Use Film

Many people have trouble loading 120 film into developing reels when they are first starting. In the darkroom, it's tricky business to wind film and load it into a developing tank. Find out what works for you and repeat the process until it becomes second nature. If you are in ...more

Lighting techniques for your feature or short film. This video covers three point lighting techniques.

In this clip, learn how to use the Polaroid frames included in Vintage Film for Looks. Whether you're new to Adobe's popular raster graphics editor or a seasoned designer looking to better acquaint yourself with the new features and functions of the latest iteration of the app ...more

Alex Oliver demonstrates how Art Directors and Cinematographers can use the Film & Stage plugin in SketchUp to explore the use of different camera lenses and aspect ratios on location or on a production set. The Film and Stage plug-in is a great way for film makers and directo ...more

Ever try to load a roll of film onto a reel and into a sealed developing tank in complete darkness? If you have, you know that anything unexpected can throw a kink into your personalized process of developing photographs. This video demonstrates how to load film onto stainless ...more

This video deals with special effects used in movies or theater. The first tutorial deals with making a chopped off finger effect inexpensively. Start with some modeling wax and roll it into an upper finger shape. Next, you cut it to the desired length and paint the inside of ...more

An effective treatment is your first step to getting a job and funding for your documentary. This is a written document used to describe your film and why you want to make it. This video gives you some good tips on how to make an effective treatment for your project.

It's funny how unevenly the real world keeps pace with science fiction. Smartphones have capabilities that Gene Roddenberry never imagine a portable device could have, but guns still use tiny powder cartridges to launch hunks of metal at things. The phasers, ray guns, and blas ...more

This video covers the basic positions and uses for three point lighting: the hair light, the fill light, and the key light.

You can take a piece of completely modern digital footage and give it an aged, antique feel! You will need the Aged Film plugin for Adobe After Effects, which lets you create the sepia tone and flickering, variable speed look of antique film clips.

Do you want to make your own action movies? Do you feel like your artistic vision would be enhanced by having a car with a rocket launcher on top of it in the film? You aren't alone. This video will show you how to make a car-mounted rocket launcher for $20 dollars out of simp ...more

Jon Gnagy, "America's Original Television Art Teacher," guides us through a drawing tutorial for a Snow Scene. This video lesson was first broadcast fifty years ago, in 1956. Watch this video sketching tutorial and learn how to render this snow-covered road landscape picture.

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

For years, photographers have been creating cross processed effects with photos. It’s really easy to create this retro-looking effect in Lightroom 2. Join Colin Smith as he walks you through the process (excuse the pun) of creating cross processed film effects in Lightroom 2. ...more

Using just paper and a paper punch, this how-to video shows how to a make a card in the design of a piece of film strip. This card is especially appropriate for movie lovers, and is really simple to make.

The fine folks at Film Riot usually teach you how to do two awesome film tricks per episode, and this one is no different. It will teach you how to do really scary professional zombie makeup first and follow that with how to blow someone's head off with a shotgun. Using effect ...more

Filmmaker Director David Lynch explains and discusses transcendental meditation (TM). Learn about knowingness and intuition. The inside story on transcending the brain, with this Award-winning film director of Blue Velvet, Twin Peaks, Mullholland Drive, ... all » Inland Empire ...more

Expand your filming range by waterproofing your video camera! Learn how to create an inexpensive underwater camera housing. It is a good video, but it moves a bit too fast for the viewer to learn clearly.

This is a great tutorial for photographing beautiful star trails on a 35mm SLR camera. Because only film has low enough ASA to shoot for such long exposures, this tutorial unfortunately apply to digital SLR's. Part 1 of 2 - How to Photograph star trails on 35mm film. Part 2 o ...more

Pre-production is a much less complex process for an indie film than a big-budget one that needs stars and permits and such, but it's still vital to shooting a good film in a timely fashion. This video will walk you through Ryan from Film Riot's entire pre-production process, ...more

In this tutorial, we learn how to splatter blood & make a muzzle flash in film. First, you will need to grab a starter pistol for anywhere on the internet. Then, take a shot of your shooting the gun and someone else pretending like they are taking the bullet. Then, load this c ...more

Umbrella lights are the surest sign of a photo shoot in progress, and allow you to create all sorts of clean well-lit looks for photographing people especially. This video will show you how to use them in film to create a glamorous look often used in music videos.

