TSFilms

1 > AN OFFER HE CANT REFUSE > VITO CORLEONE

2009-10-05T15:07:00.004+01:00

1. "I'm gonna make him an offer he can't refuse." - Vito Corleone

by Marlon Brando in The Godfather (1972)

If you think you know your movie quotes FilmFour has a monthly quiz to test your knowledge of famous quotes from movie, I think I managed about 50 but theres people on there with over 400.

Film4 Movie Quiz

SHORT FILMS > SPIN > JAMIN WINANS

2009-09-20T15:56:00.000+01:00

A mysterious DJ is sent to a busy city block to mend a series of tragic events that occur in our everyday lives.

I really enjoyed this film when I first saw it in 2005, I loved the concept and director Jamin Winans executes it brilliantly. His latest feature length film has been getting good early buzz and it'll be interesting to see what this talented director can produce.

If you could rewind or undo a fateful event, would you? This riveting and unusual short film puts the power to change the world in a whole new perspective.

“SPIN” was shot over two weekends and one afternoon in June of 2005 for a total of about 35 rigorous hours of shooting. The shot list was ambitious at over 200 shots, and our original plan was to shoot it in two very long days using the Sony HDV camera. We shot “SPIN just north of the central downtown Denver area in a beautiful new area called Riverfront Park, adjacent to the Platte River. The location was ideal considering a number of different events had to occur, including the car crashing into the cyclist.

We gathered props and talent for “SPIN” in a variety of ways. One great resource was MySpace - through MySpace bulletin posts, we were able to obtain a free car, a free bike and two of the cholo’s who are arguing. Brandon Carrillo and Cesar Bejarano had never acted before and volunteered to spend a hot day in the sun with us and did an outstanding job.

Directors Statement

"SPIN" came about after watching Hayz II (who stars in the film as the main character "Scratch") scratch and spin records at one of his hip-hop shows. It made me wonder what would happen if just a touch of mystery was thrown on the turntables and everyday people, places and events could be influenced by the flow, speed and direction of a record.

The beauty of "SPIN" is that it traverses all gender, age, cultural and personal interest barriers - it is a film for all people everywhere on the globe. The no-dialogue format allows the story to be told in every language.

“SPIN” launched on the Double Edge Films website on August 11th, 2005 and emails began pouring in from every corner of the earth. In addition to international exposure on the Internet, “SPIN” has been invited to over 60 film festivals, has won over 35 festival awards and played to millions on television. “SPIN” has also generated interest from European and American advertising and music video producers.

Film Director and Producer Bios

Jamin Winans was born on December 4th, 1977. He grew up near Denver, Colorado and had an interest in film since the age of 10. Growing up in a family that didn’t own a TV for much of his childhood, Winans naturally became fascinated by TV and the movies. At the age of 10 he picked up a camera and never set it down. By the age of 14, he was writing, directing, and editing his own films, and by 17 he wrote and directed his first feature length film.

After graduating from high school, he spent a year as a film student before leaving college to begin his professional film career in his hometown of Denver, Colorado. In 1998, Winans established Double Edge Films - a film company striving to create original and independent work.

Double Edge Films’ primary goal was to produce their first feature film “11:59”. This began a seven-year journey, over which time Winans wrote and directed numerous projects including two critically acclaimed short films; “Blanston” and “The Maze”. The financial backing for “11:59” was finally realized after “Blanston” was accepted and screened at the prestigious Cinequest International Film Festival during the spring of 2003. Winans began production of “11:59” during the fall of 2003. Completed in 2005, “11:59” premiered at the Montreal World Film Festival and has continued a successful festival run winning the following awards: best narrative feature at the Kansas International Film Festival, best feature at the Flint Film Festival, best editing at the Cyprus International Film Festival and nominated for best screenplay at The Method Fest Film Festival.

In addition to their fictional work, Winans and the Double Edge Films team write, direct and produce local and national commercials, music videos and promotional and industrial videos.

Producer Joe Sekiya
Joe Sekiya, 26, was born in Wheat Ridge, Colorado. In high school Joe started to take his love of movies more seriously by requesting that he be allowed to turn in a movie instead of an essay about the topics discussed in class. He graduated in 1997 and went on to pursue a marketing degree at Metro State in Denver.

During that time he met Jamin Winans and in 1998 Joe teamed up with Jamin to produce the feature film “11:59”. During the next seven years Jamin and Joe continued to raise money to produce “11:59” and in the meantime they produced several short films including “Blanston” and “The Maze”, and the latest, “SPIN”.

In the fall of 2006, Joe moved to Los Angeles to pursue other endeavors in the film industry.
Credit: HDFest

Official Site

WATCH on youtube: Spin
[Format: FLV - Size: Streaming - Running Time: 08:00 min.]

WATCH on officialsite: Spin
[Format: FLV - Size: Streaming - Running Time: 08:00 min.]

Credits
Directot / Writer: Jamin Winans
Producer: Joe Sekiya
Director of Photography: Jeff Pointer

Other recommended Jamin Winans Films include

Ink

As the light fades and the city goes to sleep, two forces emerge. They are invisible except for the power they exert over us in our sleep, battling for our souls through dreams. One force delivers hope and strength through good dreams; the other infuses the subconscious with desperation through nightmares.

SciFiScoop Article Link

SHORT FILMS > 9 > SHANE ACKER

2009-09-10T16:57:00.000+01:00

A rag doll fights a monster that has been stealing the souls of his people.

I watched this computer animated short film in 2005 and was recently intrigued to see it had been made into a feature film. Shane Acker is obviously a man with a talent for visuals, the short pulls of the post apocalyptic look amazingly and has an almost Burtonesque feel to it. While the visuals are amazing it'll be interesting to see how successfully the plot is developed into a feature length film. Either way Shane Acker is definitly someone with a unique vision and someone to look out for in the future.

