Technorati Tags: Arrested Development, The Office, Neil Patel, Joseph Pak

No, this isn’t location scouting in the professional, industry term, where often paperwork and legal matters become involved...]]> The garage became stuffy, so we decided to head out and get some fresh air.

No, this isn’t location scouting in the professional, industry term, where often paperwork and legal matters become involved. We mean it in the way that guerrilla filmmakers mean it: “We don’t have a permit. Run!” (0:22). Not everyone can pay up to city hall or be insured. Sometimes the best way is to wing it without [official] permission, and hope nobody cares. This may sound like inept advice, but the realm of independent filmmaking is without many luxuries…

Technorati Tags: Location, Scouting, Car, Driving, Handheld, Locations

Technorati Tags: Easter, Bunny, Happy

The best way to learn about sound design, hands on, is to shoot a short film without any recorded audio or dialog...]]> Sound design is when you mix sound elements to give a scene an audible, tactile sensation. This must not be confused with the art of Foley, which is the craft of creating sound effects to match on-screen actions.

The best way to learn about sound design, hands on, is to shoot a short film without any recorded audio or dialog. Mix and match the sound elements you think will fit your creative vision; because sound design is a lot more open-ended than you think.

For a great sound effects resource visit soundsnap.com

Technorati Tags: 30, Sound, Design, Foley, Horror, Silent, Audio, Short Film

Peter Says: So at five o’clock Pacific Standard time, ABC will air the 80th Annual Academy Awards...]]> For a complete list of winners, take a look at IMDB’s list.

Peter Says:
So at five o’clock Pacific Standard time, ABC will air the 80th Annual Academy Awards. Yeah, yeah, we know—there’s a bunch of talk about how people these days don’t care about it anymore, kinda like LOST and the presidential election. And we all know how great the internet is, how a vast majority’ll probably Tivo the broadcast and upload it onto YouTube.

But if a live television broadcast is still good for one thing, it’s in guessing what’ll happen next. Without further ado, Sean and I have picked our likely Oscar nominations. No, we haven’t seen all the movies that are up for Oscars…but then again neither have some of the Academy voters (yes, it’s true).

Sean Says:
Hey everyone. I’m not able to write too much ATM (I’m actually typing this from my cellphone while shopping at the Brea Mall), but I do have my opinion of which films should win, and will be sitting at home in just a few hours, tuned in to Channel 7.

Best Picture: “There Will Be Blood”
Best Actor: Daniel Day-Lewis for “There Will Be Blood” Winner!
Best Actress: Marion Cotillard for “La Vie en rose” Winner!
Best Supporting Actor: Javier Bardem for “No Country for Old Men” Winner!
Best Supporting Actress: Cate Blanchett for “I’m Not There”
Best Director: Paul Thomas Anderson for “There Will Be Blood”
Best Original Screenplay: Diablo Cody for “Juno” Winner!
Best Adapted Screenplay: Paul Thomas Anderson for “There Will Be Blood”
Best Cinematography: Roger Deakins for “No Country for Old Men”
Best Editing: Christopher Rouse for “The Bourne Ultimatum” Winner!

Peter Says:
Certainly, this is a dark year for movies, with choices such as No Country and Blood. So dark and downbeat, in fact, that I suspect Juno stands a fair chance of taking home plenty of Oscars, if only because it is the least pessimistic of the major contenders. But lets not forget about what happened to last year’s Little Miss Sunshine…

Best Picture: “No Country for Old Men” Winner!
Best Actor: Daniel Day-Lewis for “There Will Be Blood” Winner!
Best Actress: Julie Christie for “Away From Her”
Best Supporting Actor: Javier Bardem for “No Country for Old Men” Winner!
Best Supporting Actress: Amy Ryan for “Gone Baby Gone”
Best Director: Joel, Ethan Cohen for “No Country for Old Men” Winner!
Best Original Screenplay: Diablo Cody for “Juno” Winner!
Best Adapted Screenplay: Joel, Ethan Cohen for “No Country for Old Men” Winner!
Best Cinematography: Seamus McGarvey for “Atonement”
Best Editing: Christopher Rouse for “The Bourne Ultimatum” Winner!

A shame that David Fincher’s Zodiac lucked out of last year’s Oscars, and managed to miss out on this year’s as well. However, I doubt it would’ve been given much of a nod. Fincher’s image as a director leans heavily on the commercial side (i.e. some consider him less of an artist), and principle photography of Zodiac relied on liberal use of computer generated scenery and effects, which many consider to be less craftsman-like versus the real thing. As great as the cinematography is, it was shot on a Viper, an all-digital camera. Digital has yet to win the respect of the proponents of film stock, and so yet again Zodiac has, in effect, nailed its own coffin. Had it been nominated for anything, my guesses go to Best Supporting Actor (Robert Downey Jr.), Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Editing, and Best Sound Editing.

Discontinuity is the black sheep of the family. All the other shots flow together and behave like all good continuities should. But discontinuity picks fights, hangs out at MacDonald’s, and listens to rap music...]]> We’ve all heard of continuity, but what about discontinuity?

