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Posted by Mat on 13th, 2011
(* This was sent over from the folks at Zooppa about a new video contest they have going on that is wrapping up in November.)
Zooppa.com has an ongoing video contest that would make you excited!!! It’s all about creating a 30-60-second video exposing the secrets of the Ultimate Party Host with the help of the Margaritaville Cargo Mixed Drink Maker. Margaritaville Cargo Mixed Drink Maker helps you create delicious Margaritas fast and easy. You do NOT need to have and/or purchase a drink maker to enter this contest. Get as creative and out of the box as you can.
It could be an interview, backstage before a big party or a documentary-style spoof.
Submit by October 17th at 4pm PST and you will get a chance to win $5,000 for the early bird award. Last Day of submission is November 7th at 4pm PST. Voting period ends November 14th at 4pm PST. For more details, go to: Margaritaville Video Contest.
dsc
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Posted by Mat on 10th, 2011
Welcome BACK to the DOJO!
Due to health issues, way too much work and my daughter being born, I’ve been just a bit absent from this site for the past two years! Gah…it’s insane that I’ve been gone for that long. Even more insane that during that “hiatus” MovieMaker magazine named the site one of the Top 50 Blogs for Filmmakers earlier this year. Of course, I’m not sure what it says more: that the Film Sensei is a pretty darn good resource for indy and guerrilla filmmakers or that there are just a lot of really bad film blogs out there. Either way, I was pleased to get word.
For my first post back I want to address the question I get asked more than any other here at the Dojo: What is the “best” camera for an indy / guerrilla filmmaker?
The pat (and, actually, incredibly accurate) answer I like to give is: whatever camera you can get!
The funny thing is, a lot of indy guys don’t realize the truth behind that statement. I am constantly talking to guys on message boards who want to be filmmakers but haven’t actually gotten around to shooting anything because they are in “research” mode. For a ton of guys, research mode becomes their focus instead of filmmaking itself. They spend weeks, months, even years researching, learning and comparing the specs of every camera out there, constantly updating the information as new pieces are released, constantly putting off investing in their filmmaking because the next new camera has been announced – the one they are convinced will give them the perfect results – but they just have to wait another few months for it to come out.
It’s all crap. Full Story →
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Posted by Mat on 27th, 2010
Welcome to the DOJO!
I just received this in from someone at Zoopa hoping to pimp out the contest, but haven’t had a chance to check it out. Has anyone else heard about this? If so, give us some feed back in the comments!
-Mat Nastos, the Film Sensei
http://www.FilmSensei.com
(Send from Zoopa/AT&T)
AT&T is hosting a video contest with a $20,000 Grand Prize to help promote how Online Services can simplify life.
Simple changes can make huge differences in our everyday lives — AT&T’s online services allow you to easily manage your account, pay your AT&T bills automatically online and get answers about your account at anytime without picking up a phone.
Here’s what you need to do: create a video up to 60 seconds showing how AT&T’s online services can improve and simplify life. Submit your video by December 1st and be eligible to win up the $20,000 Grand Prize. Share your favorite video with your friends and enter to win up to $1,000 in prizes.
To find out more about the contest details, go to: http//att.com/simplify/
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Posted by Mat on 18th, 2010
Don’t forget, I’ll be at Geeks Con tomorrow at Geeks Comics in Whittier - 6747 Greenleaf Ave. (Cross streets: Philadelphia /Greenleaf), Whittier, CA – 12:00pm – 10:00pm
Stop by for sketches, comics, my 2010 ElfSong Sketchbook, Star Wars and even Phineas & Ferb sketch cards!
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Posted by Mat on 28th, 2010
I am going to be at the LA Rock’N Comic Con this weekend (May 28-30) at the Pasadena Convention Center in Pasadena, California and will be set up in Artist Alley booth #914 with Shawn Granger from King Tractor Press. I’ll be there showing off artwork and new Nifty Comics merchandise from the Cadre and ElfSong, along with sketching like a madman. In fact, I’m doing free sketchcards for anyone that comes up and recites a really cool dirty limerick.
For more information on the show, go to: http://rockincomiccon.com/
Drop by, pick up a sketch or a DeadPooh print and say “Hi!”
-Mat N.
http://www.ElfSong.com
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Posted by Mat on 17th, 2010
Welcome to the DOJO!
Hey, all! Time again for another Q&A with an indie and guerrilla filmmaking guru. This time, horror FX genius, Marcus Koch, takes some time out of his busy schedule to answer a few questions for you, my loyal Film Sensei readers. Take it away, Marcus!
Name: Marcus Koch
Year/Age Started as a Filmmaker:
I’d honestly have to say i got the itch, for making movies around age 7, my Parents had a video camera, and it was all down hill from there once i got my hands on it. Full Story →
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Posted by Mat on 9th, 2010
Welcome to the DOJO!
From now on, every Friday is going to be Reader MailBag day here at Film Sensei HQ. That’s right, every Friday your Film Sensei is going to dip deep in to the massive amount of reader email I receive and post comments, questions and critiques from you, my loyal readers.
Today we’ve got a note from a man calling himself Devo from the Seattle, Washington based Booyah Films. Devo has a couple of quick reviews to help out out indie and guerrilla filmmakers with getting their work out in front of the public. Take it away, Devo!