Synopsis

9 is a sentient rag doll who appears to be the last of his kind, living in the ruins of a decaying parallel world, and is hunted relentlessly by the Cat Beast, that has killed eight of his rag doll kindred by stealing their souls with a canister-like talisman, and then proceeding to skin their bodies for clothing. 9 was formerly accompanied by his friend and mentor, the one-eyed 5, with whom he scavenged the ruins of their world in search of tools that would help them survive. However, the Cat Beast attacked 5 and stole his soul with its talisman. 9 had just barely escaped the same fate thanks to a gem that pulsates whenever the creature approaches.

In an attempt to destroy the Cat Beast, 9 prepares a trap baited with a lure designed to look like one of the rag doll people. This gives 9 a chance to subdue the creature long enough for 9 to steal its talisman. The creature breaks free and chases 9 through the building, cornering him on a wooden plank elevated high above the floor. Just as the Cat Beast crawls along the unstable plank and approaches him, 9 leaps to safety and knocks the plank down. The Cat Beast plummets to the floor below and is impaled off-screen by the falling plank. After setting up a memorial for his kindred, 9 puts his gem and the creature's talisman together to create a larger canister that releases the souls of all the creature's victims, including 5. Before vanishing, 5's spirit turns to 9 and nods in acknowledgment of 9's victory over the Cat Beast. 9 arms himself and sets off to parts unknown, leaving the canister behind.

Production

The short film took four and a half years, on and off, to create. Acker used Maya 1.5–5.5, Photoshop for the textures, After Effects for compositing, and Premiere for editing. There are homages to Acker's influences like Brothers Quay and Pixar placed throughout. Most of it was rendered at 720x540 pixels on a three-computer dual-processor render farm. For distribution at film festivals like Sundance, Rhythm and Hues Studios offered to print the short film to 35mm using their film printer and image resizing techniques. The credits show that beyond Acker, there were five other animators and three other lighters that worked on the film.
Source: Wikipedia

Official Site

WATCH on youtube: 9
[Format: FLV - Size: Streaming - Running Time: 10:38 min.]

WATCH on dailymotion: 9
[Format: FLV - Size: Streaming - Running Time: 10:38 min.]

WATCH on youtube: Shane Acker at ComicCon
[Format: FLV - Size: Streaming - Running Time: 1:34 min.]

Credits
Director/ Writer: Shane Acker

Animation Trip Interview
Studio Daily Article
IndieWire Article

Other recommended Shane Acker short Films include

The Astounding Talents of Mr. Grenade

Sometimes the best things in life don't last very long

9

9 has also recently been made into a feature film adapted from the short film, is produced in part by Tim Burton, Timur Bekmambetov and Jim Lemley, and is scheduled for release on 09/09/09.

Shane Acker directed the film and, with Pamela Pettler, wrote the script. The lead voice actors are Elijah Wood, John C. Reilly, Jennifer Connelly, Crispin Glover, Martin Landau and Christopher Plummer.

FILM TRAILER ROUNDUP

2009-09-10T07:43:00.006+01:00

Three of my favourite childhood books are being made into films by three of my favourite directors. Its good to see studios taking a risk and using less commercailly minded directors. Each of the directors has there own unique style and its definitely reflected in these trailers.

Where The Wild Things Are

Director - Spike Jonze
Release Date - October 16th
HD Trailer Link - Apple.com

Fantastic Mr. Fox

Director - Wes Anderson
Release Date - November 13th
HD Trailer Link - Yahoo.com

Alice in Wonderland

Director - Tim Burton
Release Date - March 5th
HD Trailer Link - Apple.com

2 > I AM YOUR FATHER > DARTH VADER

2009-09-05T00:14:00.001+01:00

2. “I am your father” - Darth Vader

by James Earl Jones in The Empire Strikes Back (1980)

This clip shows the quotes from 1 - 47 from the AFI's 100 Years…100 Movie Quotes list. The video for quotes 48 - 100 are here and the full list is here.

A jury consisting of 1,500 film artists, critics, and historians selected "Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn," spoken by Clark Gable in the Civil War epic Gone with the Wind as the most memorable American movie quotation of all time.

Casablanca has the most quotes of any movie on the list, with six. Gone with the Wind and The Wizard of Oz are next, with three each. Fourteen different actors, ten men and four women, each have two or more quotations attributed to them. Leading this select ensemble is Humphrey Bogart, who has five, four of them from Casablanca. Bette Davis and Vivien Leigh are tied for the most quotations by an actress, with three. Marlon Brando, Tom Hanks, and Al Pacino also have three apiece. James Cagney, Sean Connery, Clint Eastwood, Charlton Heston, Judy Garland, Jack Nicholson, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Dustin Hoffman and Gloria Swanson each have two.

One actor has four quotes playing the same character in the same movie: Humphrey Bogart in Casablanca (#5, #20, #43 and #67). Three actresses have two quotes playing the same character in the same movie: Vivien Leigh in Gone with the Wind (#31 and #59), Gloria Swanson in Sunset Boulevard (#7 and #24) and Judy Garland in "The Wizard of Oz" (#4 and #23).

Three actors have quotes playing the same character in different movies: Clint Eastwood as Harry Callahan in Sudden Impact (#6) and Dirty Harry (#51); Sean Connery as James Bond in Dr. No (#22) and Goldfinger (#90); and Arnold Schwarzenegger as the Terminator (#37 and #76) in The Terminator and T2.

One of the quotations - #22, "Bond. James Bond." - was spoken by a single character, played by six different actors across 22 different movies.[1]

Four of the quotations on the list consist of one word, or a single word repeated: "Rosebud", from Citizen Kane, "Plastics", from The Graduate, "Attica! Attica!" from Dog Day Afternoon, and "Toga! Toga!" from National Lampoon's Animal House. The longest is Katharine Hepburn's quote from On Golden Pond ("Listen to me, mister. You're my knight in shining armor...") at 40 words.

