Make a $30 PVC Steadicam

Over the last year I have received numerous requests to make my $30 steadicam out of pvc rather than cast iron. So this video was my answer to those requests. I must say the the pvc version is a few pounds lighter, and it performed pretty well. I think the cast iron version is perhaps a little more stable, but considering the weight savings, it might be worth it.

This video pits plastic vs metal. Judge for yourself which version is better. To learn how to make your own version, click on the annotation i provide towards the beginning of the video.

Chappy

George Bush vs Locomotive

This is my first attempt at creating a walking, talking jibjab style character. I chose to do something with a train cause there are railroad tracks behind my house.

Growing Up Guide Pup- Week 9 - Puppy Vaccines

This week shot back to normal after we returned our first guide dog puppy Macklin to his partner. Jeannie was really happy to see Macklin and vice versa. If you like the show, I encourage you to please get involved on youtube. Although we appreciate people watching anywhere they can, we really like to interact with our audience and appreciate comments and questions in the section below our videos. The best place for that interaction is on youtube itself.

If you have any questions or would like to message me directly. Here is my email: moparlee2002@yahoo.com

The General Lee vs. Leeroy

I have been a proud owner of a 69 Dodge Charger since 1997. I thought it would be fun to play with visual effects and make this video with the General Lee at the same time. My apologies to any General Lee fans out there. I was just messing around. The General Lee is still #1 in my book.

Chappy

Growing Up Guide Pup- Week 8 - Macklin Reunion

This week we had a very special guest; our first puppy Macklin. Macklin has been a guide for almost six years now living with his partner Jeannie. We are very fortunate in that we have stayed in contact with Jeannie, and jumped at the opportunity to babysit Macklin for two weeks while she is in Europe.

Raising guide dogs can be very straining emotionally, and having Macklin back stirred up feelings that have been hibernating for a long time. Please forgive us for breaking our regular show format. It was very had for us to film this week, but i am very happy with our candid motif that resulted.

Matt

Rickroll Parody for April Fools

April Fools!

I just finished this parody on "Never Gonna Give You Up". It is a rickroll parody. My brother plays the part of Rick Astely. Vocals by my brother. Music recorded and mixed by my pal Pete Stringfellow. Darren Schmidt did the steadicam. I produced, directed, and cut the video.

Growing Up Guide Pup- Week 7 - Basic Commands

Sorry for the late post this week. I have been really buys preparing to release a video on April fools. This has nothing to do with the guide pup show, but everything I do affects everything else. Anyways, this week was a really busy one. I was able to go out with Amie and get a lot of footage. I'm sure a lot of you have noticed that most of the footage we shoot outside of the house is from our cell phone. This has been a pretty interesting experiment for me. Balancing our high quality footage with low quality footage. This is the best way for me to show as much as possible for the vlog without dealing with all the red tape i would get if I brought my professional gear around.

Enjoy week 7,
Matt

Growing Up Guide Pup- Week 6 - Head Collar

Ricki didn't put on any weight this week. However, it looks like someone put her in a vice and stretched her legs a few inches. It is pretty weird how this happens. Ricki is already growing up so fast. I can't believe the difference in six weeks.

So this week was a challenging one for Ricki. She and Amie have been training with a head collar. Amie really tries to give all the dogs a chance to work without it, but if the head collar is necessary, she won't hesitate to use it for the dogs benefit. Ricki has shown that she needs it because she is trying to eat everything in sight right now. I know, typical retriever behavior.

Please enjoy our latest episode.

Matt

Growing Up Guide Pup - Week 5 - Leash Training

We just got through our first month of raising Ricki. It is amazing how fast time flies by. I can't believe it.

Ricki is improving with leaps and bounds. She is growing like crazy too. You can see the size change by watching this episode. During our leash walking part of the video diary you can see the four pounds Ricki put on pretty clearly.
We really appreciate the people who rate, comment and subscribe on youtube. This is the best way for us to build an audience. See ya next week.

Growing Up Guide Pup - Week 4 - Co-raiser Elizabeth

So our adventures with little Ricki the guide dog in training continue. We are finishing up on our first month raising Ricki and making this series at the same time. It has been crazy.

