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Where I Get My Music | Best Sites

Posted on 20. Nov, 2010 by admin.

For me, the music in a film sets the mood, no matter what the film. So it’s always hard to find music that really makes your film that much better, and when you look online, it’s always hard to find music that is free and is actually GOOD.

So, I’m going to give you the best sites that I use, for music in my shorts.

ccmixter.org/​ (http://ccmixter NULL.org/) – ccMixter is a community music site featuring remixes licensed under Creative Commons where you can listen to, sample, mash-up, or interact with music in whatever way you want.

freesound.org/​ (http://www NULL.freesound NULL.org/) – The Freesound Project is a collaborative database of Creative Commons licensed sounds. Freesound focusses only on sound, not songs.

internetaudioguy.com/​iag/​freemusic/​freemusic.htm (http://www NULL.internetaudioguy NULL.com/iag/freemusic/freemusic NULL.htm)
InernetAudioGuy.com usually sells royalty free audio tracks for a price but they also offer a few instrumental 30 second samples that you can use for free for anything you want.

Thanks to Karen Abad for these. If any of you have some sites they’d like to share, then please do, and I’ll add them on to the post!

NM

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Which Film School? Part 2 – Outside the US

Posted on 17. Oct, 2010 by admin.

In Part 1 we went through 12 US film schools, all of which are great. But now, in Part 2 we’re gonna go through a list of film schools outside the US, from Albania to Canada. The order of this list is not based on popularity, but merely by my memory. Also, I didn’t write out any info beneath the school, mainly because it takes a LONG time to do it, apologies

Listings by Country

Australia

• Institute for Design – The Advertising Academy (http://www NULL.filmschools NULL.com/cgi-bin/trk NULL.cgi?http://www NULL.ifd NULL.net NULL.au/)
• Southern Cross University, School of Arts & Social Sciences (http://www NULL.filmschools NULL.com/cgi-bin/trk NULL.cgi?http://www NULL.scu NULL.edu NULL.au/schools/sass/index NULL.php?page_id=35&menu=14_22)
• University of Tasmania, Tasmanian School of Art (http://www NULL.filmschools NULL.com/cgi-bin/trk NULL.cgi?http://fcms NULL.its NULL.utas NULL.edu NULL.au/arts/artschool/)

Bulgaria

• National Academy of Theatre & Film Arts Krustyo Sarafov (http://www NULL.filmschools NULL.com/cgi-bin/trk NULL.cgi?http://www NULL.art NULL.acad NULL.bg/natfiz/index-e NULL.html)

Canada

• Art Institute of Vancouver – Burnaby (http://ai NULL.filmschools NULL.com/artinstitutes/burnaby NULL.php)
• Vancouver Film School (http://www NULL.filmschools NULL.com/cgi-bin/trk NULL.cgi?http://www NULL.vfs NULL.com/landing/film/?referrer=filmschools NULL.com&type=Text&ad=Internationalpage)
• Canadian Film Centre (http://www NULL.filmschools NULL.com/cgi-bin/trk NULL.cgi?http://www NULL.cfccreates NULL.com/)
• Carleton University, School for Studies in Art and Culture (http://www NULL.filmschools NULL.com/cgi-bin/trk NULL.cgi?http://www NULL.carleton NULL.ca/artandculture/)
• Concordia University, Cinema Department (http://www NULL.filmschools NULL.com/cgi-bin/trk NULL.cgi?http://cinema NULL.concordia NULL.ca/)
• Confederation College of Applied Arts (http://www NULL.filmschools NULL.com/cgi-bin/trk NULL.cgi?http://www NULL.confederationc NULL.on NULL.ca/)
• Nova Scotia College of Art and Design (http://www NULL.filmschools NULL.com/cgi-bin/trk NULL.cgi?http://www NULL.nscad NULL.ns NULL.ca)
• Okanagan University College, Fine Arts Department (http://www NULL.filmschools NULL.com/cgi-bin/trk NULL.cgi?http://www NULL.ouc NULL.bc NULL.ca/fina/home NULL.htmll)
• Ontario College of Art & Design (http://www NULL.filmschools NULL.com/cgi-bin/trk NULL.cgi?http://www NULL.ocad NULL.on NULL.ca/)
• Simon Fraser University, School for the Contemporary Arts (http://www NULL.filmschools NULL.com/cgi-bin/trk NULL.cgi?http://www NULL.sfu NULL.ca/sca/html/index NULL.html)
• The Gulf Islands Film and Television School (http://www NULL.filmschools NULL.com/cgi-bin/trk NULL.cgi?http://www NULL.giftsfilms NULL.com/)

