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!

The Boy Who Cried Ape

This video was a group effort with both of my brothers. It's a weird mix of Guitar Hero, tapdance, and pizza.

My Hard Life as a Online Filmmaker

Life as a filmmaker is tough. I'm not talking about conventional filmmaking, but as a video creator that makes content specifically for the internet. I mean, the amount of hits you need to make even a minimum wage type of scale requires a video creator to get tons of hits. For example...across 20 different user-generated websites i acquired 150,000 hits last month. Of those, only one of the sites will generate some tangible revenue that could pay a bill or two; that being YouTube. Metacafe is no longer paying out the producer reward program, Redgage gets so little hits that my accrued money is less than $7 dollars, Revver also gets so little hits that I have accrued $14 in one year. Videojug is no longer paying out and break.com only pays if you make the front page which is no easy task. The other sites don't even have a pay share model. Sites like yahoo, myspace, vimeo, etc.

I made $150 and some change in April and I got to ask myself, why do I keep doing this? I guess because i love it. Luckily i don't have all my eggs in this online basket or I would be out on Tennyson boulevard holding a cardboard box with a sign that says "will shoot for food".

I still can't help but think things will get better. As the internet continues to evolve better technologies, bandwidth gets cheaper to push, advertisers jump on the band wagon, and the ubiquity of my videos spreads across the globe I hope to find some real revenue.

Ok..so this posting was more like a bitch fest, but I feel better now. Thanks for reading, and remember, keep that camera rollin!

Naughty Priest

I have been working on NAUGHTY PRIEST for the last 8 months. It has been the project I go to whenever I have free time.  Although the subject matter is somewhat controversial in nature, it is all in fun, and i think it walks an appropriate line.  Society is constantly hearing about the latest scandel with some religious official; so I wanted to poke fun for that reason.  

 So why did I make this movie?  I wanted to do something profound and memorable with our dog.  Eli is five years old now and in his prime.  After reading MARLEY AND ME by John Grogan, I couldn't help but think of the inevitable future and the short amount of time Eli will be around.  We will always have this film to look back at our four-legged goofball.

Naughty Priest from Matt Chapman on Vimeo.

Metacafe PR Program is DEAD!

Since April of 2008, things got worse and worse if you were a video producer partnered with Metacafe. That fateful month sprung the mark of a new list of rules that needed to be met before a a video was accepted. Things like cool bar and coin tricks were no longer eligible, and then any video that showed too much skin, or was rated 13+ was rejected. And just when producers thought it couldn't get any worse, Metacafe announced their new pay schedule which kicked in around November of 2008. This new pay shedule no longer was the old $100 for 20,000 views pay model. Now it had become $40 for 20,000 views. And producers were told that only domestic views would be counted and international views were out. On top of that, they said that they would only pay producers when their unpaid balance reached $100. Then at the beginning of this year, Metacafe went too far. They had a new rule which stated a video could be ruled having no entertainment value. Of course all of us producers argued, "if it had no entertainment value, how could it have acquired 20,000 views?". And it was this no entertainment value that gave the white collar folks at Metacafe basically a get out of jail free card anytime they decided they needed to reject a video for no reason at all except they didn't want to pay.

Below is a video I made with my brother who plays Young Conan on GurillaTV.   TEEN PREGNANCY SOLUTION was given a no entertainment value rejection even though the video is just shy of 30,000 in two weeks on Metacafe as of May 9, 2009.



So this short history lesson of the Metacafe roller coaster ride takes me to where we are now. Metacafe announced early this week that the PR program will officially be stopped next month. That's right, the business model that helped put them on the map, along with all the producers whom they partnered with are no longer going to be part of the equation. Now they have moved on to larger collaborations with bigger companies and sponsors. So instead of paying out, they have been focused on generating revenue in. Metacafe's once viral video ubiquity has now been replaced by corporate sponsorships and hollywood contributions. The statement Metacafe is dead is a popular one amongst former and current Metacafe producers, and it certainly is true from a certain point of view.

Last week, a fellow producer pointed out that my last video WIFE NAILS HUSBAND was approved for Metacafe PR program. It was only one of three videos approved for the entire month of April to show how stingy they have become. He also stated that it is probably the last video to be accepted into the program. If it's true, I will not hold this honor too highly. Here it is below.



What does Metacafe's new development mean for video producers? In my opinion it means that unless you have figured out a way to generate money and views outside of Metacafe, you are no longer a value to them. It is the time to start your own websites and generate your own audiences. We are at the dawn of a new journey as video creators. The days of easy money on Metacafe with it's stellar $5 CPM for doing nothing but putting a video up is long gone. I don't think another video site will ever make that move again unless the cost of pushing bandwidth drops dramatically over the next few years. That is a different story all together.

Late,
Chappy

Easiest Way to Make Money On Youtube

Watching the video below has all the answers to making money on youtube.


APRIL FOOLS!

GETTING THAT STORY OUT INTO THE PUBLIC EYE

Matt Chapman here; aka ChappyShowcase.  

I recently discovered the power of social network sites, user-generated sites, and blogging.  My dad is a retired jockey and was involved in one of the most amazing events in horse racing history.  I knew that this story was news worthy, and had never been given proper press coverage. Although there had been segments on cheasy shows on cable that poke fun at it, never had it been showcased with proper respect.

About seven months ago i decided to take matters into my own hands to raise awareness.  I edited the video from an old vcr recording my dad had acquired that fateful day in 1989. I then posted it with a cross promotional launch using sites like Youtube, Break, and Metacafe.  And also using social network sites like Digg, Stumbleupon, Facebook, and this very blog you are reading right now. It wasn't long before the story started to explode into the public eye.

The next thing i knew; Dateline NBC, and Animal Planets Untamed and Uncut were emailing me, and leaving me messages on my phone.  They both wanted to know how they could get their hands on the raw footage and wanted to set up interviews with Nate and my dad.

Here is the original video post that I put up online.  It has recieved over 300,000 views across the internet.

Here is the Dateline NBC piece that originally aired last month.

Moral of the story is this. Don't underestimate the power of the internet and the amazing tools that are now available to everyone. If you have an amazing story to tell. Write a blog about it, or post a video. It just might make the headlines!

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.

Loose Gorilla Caught on Tape - The most popular videos are a click away

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

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