Artist Matt Busch shows how to render a full value monotone comp for his STAR WARS 30th Anniversary movie poster. In addition to getting into the nitty gritty of light and shadow in sketches, see Matt show you how to draw Stormtroopers, as well as busting out his killer happy dance! Learn how to sketch Star Wars by watching this video drawing tutorial.
To make your movie look as professional as possible, you'll want to include only the best footage. It's easy to remove the parts of your clips that you don't like.
A soundtrack can make a good movie great, and it's easy to create. You can add music from your iTunes library or your Garageband projects to your iMovie project.
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!
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.
With a few basic parts and accessories, you can take the same projector you bought for your home theater and set it up in your car and create a drive-in theater anywhere. This is a great idea for a romantic date or camping trip!
Do you love the "Evil Dead" series? Do you need a prop chainsaw so you can dress like Ash? Do you have $30 burning a hole in your pocket? Erik from Indy Mogul shows you how to make a bloody prop chainsaw arm just like Bruce Campbell's in the movie.
The guys at Indy Mogul show you how to make a trick barber's chair like Johnny Depp's, as seen in the Tim Burton movie Sweeney Todd.
In this week's episode of Backyard FX, Erik visits the Indy Kung Fu Masters of West Haven Brook to learn some awesome tips for movie fight scenes. They talk about the counting, sound effects, pull backs and camera movement necessary for orchestrating a great fight scene.
Erick Beck from Indy Mogul shows you how to create limb tear special fx for your horror movies for cheap ($35 or less).
No light no movie. Indy Mogul teaches you how to create your own basic lighting kit for $25. Also covered are lighting basics, including three-point lighting.
Here they are used to find anime episodes and movies, but you can use advanced Google commands to perform more dynamic searches on Youtube. Learn how to narrow or expand your searches and search for multiple items simultaneously.
Almost everything we saw in the new movie "Tron: Legacy" made our jaws drop to the floor. From the amazing light cycles which carved beams of light wherever they drove to the awesome dueling between the "programs" and user Sam, there was much coolness to be seen.
In this video, we learn how to create a memorable birth video. You will first need to buy a video camera or use a digital camera that takes movies as well. Make sure it has a microphone so you capture all the action. Make sure you have a large memory card to capture everything as well. Also, purchase a triPod that will allow you to take photos of the family and you will get steady pictures. Make the movie into different acts, but make sure to be with your wife during the process. Take lots of...
In this video, we learn how to use food for special effects film makeup. Using familiar ingredients you find in the kitchen, you can make a scene from a movie that looks real! Food can be made to look like really gross things in movies, using the right colors and consistencies. Gelatin can be used on the face to create something that looks like scabs and a raw burn on a face. Corn flakes can also give off the scraped face look. Barbecue chicken skin can be made to look like a black cut on the...
You can overlay your videos in Sony Vegas Movie Studio. First drag the picture of TV set in the timeline and drag it to the whole timeline and then place your video above it as showing in the video. Now click on the pan/crop icon and select the picture of TV set. Now resize your window and set your video in the TV set as showing in the video. Now you can play your video but it pops up as the video plays so to fade in your video, you just need to do is to drag the corner of your video as showi...
In order to make Custom titles in IMovie '09, you will need the following: Seashore or any other compatible program.
In this video tutorial, viewers learn how to use volume envelopes in Sony Vegas Movie Studio. Begin by importing the audio track into the time line. Then right-click on the audio control panel, go to Insert/Remove Envelope and select Volume. This will place a purple line through the audio track. Users are able to control the volume by moving the line up or down to increase or decrease the volume. Users are also able to select certain points by creating starting and ending points in the audio ...
We've all played with LEGOs at some point in our childhood, but when video games took over the world, we all converted to PlayStations and Xboxes in lieu of building blocks. But soon enough, the satisfaction of childhood construction was integrated into video game format, so we could once again love LEGOs. With LEGO video games like LEGO Harry Potter, LEGO Indiana Jones, LEGO Star Wars, what could go wrong? Nothing. But before those games, there was another, based not off of popular movies, b...
In this tutorial, we learn how to make a sniper rifle movie prop. First, go to this website to get the blueprints: Sniper. After this, draw your gun out onto a poster board and cut it out, you will do this for around 6 of these poster boards. When you are finished, use the hot glue gun to stick all of these together. Next, sand out the sides and attach duct tape to the sides to keep it together. After this, grab two empty water bottles and an empty toilet paper roll. Cut around the top of the...
In this tutorial, we learn how to draw Aladdin and Jasmine. Start by drawing Jasmine, draw her hair on first, then start working on her face and head. Add on her earrings, eyebrows, and mouth. Make sure to pay attention to details and use a picture as a reference to what they should look like. Fill in Jasmine with the colors she wears in the movie, and then start to work on Aladdin. Draw in his hair to start, then make sure to draw on his hat on the very top of his head. Draw his face, giving...
