filmmaking Articles

Filmmaking (often referred to in an academic context as film production) is the process of making a film. Filmmaking involves a number of discrete stages including an initial story, idea, or commission, through scriptwriting, casting, shooting, editing, and screening the finished product before an audience that may result in a film release and exhibition. Filmmaking takes place in many places around the world in a range of economic, social, and political contexts, and using a variety of techn...

YouTube Documentary Life In A Day On YouTube For Free

I've written quite a lot about Life In A Day over the course of the past year. If you're somehow not familiar with it by name, Life In A Day is the documentary shot by YouTube users, directed and edited by Kevin MacDonald, and produced ...

Live Action Toy Story Fan Film Shows The Marketing Power Of Superfans

Most brands getting involved with video these days have pretty reasonable goals. They want to get as many viewers as they can, encourage those viewers toward as much sharing action as possible, and hopefully turn a few of them into long-term fans. But there are ...

An Exclusive Interview With Ryan Connolly, Creator & Host Of Film Riot

Film Riot, which plays Mondays and Thursdays on Revision3, is a virtual film school right here on the web.  It is especially valuable for those who look to get into web video (or any kind of film and video work) and might not have that ...

Using CineStyle For Better Images & The Best Video Export Settings For Web - Film Riot

Episode 119 of Film Riot, "CineStyle for Better Images and Best Export Settings for Web," discusses how to get the best image from your camera and how to to get the highest quality web video with a respectable amount of bandwidth use.

When To Use A Jib, & How To Make Your Own - Film Riot Video Production Tutorials

In filmmaking, one of the most useful pieces of equipment you can have in your arsenal is a jib. A jib operates a bit like a see-saw, using counterweights to balance the camera, and it allows for unique camera movements and camera angles that you ...

Crowdsourced Film "One Day On Earth" Hopes To Duplicate Success Of "Life In A Day"

Life in a Day, the so-called 'YouTube movie' that was shot by amateurs around the world and then edited together by director Kevin MacDonald and producer Ridley Scott, has gotten a lot of press. With good reason. It's an inspiring project that sought to bring ...

The Week's Best Viral Videos & Marketing Lessons - Gadgets, Attacks, & Bloopers

It was another big week for viral videos. You probably heard about the Facebook Arm Tattoo video (which was a hoax), or the video of the soldiers who were charged for extra bags by Delta... or maybe you caught one of the dozens of great ...

More Details On YouTube's Pursuit Of Celebrity Channels & Professional Content

You know those rumors that went around a while back about YouTube courting celebrities and professional content creators to come create videos exclusively for the site? The Wall Street Journal was the first to report on it, and speculated that YouTube was willing to spend ...

The Week's Best Viral Videos & Marketing Lessons: Near-Misses & Romance

This week's videos are sure to please, and we have content for everyone. We've got cat videos for the animal lovers, we've got time-lapse videos for the artistic audience, and even a few clips for the romantics among you. Just sit back, relax, click the ...

The Week's Best Viral Videos & Marketing Lessons: Camera Techniques & Musical Performances

Well, good morning. I hope you're off to a great start on this fine Friday morning. And if you're not... well, then let this column help turn things around and get you pointed in a positive direction. We've collected some of the best videos of ...

The Week's Best Viral Videos & Marketing Lessons: Short Films & Fakes

It's that time once again--Friday morning, to be exact--when I provide you with a list of some of the best viral videos I found and read about throughout the week. Some are branded advertisements, some are artistic projects in nature, and of course some are ...

12 Ways Brands & Businesses Can Utilize Online Video

I've been thinking a lot lately about how quickly video is expanding online in terms of capabilities and implementation. I consult with a lot of small businesses, and when talk turns to online video, many of them are instantly skeptical. They're not sure it's a ...

We Already Have The World's First iPad 2 Movie

You may remember Majek Pictures--the filmmaking duo of Anna Elizabeth James and Michael Koerbel. They're the ones that made waves last June by shooting and editing a short film, "Apple of My Eye," entirely on the iPhone 4. That film has nearly a million views ...

The Week's Best Viral Videos & Marketing Lessons

Is it really Friday already? Another week is in the books, and it's time to round up the best of the viral success stories from this week. We have animals (honestly, you simply can't publish a list of top viral videos without including animal clips ...

Michael Jackson To Create Crowdsourced Online Video From Beyond The Grave

With the success of films like Star Wars Uncut and, more recently, Life In A Day, the concept of crowdsourced film projects is gaining traction. The latest well-publicized video project seeking content assistance from fans and viewers comes from a pretty unlikely source: Michael Jackson. ...