Theory

Gaining a deeper understanding of film history and genres, learning how to view a film objectively and being able to develop believable characters can help you create better videos, improve your technique or inspire you to add some spice to your style.

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Theory

Deconstructing Cinematography: Barry Lyndon

This segment examines a scene from a film that took low-light shooting to new levels. Director Stanley Kubrick's Barry Lyndon, released in 1975, still holds the title for the lowest f-stop lens used in a film. With the beautifully crafted shots in the film, it's no surprise that Directro of Photography John Alcott won the academy award for best cinematography. Deconstructing Cinematography looks at an incredibly lit scene, using only three candles.
Deconstructing Cinematography: Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid

Cinematographer Conrad Hall won the academy award for best cinematography for Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid in 1969, and his style still has enormous influence in movies today. We look at a scene from a great film that boldly pushed the boundaries of the western genre and set a new look for the classic western.
Deconstructing Cinematography: Citizen Kane

Videomaker's Deconstructing Cinematography examines great movie scenes known for spectacular cinematography and breaks them down to find why they're highly revered. In this segment we review a scene from an all time classic, Citizen Kane. Released in 1941, and nominated for best cinematography, many of the techniques used in the film proved to be groundbreaking changes in the way movies are made.
New Titles: Corporate Video Production, Mixing Secrets for the Small Studio

Anonymous (not verified) - Wed, 08/01/2012 - 12:00am

Book and Media Reviews
Video: The Great Equalizer

mikerosen - July 06th, 2012

My grandfather didn't work in video; he was a writer, but he had one useful piece of advice that can apply to anyone working in any creative field. He used to tell me about his student years at the New School for Social Research in New York, how so many of his fellow students spent their time hanging out in coffee houses and talking about the great American novel that they were going to write someday.
Viewfinder: Device vs Feature

Anonymous (not verified) - Sun, 07/01/2012 - 12:00am

When filmmaking was expensive, cumbersome and an elitists' domain, only the filmmakers could tell a story. Now that video has become a communications form for the masses, anyone can help democratize the world by giving voice to those who have none.
VM Reader Learns Importance of Audio in Cooking Show Experience

mikerosen - June 28th, 2012

Time and again, we've warned readers about the importance of audio in video. Audiences will tolerate -- some may even expect -- imperfections in a video's visuals, but they absolutely will not stand for poor quality audio. Tinny or muffled sound instantly breaks our suspension of disbelief; it can make it difficult to follow the storyline or really connect with the characters.
Can You Catch Ghosts on Video?

mikerosen - June 21st, 2012

We're all curious about the strange, the unexplained, the unknown... Whether you're a believer or a skeptic, you have to admit that there's something fascinating about the thought that there might be things in this world beyond mortal ken. That's why so many people have dedicated themselves to cataloging and investigating strange phenomena like ghosts and spirits.
Fair Trade Connection Shares Stories of Global Workers with Video

mikerosen - May 31st, 2012

It's always exciting when we see someone using their video skills to help improve the world. We've long seen the potential for video to change the world, from its role in democratizing news gathering to its use as a classroom aid for education.
Gap Tooth Documentary Shows Even Small Stories Can Intrigue

mikerosen - May 25th, 2012

We've often talked about documentary video on this site and the one thing that we've stressed time and again is that a documentary topic does not need to be "big" to be good. Many readers look at documentaries like Ken Burns' Civil War and assume that all documentaries need to be similarly epic sagas. But sometimes smaller stories have even more potential to really speak to people.