Filmmaker Rob Spence has done much to turn lemons into lemonade. When he was 13, he was tragically involved in a shotgun accident that  took the vision from one of his eyes. But instead of  feeling bad about what happened, he made the best of it and decided to wear a bionic camcorder in his prosthetic eye. He plans to use this camera to record his every-day life. To do this, he plans to record conversations with the hidden camera in his eye in order to show what a true conversation looks like without subjects being aware the camera is on. This does raise some ethical issues, but Spence has said that he plans on having subjects sign a release before he includes any footage with their image in his documentary.

Of course, what’s most interesting of all is how the camera technology works. The camera consists of a 1.5 mm low resolution video camera, a small round printed circuit board, video transmitter, and a 3-volt rechargeable Varta microbattery all encased in a standard clear acrylic. In order to charge the “eye”, the prosthetic also has two holes for recharging via a laptop. Using the wireless transmitter in the eye, Spence is able to relay footage from his eye live to a flat screen television. Though the image is fairly low quality and a bit jerky, he plans to make a live online stream of what he is seeing to the web. A true life-casting experience that will allow anyone to see the world from the filmmaker’s perspective. The wireless transmitter he has is far too weak to get a signal to a television without holding a receiving wire to his cheek but Rob plans to fix that by getting a higher powered antennae that can transmit footage to a receiver on a belt which he can then hook into a much larger transmitter hidden in a backpack that he’ll take with him. Not the most comfortable situation, but the best technology has to offer for now. However, if technology happens to improve enough, there’s no reason why Spence couldn’t someday be broadcasting HD footage from his eye to a cell phone in his pocket that can then broadcast it to the world. With better and smaller camera technology being put into cell phone cameras every day it only seems a matter of time.

One of the easiest ways to continue building your skills as a video producer is to watch the work of others. By closely examining the style choices of other filmmakers you can greatly improve your own craft. If you enjoy how a certain movie was put together or wonder why it had so much impact, watch it again, but this time take notes.

Consider factors such as character and story development, shot types, lighting, editing decisions, and music. Ask yourself how the filmmaker’s choices added to the effectiveness of the scene and overall mood of the film. What does the director show you about a particular character, how did they choose to reveal it, and what is the overall impact on the viewer’s emotions towards that character? Finding the answers to these questions will help you in your own quest to bring a character or story to life.

No matter which genre you’re interested in, there are plenty of sources to learn from. By examining different styles and movie genres, you’ll find a storytelling technique that works for you. With enough practice you’ll not only be able to recreate your favorite director’s style, but you’ll be able to add your own bit of cinematic flair.

A Canadian filmmaker is on his way to realizing an age-long dream of becoming like The Six Million Dollar Man from his childhood TV shows.

Blinded in one eye from an accident when Rob Spence was a boy; he had the damaged eye removed a few years ago so he could wear a prosthetic eye, which looks like a normal eye. He noticed that the tiny camera in his cellphone could probably fit into the prosthesis, and thought, “why not?” Scientists agree with Spencer, and have been looking into ways to not only implant a tiny camera that can record video, but to someday have the ability to be wired to a blind person’s brain enabling them with sight.

We first told you about Rob Spence and the this new device back in December, and now the final tests on implanting Rob Spence’s empty eye-socket with a tiny camera will proceed within about a month. Being a filmmaker, Rob wants to see how close to “true” reality he can come by just recording ordinary day-to-day conversations and events without his subject’s being turned off by a regular camera.

However, since he’s a real filmmaker, Spence would expect to be on the up-and-up, and not try any weird stuff that could be considered morally, ethically, or legally out of the circle of decency.
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