Those that know me, know that I run a tight organized ship, so writing about something like this is not too out of the ordinary, as a matter of fact I beat this advice into the ground with everyone I consult with on a technical and (production) level.

A week ago- I plugged up a virgin 3 month old Kodak Play Sport (waterproof) camera via USB only to find that after 20 sec the charging light went off and the screen froze. WTF.

After several times of plugging it up and unplugging - I noticed it was not only NOT charging but the computer was not detecting the device. I could not get the files, unless I used the SD card directly.  I tried every configuration I could think of plugging it into every USB port available- juggled around other devices to different ports to open up new ones to try( to no avail). I downloaded (*.pdf) and consulted the words that followed. I did all the steps taking note of each one meticulously from beginning to end several times. Then through several Google searches later i started reading forums and reviews- lots of angry forums, and lots of negative reviews stating " I had the camera only 3 months I was pissed when I was no longer able to use my Kodak Play Sport".  Upon seeing this I was feeling - let's say- less than optimistic. The next step was contacting Kodak customer support - which I did. Same form letter. Same song and dance asking if I tried all the things that I have listed in this article so far.  I took some time out and charged up my wireless Logitech headphones to watch a movie and make a few consulting calls. That is when I realized that I had been using the same USB connector for the headphones as I had the Kodak PlaySport.

    This seems like a relatively simple mistake to make on the surface, but as a media designer one might have an entire toolbox full of adapters because that is the nature of working with MANY different formats - phone cameras, cameras, headphones, various peripherals. At this point it is suffice to say two things- (1) using the wrong cord with the wrong device could have seriously damaged the equipment (no-budget filmmakers can barely afford a device one much less twice)  and (2) when you get new equipment the very first things you should do with the chords is label them. You can go fancy but I find cutting a small slip of paper and indicating device with a sharpie and seals the deal with none other than simple cellophane tape will help in any capacity. This is a very small ordeal. It could have cost me mad money. I tend to wonder how many people that wrote the bad reviews and responded to the forums have had the same problems as their chords from their phones and other devices they had laying around the house were used with this model camera.

Wow writing this article I just realized I haven't labeled cordless headphones still after all this: I'm on it. LABEL your Chords!!!

I'm out...Thanks,

TJPARSONS

Back in October I believe, I showed you some really modestly priced items that you could get to put in a make-up case if you were interested in doing some "Low Budget" ... or if you have the resources I have - "No Budget" Filmmaking. After that I realize ..hmmm... results. "Hey TJ put your money where your mouth is ..all that is well and fine , but what do those modestly priced items produce aestheticaly and for the love of God what do they look like in a photo-op or on screen?".

Well the story starts with the production of "Longfoot", and if you have been following the progress thus far I'm happy to report that we are now in Post-production. The main puppeteer and handler of LONGFOOT himself with a pensive look on his brow - always highly engaged and willing to learn all he could, mentioned to me his interest in film and the process in general. During production I was happy to open up to him on the technical aspects and various workflows of producing a film for consumption. Towards the end of the process he came to me with music, storyboards, and an evolving screenplay that is right up the alley for you "Uddershiet Crew". I saw the drawings , I talked with him about the tone, the feel... and I was intrigued. After experimenting in the past months with various make-ups I could not help to pounce on the opportunity to help him realize his truly unique vision even if briefly on a weeknight in this yet to be unexplored year-2012.

Minus the camera, the effects below I am about to show you were literally procured for under 10$. In total. From beginning to end $10- no lie - no shenanigans. I will not bore you with a tutorial, there are so many people that can do it better, namely FILM RIOT- shout out to you Ryan.

It starts with an idea. Google is an amazing tool for reference photos. In this case I was looking for the mouth of a snake. I found several reference photos. I made this mould while watching Ancient Aliens on Netflix - things like this are fun and imagination fodder- guilty pleasures. Here is the mould:

What follows is what came out of the evening. All rights reserved- Regional Unity Productions. I'm just happy I finally had an excuse to do some FX makeup - whew ...finally. I'm sure there are more of you guys that do film in the Shenandoah Valley. I will did dig you up if its the last thing I do.


 

Verdict: I was blessed with the fact that the subject had a face that I could work with. It was easy to mount the prosthesis to his facial bone structure. Remember: Silicon may turn out to be heavier than you expect. Go thin. Also rule of thumb: make sure your make-up can last the shoot- and make sure that your subject can do the job with it fastened tightly to his/her jaw or body - or whatever body part. And also above all make sure that you do not use materials that react unfavorably with the actor (allergens).This was not a bad test at all.. as a matter of fact I'm quite surprised - but there is always room for improvement. By the time "Curse of the Rattlesnake People" comes into full swing I will have many new tricks up my sleeve. A big thank you to Tom Haun and Regional Unity Productions for giving me a chance to fling some make-up around for a change. A short video may follow and we are entertaining the thought of trying some composite animation with motion tracking. Perhaps we will compare practical effects with digital. Time will tell. Hope you enjoyed the eye-candy.