Three of the quotations were taken from actual events:

Lou Gehrig's farewell speech ("The Luckiest Man on the Face of the Earth") from The Pride of the Yankees (#38)

Apollo 13's distress call ("Houston, we have a problem"; the official NASA transcript is "Houston, we've had a problem") (#50)

George Cohan's signature line ("My mother thanks you,...") from Yankee Doodle Dandy (#97)

In addition, Jack Nicholson's "Here's Johnny" line from The Shining (#68) was Johnny Carson's introduction on The Tonight Show.
(wikipedia)

SHORT FILMS > THE HUNT FOR GOLLUM > CHRIS BOUCHARD

2009-09-01T07:51:00.005+01:00

Not all who wander are lost...

The great events of the war of the ring are about to unfold and the priority for Strider and Gandalf is to keep the Ring secret. Sauron is preparing to unleash his armies and Gollum is creeping around Middle Earth with crucial knowledge of the Ring's location. He must be found.

Another fan film which shows what can be made with a small budget, a lot of hard work and a dedicated crew behind it.

The Hunt for Gollum is a fan film based on elements of J. R. R. Tolkien's epic fantasy novel The Lord of the Rings. The film is a sidequel to the events of The Fellowship of the Ring, and is based on expository passages in both the novel and in its appendices. Its visual style is inspired by Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings film trilogy, but the production is completely unofficial and unauthorized by the Tolkien Estate, Tolkien Enterprises or New Line Cinema, which produced Jackson's film trilogy. The film was directed by Chris Bouchard and shot in high definition video.

Production

The Hunt for Gollum had a shooting budget of less than £3,000. Location filming took place in North Wales, Epping Forest and Hampstead Heath. 160 people volunteered as crew members for the production. The production design was based on Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings films. Director Chris Bouchard said, "Peter Jackson's individual look was a big inspiration, it's been an adventure for us to play in that world that he created."

The film's most difficult production aspect was the title character. "Bringing Gollum himself to life has been a major challenge," Bouchard said. "I really didn’t want to cop out and knew that seeing Gollum would be an important part of the film. We have used just about every trick in the book to portray Gollum on screen without the full power of Weta Digital behind us!"

The sound mix was completed at the Futureworks studio in Manchester.

Reception

The trailer for the film was well received online. A blogger for Entertainment Weekly said that based on the trailer, the film "looks awesome", and added that the filmmakers "seem to have nailed a passable low-budget version of Peter Jackson's best-epic-movie-ever visuals." Similarly, a blogger for Wired News said that "The Hunt for Gollum looks pretty stunning for a film made 'by fans for fans.'" On National Public Radio's All Things Considered, reporter Laura Sydell said, "The Hunt for Gollum looks just like the Hollywood version. I was fooled the first time I saw it. ... the special effects in the trailer are flawless." A writer for the film website Rotten Tomatoes said, "the trailers suggest it'll be better than Eragon ... or Krull.

The Hunt for Gollum debuted at the Sci-Fi-London film festival and on the Internet, free to view, on 3 May 2009
Source: Wikipedia

Official Site

WATCH on dailymotion: The Hunt for Gollum
[Format: FLV - Size: Streaming - Running Time: 38:11 min.]

WATCH on youtube: The Hunt for Gollum behind the scenes
[Format: FLV - Size: Streaming - Running Time: 27:11 min.]

DOWNLOAD: The Hunt for Gollum Soundtrack
[Format: mp3 - Size: 3 MB - Running Time: NA min.]

Credits
Director/ Writer: Chris Bouchard

Fantasy Film Review
SFX Interview

Other recommended Lord of the Rings short Films include

Born of Hope (IMDB Link)

The Hunt for Gollums sister project Born of Hope which is still in production. Visit the site for updates.

Almost There and Back Again

In an unassuming home in Auckland, New Zealand, an historic event is being planned. A tight-knit group of friends and role playing enthusiasts have come up with a quest that they hope will cement their place in the annals of pop culture. In a tribute to Peter Jackson and JRR Tolkien, these nine brave souls will atempt to walk the length of New Zealand, in full Middle-Earth garb, and in full character. What happened on their journey would affect them all deeply, and change the life of one... forever.

Video Download @ TheForce.net

FILM TRAILER ROUNDUP

2009-08-10T06:03:00.002+01:00

While there maybe loads of film trailers released each month, these are a few of the films I'm most looking forward too.

District 9

Director - Neill Blomkamp
Release Date - August 14th 2009
HD Trailer Link - Apple.com

I've already looked at Neill Blomkamps short films in an earlier post and the guy certainly has talented. This film looks like it could be amazing and the early rumours suggest it could turn out to be a sci-fi classic.

A Serious Man

Directors - Joel and Ethan Coen
Release Date - October 2nd 2009
HD Trailer Link - Apple.com

I always look forward to a new Coen Brothers film, although I didnt think Burn After Reading was one of there better films heres hoping this one is back to there brilliant best.

Shutter Island

Director - Martin Scorsese
Release Date - October 2nd 2009
HD Trailer Link - Apple.com

Same as with the Coen Brothers films I always looked forward to a Scorsese film, even his worst films are better than the average Hollywood release. With an excellent cast surely this cant go wrong.

The Lovely Bones

Director - Peter Jackson
Release Date - January 29th 2010
HD Trailer Link - Apple.com

Don't know much about the plot for this film but visual it looks amazing which you sort of expect from a Peter Jackson film.

3 > I COULDA BEEN A CONTENDER > TERRY MALLOY

2009-08-05T00:16:00.000+01:00

3. "You don't understand! I coulda had class. I coulda been a contender. I could've been somebody, instead of a bum, which is what I am." - Terry Malloy

by Marlon Brando in On the Waterfront (1954)

Part of the AFI 100 Years… series, AFI's 100 Years…100 Movie Quotes is a list of the top 100 movie quotations in American cinema. The American Film Institute revealed the list in June of 2005 in a three-hour television program on CBS. The program was hosted by actor Pierce Brosnan and had commentary from many Hollywood actors and filmmakers.
(wikipedia)

This clip shows the quotes from 48 - 100

SHORT FILMS > ESCAPE FROM CITY 17 > PURCHASE BROTHERS

2009-08-01T04:39:00.007+01:00

Half-Life: Escape from City 17 is a short film set in the Half-Life universe and was created by Toronto-based David and Ian Purchase for a budget of $500.

