Hi all, just to let you knowabout Portsmouth Screen '06, a film festival in Portsmouth, UK, that will be of interest to those in the South of England. For filmmakers, there are two events making a call for submissions.

The festival is running for its second year, growing on the sucess of its debut in 2005.

For films of up to a minute in length, there is the Sixty Second Film Festival - This year the Sixty Second Film Festival is inviting submissions in two categories. The first will be the traditional format of artists' single screen works of up to one minute in length. The second category, Sixty Seconds of Silence, is for artists' single screen works of up to one minute in length that do not use any sound track. These films will be exhibited in both gallery and public spaces during the week. Also plan is a night of collaborative arts interventions during which these films will form the inspiration for commissioned artists in other fields to produce their own responses to the films.

The last Sixty Second Film Festival featured the work of filmmakers and artists from all over the world and the festival toured internationally.

Please got to www.sixtysecondfilm.com for more information.

The second event is SHORTS::CUT, for films of up to 15 minutes by filmmakers and video artists in the Hampshire, Wiltshire and West Sussex region. We are are looking for engaging, entertaining and thought provoking short films in all genres, from drama to comedy, documentary to animation. Information will be online at www.portsmouthscreen.co.uk in the near future. In the meantime you can email me at port_shorts@yahoo.com for an entry form and further information.

Jeff, excellent constructive criticism. Thats the stuff we need.

We know there were many things we screwed up this last time, and we are working hard to make the needed changes.

Thanks again.

Steve

ifilm keeps choking, couldn't watch it all the way through. I'm on a wide open DS3, so it's not bandwidth on my end...and other vids from ifilm choked too. I have no problem with other flash based sites like youtube.

i'm excited to have my modest little video "Sand Mandala" be part of sean's film festival. estes park is a terrific venue, a beautiful setting, and it's great that sean is bringing another festival to a mountain town.

this will probably be the only screening of this video, anywhere, because the kingdom of bhutan is very selective about how western viewers are permitted to experience their spiritual practices. i was given very specific guidelines for how and where this video could be presented. it's only permitted to be screened locally, at this point.

the video actually started out as a camera experiment. i was testing the "technicolor dream" custom preset on the XL2 (which i ultimately ended up not using too much footage from, because i didn't like what it did to skin detail, but it's a pretty cool setting, still)--and i got kind of hooked by the subject matter, a young bhutanese monk spending six days constructing a magnificent sand mandala made from hand-ground, brilliantly-colored sand.

i made a 5-minute version of this video to give the monks, purely as a gift, and they took it to bhutan where it was viewed by several of their important spiritual/political advisers (spiritual/political is one and the same in bhutan). the monks who sponsored the sand mandala had been having some challenges with getting permission from the kingdom of bhutan to export bhutanese spiritual practices and expose them the US. they saw the short video and greenlighted future projects. so the real work of this video was transforming the kingdom of bhutan's perspective on how East can meet West respectfully. that's the real work of this video. i'm humbled by the power of video to transform a tiny nation.

this longer version is 17 minutes and is more informational, and i was given permission by the monks to screen it once or twice locally at a film festival, but since sand mandalas are intended to be ephemeral, by nature, preserving these images and commodifying them is considered a misuse, even an abuse, of the image. so after this event--maybe one other--the images of this video will be disposed of in a manner that respects the bhutanese practice, to reflect the buddhist teachings of impermanence and non-attachment.

so see it while you can!

Congratulations Meryem! Wish I could be there, sounds like a great place to hold the festival.

Good Luck---Mike

We are trying to make things easier for viewers at bionicbuddha.com .
After a few emails about people saying they didn't know how to download, we decided to go with this :

http://www.bionicbuddha.com

I hope this makes it easier for people. Any comments on this?

Nice. I like it a lot. Works perfect.

That was awesome! i guess i dont get some of the refrences, but it was funny! nicely done!

Thanks for all your comments guys, much appreciated.

Thanks for the compliment. I have using flash, so it was sort of important to put it to bed for me...

