Zen of Film

Inspired by some great motion graphic reels over at Clipland, I took some time to personally venture into the creative art of animated screen design known as “motion graphics”. As a personal reminder, here is my list of motion graphics tutorials:
Please note: many tutorials will need a 2D/2.5D animation software like After Effects CS3 or […]

Today, I had the chance to finally watch Frank Capra’s Lost Horizon (wikipedia, buy), the 1937 film based on James Hilton’s novel from 1933.
A few years ago, I discovered this gem of early Hollywood film history while browsing John Clute’s Science Fiction: The Illustrated Encyclopedia. Pictured was a still from the film, a couple […]

Believe me, you should keep an eye on the output of director Joesph Kosinski.
He might appear like an empty sheet of paper in terms of feature film direction. But, as it is the case with icebergs, there is much hidden below that. Browse over to his website to have a look at some of his […]

Did you know: all the charcoal sketches in Titanic (buy) were done by James Cameron himself?

Today, by chance, I saw the end of the UK cult classic 633 Squadron (wiki). What I saw was the larger part of the film’s climax: the fjord factory bombing. And after a few minutes I was wondering why this scene appeared to be so familiar to me.
Then I knew it: that is the trench […]

The Unforgettable, announced for 2008, is the new film Tarsem Singh will direct (is directing?) for Warner Bros. The piece will also mark Singh’s return to the studio world and we’ll see if it will play up to expectations after the mediocre results of Singh’s earlier job, The Cell.
The Fall, sic years later […]

Some very impressive showreels are made using a tool you might not know yet: vvvv.
What started out as a software tool for multimedia artists, is still actively developed and has significantly matured since its early days at Meso Digital Media Systems Design. Today vvvv is a full-featured software application, available for free (for non-commercial use). […]

If you work as Director, Director of Photography, Editor or in another profession producing visual output, it is very likely that you use a Showreel to promote your work or as a calling-card to send out to potential clients.
Many who own their own website host their reel on their own domain. Anyway, a bit more […]

…will be Fanboys. Period.
But let’s start from the beginning. I have seen Star Wars. And yes, I liked the making-of featurettes on Star Wars - Episode I, The Phantom Menace more than the actual film. Also: I have seen StarGeeks (and enjoyed it!), watched the guys with the lightsabers and slept through many of […]