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

Cool Lighting Tip For Video Creators

My brother and i were supposed to make a video. Problem was none of our ideas were any good. The challenge of turning out a solid video once a week can be pretty daunting, and I think this week really reflected that. As a last resort I started brainstorming an idea for a new gurilla video and came up with this lighting tip. The first video is the "behind the scenes" and the second video is the actual video. If you like these tips or subjects, please connect with me on youtube, facebook and twitter and let me know. Maybe there are some ideas I can explore that I have not thought of. Ratings, comments, following, or becoming my fan really helps me stay motivated to do more.

cheers,
Chappy

Lighting Idea Gurilla Pwned:


Make a Gurilla Spotlight:

Gurilla camcorder holder

This is a gurilla video I'm sharing from my producer pal Nextraker. Check it out!

As quoted from his youtube page.
"Convert a regular goose neck lamp into a Flexible Cam Holder... Its very simple to make one of these, just watch the video to get an idea of how it works. No more shaking cam, No more darkness... Try it!"

Film Distribution: Guerilla Filmmaking Case Study

1. Start simple. Arin Crumley and Susan Buice shot their film from a one-page outline, a crude storyboard, and with small cameras and a small crew.

2. Tell the story behind your story. When they couldn't find a distributor for their film, they decided to do daily video blogs to reinforce their creative talents and build an audience. A result was that people started to feel like they knew the filmmakers firsthand; that, in turn, fueled curiosity about them and their work, and eventually put people in theaters.

3. Involve your audience, part A. The filmmakers actively sought out feedback from their fans via platforms like YouTube and MySpace, and took the advice seriously. It impacted new episodes of the podcasts and the film itself, which they were still editing. In other words, the audience actually shaped the final product.

4. Involve your audience, part B. When determining where to distribute their film, the couple went to regions where they knew they already had fans, thanks to emails and zip codes they had collected from their podcast and other marketing activities. They also created a "heart map" so that people could see the requests for the film to play in their town grow and who was going -- a social network of sorts.

5. Network in the real world, too. Film festivals used to be about getting a film acquired by a distributor or a short into the hands of a talent agent. But Crumley and Buice went to hundreds of festivals around the world and thought strategically about whom they encountered. When they met the guys at Spout, they realized that Spout needed publicity and users. 4EM had those two things, but needed money. It turned out to be a fruitful (and fateful) match.

In this video, the filmmakers behind "Four Eyed Monsters" reveal how they used YouTube, community and the web to erase their credit card debt and get their labor of love into theaters. If you don't have time to watch the whole video (it's 29 minutes long), here are some of the key takeaways:

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!

GurillaTV for Guerilla Filmmakers

  For the last five months I have been planning the release of a website that will provide acting,  distribution, marketing, production, and post-production info, and tools for filmmakers.  On top of that, the website will feature some of the most talented video online producers on the web today.  The name of this website is GurillaTV LLC.

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