Film Sensei named “One of 50 Best Blogs for Filmmakers” by Moviemaker Magazine

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

Hacked!

We found out on Thursday that the site had been hacked. Some evil computer arch-villain or villainess had placed a string of code on our homepage, which caused all sorts of warnings for people trying to access the site. After a few loyal readers emailed me to let me know it happened and thanks to the fine folks at Google, we were able to figure out what happened and how to fix it. Yay!

The site is now back on track with increased security measures. Thanks again to the Google team and those of you who emailed me when you saw that something looked awry. Look for a new post in the next day or so. Take care!

-Mat Nastos, the Film Sensei
http://www.FilmSensei.com

Film Sensei: An Introduction

With this new website, I wanted to take a few moments to introduce myself.  My name is Mat Nastos and you might be aware of me from some of my other websites: www.theNiftyNerd.com, www.WatchMeLearnGuitar.com or www.NiftyComics.com.  Or you might even know me from some of the comic books I’ve worked on: Elfquest, Thor, Spider-man, Superman (well, the Man of Steel title) or my self-published comic, the Cadre.  What I really am at heart, aside from being a Sex Symbol and inspiration to millions, is a filmmaker. 

I love everything about the filmmaking process — preproduction is fun, post production is a blast (who doesn’t love editing?) and production itself is one of the most incredible experiences I’ve ever had the pleasure to go through, especially on low, low budget films.  Sure, there is a ton of pain, hard work and a lot of sleepless nights involved, but that just caramelizes the experience for me.  It’s kind of like going away to camp or college where you’re thrown head-first into a group of people and you spend every waking moment with them: laughing, crying, arguing and bonding amidst the pain of early call times and 16 hour days.  Once the pain of the actual production process has faded a bit, you’ll look back and realize you have some truly great memories…even on bad films.  And, truth be told, a lot of times the finished piece won’t be as important to you as the memories of the process itself.  It’s a bonus if you wind up with a great movie when you’re done, but you’ll often find the bad movies are even more fun. Full Story →