The New Hansel and Gretel: Jeremy Renner and Noomi Rapace - Cinematical

Official word hasn't hit yet, but if Jeremy Renner's latest casting slip is right (he also shared his Hawkeye news well before the official announcement), he and Rapace are going to star in Tommy Wirkola's Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters.

Twitch found the news, which slipped out during a recent interview with Norwegian press at the Venice International Film Festival. As sister site Horror Squad posted last year, the film finds the deadly-to-witches brother and sister 15 years after their gingerbread house ordeal. Rather than try to put the past behind them, they've become witch bounty hunters. Since this is being produced by Gary Sanchez Productions (Will Ferrell, Adam McKay, etc), the film will naturally be comedic, and has been compared to the likes of Evil Dead 2 and Shaun of the Dead.

The New Hansel and Gretel: Jeremy Renner and Noomi Rapace - Cinematical

Good Advice that Is Bad for your Film Career

This article was too good to not share with you. As a filmmaker, you will hear A LOT of advice from well meaning individuals. However, all advice is not good advice, and it may not apply to your particular style as a filmmaker.

The article states:

Good Advice that is actually bad for you

Here is the type of advice that sounds good on the surface, but ultimately has a very negative effect. In particular, this is the type of advice I see coming out of a certain village of so called “experts”.

1. Hire a good DP/Assistant director/Gaffer/Editor/Composer
2. Pay the actors and crew. Offer deferrals if you can’t pay
3. The camera is the most important piece of equipment.
4. Use storyboards to play your shoot
5. Continuity errors will destroy your film

Check out the rest of "Listening to ‘so called’ experts could destroy your film career before it even starts." — Cinema Advanced Cinema Advanced

Short Film from Pixar's Rodrigo Blaas

Alma from Rodrigo Blaas on Vimeo.

Build a Pneumatic Dust System : DIY Film Tutorial | Backyard FX - Filmmaking Special FX for Cheap

We have featured videos produced by Backyard FX many times. They have great special effects for filmmakers on a budget. If you have some time, check out the entire site. They have great information for the small time filmmaker!

Build a Pneumatic Dust System : DIY Film Tutorial | Backyard FX

Cinnamon Chasers - Luv Deluxe (Music Video)

Cinnamon Chasers - Luv Deluxe (Music Video) from Saman Keshavarz on Vimeo.


This is the first music video created by Saman Keshavarz and we have to say that we were pretty impressed. The concept was interesting, the music was awesome, and the story unforgettable. We highly recommend taking a look!

YouTube - Confessions of The Doorway Killer

YouTube - Confessions of The Doorway Killer

DIY Steadicam, Glidecam - StumbleUpon

Every Filmmaker knows that to get a steady, clear picture a Steadicam is a must. However, this can be an expensive purchase. We've found a great DIY Steadicam, Glidecam - Click on the link to view

Film Techniques of Alfred Hitchcock - suspense, camera angles, style, editing, basics - StumbleUpon

Film Techniques of Alfred Hitchcock - suspense, camera angles, style, editing, basics

Change everything in your screenplay so that it is done for the audience. Nothing is more important than how each scene is going to affect the viewer. Make sure the content engages them and reels them in. Use the characters to tease the viewer and pull them along desperately wanting more.

Hitchcock knew why people are drawn to a darkened theater to absorb themselves for hours with images on a screen. They do it to have fun. In the same way people go to a roller coaster to get thrown around at high speeds, theater audiences know they are safe. As a film director you can throw things at them, hurl them off a cliff, or pull them into a dangerous love story, and they know that nothing will happen to them. They're confident that they'll be able to walk out the exit when its done and resume their normal lives. And, the more fun they have, the quicker they will come back begging for more.

