Recent Lessons

• Gels and Light Diffusion

  by Daniel Hayek 11 days ago
  Hey there budding videographer, let's talks about gels and diffusion. No, I'm not referring to the hair grooming habits of the guys from the Jersey Shore series, but rather using simple pieces of plastic to filter light and make your videos look better.
  
  Gels are pieces of colored plastic that allow light to pass through, but change the color tone of the light itself. Diffusion, while similar, has a different purpose, reducing harsh shadows by softening the light. By increasing the surface area over which your light is emitted, you get less of a headlight effect, and that's generally a good thing. Strong, harsh lighting can be used for dramatic effects, but in most scenarios you'll want to soften it up to make your scene look more natural. Now, let's jump-start this discussion with an overview by Scott Spears from Framelines TV.
  
  

  

  Tech Tip - Gels and Diffusion

  
  

  from Framelines TV Plus

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  Category:

  Behind The Scenes

  , Lighting

  Difficulty:

  Beginner

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• Quick Focusing Tips

  by Tommy Penner 20 days ago
  When I was a kid, our family only had one camera. It was a 35mm point-and-shoot with autofocus. Today we have all sorts of cameras, from mobile phones to camcorders to DSLRs to point and shoots... the list goes on! But there's one thing all these devices have in common: Focus.
  
  Focusing is adjusting the lens of your camera until you can see your subject in maximum detail. Professionals like to use the term "tack sharp" to describe when the subject of an image is in perfect focus. An unintentionally out-of-focus shot can be distracting to the viewer, and can remove your audience from your video or film. However, intentionally leaving areas out-of-focus can also be used as a storytelling device, bringing the audience's attention to something specific, or obscuring the villain standing behind your main character.
  
  When focusing, the lens element inside your camera moves closer or further from the image sensor depending on which direction you rotate the focus ring. Once the light is properly converging on the image sensor, you will have a focused image.
  
  Shifting focus from a nearby object to a faraway object within the same shot is called "racking focus" and is commonly used to bring the audience's attention from one subject to another. Professionals and amateurs alike do this by using something called a follow focus, and you can build one yourself to make racking focus much easier! Here's a quick example of how racking the focus can add a little bit of drama and tell a story, all within one shot:
  
  

  

  Rack focus test

  
  

  from Erick von Schulz

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  Category:

  Shooting

  Difficulty:

  Beginner

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• Scary Shooting Techniques

  by Champ Ensminger 24 days ago
  Like that zombie stampede from your VHS copy of 'Undead Unicorn Apocalypse,' Halloween is just around the corner. If you're like us, then you're putting together a killer costume, curling up on a couch watching 'Undead Unicorn Apocalypse 2: The Galloping,' and getting in the Halloween spirit with our Video School Lesson on Scary Special Effects!
  
  But you might be wondering, what else goes into that horror classic that makes it so scary? It's not just blood and guts and monsters, right? Look no further! Here are some tried-and-true techniques you can use for shooting your next horror classic that are so easy to do that...it's scary.
  
  Get your story straight
  Whether you plan to scare your audience with ghosts, ghouls or goblins, aliens from another
  planet or good old fashioned zombies, you still need a story to get started. Storyboarding isn’t
  just for pros. Think about all your scenes and sketch or write them out. This will allow you to
  organize your shot list and know exactly what you’re going to shoot when the camera starts
  rolling. Take a look at Christoph Horch's sequence animatic depicting Edgar Allan Poe's 'The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym.'
  
  

  

  The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym

  
  

  from Christoph Horch

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  Although the sequence is not a storyboard for a live-action film per se, we get a sense of the story and pacing through the frame composition and the way the animation imitates camera movements. Aside from drawing arrows indicating motion, storyboard artists often animate their sequences to convey action and camera movement for reference. This is very handy for visualizing and pacing your story, especially scary stories that wait for the right moment to go...BOO! Continue Reading…

  Category:

  Shooting

  Difficulty:

  Beginner

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• Scary Special Effects

  by Matt Schwarz 28 days ago
  So, you've got a great idea for a thriller movie that has it all-- ghosts, zombies, and some cool gun fights. But how do you pull off such a daunting task on the cheap? Not to worry! Scary special effects, while sometimes complicated, can also be done quickly and safely.
  
  Not convinced? Take a look at the video below for three DIY effects you can make with easy-to-find supplies in a matter of hours. No need to worry about blowing yourself up either!
  
  

  

  Scary Special Effects

  
  

  from Vimeo Video School

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  Category:

  Do-It-Yourself

  , Shooting

  , Software

  Difficulty:

  Beginner

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