The Indie Film Blog

By: Andrew Seltz

I came across a great podcast site today called the VideoGrunt. There are a couple of videos on the site that explain what aspect ratios are, the history of them, and why we use the ones we have. This topic took 2 weeks in the aesthetics class I had at film school and I think you get as much information from these videos as I remember from that class.
I was also impressed with the quality of the video podcast. This guy knows how to produce an excellent video. He also seems to have some instructions for video podcasting (I didn't explore that, but his work speaks for itself.)

Check it out if you have broadband.

By: Andrew Seltz

I've used a bunch of 3D software packages over the years. I started out with Imagine on my Amiga 2000 system and have Blender 3D (a great open source software package) and Animation:Master today for my occasional 3D needs. I've played around with a number of other packages, including some of those 3D Home Design packages, in an effort to create some quick models for design visualization and shot planning. Today I found my dream 3D software!

SketchUp is an amazing 3D package whose claim to fame is exactly what you'd imagine - sketching in 3D. I downloaded their free version today to test it out. (In partnership with Google they have a free version for personal use.)

It's as close to sketching with a pencil on paper as I've ever found!

Within seconds of loading it up, I was happily building a 3d set. Not only was it easy to push and pull the shapes around, but the measuring tools ensure precision when it comes to capturing details. I wish I'd had this a few weeks back when I was drafting a floorplan for the theater set I built for Angels Fall. I used Visio and it took me a long time to make what I wanted and with no ability to visualize in 3D!

I was attracted to the software because of it's reputation for designing sets for movies and creating storyboards. You have to pay up for the full Professional version to get all the tools for choosing camera lenses and animating storyboards, but it would be money well spent. It's so easy and fast to use that I could imagine previsualizing the entire movie before beginning production. This would save a ton of time on set (and time is money) and free you up to experiment with lots of different approaches to a scene. In the mean time, you can create sets and experiment with the free version and go Pro when you get your funding together. You can save all your files in the Sketch format with the free version - just no exporting of models.

As the name implies, the output from this program looks like a sketch. It doesn't try to make photo realistic images. This is a good thing when you're experimenting as it keeps you from falling in love with the pictures and losing perspective on the process. But, you can export the models you make (Pro version only) to all of the major 3D programs for refinement and rendering (I see the beginnings of the next Sin City).

I've wish I'd had this on my first movie. I could have worked out a lot of problems ahead of time. I'm already looking forward to using it on my next project.

Check it out!

By: Andrew Seltz

Well, at least I'm working on it again! Elevation Due West is the independant feature film I directed and shot back in August 2001. I was deep in the throws of working on it when the Twin Towers fell and I lost my momentum. Once you've lost momentum, it's hard to get going again - particularly when you are mostly working by yourself.

Now, I didn't shut down after 9-11, I just worked on everything but my movie. I shot another movie, Under Surveillance, for director Dave Campfield, I've created a bunch of short promotional videos, traveled all around the country shooting interviews and covering events, I got married, I won a couple of awards, and even designed and built the set for a recent Off-Off Broadway play. But I'm not going to let this movie linger any more!

Today I re-digitized the footage from my camera tapes onto a hardrive in preparation for working with a sound designer. I've got a meeting scheduled for Saturday to go over the sound cues. I'll spend the next few evenings reconstructing the timeline for the project (lost during a recent computer meltdown) and getting all of the sound files together.

I've accomplished a lot already toward finishing the movie, but you can read about all of that on the movie website. I plan to resume writing on the producer's notebook there to get the story going again. But, when I take advantage of new technologies and techniques, I'll be sure to post about them on this blog.

Wish me luck!

By: Andrew Seltz

Looking for the perfect story for your next movie project (or just looking for a laugh)? Visit Plot-O-Matic. Make a few quick choices from the dropdown lists, press enter, and presto! Out pops the logline for the next hit movie!

I found this while doing a little surfing and got a big kick out of it. It also got me thinking about a possible project.

The May, 2006 issue of PC Magazine has a couple of great articles on digital movie production. The first is Hollywood Reboots and looks at the history of digital technology in the movie production world.

The second is titled Making an Indie Film and cronicals the production of Scott Dacko's all-digital feature film The Insurgents - a $200,000 political thriller starring Mary Stuart Masterson, Henry Simmons, Juliette Marquis, and John Shea. This article takes a behind-the-scenes look at how this film was put together and what technology was used. It's very well written, I highly recommend you pick up a copy of the magazine and read it.