The ultimate filmmaking resource on how to do more with less.
Learn highly effective and time-saving techniques to produce compelling lighting for corporate videos, documentaries, short films, educational content and anything that requires harvesting available light and the use of practicals.
https://www.linkedin.com/learning/corporate-and-documentary-video-lighting/welcome
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Composition is one of the least understood yet most important aspects of cinema. Using a wide variety of examples, Emmy Award-winning Director of Photography Eduardo Angel breaks down effective cinematic composition, shares his favorite compositional effects and techniques and even covers how and when to successfully break well established rules.
https://www.linkedin.com/learning/cinematic-composition-for-video-productions/welcome
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Learn wow to use the subjective power of movement and composition to guide the viewer’s attention and emotions.
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It doesn’t take a Hollywood budget to make to make the most of available light, and to learn simple tricks to reveal or obscure objects and subjects in your scene. Here’s your chance to learn field tested techniques to manipulate moods, add depth, and enhance your overall production with a few lighting tweaks.
https://www.linkedin.com/learning/lighting-design-for-video-productions/welcome
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There are SO many camera bags, all claiming to be THE perfect one for your specific needs. Obviously that’s impossible. So which camera bags are best for the 1 Person Crew and why?
I’ve owned dozens of camera bags in the past 20 years. I actually used to work at a camera store so I was able to field test ANY bag I wanted for a weekend, and then buy it with a significant discount. Needless to say I ended up with a closet full of them, from very uncomfortable “Sling bags” to extra heavy “hard cases” to even a “floating backpack” that I used once….
Over the years I’ve been increasingly demanding when it comes to buying equipment, and this includes camera bags.
I’m always looking for three things: I want the bag to be comfortable, to have the right features (like compartments that are easy to reach for me, but not for pickpockets), and “the look.” I want something that looks nice, but doesn’t scream “Hey! I have $20,000 right here!”
When it comes to brands, I also have used them all. I want a company that keeps innovating and taking risks, that is using high-quality materials, but also offers a fair price, customer service and warranty. This is easier said than done, of course.
At my workshops I often hear attendees complain “$400 for a bag?!?!?! That’s a lot of money!”
But is it? If I’m putting $20,000, $30,000 or even $40,000 inside a bag that will take some serious beating for 5 years, is $400 really a bad investment? I don’t think so.
So, I currently use three kinds of bags, all made by the same company. The smallest bag is a Messenger style bag. That’s the one I use pretty much every day, for my laptop when I’m not shooting, and with a very compact setup, especially if I need very quick access to my camera.
What’s inside that Mesenger Bag? Watch the video below to find out:
The second bag is a video backpack. That’s the one I’m taking with me pretty much every time I leave town. It goes next to me in a taxi, under my seat on a plane, and on my back the rest of the time. That bag NEVER leaves my side.
The third bag is a hybrid bag, which means it’s a rolling case AND a backpack. That’s my carry-on bag, that rolls 90% of the time, and it’s on my back when I’m dealing with sand in Mexico, snow in Chicago, cobblestones in Lisbon, stairs in New York’s subway, and mud in Bali.
So, what about you? Do you have a favorite bag or packing tip? If so, please share your comments below.
DISCLAIMER
This article is not paid or sponsored by anyone. It reflects my own independent opinion. I only recommend companies and products that I trust. Some links might be affiliates, which means I may get a few pennies if you decide to purchase something.
Thanks in advance for your support!
MY VIDEO GEAR
Amazon
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Adobe has a free app called Adobe Capture that few people know, and even less people use. Here’s why you might want to start using it today to very quickly and easily create a cinematic look, and even match the look of movies you like.
The way Adobe Capture works is: You take a picture and the app creates a color patch. Then that patch gets exported to your Adobe Creative Cloud library so you can share it with all the other Adobe applications. I don’t use it that way.
I do use it to recreate the grade or cinematic look of specific movie. To achieve this all I need is to get a screenshot of that movie, create a color patch based on that image, and apply that patch to my footage. These simple steps often get me pretty close to the original look.
Here’s more info:
Pretty cool, right? This is huge for people working under very tight deadlines or who aren’t super technical and don’t want to spend a lot of time learning applications like DaVinci Resolve, Lustre, Nucoda, SCRATCH, or Baselight.
Now, if you ARE interested in learning more about grading, and especially how color affects perception in storytelling, I can’t recommend this book high enough.
