Film Tricks

How To : Use lighting ratios for film and video shoots

This is an absolutely fundamental concept and is important to development as a filmmaker. It's a really simple pice of shorthand that cinematographers and gaffers use to keep track of lighting setups across different shooting days. It's called a lighting ratio or a contrast ra ...more

How To : Use black wrap for film lighting equipment

Mike from the SubStream's "Film Lab" has some tips regarding lighting, gripping and gaffing. Mike's soul screams for Rosco's magic Cinefoil wrap (aka Black Wrap, aka shroud-of-death wrap). Made from black holes. Learn what it's used for and how to use it! It's really just thi ...more

How To : Use Kino Flo lighting systems on a film set

Mike from the SubStream's "Film Lab" has some tips regarding film lighting. See how to use these super cool (literally and figuratively) lights called Kino lights. These fluorescent Kino Flos are perfect for when you want soft, even light that doesn't draw much power. Get the ...more

How To : Make a one-camera shoot look like multi-cams

It's easy when Jamie-B from Total Recall Films takes an in-depth look at filming and editing techniques you can easily use to make your next film look and feel professional using a well know technique called "tricking the camera" -- and the viewer. Watch to see how to make a o ...more

How To : Use zoom and dolly effects in your film

Filmmakers beware... or more importantly, cinematographers beware... boring setups and unpleasing camera tricks can ruin a movie. Check out this helpful video tip from Focal Point Technologies on how to use zoom and dolly effects in your film. Whether you're a cinematographer ...more

How To : Add sound effects to a filmed neck snapping

See how to snap a person's neck for a film effect, complete with sound. This requires just two easy steps. First, get some peanuts. Second, synchronize the head movement to you crushing the peanuts into the microphone. Snapping a neck on camera is nothing as long as you have t ...more

How To : Use film diffusion gels to change light beam shape

This video is geared toward filmmakers, specifically cinematographers and gaffers, on what diffusion gels are and when to use them on a film set. This is a part of The SubStream's "Film Lab". Diffusion doesn't change the color of light, in general, although there are some col ...more

How To : Use neutral density gels to change light intensity

The SubStream's "Film Lab" provides valuable information for filmmakers, specifically cinematographers and gaffers, on how to use neutral density gels. Gels are used to change the quality or color of the light in a scene. Gels can come in many different sizes: they can extrem ...more

News : 10 Rules For Dealing With the Po-Po

Do you know your constitutional rights if stopped by the police? Washington Post recently ran an interesting article on "10 Rules", a docudrama produced by the D.C. nonprofit Flex Your Rights. "The producers, D.C. residents Steven Silverman and Scott Morgan created the film t ...more

Scrabble Bingo of the Day : REVENANT

REVENANT n pl. -S one that returns 61 points (11 points without the bingo) Frankenstein. Vampires. Zombies. These creepy creatures are all examples of the UNDEAD, living entities that are technically dead but still animate. Some of these 'walking dead' feed off blood, others ...more

News : Viral Video Marketing The Best Eight Tips Ever

Videos Marketing is always going to grab a hold of any individuals interest and attention a good deal faster and more effectively in comparison with any kind of written copy or even photographs would or could. So why not give online video marketing a chance. Lay your fears t ...more

REVIEW : The A-Team

People smile in this movie. This is a genius breakthrough Another day, another remake. Another safe choice during apparently rocky times - this wintry economic climate, don't you know - and we're off and watching Joe Carnahan's big-screen version of the A-Team. In 2010. Why ...more

News : 10 of the Finest Cell Phone Mods

Oh, LifeHacker, we love you. You've brought us so many handy HowTo's: Hack Wireless Internet, Bypass Blocked Websites, Convert a Laptop Into a Projector, Watch TV & Movies on the Web For Free, 10 Must-Know Google Privacy Settings, and more. And now, another great one: LifeHac ...more

How To : Make Realistic-Looking Fake Blood

Store-bought fake blood isn't too expensive, but the consistency and color are always the same. Real blood varies, from bright red when oxygenated (arterial blood) to deep, dark red when deoxygenated (venous blood), and it can be either thick or thin. So to achieve the best sp ...more

