Just getting ready for the New Year event at home-----Contributed by FBS Grad Axl Friedrich

Wedding---Contributed by FBS Grad Jeremy Harmsen

"Another day at work...."--Contributed by FBS Grad Jay Shropshire

#batman #batmobile #corvette #car #la #losangeles# Dark Knight Exhibit

Photo Contributed by FBS Graduate Jeff Hart

Dialogue Greatness

“Yeah I called her up, she gave me a bunch of crap about me not listening to her, or something, I don't know, I wasn't really paying attention.”
 
-----Harry Dunne (Jeff Daniels) in Dumb & Dumber, 1994

Film Term

Motivated Lighting: A style of lighting in which the light sources imitate existing sources, such as lamps or windows.

December 23rd. Happy Festivus!

 

Festivus For the Rest of US

Celebrated on December 23, as depicted on the December 18, 1997 Seinfeld television episode, “The Strike”. While at Monk's restaurant Jerry, George, and Elaine discuss George's father's creation of Festivus (Jerry: "His father hated all the commercial and religious aspects of Christmas, so he made up his own holiday." (Jerry Seinfeld referring to Frank Costanza.). Then Kramer becomes interested in resurrecting the holiday when, at the bagel shop, Frank Costanza tells him how he created Festivus as an alternative holiday in response to the commercialization of Christmas.

Frank Costanza: "Many Christmases ago, I went to buy a doll for my son. I reached for the last one they had, but so did another man. As I rained blows upon him, I realized there had to be another way."

Cosmo Kramer: "What happened to the doll?"

Frank Costanza: "It was destroyed. But out of that a new holiday was born: a Festivus for the rest of us!"

Kramer: "That must have been some kind of doll."

Frank Costanza: "She was."

Festivus pole

The tradition of Festivus begins with an aluminum pole. During Festivus, the pole is displayed unadorned. The basics of the Festivus pole are explained by Frank in two separate situations:

Cosmo Kramer: "And is there a tree?"

Frank Costanza: "No, instead, there's a pole. It requires no decoration. I find tinsel distracting ... It's made from aluminum. Very high strength-to-weight ratio."

When not being used, the pole is stored in the Costanzas' crawl space.

Festivus dinner

A celebratory dinner is shown on the evening of Festivus prior to the Feats of Strength and during the Airing of Grievances. The on-air meal was shown to be some sort of meatloaf. In the Seinfeld episode no alcohol is served at the dinner, but George Costanza's boss, Mr. Kruger, drinks from a hip flask.

Airing of Grievances

The celebration of Festivus begins with the "Airing of Grievances", which takes place immediately after the Festivus dinner has been served. It consists of lashing out at others and the world about how one has been disappointed in the past year.

From the Seinfeld episode:

Frank Costanza: "And at the Festivus dinner, you gather your family around, and tell them all the ways they have disappointed you over the past year!"

Frank Costanza: "The tradition of Festivus begins with the Airing of Grievances. I got a lot of problems with you people! And now, you're gonna hear about it. You, Kruger. My son tells me your company stinks! You couldn't smooth a silk sheet if you had a hot date with a babe...I lost my train of thought."

Feats of Strength

The Feats of Strength is the final tradition observed in the celebration of Festivus, celebrated immediately following (or in the case of "The Strike"during) the Festivus dinner. The head of the household selects one person at the Festivus celebration and challenges that person to a wrestling match. Evidently, the person may decline if they have something else to do, as Kramer did in the episode. Tradition states that Festivus is not over until the head of the household is pinned in a wrestling match. The Feats of Strength are mentioned twice in the episode before they actually take place. In both instances, no detail was given as to what had actually happened, but in both instances, George Costanza ran out of the coffee shop in a mad panic, implying he had bad experiences with the Feats of Strength in the past. What the Feats of Strength entailed was revealed at the very end of the episode, when it actually took place. Failing to pin the head of the household results in Festivus continuing until such requirement is met.
Article cited directly from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Festivus
 

Film Crew Slang

Vanities- A term sometimes used by the crew to describe the folks in charge of hair and make up.

With a little pre-planning, ambition, and a fairly technical climb, I was able to knock another one off the bucket list, touching the Hollywood Sign.---contributed by FBS graduate Brent Martin

Pics

Shooting Glen "Big Baby" Davis w/ my homie @bradendotlost #ShootingForCharity #EatingPizza---Contributed by Swany Swan

Pick of the Week

"The Re-Animator"(1985) Directed by Stuart Gordon
Med school student Herbert West experiments with re-animating dead tissue. His professor dies in the lab under weird circumstances and Herbert is forced to continue his "re-agent"work at a new university. Gore and humor propel us through a Frankenstein/Jekyle & Hyde/Zombie hybrid flick based on an original story by master of horror H.P. Lovecraft. On a relatively low budget this picture provides excellent production value, performances and direction. It is deftly designed for hardcore horror fans who revel in the absurdly gross. Popularity led to a series of re-animator films. If you enjoy "The Evil Dead","Dead Alive" and the "Living Dead" films, "The Re-Animator" belongs in your Netflix line-up.

Film Crew Slang

Hero- A special item, prop or accessory. As in “Gimme the Hero Bomb, we are shooting the close-up.” This is a request for the best looking bomb. We are about to cut the blue wire….or is it the red wire? Television commercials  have Hero as the star. The big juicy burger that is 6 inches tall, steaming hot is the “Hero” or “Hero Product”. The Hero “Product Shot “is usually the last shot of the day.

