News and Updates about DIY Filmmaking

The director of 100 Musicians and Nurse/Fighter/Boy talked with us about old school filmmaking

The buzz at TIFF surrounding The Master, starring Joaquin Phoenix and Philip Seymour Hoffman was near-deafening... film fans all across this great city were clamouring to see director Paul Thomas Anderson's follow-up to his 2007 masterpiece There Will Be Blood. Matthew Price of MAMO takes this opportunity mid-hype to give us a brief overview of the young auteur's relatively short but extremely potent career and explore exactly what makes him a Very Important Dude in Film History.

TIFF 2012 Wrap-Up - Pounds Personally Gained: 4.5

William F. White International Inc. is more than just a place that rents out lights and cranes and generators and dollies and green screens and camera cars. They've also got heaps of training and certification programs that can help you become a more knowledgeable set denizen. And every fall they throw their doors open to young filmmakers and students so they can get their hands on some pro-level gear and talk to some experts with field experience, and maybe win a rental voucher. Gear Guide was...

One of our favourite movies of 2011—Manborg, which we saw at Toronto After Dark—has become one of our favourite movies of 2012 with its week-long run here in Toronto at the Royal. A gloriously funny pastiche of ultra-cheap kung-fu, horror and sci-fi, Manborg is also a perfect example of the DIY ethic: it wears its rough, hand-made edges proudly, and its intense roughness makes its devotion to '80s channel-100-at-3-AM crap-cinema ephemera even funnier. We had a chance to speak with director...

Well, it's almost time! Tomorrow advance tickets are set to go on sale for the biggest blockbuster of the holiday season – The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. As we've discussed previously on the site, the film will be available in a wide variety of formats. There will be 2D screenings for you traditional folk, RealD 3D for people that like their films to pop out at them, IMAX 3D for those who like their films to pop out at them while being very big (this is my choice), and then there is HFR 3D.

Heya Everyone!

Asking yourself and the police the question we all must one day ask: Am I in an Asian Gang?

Hey Everyone,

The second annual Catalina Film Festival is coming up, May 4-6. What a perfect opportunity for a weekend getaway to beautiful Catalina, while also networking with filmmakers, industry leaders and celebrities. This year's celebrities include Stan Lee, Rachel Leigh Cook, James Scott, Darren Le Gallo, Tommy Chong, Scott Thompson, Daniel Gilles, and Adam Sinclair. Some of the movies set to screen are "Bel Ami" with Robert Pattinson, Uma Thurman, Christina Ricci and Kristen Scott Thomas and...

hello, straight 8 invite anyone (that means you) to make a short film on one cartridge of super 8 — without editing. the first time you see your film is at one of our awesome worldwide premieres. check out the lovely 2012 trailer here: http://vimeo.com/30856684& there's a short, clear explanation of the process here: http://vimeo.com/28932804 to be eligible for our slamdance screening - you need to get your completed film back to us by december 12th 2011. (all entries received by the slamdance...

This web site, New York Video School, offers comprehensive film tutorials that are customized based on your skill level and interests. It's an amazing resource!

What the heck is a cucalorus? Maybe Bingo can explain it, if he calms down a bit first....

Pulling focus is a neat trick that you should definitely try sometime! It's a great filmmaking technique, and it's not that hard to pull off.

Professional video lights are great tools. They are color balanced, versatile, and offer great control over the light they give. There is a wide variety of video lights made for different situations. Unfortunately, they are also very expensive. The cheapest ones cost you easily hundreds of dollars.

THE FILM LAB - Bingo's back to explain just what the heck a Dutch Angle (or Dutch Tilt) is! Ha ha!