Film Techniques of Alfred Hitchcock - suspense, camera angles, style, editing, basics

10 Story Techniques You Must Use to Sell Your Script

Selling your script can be extremely nerve racking to any Filmmaker, regardless of how awesome your script is. There are, however, some tried and true techniques that will help your script sell. Check out 10 Story Techniques to sell your script

1. Know the 10 most popular genres
Step 1 in writing a script Hollywood wants to buy is knowing the 10 most popular story forms. If you write a script that is not based on one or more of these genres, your chance of a sale plummets. They are Action, Comedy, Crime, Detective, Horror, Fantasy, Love, Myth, Science Fiction and Thriller.
2. Combine 2 or 3 genres
In the genre-focused entertainment business, the most important story strategy today is to mix genres. 99% of films made, not just in Hollywood but worldwide, are some combination of the ten most popular genres. Why? It all goes back to that old rule of selling: give the customer 2 or 3 for the price of 1. This, in a nutshell, is how Hollywood works.
Let me give you some examples. The super-popular Bourne films are Action + Thriller. Knocked Up is Comedy + Love. Little Miss Sunshine is Myth + Comedy. Titanic, the most popular movie of all time, is Love + Disaster Film + Myth. The Dark Knight is Crime + Myth + Fantasy. The Harry Potter stories, the most popular books of all time, are Fantasy + Myth + Horror + Coming-of-Age Drama. The Pirates of the Caribbean movies are Fantasy + Action + Horror + Myth.
3. Find the right genre for the story idea
The single biggest decision you make in the entire writing process occurs right at the beginning, when you are developing your premise, or story idea. The decision is: which genres should I use for this idea? Here’s a shocking but eye-opening fact: 99% of scripts fail at the premise. And why? It’s not because their original story ideas weren’t good. They fail because the writers didn’t know the best genres to use to go from a 1-line idea to 2-hour, 120-page script.

666 DIY Horror Filmmaking Tutorials

filmmaking.net | Phillips and Ridley Scott challenge filmmakers to 'Tell It Your Way'

Another filmmaking contest!

Phillips have taken a leaf out of the BMW marketing cookbook and commissioned a series of short films, called Parallel Lines, to help promote the cinematic qualities of their new range of high-end TVs. Five films were produced by directors in the Ridley Scott Associates fold, and the competition involves producing a sixth film to round out the series. The five short films, released on www.philips.com/cinema, are part of a cinematic project whereby each director created a film in a different genre, with a different storyline, but all following the same six line dialogue.

Competition entries are open to anyone globally and should be submitted via the official Philips Cinema YouTube channel. Entries close at midnight 8 August 2010. Three rounds of judging will be held including public voting via YouTube. Finalists will be judged on criteria including creative storytelling, use of dialogue, and technical achievement. The top ten finalists will be selected by RSA directors and British Academy of Film & Television Arts (BAFTA) Chairman, David Parfitt. The overall winner will be selected from the top five finalists by Sir Ridley Scott himself and gains a week's work experience at RSA.

Click Here to find out more on filmmaking.net | Phillips and Ridley Scott challenge filmmakers to 'Tell It Your Way'

Filmmaking Competition

Filmaking Competition!

DepicT! ‘10

This year’s competition

We want filmmakers worldwide to show their stuff in just a minute and a half. DepicT! is open to anyone, on any budget, from anywhere in the world working in any genre. Just make sure your super short is distinctive, imaginative and engaging to be in with a chance of winning some priceless industry exposure and exclusive prizes.

Entry requirements:

• Must be 90 seconds or under
• Must be completed after September 2009
• Open to all genres and production techniques

Click on the Link to visit Depict! and learn more about their Filmmaking contest!

So You Wanna Work in Movies

If you love the film making industry, but don't know anything about making films, no worries. In the article below you will find that there is a job for all different types of people in the filmaking industry from accountants to those who have absolutely no skill at all. An excerpt from So You Wanna Work in Movies:

I'm totally useless at everything but I'm willing to learn.

This is not necessarily a problem as plenty of people working in the industry are totally useless. Some of them are Executives working in the Studios. If you don't know what this means, go to the part on Studio Executives, although it may not be very helpful, as I've never quite worked out what they do. Some people who work on the floor, i.e. actually making the film, are totally useless but they usually don't last very long, unless they are either very enthusiastic or very entertaining or very pretty or all three.

