Better late than never..
I Accidentally Made A Short Film?
Hey guys! Today I’m going to be sharing something that I may regret later on!
It’s a little embarrassing but what I’m sharing with you is– kiiinda –my first short film.
Now, the reason I say “kinda” is because back when we made it, I wasn’t intentionally going for a short, we just started shooting with no idea on where it was going, but as we kept working on it, it started building itself into something. It was made almost 3 years ago and of course, nothing’s perfect, it has flaws, things about it that I see now and I totally regret doing or just wish that I did differently– but that’s part of it, that’s how you grow and learn, it’s normal. On the flip-side, there are some things that I really do love about it, though I won’t talk about it here… I’ll just let you guys watch it yourselves.
It ended up being a 12 minute video, that when I look at it now, it could pass on as a short.
So that’s why I say “kinda”, because it looks and feels like a short, but it wasn’t intentional.
I accidentally made my first short film…
5 Internet Sources of Education (for videomaking)
Today I’m going to be sharing with you guys some of my favorite internet sources of education for video-making.
First of all, just want to clarify that these are not mentioned in order of preference and that there are plenty of other good learning sources besides these ones — But these are usually the ones I follow/like the most. Let’s begin!
- DSLR Guide
Hosted by Simon Cade, this Youtube channel teaches you the basics of film-making. The thing I love about DSLR Guide is how Simon (the host) explains things to the audience, he has a very deep and philosophical way of expressing what film-making is. The more recent episodes are so well written, shot and edited that it almost has a short feel vibe. Plus, I’m 19, Simon is like 2 years younger than me and he has been the youngest person that I look up to….. younger than me! That’s weird! (in a good way) - Good. (Podcast) Now this one is not a channel, but a podcast. The Good podcast is hosted by Christian Shultz and Jared Hogan and it’s all about having chill, laid-back conversations with directors, cinematographers, editors, etc. If you’re into film-making, you’ll love hearing their stories on how they got to where they are right now. It shows you that it doesn’t matter how pro someone is, they’ve probably also been through relatable moments of struggle. This brings a lot of inspiration.
- Video Copilot If you’re into some VFX and want to start diving into After Effects, I present to you Video Copilot hosted by Andrew Kramer. Kramer has been told he is the Godfather of After Effects. The work that he does is amazing and I totally recommend checking his AE beginner tutorials. There’s a Youtube channel but I prefer going to the website: videocopilot.net.
- Rocket Jump Film School
If you’re a Youtube veteran, you might of heard the name “freddiew”, yes, that crazy guy with all action videos with explosions and tons of guns… ah memories.
Anyways, Rocket Jump is now the channel’s name and it’s way bigger than before. They keep doing the same awesome sketches, but that’s just for entertainment. Rocket Jump Film School is their other channel and it’s all about learning film techniques, tutorials, tips and tricks, film commentaries, etc.. Each episode is very well explained and aimed for film-learners at any level, from beginner to advanced. - Film Riot
Remember when I said at the beginning that this list had no order of preference? Well, that’s true, except for this one! Saving the best for last! Film Riot!
If you’re studying film and you haven’t heard of Film Riot, I need you to come out of that cave you’ve been living in for the last few years and go watch this show. Film Riot is a how-to trip through film-making from the hyper-active mind of Ryan Connolly. I’ve been watching Film Riot since they started, back when I was 12 years old, and ever since I stumbled upon them, it’s been an amazing ride. The show is filled with DIY goodies, vfx tutorials, camera tricks, BTS content, lighting and much more. You’ll never get bored watching it, the mix of education with entertainment is fantastic. They have inspired me deeply and I owe them a huge thanks.
Film Lingo (Slideshare)
A few film set slang words you may hear if you’re ever on a film set.
Basic Tutorial: Cloning
Starting off in After Effects? Want to learn a really cool and easy effect you can do at home? How about cloning yourself?
This is a quick and simple, basic tutorial on how to do one of the very first things I ever learned in After Effects. Today we learn how to do some cloning. Note: This is not recommended to the “After Effects veterans” audience, as it is aimed for beginners starting with the program. Enjoy.
Halloween Morning
Online Privacy (class from Feb. 28th)
Today in class the professor dived into the negative side of the web involving its privacy issues with online services and chat applications, with some tips on how to protect ourselves and stay alert.
He showed us this powerful video that shows us how not so private our internet lives are.
The video made us realize how our entire lives, pictures, events and secrets are up online and that anyone can know anything about you just by tracking your internet profiles and activities.
