Hot Film & Theater How-Tos
How To: Record live video direct from camcorder to computer
Bill Myers shows us how to record live video direct to your computer from your camcorder. You will need: long firewire cable, camcorder with firewire output, computer. Procedure: Connect one end of the firewire cable to your camcorder, then connect the other end to your computer. Start your video editing program. Turn the audio down on your speakers to avoid feedback. Turn your camcorder on then check the capture option in your screen. Record the video then hit the stop button when you're fin...
How To: Avoid the "5 Deadly Sins of Amateur Video"
Tom Skowronski teaches us how to shoot a good video. Look before shooting so you have a more controlled movement. Hold camera steady at all times. Move the subject in front of the camera and turn the camera mans back to the sun to illuminate the subject. . Give nose room for a more professional look. Have a full frame and no dead space to have a natural looking video. Cut off at head to have a full frame. Following Tom Showronski's video-making advice can lead to a professional-looking video....
How To: Understand basic video tricks
Understand basic video tricks. A great way to prop up your camcorder when you don't have a tripod and you want a low angle shot from the ground is to use a rubber doorstop. It stays put and you can move it up and back to set the shot higher or lower.
Apply special effects makeup: exposed knuckle injury
Whether you're an aspiring makeup artist or someone looking to gross out your friends on Halloween, learn how to apply a bloody injury to your hand. With makeup and product, achieve a fake exposed-knuckle injury to gross out even the strongest of stomachs! Most of the products used in this tutorial were purchased from Back Stage Shop.
How To: Protect cameras & stay organized while shooting video
Kipkay's ingenuity is enough to amaze us all, especially all of you indie filmmakers. These five tips for aspiring filmmakers will help you keep your sanity and avoid frustrating times. Have you ever got stuck in the rain while shooting? Have your recorder tapes ever gotten disorganized? Is your camera's display getting scratched up more than you want? Kipkay answers all of these questions with his five ingenious video tips.
How To: Create a prosthetic scar
We tend to sympathize with those who get hurt. Do you want some extra care and affection from somebody you love? Then here is one great idea to make anybody give you their shoulder to cry on. This video helps you to make a prosthetic scar on your leg. Create a gory looking bruise with modeling wax, liquid latex, skin color makeup and coagulated blood. For best and genuine scars, make the cut look real deep and oozing with blood. Show it to your friends and see the results for yourself.
How To: Apply Terminator (the movie) arm makeup
Want to look like the terminator for Halloween or have an upcoming costume party? Learn the easy steps to get the look of the terminator with the easy to follow instructions to applying arm makeup to your arm to get the terminator look. With a couple of simple materials and makeup you will easily get that robotic look. The easy to follow steps demonstrated in this video will allow you to follow along and complete your look and make it more authentic with these makeup tricks.
HowTo: Lady Gaga Video Glasses
Instructables member Angela M. Sheehan demonstrates how to make a seamless pair of Lady Gaga video glasses.
HowTo: Bake With Photoshop
As a slightly belated birthday tribute to Photoshop (Photoshop turned 20 this past Friday), here is a clever stop animation short honoring the software.
HowTo: Shoot Your Own 3D Movie for $250
Make your own 3D movie with this easy camera hack: record with two cameras simultaneously. Next, use video software to overlap the images, making it viewable through 3D glasses. Very clever (and cheap) concept by Ron and AmyJo Proctor. Check out their site for more details.
How To: Properly light a green screen and create the illusion
Ever wonder how to create movie magic right in your own home? This video shows you step by step everything you need to know and do to create the green screen effect, from properly setting up your green screen, to lighting it, as well as your subjects for a successful effect. Filled with tips and instructions this is a great video to watch for filmmakers, and special effects artist of all kinds.
How To: Solve outdoor lighting problems
Installing security lights outside of your home can make for a great addition, but they also create new problems with regards to maintenance and cleaning. Having lights outside exposes them to all of the elements that mother nature can throw at them. This video will show not only how to install security lights, it will also show the proper measures to take so they will keep working with minimal maintenance and care.
