The lightsaber is one of the coolest weapons in the history of cinema, and the original props came from a junkyard. Funny how that works right? If you want a lightsaber for your own film, costume, or just because they're awesome, watch this video for a guide to making three types of lightsabers: a cheap one, a medium one, and very expensive professional-quality one.
The claymore is one of the most insidious weapons ever devised, responsibile for millions of limbs lost in the Vietnam War. This video will show you how to make a much safer prop version out of cardboard and papier-mache to use in a film that still looks quite realistic.
Far Cry 2 set the bar for video game graphics when it came out, and it's grenade launcher is one of the best-looking in games. This video will teach you how to bring the grenade launcher into reality by making a replica out of cardboard and clay, perfect for a film or costume.
Master Chief, the star of the Halo franchise before it's most recent iterations, is one of the most recognizable and beloved protagonists in gaming history, and that's without players ever actually seeing his body through his inconic and intimidating armor. If you want to dress up as Master Chief for a Halloween costume, film, or other purpose, watch this video to learn how to make your own DIY Master Chief armor for cheap.
"Requiem for a Dream" by Clint Manselli is a classic work of modern piano composition, and is the namesake of one of the great modern films. In this video you'll learn how to play this iconic song yourself on piano, with notes superimposed over the demonstrating fingers in the video to make it easier for you.
Do you remember Maleficent? The evil witch who cursed Sleeping Beauty to sleep in the classic Disney film and Tchaikovsky ballet? She was pretty cool-looking in an evil way, and in this video you'll learn how to do the bright colored makeup to go with a homemade Maleficent costume for a sexy, evil Halloween look.
If you loved the look of the robot hand from the Terminator movies, or the look of Hell Boys hand of doom, then you probably really want to be able to have one in your movie! In this video you will learn how to make a robotic hand on a low budget with moveable fingers using some pupeteering techniques.
This tutorial goes over a few of the advanced features offered in the special effects and video editing software WAX 2.0. Specifically, you'll learn how to add particle effects (like snow) and create a picture warp for transitions to add to your films and projects.
Demi Lovato has had a pretty interesting career for one so young. She's already been on Barney and Friends, in the Disney Camp Rock films, and has released two solo albums. This video will teach you how to play her song "Catch Me" on piano. If you want to see the notes written out, click here.
Look up "bombshell" in the dictionary, and you're sure to find Sophia Loren listed as example numero uno. The beautiful Italian actresses, who was and is the epitome of womanly curves and sultry bedroom eyes, made waves during her film career with her raw sexuality, beauty, and confidence.
The human body is full of different kinds of fluids, most of which are either gross or dangerous to remove from a person for use in one of your films. Fortunately, most of them are pretty easy to replicate using household materials. This video will show you how to make edible prop fake blood, feces, vomit, and snot. They all look great, are safe, and will make you movie much more realistic.
The Alien movies, most notably Alien and Aliens, are icons of sci-fi horror, and one of their most well-known elements is the awesome power loader that Sigourney Weaver's character Ellen Ripley used to tear the aliens apart. This video will show you how to make your own prop replica of the power loader at home for cheap, so that you can destroy aliens in your own films or maybe pretend to maul some party guests.
This video will teach you how to make two awesome props for you films for the price of one! Well, technically it's all free, but still, 2 for 1! You will learn how to make man-eating plant and a severed finger props, with instructions given by devoted viewers of Indy Mogul like you. All you need to make this stuff work is $35 for each project.
Gambit is one of the coolest X-Men, and his kinetic energy powers are awesomely powerful. If you want to depict them using special effects in a film, this video will show you how to do it using three free pieces of digital editing software:
Iron Man, and to a lesser extent it's sequel, represent the best of the new comic-book-movie boom and have rejuvenated the popularity of one of Marvel's most interesting characters. Do you want to make a Tony Stark costume, or dress someone you know in one for a film or party? This video will show you how to make one of the coolest and most important parts of the Iron Man ensemble: the repulsor arm ray gun.
Apple's iconic silhouette people-dancing-against-colored-background iPod commercials may not rule the airwaves anymore, but they still look really cool. This video will show you how to recreate the effect of these commercials in After Effects using greenscreens. Now all you have to do is learn how to dance and you can film your own little iPod commercial!
A LOT of movies have featured talking animals. Especially now that the technology is readily available to even low-budget filmmakers to make animals appear to be talking very realistically. If you've wanted to make your own talking-animal film, this video is here to help. It wills show you how to make animals talk using After Effects, creating and syncing mouth movements to fit your sound and leaving you with one charismatic cat, dog, fish, or marmoset.
In this episode of Bella TV, learn how to curl your hair into tight ringlets like Christina Hendricks in the Twilight Saga. Celebrity hairstylist, Philip Carreon from "Project Runway" will show you how to get those perfectly coiled curls just like Victoria at home. Go see Eclipse while rocking a look from the film with this voluminous hair look
Virtual cameras enable you to add all sorts of cool effects to your animations by making it seem like they were filmed with a camera that could move and focus. This video will show you where to acquire and how to use the vcam software plugin for Flash CS4 to create all of the aforementioned effects and more! This can also be useful for video games.