Dialogue Greatness

Adams Family Values (1993) -Gothic comedy based on the comics by Charles Addams. Directed by Barry Sonnenfeld.

Gomez: Children, why do you hate the baby?
Pugsley: We don't hate him. We just wanna play with him.
Wednesday: Especially his head.

Film Crew Slang

Pay or Play- An stipulation in a contract which commits the production company to compensate a cast or crew member for a project whether or not that project ever goes into production.

Pick of the Week

"Decoy for Terror" (A.K.A. "The Playgirl Killer" A.K.A "Portrait of Fear) 1968- A deranged artist kills and freezes women for the sake of his art. Not only is this fun Canadian schlock, but 50's-60's teen popstar Neil Sedaka (famous for..."I love, I love my little calender girl..! Yeah, yeah,yeah!) breaks into song several times.  Best Scene-The artist has frozen a girl as a statue posed with a strung bow and arrow. Guess what happens when the power goes out and the room warms up?

Film Crew Slang

"Bracketing"-Shooting the scene several times with different F-stops/T-stops to create a range of exposure effects.
F-stop-The amount of light transmitted by a lens based on a simple mathematical calculation. Focal Length of lens divided by the diameter of the aperture.
But different lenses will take in different amounts of light depending on the number of elements in them. So two lenses with an aperture of f4 may actually allow different amounts of light to pass through them. One might create a brighter image than the other.
T-stop-Similar to F-stop but a T-stop is measurement of the actual amount of transmitted light for a particular lens as opposed to the theoretical calculation of an F-stop.
T-stops are used mostly in the motion picture industry.

Dialogue Greatness

"Repo Man" (1984)- 80's Punk Rock sci-fi classic from the warped mind of Director Alex Cox. We'll take a look at Cox's "Straight To Hell" (1987) a little later

Parnell (mad scientist) : Ever been to Utah? Ra-di-a-tion. Yes, indeed. You hear the most outrageous lies about it. Half-baked goggle-box do-gooders telling everybody it's bad for you. Pernicious nonsense. Everybody could stand a hundred chest X-rays a year. They ought to have them, too. When they canceled the project it almost did me in. One day my mind was full to bursting. The next day - nothing. Swept away. But I'll show them. I had a lobotomy in the end.


Otto: Lobotomy? Isn't that for loonies?


Parnell: Not at all. Friend of mine had one. Designer of the neutron bomb. You ever hear of the neutron bomb? Destroys people - leaves buildings standing. Fits in a suitcase. It's so small, no one knows it's there until - BLAMMO. Eyes melt, skin explodes, everybody dead. So immoral, working on the thing can drive you mad. That's what happened to this friend of mine. So he had a lobotomy. Now he's well again.

Film Crew Slang

Subjective Angle: Slightly different than a Point Of View (POV) shot. A subjective angle shows the point of viewpoint of a specific person in the film. Common examples are the view through binoculars or a gun site.

2 special anniversaries!

Exactly 70 years ago today, Casablanca premiered at the Hollywood Theater in New York. Please join us in sharing this image across Facebook in tribute to one of the greatest movies of all time.  Just one of the many great films we show in our class!  Also Happy 90th birthday to the HOLLYWOOD sign.  Like everything and everyone else in Hollywood it's getting a facelift!

Camera sells for millions

http://www.photography-news.com/2012/11/leica-m3d-camera-used-by-picassos.html

Madonna Concert in Miami--contributed by Jay Shropshire

 

IMAX camera on Libra stabilization head suspended from the boat's on-board crane.
Contributed by cinematographer James Neihouse

Film Crew Lingo

Macro lens- A specialized lens that extends far enough to bring very close objects into focus. A good macro lens may reproduce and image at a 1:1 ratio.

IMAX camera prepped on Libra head for great white shark shoot.
Contributed by cinematographer  James L. Neihouse

This is HILARIOUS!! And after reading it a couple times, I have to think that Tom Hanks really did type this out himself! This is his type of humor...I love it!

Contributed by Full Sail Grad Christopher J. Miller

Dialogue Greatness

The Big Steal (1949)
Jane Greer to Robert Mitchum: What I like about you is you’re rock bottom. I wouldn’t expect you to understand this, but it’s a great comfort for a girl to know she could not possibly sink any lower.

Film Crew Slang

High Key- An overall brightly lit scene with few shadows. Low contrast.
Low Key- High contrast lighting with many shadows and areas of darkness.

Director of Photography James Neihouse shooting Endeavour for "HUBBLE 3D" IMAX feature documentary.

Walkie Talkie Radio Etiquette

Tips for Proper Radio Use:
*Be professional
*Always use your name when identifying yourself. Common practice is to say "Go for ____(your name)".
* Keep your voice low when taking on the radio. Most crew will have ear pieces but keep your voice down. Especially when around actors. Just because they are not in front of camera does not mean they are not working.
*Know that anyone could be hearing your conversation.
* If you need to have an extended conversation (or private) take it to another channel. Do this  by telling the other person "Go to Channel___". For really private talks it's best to ask them to meet you in person.
*Production Assistants (P.A.s): If someone higher up than you has their radio battery go dead, give them yours and get yourself a new one. Same if their radio breaks.
* Always say "copy" meaning that you heard and understand. Without a response, people wonder if you heard them or not.