Want more? Check this “Amazing Adobe Premiere Pro Tips.”
Comments? Questions? Feedback? All of them are welcomed below.
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On my last post, I shared where to find information about reliable hard drives and a couple of people asked “How is this applicable to a 1 Person Crew video production?”
Well, if I know that a specific 3TB drive from a certain brand has a 50% failure rate, that’s all I need to know to not even consider getting it, regardless its price or features.
Once I know which brands and sizes are the most reliable, I set up my workflow using three hard drives. On this video tutorial I quickly explain why:
Solid state drives are still very expensive, but they tiny, extremely durable, and they are coming down in price.
On location, I like using cheaper internal solid state drives like these to backup my footage.
How are you setting up your hard drives for video production? Leave your comments below.
ONLINE COURSES
Lynda.com
Mini Tutorials
LinkedIn Learning
MY VIDEO GEAR
Amazon
DISCLAIMER
This article is not paid or sponsored by anyone. It reflects my own independent opinion. I only recommend companies and products that I trust. Some links might be affiliates, which means I may get a few pennies if you decide to purchase something.
Thanks in advance for your support!
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Instagram: @1PersonCrew
On any video production, regardless the crew size, sound design is key. We all know that. What’s is not very well known is where to find high quality and affordable sound effects.
On today’s video tutorial I share some of the websites I’ve found most useful, from the usual suspects, to the BBC and even a somewhat hidden sound effects library within YouTube.
I quickly discuss when to spend time recording ambient sounds on locations and when I’ve found it’s better to rely on sound effects libraries. There’s even a tip on how to create sound beds for free and without any copyright issues, and lastly, I discuss why Artlist.io is currently my favorite music library.
By the way, if you like what you see at Artlist.io, this link gets you 2 months FREE.
Dive in. It’s just under 3-minutes long but full of (hopefully) useful info. If you have other resources I didn’t mention, please add them to the comments below.
The more we share, the more we learn.
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Being unfaithful (and testing new mics).
Why the Three-Act Structure is Obsolete.
I’m a big fan of Vashi Nedomansky, a brilliant video editor who has worked on 11 feature films and trailers, and over 50 national commercials for major brands like Nike, Volkswagen, Ford, NHL, EA Sports, Adobe, and the US Army. I recently read an interview where he says:
“The trailer game is an ever-changing pursuit that tries to stay ahead of the intelligent public but must also find new ways to tease, cajole and intrigue. Show scenes that aren’t in the film. Manipulate dialog and visuals to make a scene more interesting. Shift the order of shots to make it more interesting or compelling. Add music not in the film to hit an emotional beat. Use every trick in the book to make an effective trailer.”
I don’t agree 100% with that approach, but the article reminded me one of the (many) valuable lesson I’ve learned about marketing. The lesson is: cut a 30-second trailer as soon as you’re done shooting. Here’s why:
I’m not sure how, but Vashi was able to select 46 individual shots that were shared in the promotional material for “Rogue One” but never made the final cut of the film.
Actually, “Rogue One” serves to prove my point about the paramount importance of teasers and trailers as marketing tool; the 2-minute trailer has attracted over almost 38 MILLION views on YouTube alone!
What about you? Do you always use teasers and/or trailers on your projects? Why or why not? Leave your comments below.
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The traditional story structure taught in film schools is obsolete. We should be telling stories the same way we are consuming content, jumping from one story and/or platform to the next, almost never following a linear path.
The explosion of interactive video platforms is happening for a reason. And when you have not one but two 800-pound gorillas (Netflix with Black Mirror and HBO with Steven Soderbergh) competing to be “the leader” producing interactive stories, the writing is on the wall.
When is comes to non-linear storytelling, the platform we chose to publish our stories should shape the content; so having a clear understanding of your target audience is key.
ONLINE COURSES
Lynda.com
Mini Tutorials
LinkedIn Learning
DEALS
Get 60 days FREE of the best music for filmmakers.
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GEAR
My Favorite Low-Light Lens.
Best Travel Lights.
Best Gimbal.
Life-changing Headphones.
Travel Camera.
Studio Camera.
Field Monitor.
BTS Mic.
Compact Video Tripod.
Best Monopod.
Slider.
Best Camera Bag.
Editing Software: Adobe Creative Cloud
Screen Capture Software.
Sources of Inspiration.
MY VIDEO GEAR
Amazon
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