May 17

Kickstarter of the Week – The Glamour & The Squalor

Before the Internet made sourcing new music and rising bands a simple matter of keystrokes, bookmarks and RSS feeds, there was the radio DJ. Those with an insatiable thirst for the fresh and undiscovered relied on the savvy DJ with the right connections to feed us a steady diet of the up and coming, the unsigned, the ones-to-keep-an-eye-on. For the unsigned and undiscovered, it was said DJ who provided the air time, created the buzz... read more ›
May 03

Kickstarter of the Week – Stop Motion Love Story: Interview with the 11 Year Old Director

I don't know what you were doing when you were 11, but I know I wasn't directing movies. Hell, I wasn't even standing in front of that pool. Trinity Anderson, on the other hand, has jumped into the deep end and seems to managing just fine, thank you. The 11-year-old and her father, Barry Anderson, are wrapping up production on her latest stop-motion film (a genre she's been at since she was 4) and have... read more ›
Apr 18

Photo Kickstarter o’ the Week – The Rocket Travel Slider

"Sliders and dollies help you tell your story with beautiful camera moves." So sayeth filmmaker Zeke Kamm of Nice Industries. Hard to argue with that statement. Well-placed, well-executed dolly shots increase production value, no question there. They can also increase production time and total gear load, as traditional sliders are bulky and a bitch to set up. That's where Kamm's Rocket Travel Slider comes in. Capable of delivering up to 10 foot long, smooth dolly... read more ›
Apr 01

Photo Kickstarter o’ the Week — The Supraflux Video Camera Stabilizer with Brake

I'm loving the photo related projects that are popping up on kickstarter these days. I get 4-5 emails per week from people promoting their projects. Some of them suck. Some are fun. Others are downright dope. So, as we usher in a new era of DIY gadgetry and attempt to discover a future slew of products that might help us photogs + directors, I'm going to try to regularly recommend some kickstarters that have a little... read more ›
Jan 29

A Robot That Drives Your Camera — The Little Motion Control Dolly That Could

L'il Mule with ball head, camera, and battery mounted
I stumbled on this gem via Kickstarter a week or two ago and reached out to my camera tech pal Sohail to get his take. In short, we cranked out this review in short order to give you a first look AND... I've got another prototype en route to my studio now to put it thru the paces of an actual commercial job... Will report back again after all is said and done, but in... read more ›
Jul 22

New Era, Start-to-Finish Evolution of a Music Video Project

wings
Beautiful music vid here performed by Seattle hip hop pals Macklemore (@macklemore) & Ryan Lewis (@ryanlewismusic) and shot by emerging Seattle filmmaker friend Zia Mohajerjasbi (@DrZia) You think this video emerged fully formed outta these guys' brains? Hell no. It's all a process. Usually, this process is not well chronicled. But in the case of this video, we get to see some special insights. Not just the 'making of' but the whole process... read more ›