Making an Award-winning Movie on $0 Budget

 Also in this issue:

• Sony Problem Solving Guide - Free!
• I was a Judge

Sony Problem Solving Guide - Free!

Five years ago, Sony Artisan of Imagery Mark Galer and I teamed up to create a free troubleshooting guide for Sony Alpha cameras.  

A lot has changed since then, which is why we have teamed up once again to update the guide and, as before, are giving it away for free.  Tell your friends!

You can visit Mark's website at www.markgaler.com for a large variety of free resources, as well as subscribing to Mark's Patreon page.  

Making an Award-winning Movie on $0 Budget

Let's say you were a filmmaker during Covid.  You and your future co-star were quarrantining in a cabin in the woods.  And you had a Sony A7 III, one microphone, one LED light, but no budget and no crew.  But you still wanted to make that psychological thriller / horror film that's been on your mind for years.

Well, that movie has been made, and it's already won some awards!  Before I get to the interview with the filmmaker and the stars (and all of the tribulations involved in making a film in such conditions), have a look at the trailer for the movie.  (This has a lot more about the movie as well - the video here will give you a good taste of it.)

I watched this movie and was duly impressed by what I saw, especially when it came to the post-production grading and the music, which were both used effectively to manipulate the audience's emotions.  I was so impressed, in fact, that I got in touch with them and got them them to agree to an interview to talk about how it was made on a technical level.  And since you're a regular reader of this blog, that means this might interest you as well. :-)  

Here it is.  Enjoy!

Special thanks to Paul Bickel and Raya Miles for sharing their time and their expertise with me.

I was a Judge

Yesterday I was a judge for an organization called "Destination Imagination", a teamwork / communication / problem solving program for students of all ages.  I saw a great variety of creative presentations and innovative solutions to technical issues.

To ensure that the kids aren't intimidated by the judges, the judges all had to wear silly hats.  This was mine, a design suggested by the grandkids.  Turns out most of the kids I was judging didn't know what film was. 🙁  Boy am I old.

Nice dreds, eh? :-)

Next Month: The many methods of shooting star trails like this:

Until next time,

Yours Truly, Gary Friedman