Czech Republic

• Academy of Performing Arts in Prague (http://www NULL.filmschools NULL.com/cgi-bin/trk NULL.cgi?http://www NULL.amu NULL.cz/?r_id=111)

Germany

• The Film and Television Academy (http://www NULL.filmschools NULL.com/cgi-bin/trk NULL.cgi?http://www NULL.hff-potsdam NULL.de/englisch/index NULL.html)
• University of Hamburg Institute of Theatre, Musical Theatre and Film (http://www NULL.filmschools NULL.com/cgi-bin/trk NULL.cgi?http://www NULL.rrz NULL.uni-hamburg NULL.de/as-film/itmf NULL.html)

Guatemala

• Art Workshops in La Antigua Guatemala (http://www NULL.filmschools NULL.com/cgi-bin/trk NULL.cgi?http://www NULL.artguat NULL.org/)

India

• Foundation Institute for Learning Media (http://www NULL.filmschools NULL.com/cgi-bin/trk NULL.cgi?http://www NULL.filminstituteindia NULL.com/)

Ireland

• Dun Laoghaire Institute of Art | Design | Technology (http://www NULL.filmschools NULL.com/cgi-bin/trk NULL.cgi?http://www NULL.iadt-dl NULL.ie/)

Italy

• Nuova Accademia di Belle Arti di Milano – NABA (http://www NULL.filmschools NULL.com/cgi-bin/trk NULL.cgi?http://www NULL.naba NULL.it/)
• Santa Reparata International School of Art (http://www NULL.filmschools NULL.com/cgi-bin/trk NULL.cgi?http://www NULL.fionline NULL.it/santareparata/)

Netherlands

• Gerrit Rietveld Academie (http://www NULL.filmschools NULL.com/cgi-bin/trk NULL.cgi?http://www NULL.gerritrietveldacademie NULL.nl/)

Philippines

• DLSU-College of St.Benilde, School of Design and Arts (http://www NULL.filmschools NULL.com/cgi-bin/trk NULL.cgi?http://www NULL.csb NULL.dlsu NULL.edu NULL.ph/)

Spain

• Centre for Cinematic Research (http://www NULL.filmschools NULL.com/cgi-bin/trk NULL.cgi?http://www NULL.swcp NULL.com/%7Ecmora/cine NULL.html)
• Sun Valley Academy of Art and Design (http://www NULL.filmschools NULL.com/cgi-bin/trk NULL.cgi?http://www NULL.sunvalley-design NULL.com/)

Turkey

• Bilkent University, Faculty of Art, Design & Architecture (http://www NULL.filmschools NULL.com/cgi-bin/trk NULL.cgi?http://www NULL.art NULL.bilkent NULL.edu NULL.tr/)

United Kingdom

• Brighton Film School & Studio (http://www NULL.filmschools NULL.com/cgi-bin/trk NULL.cgi?http://www NULL.brightonfilmschool NULL.org NULL.uk/)
• Kent Institute of Art and Design (http://www NULL.filmschools NULL.com/cgi-bin/trk NULL.cgi?http://www NULL.kiad NULL.ac NULL.uk)
• London Film Academy (http://www NULL.filmschools NULL.com/cgi-bin/trk NULL.cgi?http://www NULL.londonfilmacademy NULL.com/)
• Panico London (http://www NULL.filmschools NULL.com/cgi-bin/trk NULL.cgi?http://www NULL.panicofilms NULL.com/)
• Royal College of Art (http://www NULL.filmschools NULL.com/cgi-bin/trk NULL.cgi?http://www NULL.rca NULL.ac NULL.uk/index NULL.html)
• Storyboard School (http://www NULL.filmschools NULL.com/cgi-bin/trk NULL.cgi?http://www NULL.dicomics NULL.com/storyboardschool/)

I really hope these posts help you in some way!

