I'm still using my XLR-PRO converter box, but the ART Preamp is light years past the XLR-PRO in features and at almost half the price. If you need something like this (which is probably closest to a $299 Juicedlink CX231), it's definitely worth your time, especially if you don't mind the easy mod to make it mountable.
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Boom Box: The ART USB Duel Pre Preamp
I'm still using my XLR-PRO converter box, but the ART Preamp is light years past the XLR-PRO in features and at almost half the price. If you need something like this (which is probably closest to a $299 Juicedlink CX231), it's definitely worth your time, especially if you don't mind the easy mod to make it mountable.
Monday, May 30, 2011
Weekly Recap Link List 5-30-11

Happy Memorial Day!
From the files of Facebook and Twitter:
More Zoom H1 shockmount spam
http://www.dslrfilmnoob.com/2011/05/22/zoom-h1-shock-mount-spam/
25 DIY tutorials for video & music audio
http://filmmakeriq.com/2011/05/25-diy-audio-tutorials-for-video-music/
Freelensing a macro lens
http://www.diyphotography.net/freelensing-a-macro-lens
'Iron Sky' releases lesson in crowdsourcing and crowdfunding
http://nofilmschool.com/2011/05/crowdfunded-crowdsourced-feature-iron
Zoom H1 shockmount adapter
http://filmflap.blogspot.com/2011/05/zoom-h1-shockmount-adapter.html
The first six tips for launching a Kickstarter campaign
http://blogs.indiewire.com/tedhope/archives/guest_post_jennifer_fox_the_first_6_tips_for_launching_a_six-figure_kicksta
Monopod Madness!
http://filmflap.blogspot.com/2011/05/monopod-madness.html
Peter Ayala's PVC stabilizer rig
http://filmflap.blogspot.com/2011/05/peter-ayalas-pvc-stabilizer-rig.html
Is the Kiefer Sutherland-starring 'The Confession' a turning point for web series?
http://nofilmschool.com/2011/05/kiefer-sutherland-starrer-the-confession
Review: The Machine of Death Monologues
http://filmflap.blogspot.com/2011/05/review-machine-of-death-monologues.html
3 legged adjustable camera support rig
http://www.dslrfilmnoob.com/2011/05/28/3-legged-adjustable-camera-support-rig/
Saturday, May 28, 2011
Review: The Machine of Death Monologues
Recently I was contacted by Grace Knight, Artistic Director of Orpheos Productions. She informed me of a new web series her company was producing and asked if I would review the first few episodes to help get the word out. While I'm not normally in the habit of reviewing anymore, I told her I would and thanked her for the opportunity.
The Machine of Death Monologues is an eight part series that starts today, with short episodes (about ten minutes each) being released two times per week. Each part centers around a different character, all of whom are affected by the "Machine of Death". When a person is tested by this device, it reveals how you will die, but not when or where. You can imagine the internal turmoil this would cause within a person, let alone a society.
Let me just start by saying these episodes are very well produced. The lighting and cinematography are professional, the acting is strong, the sound is solid and the editing is crisp. Grace told me the entire budget for the project was around 1000 British Pounds ($1600 US) and it all looks like it made it to the screen. This show is a tribute to microbudget artists who have strong technical prowess. Kudos to all involved.
I liked the fact that these shows have been created with nice video camera and not a DSLR. Notice the deep focus and snap zooming, evidence of a traditional video camera. It's a good example of using what you have to it's fullest extent.
I also like the fact that Orpheos has a nice website and a solid release schedule. This shows forethought and planning, as does the artistic director contacting me. They could have just slapped it up on YouTube and hoped for the best, but they apparently know better. They have a plan.
I recommend you check out the compellingly-themed Machine of Death Monologues. If the format doesn't stop you, you may just discover an interesting show with a great hook. I would love to see this idea fleshed out into a traditional narrative. Orpheos?
Friday, May 27, 2011
Peter Ayala's PVC Stabilizer Rig
Okay, so i completed the rig and it looks amazing! It took longer than I expected because I didn't have all the tools that were needed. But once i got hold of them, it was all downhill from there. I went ahead and "pimped" it out and put the hockey tape and bicycle handles you suggested and it looks awesome.
Anyways, my Rebel T3i fits perfectly! My biggest concern before I started building was whether or not the camera would be too big for the rig, but i was wrong. Even the LCD screen pulls out with no worries!
Besides the tape, everything turned out great and I cant wait to use it on one of my next projects. Thanks a lot for posting that video, looking forward to seeing more DIY videos from you guys.
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Monopod Madness!