I'm a great fan of these fanmade effects films and considering the budget this looks amazing. I love the Half-Life games and the creators of this have really managed to capture the look and feel of the games.

SYNOPSIS
The short film is set during the events of Half-Life 2: Episode One. Isaac Kleiner is making his "Kleinercasts" on City 17's PA system, warning that the Citadel is set to explode at any moment, destroying much of the surrounding area. Members of the Resistance are fighting their way out of the city as Civil Protection holds them back. Metropolice are seen executing captured rebels. Two rebels are introduced escaping through a train-yard. Through radio communication, the two discover that the last evacuation train has already left, and are urged to escape the city on foot through the canal system. Civil Protection officers appear and fire on the two. The rebels return fire and manage to escape. As they flee, a Combine hunter chopper appears and shoots at them, and the film abruptly ends.

PRODUCTION
The first part of the film was created by Toronto-based David and Ian Purchase, who use the professional name of the Purchase Brothers. Before Escape from City- 17, the Purchase Brothers had directed several commercials, including one for Coca-Cola. David contended that they worked as commercial directors in order to support their independent projects. They were both fans of the Half-Life series, and decided to start Escape from City-17 as a way "to showcase and promote their talents further, and experiment with several post-production techniques they had developed."

The two had a budget of $500; the computer equipment and software employed for the development of the film belonged to the Purchase Brothers from previous projects. According to David, the money was spent on the live-action elements of the film, saying that "The costumes, and used/broken airsoft guns made up the bulk of the budget." The two had no crew to support them, and were not paid for their work. Many of the elements of the film, such as the background, were extracted from Half-Life 2, "graphically enhanced, and incorporated into the live action with 'a lot of complicated tracking and rotoscoping.'"

RELEASE
Upon the film's release to YouTube it garnered thousands of views very quickly, but the film's exposure was skyrocketed when Valve, developers of the Half-Life series, promoted it with a news post on Steam. It was quickly featured on many popular gaming news websites and had surpassed 1 million views within two days of release. As of July 20, 2009, it has almost 3 million views.

RECEPTION
Barry White of Citizen Game stated that the first part of the film "blew my mind" and "Considering the comparitively paltry resources... at the Purchase Brothers disposal this short still manages to be better than every video game movie currently in existence." Wagner Au of NewTeeVee contended that the first part "is one of those rare viral videos that seems destined to launch a breakout success", and added "non-gamers are likely to be impressed by its rollicking action and bravura special effects." Au believed its popularity was due, in part, to the fact that the video is adapted from Half-Life 2. Patrick Goss, writing for Tech Radar, said the in-game footage from the Half-Life 2 series "blended almost seamlessly into the live action footage" in the film.

Valve, developers of the Half-Life series, approved of the film and publicised it in an announcement on Steam, saying "we were blown away -- the production quality certainly exceeds that of the usual community-made movies we see."

PART TWO
The Purchase Brothers planned to release the second part of the film in early to mid March 2009, but the large amount of emails and phone calls the two have received regarding the first part has slowed development of the second. According to teaser clips at the end of the first part, the two rebel soldier characters will be joined by a heroine, and will come into contact with headcrab zombies.
Source: Wikipedia

Official Website

WATCH: Half-Life: Escape From City 17
[Format: MOV - Size: Streaming - Running Time: 5 min.]

DOWNLOAD: Half-Life: Escape From City 17
[Format: MOV - Size: 45 MB - Running Time: 5 min.]

Credits:
Creators - David and Ian Purchase

SlashFilm Article
NewTeeVee Article and Interview

This is another Half-Life esque short film which defintly deserves a mention. "Whats in the Box" is a 8 minute short film created by Tim Smit.

Official Site

4 > CAUSE SHE GOT A GREAT ASS > LT VINCENT HANNA

2009-07-05T23:25:00.000+01:00

4. “Cause she got a great ass... and you got your head all the way up it" - Lt. Vincent Hanna

by Al Pacino in Heat (1995)

The sequel to the last favourite quote entry, is an equally great montage of 100 quotes from 100 films that contain the utterance of years 1901-2000.

The full list of films is on this website

SHORT FILMS > ASHES TO ASHES > JULIEN MOKRANI

2009-07-01T11:28:00.011+01:00

Driven by different, but nevertheless essential reasons, Eddy, Charles and Sergio decide to break into the huge manor that overhangs the city. Their entreprise soon startsto derail as the butler intercepts them. Blood is split. The three improvised murderers are on the run, their hands covered with blood but at least they have the loot. For three weeks, intense and unreal sobs echo amongst the city's roofs. In this big town, devasted by violence and prohibition, three novice gangsters start their ascent in the crime world. Meanwhile, a vengeful shadow goes on the hunt for them.

The last Batman fan film I watched was Dead End which saw the Caped Crusader battling Aliens and Predators. Made for 10,000 euros by filmmakers Julien Mokrani & Samuel Bodin’s this film is borrows heavily from the the Batman character created by Bob Kane and shares its visual style with that of Robert Rodriguez and Frank Millers Sin City.

The Batman character is absent for much of the film and is more of a looming presence in the stories background. The main focus is on a small time crook and his rise through the underworld. When batman does make his appearance he appears as an almost supernatural figure seeking revenge with the villains coming across as twisted monsters who wouldnt be out of place in a horror film. Overall this isnt your typical fan film the character is far removed from the Batman most of us know which for me fits really well with the style and look of the film.

Official Website

WATCH on DailyMotion: Ashes to Ashes
[Format: FLV - Size: Streaming - Running Time: 14 min.]

WATCH: Ashes to Ashes - Making of - Behind the Scenes
[Format: FLV - Size: Streaming - Running Time: 3 min.]

WATCH: Ashes to Ashes - Making of - Batman vs Joker
[Format: FLV - Size: Streaming - Running Time: 3 min.]

