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 thing for next to nothing.
Several great YouTubers have had their accounts suspended for illegally using copyrighted music from those easily agitated big record labels. This episode of Jim Shorts covers places you can go to find awesome music for your videos that won't end your YouTube career.
Depth of field is the term for how much of an area your camera keeps in focus. Moving your camera allows you to keep your subject clear, and make the background blurry. Use this video to get better control of your film making.
Sometimes we can get so caught up in what we're filming that we forget that how we're filming is also important. Use these tips to spice up your amateur film making and change around your camera angles.
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.
In this episode of Jim Shorts, you can take a look at the flow, or screen direction aspect of your video. Knowing how to use screen direction can help you move your story along. Not knowing how to use it can disrupt your story, or bring it to a halt altogether. Use these handy tips to help out your amateur film making.
This nifty tutorial from the United States Air Force will teach you how to operate a 16mm Motion Picture Projector, should you ever come in contact with one.
This video provides a handy guide for modifying bright studio lights with dimmer switches. This video is quite handy for the amateur film maker who is tired of the harsh light from his studio lights.
This video shows you how to light up a bluescreen for special effects. The bluescreen must be well lit in order for the effect to be more seamless win post production.
Do you need to have some sort of bionic vagina in your next film? Do you want to scare the hell out of your parents during Halloween with this costume of the female muscular tube? Maybe you just want to be a vagina? Who knows. But you can see how to do it right here.
In general, no one actually WANTS a black eye. But if you're filming a movie, in a play, or just want to freak out your mom and dad or friends, it's nice to know how to "put on" a fake one.
This is a tutorial on how to cut the round holes on your R2D2 dome, why? Aren't there enough R2D2s out there? I think there are. But just in case you want to make your own Star Wars film, here you go.
Make sure and watch this episode as we tackle another heavily requested effect... making someone look blown in half! Jam packed with cheap special effects, Frisbee fun, and a Test Film guest directed by Maniacal Rage!
This is an Indiana Jones special that shows you how to make your very own crystal skull. You can't miss this episode! Erik dressed as professor Indy, test film by Waverly Films, and much more!
Welcome to our Indiana Jones special. This week, we've been challenged by Eric Zala, the director of "Raiders of the Lost Ark: The Adaptation" to create an awesome face melt effect for cheap! This is probably Indy Mogul's grossest effect yet, so you better not get nauseous or anything, because you might just want to use this for your film!
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 Charts for podcasts! What? Billboard doesn't chart podcasts!?!
This week, Erik shows you how to create the awesome effect of throwing a knife into a person's head! This effect is used in big budget movies like the "Matrix" and we're going to show you how to do it for less then twenty dollars!
Want to challenge the filmmakers who spend millions of dollars on their films, yet, still have the nerve to call themselves indie? Pick up a 35mm adapter or build one yourself and you can give your movies that "film look" and start being taken more seriously!
Sarah Austin from Pop17 has been getting a lot of emails recently about how she makes her live show. Well, this is how she does it, so listen up carefully. She covers everything from the audio to lights and green screen.
Sexy Playboy Cyber Girl Dana Dicillo has some advice for you in making your audition video for Holly's 55th Anniversary Playmate Search reality show. If you ever wanted to be in Playboy, you need to watch this.
You've got a camera, you've got some shooting know-how, and your audio is sounding sweet. Now, what about lighting? This video shows you three options for lighting your film.
Anthony and Ian of Smosh, and Logitech, provide you with some simple tips on how to best light your webcam video shoot. Just don't get caught with your pants down...
See how to make a low budget web show, like Pop17, seem like a grand thing. This is low budget basics including lighting, microphone and an HDV camera. You should also edit it in Final Cut Pro, because that's what Pop17 does.
Adam shows you how to make a hidden blade or hidden dart launcher for filmmakers on a low budget. No, it's not retractable. You'll need metal snips, super glue, scissors, an umbrella, and you guessed it - duct tape.
Adam shows you how to make a spaceship for filmmakers on a low budget. You'll need a bunch of thermos bottles, paper cups, and a bunch of other stuff. Just watch, will ya?
Adam shows you how to make samurai armor and a ninja death star for filmmakers on a low budget. You'll need spray paint, cardboard, scissors, and masking tape.
Adam shows you how to make a stop motion person for stop motion filmmakers on a low budget. You'll need small shoes, duct tape *(who would have guessed), white tack, metal wire, cardboard, and a little bit of clothes.
Adam shows you how to make an eye scanner and an ear piece on a low budget, for your filmmaking, low or high budget. You'll need scissors, thick cardboard, glass lens, metal, metal snips, screwdriver, duct tape, and a remote control.
This week, Christine and Bre Pettis break it on down and show us how to use #6 plastic to create miniature mustaches! She's made a bunch of these in the past. They are awesome for people who need a moustache on the go.
Lets keep this short: you can't control the sun, so it's best to adhere to (or slightly manipulate) it. The perk about natural, outdoor light is that it's free, and lights pretty well.
Contrary to some screenwriting gurus, voice-over can be a handy narrative device. By speaking directly to the audience, rather than dramatizing, voice-over cuts through the running time. It can also cut down on resources. Just don't overdo it. Over-baked voice-overs sidestep drama, and leave little to interpretation. Imagine if everything were explained to you secondhand, rather than witnessing it yourself.
No, this isn't location scouting in the professional, industry term, where often paperwork and legal matters become involved. We mean it in the way that guerrilla filmmakers mean it.
Ever notice the dreamy quality of a British sitcom? How about the "shellshock" look used in war movies? And we're all familiar with the look of an amateur home video, which can be...surreal. Believe it or not, these effects are created in the camera's shutter speed, and very rarely in post-production.
Camera angles can be expressed in both physical and psychological terms. The first episode presents the physical angles: low-angle, high-angle, and dutch angle.