If you have made a short, movie, music promo or documentary that you would like to featured in the Directors' Notes section of Showreel magazine please send me a online link or a copy on DVD or video to:

Directors' Notes
Showreel Publishing
49 Westbourne Gardens
Hove
East Sussex
BN3 5PN
UK

Please include a SAE if you want them to be returned.

As the magazine goes to the industry, including: sales agents, distributors, production companies and festival organisers it has proved to be a good way to promote new filmmakers and their work. All genres welcome.

We watch all the films we receive and chose the most worthy for inclusion in the magazine.

If you have received a copy of the 2nd US issue you will find DNs on page 72. If any of you are based in N. America, and would like a free copy of the next US issue, please email me with your mailing address and I'll add you to the distribution list for issue 3.

All the best

Denise
www.showreel.org

My first documentary is done and there will be a screening on july 23rd in Abbotsford, BC. YEs i said Vancovuer, just to get ppl into the thread, lol.

The film was shot on the dvx100a in 24p mode, so if u havent seen it on the big screen here is your chance.

Hey guys tell me what you think of blonde-girl, it was when I just got my HD100 and me and a mate shot it on a saturday and i edited it in about a week, it's just a start to tell me what you think.

http://revver.com/video/35822/17396

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Uq1gyn_-B8

This is one of my first projects. I am an Audio guy, but really want to branch towards video. Please tell me what you think.

Thanks,

Hans Jensen

I like your ideas and locations, especially the window shot and the ocean bluffs. I'm just breaking into music videos myself and I can tell you had some fun with it. Looking back at my music video and looking at your's I see one thing that we both need work with and that is more meaningful close-up shots better lighting on a couple of shots. You may disagree with me and that's cool, but I figured I wouldn't just post a "that's great" comment. Check my music video out and feel free to give me some feedback:

http://web.mac.com/bufdaddy/iWeb/Bufkin%20Portfolio%20Website/Video/Video.html

-Jon
web.mac.com/bufdaddy

Here you go, guys. I shot this as run and gun as it gets in 15 minutes (thank my sister, who's on the video, for her pacience). The shutter was always between 50 and 60, the on camera ND filter was on, and the lenses were a 18-28mm, 28mm, 55mm, 85mm, 70-205mm.

http://www.savefile.com/projects.php?pid=732453

There's 2 versions here. My personal favorite is the color corrected one

The compression it too heavy (divx) but I could not find any other compressor that would allow a 1 minute HD file to have only 40mb. This was my first test with the Brevis and I'm still sure I have to learn all the tips & tricks to make it shine. One thing that I notice instantly was that the latitude doesn't increase as much as other "big league" adapters...which is of the most crucial importance for me adapterwise. But I guess this is a matter of personal taste.

Well, we made it.

About a year ago, two friends and myself started to write a script for a comedy we wanted to do before we headed off for college. After many set backs and problems, we finally finished it and premiered on March 31st. It was received much better then we anticipated, thankfully.

It was not our plan from the beginning to sell online, but because it did so well we thought other people would like to see what we had done. So if anyone is interested, pick a copy up, and tell us what you think. There is a ton of extra stuff on the DVD outside of the main feature, which can be taken as a "what not to do" when making a movie :) .

Anyway, here it is, in all it's glory: Out To Lunch (http://www.sprocketpictures.com/otlhome.htm)

Just click "order" at the bottom.

Thanks guys!

-William Robinette

Hi everyone,

My apologies if this isn't in the right place!

I can set up a small website (well- large :p) for dvinfo users to upload work, it will stay on there forever, and there will be no bandwidth limitations. No adverts. No login to retrieve files. Just simple web space and lots of it.

The reason I think of this is because I click on broken movie links all the time, and read about people with hosting or bandwidth problems. If anyone thinks its a good idea, please post a reply so I can see the demand.

Thanks,

Matt

i like it. space to put 35mm adapter tests.

You can't say no to that.

