alexschwindt.blog

test your color skillz

So just how good is your ability to recognize colors? What about matching color sets? For anyone involved in the visual arts the ability to see and handle colors is a crucial skill set. Remember, professional don't really get paid for their abilities, they get paid for their taste, for knowing the difference between "perfect" and "almost".

Enter the "Color - Method of Action" game that's making the rounds on the internets right now. While it's a lot of fun to play, it can also help you understand your strengths and weakness as a colorist. In addition, it can help you begin to grasp some advanced color theory concepts. Check it out after the jump...

a filmmaker's pre-shoot checklist

This morning I'm gearing up for a narrative short film shooting this afternoon. One of the things that separates the pros from the amatures is that pros arrive prepared. While that might sound obvious on the surface, it often takes some rough experiences to grasp how important good prep really is.

Here's the basic checklist I always go through when I'm heading out to a shooting location...

creating a technical color grade

Over the past month or so my friends Rob Webster, Kathleen Sylvestri and I have been working hard on a new promo short about love, sex and marriage. What's made it great has been finally having an excuse to make a short film entirely within the world of Legos. (you can check it out after the jump)

One of my responsibilities on the project was color grading the final results. This presented a unique challenge as there wasn't anywhere stylistically to take it. For the sake of the story and the the tone of the composition those yellow Lego faces needed to stay in their correct color space. This wasn't a project to go all 'hipster' on.

What this piece needed a good Technical Correction grade without adding any Style Grading. If that last sentence seems at all confusing then this is the tutorial for you...

creating great slow motion with adobe premiere & after effects dynamic link

As a recent convert to Adobe Premiere CS5.5 one of my favorite discoveries is the Rate Stretch tool. It allows you to visually pull the length of a clip to fill how ever much time you need, then immediately preview the results. As someone who uses a lot of b-roll and slow motion in his filmmaking this tool is a serious time-saver. (check out the video after the jump)

The only problem with the Rate Stretch tool is the quality of the motion quality. In order for Premiere to slow the clip down it has to create new frames, and the more you slow it down the more frames Premiere has to create out of thin air. Premiere does a decent job of this, but most of the times I need a lot better than "decent" - I need "amazing".

In order to get great results you need something like Pixel Motion (within After Effects) to really get top-quality slow motion. In the past that meant slowing the clips down in Final Cut, exporting them into AE, applying the effect, exporting them back into FCP and hoping I guessed right on the slow down rate. 
(if not, I get to repeat the whole process again)

Enter Dynamic Linking...

film school in a box

As I've been in the process of learning and teaching filmmaking over the past several years one of the most important things I've discovered is that, if you're willing to seek out the information, you can learn an awful lot about filmmaking without going to film school.  I'm not bashing film schools here at all, but for many of us it's simply not an option, for a myriad of reasons.  Fortunately, it's possible to find much of what you need if you know where to look. 

This is not an empty promise or boast.  I went to school and eventually finished my degree in music.  Not a day of formalized training in filmmaking.  Ever.  Yet for the past three years I've been able to hold down a fulltime job as a filmmaker, while also picking up steady independant contract work.  And it's all possible because I continually go to the right sources to up my game as a visual artist. 

Check out this video to see what I'm talking about...

great filmmaking websites

Last week a had a great time leading the filmmaking workshops a Leadership Institute.  I've been teaching these workshops for three years now, and I'm just blown away by how much filmmakers and video producers have changes in that time.  When I started out everything I taught in the classes was "brilliant"; now I have to be on my toes to make sure I'm one step ahead of many of these artists who are attending these workshops!

One of the things I always try to make sure I'm offering is a great set of resources for the people who come out.  In my opinion, one of the best resources I can hook producers up with (and the one I would want from other filmmakers) is a list of website where we can continue to learn and grow as artists. 

So here's the places I go to hone my craftiness...

upcoming filmmaking workshops

Just a quick heads-up - if you're in the KC metro area next week and you want to learn more about filmmaking and storytelling make sure to block out some time on Thursday, September 29th.  I'll be presenting two different filmmaking workshops at the Leadership Institute that day,including a brand-new session on the practical aspects of DSLR filmmaking.  I'll also be leading a panel discussion on the topic of media creation with my buddy and fellow-filmmaker Rob Webster on the final day of LI.

Interested?  Here are some details
(and a way to possibly attend the workshops for free)...