CCTV's (closed-circuit televisions) are more common than ever before, and have become more and more popular to depict in films and in video games like Manhunt. This video will teach you how to create a CCTV monitor effect akin to what a security guard would see on their camera monitor using After Effects. This will work great for any horror movie that you might be shooting, the effect is very creepy.
Head wounds are among the very worse types of wound, and as a results are very fun and popular subjects for representation in film. This video will teach you how to create an open gash wound on the head of your actor without taking a bottle to it. The wound looks very real, make sure you don't let your actor get near a hospital!
Want to preserve an old family photograph for posterity without also preserving the physical imperfections of the print? Touch it up with Photoshop. Whether you're new to Adobe's popular image editing software or simply looking to pick up a few new tips and tricks, you're sure to benefit from this free video tutorial from the folks at Britec Computer Systems. This video offers a step-by-step guide on how to restore images within Adobe Photoshop.
Whether you're new to Adobe After Effects or a seasoned digital film professional after a general overview of CS5's most vital new features, you're sure to be well served by this official video tutorial from the folks at Adobe TV. In it, you'll learn how to turn spoken dialogue into searchable text either by synchronizing content with your Adobe Story script, or by using reference scripts that are optimized for your content. Also see how to accelerate editing by marking in and out points in t...
Whether you're new to Adobe After Effects or a seasoned digital film professional after a general overview of CS5's most vital new features, you're sure to be well served by this official video tutorial from the folks at Adobe TV. In it, you'll learn how to isolate moving foreground elements from their backgrounds faster using the revolutionary new Roto Brush approach that works much like the Quick Select tool in Photoshop.
Weekend Project: Pinhole Panoramic Camera
This is an espresso tutorial shot on the Canon 5D Mark II.
Watch this professional cinematography video to learn how to make linear tracks on the P+S Technik SKATER Mini dolly to better utilize and maximize its performance. It's actually extremely fast to get the Skater ready to shoot. Learn how to make straight tracks inward as well as a typical linear tracking shot. View final footage of the Skater used on professional film sets.
Watch this professional cinematography video to learn how to pan and lock to enhance and maximize the performance of the P+S Technik SKATER Mini dolly. This allows you to either lock the wheels for fixed camera angles, or execute basic panning shots. View final footage of the Skater used on professional film sets.
Watch this professional cinematography video to learn how to use the Steadybag to enhance and maximize the performance of the P+S Technik SKATER Mini dolly. The Steadybag allows you to work with angled shots. Just place the bracket into the frame of the skater and then place the camera on top of it. View final footage of the Skater used on professional film sets.
Watch this instructional video to learn how to use periscopes and borescopes to maximize the performance of the P+S Technik SKATER Mini dolly. Working with periscopes and borescopes can add interesting perspective to the shots you do with the SKATER. View final footage of the Skater used on actual professional film sets.
In this Ovation TV original special, acclaimed photographer Gregory Crewdson shares with us his insight into his photographic techniques. Like a film, he uses a lot of production, a lot of lighting, a lot of set design. He is an American photographer best known for elaborately staged, surreal scenes of American homes and neighborhoods. Learn how to take pictures like this master artist.
Check out this how-to video from wonderhowto.com to learn how to sew on bias tape all by machine but without the swearing! This bias tape sewing video was filmed all in one take--wow!
See how to use the Sony Hi-Def PMW-EX3 digital camera, with a little help from Philip Bloom. This is a great video to teach you everything you need to know about this high definition camera, perfect for your short film.
Welcome to our Indiana Jones special. This week, we've been challenged by Eric Zala, the director of "Raiders of the Lost Ark: The Adaptation" to create an awesome face melt effect for cheap! This is probably Indy Mogul's grossest effect yet, so you better not get nauseous or anything, because you might just want to use this for your film!
In this episode, Steve shares some knowledge he's gained through working on no-budget movies to help keep production smooth and professional. With hits from Jared like "How to Properly Clean Your Lens the Night Before a Shoot", this episode is sure to hit #1 on the Billboard Charts for podcasts! What? Billboard doesn't chart podcasts!?!
This week, Erik shows you how to create the awesome effect of throwing a knife into a person's head! This effect is used in big budget movies like the "Matrix" and we're going to show you how to do it for less then twenty dollars!
Attention Central California Residents: This film shows the actual cutover date from operator assistance to direct-dial (local only) in Fresno and Madera, California.
Scare the crap out of your folks with this one. Or scare the crap out of your audience if you're making a low budget film, because these suckers will impress. Realistic vampire fangs! You can't beat them.
If you've seen Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, you'll know one of the greatest special effects of the film is where Mola Ram rips the heart out of someone's chest. In this episode of Backyard FX, Erik recreates that effect with the help of his family members. Don't forget to check out our previous episode on how to create a fake heart.
As a film extra, you’ll make some easy money, get a chance to see moviemaking up close, and perhaps become immortalized on screen. Here’s how to get a gig.