Love and Cheers,

TJPARSONS

Twitter = @tjparsonsfilms

And here we are. Yes. There are ways to buy pre-fabricated L.E.D. lights on tripods from about $8- $20 dollars. But we are all low to no budget filmmakers here aren't we? That's why we came here -through the convoluted maze we like to call the internet? To find a way to do things a little cheaper with just as much  quality and production value?

I, in the course of filming a short flick that made use of miniature sets, came across a way to decrease the allowed budget for lighting by a - hmm - a slight significant amount. A three point lighting setup uses well... you guessed it .. a minimum of 3 lights. Learning what I have learned from both grandparents that lived through the great depression- be frugal- a penny saved is a penny earned, and on a production budget something that you save on something you can DIY ( do it yourself) is money that you can spend on something where you really, really want or need it.

Buying an L.E.D. off of the internet, for the sake of argument: lets just say you need a three point lighting set-up with 2 extra - let's split the difference and say that they are $14 (3 pt lighting with 2 extra = $70). The way I'm showing you ( 3 pt. lighting with 2 extra - each one = 2$, that's $10). A savings of $60 that you could spend on any number of things in a budget.  We all know that a short film can cost in the thousands (talent included) . A local commercial alone can cost between $900 and $1500 depending on your time an production cost. So, as you can see- nothing puts art to the test more than trying to figure out how to achieve a vision within budget constraints.
If you are trying to sell your Art in this economy you have a duty to yourself to not let monkeys free with your checkbook- buying the coolest things they see that you can make just as good yourself in studio with about 30 min and some kick-ass music or film in the background to get you motivated.

WHAT YOU NEED:
1) cordless drill (assuming you are as serious as you say you are) Cordless drills are invaluable - used for numerous things on set *nuff said
2) 5 "Dollar Tree (everything is a dollar stores are also acceptable)"  L.E.D. Flashlights ( yes they have them ) if not go the distance this is a budget we are talking about - your livelihood!?!
3) 5 "Dollar Tree 'camera' tripods (everything is a dollar stores are also acceptable)"- go figure, they carry everything at a certain point and time so stock up when they do
4) batteries? Whoah, wait What the...(relax- look around the house, we have bigger ideas at stake here- remotes? you don't need'em walk yourself over to the TV and turn it on ..have we become that dependent? My Great-Grandfather made the 1st remote control and it needed no batteries and it was called the "blabb-off".
5) nuts x 5 to fit the bought tripods from Lowes - what?!! added expense? Stop your whining on the way to Lowes I scrunched around in my car seats while I was driving to find ¢.37 and a half ( the half was so corroded I couldn't say what it was .. but it was still spendable in my book)


And just simply watch the Tutorial Below:

Enjoy yourself, be safe, and Live, Breathe, forever the film world!!
Show me what you got!!
Thanks for stopping by,

TJPARSONS

Twitter = @tjparsonsfilms
Don't forget to like tjparsons.com on facebook

TJPARSONS explores practical applications of motion tracking and simulates a Zombie bite.

So why is this under the "No Budget Film Tools" section you might ask? What about the Adobe software? What about the Mocha for After Effects that you will be using? Well I'm assuming that if you are truly serious, you have invested the bare minimum(seen below). Digital effects can sometimes be a godsend. They involve less materials and typically only involve some pictures, animations, time and imagination. Rest assured I love both practical (in camera) effects and digital effects equally. There are times when one may be effective than another; sometimes one adds to another (they can be composited together). Its up to you as a filmmaker to discern what's best for a specific shot in your production. But motion tracking, to an independent filmmaker,  opens up a lot of doors that were unreachable just a few years ago.

MOTION TRACKING: Teaching Demo 1A-009-G

If you just happen to want to try digital effects (those done in computer) instead of practical effects (ones that are made and achieved in camera or the physical world) or a combination (my passion) and you have a sufficient knowledge of animation; I would suggest motion tracking.

This will not be a tutorial about how to program motion paths for your movie or film (I've seen many other tutorials that are way better- ones that I use myself) but this may just open you up  to the possibilities and applications beyond the demo shown.

Motion tracking is a way to track your subject on screen and by using 2D or 3D animation composite them as one image;  so they seem as part of the same in camera shot.

Mocha tracks the subject frame by frame , and by making a  set of points will bond with the subject moving as the camera moves and moving as the subject moves .

This can be quite cost effective because you are saving yourself materials from actually building what is needed for the shot with raw materials or having to destroy something that already exists. If it needs to move with the subject and the camera and seem impossible to do with makeup chances are, motion tracking may be one of the best options.

If the camera shakes during a running or action sequence, it does not matter as long as the points on the subject have been defined by Mocha (right vs. left -pictured above), it will move with the subject and the camera shake. Utterly amazing, eh?

What you are looking at here is a very simple motion tracking demo of a Zombie bite in the chest. No color correction has been added; no shadows or blending have been added either. This is just a simple 3 layer animation made from pictures of meat animated in a fluid motion to simulate muscle and sinew movement around a breastplate.

