While doing some film book browsing on Amazon, I caught the release of The Hollywood Assistants Handbook and ordered myself a copy. It wasn't long before everyone in school was reading a copy. After all, we're filled with FHPPs (that's Future Hollywood Power Players...
Tips
Sunburned and Going Viral
I'm in Sarasota right now, on what I believe is my first paying video job. It's operating a HI-POD, basically a 30 foot pole with a camera on top, for filming a soccer tournament. I've seen more soccer matches in that past two days than I've seen in my life, and...
How to Operate Your DSLR via Your iPhone for $4
Want to control your digital SLR camera from your iPhone (or Touch)? When I was taking pictures of grilled cheese sandwiches, there was a bit of downtime between the grillin', so I figured out how to work this totally awesome magic, all for less than $4. (While...
The DIY Dolly Club
Filming a documentary in a robot workshop has its advantages, like a wide assortment of available tools and constant motivation to build something of your own. So I decided to take on the DIY dolly - the one with skateboard wheels on PVC pipe track - and join the club...
Behavior Patterns of Kickstarter Funders
This is a precursor to a post I'm writing on how to figure out the true cost of a Kickstarter Project (using my recently posted project as an experiment). I was curious to see what funding levels got the most response, so I'd know which area to put the most attention...
The Biggest, Cheapest White Board You’ll Find
It's always been a dream of mine to have a wall covered in seamless dry erase board (yeah, I have weird dreams). But just imagine having such a large space to brainstorm, draw, write notes, etc. I wanted to have one for the edit suite of Bots High, and I had a...
Dropbox and Post-Production Hacks
Have a few hacks we discovered while editing Bots High. Our main challenge was how we (Andrew the editor and I) could streamline two computers working off the same Final Cut files (not simultaneously) to access the same footage. Some reasons for this - Andrew could...
In Russia, Subtitles Fork You!
With a tight budget I'm always a big fan of turning to Elance to outsource some work. I've had interviews transcribed with timecode reference, After Effects animation, and poster design done. Now I needed some subtitles for Bots High. I knew this would need a higher...
How to Use Your iPhone Overseas Without Going Broke
Got back from Haiti - great trip, I'll write about it soon. For now I just wanted to highlight some of the ways I use my iPhone to stay in touch without paying the ridiculously high data/voice rates. (These tips are from first hand experience with an iPhone on...