I am good at figures.. numbers that is.

This is easy. Films employ Accountants by the bucket loads. When there’s a few million dollars to control, or a few hundred million, the Accountant is a rather important figure. He or she (and it seems to be she quite a lot of the time) does the same job that accountants do elsewhere but they can say "I'm working with Meryl Streep at the moment" and stuff like that. Accountants rarely see anyone connected with the film, unless they don't pay them. So if they see someone, they are usually angry. This makes the job quite hard, as sometimes films run out money to pay people, then the crew turns quite ugly. The producer or the director will make some kind of encouraging speech - "The money is definitely coming next week.." that kind of thing. When it doesn't, the accountant is first in the firing line. You may not want to be a movie accountant. If you're good at numbers, you could ignore that and do something more interesting - but don't ask me what. On the other hand, film accountants are usually pretty happy because they get really well paid!"

So You Wanna Work in Movies

Me my Shark and I from Chuck Patterson on Vimeo.

Review: Eat Pray Love - Cinematical

We have heard very few positive reviews for the new Julia Roberts "Eat, Love, Pray". The review from Cinematical is no different:

"This skill is taxed to its limits in Eat Pray Love, in which Roberts plays a privileged, self-absorbed narcissist who takes a year-long vacation to "find herself." (You're always in the last place you look, amirite?) This lady, Elizabeth Gilbert (also the name of the author from whose memoir the film was adapted), isn't happy married, isn't happy single, isn't happy ever. She figures she needs to spend some time with no one but herself. Speaking as one who has spent 140 minutes with her, I would advise against that."

Click Here to read the Full Review: Eat Pray Love - Cinematical

'Scott Pilgrim' vs. Ageism? - Cinematical

Review on the new "Scott Pilgrim Vs. the World".

"It may indeed be a "generational" thing as far as age is concerned, but I tend to think it's more about a certain sensibility, in the same way that "slow cinema" came under fire not long ago. Vadim Rizov provided an insightful roundup at IFC's Independent Eye blog on the backlash against arthouse films filled with slow, languorous master takes, and concluded by referring to Sturgeon's Law ("Ninety percent of everything is crud") and observing: "The problem isn't the mode, it's the average product. The exceptions are always what matter." Is that what's happening with Scott Pilgrim?"

Check out the full 'Scott Pilgrim' vs. Ageism? Review - Cinematical

Exporting Markers List as Text in Final Cut Pro - Final Cut Studio, Avid, Adobe, and Video Streaming

Another great tip from Geniusdv.com!

If you're using multiple markers in a Final Cut Pro project and use them to confer with another editor or producer or your client, you can export your marker list as a text file to use in a spreadsheet application such as Numbers or Excel.

Exporting Markers List as Text in Final Cut Pro - Final Cut Studio, Avid, Adobe, and Video Streaming

Free Screenwriting Software by Plotbot&write screenplays online with friends - StumbleUpon

This cool little app allows you to screen write online.

With Plotbot, you can create private screenplays to work alone or with invited friends, or you can create public screenplays to find new friends. All changes are tracked to each writer, and you can revert to prior versions at any time.
We handle all of the formatting—you just click the text to edit and write, easy as pie. All you have to think of are great ideas!

We gave it a try and loved it!


Free Screenwriting Software by Plotbot&write screenplays online with friends -

The media player, movie player, YouTube player, video player, AVCHD player, divx player, free player - BS.Player.com - StumbleUpon

We found this cool little media player and wanted to share!

BS.Player ™, a free media movie player, is a product for the world multi media market and is therefore equipped with advanced subtitle options which enable the users to watch video content with subtitles from many popular subtitle formats (MicroDVD .sub, VobSub .sub + .idx, SubViewer .sub, (Advanced) SubStation Alpha .ssa or .ass, SubRip .srt, VPlayer .txt...). BS.Player is also a AVCHD player and enables you to display AVCHD video format movies (Advanced Video Codec High Definition) used in digital tapeless camcorders. It can automatically search and download missing subtitles for currently playing video, if available.