This week was really hectic cause i also was finishing up on some other video projects. I had Ricki with me a lot of the time. Ricki has started to become my little buddy when i am banging away up in the studio which has been nice. She is getting much better about having accidents in the house which is a relief. Her personality continues to develop.

This week marked the beginning of Amie turning on the training. She has been working hard at getting Ricki to walk on a leash. Ricki is making good progress, but still has a long way to go.

Be sure to rate, and comment our video series on youtube. Leave us questions below the videos so we can answer them on the show. Also, please hit that subscribe button.

cheers,
Matt

Learn how to make a Guerilla Dolly

I've been contemplating this idea for awhile now. Finally my buddy Darren and i just said screw it and thought we would see what would happen. I must say I was pretty pleased with the results.

I went down to the hardware store, and searched the aisles looking for something that might work as a low budget dolly. When i got to the rain gutter section, a lightbulb went off in my head. The results are pretty amazing when you consider that i spent $12.57 and used ordinary items in my garage to help put it together.

Parts list:
1) Plastic Rain gutter (came in 10 foot section)
2) Rain gutter screen that needs to be cut to around 12".
3) bungee cords
4) lubricant of some kind that doesn't eat plastic
5) soft cushion like a bean bag or folded up towel
6) some heavy sandbags or pillow cases full of rocks

Last you will need a flat service that is fairly level.

Enjoy and if you like this blog and my videos please subscribe, follow, rate, comment, etc,etc.

Make a Guerilla Dolly from Matt Chapman on Vimeo.

Time-lapse filmmaking talk

Godfrey Reggio's first film KOYAANISQATSI changed my perspective on time-lapse photography. This film should be watched by every filmmaker because it gave birth to the explosion of what we know as time-lapse today. Everything from CBS's Survivor to the recent Beijing Olympics uses this style of photography. If you are not familiar with the film you can watch the trailer below.


I have been experimenting with time-lapse videography for a long time. It is a really cool way of viewing the world from a altered perspective. The ability to watch something 1000x faster then it is normally viewed can create a visceral experience and help you see something in a whole new light.

I have found that time-lapse is a great way to show an event to a mass audience. An event that would normally bore people can be very engaging when it only lasts a minute or two. My video ONE MINUTE ENGINE REBUILD -DIRECTORS CUT is my favorite of all of them. I shot the repair over a period of three days. I set up a 1k lowel tungsten balanced light, and put my Panasonic DVX-100A on a tripod with lots of sandbags. I set up the camcorder on a 100 shutter, 3.2 Kelvin white balance, 2.8 exposure, and a fixed focal of 72 for the event. I set the time-lapse to recording 15frames every 1 minute. In post I took the footage and multiplied it by 1000%, cut out the dead spots where the work was not progressing, applied frame blend, and added music from my Smartsound collection. The rest is history.




Here is another fun video of car repair. Since i'm mechanically inclined and don't have the money to pay a mechanic, I might as well combine both of my skills right? This video incorporated all the same camera settings I used before. The difference is I wanted to see what it would be like to view a time-lapse that jumps all over the place. I move the camera at least a dozen times throughout the process to give a different perspective. Check it out!

Make a $30 Steadicam

I have always wanted to make a video on how to make a cheap steadicam. I finally got around to it this week. It's really easy to make this thing and it improves the shot by about 50% over just shooting handheld.

Word of advice about making this steadicam. It is very important to know the weight of your camera so you can counterweight it accordingly. Using 3 3/4 pounds like I did might work, but if your camera only weighs one pound, then it would be out of balance for example. The other thing is it's very important to use 1/4" 20 hardware. I can see it already, if one was to use 1/4" fine thread hardware, the camera won't be able to screw on.

Enjoy! And remember, keep that camera rollin!

