Design Spectre: '20 Websites To download Free Fonts'

Free fonts are always useful for motion graphics artists, editors, and designers.

Here's a handy list of 20 sites where you can find 'em!

Flim Slate: 'How to Break Down a Screenplay'

You can never prepare too much before shooting a film. For instance, I just watched “Saving Private Ryan” for the umpteenth time and there it was: a mistake that I’d never noticed before. The translator has rounded up a group of Germans. One of the Germans mouths off and the translator shoots him, then tells the rest of the group to move off. We cut to a shot of the Germans marching off and there’s no dead German on the ground.
 
Someone made a mistake in breaking down the script and no one caught it.

Read the rest on Film Slate!

nofilmschool: 'Getting Better as a Director: Using Objectives'

One of the fundamental tools for an actor is their “objective.” This is a specific way of working with character “motivation.” Discovering a character’s objective begins with asking the question “what does this character really want or need during a particular scene?” This is not to be confused with what the character says in the dialogue. We are looking for the “subtext” or unspoken desires of a character that can be channeled into specific behavior.

Read the rest over on nofilmschool.com!

Premium Beat: 'Wisdom for Editors'

Writer Danny Green over on PremiumBeat.com has compiled a handy list of 140-character nuggets of advice (i.e., Twitter posts) from working editors and post-production professionals. From working with clients to what tools to learn, the business side of working as an editor is pretty well covered. Plus you'll get some new people to follow on Twitter. Read the article here!

Zacuto: 'Film Sound Sessions with Clinton Harn'

Camera accessories manufacturer Zacuto has been compiling some great articles to help filmmakers at all experience levels get better at their craft. Their "Film Sound Sessions with Clinton Harn" is no exception!

Sound.  It’s the most elusive element that seems to plague filmmakers so very often.  We commonly hear filmmakers saying things like, “sound is 2/3 film” or “sound will make or break a production.”  The list goes on.  Yes, we have been able to get that “picture” quality to a “pseudo” Hollywood look, but sound is difficult. Or is it?

The index of Harn's articles can be found here on the Zacuto site. Here's the current list:

Article 1, Sound Perspectives 101
Article 2, Tools of the Trade, Part 1
Article 3, Tools of the Trade, Part 2
Article 4, Tools of the Trade, Part 3 
Article 5, Tools of the Trade, Part 4 
Video Tutorials: Capturing Sound in Cars

And here's Harn's intro video:

The Black and Blue: '100 MORE Great Resources for Cinematographers, Camera Assistants, and Film Professionals'

Last year at this time we posted The Black and Blue's first "100 Great Resources" and now they have gone and one-upped themselves with the sequel!

http://www.theblackandblue.com/2011/11/21/100-more-resources/

The list is separated into sections which can be accessed quickly below:
1 – 22: Blogs and Websites
23 – 32: Jobs and Training
33 – 42: Behind the Scenes
43 – 61: Apps and Software
62 – 75: Downloads
76 – 85: Work Forms and Finances
86 – 95: Tools and Gear
96 – 100: Community

NewEnglandFilm.com: 'How to be a Master Editor'

Three-time Oscar winning editor Thelma Schoonmaker shares tricks of the trade, how to break into "the business" and what it's really like to work with Marty Scorsese.

She says, not enough filmmakers these days take the time to study the technique editors used before the days of digital editing. "One of the things I find disturbing is when a film professor announces they're going to show a black and white, there's a groan in the room," she says.

 Read the rest of Schoonmaker's insights here: http://newenglandfilm.com/news/archives/2007/05/thelma.htm

fxguide: The Art of Destruction

The fine folks over at fxguide.com have compiled a stellar and comprehensive run-down of the state of the art when it comes to "blowing crap up" Hollywood-style.

Destruction pipelines today are key aspects of any major visual effects pipeline. Many current pipelines are based on Rigid Body Simulations (RBS) or otherwise referred to as Rigid Body Dynamics (RBD), but a new solution – Finite Element Analysis (FEA) – is beginning to emerge. In this ‘Art Of’ article, we talk to some of the major visual effects studios – ILM, Imageworks, MPC, Double Negative and Framestore – about how they approach their destruction toolsets.

Read the whole article - featuring looks at Harry Potter, X-Men: First Class, 2012, and more - here!

What is Color Sampling?

Any time a new camera is introduced to the market, one of the key specs that gets bandied about is "color sampling." Is it 4:4:4? 4:2:2? 4:1:1?