Common Radio Codes:
10-1: Going to the bathroom doing #1
10-2: Going to the bathroom doing #2 (It's not to be gross, just saying that it will take a little longer than #1)
10-4: I have heard and understand
10-20 or 20: Location of someone or something as in "What's your 20?"
"Copy": I Have heard and understand
"Do You Copy?": Did you hear me? Do you understand?
"Radio Check": Say this if you are not sure that your radio is transmitting or working. The proper response is "Good Check". If you hear someone ask for a radio check....respond!
"Stand by": Means that I am busy at the moment and will respond ASAP.
"Flying In": Always respond when asked to bring something or someone to the set. It lets them know that you are on it. Also lets us know that multiple people are not attempting to do the same task and wasting precious manpower and time.

Contributed by Joe Wheeler

Contributed by Full Sail Grad Jay Shropshire

Film Crew Slang

Tech Scout- No it is not a nerdy Boy Scout! A Tech Scout is the process of going to a potential shoot location to figure out the logistics and details of how to best accomplish the shots. Key Department Heads from the crew will go together...UPM, DP, Gaffer, Key Grip, Transportation Captain and any others that are needed. In photography and video it is sometimes referred to as a Site Survey.

Film Crew Slang

"Golden Time"- Double (x2) Overtime pay. This is a Production Manager's nightmare! Crew loves it of course. It's been a very long day and now... $$$$ Cha-Ching!!!

Dialogue Greatness

Addams Family Values(1993)-Directed by Barry Sonnenfeld
(Gomez Adams referring to a girl popping out of the cake at a bachelor party)
-"Was she in there before you baked it?"

Contributed Steadicam Operator and Full Sail Graduate Tim Yoder 

Fancy Film Words

Mis En Scene (miz-en-scen)- Translated as "Placing on stage". It is the arrangement of all of the visual elements of a theatrical production within the scene or stage. There are generally 4 elements:
1. Physical setting and decor
2. Staging of the action
3. The way in which the elements are framed
4. The way in which the elements are photographed

Friend's Pics

Jeff Hart shooting with an Arri Alexa & Optimo ---Contributed by Jeff Hart

A Guy Walks into a Film Set

The Devil tells a Hollywood Agent, "I can make you richer, more famous, and more successful than any agent alive. In fact, I can make you the greatest agent that ever lived."
"Ok" says the agent, "what do I have to do in return?"
The Devil smiles, "Well... of course you have to give me your soul," he says, "but you also have to give me the souls of your children, the souls of your children's children and, as a matter of fact, you must give me the souls of all your descendants through eternity."
"Hold on," the agent says cautiously, "What's the catch?"

Film Crew Slang

Ritter Fan- A specialty fan for big wind effects. It is absolutely HUGE. Large wooden propeller blades set on a frame & trailer with an auto or airplane engine to run it. Imagine having an airboat as a fan.

Rare interview with Silent film star Theda Bara in 1936. Thanks to DeAnna for sending the link. www.youtube.com/watch?v=fVBLHr4iwVM&feature=fvwrel

Friend's Pics

James Neihouse: Color grading our short film Candu at Continental Film & Video

Film Crew Slang

"ND" (1)- "Nondescript". People and things that are part of the scene but won't draw undo attention are sometimes called ND by Assistant Directors. "Get three ND Background (background extras)  for the newspaper stand!"

"ND" (2)- Neutral density. An ND filter is a gray glass camera filter that blocks a certain amount of light evenly across the light spectrum. It is placed in front of the lens to reduce exposure while not affecting the color of the image. Crew may also tape plastic sheets (gels) of ND to windows to reduce light coming in through the windows.

Friend's Pics

Contributed by Kevin Smith, Kevin Smith Photography

Film Crew Slang

"Break the Bubble": Tilting the camera off of it's axis. Tripods have a level bubble that is usually set to balance the camera so that it is straight and upright. Breaking the bubble makes it uneven. Also called a Dutch Angle or Canted Angle.

In honor of 2012 Olympics

The "Black Adder" comedic television series ran on the BBC from 1983-89. Supremely weird Rowan Atkinson plays the protagonist "Black Adder" in four different historical time frames of English history from 1485 to 1917.  Each Black Adder is the  doppelganger of his ancestors. He is sly, greedy and always conspiring to advance himself in life. Hugh Laurie, the now famous "House" star plays a variety of characters ranging from Black Adder's lord and ruler, to his servant and eventually a World War I subordinate soldier.

Black Adder: (Punches William Shakespeare)--That is for every schoolboy and schoolgirl for the next 400 years.  Have you any idea how much suffering you're going to cause? Hours spent at school desks trying to find ONE joke in "A Midsummer's Night Dream", wearing stupid tights in school plays and saying things like, "What ho, my Lord," and, "Oh, look, here comes Othello talking total crap as usual."

FIlm Crew Slang

"WestVirginiA"- A way of memorizing how to calculate the conversion of Watts to Volts. The formula is Watts=Volts x Amps (W=VA).  Conversely A=W/V (Amps=Watts/Volts). If you want to learn to light a movie set with the big boys you have to learn electricity. Get rid of the math fear and just do it! Always respect electricity on and off set. Its a matter of life and death.

Dialogue Greatness

"The Jerk" (1979)- Comedian Steve Martin as Navin "The Jerk" in a film directed by the brilliant Carl Reiner.

 Navin (Martin) works at a gas station. A crazed man is hiding on a hill across from
 the gas station. He starts "secretly" sniping at Navin with a hunting rifle. The shots hit oilcans that are stacked in a pyramid between the gas pumps. The bullets smack into the cans with a popping sound and oil is squirting out of the holes. After multiple cans are hit Navin innocently says:
"Hey, I think these cans of oil are defective."

