Hot Film & Theater Posts
How To: Create a zero budget sound dubbing studio
Too many zero budget films suffer from poor sound quality, so here's a way to dub your films on the cheap, with a studio-in-a-box! You're voice-overs will shine like no other.
How To: Rip a heart out of someone's chest for fun - or movies
If you've seen Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, you'll know one of the greatest special effects of the film is where Mola Ram rips the heart out of someone's chest. In this episode of Backyard FX, Erik recreates that effect with the help of his family members. Don't forget to check out our previous episode on how to create a fake heart.
How To: Shoot an anonymous interview for documentaries
Watch this video to learn how to shoot anonymous interviews for documentaries. Matt explains how to maintain anonymity using the proper lighting and audio effects.
How To: Make wire armatures for stop motion
Learn how to use 16" gage aluminum wire to make stop motion puppet armatures. It is very easy to do, and wire works great for anyone just starting out. You can also see how to make basic wood feet using tie downs.
How To: Build a blood-covered pumping heart for your movies
Are you at the bottom of the donor list? Making a movie that calls for a fake beating heart? Then you need to watch this episode. Erik from Indy Mogul will show you how to make a bargain chest ticker for less then $37 dollars
How To: Start your own puppet company
In this video series for puppeteers, learn how to start your own puppet company home business, with tips on where to get puppets, what equipment you need and how to train puppeteers to put on a successful puppet show. Also learn how to market your company to schools and corporations, and how incorporate yourself.
How To: Build a spaceship
Erik from Indy Mogul teaches you how to build a miniature space ship for your films for under $20. Also covered, are using green screen to create background effects for your UFO film.
How To: Make a Skull Helmet Armor Tutorial
A very cool tutorial on how to make a "Spartan Wraith" helmet using ordinary tools you likely already have in your garage. Click the video to watch the process.
How To: Make Star Trek Comm Badges
Star Trek Communicator badges rule. If you're a Trekkie, you know they are iconic to the TV series. The Next Generation, Voyager, and Deep Space Nine all had these awesome communicator badges.
How To: Get a Professional Audiovisual Look for Your Videos with Low Budget
This video has some tips how to make your youtube videos quality better. It is great for someone who has an entry level dslr or a mirrorless camera in their house, but don't have a microphone. I will give you tips on lens settings and a great diy audio tip.
News: Bánh Mì, Vietnamese Sandwich Stop-Motion
This is not a how-to on making a bánh mi, but I hope it will get you interested in trying out the sandwich. It's delicious.
News: Larger Than Life Down's Syndrome PSA Uplifts Us All
The San Diego Film Community and the families of Down Syndrome individuals band together to make this great feel good PSA with a positive message.
How To: Set Up an SJ4000 to Take Timelapse Pictures
This video teaches you how to setup a SJ4000 to take timelapse photos.
How To: Create a DIY Studio Light Equivalent to 800 Watts at 5000k
This video is going to teach you how to create a DIY studio light that is the equivalent to 800 watts at 5000k
How To: Create a Detachable DIY DSLR PVC Shoulder Rig
This video is going to teach you how to Create a DETACHABLE DIY Pvc Shoulder Rig Video: .
How To: Create a DIY Camera Rig (Ultrapod)
This video is going to teach you how to create a video handheld rig that will help stabilize your videos
News: Impressive Food for Your Blind Date
A comedic look at making an impressive italian style dinner. Nominated for Best Comedy at UCF Campus Movie Fest.
How To: Demon Hand Armor Tutorial (Video)
Here's my latest armor tutorial...what I call the "Demon Hand". The method used in this tutorial can be used to create pretty much any armor. This one is is 18 gauge brass, but if you use stainless steel I suggest 20 or 22 gauge. This is the easiest of all of my gauntlets to create, and it takes a lot less metal. Less than an 8.5" x 11" piece (per hand). Would make cool motorcycle riding gloves!
How To: Get Great Bokeh for Videos and Photos Using Christmas Lights
So what is Bokeh? Well, the word comes from the Japanese term "boke" (bo-keh) which means fuzziness. Bokeh describes the character of the blur in an image, but is often used specifically to refer to points of light rendered as fuzzy circles. These "circles of confusion" come from points of light not being perfectly focused. You know when you're taking a picture of your friend at night, and the lights in the background go fuzzy? That's it! Having a beautifully blurred background can help focus...
How To: Wear the Same Top and Belt in Different Ways and Samydress Haul +Review
This is my first ever clothing haul video and I was so very excited about creating this video for sammydress - you might have heard of this company , who sent me this stuff for review purposes, hence the title "How to Wear the Same Top and Belt in Different Ways and Samydress Haul +Review "
Your Brain on Music: How to Turn an MRI Scan into a Music Video
Ever wonder what your brain looks like while you're singing? No? Neither had I, but as this music video for the song "Better Man Than He" by SiVU (aka James Page) will show you, the answer is "pretty cool."
How To: Film Moving Seat Belts in a Car?
Im filming seats belts in a car.....I want them to move as if they are alive and dancing. How can this be done.? Can someone help me?
How To: Film Using DSLR at Low Light
Filming in low light is not easy, its tricky and challenging, but if you know the proper ways to set your DSLR camera even if you have the most ordinary lenses you can still capture great videos with less noise. So here are some settings and samples in Filming with your DSLR in Low light.