WATCH: Ashes to Ashes - Making of - O.C. Cobblepot
[Format: FLV - Size: Streaming - Running Time: 1 min.]

Credits
Director: Julien Mokrani
Writer: Samuel Bodin
Producer: Julien Mokrani, Samuel Bodin, Olivier Bach, Eric Fantone, Pim Mory, Fabien Dubois, Matthieu Lemeunier
Director of photography: Vincent E. Toto
Editor: Toby Divine

5 > IM AS MAD AS HELL > HOWARD BEALE

2009-06-05T23:23:00.000+01:00

5. "I'm as mad as hell, and I'm not going to take this anymore!" - Howard Beale

by Peter Finch in Network (1976)

This is a pretty incredible montage of 100 quotes from 100 different movies that each contains a number from 1-100, counting backwards. There's really nothing else to say about it, but I do wonder how he even compiled these seemingly random lines.

If you want to know what films are featured visit this website

SHORT FILMS > DIE HARDLY WORKING > ZACH LIPOVSKY

2009-06-01T08:28:00.017+01:00

This short Die Hardly Working was created for the FOX reality show On The Lot by Zach Lipovsky who ended up as one of the finalist. Being a visual effects specialist most of his films on the show contained some sort of visual effects, this film was relatively effects free. It uses a similar idea to one used in Spaced where the actors prentend to fight with imaginary weapons. In this one two coworkers have an imaginary fight with guns, bows and arrows, swords in a fight to the death. I love the premise and execution of this idea by Zach and although his other films on the show were great this is probably my favourite.

Official Site

Credits
Director / Writer: Zach Lipovsky
Director of Photography: Christian Sebaldt

Canada.com Article
Dingorue Article

Other recommended Zach Lipovsky Films include

Crazy Late
This entry for the Crazy8s film competition sees Jimmy Smith wake up to find himself Crazy Late for his own wedding. Zach used this film to gain entry to the On the Lot competition.

Time Out
The first film Zach made for On the Lot, a fight over a hat has mysterious consequences.

Danger Zone
Zachs second film for On the Lot. A science lab gets its daily safety checkup.

Time Upon a Once
Zach third entry for On the Lot. The new neighbours move in.

Sunshine Girl
Zachs fourth entry for On the Lot. A small girl captures the sun.

MY FILMS > HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL SENDABLE > JIB JAB

2009-05-15T22:28:00.007+01:00

Jib Jab was founded by Brothers Gregg and Evan Spiridellis in 1999 with a few thousand dollars worth of computer equipment, a dial-up Internet connection and a dream of building a global entertainment brand. In 2004, their election parody "This Land" sparked an international sensation and was viewed more than 80 million times online. NASA even contacted the brothers to send a copy to the International Space Station! Since then, JibJab has premiered ten original productions on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and received coverage on every major news outlet.

Jib Jab YouTube Page

I recently came across this jib jab video on youtube and saw an ad for there sendables. Basically with just a few clicks of the mouse you can insert photos of someone into pre made video clips. So if you fancy being in high school musical or want to embarrass your friends its a real fun website and easy to use with very little effort. These two videos below probably took about 3-5 minutes each.

1 > REBEL WITHOUT A CREW > ROBERT RODRIQUEZ

2009-05-05T16:28:00.012+01:00

1. Rebel without a Crew by Robert Rodriguez

Published by Penguin, 1996

ISBN 0452271878, 9780452271876

304 pages

Description:
Rebel Without a Crew (subtitle: Or How a 23-Year-Old Filmmaker with $7,000 Became a Hollywood Player) is a 1995 non-fiction book by Robert Rodriguez. Presented in a diary format, Rebel details Rodriguez' beginnings as a young filmmaker; his stint at a medical testing facility to raise money for a feature film; the making of that film (El Mariachi) for $7,000, and his subsequent experiences in Hollywood selling the film and going to film festivals promoting it.

Other Similar books worth a mention

Make Your Own Damn Movie: Secrets of a Renegade Director by Lloyd Kaufman
How I Made a Hundred Movies in Hollywood and Never Lost a Dime by Roger Corman

SHORT FILMS > THE KEY TO RESERVA > MARTIN SCORSESE

2009-05-01T14:26:00.013+01:00

Martin Scorsese tried something never done before: the restoration of a movie by Alfred Hitchcock, a movie that has never been made... Or maybe not.

Martin Scorsese is interviewed about a 3-minute script by Alfred Hitchcock that he found and is planning to shoot. The action turns to a classical music concert that is taking place in a theater. A young man around 40, a spy or a detective, opens the door to a theater box. He is looking for something that he finally finds inside a light bulb. A young woman from the audience looks up. A violist stops playing when he sees him. Our detective is trying to open the light bulb when the violist arrives. They fight. The musician falls on the audience. The music stops. Our man opens a box containing a bottle of "cava" and two cups. The story returns to Martin Scorsese talking about a missing page. Then, we move to the end. The protagonist and the young lady from the audience are toasting with cava in a romantic position.

In fact, it is a short film promoting the catalan cava Freixenet, directed by Martin Scorsese in the style of Alfred Hitchcock. The only condition stipulated by the brand was the bottle and the name of Reserva had to appear on the screen.

In my book Scorcese and Hitchcock are geniuses, so put them together and you have pure cinematic magic and one incredible commercial. A must see for any Martin Scorcese or Alfred Hitchcock fans, I'm off to watch North by Northwest again.

Official Website

DOWNLOAD: The Key to Reserva.
[Format: MPEG-4 - Size: 44 MB - Running Time: 9 min.]

WATCH: The Key to Reserva
[Format: Quicktime - Size: 44 MB - Running Time: 9 min.]

Credits
Director: Martin Scorsese
Executive creative director: Alex Martínez
Creative directors: Rory Lambert and Carles Puig
Director of photography: Harris Savides
Additional photography: Ellen Kuras
Editor: Thelma Schoonmaker
Visual effects supervisor: Rob Legato

What are the Hitchcock references?

