Green Lens Media

Category: Filmmaking

  • The Hobbit: An Expected Review

    When I was a little kid, my father collected me, my little brother and sister, and a huge silver Casio tape-playing boom box, and set us all down around the fireplace. He turned the overhead light out and an orange glow from the fire cast itself onto the carpet, illuminating the tape deck.

    “What we’re about to listen to is a very special story,” he said. “I read this story a long time ago, and I enjoyed it so much I want to share it with you kids. If it gets too scary we’ll turn it off.” We all looked at each other and he hit the play button.

    Listening to The Hobbit in the dark around this light is one of my favorite memories. The recording was produced by The Mind’s Eye, and was a full production, complete with multiple talented voices, an extensive sound effects library, and an impressively orchestrated score. The recording originally aired in 1979 on NPR Radio, and it had finally made its way to three children listening by a hearth, the dog asleep in the corner.

    I loved this story, specifically this telling of it, so much so that in middle school I stole it out of my father’s closet and would play each tape to put me to sleep, every night. When the series ended I just started the 6 hour adventure from the beginning again. This continued for an embarrassingly long time, to the point that even today I can anticipate most lines and recite many of them. You must understand: for some reason, maybe the fact of how my journey with Bilbo started in our family room, I was a little obsessed with Tolkien and his world of Middle-Earth

    In 2000, I went to a movie. I don’t remember what movie–it doesn’t matter. What mattered was the trailer. It was a teaser, and it opened with a New Zealand hill top covered in dry grass, black rock, and mountains in the background. Epically adventurous music began, and up over the hill came a tall bearded man in a pointed grey hat and cloak carrying a wooden staff. At this point I was too excited to sit still, because I thought, oh wow, the next thing to come over the hill is going to be 13 dwarves and a hobbit and I’m going to go nuts. When the pointy eared elf walk over next I thought, that dwarf looks unusually high. Then came a character who could ONLY be a dwarf, followed by some obvious hobbits, and then some other tall people I couldn’t place. If you can’t tell, I had not read Lord of the Rings, but I knew of it. Though I was looking forward to the film no doubt, I was crushed it wasn’t The Hobbit.

    Fast forward through movies of Fellowship and Two Towers, and I’m a true LOTR fan. When the release day for Return of the King arrived I thought it was the end of the age of Middle-Earth, a three year movie-viewing journey. I waited in line with other enthusiast friends opening day and took it in, taking a mental picture in my mind. It was a special day, a great day, and a sad day all at once. It was worth the wait, heck, the wait enhanced it, but knowing it was over was tough to stomach.

    After its successes, we learned Hobbit was being talked about, and that was a giddy feeling. Then I caught wind of Peter Jackson’s awful relationship with New Line Cinema, and how it might jeopardize him directing, which sounded sacrilegious and a big blow to a well-defined series. Then there was the notion it might not have the same actors, or even be done at all. Years went by with nothing but rumors and hope (whispers of a nameless fear?). When it was evident Jackson was back on board, and when casting finally started, and when filming actually began, each stage brought this feeling of relief. I was there, and now would go back again.

    Only this time I would go back to an unknown sight. 48 frames per second. Twice the frames for double the clarity. You see, 3D is an issue for some. Fortunately I don’t get 3D sick, but I do heavily notice, with the fields being arranged the way they need to be for stereoscopic filmmaking, the picture taking a big hit in crispness and brightness. It is the nature of the beast, and the price for 3D. Jackson announced his belief that 48fps would be a better way to view the film. With this high frame rate (look for “HFR” in the marquee at the theater) we were going to break from that ever traditional and cinematic 24fps we’ve come to know, love, and get used to. The reaction from Comic-Con couldn’t be more deafening. I read in the news the crowd was nervous, hyper, then outraged at the clip they were shown, and how it looked more like a soap opera on TV than a throwback to the Shire.

    Whatever. At least they’re making it, I thought.