How To: Shoot good handheld video
This tutorial shows you how to make a professional looking video. Specifically: panning, tilting, zolly effect, dynamic dutch angle, and proper handheld technique.
How To: Use video effects to clone yourself
Step 1: Film yourself in the first position which you want your audience to see. Step 2: Film yourself in the second position you want your audience to see.
How To: Prevent indoor lighting problems
Prevent indoor lighting problems with these great tips. -When a window is behind the object, bring lights closer to object or use a reflector using the light from the window to create a 3 point lighting effect.
How To: Use lighting for video
Videomaker Associate Editor Tom Skowronski explains how four basic steps can be used to improve the lighting effects for a video and give it a more professional look.
How To: Understand circular polarizing lenses in RealD 3D
This video explains the difference between polarizing lenses used in conventional 3d (linear) and those used in RealD 3d (circular). Circular polarizing lenses enable you to move your head without changing the 3d effect. This tutorial also demonstrates the need for a silver screen or optimal 3d viewing.
How To: Make a moving gif from Myspace using GifNinja
The first thing you have to do make a movie is to click on Start and go to windows Movie Maker. And then click on Import media to edit the video which you want. And then drag the selected video to Time line at the bottom. If you want to make your movie for less than a five seconds or so click on the Trim and drag it to your left hand side. When your done with that click on file menu and click on publish movie. You can name your file and can also choose the destination you want and then click ...
How To: Use 3 point lighting to light your videos like pros
Three point lighting is the key to MAKING videos look professional. Tom Skowronski, the associate editor of Videomaker, guides us through the process of three point lighting. Three point lighting involves the use of three types of light to create a professional appearance when video taping. First, a key light is used to provide bright illumination of the subject. Then, a fill light cleans up the dark areas on the face. Lastly, a backlight fills serves to separate the subject from the background.
How To: Use a green screen
This video shows how to properly set up a green screen, to set up the screen we are taking into account this four factors:
How To: Use a tripod to stabilize your shots
Tom Skowronski, an editor for VideoMaker, teaches us how to use a tripod to capture video and take photographs. The great thing about this video series is that it covers everything you need to know.
How To: Shoot a fight scene
Tells you how to make a fighting scene by using three steps which are -continuity
How To: Make Deuce's mask from Hollywood Undead
Big fan of Duece from Hollywood Undead? In this tutorial, learn how to make his mask, DIY style, with step by step instructions. In order to complete this project, you will need: pink duct tape, a blank hockey mask, blue spray paint, a knife or razor blade
How To: Make a Hollywood Undead mask
Looking for some help making a Hollywood Undead mask? In this video, get a step by step guide on how one person made hers from a blank mask purchased at Century Novelty.
How To: Audition for the Disney Channel
Are you a young aspiring actress? A triple threat? Many top singers and entertainers today got their start on the Disney Channel. In this video, learn how to get that audition with the Disney Channel... Who knows, it could be your big break!
How To: Sell a screenplay
Attention aspiring screenwriters! In this tutorial, learn how to sell that script. You may have written the next Hollywood blockbuster – but unless you can finance the film yourself, you’ll need to sell the screenplay to a producer who can make it come to life.
How To: Create a stop-motion Lego fire
Add some flames to your brickfilms! A little fire always helps light up a scene, especially in your legomation creation. Check out this video tutorial to learn how to create a stop-motion Lego fire. This Lego animation technique will show you how to start the fire and keep the fire going. It's perfect for your next brick film masterpiece.
How To: Keep a mic stand neat and safe
Keep your sound and electronics gear in order! Safety and neatness are everything. Check out this video tutorial from the Good Idea Guys at Good Buy Guys to learn how to keep a mic stand neat and safe. Mic Stand Mike demonstrates how to keep your microphone stands and cables neat and organized on stage. A great helpful tip for cable safety.
