The world of film making has certainly changed within the past 130 years, technologically and methodically. Some of the huge changes are equipment accessibility and the ability to self-distribute content!

Today we have everything at our finger tips that the older generation did not:

Past: Used expensive bulky cameras, heavy equipment, long waiting times for developing and processing, and expensive specialized equipment.
Modern: Affordable high-quality portable video cameras and universal ancillary equipment.

Past: Filmmakers had to look for collaborators within their immediate community, personal recommendations and personal social network.
Modern: Now filmmakers can use the internet to have instant access to reach out to people with similar interests, who may want to collaborate on projects. Perfect example, visit Production Hub.

Past: Independent filmmakers had a hard time getting their movies viewed by audiences if they didn’t have monetary support for distribution, often their best chance was to get films accepted into festivals.
Modern : Distribution platforms like Youtube that also allow interaction from our audience.

Past: Filmmakers garnered help from personal social network and professional books.
Modern: Tons of Help! There are websites and videos showing tips and “how to’s” from professional and amateur filmmakers all over the world.

Even though some aspects of filmmaking have gotten easier, some new difficulties have arisen.

Past: Small amount of formats 35mm, 8mm, NTSC
Modern: Insane amount of formats. HD (1080i, 1080p, 720i, 720p), Standard/PAL,  Compression formats (apple Pro Res, h.264, h.2610), Sequence settings (Square, even, odd, none), and Video Codecs . IOts very easy to get stuck rendering constantly due to different formats or improperly set up sequences.

Past: Departmentalized film making. Creating films used to be broken down to several experts areas Special Effects, Foley, Scoring, Color correcting, Animation, etc.
Modern: One stop shop. Many consumer applications (like Final Cut Studio and Adobe Premiere) put all of the roles of filmmaking onto one person. Sometimes this can be overwhelming and result in poor projects, however sometimes it creates  multi-talented filmmakers like Robert Rodriguez. (Below is a TEST scene for Sin City, after the short video shoot, Rodriguez cut the footage the SAME DAY in his own editing bay, laid down a few special effects, and added music.)

How do you think the film industry has changed? For better or worse?

YouTube, in collaboration with Google, is planning to release a web based Video Editing program designed for people who know nothing about editing videos.  The free YouTube Video Editor will include features such as allowing users to cut clips, remove background noise, and incorporate audio.

“This will be a great asset to our behind-the-scnens field productions” says Alicia Eschwege Owner of AliVega Video Productions. Contact AliVega Productions for more information on about editing video at our contact page.

• Edward Dmytryk stipulates seven “rules of cutting” that a good editor should follow:
  • “Rule 1: Never make a cut without a positive reason.”
  • “Rule 2: When undecided about the exact frame to cut on, cut long rather than short.”
  • “Rule 3: Whenever possible cut ‘in movement’.”
  • “Rule 4: The ‘fresh’ is preferable to the ’stale’.”
  • “Rule 5: All scenes should begin and end with continuing action.”
  • “Rule 6: Cut for proper values rather than proper ‘matches’.”
  • “Rule 7: Substance first—then form.”
• According to Walter Murch, when it comes to film editing, there are six main criteria for evaluating a cut or deciding where to cut. They are (in order of importance, most important first):
  • Emotion — Does the cut reflect what the editor believes the audience should be feeling at that moment?
  • Story — Does the cut advance the story?
  • Rhythm — Does the cut occur “at a moment that is rhythmically interesting and ‘right’” (Murch, 18)?
  • Eye-trace — Does the cut pay respect to “the location and movement of the audience’s focus of interest within the frame” (Murch, 18)?
  • Two-dimensional plane of the screen — Does the cut respect the 180 degree rule?
  • Three-dimensional space of action — Is the cut true to the physical/spatial relationships within the diegesis?

  Visit AliVega.com to learn more about Video!

AliVega recommends Animoto for the do-it-yourself video person… Click the link above and start making your video out of images today!

This video features sections that were created using animoto!