It sounds like a great idea - almost too good to be true! Would there be any content guidlines or limitations? I'm not talking about putting porn up there, but say if a film had bad language or contentious controversial subject matter. SOuld there also be file size limits - For example, I have a short film in 720p h.264 format and it's around 200mb in size. Or are you thinking mainly along the lines of camera tests like Ben's?

Should add - The festival will take place in venuas around Portsmnouth from the 10-19 November 2006.

The deadline for submissions for the Sixty Second Film Festival (www.sixtysecondfilm.com) is September 30, 2006.

The deadline for submissions for Shorts: Cut (mailto:port_shorts@yahoo.com) is 15 October 2006.

Remember, the Sixty Second Film Festival is open to submission from anywhere in the world.

Dylan

Hi,

No file size limits, and no content restrictions. (Well the only content restriction I might consider would be that this would be for the purpose of DVinfo/DVXuser forum posts, and not for personal use).

So Dylan, your 200mb film would be fine.

I have noticed some posters saying they don't want to use youtube to host their vids, does anyone know why or what restrictions there are with youtube that might make this useful?

Thanks,

Matt

YouTube reserves the right to use/distribute/modify your video. It's a non-exclusive argument, but it does bother a lot of people. All similar services have the same agreement (yahoo video, myspace, etc).

You might want to put a restriction on copyrighted material (i.e. not owned by the person who posts the video).

All similar services have the same agreement (yahoo video, myspace, etc).
ClipShack (http://www.clipshack.com) doesn't appear to have that agreement. They do say you grant them "a worldwide, perpetual, royalty-free, irrevocable, non-exclusive, sublicensable right and license to use, copy, adapt, publish, transmit, distribute, perform, display, reference, index and cache...your Content and any materials you submit to ClipShack," but that is only "to provide the Site, Services, and Content to you and to perform our obligations under these Terms of Use."

They allow video sizes up to 100 MB, and give 5 GB space total for clips and photos. They do convert video to the Flash format, so if you don't like that format you should be aware of that fact.

General composition and locations are nice. Most all the footage needs some CC. The only real mistake is the vast overuse of the servo zoom. Try to do dolly moves if you want movement. Manual snap zooms are fine but servo zoom moves are something you just wont find very much in professional work and you have dozens of them in this video.



ash =o)

The music video is very cliche driven and unoriginal. Just about every part of this video looks like 90% of the other music videos you see on TV. So in the end, it didn't hold my attention. Just my opinion, so don't take my comments to heart. Otherwise it looks well done and I can see a lot of effort.

i work at Information Technology on OU's campus with media services, here is a promo I did for the help desk and service centers, disregard the crappy audio, we're getting ready to order new mics

www.rileyharmon.com/temp/IT1.mov
30mb

LOL. The intro is hilarious, his acting was convincing too.

The music is sometimes too loud and it can be distracting, but maybe that is just me. I would have made the intro black and white, and the rest in colour but it still works. Other than that is well made, it looks professional and I am sure the University would greatly appreciate it.

I've uploaded a page of Bali diving videos (http://www.bubblevision.com/scuba-diving/Bali.htm) that I shot when I was there in May.

Any comments you have, good or bad, would be greatly appreciated.

Nick

Most bands, labels and MTV WANT cliche, that is why they all look that way. FOr every Michele Gondry video there are 50 McG videos they run... The music video has become less an art and more a generic showcase for a band....



ash =o)

Funny! Cool effects, too.

Keep it up!

Nick,

I am rendering some footage for a test dvd so I slid over to the other computer and watched one of your clips at your site.

Spectacular footage of the night dive!!

I am very curious what you shot with!!! the clearity was stunning and colors were great. did you alter the colors in post?

Hi Dale,

Was shooting with a Sony VX2000 and Light & Motion Sunray halogen lights. The lights have a blue gel over them to knock back the warmth a bit and reduce the sheer amount of light so I don't get blown out whites and can get closer to the fish. I then either run in auto white balance or I manually white balance on white gaffer tape stuck on my fin.