What do all these numbers mean, and how do they relate to how our images look? Here's a simple explanation with good diagrams for comparison, written by Graeme Nattress, published courtesy of Larry Jordan and Associates.

Pixiq: 'Everything About Camera Lenses'

What's the most important part of your camera? The body or the lens? Author and photographer Haje Jan Kamps argues that it's the glass, and we're inclined to agree. His article on Pixiq.com covers the fundamentals of how lenses work, and discusses apertures, depth of field, focal length, and much more. Mandatory reading for you cinematographers!

Prolost: ' Pimp Your After Effects'

DV Rebel's Guide author and all-around digital video guru Stu Maschwitz has published this handy guide for squeezing the most out of his favorite compositing software:

After Effects is a professional tool by any measure, but it is designed for a broad user base. So an artist who plans to push it hard will want to tune the application accordingly.

Read it, bookmark it, and start pimpin' out your After Effects today!

Instructables: Make a Cool Tron-like Daft Punk Helmet

For the budding prop-makers and/or lovers of Tron Legacy and Daft Punk, here's an awesome step-by-step Instructable for building a replica of Guy Manuel's iconic helmet written by propmaker Fennec Cooper. Fennec takes you through all the materials and tools he used, plus the steps for building a prototype, creating a mold to cast copies, detailing, painting, and lighting. Even if you don't ever build this particular prop, the methodology can work for any other type of helmet or armor piece you might think of.

Art of the Title: 'Mad Men'

Art of the Title has published this great look behind the scenes of the iconic opening title sequence for AMC's "Mad Men." A must-read for all aspiring motion graphics artists!

Cruzine: 'Freebies from Daily Inspirations no. 21 – 40'

I'm a sucker for free stuff, especially free textures, vectors, and fonts. Here's a cool collection of useful freebies from Cruzine, including blood (my fave), lightning, ink drops, Spanish football club logos (!) and more. Happy downloading!

Hope For Film: 'New Platforms Available For Direct Distribution'

Veteran indie producer Ted Hope has aggregated a list of 30 or so platforms for what he calls "do it yourself" or "do it with others" distribution. The list includes crowdfunding stalwarts Kickstarter and IndieGoGo, peer-to-peer networks, distribution aggregators, and more. Just goes to show - the distribution landscape is wide and varied these days. Check out Ted's list if you're thinking about making an indie film any time soon.

Exposure Guide: 'Focusing Basics'

Here's a handy graphical guide to the relationship between lens aperture and subject distance to depth of field. Worth a look even if you think you have a good handle on it! Check it out here on Exposure Guide.

Networked Blogs: 'Inventing Your Career'

Here's a blog post I saw that I thought would help anyone looking for that career stepping-stone right out of college:

I know for certain that when you invent your own career, you consciously choose to leverage your own talents, your own skills, your own preferences – rather than contorting yourself to fit into a narrow job description of someone else’s design.

Read the rest here. Great stuff.

Considering the move to Los Angeles?

If you're like many UAT Digital Video students - or film students in general, for that matter - you're probably considering moving to Los Angeles after college in order to get your career going. Wise move. (And if you're not considering the move, as yourself "Why not?") Well, here's the resource you've been looking for: I'm Moving to L.A., a website specifically for you. (The site's subtitle is "Real advice from real people on how to live and survive in Los Angeles.) Bookmark it now!

'PressPausePlay' - a timely documentary on art, technology, and digital culture

Go to the film's official site to download the free version or purchase on iTunes or Amazon.

ICG Magazine: 'Raging Bulls' Examines the DP-to-VFX Workflow on 'Real Steel'

International Cinematographers Guild (ICG) Magazine takes a good in-depth look at the VFX-driven cinematography workflow on the recent sci-fi boxing movie Real Steel. The film was lensed in HD by Mauro Fiore, Oscar-winning DP of Avatar, and the workflow leveraged and advanced many of the tools developed on that picture.

Bringing in a VFX-heavy feature for $80 million is no mean feat, and Josh McLaglen, a veteran of the some of the most complex logistical films in recent memory, points to the unique workflow as a big part of that process. “If you’ve got two ordinary people talking over coffee or even fighting each other for most of your movie, our production paradigm is unnecessary,” he concludes. “But if two of the four main characters are paranormal, it makes really good sense, and is a cost-effective methodology for budgeting complex films. Avatar was translated virtual-to-virtual, only rarely with humans being interactive. But this one is going virtual-to-live-action in the real world. To accomplish that, I think we used the tools better this time.”

Read the entire article here. Also of note is this fxguide "Case Study" on Real Steel and the accompanying fxpodcast.