BS.Player ™ is the software movie and media player that supports all popular video and audio media file types, containers and formats such as:
DivX, Xvid, avi, mpg, mpeg-1, mpeg-2, mpeg-4, 3ivx, YouTube streaming video, AVC HD (avchd player), QT QuickTime mov, RM Real media, OGM, Matroska , mkv, asf, wmv, DV, m1v, m2v, mp4, mpv, swf, vob and wav, mpa, mp1, mp2, mp3, Ogg, aac, DTS, Dolby Surround, Dolby digital DD 5.1 - AC3, aif, ram, wma, flv (Flash and YouTube Video), m4v and much more!

The media player, movie player, YouTube player, video player, AVCHD player, divx player, free player - BS.Player.com

TVARK | The online television museum | Discover the history of tv presentation & graphic design - StumbleUpon

In the mood to visit a museum? How about online TV museum. Check out the link below!


TVARK | The online television museum | Discover the history of tv presentation & graphic design -

Netflix Makes Huge Online Streaming Move

We love Netflix Instant Streaming through the Playstation! Gone are the days when watching a movie at home required a little pre-planning! Now Netflix is close to signing a deal with Epix which will expand the Netflix collection.

Netflix has reportedly signed a deal – or is close to doing so – with Epix, a struggling company that directly represents Paramount, Lionsgate and MGM. Variety reports the deal would bring Epix movies to Netflix’s instant streaming service; in other words, 46% of the major movies produced will now be available on demand via Netflix’s website, a vast improvement over the studio’s already impressive collection. Considering that most of Netflix’s 15 million subscribers have unlimited access to its streaming functionality already (it costs at minimum $8.99 a month), this is yet another major victory for the innovative company and its users.

Netflix Makes Huge Online Streaming Move

mental_floss Blog & 15 Film Production Credits Explained - StumbleUpon

This should be common knowledge by most professional filmmakers. However, it does give the average user a better look at all the people involved with creating a film.

1. Boom Operator

No, this job has nothing to do with explosives or pyrotechnics. The boom referred to is a long pole with a mic attached to it–the mic that picks up all the dialogue the actors are saying. The boom allows the mic operator to move with the action and stay out of the camera’s field of vision.

2. Armourer

Now this job does deal with explosives, of a sort. The armourer’s specialty is firearms, which, when used as a prop, requires a special handler. War movies and cops movies sometimes need several armourers to keep track of all the firearms, which, even though filled with blanks, can still be quite dangerous. (Remember Jon-Erik Hexum? Anyone? Anyone?)

3. Gaffer

Though the gaffer manages the entire electrical department, all the guys who run cables and hang lights, his main responsibility is mounting and positioning lights and lighting rigs.

4. Grip

Grips are sort of like worker bees. They do lots of different things, like moving set pieces, scenery, and pushing cameras on dollies for follow-shots. But the grip’s main job is lighting. They set up filters in front of the lights and position sun blocks to keep natural light from ruining a scene.

Click here to check out the entire 15 Film Production Credits Explained Article

Realistic Knife Throw Effect | Backyard FX - Filmmaking Special FX for Cheap

Realistic Knife Throw Effect | Backyard FX - Filmmaking Special FX for Cheap

The Runaways Movie Review

We love this review about the Runaways from FilmJabber!

“Jailbait.” What better way to describe Dakota Fanning in The Runaways, in which she plays sexy young starlet Cherie Currie opposite Kristen Stewart, who plays Joan Jett. Both onscreen and in real life, the young actress has suddenly transformed from eerily good child actor to can’t-wait-til-she’s-eighteen sex symbol (for creepy perverted men, not me – of course). In recent years, Fanning has played a sexed-up 13-year old in the superhero flick Push, a torture-loving villain in Twilight (alongside Stewart) and now a drug-crazed singer. All audiences should be eager to see what she, and Stewart, do next.

