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How To: Make a cheap DIY camera slider for your film

Film and television cinematographers love sliding camera shots, especially since ER made them a standard device for television dramas. A professional sliding camera setup is expensive though. Why not make one yourself? This video will show you how to turn $20 into a high-quality filmmaking tool that you can use to give your films some very professional-looking shots. Now get out there and follow that gurney with the camera!

How To: Shoot in a film noir setting

Film Noir, or black film, is a type of film that can easily be attributed to classics such as the Humphery Boggart films of old (Maltese Falcon, King of the Underworld, ect.). If you're looking on how to create the effect yourself without a big budget, check out this video! John Hess gives you some basic tips to creating the effect with lighting and more!

How To: Shoot a dolly zoom shot

The dolly zoom shot is also known as the Vertigo Effect in filming. It's that dizzying, slightly unstable camera effect you see in shows like "Glee" and sometimes "The Office." It creates audience confusion, thus forcing them to keep watching in interest.

News: DIY RC Helicopter Rig Captures Amazing Canon 7D/5D Aerial Footage

One of the greatest innovations in the DSLR revolution is not only being able to execute shots you never dreamed possible, but you'll find it's affordable, too. I can't think of a better example than this remote controlled DSLR helicopter rig, designed specifically for the Canon 7D and 5D. Advertised as "high definition, low altitude photography and videography," HeliVideo's founder, Eric Austin combines his experience and love of remote controlled helicopters with his knowledge as a videogra...

How To: Get Great Bokeh for Videos and Photos Using Christmas Lights

So what is Bokeh? Well, the word comes from the Japanese term "boke" (bo-keh) which means fuzziness. Bokeh describes the character of the blur in an image, but is often used specifically to refer to points of light rendered as fuzzy circles. These "circles of confusion" come from points of light not being perfectly focused. You know when you're taking a picture of your friend at night, and the lights in the background go fuzzy? That's it! Having a beautifully blurred background can help focus...

News: Firing Tank Caught at 18,000 FPS Looks Just As Awesome As It Sounds

It's like the H-bomb. In slo-mo, it's stunning. In real life, it's terrifying. The footage below was uploaded by YouTube user NielsBorg, unfortunately lacking in description, but offers the following information via headline: "T90 shot taken by Photron camera at 18000 fps". The T-90 is a brute of a tank, a third-generation battle vehicle used by the Russian Ground Forces and Naval Infantry. The tank contains an autoloader which can carry 22 ready-to-fire rounds, loadable and ready to go in 5-...

How To: Set proper white balance on a video camera

When a scene is filmed, problems can occur in the final outcome of a scene if the white balance is not set correctly. If the white balance is off, a scene may look too orange, blue, or the color is just off in general. This video tutorial shows how to set the correct white balance on your video camera. White balance is what the camera considers to be white. Most cameras have white balance presets for both indoor and outdoor. This is because the light we perceive will vary depending on whether...

How To: Build a homemade steadycam camera stabilizer

In this video tutorial, you'll see how you can build a homemade steadycam camera stabilizer for under fifty bucks. This is more specifically how to build the JayCam MkII Merlin-type camera stabilizer from Jay Shaffer. He demonstrates how to use inexpensive parts to make a versatile stabilizer for camcorders like the Canon HV30. This is a great steadycam addition for anyone in need of DIY cinematography tricks, because real steadycams can be costly.

How To: Build your own ten foot long camera dolly track

Need some smooth pan shots for your indie film? How about a cool dolly zoom effect? Well, you don't need to be a professional filmmaker to use such a device, but you do need the money for the gear. But—if you can work your way around the workshop, you can probably build your own camera dolly and track just fine. And for under $100! This video shows you how to build your own DIY dolly and dolly track, and all you need are the parts listed below. Then you just need to learn the art of the dolly...

How To: Film Using DSLR at Low Light

Filming in low light is not easy, its tricky and challenging, but if you know the proper ways to set your DSLR camera even if you have the most ordinary lenses you can still capture great videos with less noise. So here are some settings and samples in Filming with your DSLR in Low light.

How To: Install the Nikon mount on a RED ONE camera

Check out this instructional cinematography video to learn how to install the Nikon mount on a professional RED ONE camera. This is not an official method, but simply one way to do it until RED officially releases its own how to video. If you don't have steady hands, you may want to take more precautions into covering the sensor while you work. This video tutorial does an excellent job of guiding you step by step along the way to better utilize your RED ONE camera.

How To: Frame and compose a shot for film

What makes a good movie good is that it is both aesthetically pleasing and has an interesting point/plot. This video runs you through how to make it visually effective, stressing how you frame and compose a shot. While the Rule of Thirds is forever a great way to make shots interesting, there are other ways you can set up a shot.

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