tirard,  2007, Faber &Faber, New York.

Here’s a list of the basic requirements and dos and donts to think about:

1. Make sure your face is centred in the frame and not favouring one side
2. The shot of your face should be sharp and well focused and not soft in any part. It is better if the background can go out of focus.
3. You want to look like an actor and not a model.
4. Your portrait should be color for the U.S. and black and white for Britain.
5. Try and eliminate any distractions on the background of the frame. When a casting director is scanning through dozens of pictures you want the fleeting glance to look at you and nothing else.
6. Don’t wear anything with logos or have anything in shot with names, graphics etc.
7. Avoid patterns in any clothing in shot i.e. shirt collars, scarves etc. No stripes, lines and so on.
8. No head wear, hats, caps, feathers!
9. Wear little jewellery, preferably none at all.
10. No makeup.

You’re not really selling your own personality here; you’re selling a version of you, a look or a set of features.

What you have to remember is that the photo isn’t about how you would like to look, but it’s how you actually look, real and unmade up, flaws and all. This is your uniqueness. A film director or casting director wants to see the person in the photo walk in to the audition; not someone who looks one way in their headshot then arrives looking completely differently.

Want more acting tips?