Film Crew Slang

"Hot Set"- A hot set is a film set that must remain exactly the same as the last time we shot on it. Anything that is "hot" will be seen on camera again and must remain untouched.

Quotes

Some guy hit my fender and I said "be fruitful and multiply", but not in those words.
--Woody Allen

Film Crew Slang

Parallels or Parallel Set- Temporary scaffolding (like the kind on a construction site), used as a platform for cameras, lighting or for some other rigging.

Friend's Pics-Vroooom! Vroom!

Chris Nolan and stunt coordinator Tom Struthers blocking out a chase scene with chalk and hot wheels... this makes me smile :P--contributed by Full Sail University Grad Robert Ryan DeWeese

Friend's Pics--Kenny and a 1/2 a buck

Special Effects Coordinator Kenny Gorrell and 50 Cent on set

Friend's Pics- Snootchie Bootchies!

"Last day filling in as gaffer for Kevin Smiths web show"Spoilers". Great show, if you havent seen it check it out on hulu!!!!" ------Full Sail University grad Wes Alley

Frend's Pics--Airboat ready to shoot

"Check out my airboat rig, with Sony F900"
- shared by James Neihouse (@70mmdp)
Director of Photography and Full Sail instructor

Dialogue greatness

Madagascar (2005)- This is a G film, but throughout the history of movies writers have found ways to amuse us with clever dialogue.
Marty the Zebra (Chris Rock) is running down the beach towards the Alex the Lion (Ben Stiller). They are both shouting each other's name in a classic slow-motion Hollywood reunion. As they get closer, Zebra notices that the expression and voice of the Lion is not happy but very angry. Zebra puts on the brakes and runs away screaming "Ohhhh, Sugar, Honey, Iced, Tea!".
Work it out yourself....

Film Crew Slang

Tentpole- A film designed to be a top grossing blockbuster (usually in the summer) to make up for a studio's financial flops. The Tentpole is usually part of a franchise series of films. Holy Tentpole Batman!

Actual english subtitles from a variety of foreign martial arts films:
1. Same old rules: no eyes, no groin.
2. Gun wounds again?
3. Fatty, you with your thick face have hurt my instep.
4. A normal person wouldn't steal pituitaries.
5. The bullets inside are very hot. Why do I feel so cold?
6. Take my advice, or I'll spank you without pants.
7. Who gave you the nerve to get killed here?
8. I'll fire aimlessly if you don't come out!
9. You always use violence. I should've ordered glutinous rice chicken.
10.Beat him out of recognizable shape!
11. I got knife scars more than the number of your leg's hair!
12. Beware! Your bones are going to be disconnected.
13. How can you use my intestines as a gift?

Quotes

"But having a really good understanding of history, literature, psychology, sciences - is very, very important to actually being able to make movies. "
George Lucas

Film Crew Slang

Reality shows are usually placed in one of 2 categories:
Low Concept- Shows that are straight up without a twist. Think "American Pickers".
High Concept- Shows that have a twist, a hybrid element that has never been done before. Imagine taking the "Bachelorette" Tools and putting them in a gladiator ring to fight it out "Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome" style. " Hmmm...I like it. "2 men enter, 1 man leaves...with a rose."

The term "High Concept" does not indicate superiority or more intellectual content. In fact, high concept are often the really dumb ones. (That I watch anyhow!)

This video from artist McLean Fahnestock is really impressive. In honor of the end of the Space Shuttle program he created a piece that shows all 135 launches at once. It's ending is poignant.
Courtesy of Jalopnik.com
http://jalopnik.com/5924110/watch-all-135-space-shuttle-launches-at-once

Hays Code Breaker

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In 1931, a set of standardized guidelines of what was and was not considered acceptable in movies was introduced---this was commonly known as the Hays Code. There were no penalties for disobeying it, thus it was mostly ignored. Soon, however, religious groups pressured producers to conform their films to the Hays Code. In 1934, the Production Code Administration Office was established. Every script now had to be approved by the Hays office before it could be produced. From then on, producers took the Production Code seriously. The code lasted until 1968 when it was replaced by the MPAA rating system.

The head of photography at Columbia, A.L. Shafer, created the above photo that intentionally incorporated all of the items banned by the Hays Code into one image!

1. Law defeated

2. Inside of thigh exposed

3. Lace lingerie showing

4. Dead Man

5. Narcotics

6. Drinking

7. Exposed bosom

8. Gambling

9. Pointing a gun

10. Tommy Gun

Attributed: http://coilhouse.net/2010/02/one-vintage-photo-that-broke-ten-mpaa-rules/

Quotes

"If toast always lands butter-side down, and cats always land on their feet, what happens if you strap toast on the back of a cat and drop it?"

Steven Wright

Film Crew Slang

Advance Schedule: Next week's or the next couple of weeks (or even next month's) planned work is on a film's advance schedule. It's a list that each department (camera, lighting, sound etc.) can look at in order to plan ahead, usually for big ticket rentals like cranes, helicopters, cars and extras.

Pick of the Week

The King of Comedy (1985)- Rupert Pupkin (Robert Deniro) wants to be a famous comedian/talk show host. He believes that he will be a hit if he can just get an appearance on Jerry Langford's (Jerry Lewis) popular late night talk show. Unsuccessful in his attempts, he enlists the help of Langford obsessed friend Masha to stalk and kidnap the famous T.V. show host in order to perform his act in a "private audition". Martin Scorcese directed this strange tale of obsession, desperation and psychosis. Deniro is brilliant as a man who cannot distinguish the difference between fantasy and reality. He wants to BE Jerry. Nothing will get in his way. Comedian Jerry Lewis shines as the powerful Hollywood television host.