Here’s some advice the professor gave us to protect ourselves and stay vigilant:
- Webcams
So first off, instead of starting with online protection, which we’ll get to that in a sec, let’s talk about the piece of hardware that’s sitting directly in front of our faces every day (assuming your PC or laptop has it) and it’s the webcam. You may think that just because the light on your webcam is turned off, it means you’re completely safe and no one is watching — well, not necessarily. Hackers can find a way to access your webcam without turning on its lights and with no indication that it’s on. After that, they are able to see you and hear you without you seeing or hearing them.A good way to counter this is by leaving a piece of tape on the lens at all times. Or if you want to be fancy, I actually use a webcam lid that came with my external webcam. Unfortunately there isn’t a way to prevent others from hearing the audio that your webcam or computer picks up, unless you have an external webcam, then you can just disconnect it completely. - Websites
Whenever you enter a website, make sure there’s a lock icon next to the site name in the search bar. This means that the website is encrypted and protected. Also, a site that has the letters “https” (HyperText Transfer Protocol Secure) in the search bar is important. Here are a few tools for web protection:Use an extension for your browser like “disconnect.me” which lets you visualize and block the invisible websites that track you.For a good protected email, use ProtonMail. All emails are secured automatically with end-to-end encryption. This means even they cannot decrypt and read your emails. As a result, your encrypted emails cannot be shared with third parties.Lastly, for a protected browser, I recommend Opera. Their latest update has a built-in ad blocker, battery saver, stops tracking, changes your virtual location and free VPN (Virtual Private Network).
- Chat Applications
There are several chat applications out there, and the one that people often talks about the most is WhatsApp. Luckily, if you use this one yourself, you’re already pretty secured since this app has encrypting chat features.But if you don’t use WhatsApp and you’re looking for more safe options, you can also try out Signal. It’s a secure chat application that lets you send messages all with complete privacy. The server never has access to any of your communication and never stores any of your data. Everything is always end-to-end encrypted and engineered in order to keep your communication safe.
Hope these tips were able to help you become more aware of the privacy protection of the internet. We love the internet, it’s a big world filled with exciting places to learn, find and play, but we must be careful and stay vigilant at all times, because it all may come with a price.
“The day we lose our privacy, is the day we lose it forever.”
-Antonio Vantaggiato
Watch & Talk – Valentine’s Day
Today we watch a FilmRecruits video while Joe shares his thoughts on making it.
The Internet And Its Impact
I mostly use the internet for entertainment and research. In the entertainment side, besides Facebook and Twitter, YouTube is one of my favorite sites and the one I visit the most on a daily basis. I just love the crazy, creative channels you can find there, from sketches to gaming, from vlogs to education, there’s something for everyone; and for some people, it may even be inspirational. For instance, I myself enjoy creating content and sharing it to people for the means of entertainment. So login in, not only for the entertainment, but also the education and inspiration it provides (on a personal level), really is a need for me.
The impact that the internet has on me has been super great. Sure there’s always a bad side for everything, but I’ll get into that in a minute. So first off, for me personally, the internet has provided me with plenty of tools and knowledge that I’ve added into my skill set (for instance, videomaking). What I mean is, it’s basically my easy-access, personal teacher. Which is super great and useful, not just for me, but for everyone else in the world too! So much knowledge in the palm of your hand! Use it!– So yeah, it has been great for me, personally. Everything I’ve created, everything that has put me into where I am now, what I’ve learned and still learning, it has been thanks to the internet; and I’m very grateful.
[Image: “internet” by Elyse Jones. Liscence CC]
So on to the bad stuff about the internet…. honestly, the only thing that I can think of is that it can distract me….. a lot.– I’m going to be honest. here, almost every time I need to do some work, the voices of the social media Gods speak upon me, teasing me with their Facebook Harambe memes and YouTube cat videos. “Just one more video” I always say, next thing you know, it’s 1am and I found myself reading some creepy pastas.– So yeah, I think that’s the only bad thing for me.
Now for the last question, would I go back to the past and live without internet?
Nope.
Why?– Well for starters I’m already used to the internet and have adapted with the ability to just search anything I want in an instant (still appreciate it and grateful). It would be difficult for me to adapt to an internet-free world. Now I don’t want to sound like a spoiled drama-queen, but it’s true! Plus, most of the activities I enjoy and my main hobby involves some sort of use of the internet. I don’t see myself getting used to a world like that, it would be quite horrific if that what we mainly depended on, just vanished.
FilmRecruits 