Discontinuity is the black sheep of the family. All the other shots flow together and behave like all good continuities should. But discontinuity picks fights, hangs out at MacDonald’s, and listens to rap music. It sticks out like a sore thumb; but like a Goth kid, that’s exactly what it wants. Now why would anybody insert a shot that doesn’t “flow” with the scene? Watch the episode to find out. Also, in our editorial rant, find out why switching to a Mac isn’t always necessary.

Technorati Tags: Continuity, Discontinuity, Editing, Separation, Mac, PC

For some trivia, the title (something we wondered about) comes from the name of the street where the Bad Robot production company resides...]]> This weekend we saw the much-hyped Cloverfield.

For some trivia, the title (something we wondered about) comes from the name of the street where the Bad Robot production company resides. And if you’re wondering what camera they used, the majority was shot with the HD version of the camera we shoot our episodes with. However, for the shots that required a lot of CG, they brought out the Viper and a Sony CineAlta.

Also, if you haven’t seen it already, you be the judge. And here’s the interview with J.J. Abrams that we mentioned.

Technorati Tags: Movie, Review, MR, 3, Cloverfield, Clover, field, Slusho, ***1/2, ***

Things have been busy here at Take Zer0. By ‘busy’ we mean holiday partying and playing Sean’s new Wii. But that hasn’t stopped us from putting out another episode.

We’ll go over the basics of camera angles. Didn’t we talk about camera angles last time?..]]> Happy New Year! Merry Christmas!

Things have been busy here at Take Zer0. By ‘busy’ we mean holiday partying and playing Sean’s new Wii. But that hasn’t stopped us from putting out another episode.

We’ll go over the basics of camera angles. Didn’t we talk about camera angles last time? Well, yes, that’s precisely what we talked about. This time, instead of being literal (low-angle, camera tilt, etc…), we’ll be talking theoretically (what a camera can represent). Just watch. This is more important than you think.

Technorati Tags: 21, Camera, Angle, Angles, Objective, Subjective, POV, Point, View, Part, 2, Two

We’re still working hard on preparing content for TZ v2.0...]]> Camera angles can be expressed in both physical and psychological terms. This episode, Part One of two, presents the physical angles: low-angle, high-angle, and dutch angle. We’ll present Part Two next week.

We’re still working hard on preparing content for TZ v2.0. Between school (it’s finals week), Christmas shopping, and work, we’ve been pretty busy lately. Our apologies if we’re slow in responding to any emails or messages, but we’ll do our best!

Technorati Tags: 20, Camera, Angle, Angles, Low, High, Dutch, Neutral, Part, 1, One

Oh and we both bought a Nintendo DS...]]> More of the contest in today’s video. We’re also putting together version two of the Take Zer0 website. Expect changes in the layout and in the content; that is, we’re pushing for more content, as opposed to altering our original format.

Oh and we both bought a Nintendo DS. That’s sort of an update.

Technorati Tags: Camera, Contest, Giveaway, Take, Zer0, v2, Version, 2, two

Stay tuned to the end when we show you how to participate in the first Take Zer0 contest...]]> In today’s episode, we’ll teach you how to be able to see through clothes using a blank roll of film and any video camera that has night vision.

Stay tuned to the end when we show you how to participate in the first Take Zer0 contest. All you need to do is become our friend on YouTube and leave a comment on this video (either on TakeZer0.com or on YouTube) with a topic idea. The best idea wins!

Technorati Tags: See, Through, Clothes, IR, Infrared, Filter, Camera, Contest, Giveaway

Now imagine if that camera took a picture every 1/24th of a second. The shutter speed, the aperture, and the gain would all have to be adjusted...]]> We all know how to use a camera. You pull it out of your back pocket, flick it on, point and then snap the button; whereby a flash illuminates all your friends.

Now imagine if that camera took a picture every 1/24th of a second. The shutter speed, the aperture, and the gain would all have to be adjusted. Of course, if your pocket camera had an aperture, it would cease to be an ordinary pocket camera.

It would be a video camera, which is what this episode is all about.

Technorati Tags: How, Use, Camera, Aperture, Iris, Gain, ISO, Shutter, Speed, FPS, Frame, Rate

Oh the first act of a movie. Here we tell you what usually happens before the “Inciting Incident”—the moment in the first act that propels the rest of the story into motion...]]> This is what happens when you shoot an episode at two o’clock in the morning.

Oh the first act of a movie. Here we tell you what usually happens before the “Inciting Incident”—the moment in the first act that propels the rest of the story into motion. As an introduction into creative storytelling: Don’t ever allow the inciting incident to be boring. And as a bit of added philosophy, when all else fails, copy Goodfellas.

We’ll cover:

• Act I basics: establishing the main character and The Inciting Incident

show notes:

Download and print your own story structure card (for best results, try printing it onto 8.5×11 card stock!)

TZ_Card.psd | TZ_Card.jpg

Technorati Tags: Basics, Story, Structure, Steps

What happened was that, at the last minute, we had to shoot a sample episode for a client of ours.

So here is a video of my sister, Amy, the robot...]]> Sorry to disappoint again, but it seems we have to post yet another filler episode. Our sincerest apologies. The next episode will be shot on Sunday and posted on Tuesday.

What happened was that, at the last minute, we had to shoot a sample episode for a client of ours.

So here is a video of my sister, Amy, the robot. In her spare time, she’s programmed to paint. She once attempted to outdo me by