If you have any expierences with any of the above, please comment below!

NM

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Which Film School? Part 1 – US

Posted on 16. Oct, 2010 by admin.

If movies are your passion and you are planning to be the next Spielberg or Scorsese, then you may be considering film school. There are many options out there, but which one will put you on the path to an Academy Award?

Here are a list of US film schools, and I will update with other worldwide schools soon enough

1. Full Sail University (http://drf NULL.filmschools NULL.com/Full-Sail/Film)

First opening its doors to the public in 1979, this university’s film department boasts superb resources like professional cameras, a multi-locale backlot, cranes, lighting rigs and more. Before graduating, students are required to bring their projects to life from pre to post-production as a final test. Famous alumni include Larry Katz, Assistant Director for the movie Cloverfield.

2. San Francisco Art Institute (http://ai NULL.filmschools NULL.com/artinstitutes/loc_california_sanfran NULL.php)

The Art Institute is a collection of 45 private colleges around the nation with a curriculum carefully scrutinized and put together by industry professionals. The institutes train their students in audio, video, and film production along with any advances in HD video and software tools. Locations vary from one another but all campuses use premiere industry-related equipment to prepare students for a competitive career. Many alumni now work for studios such as CBS Paramount, Sony Online Entertainment, and more.

3. New York University (http://filmtv NULL.tisch NULL.nyu NULL.edu/page/home NULL.html)

The Tisch School of the Arts for film and television, founded in 1965, is one of the most selective film schools in the world. The school’s rigorous coursework requires students to master the following areas: script, directing, producing, shooting, editing, and much more. The university currently has one of the largest filmmaking facilities on the East Coast including a production and post-production center. The university is proud to have famous alumni like Spike Lee, Roman Coppola, and M. Night Shyamalan graduate from their program.

4. San Francisco State University (http://cinema NULL.sfsu NULL.edu/)

The Cinema Department’s curriculum challenges students to see cinema as a powerful and independent storytelling medium. Their facilities include the Coppola Theater that was updated and equipped with a Dolby sound system thanks to former dean August Coppola, brother to Francis Coppola. The school also focuses on theory and practice and encourages their students to participate in scholarships. Many of SF State’s students distinguish themselves as Oscar nominees and winners, including director Steven Zaillian of Schindler’s List.

5. University of Texas – Austin (http://rtf NULL.utexas NULL.edu/)

The University of Texas Film Institute (UTFI) was recently founded in 2003 and their department is committed to a new model for film education. Not only do they provide hands-on education, but they foster the growth of new film technologies. Noted film director, cinematographer, writer, and editor Robert Rodriquez and director Wes Anderson graduated from the university.

6. Florida State University (http://film NULL.fsu NULL.edu/)

The Directors Guild of America recognized this university for its many contributions to American culture. FSU currently holds the most student awards and is the only school in the nation to pay for the production of student films. The university also assigns industry mentors to help students find a job within 12 months of graduation to ensure students make the most of their education.

7. University of Southern California (http://cinema NULL.usc NULL.edu/)

The USC School of Cinematic Arts, founded in 1929, is one of the oldest film schools in the nation. Back in 2006 alumnus George Lucas donated a whopping $175 million to expand and improve the school’s facilities. Famous faculty, from past and present, include Alfred Hitchcock, Tomlinson Holman, and Mark Jonathan Harris. Students here will learn about the technologies and methodologies for all forms of media.

8. University of California, Los Angeles (http://www NULL.tft NULL.ucla NULL.edu/)

The School of Theater, Film, and Television helps students discover their inner artist by training them in all aspects of this creative field including digital and telecommunications. Among some of their resources are the Geffen Playhouse that hosts the second largest media collection in the United States, and the Billy Wilder Theatre that cost $7.5 million to complete. According to the Princeton Review, this program consistently ranks first out of 500 other schools. Famous alumni include Justin Lin, director of Fast & Furious and Better Luck Tomorrow.