    I tried to avoid the screenshots, the behind-the-scenes clips online, and the eventually released trailers, but I failed miserably and was unable to help myself. All the while knowing this story I have waited 9, no 12, no 22 years for, was going to be told in a revolutionary new format. Pioneering new territory is thrilling, and as a filmmaker, I am always grateful to ride the wave of the new, scary as it may be. With the release of digital video, then DSLRs, then FCPX, the end of manufactured film cameras and the slow decay of celluloid overall, I’ve been privy to some fascinating, industry-changing events. I must be honest, though: as we got closer and closer to December 14th, I legitimately became nervous about this new frame rate, and worried it would spoil something near and dear. All I had to go on was that its Peter Jackson we’re talking about. Middle-Earth is his baby after J.R.R., and I just need to trust he wants to do the film justice.

    This evening, I again found myself in a line for another adventure. Joined by my brother Sam, who picked up tickets the day before, we arrive an hour early to already find a line of 50 people. When we got through we had to wait in another line outside the theater doors. When finally we were loosed, we found some seats in the exact middle, and settled in immovably.

    This was indeed the experience I wanted. The HFR version is different, and will look slightly strange to those not expecting it, but it truly does fade away. I plan on seeing it again in the other formats to compare, but as far as content I couldn’t be happier. I won’t spoil anything for those who haven’t seen it or who don’t know the story (what are you waiting for?), but take it from a very critical filmmaker and an even more critical fan that this movie is definitely worth seeing.

    My advice is to know what version you are walking into. There are a least 5 different versions: IMAX 3D, RealD 3D (RealD is a different 3D technology than IMAX), RealD 3D HFR (48fps), IMAX 3D HFR (48fps), and 2D Digital. For the most familiar cinematic look, your best bet is probably the 2D digital, but I want to verify this before committing to that claim.

    I’ve heard multiple complaints about too much CGI, but we all saw that coming. Personally, I too prefer great robotics and puppetry done right (Jurassic Park anyone?), but to get here at all was an elating experience in itself. I give the movie an A, mostly because I felt the Goblin King needed some major advice and reconsideration in the 3D modeling department, but moreover because I don’t think anything can really top what’s in the mind.

    It is absolutely a must-see this winter, though, and I hope you enjoy An Unexpected Journey as much as I did. It has rekindled the same magic I felt at the beginning of the LOTR run, where you had to wait a whole year before you could continue the quest, but the pay off was practically tactile. That feeling that I thought was a one-time occurrence is now present again, and it is this weird sensation of reliving the greatness of the LOTR span, but with a new, unseen yet equally epic set of films. And while it brought me back to all these memories, it mostly put me right back where I started, right next to that fire so many years ago. It was warm, and invited me right in.

  • The Power of Film Freedom

    I watched the 84th Academy Awards, like many professional and aspiring filmmakers did, only this time it seemed just a little more…unsure of itself. We had Billy Crystal up there reprising his host role having taken an 8-year hiatus. Though the intro was heartfelt, the jokes were cute, and it reminded me of how I’ve watched City Slickers II about 50 times with my grandfather chuckling the whole way through, it still was missing something.

    On the red carpet, which I was somehow forced to watch in my company, the commentators were as electrifying as ever: “What an outfit…Who are you wearing? Do I sound introspective and look as magnificent as you this year? Wait, before you go, I have one more shot for you. .” Like Crystal (don’t get me wrong, I will always love the guy), let me reiterate—the event was missing something. More than anything I heard the commentators talking about how classy, and old Hollywood it was this year, just like they claimed last year, the year before, and the year before. Hollywood seems to be fixated on retaining a time period when things made sense, and where the studios controlled everything from production to content, distribution to demographic. The movie industry is not about control anymore, it’s about fluidity, exposure and instant gratification. Whoever can get the most eyes on their product seems to be doing quite well for themselves.

    These are interesting times for filmmakers, independent or Hollywood, what with an evolving landscape changing every year for movies in the What, Where, Why, When, Who, How and How Much.

    What
    In Hollywood, the What is for the most part getting less intelligent and lazier. I swear, any day now we will get the prequel to Dumb and Dumbererer 5. We had some good movies this year, but were any of them really great movies? If it weren’t for the refreshing creation of The Artist (an homage to old Hollywood with some modern touch), I would say we’ve seen better years. The independent films I’m sure were great, but unless you go to festivals or subscribe to an independent on-demand channel, it is sometimes hard to find out about those films, much less see them.

