Don Dohler: Uncontained Imagination « Baltimore Filmmakers

Baltimore Filmmakers posted a nice article about my friend, the late Don Dohler. Here's the link: Don Dohler: Uncontained Imagination « Baltimore Filmmakers.

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30,000 Wordpress Sites Hacked, Including me.

What a mess. Stay tuned while I get this site back to normal. Argh!

Maximum PC has an article about what happened.

 

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Smash or Trash TV Goes Live

Last year, Rob Long from the Smash or Trash  Indie Filmmaking Web site, shot 5 interviews with actors, producers, and filmmakers (including me) in the Maryland area. After some delays, the segments are finally posted for viewing. I think they turned out really well. Check them out below, or go to Rob's post.

Smash or Trash TV Episode 1: Interview with Lee Doll


Smash or Trash TV Episode 1: Interview with Lee Doll from Frank Lama on Vimeo.

Smash or Trash TV: Episode 2- Louanna Lee & Victoria Lynn


Smash or Trash TV: Episode 2- Louanna Lee & Victoria Lynn from Frank Lama on Vimeo.


Smash or Trash TV: Episode 3- Mitch Klein Interview


Smash or Trash TV: Episode 3- Mitch Klein Interview from Frank Lama on Vimeo.


Smash or Trash TV: Episode 4 - Leanna Chamish and George Stover Interview


Smash or Trash TV: Segment 4 from DarkCellar on Vimeo.


Smash or Trash TV Episode 5: Brian St. August and Alfred Guy Interview

Note: click on the above link to access episode 5. I couldn't embed that one since it's on Facebook.

Great Videography Tips from Videomaker

Videomaker.com posted a few lists of helpful tips for those starting out shooting their own stuff. I'm happy to say I follow most of them. Below are a few of my favorites, with some commentary:

• [No] Headhunting--placing every subject in the center of your frame.


• [No] Backlighting--too much light falling on the background instead of on the subject.


• Use manual focus if your camcorder has it. [You really need a camcorder with manual focus, unless you're shooting a home movie.]


• Set white balance at every location. [Even if you're using presets.]


• Shoot to edit.


• Use an external microphone if you have one. [Period!]

Here's the link to the article.

 

How do I learn Blender? Check out Blender Cookie

Now that Blender 2.57 has been released -- a stable/production-worthy version completely re-written from the ground up -- more people are considering it for their projects.

I have been tinkering with it for years, and am now using it for Crawler,  so I had planned to write an article about how I learned this amazing (and free) piece of software, but it looks like Blender Cookie beat me to it. They just posted the Blender Community Starters Guide, a comprehensive guide to the who, what, where, when, and why of learning Blender. Of course I recommend Blender Cookie itself as a good starting place for training. They have free streaming video tutorials covering most topics you need to get started, and plenty more for advanced users. They also have exclusive content for a modest fee. If after visiting their site, as well as the others on the list, you still don't know what Blender's all about, maybe you should consider another line of work (or hobby).  ;)

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Gallery of Print Work

Don's favorite of his earlier films

I updated the Projects from the Cellar gallery to include some print work, a few DVD covers, posters, etc. Mostly for re-releases of Don Dohler and Timewarp films.

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Blender 2.57 Released

The Blender Foundation just released the first stable release in about 2 years. 2.57 is a complete re-design from the ground up, and addresses many of the issues that have kept mainstream CG artists away. There's a whole new interface (the largest complaint in the past was how confusing and non-friendly the interface was), and nearly every feature has been greatly improved. There's also additional features like volumetric rendering, approximate indirect lighting, and many others. There are still a few things missing from this version (like BMesh), but Ton Roosendaal stated that they're going to try to release new versions every couple of months for the rest of the year. Good times!

The link to the latest version is here.

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