Radio Talk

"Go to 2"- On a film set, channel 1 on your Walkie-Talkie is exclusively for the production orders.
 If you need to have a side conversation, the etiquette is to tell the person that you want to talk with to "go to 2". It means change to channel 2 for a conversation. You could also send them to any other unused channel but channel 2 is often reserved just for this circumstance. When the conversation is over, the person who said go to 2 must remind the other person to switch back to the production channel by saying "Back to 1".

Dialogue Greatness

Mr. Madison  what you've just said is one of the most insanely idiotic things I have ever heard. At no point in your rambling, incoherent response were you even close to anything that could be considered a rational thought. Everyone in this room is now dumber for having listened to it. I award you no points, and may God have mercy on your soul.

Billy Madison (1995) Starring Adam Sandler

Canon C500 Update

James L. Neihouse

Only nine days till the Canon C500 4K screening! Show starts at 1pm at the Regal Cinemas in Winter Park, FL See the footage, see the camera, talk to the Canon reps!

Canon C500 Cinema Camera 4K Screening

Wednesday, June 27 at 1:00pm at Regal Cinemas

Film Crew Slang

Stand-by Scenic: A member of the Art Department on a film, whose main job is to be ready at all times to touch up the set with paint, wax, varnish and all sorts of materials. They may also be referred to as a Scenic Artist.

Update-Canon C500 4K presentation here in Orlando.

More on :
Save this date - June 27th, 2012 for Canon C500 4K presentation here in Orlando. My friends from Canon will be bringing the 4K films shot on the C500 to show - Location to be announced later - thinking Winter Park. Possibly a special guest, and maybe some hands on time with the camera! 
TUESDAY June 26, 2012  7:00PM (1900 hrs) at the Regal Cinemas in Winter Park, FL
510 North Orlando Avenue, Winter Park, FL - (407) 628-0035 - Map

Quotes

"A Hard Day's Night" (1964)- John Lennon being interviewed by a reporter after The Beatles U.S. first concert tour:
Reporter: Tell me, how did you find America?
John Lennon: Turned left at Greenland.

Film Crew Slang

Clean Entrance- Actors walk into the camera's view from outside the frame in the beginning of a shot.
Clean Exit- Actors walk out of the camera frame at the end of a shot.
Clean Entrance/Exit provide editing options in the editing room. They also can re-enforce screen direction to the audience and make it more "real". Many new filmmakers ignore this simple tip and end up locking themselves into a limited series of cuts in the edit. This limited cut can confuse/disorient the audience or simply be regarded as poor filmmaking technique.

Dialogue Greatness

Monty Python & the Holy Grail (1975)- Directed by Terry Gilliam
King Arthur (Graham Chapman) is on his quest for the grail when he comes upon peasants. (Michael Palin as Dennis & Terry Jones speaking in a high pitched voice as a woman.)

Woman: Oh. How do you do?

King Arthur: How do you do, good lady? I am Arthur, King of the Britons. Whose castle is that?

Woman: King of the who?

King Arthur: King of the Britons.

Woman: Who are the Britons?

King Arthur: Well, we all are. We are all Britons. And I am your king.

Woman: I didn't know we had a king. I thought we were an autonomous collective.

Dennis: You'rw foolin' yourself! We're living in a dictatorship. A self-perpetuating autocracy in which the working class...

Woman: Oh, there you go bringing class into it again.

Dennis: Well, that's what it's all about! If only people would...

King Arthur: Please, please, good people, I am in haste. Who lives in that castle?
Woman: No one lives there.

King Arthur: Then who is your lord?

Woman: We don't have a lord.

Dennis: I told you, we're an anarco-sydicalist commune. We take it in turns to be a sort of executive officer for the week...

King Arthur: Yes...

Dennis: ...but all the decisions of that officer have to be ratified at a special bi-weekly meeting...

King Arthur: Yes I see...

Dennis: ...by a simple majority in the case of purely internal affairs...

King Arthur: Be quiet!

Dennis: ...but by a two thirds majority in the case of...

King Arthur: Be quiet! I order you to be quiet!

Woman: Order, eh? Who does he think he is?

And the Angels Sang...

Canon C500 Cinema Camera 4K Screening- Director of Photography and Full Sail Instructor James Neihouse just announced the below:

Save this date - June 27th, 2012 for Canon C500 4K presentation here in Orlando. My friends from Canon will be bringing the 4K films shot on the C500 to show - Location to be announced later - thinking Winter Park. Possibly a special guest, and maybe some hands on time with the camera! Mark your calendars now! Stay tuned for updates. 

I will pass along updates as I get them. Rumor has it that the location is at the Regal Cinema in Winter Park Village. The C500 is a 4k (4096 x 2060 pixel) camera in both PL and EF mounts. The beauty is it's cost at approximately $30,000. This digital cinema camera may truly put feature filmmaking into our hands at a staggeringly low cost compared to other 4k capable cameras. I suggest that you stay tuned and keep June 27 in mind.