News : Making Art on Your iOS Device, Part 5: Photography

There are seemingly endless photography apps for the iPhone—it is perhaps one of the most popular arenas for application developers. We've covered a few in Giveaway Tuesdays, but nothing comprehensive. We would be remiss to omit the two most popular frontrunners—Hipstamatic ( ...more

Last-Minute Halloween Quickie : 100+ Free Printable Masks

If you've run out of time for all of our more time-consuming Halloween costume ideas, here are some places on the web for free, downloadable paper masks. There must be at least 100 options among these links to satisfy your last-minute costume needs! Just download, print, and c ...more

How To : Improve your moviemaking music and sound skills

If you need a little advice about film sound and music, these tips should help you out. Find out a good place got get royalty free music to add to your low-budget film and see when not to use music with vocals. Watch this video tutorial to learn how to improve your moviemaking ...more

How To : Improve your green screen skills

Having trouble with your green screen? You may not have it lit right, or it may not be secured properly, or you might not be using your editing software right when using chroma key. If you want to learn a few tips on how to fix a bad green screen, this is the place. Watch this ...more

How To : Tint the rear window of a vehicle

The rear window is by far the hardest to tint due to the curvature from side to side and usually top to bottom as well. But don't worry, this video will walk you through the tricks to getting that film to lay flat. NOTE: this strip method is older and will work but is rarely u ...more

How To : Cry on cue for theatre and film productions

The most important thing when crying on cue is to make sure that the audience can see your face. Don't just bury you face in your hands. If you do that, you communicate less emotion to the audience. To produce tears, keep your head up, but widen your eyes and strain them. If y ...more

How To : Film in low light situations using the Canon HV20

The so-called 'photo button trick' can help you get the exposure right, when you film in low light situations / total darkness. The tutorial was made for the Canon HV20 but works for the HG10 as well (they share menu / software). The footage happens to be me filming the tutor ...more

How To : Get some tips for pool table trick shots

Richard Buccola has been playing pool most of his life, and enjoys teaching it to others Trick shots in the game of pool are often associated with hustling, or sharking. During the mid-20th century pool halls were often given an unfair reputation as dangerous, seedy dens of si ...more

News : Transform into a human flag

The human flag is one of the hardest tricks in all of gymnastics, parkour, freerunning and general playground acrobatics. Key to parkour is its underground cache. Born by rebels, it's an exhibition of how well one could get (creatively) through an urban environment if they we ...more

How To : Pull the Decapitated Shrunken Head in a Jar Prank

A good prank requires decent effort, creativity, and impeccable timing. If you're in the office, there are plenty of hilarious pranks to play on coworkers, and for your family and friends, there's everything from toothpaste-filled Oreos, to solid milk, to impossible-to-solve ...more

How To : Get Rid of Fruit Flies Naturally Using Cloves

Fruit flies are nearly as frustrating as ants and equally impossible to eradicate—but there are a few ways to get rid of them. We've already shown you that apple cider vinegar, dishwashing soap, and plastic wrap is a great way to trap and kill fruit flies, but if you just want ...more

How To : Use YouTube's Search Filters to Find Videos Faster

Have you tried searching for 4K HDR videos on YouTube, only to get 1080p videos just because the uploader used "4k" or "HDR" in the description? Or have you tried looking for a video about something that just happened, except YouTube's algorithm surfaces established videos fir ...more

How To : Make Perfect Poached Eggs, Every Single Time

Two slices of whole-wheat toast with lots of butter. Two eggs, poached to a firm yet custardy texture. The yolks should absolutely not be hard-cooked and the whites should be tender, not rubbery. That's my idea of the perfect breakfast. A golden, runny-but-not-liquid yolk, cre ...more

How To : Make a Harley Quinn Costume for Halloween

More than a year after Harley Quinn made her splash in the summer of 2016, her popularity has not waned one bit. According to Google Trends, the Harley Quinn costume remains ever popular, trailing only Wonder Woman in searches. These two DC Comics characters provide a powerful ...more

  • Hot
  • Latest