If you like Knoptop's stuff, you should also be aware of the Quick FX page on Facebook. He often posts videos exclusive to that page. They are quicker & dirtier that what comes to YouTube, but always useful, interesting and entertaining.
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Zoom H1 Shockmount Adapter
Deejay sent me one for beta testing and I'm working with him on improvements. It's very exciting and I look forward to having the final product available for everyone. For the planned $10 price tag, you really can't go wrong.
Monday, May 23, 2011
Weekly Recap Link List 5-23-11

From the Files of Facebook and Twitter:
Why you won't succeed
http://tinyurl.com/3bqjbu2
Juicedlink DS214 and Makerbot Parts!
http://filmflap.blogspot.com/2011/05/juicedlink-ds214-review-and-makerbot.html
Mini dolly roller for your HD camera
http://www.bobscottnyc.com/blog/?p=1902
Anamorphic lens flares for $1
http://dvrebellion.com/2011/05/anamorphic-lens-flares-for-1/
How do you sell a film that's being given away?
http://blogs.indiewire.com/tedhope/archives/guest_post_by_ross_howden_how_do_you_sell_a_film_thats_being_given_away
PVC ring light for $40
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=718782598684&set=o.334368756043&type=1&ref=nf
Other filmmaking websites - sharing the love
http://filmflap.blogspot.com/2011/05/other-filmmaking-websites.html
Budget Light Kit
http://filmflap.blogspot.com/2011/05/budget-light-kit.html
If you think it's "good", then it's not good enough
http://eugenia.queru.com/2011/05/18/if-you-think-its-good-then-its-not-good-enough/
Coming soon: sub-$100 recorder roundup
http://filmflap.blogspot.com/2011/05/coming-soon-sub-100-recorder-roundup.html
DIY steadicam stabilizer
http://cheesycam.com/diy-dslr-steadicam-stabilizer/
Nicholas Thor Martin's PVC stabilizer
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1868690030020&set=o.334368756043&type=1&ref=nf
http://tinyurl.com/3bqjbu2
Juicedlink DS214 and Makerbot Parts!
http://filmflap.blogspot.com/2011/05/juicedlink-ds214-review-and-makerbot.html
Mini dolly roller for your HD camera
http://www.bobscottnyc.com/blog/?p=1902
Anamorphic lens flares for $1
http://dvrebellion.com/2011/05/anamorphic-lens-flares-for-1/
How do you sell a film that's being given away?
http://blogs.indiewire.com/tedhope/archives/guest_post_by_ross_howden_how_do_you_sell_a_film_thats_being_given_away
PVC ring light for $40
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=718782598684&set=o.334368756043&type=1&ref=nf
Other filmmaking websites - sharing the love
http://filmflap.blogspot.com/2011/05/other-filmmaking-websites.html
Budget Light Kit
http://filmflap.blogspot.com/2011/05/budget-light-kit.html
If you think it's "good", then it's not good enough
http://eugenia.queru.com/2011/05/18/if-you-think-its-good-then-its-not-good-enough/
Coming soon: sub-$100 recorder roundup
http://filmflap.blogspot.com/2011/05/coming-soon-sub-100-recorder-roundup.html
DIY steadicam stabilizer
http://cheesycam.com/diy-dslr-steadicam-stabilizer/
Nicholas Thor Martin's PVC stabilizer
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1868690030020&set=o.334368756043&type=1&ref=nf
Friday, May 20, 2011
Coming Soon: Sub-$100 Recorder Roundup!
I perused B&H's catalog and discovered the obvious Tascam models (like the DR-05) as well as some I'd never heard of before. Could there be a great deal of a recorder that could compete with the Zoom H1 and maybe give me buyer's remorse? I put in my request and it was granted! I now have a group of recorders to put through the paces for the next thirty days.
Stay tuned to this blog for the next week or so to discover my findings.
Thursday, May 19, 2011
Other Filmmaking Websites - Sharing the Love
Dave mentions my site in the his video that I'm embedding in my blog and adding to the Facebook Group and tweeting on Twitter. Dave mentions DSLR Film Noob and Deejay mentions me (and often has a link on his videos to me). I feature both these guys in my video sidebar and in my blogroll. They do something similar. Make sense?
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Budget Light Kit
I usually light my kitchen table with the two 500w halogen work lights, featured at the bottom of my box here. A friend lent me some lights and I ended up using a Lowel Omni and Lowel Tota, both bounced off of my ceiling, just like my frugal setup. Interestingly, the prosumer Lowels ran hotter than my modified work lights. I'm not sure of the exact temperature, but I could literally feel the difference. I think I'll do a temperature test while I still have the Lowel kit.