    Where
    Movies out of Hollywood are being made more and more out of single locations, many able to claim that location as a post-production CGI house. The Where may be determined for tax reasons, logistics, convenience, but in the end the ultimate answer is money. Even though ticket prices are anywhere from $9 to $18 depending on how big the screen is and if the picture is in 3D, piracy has no doubt hit Hollywood hard, and the economy tanking hasn’t helped much either. Independent projects however are expanding outside their home base origins, with gear being less expensive and more portable than ever.

    Why
    Why Hollywood movies are being made (sorry if this is a shocker to anyone) is still about the money, as it always has been. You might have the best, most artistic, thought-provoking, culturally changing, life-altering script of all time, but if a producer can’t see it succeeding at the box office, good luck. That is perhaps the Oscars one redeeming quality. Out of all the junk the LA machine pumps out each year, it does make a few good artistic pieces worth recognition and worth seeing—movies that make us think. I wish there were more of them. Wait a minute, there are more of them! Only they aren’t Hollywood, they are independent, or even more so, they are really independent. Like the filmmakers going out themselves or with a small crew and uploading to Vimeo. Why are they doing it? Because they love it, because they care, and because they simply have to do it. They won’t feel complete unless they do it. Those are the movies you want to see.

    When
    Hollywood is making movies all the time, but not at the same volume or pace that the independent and online community is producing. Not even close. We have a democratizing revolution going on in the video industry now, where you can make a movie on an iPhone if you really want to. Whatever Hollywood movies come out that are worth seeing, you can usually expect them to release around fall or winter—right before the Oscars so it is hot and in folks’ minds. However, movies made on REDs, Alexas, and HDSLRs are being released all the time. There is no time like the present, and the sooner you can provide new content the happier your followers will be.

    Who
    Who is making movies is actually more of a question of who isn’t making movies? Hollywood of course makes movies, and filmmakers make movies, but it’s much broader than that. With a camera on every phone, the iPad, and HDSLRs, it is easier than ever to make a video, however short, low budget, or planned out. It is parents, business owners, students, doctors, salesmen, cooks—almost every industry there’s going to be someone who has zero training in videography, or even interest in filmmaking, and yet are still making films. It would be an interesting statistic to learn just how many people in the past year made at least one video clip, even if it was just a shot of their cat on their phone. Who is making good movies is another story.

    How
    The How I find the most exciting of all. Hollywood is making their films the same way they always have—big budgets, A list actors, huge crews, lavish locations, unparalleled cutting edge graphics, and the same formulaic scripts they’ve relied on for years with a couple diamonds in the rough. Independents are still looking for their moderate budgets, decent sized crews, and best locations possible for their scripts. But if you watch the content (particularly the short film content) coming in on sites like Vimeo, Blip.tv or occasionally YouTube once in a blue moon, you will find some incredible ratios of production value and resources to budget spent.

    How Much
    The trick is figuring out, in that last category of small online distribution, how to monetize it so you can both make a living and make more content, while not also selling your soul to the advertising devil. As of right now, I’m not certain how advertising dollars can’t be involved to make it work, though sites like Kickstarter and IndieGoGo may be on the right track. By crowdsourcing, and funding your projects with an audience that is already interested in your idea, it seems like everybody wins. I noticed the other day a project for a video game called Double Fine Adventure asking for $400,000. At the time of my writing this post they have secured 2.4 million dollars and have 5 days left. Wow. I think their success is not just due to what they are promising, but their attention to producing a professional looking video that allows fans a window into the behind the scenes, which helps sell their idea and convince people to donate. They decided to show (not just tell) what they doing, and it came back to them many fold.