The animation is a composite of a layer of skin with a hole, followed by layer underneath (animated in real time) followed by what I call the bone layer or base layer. After that small oval of muscle and gore is animated. I track the subject (me) with a green oval on my chest. You can track on anything as long as it is noticeable on every angle on camera.

If tracking on bare skin you can use tape, magic markers or ink pen. If you are tracking a landscape or sign just make sure your points are tracked on a definable edge or mark. As the program searches through the footage it takes into consideration every movement of that point in every frame, and the end result is a composition that combines elements to add extension or augmentation to the subject.

It that seems as if I am barely moving at all in this clip, but I assure you that I had to make make several passes and adjustments to ensure that the animation moved with my body. If it was any amount off, as it was initially, it just looked like the animation was floating around on its own- detached from my chest. Sometimes you may need to adjust manually as the computer processes the footage frame by frame. Then when you add shadows, color correction and atmosphere it will truly be something you can be proud of. This is just a Demo, no shading, atmosphere or color correction was involved,  but I have done about two dozen shots since then, and there is no end to what motion tracking can be used for.

What are some examples of shots that may use motion tracking? Chances are you have seen the end result of Motion tracking in movies and TV and it has been so subtle that you may not have noticed it. But here is a list of some things that could use motion tracking for a shot:
 

* lightsabors, sparks, energy, lasers, knives and swords
* replacing whats outside of a window in a moving shot
* bullet holes on a getaway car as it speeds away
* missing limbs ( think Forest Gump's LT. Dan)
* Zombie head wounds, missing parts of face
* scars, robot parts underneath skin
* removing or adding tattoos on an actor
* retractable teeth or just tracking teeth or facial features
* censor bars or masks for interviewees
* blurring copyrighted/trademarked words in public signs or license plates
* removing or adding skyline elements to expand a city or set
* morphs or changes
* muzzle flashes from a gun
* fire on an actor
* replacing buildings in a skyline you do not have rights to use with fake ones
* set extension
* UFO's ( think "District 9")
* the list goes on and on (I have yet to come up with an end to its many uses)

Hope you enjoyed this nice little unrefined demo. It definitely opens up some possibilities to an exciting future.

TJPARSONS

No, I didn't make the mask in the picture above. I was just having some fun with the camera. But masks similar to this quality are possible using the techniques discussed below. All it takes is some patience and tender loving care, and you can have some masks or perhaps prosthetics for some special effects in your film that you can really proud of.

I'd like to talk about using masks "not as masks." Using masks not as masks? What does that mean? Lots of masks may not be able to be used in a Film of yours due to the likeness of pre-existing characters that are property of their respective franchises and companies. But some of the "textures” on these masks are just downright beautiful. A mask of Jar-Jar Binks may seem like a mediocre find until you run your hand across the texture of the mask. Then you start to respect what a little ingenuity, imagination and liquid latex can do. You are limited only by the amount of time and detail that you can put into it. You don't have to cut up any mask, but by pressing the pre-existing textures into a clay sculpture you can get some good textures you can "Frankenstein" together to get a truly unique mask or prosthetic appliance- lets get started.

Making a Mask or Prosthesis for not to much money

Ingredients: Lump of air dry clay, Liquid Latex, coloring (food coloring) or cream makeup or skin tone creme makeup, a hairdryer, Elmer's glue, Foam or dummy head if making a full mask. some brushes,  a will to "get it right", lots of patience.

1. Soften up the clay by mixing it around start shaping vaguely for your appliance. It can be smeared onto a foam or dummy head if you are going for a full face apparatus, or you can get a pressing from textures from masks talked about earlier.

2. Take the piece of mask or press the part of the mask where you want texture carving detail where needed. Get it like you want it, make all edges smooth and make sure you compensate for size for your actor. If you are making an appliance for a face or finger for example, understand you will be adding layers of latex on top of the clay - so think it out.

3. Paint over the mould with a thin layer of latex, make sure its even, and make sure it dries sufficiently each time. Use a hairdryer if needed.

4. Add color if needed to the latex. Color can be added in a mixing tray, and then applied. Sometimes you can add brown or skin tone creme or more hard colors depending on the project.

5. Add glue and dry it in spots to make certain parts more rigid. In most cases depending on the amount of layers that you used, it may be very flimsy.

6. Add sufficient latex layers. Hope you got a good deal on the Latex.

7. Pull carefully out or off of the mould.

8. Paint. Add detail to satisfaction.

9. Add to actor carefully using everything available, mixing to their natural skin tone.

10. Do some camera and lighting tests. Take note of what lighting is unflattering to the make-up and what color temperatures, and angles enhance it.

11. Have at it!! Film away!! Tell me what you made.

This is short and simple. I encourage you to experiment. Also make sure your actor doesn't have a latex allergy – its bad for them and you can't finish a production in the time allotted if your lead has a bad reaction. Also if you feel so inclined post some of your ideas and experiences below.

Have fun,

TJPARSONS