Cross Country Student Filmmaker

A young man from Kodiak Alaska has just started out on a 6000 mile bike trek to Key West, Florida. John is an interesting person. He is also quite motivated. I don't personally know John, but I was a judge for the 2012 Creative Minds Scholarship in which he was a winner. His essay and application materials were quite good, but what struck me is the short film he sent in. Yes, it is creative and entertaining but that's not what struck me. There are many creative and entertaining students that I know.The effort, planning and time it took to produce his film is what shows throughout the piece. As a filmmaker, I appreciate the persistence it takes to work out the many logistics and less "glamorous" details and refinements to truly create a fine production. I believe that John will not only complete his trek but come away with life lessons to be envied and great material for his documentary. Mind you, this guy hasn't even started film school yet! He just recently graduated high school. So check out his blog and support him in any way you can. http://johnsamericabiketour.blogspot.com/
Filmmakers are a community.

Pick of the Week

Raising Arizona (1987) is an early Coen Brothers film and the first to really show off their gift for comedy. Ex-con "Hi" (Nicolas Cage) and ex-cop "Edwina" (Holly Hunter) are desperate for a child of their own. Unable to conceive, they decide that a local wealthy couple with quintuplets can afford to give up a child. Hi and Ed abduct the baby. In doing so, they get much more from life than they bargained for.  Look for great performances by an ensemble cast including Dan Goodman, William Forsyth, Francis McDormand and former heavy weight boxer Tex Cobb. Any fan of "Oh, Brother Where Art Thou" will surely see the roots in this weird and wonderful predecessor.

Best Scene: The bank robbery.

Dialogue Greatness

Caddyshack (1980)   Carl (Bill Murray) talking about having been a caddy for the Dalai Lama:

"So we finish 18 and he's gonna stiff me. And I say, 'Hey, Lama! Hey! How about a little something, you know, for the effort, you know.' And he says, 'Oh, uh, there won't be any money, but when you die, on your deathbed, you will receive total consciousness.' So I got that going for me, which is nice."

Film Crew Slang

"Kill the Houselights"- When lighting a set, one of the first things to do is to "Kill the Houselights". Turn off any overhead lights, regular lamps etc. Then the electric dept. (lighting crew) can light without any stray light contaminating the set.

Electrics, Electricians, Electric Department- Film speak for the Lighting crew on a film. The head Electric is the Gaffer. His foreman is know as the Best Boy Electric.  Their crew are Electrics. They are also called "Juicers".

Grips- Grips are the brothers and sisters of the Electrics. While Electrics handle lighting gear and power, Grips handle a variety of rigging jobs. It includes shading lights with a variety of grip gear; operating camera dollies & cranes; rigging cameras to just about anything (cars, trains, roller coasters, trees etc.); and building or rigging anything that we need to complete the shots. They are part mad scientist, part construction worker. If you remember the 1980's show "Mac Guyver" you may consider Grips to be the real life Mac Guyver. The head of the Grip department is the Key Grip. The foreman is the Best Boy Grip. The others are Grips. They are also referred to as Hammers.

A lot of people incorrectly refer to both crews as Grips. Or incorrectly refer to all of the electrics as "Gaffers". Learn the roles, it will help you to better understand the process of filmmaking.

Professional Union crews traditionally have clearly defined differences as Grips and Electrics. It gets a bit muddled on non-union and low-budget gigs because they may not be able to afford the classic distinction.

Both Electric and Grip Department are under the supervision of the D.P. (Director of Photography or Cinematographer). In the United Kingdom the D.P. is referred to as the Lighting Cameraman. Same job, different title.

As a filmmaker, you will run into situations where there are several versions of film slang for the same thing. Be open minded on set and ASK!  If you tell someone, "I was taught that this is a widget not a gidget, you're wrong!", you might just get kicked in the teeth. You also reveal ignorance instead of desire to understand.

Misconceptions in Film

Product Placement is a way in which companies buy advertising space in a film for their client's products. It also is a way for a producer to fund some film production costs. Obvious examples include: Reese's Pieces in  Spielberg's "E.T. The Extraterrestrial"; Popeye's Chicken in Adam Sandler's "Little Nicky"; and the all time king of shameless product placement ...Michael Bay hawking General Motors  products and several others in "Transformers".
The Misconception: Students often think that if they place a product very prominently in their film that it may entice product placement payments. Wrong. It could actually get you in legal trouble. A deal has to be struck with the advertiser prior to using it in your film. They protect the image and associations of their products very carefully. What if parts of the film are offensive to the client or the client's perception of their demographic of customers? You have to solicit them and cut a deal contractually. Also, film festivals may have strict rules about copyright.

Dialogue Greatness

"The Outlaw Josie Wales"(1976) - Clint Eastwood is civil war gunman Josie Wales battling the Union Army criminals who murdered his family. He encounters a snake oil salesman who foolishly chooses to try to sell his "medicinal" to the stoic gunfighter. The carpetbagger rolls off an impossibly long a list of ailment cures and uses for his potion. The salesman finally finishes his list.  Josie ponders it for a second:

Josie: [spits a glob of tobacco juice on the man's white suit]  "...how's it for stains?"

Film Crew Slang

"Losing the light, people!"-Announced to the crew by the Assistant Director to emphatically stress that we have too much left on the shooting schedule and not enough daylight hours (or minutes).  The crew crazily kicks into gear and tries to beat the Sun to the finish line.

Pick of the Week

"The Princess & The Warrior" (2000)- Directed by Tom Tykwer
Tykwer of "Run Lola Run"(1998) fame spins a tale of two lonely souls who meet literally by "accident". Bodo, a former army medic turned petty thief is running from would be captors. In the process he causes an accident in which asylum nurse Sissi is hit by and trapped under a truck unable to breathe.
Bodo manages to save her life while also escaping his captors. Sissi begins to believe that Bodo is her soul mate. Bodo rejects her and an odd form of stalking begins.
"The Princess & The Warrior" is a more European paced film than the quick ticking "Run Lola Run". Americans have to learn a bit of patience and let the story unfold. Not to say that Tykwer's action sequences aren't still furious and hair raising. The chase leading up to the accident is cinema mastery.

