Blog Salad Friday on October Fifth, Two-Thousand Seven

Filmmaking Without a Camera
Eric over at Camera Stilo had a great post yesterday about how you can still participate in making movies even without what is normally considered the most important element: a camera. His gave up the ghost, and he has come up with a great list of what he (and you) can do in the meantime while it's being repaired. It's a great example of how you can still maximize your time even when you appear to have been dealt a severe setback. I like Eric's thinking and optimistic approach. His entire blog is like this and deserves a read. Check it out.

MicroFilmmaker #24 is Out
The online low budget mag MicroFilmmaker has just released their lastest issue. There are lots of good articles (as usual, but what caught my eye was the feature on lighting with no budget and a great editorial called "The Wounds of a Friend", written by editor Jeremy Hanke. It it, he mentions the people who submit their films for review in MF then whine when they don't get their ego stroked. I liked his analogy to American Idol's Simon Cowell, who is the most brutal of the judges, but also helps artists (or would-be artists) grow the most. I know the feeling.

New Blog Creativity to Spare Worth Watching
While prowling on the forums of DV Magazine, I came across a post that spoke of a video blog concerning building your own lavalier microphone for $20. Intrigued, I watched it and was pleasantly surprised. It was part of blog with video episodes that detail some really great low budget tips. The most recent episode feature making your own Fig Rig camera stabilizer, and while not that original (like the mic building show), is still very welcome. I'm all about supporting others who are trying to make the best movies they can and share their experiences in the process. It's a way we can all succeed together.

FreshDV's Three Parter on Follow Focus Wraps Up
A couple of weeks ago I mentioned that the Fresh guys had a great interview with First AC (Assistant Cameraman) Bob Sanchez. Somehow I missed the second episode, but now there is a third and all three are now available for your enjoyment in one post. There is also a link to more information about five follow focus systems available and a review of each. It's a ton of good stuff and if you are technically highbrow enough to have a rig that supports this kind of gear, then you owe it yourself (or your DP) to process all of this info and use it accordingly.

Podcast Roundup
"Your Video Store Shelf" - Gregory Conley interviews director Dave Payne who cut his teeth on low budget fare in the 90's with Roger Corman's New Concorde Pictures. Dave is a fast talker and has a lot to say, and makes for a very entertaining interview. A great story he tells is after selling a script to his bosses, he had to prove he could direct a movie, since he was employed in Craft Services. He was told to take existing sets, props, and actors and write a script around them--in three days. He did it, and worked for free on his first feature, Alien Terminator (in which he notes, "There is no alien, and nothing gets terminated.").

"This Conference is Being Recorded" - Lance Weiler interviews entertainment lawyer Dan Satorius about the digital future of online media. While Satorius is mostly focused on music industry, Lance points out that film has followed music in many ways web-wise (such as iTunes). While a relatively short chat, there's some good info if your future involves internet distribution (and it probably will). Dan's best advice concerning monetizing your content: "I would jump in."