    My point here is that the content you create matters. The story. With all the other noise out there online, in people’s ears and at the water coolers, you need some good content to help you stand out. This is true if you are trying to create the next LA Confidential, a corporate marketing video for your website, or an assembly of family home videos. You want it to not just inform, but entertain and engage. If you are thinking about budget, think about how much it might cost you later, when you’re forced to clean up a PR mess from a poorly produced video done in-house. If you’re thinking, “Well, only my family is going to see this,” consider your great great grandkids when they watch it. Wouldn’t it be ideal that they feel something, as opposed to just witness something? To achieve the emotional experience, to make it more than just the factual heritage connection, that takes some careful attention to timing and editorial decisions.

    The beautiful thing is, it’s true, anyone these days can make a movie. In fact, if you are outside the Hollywood machine, the filmmaking experience can actually be quite liberating creatively, since now you are the one in control. You may hear the followup, “Yes, but not everyone should make a movie / video.” If you love the process and ability to express yourself by making films, then I disagree with those pessimists; please make lots of movies to evolve your skills and your voice. Simply realize that when ready for a serious production, it can also be a very scary thing in the wrong hands, not just for you and the team but for your desired audience.

    What I am advocating is that after some experimentation and tests, once you get to a project you know matters to you, put some thought into how it will get accomplished the right way. Perhaps then we can look forward to increased interest in shows like the Vimeo Awards and Webby Awards, which stand to be much more in tune with viewers on an individual level. Everything is moving to the web whether we like it or not. I think the natural progression points to these more relatable, personalized shows thriving, while shows like the Academies focus on surviving. For non-filmmaker consumers, these new shows will only become more entertaining with age. From a filmmaker’s perspective, it is fun to watch these newer web-based award shows because the awards themselves seem so much more accessible and attainable. It still means you need to put care into your work; cats playing keyboards only gets you so far. Whether you are creating work for your friends and family, your peers and colleagues, or your customers and clients, think through your mission and make it cutting edge but still appropriately classy. And not swan dress classy; that is so 2001 old Hollywood.

    Focus of the Day:
    How do you make your content stand out?

    Film-tip: Learn the language. The more vocab you know on set, especially in the area that you are not a specialist in, the more you can communicate with the crew about what you want. It sounds simple and repetitious, but it really can take what should be a 4 hour shoot and make it an 8-10 hour shoot if you mess it up.

    Eco-tip: Help get support going for the coolest mode of transport out there yet. If you haven’t seen the Shweeb yet, you’re really missing out. Let’s get these into our cities and actually have fun getting to and from work.

  • Moving Forward: How to Do What You Love for a Long Time

    As a filmmaker, to say you will be on your feet quite a bit is somewhat of an under statement. Part of me liked the idea of a filmmaking career because it wouldn’t be just a fun, challenging, creative job that exposes you to lots of different industries, varieties of life and culture, but it would be an active one. You have to get out of your chair if you want to make a film. If your reply is “I’m an animator; like the click-click kind, not the claymation or green screen shoot kind,” why not go out and take some photos of textures? Making your own textures is painless and much more rewarding, but the contents on this site is essentially what I’m talking about. If your excuse is “I’m just an editor,” well, I’m an editor too, and there are plenty of organic ways to edit. Just ask Oscar-Winning Hollywood editor Walter Murch (Apocalypse Now, The English Patient) how he edits. (For those who are looking for some balance, have a ball, or a kneeling chair). If your excuse is, “I don’t want to exercise—it’s hard,” there’s nothing I can do for you. You need this guy to help you.

    Proper ergonomics and health is a concern for everyone, filmmaker or not. As I mentioned, you have to get up to make a film. I know I’ll have to lug a bag or two or three, sometimes make a few trips or bring extra people just to set up a shot. At the end of a day of production it’s a good workout, and workouts give you energy to keep going during the day. But how many days really are you in production? As the guy running Green Lens can testify, productions are actually a small percentage of each project. There might be many weeks of pre-production planning, phone calls, emails, and meetings before getting on set. And once off set, now you are headed for that editing bay—sigh…more sitting.

    I founded GLM as a very green conscious entity, pulling from my own beliefs on environmental issues, so the encouragement of physical activity also fits nicely in with our business model. I try to promote this by biking to places when possible, taking public transport, and walking, all in an effort to support the reality that movement is a key ingredient to living and feeling well. Unfortunately, this for many has become an inconvenient, undesirable reality (wow, that was close—almost said an inconvenient you-know-what. Go see the film if you haven’t by the way; 7 years later it’s still an important piece of political, environmental, and film history).