ONLINE AUDIENCES LIKE BONEHEAD VIDEOS

I have come to the conclusion that online audiences like bonehead videos. Sure, videos with high production value, and compelling storylines are great. But that doesn't mean an audience online will want to watch it. My award winning short IN CASE OF EMERGENCY had a very succesful run at festivals across the United States, and yet when I premiered it online...it might as well been a documentary on kitten bowel movements. Simply stated, people online have short attention spans and want instant gratification. I think this is a reflection of some audiences might be watching on their smart phones, while others might be sitting at starbucks sucking down a carmel frappachino while perousing on their laptop. Perhaps the rule of thumb is this; if an audience wanted a higher quality experience, why would they be watching content via the internet anyways? With media players still averaging 640x480 resolution on a tiny box on your computer screen, and the average bitrate around 800 kbps, the viewing experience is mediocre at best. So the old mantra if you can't beat em, join em is my answer. In conclusion, I hope the internet will progress and start looking for more compelling content, but in the meantime I present my latest bonehead video entited ONE MINUTE BRAKE JOB.

MUNCHIES-Silent Film Spoof

This film marks the reunion of two chaps. My brother and I spawned a passion of making videos together a long time ago. At a time where streaming video to a mass audience seemed like a pipe dream, we found ourselves using the hobby as a way to spend time together. As time passed by, we went our own directions and chased our own dreams. Now after five years we have a rebirth of our creative collaboration. This film marks a new chapter in our creative endeavors by releasing a film created in almost it's entirety by the two of us.

We wanted to make a film as low budget as possible, but high concept at the same time. We juxtaposed an old film genre with a contemporary comedic perspective with high production value. I present to you a story that looks like film, but was shot on video. A silent film that pays homage to the old style of storytelling with a few contemporary anecdotes. A film that emphasisis non-verbal acting from the outside in. And most importantly, a film that had a total budget of $115 believe it or not.

Please enjoy "MUNCHIES" starring THE CHAPPY BROTHERS



Starring:
Luke and Matt Chapman

Produced By:
Matt Chapman

Story By:
Luke Chapman

Directed By:
Luke & Matt Chapman

Cinematography By:
Matt Chapman

Lighting Design By:
Matt Chapman

Edited By:
Matt Chapman; Luke Chapman

Title Cards By:
Tom Chapman

Equipement & Services Provided By:
Chapman Digital Motion Pictures

Distributed By:
Chapman Digital Motion Pictures

This is a ChappyShowcase Attraction

(c) 2009 All Right Reserved

Oil Speed Paintings by Tom Chapman

My dad is a oil painter and I'm a filmmaker. We thought it would be fun to combine our talents and bang out a series of videos showing the work being performed. Only thing; I know how boring it can be watching paint dry (figure of speech). So I decided to put my own spin on things by showing the paintings come to fruition in blistering speed. This gives an altered perspective that is pretty cool.

Guerilla Samoan Music Videos

I have worked with rediculously low budgets more times than I can count. Given the economic downturn, this has proven to be an effective way for my business to stay afloat. Rather than put a whole crew together, many times I have to do everything myself to guarantee I will actually make a profit. This production mentality has been a crucial requirement for my freind Tuakatea Tukuaoga and I. He also has a very limited amount of money which requires him to write, perform, and produce all of his music out of his home studio by himself. In a way we are a match made in heaven banging out complete music videos for less than $500 each time. Between him and I, we can cover all bases and make cool, simple Samoan music videos that his culture loves and endeers.

This is my favorite video with Tau. We shot the family scenes in my living room and all of the outdoor scenes near San Gregario off of Highway 1.


This video shoot was fun because Tau decided to write a rap song which is very different. It combines rap and christian song into a interesting hybrid mesh. I thought it would be cool to shoot in areas where there was alot of grafitti. We shot the video in different parts of San Francisco.


This was the first video Tau and I ever did together. I brought my 4500 watt generator with us to shoot the cool sequences by the Golden Gate Bridge at dawn. I also experimented with underexposure alot in this video. This one is one of my favorites.


This is Tau's only song that is completely in English thus far. We shot the entire thing in his home studio.

Dog Scared of His Own Farts

Yeah, yeah, this is a rediculously immature subject. Never-the-less, I just have to talk about it. My dog Eli, a career changed guide dog, can't stand the sound nor the smell of his own farts. It's so bad that he literally tucks his butt under and runs for the hills when he cuts one. His phobia has gotten so bad that all I have to do is make a fart noise with my armpit and he runs faster than an Ethiopian chicken.

