|
 CATEGORIES ::
>
Blah!
>
Movies, Music, Guitars & Comics
>
Moviemaking Muppet Madness
>
Downloads
>
Fiction
>
Random Research
>
Recollections
>
Friends & Foes
>
Shocking Asia BLOOD, SWEAT N' TEARS ::
>
FYI Entertainment
>
FYI Studios
>
Y2k
>
Triple 6 Poser
>
Ciplak
>
A Girl Named Jane ONLINE PRESENCE ::
>
Friendster
>
MySpace
>
Flickr FRIENDS' BLOGS ::
>
Albert
>
Az
>
Cynthia
>
Debbie
>
Eddy
>
Effigy
>
Helenasia
>
Izuwan
>
Jordan
>
Kevin
>
Pete Teo
>
Rina
>
Shelley
>
The Visitor |
Random Research
San Francisco Film Critic Talks Malaysian
"...That a new wave of Malaysian independent filmmakers should begin storming the barricades during the last three or four years now seems inevitable. After all, neighboring Thailand to the north was doing it, and Indonesia is coming up fast; even the still more censorious Singapore boasts a small but significant indie-film arm. Armed with ultralow budgets and the latest digital technologies, a determination to overcome or burrow beneath the various taboos and constraints on political and cultural expression that held their forerunners back, and a savvy about the ways international film festival exposure can be translated into change-making footholds back home, Malaysia's new generation is largely centered on a triumvirate of disparate but cross-pollinating filmmakers: prolific producer-director-cinematographer James Lee, sneak-attack sensualist Ho Yuhang, and Amir Muhammad, currently the most aesthetically adventurous and (when he wants to be) uncompromisingly funny Muslim filmmaker in the world. And yet, while this year's San Francisco International Film Festival's focus on Malaysia is certainly timely, the welcome presence of Muhammad's Tokyo Magic Hour and The Year of Living Vicariously scarcely makes up for the sense that, with neither of Lee's and Ho's award-winning recent films in the lineup, our local programming visionaries only managed to get the queerest part of the story straight..."
Taken from the San Francisco Bay Guardian website's article on Malaysian films where Chuck Stephens talks in-depth about Malaysia's offerings this year which you can read by clicking this long line in a different shade of grey.
Dude talks about all the latest offerings, including Puteri Gunung Ledang and Sepet. I find this article very insightful.
|
|
|
Well Cover Me In Peanut Butter And Call The Scatologists...
...CafePress has come a long fucking way since I last checked it out.
When they first started, they were just doing t-shirts and mugs with a 'more products coming soon' tag. Yeah, right. Like there'll be more products...
Now they've got all kinds of apparel, merchandise, CD's and books... holy crapola.
An idea is slowly brewing in my head... must check out CafePress more...
|
|
|
Action... Cut!
 Hollywood will be coming to Sunway this July to teach us film geeks how to do their thing for three days. Don't know if I'm going. Featuring the creative minds behind Terminator 2, Bend it like Beckham, the A-Team, 6 Feet Under... ...and Children of the Corn: Retribution. Out of curiosity, if these guys had been here before, when was that and did they make much of a difference?
|
|
|
More Articles
I must remember to print and study some of these one day. Yeah, right...
Bunch of decent articles from ABCDV.com:
 Shooting DV for music videos using the Canon XL1: Digital video has come a long way in just the past few years. There are so many cameras to choose from now that it's hard to decide which is best for shooting a music video and which will achieve the most 'cinematic' look. Personally, I've used the Canon XL-1 & XL-1s for several projects where I wanted the look of film, but only had the budget to shoot video. Here's a few ways I have approached shooting digital video for a music video or commercial.