Best Scene: Sissi is trapped under the truck. It's freaky and not for the squeamish.

Quotes

"Everywhere is within walking distance if you have the time."

Steven Wright---Comedian

Film Crew Slang

Pull Processing - When film is purposely developed for a shorter time than normal, usually to make up for intended overexposure.

Push Processing -  When film is purposely developed for a longer time than normal at the lab, usually to make up for intended underexposure.  Only entire film rolls can be pushed, not individual scenes. Pushing adds contrast and graininess.

Film Crew Slang

Setup- An individual placement of the camera (and lights etc) on the set. There are more or fewer setups based on what you are trying to accomplish. If you plan well, several different shots can be done from the same setup.

Pick of the Week

"They Live" (1988)- Famed horror director John Carpenter (Halloween, Escape From New York, The Thing) provides a different twist on alien invasion. Professional wrestler Rowdy Roddy Piper puts in an exceptionally great performance as a drifter who slowly discovers the alien plot to subjugate the human race. The manner in which the aliens overtly take over is disturbing and humorous. We all have experienced the feeling that we are being manipulated and deceived to further the plans of others. This film proves it. Besides, 2012 is an election year.

Best Scene: The five and a half minute long fist fight between Jon (Piper) and Frank (Keith David) over a pair of sunglasses. It is one of the most realistic of all time.

Film Crew Slang

"Walkaway"- A location where crew are able to leave the cameras, lights and other gear in place at the conclusion of the day (wrap) for the next shooting day. It is more productive and efficient than unloading and packing up each day. Not usually possible unless the location is secure and weather proof.

"Walkaway" 2- Another use of the term "walkaway" is when referring to a meal break without food being provided to the crew by the production. It is standard for production companies to feed the crew due to efficiency, tradition and union/guild contracts but walkaway does happen in certain situations.

Dialogue Greatness

“He was always a rather stupidly optimistic man. I mean, I’m afraid it came as a great shock to him when he died.”---Clue (1985)

Film Crew Slang

Process Shot- A shot that will be composited from 2 other shots. The background shot is referred to as the "plate".

Dialogue Greatness

"Monty Python's The Life of Brian" (1979)
Rebellion against the Roman Empire is being debated :

Reg: All right, but apart from the sanitation, medicine, education, wine, public order, irrigation, roads, the fresh water system and public health, what have the Romans ever done for us?
Attendee: Brought peace?
Reg: Oh, peace - shut up!
Reg: There is not one of us who would not gladly suffer death to rid this country of the Romans once and for all.
Dissenter: Uh, well, one.
Reg: Oh, yeah, yeah, there's one. But otherwise, we're solid.

Film Crew Slang

"This ain't Gone With the Wind": Hurry up! Let's get moving!

Pick of the Week

"All You Need is Cash" (1978) -Taking their cue from Beatles documentaries, co-directors Eric Idle and Gary Weis tell the tale of  Dirk, Barry, Stig & Nasty...The Rutles. Tracing the career of the "Pre-fab Four" from their beginnings in Liverpool to status as the greatest rock band ever "All You Need is Cash" combines the forces of some of the greatest counter-culture comedy minds of the 1970's. Monty Python's Eric Idle & Michael Palin teamed with Saturday Night Live's Gary Weis, Lorn Michaels, Dan Ackroyd, John Belushi, Gilda Radner , Bill Murray and Al Franken for a twisted journey through pop music. Look for appearances by Paul Simon, Bianca Jagger and Rolling Stone Ron Wood (as a Hell's Angel). Produced a full 6 years prior to the brilliant "This is Spinal Tap", you may consider this film to be the progenitor of feature length mockumentaries. Original songs like "Ouch", "Hold My Hand", "Cheese & Onions" & "Piggy in the Middle" are all send ups of popular Beatles tunes. Co-Director Gary Weis took over the film shorts on Saturday Night Live after Albert Brooks left the show in season 2. He has a distinguished career of real documentaries about comedians and music legends like Jimi Hendrix, George Harrison and Steve Martin to name a few. "All You Need is Cash" is a must see for Beatle's aficionados and fans of Spinal Tap. Below is a sample from the "I Am the Walrus" influenced Rutles song "Piggy in the Middle":

I know you know what you know
but you should know by now that you're not me
Talk about a month of Sundays
Toffee nosed wet weekend as far as I can see

Hey diddle diddle
The cat and the fiddle
Piggy in the middle
Doo-a-poo-poo

Bible punching heavyweight
evangelistic boxing kangaroo
Orangutang and anaconda
Donald Duck and Mickey Mouse
even Pluto too....

Film Crew Slang

Mickey Rooney- A slow, slight movement of a camera dolly during the shot. Literally "A little creep". This is for real!  Film crews create many slang terms based on humor and common experience. Sorry, Mr. Rooney.

Film Crew Slang

Locked Down Shot - A shot taken with the pan and tilt locks on the tripod tightened so that the camera does not move. Usually done for effects where camera movement would ruin the illusion. A simple effect is a cut that causes a character to magically disappear from a scene, but much more elaborate effects rely on a locked down as well.

Dialogue Greatness

"Life is a banquet, and most poor suckers are starving to death!" Auntie Mame (1958) starring Rosalind Russell as Mame.

