August links

Edited by DTL
Posted August 5, 2011

The first Friday of each month, Minor Mogul presents a small and arbitrary selection of links that will hopefully be useful or interesting to independent creators. To suggest a link for September, please email.

• YouTube Creator Playbook

  YouTube has released the first version of its “Creator Playbook”. It “compiles important tips, best practices, and strategies that helps creators build audiences on YouTube,” and promises regular updates to feature “new strategies, tips, and optimizations”. It’s well worth reading if you offer movies through YouTube and want to increase your viewership.

  Download the playbook: www.youtube.com/creators/playbook.html.

• Colour-correcting your movie

  Colour correction can be intimidating, but it’s demystified in a couple of useful articles from FilmmakerIQ.

  In “The Fundamentals of Colour Grading”, Scott Jarvie discusses the basics of colour correction. As he points out, you don’t correct to make the scene look natural, but rather for artistic effect. Be sure to check out the comments section (linked to in the post) for additional tips and techniques.

  Learn more: www.filmmakeriq.com/2011/07/the-fundamentals-of-color-grading

  In “How to Overcome Your Fear of DIY Colour Grading”, Mike Jones provides a good briefing about what colour correction is and is not. He makes the important point that good colour correction begins on the set, with properly-chosen costumes and sets and with sufficient lighting.

  Learn more: www.filmmakeriq.com/2011/06/how-to-overcome-your-fear-of-diy-color-grading

  And finally, in the video “Colour Correction by the Numbers”, Michael Devowe takes us step-by-step through an example of correcting colours to make an image pop.

  Learn more: www.filmmakeriq.com/2011/04/color-correction-by-the-numbers

• Use real lenses with iPhone 4

  File this one under “strange”, “overkill”, and “interesting”. It’s a truism that the best camera is the one you have right now. If all you have is an iPhone 4, you can still capture good-looking footage with a lens adapter from Photojojo. Your iPhone 4 slips into a little case, an adapter goes on the front of that, and then you can attach your professional lenses. There are two adapters: one for Canon EOS lenses and one for Nikon SLR lenses. Both adapters cost $250. It may look silly, but it might just give you new opportunities for micro-budget movie-making.

  Learn more: www.photojojo.com/store/awesomeness/iphone-slr-mount

• Movie-making tips from two famous Directors

  Cole Abaius writes about a panel at this year’s ComiCon International in San Diego, California, USA, featuring movie-makers Guillermo del Toro and Nicholas Winding Refn. The two movie-makers offered eight concrete tips, including “Casting is king”, “Use the location as a character”, and “Never be safe”.

  Read the article: www.filmschoolrejects.com/features/comic-con-filmmaking-tips-from-guillermo-del-toro-and-nicholas-winding-refn.php

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