How To: Build a Metal Gauntlet
Here's an in-depth video on how to make a functional gauntlet with simple hand tools. You can make it with metal like the video shows, or even just cardboard if it's for a costume. You can download the template and written instructions for this gauntlet over at my website for five bucks. Otherwise, you can just watch the video to follow along—or to inspire your own version.
How To: Build a Star Wars Lightsaber (Infographic)
There are many ways to make a lightsaber. You can turn a flashlight into a steampunk lightsaber, you can make a lightsaber from junk, and you can make one that looks totally real (if you've got the money and time). Heck, you can even make one in Photoshop. And now you can make one using an infographic! Who doesn't like infographics? This infographic by Herbert Pocket, which may or may not have been inspired by this lightsaber infographic, will show you the quick route to making a Star Wars wo...
How To: Hacked Portal Gun Prop Actually Levitates a Companion Cube!
Portal, the popular game from Valve, has been critically acclaimed since its release in 2007. Its unique gameplay and humorous storyline is the reason for its popularity amongst nerds everywhere. This has also spawned a large community in cosplay and prop design. The most popular aspect of the game has to be the awesome portal gun. The gun creates companion portals on almost any surface that allow the player to jump form place to place with ease and also allows you to move heavy objects with ...
How To: Turn an Old Aquarium into a Cloud Tank & Create Creepy Alien Atmosphere Effects
Need some creepy visual effects for your alien flick, but don't want to spend a bunch of money? With some pretty basic materials, you can turn an empty aquarium into a "cloud tank," which can be used to create several different atmospheric effects. Before Hollywood started using CGI, cloud tanks were used for scenes in a lot of famous movies. Remember this one? Besides Raiders of the Lost Ark, cloud tanks also helped make some wonderful non-CGI effects in Independence Day, Close Encounters of...
News: Bored with Your Cycle? Turn It into Your Very Own Batpod!
Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy has been one of the most successful film series of all time, so it comes as no surprise that everyone wants their own real-life versions of the Dark Knight's gadgets and vehicles.
How To: Write Your First Script
Hello! My latest interest is screenwriting. I would like to share a few hints I find quite useful. I am a newbie, so the following post will not be taken from the treasury of many years of experience. Just plain facts,.. Thanks for reading! Step 1: In the Beginning
How To: Take Time-Lapse Photography on a Digital SLR with a Timer Remote (For Beginners)
This tutorial is for complete beginners to time-lapse photography and will show you all the settings and equipment you'll need to start taking time-lapse videos with a DSLR camera relatively cheaply. Although this tutorial focuses on the Canon 7D, the steps outlined and equipment discussed also applies to other models available on the market.
How To: Make a Video Blog
Want to know how to start your own vlog? Starting a video blog is simple... Get a camera!
How To: Create a Cardboard Shader in Maya 2011
Create Your Cardboard Masterpiece Before you can create the shader, you must create an object to test the shader out on so that you will feel comfortable with your results. I have chosen to do the traditional cardboard box for this.
How To: Configure a 3D camera rig with the proper interaxial distance and parameters
3D video capture isn't just for the Hollywood film makers, but it does take a bit of knowledge to set-up and configure. In this two part video series, the guide provides you with tips and information that will help you learn how to use your 3D camera rig and correctly adjust your parameters.
How To: Construct a drill arm from the video game series BioShock
If you want to put the finishing touches on your new BioShock cosplay outfit, of if you just think it would be awesome to charge at your friends with the favorite weapon of Big Daddys across Rapture, this is a guide for you.
How To: Build a crowbar prop out of foam rubber
Trying to act out a fight scene with real weapons can be dangerous, so this foam rubber crowbar is the perfect prop for theatre or film. This Backyard FX segment by Indy Mogul will guide you through making your foam weapon. So grab some rubber latex, foam, and a few other tools and start constructing your crowbar.
How To: Build a 3D camera rig for recording and shooting 3D videos and films
This guide goes over the basics of 3D video recording and the mechanics behind it before delving into something a little more specific. The host discusses how to build a rig that allows for adjustments to be easily made to the interaxial distance and convergence of the two cameras.
News: The N7 Rifle from Mass Effect 3 Replicated in Extreme Detail
There's still about eight months before the final chapter in the Mass Effect series comes out, but some trigger happy fans are already building replica costumes and prop weapons to celebrate the upcoming release. BioWare themselves recently commissioned some of these projects, which were shown at their booth at Comic-Con 2011 a couple weeks ago in San Diego. One of these projects was the armor that turian Garrus Vakarian sports in Mass Effect 3, by Kommissar Props. But even more impressive wa...
News: Tilt-Shift, Time-Lapse Video from Camera Phone Transforms the Real World into a Mini Toyland
This colorful image may look like a miniature set of model cars, foam buildings and painted grass, but it's nothing of the sort. It's a still photo from a time-lapse video that Stu Kennedy shot in his hometown of Lincoln, England. But it's not your ordinary time-lapse. Kennedy used his trusty new Samsung Galaxy S2 and its 8-megapixel camera to capture the video in high-definition (1080p). And that's not all. He also used a post-editing technique called tilt-shift, which transforms the normal ...
How To: Mount a 1080p camera on a helmet for less than $70
Looking for a way to record what you see from your motorcycle? Check out this video and learn how to mount a 1080p HD camera in a motocross helmet. Capture awesome high quality video of your rides with this 1080p helmet cam mount.