 XL1 used as main camera for Dutch police series: The first reason to use a consumer type camera was the budget. Up to the last minute they tried to shoot on film, but the budget didn't allow that. "Shooting on video is absolutely horrible for this type of drama", says Pollo de Pimentel. "We wanted to maintain a certain style of shooting that's a bit rough, more wild and less glamorous. The XL1's Movie Mode, with 25 full frames instead of 50 fields, fitted this picture perfectly". According to Mark, they decided on the XL1 pretty fast because it is the only consumer camera that allows you to exchange lenses, and has at the same time this Movie Mode.
Steven Soderbergh has also been kind enough to include a very detailed article on the shooting of Full Frontal, all on Canon XL1's:
 Its important to note that we shot and edited with equipment available to everyone. Thanks to the advent of MiniDV and Final Cut Pro, anyone who is so inclined can make a movie. A filmmaker no longer needs the approval of a studio to tell a story.
|
|
|
Atlantic City Serenade
 "Hi, my name's Paul and my buddy Charlie & I are filmmakers in NYC with a question for movie-lovers: Can you spare $1 $5? $10? We hope you can. As a matter of fact, we're hoping we can get a couple thousand people like you to help us make a movie for about $55,000."
These guys won best drama in the 2003 NYCDance Film Festival. Unfortunately I can't download the trailer for some reason.
Looking at how they managed to complete their movie from a large pool of small donations on-line gets me thinking of Shadowboxer's offer the other day even more. But I don't know how to set up the whole donation thing and I don't know how much my movies going to cost.
Still. Food for thought.
|
|
|
Shooting on miniDV for the purposes of 35mm
Informative article from FilmFestivalToday about what to consider when shooting a miniDV film with aspirations of a 35mm blow-up can be found by clicking here.
Also, a list of critically acclaimed movies shot on miniDV up till 2002 can be found at the NextWaveFilms site by clicking here.
Then, after googling some more, I found more articles I want to refer to, so...
Article on the shooting of Pieces of April can be found here.
After I found that article, I kept trying to find more, but it seems all these miniDV filmmakers refuse to let us in on their secrets. If only Robert Rodriguez shot a film on miniDV, he'd tell us EVERYTHING.
I think.
|
|
|
Articles from findarticles.com
Exploring film censorship in Malaysia:Michael D'Oliviero delves into the realm of conservative Muslim bureaucrats, independent film-makers and syndicated pirates who are doing battle in Malaysia, while a bewildered public goes underground.
DV Filmmakers (Byline: Michael Goldman): Eric Byler typifies the modern breed of low-budget, independent shooters who feel they have always had the talent to make compelling movies but lacked the means. Byler is one of those artists who now feel liberated by the technological advancements and low price points of consumer and prosumer video equipment.
Spotlight; Budding Filmmaker Finds Success: The story of young independent videographer Diane Howells brings to mind the ambitions of a young Orson Welles. That may seem like an overstatement until you realize that at age 27, Howells has not only formed her own production company, the New York based Diva Films, and launched her own website, www.divafilms.com, but has conceived, solicited funding for, directed and post-produced her first film, Motorcycle Diaries.
|
|
|
Helpful DIY Production Thingeys
 $14 Steadicam: The Poor Man's Steadicam. Steadycams (or camera stabilizers) are attachments used to capture smooth looking video even when the camera and camera operator are in motion. The camera operator may walk (or even jog), move through tight hallways and doorways, and even climb up and down stairs without shaking the camera. Unfortunately, professional steadycams cost around $1500. Even the cheap 3rd party ones cost $600+. Not exactly a bargain considering many of us use cameras in that price range. So, I decided to make my own version. It turns out, it only costs $14. Not too bad.
Seems kinda cool, but my handiwork with a saw and screwdriver leave much to be desired... Also:
 Next Wave Films was started in 1997 to provide support to new filmmakers making ultra-low budget English-language features around the world. Films are submitted to us after they have been shot and there is a rough cut. In addition to finishing funds, we provide assistance during post-production, and then help filmmakers implement festival and press strategies, secure domestic and international distribution, and find financing for subsequent features. Could be helpful.
|
|
|
[first page] [previous page]
[next page]
|
simple 1 page contract for shooting on location