The Runaways Movie Review

Should Universal Gamble $200 Million on 'Battleship'? - Cinematical

"The Hollywood Reporter posts that as Battleship gets ready to start production this month, the budget is ranked at $200 million (or more). That's for a flick starring Taylor Kitsch and Rihanna (in her first feature acting gig), with Peter Berg (Hancock being the only action film to his name), in a world of water which brings to mind expensive flops like Waterworld.

The studio cites Berg's passion for the material, and how much he learned from his naval historian father for it, as if we're talking about a World War II movie and not Mars Attacks! on H2O. They also cite the love masses of people have for the game, as if carefully placing little plastic ships on a grid will make people the world over go: "I must watch aliens attack ships on the big screen!"

Should Universal Gamble $200 Million on 'Battleship'? - Cinematical

Affleck and Weisz Join Terence Malick's Next Project - Cinematical

"Seems like even director Terence Malick has gotten so antsy working on Tree of Life, his much-anticipated and characteristically much-delayed new film, that he's moved on to casting his next project. The Wrap has word that Ben Affleck and Rachel Weisz have just been cast in Malick's as-yet-untitled next project. The project was initially announced at this year's Berlin Film Festival where it was described as a "powerful and moving love story."

Affleck and Weisz Join Terence Malick's Next Project - Cinematical

Using the Matrix for Consistent Record Levels

One of the challenges we face as church sound engineers is to get consistent levels on our recordings. Almost every church I know of records it’s services, either on Hard Disk, CD, Video, Cassettes (the horror!) or a combination of those. Unless you have a dedicated recording mixing position, getting the levels consistent on those recordings is tough.

Using the Matrix for Consistent Record Levels – ChurchTechArts

Quentin Tarantino to Write and Direct 'The Shadow'? - Cinematical

"Years ago, Sam Raimi wanted to bring The Shadow to the bring screen. He was denied the opportunity, and the film was ultimately given to other hands, which hugely failed whilst Raimi went on to kick off the very successful Spider-Man franchise. But in late 2006, it looked like the filmmaker was getting a second chance. Fast forward to this year, and Raimi was still in, but only as producer, and David Slade's name was knocked around for the director's chair.

But this new rumor is much, much sweeter -- one that should help the poor Shadow erase memories of the 1994 production and give us a whole new world to geek out over."



Quentin Tarantino to Write and Direct 'The Shadow'? - Cinematical: "

'The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn, Part 2' Sets Release Date - Cinematical

After breaking down and watching Twilight - the first installment of the popular Twilight series written by Stephenie Meyer, we were not only disappointed, but could not stomach a second or third installment of the popular saga. However, that being said, we aren't against capitalizing on information about this series! For all the rabid Twilight fans: "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn, Part 2' Sets Release Date"

Fix Your Audio Levels All At Once in Final Cut Pro with Normalization | Final Cut Producer

While working on some video editing, we decided to try and figure out what Normalization actually does to help our audio. After doing a little bit of research, we found this article/tutorial that takes you step by step through the Normalization process while explaining what is actually happening during the process. 

Normalizing Audio in Final Cut Pro

Kevin Smith's 'Red State' Starts Populating

"Over three years ago, Erik first shared word with us that Kevin Smith's rumored horror movie had an apt name -- Red State. The filmmaker had been inspired by the religious insanity that is Fred Phelps, so it was a nice play on words merging bloodletting with conservative politics. But Shirley Phelps didn't give a rats tutu about the "boring" film, and that seemed to be the consensus outside the Phelps family as well. Smith had a tough time pulling the money together, and even when it seemed like things were a go for July, the month came and went without any religious horror.

But now Smith has jumped a huge leap forward, snagging a cast for the feature, which will now begin filming on September 22."
 
 Read more about Kevin Smith's 'Red State' Starts Populating - Cinematical: "

NOW: TRON: Legacy: Theatrical Trailer

NOW: TRON: Legacy: Theatrical Trailer

Southland Of The Heart - Teaser

Southland Of The Heart - Teaser from Southland Of The Heart on Vimeo.