The close-up of the violinist that becomes a long shot reverses a similar shot of a twitching drummer in Young and Innocent (1937).

The key and the wine bottle recall Notorious (1946).

The shot of the falling man looks like James Stewart's fall from the window in Rear Window (1954) and especially Norman Lloyd's fall from the Statue of Liberty in Saboteur (1942); but Reggie Nalder was the one who fell from a balcony in an orchestra hall in The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956).

The setting of the hall is lifted from the latter film. The shadow on the music sheet is a quotation from it.

The camera that nearly blinds the hero and turns the screen red recalls what happens to the villain in Rear Window.

The main reference point for this film is North by Northwest (1959). The titles of the film-within-the-film are made to look like Saul Bass's credits. The music score is not a re-creation of Bernard Herrmann's music, but the music itself, artfully edited to follow the action. The characters' names, appearances and roles (hero, villains, heroine, etc.) mirror those of the Hitchcock film. The business card with the initials R.O.T is the same one used by Roger O. Thornhill, the film's protagonist.

The final shot is the reverse of the opening shot in Psycho (1960).The flocking birds of course recall The Birds (1963)

Madison Avenue Journal Article
Shoot Online Article

Other Scorsese Short Films

What's a Nice Girl Like You Doing in a Place Like This? 1963
(IMDB Link)
This early effort by Scorsese demonstrates a real flair with cinematic technique, as well as a cheerfully dry sense of humour.

The Big Shave 1967
(IMDB Link)
Six-minute short from the now legendary director features a lot of his trademark even though this is basically just a student film.

It's Not Just You, Murray! 1964
(IMDB Link)
Now middle-aged, mobster Murray looks back at his humble beginnings as a bootlegger and his rise to becoming wealthy and highly influential. Through it he talks about how much of his success and happiness is due to the support of his "friend" Joe. Unfortunately the only one who blindly believes Joe is anything close to a friend is Murray, because it's obvious to everyone that Joe back-stabs him at every chance and is sleeping with his wife.

The Neigbourhood 2001
(IMDB Link)

A short segment Scorsese directed for the 2001 Concert For New York City. It was introduced by Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert De Niro.

MY FILMS > WHOLE WORLD IN YOUR HANDS > PSP COMPETITION

2009-04-24T11:24:00.045+01:00

I recently entered this competition run by Sony/ They were offering the chance for three people to win a PSP with 20 games, by showing them what makes our world.

"All you have to do is create a video representing your whole world in your hands - by holding as many objects that represent you as you can while being filmed. Feel free to approach the challenge however you like, and if you know a few clever techniques with effects, then show them off! At the end of the competition a team of judges will review the entrants, and award the prizes based on a range of categories."

Competition Website
Sony PSP Website

My idea was to create a short stop motion and use some of my favourite possesions and items which make up my world and then try and animate them into something relevant to the competition. I decided to try and animated the words "My Whole World", so the clip shows a

Stick Man = Me/My
1/2 + 1/2 = Whole
The World = World

I then animated them to form the words in full and then used a force perspective (hands right in front of the camera) to show all the objects in my hands. Its not perfect as with most stop motion but it seemed to work okay.

I used the same stop motion method as I had for a previous film Entertain the Nation. However with this one I found that it was easier to start with the words in place and work backwards and end up with a pile of objects.

Once everything was filmed I uploaded the footage in Adobe Premiere and edited out as much as possible leaving me with a large number of 1 second clips, which were then reversed so the the words ended up at the end. I then added a piece of royalty free music called "Bad Ideas" from Kevin McLeod and lengthened or shortened some of the clips to fit in with the music. Once I was satisfied with the speed and look, I exported the project into After Effects and added a spot light effect to shadow out the edges of the frame which also helped to reduced some of the lighting fluctuations.

I felt the music gave the video a silent movie feel which kind of fits in with the jerky nature of the stop motion. I tried to add to this silent movie feel by adding an old black and white movie effect but felt it looked better in colour.

Music: "Bad Ideas" by Kevin McLeod

Software: Adobe Premiere Pro 1.5, Adobe After Effects 6.5
Recording Equipment: Panasonic NV-GS70

Tutorials:
PhotoJoJo - I couldnt find any tutorials for the method I used, but the more common method is to use still photos.

Inspirations:
Wolf and Pig - This is one of the best stop motion videos I've seen, the creator used 1,300 printed pictures, must have taken ages but was well worth the effort.

Some of the other entries are really good, out of the ones I've watched so far these are a few of my favourites

The eventual winners were

Your Whole World in Your Hands by DrRulez89
My whole world in my hands by rasnep
My whole world in my hand by ceeyracatastrophe

MY FILMS > POWER DOWN > CLIMATE SAVERS COMPETITION

2009-04-16T15:04:00.030+01:00

There seems to be a lot of environment themed competitions about at the moment, for this one the brief was

"Pick up a camera and create a video telling the Climate Savers Computing story. The challenge is to develop original and creative videos that educate, entertain, and/or inform others about the importance of energy efficient computing to the global environment".

Competition Website

I recently saw a method of manipulating words called motion typography to create an animated sequence.

My idea was to attempt some typography to create a video which would inform people about the benefits of using power save mode on there computers and other tips. As usual my other competitions took a bit longet than expected so I had less than a day to do anything so the final video was pretty poor. However I like the idea of kinetic typography and when I get a chance I will definitly be attempting a better clip like the ones listed above.

I used photoshop to create the words and then animated them in After Effects using some of the preset type transitions and masks. A big problem I encountered was using photoshop for the words which uses raster graphics, rather than vector graphics that Adobe Illustrator uses. Raster images are based on pixels and thus scale with loss of clarity, while vector-based images can be scaled indefinitely without degrading. And as this method invovles a lot of zooming in and out I ended up having to use large type which wasnt ideal.

Software: Adobe After Effects 6.5, Adobe Photoshop CS
Stock Websites: Stock Xchng

Tutorials:
Crooked Gremlins - After I'd finished I found this which should help anyone trying to achieve this effect.