Love the look of animated 35mm film? It can be tricky to really replicate this effect, but it's nevertheless possible. This tutorial shows you how to use Adobe After Effects to create your own clip of 3-D animated film footage. Part 1 of 3 - How to Create a dynamic, 3-D moving ...more

In this episode, Steve shares some knowledge he's gained through working on no-budget movies to help keep production smooth and professional. With hits from Jared like "How to Properly Clean Your Lens the Night Before a Shoot", this episode is sure to hit #1 on the Billboard C ...more

Use Final Cut Pro? Want to expose just one color while leaving the rest black and white? See how it's done with this free video software tutorial from CNET TV. Whether you're new to Apple's Final Cut Pro non-linear video editor or just want to better acquaint yourself with som ...more

This is a creative idea for a great light effect for any video project. If you're a cinematographer and are open to knew and creative ideas (and cheap!), then this colorful, moving lighting effect is perfect for your film. You'll need three plastic cups, a 5/16-inch metal rod ...more

Still wondering why you need a follow focus for your digital camera? Curious about how it works, or how you can get the most out of yours? This video has the answers! Learn everything you need to know about the z focus.

In this video, Tom Skowron introduces the use of 24p and several important editing techniques. Using 24p can make your film projects look like genuine films. Another way to improve the appearance of your film is to adjust the shutter speed. You should set the shutter speed at ...more

Alien invaders are a constant threat, so it is important that filmmakers continue their long tradition of making educational films like Independence Day to ensure that we know what to do when the invasion comes. If you want to make aliens films yourself, watch this video for t ...more

In this Software video tutorial you will learn how to apply the Film Look effect in Final Cut Pro. This is an advanced technique. This essentially takes a video and makes it look like a film. Select the video clip that you want to work with. Then select the ‘color corrector 3 ...more

Start with Adobe After Effects. Decide what you want your intro to look like. Then follow along with this tutorial, which shows you how to use the various tools in After Effects to create a short yet effective intro clip.

Jennifer talks about the technique known as "Natural Wipes". She gives several examples of these types of "in camera" transitions and how they can be used to create better videos.

How to film an interview properly? This tutorial shows you everything, from tripod to audio to accessories, that can maximize effectiveness when you're filming an interview. This is a top-heavy rig, so is really idea when you don't have to move it.

If you plan to do a voice-over on a video, there are a few ways to get that big studio sound in your amateur film without the big studio usage fees. This episode of Jim Shorts gives you a look inside Jim Shorts, at how I do some voice-over work, and how you can do the same thi ...more

If you need some sound effects for your upcoming film, you better watch this video! After principle photography in production, you have to get into the editing process in post-porduction, which leads to sound department for ADR, Foley, Sound Effects and Sound Design. If you ca ...more

Watch this video to learn how to load 35mm film in a Holga camera. Also, learn how to unload it in the darkroom. The instructions and visuals are clear and easy to understand.

In this video, learn how cine film was transferred in the days before modern telecine machines. This demonstration shows a vintage Sony VC-20 multiplexer transferring home movie footage.

Springboard from Six Mile Creek Systems is a program for creative writers and artists using Windows PCs, to help storyboard their ideas into visual means. Nowadays, storyboards are what people want to see, because it's less time in their hands (reading takes forever!). So, if ...more

This is a fun little how-to showing what happens when you put some baking soda and vinegar in a film canistar. Shake it up and see it blast off. Keep back though, or you'll stink like your homemade rocket fuel. Video: .

Jon Gnagy, "America's Original Television Art Teacher," guides us through a drawing tutorial for an Old Oak Tree. This video lesson was first broadcast fifty years ago, in 1956. Watch this video sketching tutorial and learn how to render this oak tree night-time landscape pict ...more

Brandon shows a cheap and easy way to create a fake blood special effect for your video.

Watch this video to learn how to create mise-en-scene if you are making a movie. Elements of mise-en-scene are explained. Apply these ideas to your own film!

Want to make your digital footage look a little less ... well, digital? Color grade it for a classic film look. Whether you're new to Apple's Final Cut Pro non-linear video editor or just want to better acquaint yourself with the Final Cut Pro 6 workflow, you're sure to benefi ...more

Way back when CS3 was introduced, Adobe added video editing capabilities to their flagship image editor. To say the least, people were skeptical. However, now that technology has evolved and folks have had time to see just how far you can push video inside of Photoshop, the po ...more

Learn how to apply zombie makeup as a Halloween costume. Mike the How-To Guy shows you how to put on the makeup for that ghoulish holiday, or for any other reason, like a short, low-budget independent film. Make sure before you apply the makeup to be wearing the shirt you wil ...more

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

In this installment, learn about the six basic shots that you'll see professional videographers and filmmakers using. Learning to frame a shot properly is an important aspect of good video production.

Photoshop is an amazing piece of software that can be used for so many reasons. Whether it be recreational or for business it has many different helpful tools. This tutorial shows you how to make a cool looking 3D film strip. Enjoy! Digital cameras may have changed the face o ...more

This video will be useful to a select group of people, who are still interested in developing film by hand using the Kodacraft film canisters. Practice loading Kodacraft film tanks with plastic film aprons. Use an exposed roll of film to do try this process in the light. Now, ...more