Film Crew Slang

Four-Banger- A large trailer with four doors leading to dressing rooms, production office and a crew bathroom.

The 84th Academy Awards

Okay I need to gush a bit about this years Oscars. First of all, Billy Crystal should get whatever amount of money he wants every year, because he is AMAZING. He's the Bob Hope / Johnny Carson of his generation. He's the complete package that you want in a host for this show. Billy was back and should never go away again.

The red carpet....I think a lot of people really knocked it out of the park. There were a lot of fashions and hair styles that harkened back to the golden age of cinematic glamour. And then there were a few that missed the mark. I think my fave of the night might have been...oh who am I kidding, I can't choose. I will say that, even Miss Piggy hit the fashion mark!

So, glad Meryl Streep won best actress. She is one of the finest in her generation, maybe ever??? She is a chameleon and whatever role she plays, she wears like a glove. And she's so humble. Go see, "Iron Lady"!

It was discretion being the better part of valor that the director didn't play off Christopher Plummer when his speech went too long. At 82 he is the oldest recipient of an Oscar. His speech was sincere, heartfelt and funny! “You’re only 2 years older than me, my darling. Where have you been all my life,” Plummer said to his Oscar.

Robert Downey Jr.'s schtick with Cameron Diaz was pretty funny. Sascha Baron Cohen's schtick on the red carpet, not so much!

Woody (remember Woody Allen) won best Original Screenplay but unfortunately was not there to accept it! Come on Woody, your steadfast fans, like myself, want to see you!

Random thought...Why is Marty Scorcese's hair so grey and his eyebrows sooooo BLACK??? Special EFX??? Maybe!

I am truly glad that "The Artist" won best picture. How incredible in this day and age of technology overload (yes I'm talking to you 3-D) that a silent, black and white movie won. It was a breathe of fresh air. FIrst silent, B/W film to win in 83 years. That's quite an accomplishment.

Lastly, while a lot of the winners were predictable thanks to the barrage of awards given out prior to the Oscars, I felt last nights show (even the bizarro Cirque performance) was a love letter to the movie industry that I have loved my whole life. Are the Oscars pretentious? Yes! Are the Oscars over the top? Yes! They are so out of place in this horrible economy and yet billions of us around the world still tuned in, and like watching a good movie, made us forget about our woes for at least a little while!

2012 Academy Award winners

• Best Picture: "The Artist"
• Best Actor: Jean Dujardin · "The Artist"
• Best Actress: Meryl Streep · "The Iron Lady"
• Best Director: Michel Hazanavicius · "The Artist"
• Best Supporting Actor: Christopher Plummer · "Beginners"
• Best Supporting Actress: Octavia Spencer · "The Help"

Film Crew Slang

Speed Rail- Grips fasten long pieces of 2" aluminum tubing together to place cameras on cars and other moving objects, build frames for lighting and to reinforce/secure scaffolding etc. With this simple item  they "MacGuyver" many useful items for a shoot.

Production Meeting Tips

Planning on shooting your own film or project? Here are some tips for Production Meetings courtesy of SPFX Artist Dan Ankoviak.

1. If you have nothing to SHOW, you have nothing to DISCUSS.

Why?  Conversation is vapor.  Images are negotiable currency.  The best verbal description you can give is still mostly hot air.  Always provide pictures.

2. Don’t NOT make storyboards.

Why not just say “make storyboards”?  That’s too easy to take for granted, like the boards themselves.  They are so basic, so elementary; they may seem like an unnecessary use of time.  Don’t fall into this trap!   Always make storyboards.

3. Discussions aren’t decisions.

Simply talking about issues doesn’t constructively address those issues.  In production meetings, assign specific tasks to specific people before moving on to other topics.  This way each person leaves the meeting with goals and a schedule, and hopefully begins the next with real solutions.  If you leave a meeting without new (or revised) goals, you’re already behind on the next task.

4. If it can’t be done well, don’t put it in.

Picture the last step of a process, whether it’s the scenic treatment of a set wall or the final composite of an FX shot.  If it’s not something you have experience with, start practicing right away.  It may sound easy to do, but is usually harder to do well than you think.

5. Seek approval.

If you feel you’ve reached a decision about something, communicate it to the next level up.  Proceeding without approval is sneaky (which isn’t always bad), but could derail the plans of other crews (which is always bad). 

6. Take notes.

Expect a lot from your brain, but take notes during meetings.  Ideas and plans are tossed around like laundry, and notes are your best tool for sorting out and regrouping.  Choosing to remember is choosing to forget.

7. Don’t take “yes” for an answer.

What?  If you ask broad questions, like “Do you have everything you need”, you may get a simple yes in response.  If you ask more pointed questions, you’re likely to discover there are “no’s” just under the surface.  Try something like “Do you have the gels you need for that shoot and what are they?”

8. Have a backup plan.

If you’ve made an educated decision about any procedure, then you have already considered other possibilities.  Keep the next best one in mind, or better yet, on paper.  Locations fall through at the last minute, actors get sick, and miniatures get run over.

9. Network.

Familiarize yourself with the local talent pool.  Your school or community very likely includes other individuals like yourself, who would show their talent if they only had a focus.  Your film projects can provide that and help establish long working relationships.

10. You are PAYING to do this job.

Don’t worry about offending people on your crew, by making sure they do their jobs.  All students have invested in their film projects, and have a right to expect the crew to do their part.  One of your goals is to leave with a portfolio that shows your skill.  If that’s not what you leave the school with, see point number 1.