How To: Tape down a cable correctly
Make sure your electronics gear stays in order! And make sure your running wires are safe. Check out this video tutorial from the Good Idea Guys at Good Buy Guys to learn how to tape down a cable correctly. Keep those microphone cables, audio cables, and extension cords secure and safely underfoot. Tape Tex shows you how in "How to Tape Down a Cable". A great helpful tip for cable safety.
How To: Coil a cable correctly
Get your electronics gear in order! Keep those wires folded correctly, for easy use later. Check out this video tutorial from the Good Idea Guys at Good Buy Guys to learn how to coil a cable correctly. Extension Cord Elmo shows the correct way to keep your microphone cables, audio cables, and extension cords neatly coiled in "How to Coil a Cable". A great helpful tip for cable storage.
How To: The HowTo Behind Avatar
There's a HowTo behind everything, including the astounding, just released 3-D Avatar. Reviews across the board agree with one thing: the film is visually breathtaking. PopSci explains the technology behind the filmmaking.
How To: Make claymation
There's something magical about stop-motion animation made with clay, it's an ideal medium for depicting strange transformations. In this short tutorial you'll learn how to make a simple claymation movie of your own. The video introduces you to some of the materials you'll need, shows you a little about animating and takes you through some of the steps to upload your animation onto your computer for editing.
How To: Assemble the Kessler KC-Lite Camera Crane
Kessler's flagship camera crane is the KC-8 Basic, and the KC-Lite 8.0 offers a stripped down, easier to manage version. In this tutorial you'll learn how to put together the KC-Lite crane, and you'll also get a quick demonstration of the crane in action.
How To: Make an Eragon sword out of wood
Ethan of Dead Fish Tutorials demonstrates how to make a sword from "Eragon." Eragon was given his sword Zar'roc by the wise Brom. All you need to have Zar'roc for yourself are some sticks you find in the woods, a bit of spraypaint and other cheap supplies, and a lot of geeky gumption.
How To: Build a cheap DIY follow focus for your Canon 5D Mark
In this very basic but informative tutorial, you'll learn how to build a follow focus for your Canon 5D Mark. This method has the virtue of being very cheap, using just a clamp, nuts and bolts, a bit of wire, a rubber band and some shrink wrap. But used well, you can probably achieve some fairly professional looking results with this rig.
How To: Make a cheap Dutch Roll camera effect
Maybe you've never heard of the Dutch Roll camera effect, but you've seen it in movies whenever a character is delirious and the camera starts spinning crazily end over need. In this tutorial you'll learn how to set up a cheap version of the effect with a plain old hand drill. Now you can give your audiences vertigo just like the pros do!
How To: Upgrade to Cinescreen II for the M2 lens adapter
Cinescreen II is an upgrade to the M2 lens adapter that offers better light transmission, sharpness, and contrast. This tutorial from Redrock Microsystems walks you through the process. (Note that Cinescreen II is meant for use with the M2 adapter, and isn't compatible with with the newer M2 Encore.)
How To: Use shims with your M2 adapter
A Redrock Microsystems tutorial where you'll learn what to do if your M2 adapter and your video camera don't quite align vertically. Using a process called shimming, you can correct the problem pretty easily. Not all cameras require shims, but this problem happens enough that this is useful info to know.
How To: Set up a flange focal distance for the M2 adapter
In this tutorial from Redrock Microsystems, you'll learn about adjusting the flange focal distance for the M2 adapter. This is a one-time process, so you really want to take the time to do it right, This video is from 2006, but while this info is now a little dated it's exactly what you'll need if you're trying to work with the M2.
How To: Change lens mounts for the M2 Adapter
This tutorial from Redrock Microsystems will teach you about changing lens mounts for the M2 adaptor. This tutorial is from 2006 and is thus rather dated. But if you're still using the M2, this info will be essential.