9. Ohio University (http://www NULL.finearts NULL.ohio NULL.edu/film/)

Ambitious film students might be interested in Ohio’s accelerated program – the Honors Tutorial College BFA in film. Students can explore their creative abilities through an individualized program of study but must rank in the top ten percent of their high school to even be considered for the program. Although small, the film school still has the latest equipment used by professionals today for students to take advantage of.

10. American Film Institute Conservatory (http://www NULL.afi NULL.com/)

The Conservatory is ranked as one of the top film schools and only accepts approximately 168 students each year to its Los Angeles campus. This institution is the only existing conservatory that offers an advanced film education in the following disciplines: directing, editing, screenwriting, producing, production design, and cinematography. Famous alumni include director David Lynch and cinematographer Robert Richardson.

11. The Art Academy (http://drf NULL.filmschools NULL.com/Academy-Of-Art-University/)

The Academy hires only working professionals from leading studios in the Bay Area like LucasFilm and Pixar to help give students real-world insight into the world of filmmaking. The Academy’s comprehensive film programs prepare students with theoretical knowledge and technical know-how to give them the skills they need to be successful in the professional world. Education is also made accessible through their online degree program for Master of Fine Arts, Bachelor of Fine Arts, and Associate of Arts degree programs in six different concentrations ranging from directing to production design. Chat online with the program director for more information.

12. Boston University (http://www NULL.bu NULL.edu/com/ft/)

The Department of Film & Television at Boston University understands that today’s technology is changing the face of traditional media. As a result, the university encourages their students to embrace these rapid changes by offering innovative programs. Aside from offering just Bachelor of Science and Master of Fine Arts degrees, the department will also offer a Master of Science in Media Ventures in Fall 2010 along with a dual degree in MBA/MS for Media Ventures. Famous alumni include Producer Richard Gladstein, Screenwriter Steve Brill, and Director Robert Patton-Spruill.

NM

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What to Bring on Set

Posted on 03. Oct, 2010 by admin.

There’s always a time where you go on set and realise there’s something essential that you really badly want for the film.

Well, I’m gonna roundup what I think most little-to-no-budget filmmakers should bring on set. 

1. A Laptop — Probably the most useful piece of equipment to have on set, apart from the camera. If you ever run out of space on your card, or tape, you can always flip open the laptop and dump your footage, leaving you with an empty card to shoot the rest of your film. Yes, I realise, that to get a good, fast running laptop you will end up paying a lot of money, but you can get cheap used lappies online if you just look!

2. Spare Batteries/Battery Charger — Extremely important for the times when you’re only half way through the shoot, and suddenly the battery dies. For my DSLR, I only have the one LP-E8 battery, so I badly need to buy some more. A good and cheap battery you can get is this one, from Amazon at less than $10: http://amzn.to/alGBYh (http://amzn NULL.to/alGBYh)

3. Digital Camera — The worst thing for an editor is continuity errors. It’s horrible having to go back to the edit suite and cutting together a complete mess of continuity errors, so what you can do is bring on set any cheap digital camera, even your phones camera, and taking a quick pic of the actors clothing, or the set to help you continue from where you left off.

4. Lighting – At your local photography shop, you can buy some cheap softbox kits, and some nicely priced lamps for your beginning budget. But if your looking for some professional lighting equipment you should go for Arri, with some pretty good fresnels, barndoors, stands, filter holders and whatnot. They are pretty expensive, but if you really want professional lighting its a must have, especially for studio work.