I decided I had to record this and make a video. I didn't consider how difficult a task this would actually be. I set the camera on record at least a dozen times over the period of a month. Yep, stuck the cam on a tripod and pointed it at Eli hoping a magical moment would happen. Eli is a flatulent dog, so I figured I would get it eventually. After tons of wasted hours of footage it finally happened. The event caught on camera is genuine and hilarious, however not the best display I've ever seen; not even close. But I had to take what I could get. Enjoy!

AL GORE FUNNY FILM...No Budget Comedy

My brother Luke and I reached our creative crescendo with our political gag piece HOW AL GOT HIS GROOVE BACK in 2003. When most brothers were blistering up their fingers on video games, or downing buckets of popcorn at the local theatre, we would pass the time together by making movies for $0. A typical scenario would be "Hey man what do you want to do today? I don't know, you want to keep making our movie? Yeah, ok...that's always fun", and off we went.

We found by acting, shooting, directing, and editing our own stuff, the learning curve was much more steep, but the rewards were super cool. Nine years ago when we got serious about this approach to the moviemaking craft, it was not as common place like it is today. I attribute alot of the skills I have acquired to the long hours of campy political gag piece filmmaking back in the day. No it was not USC Film School, but I tell you what, our abnormal approach to learning the craft has not stipend my success. In fact, it has actually helped. I don't follow convention and have always been a non-conformist anyways. When people ask me "what film school did you go to?" I tell them "I went to the school of hard knocks, have you heard of it?"

HOW AL GOT HIS GROOVE BACK is just one of many pieces we made starring the commander in chief gang. RONALD REAGAN, BILL CLINTON, GEORGE BUSH SR., JIMMY CARTER, RICHARD NIXON, GEORGE BUSH JR., and AL GORE. In this piece I play BILL CLINTON and Luke plays AL GORE. We decided to poke fun at the fact that AL GORE had put on an incredible amount of weight since he lost the 2000 presidential election. Our result was a sort of ROCKY BALBOA MONTAGE meets the presidents spoof.

Watch as Al Gore rebounds from the 2000 presidential election with Bill Clinton leading the charge. From dudd to studd Al evolves into a new man. These films are a group collaboration of MATT CHAPMAN and LUKE CHAPMAN. Copyright (C) 2003





HOW AL GOT HIS GROOVE BACK PART I

Al Gore Funny Parody (How Al Got His Groove Back Part I ) @ Yahoo! Video

HOW AL GOT HIS GROOVE BACK PART II

Al Gore Funny Parody (How Al Got His Groove Back Part II ) @ Yahoo! Video

HOW AL GOT HIS GROOVE BACK PART III

Al Gore Funny Parody (How Al Got His Groove Back Part III ) @ Yahoo! Video

Award Winning Short - IN CASE OF EMERGENCY

When i set out to make my first professional film, I wanted to tell a story about a subject that I new well. I wanted to make a movie that was high in concept, and provided a tale that unfolded before the audiences eyes. IN CASE OF EMERGENCY was just that.

I knew a film about cigarette smoking was something that I could borrow from my own life experiences, and put out a neutral message that said quitting smoking is difficult. This day and age a person would have to be brain dead to not know the dangers of smoking, and yet they do it anyways. This is the idea that is at the core of my film...chasing that forbidden fruit despite the consequences is something that millions of people do.

It boils down to my favorite quote of all time..."Quitting smoking is the easiest thing I have ever done. Heck I ought to know, I've done it at least a thousand times" MARK TWAIN

Chapman Digital Motion Pictures presents a powerfully enlightening drama. IN CASE OF EMERGENCY is the tale of Joe, a recovering ex-smoker faced with the addiction he wants to overcome.

Awards:
Honerable Mention; Twin Rivers Media
Editors Choice Award; Crackle.com

Official Selection:
Crackle.com Short Category Sep 07
SF Frozen Film Fest July 07
Cinequest Online Fest Nov 06
Poppy Jasper Film Fest Nov 06
Cal Independent Film Fest Oct 06
Action on Film Fest July 06
Twin Rivers Media Fest April 06