The Frugal Filmmaker

There's a lot of things I'd like to cover in our "Make Your Own Media" mandate here at Pulp 2.0.  It's fun pointing people to 'news you can use' to make your own films, comics, books and so forth, and hopefully inspire you to get off your sofa and put your imagination to work.

 (Hmmm.. "Put your Imagination to Work" -- I like that. It goes on a t-shirt)

Unfortunately there are only so many hours in the day - and I do have to keep the Pulp HQ here stocked in whiskey and cigars - so I can't cover everything I'd like. Despite what you may have heard, I'm only human.

(Though I do have powers...) 

One of those areas that I can't cover in too much depth is DIY filmmaking tools and technique...but fortunately for you there's Scott Eggleston aka The Frugal Filmmaker.

Scott goes through a whole assortment of DIY filmmaking tricks and hacks that keep your budget low and your creativity high. For example from his last weekly Facebook newsletter:

Scott EgglestonMay 23, 2010 at 8:03pm

Subject: Weekly Recap Link List 5-23-10

Sorry I'm a little late with the list this week. Thanks to all who have been inviting their friends to this group. Now up to 229 members! Yes!

Creating DIY sand bags for your light stands
http://www.facebook.com/l/4c41d;www.instructables.com/id/Creating-DIY-sandbags-for-your-light-stands/

Guerilla filmmaker's backpack
http://www.facebook.com/l/4c41d;blog.anvilpictures.com/?p=538

DIY Stedicam
http://www.facebook.com/l/4c41d;rjwilx.blogspot.com/2010/05/diy-steadicam.html

Ripley, my handheld rig
http://www.facebook.com/l/4c41d;www.dvxuser.com/V6/showthread.php?p=1992210#post1992210

The Frugal Filmmaker, Episode 8: 3 Point Lighting
http://www.facebook.com/l/4c41d;www.youtube.com/watch?v=d5uybmobdFY

Build your own lenses
http://www.facebook.com/l/4c41d;www.diyphotography.net/build-your-own-lenses

Microbudget filmmaking sucks because you are doing it wrong!
http://www.facebook.com/l/4c41d;d2dvd.blogspot.com/2010/05/microbudget-filmmaking-sucks-because.html

Felicia Day on building an internet audience
http://www.facebook.com/l/4c41d;www.youtube.com/watch?v=id23nVuO5U0

How to pitch investors
http://www.facebook.com/l/4c41d;trulyfreefilm.hopeforfilm.com/2010/05/how-to-pitch-investors.html

Cops nearly shoot actor playing convenience store robber
http://www.facebook.com/l/4c41d;gothamist.com/2010/05/05/cops_nearly_shoot_actor_playing_con.php

Scott goes through and finds the sort of stuff you need to succeed at making your own movies.  Hopefully you'll learn so much you'll be able to contribute back to The Frugal Filmmaker . In any case, go over and join the group (and tell him a bastard sent ya!)

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Full Moon Smokin' Hot Sale

Full Moon is having a Valentine's Day sale...

50% off everything!


Click here.

Screenplays by the Bucketload

Lee Thomson over at THE LIGHT, IT HURTS has a bucketload of scripts for series that debuted in 2008. This is why we love the web. In the old days (aka the 90's) it would have taken months and many dollars to acquire these learning tools.

Go take from him and give thanks.

Skinning The Cat: Why Copyright?

Michael Geist of the Toronto Star speaks of his documentary WHY COPYRIGHT?

I am reprinting the entirety of his editorial below:

Internet video goes to the movies

Michael Geist, Toronto Star -- The Toronto Star , December 8, 2008 Monday

In recent years, much of the interest in online video has focused on its effects on mainstream or conventional television - the emergence of a "clip culture," in which popular segments of television programs draw larger audiences on websites like YouTube than on conventional television. The shift of conventional broadcast to the Internet is remarkable, but it misses important developments for longer-form video.

For example, last week I released Why Copyright? Canadian Voices on Copyright Law, a 47-minute documentary on copyright reform. Produced with filmmaker and law student Daniel Albahary, the documentary examines why copyright has emerged as an important issue. It features a wide range of Canadian voices, including Nettwerk Record's Terry McBride, Hamilton Tiger Cats owner Bob Young, Toronto-based science-fiction author Karl Schroeder and Privacy Commissioner of Canada Jennifer Stoddart.

While this is hardly the first film about copyright, the release was noteworthy since it occurred exclusively online and in the process highlighted the potential for independent creators to use the power of Internet distribution to level the cultural playing field.

Finding ways to distribute films may have once posed a significant barrier, but that is clearly no longer the case. Why Copyright? was posted to online video sites such as YouTube and Blip.tv, which offer free streaming distribution. Another version was posted to Dot-Sub, a video-streaming site that enables viewers to create subtitles in other languages. Further versions were made available via BitTorrent, allowing people to download the entire DVD of the film.

Within days, thousands of people had viewed the film at virtually no cost (links to the online versions can be found on the Internet at copyrightvoices.ca).

My experience is not unique as the Internet is now filled with examples of filmmakers bypassing the conventional theatre and DVD distribution systems.

For example, earlier this year Michael Moore, one of the world's best-known documentary filmmakers, released his latest work - Slacker Uprising - free online. The film, which was screened at the Toronto International Film Festival, can be downloaded by anyone in Canada and the United States or viewed as a streamed version on Blip.tv.

The same is true for Star Wreck: In the Pirkinning, a Finnish parody of Star Trek and Babylon 5 that has been described as the most popular Finnish film of all time. The independent feature-length film has been freely downloaded millions of times and can be viewed as a streamed version on Google Video.

Why Copyright? is strictly non-commercial; however, the use of Internet distribution is also emerging as an effective business model. In the case of Slacker Uprising, a DVD version of the movie can be purchased directly from the site, leading to higher profit margins for Moore. The Star Wreck film has also become a commercial success, having earned back the creators' investment through merchandise and DVD sales.

These experiments point to the potential for taking films from the big screen to the computer screen. Combining free Internet streaming or downloading with a commercial model that may include DVD sales, merchandise sales, broadcast license fees and advertising revenues hold the promise of generating wider audiences and providing a financial payback for creators.

The popularity of short clips online may garner the lion's share of attention, but it is the potential to use the same distribution channels for full-length video that may reshape the industry for both creators and the businesses that market and distribute their work.

Michael Geist holds the Canada Research Chair in Internet and E-commerce Law at the University of Ottawa, Faculty of Law. He can reached at mgeist @ uottawa.ca or online at www.michaelgeist.ca.

Copyright 2008 Toronto Star Newspapers, Ltd.

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