5. Microphones — I’m no audio professional, but on set you should have three types of audio equipment: wireless lavalier mics, boom mic, and a Zoom H4N (for use with a HDSLR camera). First, the lav… now you can get wired or wireless (the latter is more expensive), but wireless is obviously more convenient. This lets you get a clean audio track with your mic very close to your subjects voice, relatively unobtrusive, and you can use these all alone. Now, the boom mic (or shutgon mic) is kind of either/or; you can clamp your mic to a C-Stand, or have a boom operator run around with you. This option has more of a hassle, but might be a necessity when you are shooting things such as short films or commercials where you absolutely can’t have lavs in the shot. Lastly, the Zoom H4N (http://www NULL.zoom NULL.co NULL.jp/english/products/h4n/) (or any other handheld portable recorder (http://www NULL.bhphotovideo NULL.com/c/search?Ntt=portable+recorder&N=0&InitialSearch=yes) with inputs) is perfect as a hub to plug mics in and record audio separately from your camera, or perhaps you need to knock out a rough voiceover. It is very handy especially for those HDSLR filmmakers out there.

6. Water Supply! — Lastly, an extremely important necessity. Water. You’ve been out on set for a long, long time and every now and again you’ll crave some water, especially if its hot. Luckily, if you’re smart, you would’ve brought water, or any other kind of beverage that you enjoy. An absolute necessity for a long shoot on a hot day! (DONT FORGET TO BRING SOME FOOD TOO!)

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iPhone/iPad Apps for Filmmakers

Posted on 03. Oct, 2010 by admin.

4 billion apps have been downloaded from the App store, and there’s 185,000 apps in the store. So basically, theres an “app for everything”. Now and again, us filmmakers like to have gadgets that make our jobs easier, right? Well, out of all the apps out there for the iPhone/iPad/iTouch, there must be an app for filmmaking. I’ve gathered together a few apps that would make a lot of things a lot easier. Oh, and yes most of them do cost money I’m afraid.

1. Movie Slate by PureBlend Software. (Cost: $4.99) — A digital slate, clapper board, shot log, and shot notepad, designed for use with film, television, documentaries, interviews, and home movies.

2. Hitchcock by Cinemek Inc. (Cost: $19.99) –Hitchcock is a mobile storyboard and pre-visualization composer designed for Directors, Directors of Photography, Producers, Writers, Animators, Art Directors, film students and anyone who wants to be able to visualize their story.

3. pCam by David Eubank (Cost: $39.99) – A Motion Picture and Still Photography calculator for Directors of Photography, Photographers, Camera Operators, Camera Assistants, VFX Supervisors, Script Supervisors, Gaffers, Grips, Editors, Production Designers, Art Directors, Film and Photography Students. It calculates depth of field, field of view, focus splits, hyperfocal distance, exposure compensation, running time, HMI safe speeds and shutters, color correction filters, diopter shift, macro, time lapse, underwater focus distance, illumination beam intensity, light coverage and even has a built-in Siemen’s Star focus chart.

 4. Screenplay by Black Mana Studios. (Cost: $2.99) – Screenplay is the worlds first fully-functional mobile screenwriting application. It allows professionals and hobbyists alike to write complete movie and television screenplays directly on the iPhone or iPod Touch. It’s an official technology partner of Final Draft Inc.

5. FiRe by Audiofile Engineering. (Cost: $9.99) –  A field recorder for the iPhone, not a voice or memo recorder. It is a truly professional recorder developed for audio professionals by audio professionals. It has many professional features other recorders don’t. In addition to supporting stereo recording, it.s the first iPhone recorder to display an accurate audio waveform in real time, and the first to support markers, Broadcast WAVE metadata, and the instant downloading of files in multiple file formats. When I don’t have my Zoom H4N handy, this is my field recorder.

6. MyWeather by MyWeather, LLC. (Cost: $4.99) – It’s in the name really, a feature rich weather application with animated looping radar and satellite, 36-hour temperature, precipitation and wind speed/direction graphs (USA only), 7-day forecasts, over 10,000 U.S. cities and now thousands of international cities. You can also rotate the phone horizontally to view FULL-SCREEN radar animation and 36 hour trend graphs (USA only). Yes, it does say USA only, but if anyone wants to give a Worldwide app, then please do below!

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These are very useful apps, I’ve used them all before. They do cost quite a lot, but for what you get its well worth it, but make sure you know what you’re getting if you are buying it!

I’ll post some more sometime soon, so pop back soon!

NM

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