FilmSchool

Ira Glass on Storytelling, pt. 1: Finding the Story

Ira Glass is the host of NPR's This American Life, a radio program of elegant storytelling simplicity.  Click here to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes.

As filmmakers, it is incumbent upon us to hone our storytelling skills.  As a result, our product will be sharper, sleeker, and will stand out from the crowd.

Below, Ira talks a bit about the discipline of finding a story:

Re:Frame Austin will be MAG-nificent

The rich continue to get richer.

The rich, in this case, are those who will be in attendance at Re:Frame Austin.

Jason Magbanua has agreed to cross the international date line and grace us with his excellence for yet another gathering.

JMag is known for his spectacular Same-Day-Edits, his use of 35mm film adapters, and his rock-star wardrobe.  Along with our two other featured presenters, you are going to leave Austin with the knowledge to set you apart as the filmmaking specialist in your market!!!

Click here to register today, we're rapidly running out of spots!!!

jones

Re:Frame is in Bloom!

Philip Bloom, that is.

OH MY GOSH!!!  What an opportunity.  My friends in film school are begging me to be able to attend Re:Frame Austin just to hang out with Philip Bloom. 

Bloom is a certifiable bad a'* of cinematography.  You may have seen some of his many exploits with 35mm adapters on HD cameras to give a film look to his documentaries and shorts.

He's also got an imdb listing - how cool is that?

Check out his Vimeo page to go straight to some jaw-dropping cinematography.  Enjoy my favorite sample below:

Re:Frame is in Motion!

Still-Motion, that is.

In the world of wedding film envelope pushers, Patrick Moreau is Fed-Freakin'-Ex.

If you are like me and eagerly await the release of his latest Same-Day-Edits, you have seen him top himself from week to week, from this one to THIS one to THIS ONE!!!

Never satisfied with status quo, Patrick will certainly inspire you by sharing the knowledge throughout the Re:Frame Austin experience.

Re:Frame Austin, Register Now!!!

Ladies and Gentlemen,

By the time you finish reading this post, Re:Frame Austin might already be sold out, so register now and don't get left on the sidelines!

Are you serious, do you really get to spend 2.5 days hanging out and learning from Patrick Moreau of Still Motion, Jason Magbanua of his own Eponymous Studio, and HD DP extraordinaire Philip Bloom?!?  Yes you do, as well as the with the regular cast of characters! 

Re:Frame is dedicated to giving you experiences like no other in cities like no other, and I would love you to come on down to the range in Austin and hang out with us!!!  Hurry, though, registration is limited to 50 saddles!

Read what eventdv has to say about it.

Seats remaining: 50 40 30 25 20 15

Cutaway Segments that give a sense of place

Just as with the clip a few entries below (same wedding), I'm giving the viewer a sense of place, but later in the documentary.  This is not always going to be the case in all of my edits, but only as it presents itself.

The clip in the entry below was to introduce the feel of the town of Midland and the atmosphere surrounding the wedding day.  The clip above is to continue to show the swirl of life that marches on oblivious to the activity of the wedding event, but yet, in its own way, celebrates it.

This clip also helps the viewer feel the character of the town and the people, but serves as a more interesting cutaway than building exteriors between the groomsmen and the bridesmaids.  While building exteriors will be more than sufficient in cutting from one scene to the other, having an unrelated element does more to advance time.

This week, I'm featuring a series clips on my wedding blog from Lexie and Jason's event in Midland, so check the rest of them out.

jones

A Sense of Place, Redux

 

I don't have too many notes on my horn, and one of them is to establish a sense of place.

Where did this take place?  During what season?  What else was going on on the periphery?

As a producer, you do not have to go way out of your way to get these types of establishing shots. 

Get the town sign as you arrive in the city -  have your camera on your front seat so you don't have to rifle through your gear to get everything ready.

30 minutes before you cover the girl prep, get some shots from around the hotel or house.

Make sure to get cutaways of the building (for prep) exterior.  In establishing place, move from the general to specific.

In your edit, refrain from using all your cutaways initially - keep the pace going, and keep a few shots in your pocket for when you need to advance time.

 

Your clients will notice the professionalism.

jones

Cutaways, Part II

I have posted a video tutorial on the Re:Frame Video Lounge explaining how you can better use cutaways to advance the action.  This is part II or the III part series, "Cutaways, the New Money Shot."

You need to register to be able to access the Re:Frame Video Lounge.  It's free and totally worth it - lots of educational tutorials from the Re:Frame crew, and that's no April Fool's joke.

jones

Vegas, baby

I'm in Vegas all week doing some work and networking @ WPPI.  Regularly scheduled posts will resume next Tuesday - see you then!

jones

The New Doc Style in Event DV

Eventdv just released this great article  on the new doc style, replete with links to samples from all the featured producers.

On a side note, when the cover photo was taken, I intentionally stood far away from Jason Magbanua as I could knowing that it would look like a before/after poster of someone who had taken cool lessons.  If there's any doubt, I would be on the before side.

I put some distrance between me and JMag, but thanks to wonders of Photoshop, there I am, locked arm in arm with the rock star!

jones