pixels on vermont

There’s a film fest coming up, and I’d like to encourage people to make things and submit them.

I love this kind of thing, this is what POV is all about, encouraging people to make things and exercise their creativity and get that whole sense of accomplishment. Seriously, seeing your little thing on the huge screen in the davis center will be a rush.

Check out the official 2009 UVM Film Festival blog to find out about submitting things, but you must get to work as soon as possible because the deadline approaches.

As you can tell by the above video (which, I hasten to mention, is titled “I’m a director now” facetiously), I’ll be submitting something. If it wiggles its way into the lineup, come by and vote for it. That would be rad.

If you think that you do not know how to make a short film, you probably can anyway. Go to the library media center (in the basement) and rent the following:

• MiniDV Video camera
• Tripod
• Lights
• “Shotgun” microphone

Then go to the book store and buy a pack of miniDV tapes, which costs around 15 dollars for three. If you play your cards right, this is all the money you will be spending.

One of those cards you need to play is this: when you rent the stuff from the library, you will be charged some relatively small amount of money unless it is for a class project. Perhaps this is a project for a class.

Then get your pretentious writer friend (everyone has one no?) to put together a script. Make sure s/he considers the obvious limitations you’ll have with locations and stunts, etc, and give them a short deadline… I recommend celtx for formatting screenplay style.

Then just shoot it the best you can. Come to the basement of the library and edit it in iMovie (or Final Cut if you feel the need). It’s not that hard. It’ll be easier if you bring an external hard drive. A techCat will give you some tips. Maybe that tech cat will be me.

Now hurry up!