I also must give credit to those who inspired me for my own kit over the past year. Check out Walter Graff's "Building a Compact Lighting Kit" and Scott Spears' "Low Budget Lighting". Both of these articles are excellent and pointed me in the direction that I am currently following.
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Juicedlink DS214 review and Makerbot Parts!
My favorite thing, however, is Deejay showing off his Makerbot 3-D printer. This device is simply awesome, as it will allow the creation of anything you can design in a CAD program. You can then print out said design from a hunk of plastic. Here we get an adapter so the Juicedlink will sit better in the camera's hot shoe and give a cold shoe adapter on top of that. Very nice.
Monday, May 16, 2011
Weekly Recap Link List 5-16-11

From the files of Facebook and Twitter:
5 video lighting technique videos
http://www.nextwavedv.com/5-video-lighting-technique-videos-from-ryan-e-walters/
Emilio Espinosa's PVC lighting
http://filmflap.blogspot.com/2011/05/emilio-espinosas-pvc-lighting.html
How to control light
http://dvrebellion.com/2011/05/how-to-control-light/
Facebook marketing: the key to independent film marketing?
http://workbookproject.com/newbreed/2011/05/10/facebook-marketing-the-key-to-independent-film-marketing/
Free faux fur for mini windscreen projects
http://filmflap.blogspot.com/2011/05/free-faux-fur-for-mini-windscreen.html
Harbor Freight sawhorse skateboard slider
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150193513187612&set=o.334368756043&type=1&ref=nf
PVC/IKEA cutting board camera rig
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150192013997612&set=o.334368756043&type=1&ref=nf
Convert a $7 IKEA cutting board into a video shoulder rig
http://www.diyphotography.net/convert-an-ikea-cutting-board-to-a-camera-video-rig
Making a quick & dirty (nasty?) superhero
http://filmflap.blogspot.com/2011/05/making-quick-dirty-nasty-superhero.html
DIY inexpensive camera slider
http://www.vimeo.com/15891760
20 techniques for organizing your Vegas Pro workspace
http://www.sonycreativesoftware.com/organizing_your_vegas_pro_workspace_pt1
James King's PVC stabilizer rig
http://filmflap.blogspot.com/2011/05/james-kings-pvc-stabilizer-rig.html
An awesome location I have to use
http://filmflap.blogspot.com/2011/05/awesome-location-i-have-to-use.html
Steve Spielberg on the importance of studying classic films
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kdoC-5OI2xY
Free production music
http://dvrebellion.com/2011/05/free-production-music/
Zoom H1 and Tascam DR-05 shockmount
http://www.dslrfilmnoob.com/2011/05/14/zoom-h1-tascam-dr-05-shock-mount/
Friday, May 13, 2011
An Awesome Location I have to Use

Those tables must be headed for the scrap heap, right? Or is this overflow from the inside of the restaurant? Surely the Health Department would not approve, would they? Do you think the employees would serve me if I sat at one of these tables? Maybe it's the break area, perhaps?
Whatever was going on here, my first thought was, "How do I get this bizarre location into a movie?"
James King's PVC Stabilizer Rig
My film rig design is very similar to yours, Though I made some pretty major mods not noticeable at first glance, Here's a few pics but the greatest detail will be noticed by checking out my instructable.
Thursday, May 12, 2011
Making a Quick & Dirty (Nasty?) Superhero
Oh, and if I ever saw Snot Rocket Boy coming my way, I'd run in the other direction. He has to be one of the grossest superheroes ever. I'm glad he's on the side of good.
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Free Faux Fur for Mini Windscreen Projects
Premium Furs Inc. is a web retailer that sells very expensive (over $100/yard!) faux fur. The cool thing was that they offered up to three free samples that they would mail to you AT NO COST (remember the free gray card?). How could I resist that?
Learning from a forum that the Tissavel brand was the best for making dead cat windscreens, I went to the page for that brand. I found three I thought I'd try and took note of colors and item numbers. I then went to the contact us tab, where I entered all my shipping information and the sample information in the request/comment box. The samples I chose (pictured above, left to right) were Kentucky #207, Australuni #2482 and Vanoise #9629.
A week later, they showed up. The samples are smaller than I had hoped for (note the quarter in the picture to show scale), but can still be useful. While too small for my original idea of creating a dead cat for my Zoom H1, they can still be used to create windscreens for onboard camera mics or even lav mics. The fur will cut down on nasty wind noise and make audio capture that much more useable.
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Emilio Espinosa's PVC Lighting
Let me begin by telling you how much I have enjoyed and appreciated The Frugal Filmmaker blog! I'm actually a professional producer, editor, and motion graphics designer, but I don't have a lot of gear of my own. Your blog has given me countless ideas that I have put to use in creating gear for personal production work in video and photography.