Inspirations:
15 stunning motion typography - Some great film and music based motion typography

Probably my favourite video from this competition was

The Final Winner was

MY FILMS > TUNE IT UP > LEARN WITH A TWIST COMPETITION

2009-04-10T14:28:00.027+01:00

I havent entered many competition for a while so thought I'd have a crack at a few, the first one I entered was this PC related contest.

The brief was

"Have you figured out shortcut, tips for your PC (not tips on how to score on a first date!!!!), anything that will avoid a peer throwing his PC through the window out of sheer frustration!?"

Competition Website

My idea was to show a couple of tips on how to speed up your PC for someone who has basic knowledge of computers. My four tips were

- Clearing unused files and programs
- Empyting recycle bin
- Installing, updating and running virus software
- Deframenting the computer

I decided to show these in four animated mini tutorials. Each tip plus the HP end frame was then linked together to look like the Windows Vista Aero effect. The music was provided for us on the site, I decided to add a seperate track to each slide to give it a sort of jukebox feel. I used Adobe After Effects for the majority of the work with any image editing done in photoshop. Most of the effects were achieved using basic after effects layering and masking skills.

I was fairly pleased with the final video, although I'm not sure it was the most entertaining thing I could have achieved. In hindsight it would probably have been better to stick to one tip and concentrate on that and create something that was less a tutorial but a short film with a computer tip as part of it.

Software: Adobe After Effects 6.5, Adobe Photoshop CS
Recording Equipment: Panasonic NV-GS70
Stock Websites: Stock Xchng

One of my favourite entries for this contest is

These three ended up as the winners

HP Total Care Protect
Learn with a Twist - Basic File Sharing
HP Environment Friendly Product

2 > GUERILLA FILMMAKERS HANDBOOK > JONES, JOLLIFFE

2009-04-05T16:06:00.012+01:00

2. The Guerilla Film Makers Handbook by Chris Jones, Genevieve Jolliffe

Published by Continuum International Publishing Group, 2006

ISBN 082647988X, 9780826479884

768 pages

Description:
Brand new edition of this bestseller - the only book an amateur film maker needs! An entirely new, updated, and expanded third edition of the UK's best-selling filmmaker's bible, last updated in 2000. This new edition builds upon the most successful features of the previous books. It is larger in format, and includes hundreds more illustrations, diagrams, and box-outs. The Q&A approach with experts is attractive in content and easy to digest. Where else can you listen to over 150 of the most knowledgeable people as they discuss their particular areas of expertise? And being filmmakers (not historians or lecturers), Jones and Jolliffe know which questions to ask and which are irrelevant or a distraction. They get to the core. The first half of this book is expanded with significantly more expert interviewees, delving into new areas of filmmaking not covered in the second edition. And all of the case studies are brand new, featuring in-depth stories from recent low-budget success stories like "Shaun of the Dead", "Open Water", and "Saw". This book comes with a DVD, packed with further Interviews with filmmakers, as well as theatrical trailers and other goodies.

Review:
"'This book will save you about five years worth of trials, errors, heartbreaks, and unpleasant credit card statements... Totally indispensable... It really doesn't get much better than this.' - TOTAL FILM

'It's in an undisputed position as the indispensable guide for first-time filmmakers.... Astonishing.' - FILM REVIEW

'Comprehensive and invaluable... a revelatory read that will inform and inspire in equal measure' - EMPIRE

'Immensely informative and entertaining to read... a terrific book for anyone interested in films' - BBC Radio 4"

Book Preview

SHORT FILMS > BATMAN DEAD END > SANDY COLLORA

2009-04-01T18:38:00.009+01:00

Batman faces an old nemesis, and the greatest challenge of his life.

The Joker has escaped from Arkham and Batman must once again bring him in - once and for all. Unfortunately for the bat, there is something even more sinister than the Joker waiting in the alley for the dark knight detective.

This was one of the first fan films I ever watched and still sets the benchmark for fanmade films. Dead End was made by Sandy Collora for a reported $30,000 and the film certaintly achieves Hollywood-level production values and in my view surpases both Joel Schumacher films in its 8 minutes.

Official Website

DOWNLOAD LARGE: Batman Dead End
[Format: MPEG-4 - Size: 160 MB - Running Time: 8 min.]

DOWNLOAD SMALL: Batman Dead End
[Format: Quicktime - Size: 48 MB - Running Time: 8 min.]

DOWNLOAD: Batman Dead End Making of Featurette
[Format: Quicktime - Size: 48 MB - Running Time: 8 min.]

Credits
Director/ Writer: Sandy Collora
Producer: Daren Hicks, Simon Tams
Director of photography: Vincent E. Toto
Editor: Toby Divine

Film Threat Article
Joblo Article
Entertainment Weekley Article
USNews Article and Interview

A quick mention to Dead End directors next project Hunter Prey which now has teaser trailer. The sparse story involves a special ops crew chasing an alien escapee into a dangerous part of the universe.

Official Site

io9 Article and Interview

Other recommended Comic Book Fan Films include

Grayson (Untamed Cinema)
Gotham's Son Returns! Two decades after the golden age of superheroes has passed, hope has abandoned Gotham City. Now, former boy wonder Dick Grayson will emerge from the shadows of retirement to avenge the murder of his legendary mentor.
(Download @ Force.net)

Worlds Finest (Collara Studios)
Can Batman and Superman work together long enough to survive?.
(Download @ Force.net)

MY FILMS > BOUNCE > BOUNCE TO WIN COMPETITION

2009-03-15T12:51:00.006Z

For this competition the brief was

"You just have to bounce - ideally somewhere daring or unusual - and capture it on film. Photo or video is OK - but videos are more fun because you can add a "boing" soundtrack. Which we like."

Competition Website

I used an old effects test clip and added an animated title and comic sound effects. While I'm not bouncing in the clip I thought it fitted in well with this definition of the word

bounce
v. bounced, bounc·ing, bounc·es
1. A sudden bound, spring, or leap.

