Filmmaking

a while back i decided to put my attentions back into filmmaking. the last time i really looked at what was possible on a meager budget was around four years ago. since conceiving a short film that i want to make in my new studio, and realizing that i was going to need some special effects to pull it off, i've discovered that filmmaking as i knew it four years ago (low resolution video) has been replaced by much more film-like technology (better cameras, lenses, software). i'm frankly astonished by what is possible with a personal computer, a relatively cheap camera and a good dose of imagination.

for instance, the last scene in my film will involve a man tearing down a wall, revealing a beach behind the wooden framing, wind, fog, sand and paper blowing about gale-force. a week ago i was contemplating building a frame wall on a beach, thinking about big fans, and a bunch of stage hands to toss sand. today, i'm thinking it'll be a lot easier and less expensive to do it mostly in the computer.

my first tip that things had changed was a short clip i found of a normandy invasion re-enactment created by three guys--three guys total--who in four days created a 1000-extra-looking scene that's stunning. a month or so ago i watched some of the making-of features included with the "lord of the rings" films. throughout i thought, wow, wouldn't it be cool to be able to play with some of the technology they are using. well, now i can.