    Apparently, we—Americans—aren’t walking a lot anymore.

    In fact, we are so comfortable taking our cars, and avoiding old-fashioned legwork, that reporter Franz Strasser of BBC World News America decided to do a story on it. According to his article, it seems the good Samaritans of Raleigh, North Carolina have been taking matters out of City Hall’s hands and into their own, posting signs telling pedestrians how far it is to walk from place to place. Where no city official has taken action or filed a permitting charge against the movement, it would appear the city approves of the initiative.

    The more reasons we have to be active, the greener, healthier, and happier we stand to be. With barely any Boston snow to speak of this past year, I think I‘ve seen more joggers outside this winter than the past 4 winters combined, so why not take advantage of the weather and treat yourself to a warm February stroll to the insert-your-nearby-store-here? (The ecological significance of the weather, or lack thereof, surely warrants its own post; we’ll save that one for later).

    Currently, I don’t have Murch’s upright editing station setup. However, I do have a small swiveling laptop stand that sits up on my desk at times throughout the day to give my seated self a healthy dose of stand. The takeaway here is whatever your industry is, see if there is a way to work in more exercise into the daily routine, whether it means a new chair, periodically standing while working, taking the elevator more, or walking to offices to give messages rather than emailing. It doesn’t need to be strenuous; just enough to give our bodies what they need to live a long, satisfying life. Don’t wind up like the humans in WALL-E with tiny bones swimming around in their bodies…somewhere…

    Focus of the Day:
    What do you do to keep moving?

    Film-tip: It’s tax time. iPad / iPhone users, if you haven’t already, check out Mint.com. It is a secure accounting management site you can use for free (there are paid upgrades), and there are some great apps to go along with. Mint is created by Intuit, the same guys responsible for Quickbooks. Credit to ColinReidDesign.com for telling us about this one way back when.

    Eco-tip: You remember to bring your reusable bags to the supermarket, but how many times do you say “yes” to the “do you want your chicken wrapped in plastic” question? If you are wary of raw meats coming into contact with the apples for you and your little ones, consider designating one small reusable bag as “the raw meats” bag. One more step to getting off the plastic bag bandwagon.

  • Software For Final Cut Pro Translates FCP7 to FCPX? Pardon?

    Today was high-five day for editors in the Final Cut Pro world. There was a much needed upgrade in FCPX which includes multicamera editing capability, manual media relinking, photoshop file layer support, and more robust XML handling (among other features and fixes). I will certainly have some comments on these once I have had an opportunity to use it, but that is not why I am excited.

    The exciting news is for the editors with old Final Cut Pro 7 projects. If you are an FCP7 editor you are well aware by now that FCP7 files do not open with FCPX. This has to do with the software code itself, and the processor’s bit size. If you are trying to develop a solution in your editing workflow with the new FCPX on the scene, and are miffed about FCP7’s non-64-bit architecture meaning you can’t open old projects in FCPX, have hope today. The plug-in/third party software gods have been kind to us.

    I am pleased to relay that Philip Hodgetts and Intelligent Assistance have today announced a translation program for going from FCP7 to FCPX. Guess what it’s called: 7toX for Final Cut Pro.

    I had the good fortune of hearing Philip speak at a few Boston Final Cut Pro User Group meetings (BOSFCPUG, now renamed the Boston Creative Pro User Group, or BOSCPUG). If the software is as helpful as Philip’s discussions or resources, this is one you will want to go get (only $9.99 on App Store). I will be playing with its functionality as soon as I can catch a break from some current projects.

    Feel free to make some comments about how both the FCPX 10.0.3 update and the 7toX software are working for you – I am quite curious.

    Focus of the day:
    What is your favorite editing app / plugin?

    Film-tip: MPEG-Streamclip is one of the best tools in the editing and DI’s toolbox. This video encoder is free, and a must-have if you are ingesting, transcoding, encoding, or even delivering. Get this encoder.