I then usually drop the red down a tiny amount in Sony Vegas to get the colour balance how I want it.

Cheers,

Nick

hilarious and love the comic panel idea

I likes!!

Great short movie.....lol @ "Hammer Time"

Some nice footage, Nick. Was the light arm, hood, or something (dark shadow/vignette) in picture on two of the clips (lefthand top corner)?

Thanks Tony. Yes, the Gates houisng, like the Amphibico housing, gives quite a lot of vignetting on full wide. It doesn't show up on TV but it does on the computer. Actually none of the shots in those videos is on full wide, they are all zoomed in a bit to overcome the vignetting, but obviously not enough!

Nick

Howdy folks,


Well I am 3 months away from release of my zombie feature, and have just cut the final trailer for the film. I have also entered the film into 9 horror film festivals and am just waiting for my reject or acceptance letters.


Check out the trailer here

http://www.playingwithdeadthings.com/DEADLANDSTEASER.html

I started a video podcast in January with my kids reviewing movies. The first few were quite rough but have gotten much better. They are now on episode 10. And of course, it is the best one. They are reviewing Superman Returns.

http://www.cinekidstv.com/2006/07/25/episode-10-superman-returns-special-edition/

-- or --

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=2373565089745759093&hl=en


More at: http://www.cinekidstv.com

Josh

-Shot with a Sony TRV110 (Digital8)
-60i to 30p
-NO Color Correction or Filters.


I would love to hear some comments :-)


Thank you.


http://www.fdivisions.com/portfolio/2006_bio_claude_monet.zip



I've been always limited to my Digital8, and i'm always looking for new ways to improve the look of my works.
I don't have to many resources to move to another format. :-)



You can check My portfolio, for some editing works i've done in the past :

http://www.fdivisions.com/portfolio

funny, funny, funny! :)

Wow, my kids podcast got a little attention on Yahoo! Cool!

http://9.yahoo.com/2006/07/27/

Wow...

That's quite impressive! I have to say, the quality of the video is amazing for being digital 8...how did you give such an interesting look?

Does the camera have any manual settings?

looks fine, did you light the shots or just do mostly natural lighintg. Keeping the image at a msall size (like the window i watched it in) is a good idea, i see you also cropped the image and compressed it in terms of space (or at lewast it looked like that)

I can't say i understand it, after all i got d's both time in spanish, so i'm not the target audiance:P

good job tho.

Wow...

That's quite impressive! I have to say, the quality of the video is amazing for being digital 8...how did you give such an interesting look?

Does the camera have any manual settings?
mmm... not really,
- i use AE Program "Sunset & Moon" ( wich i beleive is 1/60th shutter speed )
- 0.5x macro
- 35mm adapter ( using a frosted cd from maxell and a minolta slr lens )

It looks a little bit more cinematic when using some color filters, but it didn't had the time for the rendering process.

This is the original quality from the mastered track:
http://www.fdivisions.com/portfolio2/MasterTrks.rar


-----------------------------------------------------------

looks fine, did you light the shots or just do mostly natural lighintg.
Honestly, i don't have any experience with lightning. The shots were done all natural. I rarely prepare something (I get a lot of bad shots because of this ), but it was a biography so... :)

I could not stand the audio treatment, I would change that as it really makes it impossible to get into. Also, the music just didnt do it for me, sounds like bad 80s b-movie music. There are some good shots in there but I would cut it faster, and change the music...



ash =o)

I agree. I know you've got everything set on audio, but is there any way to eliminate the "inside a can" sound? It takes a lot away

This was the first thing I ever made. Back when I made this, I had no idea how much fun working with cameras and editing would be. This was my first non-linear project. I'd made two VCR to VCR videos before this, and I still wonder to this day how we pulled that off. Here's the link:

http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=548201196&n=2

Yes, I know it's in myspace. Kill me later.

sorry, won't touch it...I won't allow myspace to install software on my machine (which it was trying to do).