Hi Mat.
Love the Film Sensei site – good stuff. I’m a would be indie film auteur myself, check out my first 3-minute short here:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1385504/
I have a couple suggestions for you to review and feature on your site (although I could take a stab at reviewing them):
Celtx – awesome, totally free, script writing software. It also allows you to do index cards (virtual) of scenes, storyboarding, and production scheduling. It supports film, TV, play, and comic formats.
WithoutABox.com – website, lets you submit to multiple (thousands) of film festivals all through one account online.
CreateSpace.com – website, you can send in a DVD master and artwork & they will distribute for you on-demand (when someone orders it). You can set up a site/page through them and also sell your DVDs on Amazon through them.
WithoutABox, CreateSpace and IMDB are all owned by Amazon. I Set up my film in WithoutABox for festivals, set up a DVD Master at CreateSpace (was free at the time), they listed it on Amazon for free and gave me an IMDB page – sweet!
Easy and cheap self-distribution.
Devo
Booyah Films
Seattle, WA
Thanks for the kind words, Devo! Glad you wrote in. Celtx is a great piece of free software for writers, producers and directors. A fantastic alternative to Final Draft or MovieMagic Screenwriter. Anyone interested in writing a screenplay, doing breakdowns or scheduling a production should check it out. The website is: http://www.celtx.com/
The Amazon suite of websites for filmmakers (IMDB, CreateSpace and WithOutABox) are all essential places for any indie or guerrilla filmmaker to check out. I love CreateSpace and have used it a number of times in the past. You can check them out at: http://www.withoutabox.com and http://www.CreateSpace.com
Thanks again for the note, Devo.
That wraps up this week’s Reader MailBag. Please feel free to drop us a note with any of your own indie filmmaking tips or if you want to talk about something you’ve seen here on FilmSensei.com. Take care and I’ll see you again next week!
-Mat N, the Film Sensei
Http://www.FilmSensei.com
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Posted by Mat on 5th, 2010
Welcome to the DOJO!
In 2009 I had the pleasure of attending one of my favorite horror conventions, Texas Frightmare Weekend in Dallas, TX. I was there to hang out with my buddy, indie film genius Stacy Davidson, and see what the Texas guerrilla filmmaking community had to offer.
I have to say that I was blown away by what I found. The Texas filmmaking community in general, and the horror community in specific, is one of the most creative and innovative I’ve ever seen. The group produces some amazing, and incredibly fun, work.
One of the filmmakers I had the pleasure to meet was a Dallas-native by the name of Abel Berry. He was there pimping his first film, the killer clown flick called SPOILS
. After speaking to Abel and finding out he had shot the entire film on the amazing Canon HV20
, I decided to pick up his DVD and check it out. What I saw was an incredibly low-budget film with a whole lot of blood, a bunch of murders and more creativity and imagination than I’d seen in a very long time.
So now, a year later, I head back to Texas (well, at least via the Internet) to see what Abel has been up to and to get some of his great advice for indie filmmakers. Take it away, Abel Berry! Full Story →
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Posted by Mat on 2nd, 2010
Welcome to the DOJO!
Ok, so my intended re-launch of Filmsensei.com wound up taking just a bit longer than I had originally planned. However, I’ve got a lot of cool stuff in store and it all begins today!
As often as I can coax my filmmaker friends to do so, the Film Sensei plans to run question & answer sessions with cutting edge guerrilla and indie filmmakers here on the website. We’re going to get down and get answers from filmmakers who are out in the trenches every day working on low budget films. These guys started out just like you, my loyal readers, as run-and-gun low budget filmmakers and have been able to get their flicks made and out to the public.
The first in this on-going series of indie filmmaker Q&As is with guerrilla filmmaking wunderkind, Jacob Strunk. I met Jacob in 2009 when he needed a good camera for his latest short film, “This is the Place.” Normally I don’t tag along to shoots, but having heard about Jacob’s reputation I just had to go and see the man in action. Needless to say, Jacob didn’t disappoint.
I’m going to shut up now and let Jacob take over. Enjoy! Full Story →
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Posted by Mat on 25th, 2010
Welcome to the Dojo!
I got some great news today, although it’s news that makes me feel bad too…let me explain. I found out earlier today that this site, the Film Sensei (http://www.filmsensei.com), was named as one of the 50 Best Blogs for Filmmakers by Moviemaker Magazine. That’s freaking fantastic and it’s great to hear that people respond well to the blog. That’s the part that makes me feel all oogly inside.
The reason that fantastic news makes me feel bad is because I’ve neglected the site terribly over the past few months. I’ve had a bunch of other stuff on my plate — including putting a new film together, my illustration and publishing work (http://www.elfsong.com) and a new addition to my family (baby Morgan Christina Nastos, born December 29, 2009).
I guess what the listing means is that I’ve got to get things back on track with this site and start putting out some new tips, tricks and info every week. Starting this week, look for a new article every Thursday. I’m going to ramp back up to doing video posts at least once a week and upping my article output to at least twice a week…just give me some time. Having a new baby really puts a hurting on my free time right now.
Thanks again to everyone over at Moviemaker magazine for the nod and thanks to you, my loyal readers. Take care and keep shooting!
-Mat Nastos, the Film Sensei
http://www.FilmSensei.com
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