As a way of saying thanks, and maybe giving something back to the community, I want to share my gallery of images of the various tools I've created both based on your tutorials and on tutorials you've shared along with modifications I've made.
The gallery is available on Flickr and has full explanations of each piece: http://www.flickr.com/photos/gmvfx/sets/72157626663349436/ .
In addition to the pieces I'm sharing with you here, I have also built your PVC camera stabilizer rig and PVC Table Dolly that I have not yet photographed.
Again, thank you so much for all of the inspiration and instruction, it has enabled me to do things I didn't think I could do on my own.
Scott says: I'm glad I could inspire Emilio, but to be fair, many of his lighting ideas are waaaaaay beyond mine. I advise everyone to follow Emilio's link to his Flickr page. Lots of fantastic stuff to see there.
Scott says: I'm glad I could inspire Emilio, but to be fair, many of his lighting ideas are waaaaaay beyond mine. I advise everyone to follow Emilio's link to his Flickr page. Lots of fantastic stuff to see there.
Monday, May 9, 2011
Weekly Recap Link List 5-9-11

From the files of Facebook and Twitter:
Well, I was right, "message all members" has been dropped as a built-in option for new Facebook Groups. Here's how to do it anyway (if you're an admin)!
http://mynewtricks.blogspot.com/2011/05/how-to-message-all-members-in-new.html
Another video of a pro photog shooting with cheap gear
http://fstoppers.com/another-video-of-a-pro-photog-shooting-with-cheap-gear
Technicolor and Marvel DSLR picture styles
http://filmflap.blogspot.com/2011/05/technicolor-and-marvel-dslr-picture.html
Using popular television to boost your knowledge of classic lighting
http://tinyurl.com/3nbbvay
Camera support for all multi-shot photography
http://tinyurl.com/3jpuy57
"Los Angeles won't make your movie!"
http://blogs.indiewire.com/tedhope/archives/Guest_post_Christropher_boghosian-los_angeles_wont_make_your_movie/
Using baking powder as a macro tube
http://www.diyphotography.net/using-baking-powder-as-a-macro-tube
Television ownership drops in U.S., Nielsen reports (as online viewing increases)
http://nyti.ms/lbq0Hl
CIS fair use legal experts answer questions about YouTube
http://youtube-global.blogspot.com/2011/05/cis-fair-use-legal-experts-answer.html
Using what you've got
http://filmflap.blogspot.com/2011/05/using-what-youve-got.html
Kick your creativity up a notch
http://www.digital-photography-school.com/kick-your-creativity-up-a-notch
DIY DSLR stabilizer + DIY slider
http://cheesycam.com/diy-dslr-stabilizer-diy-slider/
Thursday, May 5, 2011
Using What You've Got
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
Technicolor and Marvel DSLR Picture Styles
For the rest of us using camcorders, check out this post from Eugenia's blog (which everyone within the sound of my voice should be following) that addresses some similar looks that you can achieve the old fashioned way--in post (using Sony Vegas).
If you're curious about a little history, here's a big wiki about the original Technicolor film process. This procedure made colors pop and gave people a reason to go to movies instead of stay home and watch entertainment on the latest (colorless) technology: television.
Monday, May 2, 2011
Weekly Recap Link List 5-2-11

From the files of Facebook and Twitter:
20 lighting tutorials for film and video
http://filmmakeriq.com/2011/04/20-lighting-tutorials-for-film-and-video/
First Films: Spielberg, Coppola, Scorsese & Lucas
http://filmmakeriq.com/2011/04/first-films-spielberg-coppola-scorsese-lucas/
Super easy macro lighting using a Pringles can
http://www.diyphotography.net/super-easy-macro-lighting-using-a-pringles-can
Andrew Sellers' PVC light stand
http://filmflap.blogspot.com/2011/04/andrew-sellers-pvc-light-stand.html
The all-you-can-eat business model
http://eugenia.queru.com/2011/04/27/the-all-you-can-eat-business-model/
Interview with Peter Miller, sound designer on "Rango"
http://designingsound.org/2011/04/exclusive-interview-with-peter-miller-sound-designer-on-rango/
The Frugal Filmmaker: Zoom H1 Accessories
http://filmflap.blogspot.com/2011/04/zoom-h1-accessories.html
$30 CSI closeup shots
http://dvrebellion.com/2011/04/30-csi-closeup-shots/
Directing tools - the actors language
http://actioncutprint.com/filmmaking-articles/actors-language/
"An amazing time to be a storyteller"
http://blogs.indiewire.com/tedhope/archives/an_amazing_time_to_be_a_storyteller/
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