    Eco-tip: It’s winter in New England. Whatever sunlight there is, remember to use it! Save money by letting the blinds open; you’ll warm the room a little, allowing you to turn the heat down a bit, and will need less electrical lights.

  • The 9 Lives Rule For Humans

    Welcome to the first post of the new Green Lens Media blog. I’m going to kick off this blog by telling you our story.

    Why does Green Lens Media do what it does?

    I have always been drawn to activities that produce new emotions in people. As a young kid I put on puppet shows in the living room because it made the adults smile. In junior high I wrote plays for some History assignments because it brought what I thought could be old and dusty topics to life. In high school I made a lot of videos for fun and for class assignments because I loved to see people find humor, or sadness, or new meaning in an idea they hadn’t thought of before in the way I had. I captured the world on my trips, from high school through college and to today, because I want to share the experience with others, and see the reactions it stirs, which may be totally different than my own.

    Green Lens does what it does because when you affect someone at their core, emotional level, you have the ability to inspire new understandings, concepts, even purposes — those feelings make people feel confident, reflect, and grow. Let’s face it — it just feels plain good.

    Stories have a way of pulling in audiences, since we are naturally engineered to be curious and to enjoy learning about things we don’t know. This is especially true when we can relate in a variety of ways to the characters in stories; in some sense they can be extensions of ourselves in another world. Go to a party and find usually the big groups are congregating around the guy telling a good story. Storytelling, through spoken language, has been going on a very, very long time, dating back before the Epic of Gilgamesh, the Ancient Egyptians, the Neolithic period, all the way back to at least the Old Stone Age with its cave paintings. Did cave art come before or after oral storytelling? I don’t know, but I don’t think it matters for this discussion, because in either case, cave people heard stories by mouth (grunt?) or by looking at pictures others had drawn on walls with bloody bones. Basically, we are visual and auditory learning addicts.

    Nothing humanizes story more in the digital age than video, as you get your story told the exact way you want it told, over and over, and you use visuals and sound together to do it. I, and everybody here at Green Lens, affects people through this video medium. We are dreamers, and we make movies.

    What do we do specifically?

    We create high quality video production projects for clients and ourselves. We are also advocates for the environmental movement and industry, and promote good stewardship of the environment. We educate people through our films, as well as through our love for in-person filmmaking training, which is another aspect to our business. I will share more about these fronts in future posts, but I want to conclude this post by coming back around to the blog and the audiences it is written for.

    This blog is for storytellers, and those who strive through art to create positive progress in society and culture.
    This blog is for filmmakers who put hard effort into their films.
    This blog is for filmmakers who expect the best quality accessible (physically, financially) at the time for their film.
    This blog is for environmentalists, and those wanting to learn more about how we can live better.
    This blog is for the admins who run and build schools, the lifeblood of innovation in our society.
    This blog is for students: of filmmaking, writing, education, sustainable living, and without sounding too cliché, LIFE.

    My hope is in following this blog you will find facts, opinions, and great variety. I will do the best that a full time entrepreneur/film producer/editor/trainer can do to keep it fresh and frequent as well as keep my sanity. I am always one for collaboration and constructive criticism, so if you think I’m wrong about something or agree, or have a better tool or way to do something, please speak up! I only know what I know, not what I don’t, but I attend many tech, film, and business meetups for a reason — we are all still learning, all the time. We all are discovering each other’s stories. I have learned a great deal out in the real world post-college, and I anticipate that remaining a permanent condition of my being. If humanity were a cat, curiosity would not kill it; curiosity gives us something new, and new things are what living is all about.

    Focus of the day:
    Why do you do what you do?

    Eco-tip:
    CFL light bulbs are an important part of our energy solution in the home, but they do contain a small amount of mercury. Make sure to dispose of broken ones responsibly, same as you should do with batteries. Don’t be like this fellow: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jnm6AmaUzvs

    Film-tip: When purchasing SD, CF, or other types of media cards for tapeless cameras, invest in good brands, high speed rates (30 MB/s), and high class gradings (at least Class 5, 6 is better). A few dollars more for a reliable production is a safer and better shoot.