To create the effect I basically filmed a shot of myself jumping upwards in the distance and then a shot of me entering the frame from above and landing closer to the camera and finally a shot without me in frame, all while the camera was in a fixed position. I then cut the video at the highest point of my jump and captured the frame. I edited the frame in photoshop so only my body was remaining and exported the image back into the timeline. At this point I replaced the background footage with the footage I had shoot of me not in frame and animated the still image to carry on my jump up and out of the frame. After a second I replaced the background footage to that of me entering the frame from above and landing in front of the camera. To finish the effect I added a bit of blur and camera shake and sound effects.

For this version I added some comedy sound effects which I felt would be more fitting for this competition. I also added a small animated title sequence.

Software: Adobe Premiere Pro 1.5, Adobe After Effects 6.5, Adobe Photoshop CS
Recording Equipment: Panasonic NV-GS70

Tutorials:
MLS Studios - This tutorial probably explains it better than I can but uses exactly the same methods.

Inspirations:
Super Powers Jumping - These guys have done a few superhero effects this is one of my favourites, great comment by the person who thinks its real!.

My brother also made a clip of his son which hes entered, which has a more bouncy feel than mine.

MY FILMS > COSMIC ZOOM > THE COCA COLA CHALLENGE

2009-03-14T13:49:00.005Z

These are two films I entered for the Coca-Cola Challenge run by surprisingly enough Coca-Cola a while ago. The idea is to create some short films based around a special effect; the only limit your imagination and 45 seconds.

My first entry was called Cosmic Zoom. The idea is from the twilight zone episode The Little People, where little people worship a human astronaut who lands on there planet or in this case a can of coke. I original planned to do some stop motion animation with the Lego figures but eventually decided on something a bit simpler.

The main effect I used was the earth zoom effect (tutorial link below), where basically you layer differnet elements on top of each other and zoom out through them. The first and last layers in this case were videos clips the idea being to make the still image layers of the earth blend into a continuous video.

This entry was recently added to one of my favourite websites Toolfarm in its inspirations list.

Software: Adobe Premiere 1.0
Recording Equipment: Panasonic NV-GS70

Tutorial:
Earth Zoom

My second entry was called The Trade. The film was based on an idea I had where the setup is a large drug deal which turns out to be something a bit more mundane in this case a can of coca cola, of course I wasnt suggesting coca cola was a highly addictive substance!.

I wanted to have a sort of film noir feel to it hence the low-key black-and-white visual style and the extreme high and low angles. I added in the final shot to give the film a slight futurastic feel and add some back story as to why there was such a high price for the can of coke.

Music: "Zombie Hoodoo" by Kevin Macleod

Software: Adobe Premiere 1.0
Recording Equipment: Panasonic NV-GS70

Inspirations:
Coca Cola Advert - Although this is unrelated to my compeition entry and came out a long time after I made these, its cleverly made, has some beautiful animation and is well worth watching.

3 > LO-TO-NO BUDGET FILMMAKING > ELLIOT GROVE

2009-03-05T16:55:00.008Z

3. Raindance Producers' Lab Lo-To-No Budget Filmmaking by Elliot Grove

Published by Elsevier, 2004

ISBN 0240516990, 9780240516998

398 pages

Description:
If you're looking for clear-cut information on how to make a film on a minimal budget that is based on tried and tested techniques - look no further. Elliot Grove has worked on hundreds of low-budget productions, teaches Lo-to-No Budget filmmaking courses and runs the Raindance Film Festival (the largest independent film festival in Europe.) His wealth of teaching and filmmaking experience combined with knowledge of the winning formulas that work is the basis of this book. Refreshingly clear, no-nonsense tricks of the trade. The free CD provides all the contracts and material you need to run a production company and make successful low budget movies; how to schedule, budget and break down a script and how to get it shot with what you have, not what you want. This is a must have read for filmmakers serious about making and selling films. Creative and technical expertise coupled with a behind the scenes look at the film industry makes this book an excellent starting point for beginners. For experienced filmmakers there are plenty of practical approaches in here for you to try, from developing CV's, showreels and business plans to information on pitching, raising finance, creating publicity and much much more. Use it as a point of departure or as an everyday reference tool. The accompanying CD-ROM contains sample budgets, publicity plans, trailers and interviews.

Review
Out of general interest I bought this book and read it. I found it so inspirational that I'm determined to have a go at writing a screenplay myself. However, the real clincher was the brilliant offer of an acceptance to the Raindance Gallery of Rejection. Whatever happens, I'm now guaranteed a positive response for all the hard work I've set myself; I thank Raindance very much for their encouragement. - BILL KENNELLY

"It covers nearly every base imaginable: you'll learn how to get hold of film stock, create fake blood and strike a distribution deal, all on a miniscule budget...A CD-ROM of showreels and template contracts rounds off an excellent package." - EMPIRE

"A rich source of advice and technical tips...not only informative but witty and readable too...The creative and technical expertise combined with behind the scenes probes into the film industry makes Lo-To-No an excellent starting point for beginners. It would also be an appropriate tool for those more experienced in the filmmaking business." - POV2 JOURNAL

Book Preview

SHORT FILM > PREY ALONE > JAMES MATHER, STEPHEN ST LEGER

2009-03-01T18:56:00.010Z

One Fugitive, One Question... One Answer

Special Agent Darris Cain is on the hunt for an elusive fugitive. His only leads are a reluctant witness held in a military prison and the words "prey alone" written in a notebook. Can Cain track him down and discover the true identity of the mysterious criminal?

This is one of favourite short films and prove that its possible to create great amatuer action movies. Shot in only 4 days entirely in front of a green screen, Prey Alone exemplifies the smart way to utilize computer graphics in the absence of a big budget.

Official Website

WATCH: Prey Alone
[Format: FlV - Size: Streaming - Running Time: 15 min.]

Credits
Director/Writer: James Mather and Stephen St. Leger
Producer: John Mc Donnell
Editor: Janice Toomey
Director of photography: James Mather

CG Channel Article Interview
Fantastic Films Article