Sony Vegas is a cool new video editing program. In this tutorial, you will learn some simple editing techniques in Sony Vegas. You will learn to detach the sound from your movie clip, as well as how to split your movie to remove any unwanted footage. You will learn how to merge both clips and use the fade in and fade out tool to create a smooth transition.
Tasktutorial teaches you how to create a scrolling text box using buttons and ActionScript in Flash. Create a dynamic text field and then right click and make it scrollable. Create scroll buttons using two simple rectangles. Convert those to buttons using shortcut F8. Click the button and go to Window - ActionScript. Copy the text from the video to make the buttons scroll the text. You can test the movie by going to Control and then Test Movie. This will bring up a new window and you can see ...
In this how-to, viewers will learn how to create a presentation which fades in and out among still photographs using Flash animation. First, each image is given its own layer in Flash. Then the images are converted into movie clips. A motion tween is created among each image and a few blank frames, to create the affect of a slow fade in and out. Then the layers are distributed sequentially on the Flash timeline so that as each layer fades out, the next fades in. The finished movie is tested, ...
This video shows step by step instructions on how to make a movie poster on Photoshop. The author merges two pictures together beautifully of a newly wedded couple on the beach. It goes very into debt and is easy to follow, even for beginners. This Photoshop tutorial is mostly for Mac users. The language is very simple and not very complicated. The video is not that long, around seven minutes. At the end he even puts in his own finishing touches of color that makes the poster come alive.
You can make a rollover button in Flash by following the instructions shown. You start by opening up Flash to work on your project. You then follow along and draw a shape for the actual button. Then follow the steps given to turn your shape into a button that is click-able and links to your movie clip. This is great for placing on a website instead of placing a bulky video clip on the site. If you complete the directions correctly you will have a fully working click-able button that will link...
Tasktutorial.com shows us how to create drag and drop functionality into a flash program. Start off by making a few shapes in flash and then add color to each of them, a different one for each shape in order to differentiate between them. After doing this select all the shapes by dragging the cursor over them, once done distribute the shapes into layers by going into the 'modify' drop-down button at the top, then timeline and there will be the option to distribute. Now we have to turn the sha...
A great special effect for any film or movie is the space warp effect, like this bleach bypass effect. It's a little tricky to make, but once you know, fairly simple. Learn how to create a bleach bypass effect in Sony Vegas.
It's medieval mayhem and you need a sword prop. Maybe you're larping, or maybe you just need a fake, dull movie prop blade for your action epic. Either way, this is a great weapons build project for a cool replica wooden sword. Watch this video tutorial to learn how to build a fake sword prop.
Forgot to take a few production stills on set? No problem, work with what you have... the actual video footage. See how to get photos from video with iMovie or Final Cut Pro 6.
Are you going INSANE cause you don't have a costume yet for Halloween? Worry no more, because this video tutorial from Thread Banger, Rob shows us a crazy tutorial on how to make your very own straitjacket.
It doesn't take much to make "House" hottie Oliva Wilde look gorgeous. But she really does turn things up a notch in her new movie "Tron," in which she plays fierce warrior Quorra. While Wilde may be genetically blessed, we can steal her beautiful night out smoky eyes from the movie.
With the movie "Burlesque" coming out soon, the interest in the retro, pin up girl style has rocketed to an all-time high. And the great news is that you don't have to be starring in a movie or dressing up for Halloween to look retro fabulous.
In this video, we learn how to make a stop motion video with your American Girl Dolls. First, you will need to get a tripod to place your camera on and move it around. After this, put your doll out and then take a quick picture. Then, move her arm a little bit taking pictures one by one. You will be moving her, going out of frame, then coming back into the frame. When you're finished, load the pictures onto your computer and then choose all the pictures that you want to use. From here, you wi...
Blind Mag is a, well, blind singer from the movie "Repo! The Genetic Opera," who is given her sight back in exchange for singing for the GeneCo Genetic Opera. Portrayed by classically trained Sarah Brightman in the movie, she has a beautiful voice and a gorgeous face but deathly white eyes.
In this tutorial, we learn how to make movie rain without getting wet. First, you will need to get a garden hose that has a spout on it and few pieces of PVC pipe. Connect the pieces of PVC pipe together, then stick the head of the hose to the pipe. Keep in mind that you will want to cut the pipe a bit shorter so it's easier to hold. Now, have someone hold up the pipe while you are taping and make sure to stay opposite of the way the wind is blowing. After this, you will have taped rain in a ...
Ever wonder how people make those wonderful and awe-inspiring time-lapse films? Well, this video shows you the bare basics of creating a time-lapsed movie. First, you'll need to set your digital camera on a tripod and set it to take stills at your desired intervals. Then, you'll need to import all of these photographs into Aperture or iPhoto on your Mac computer. Then it comes times to turning those pics into a time-lapse film. Watch and see how!
In this video, we learn how to edit with Sony Movie Studio / Vegas Video. You will be able to see all your tracks to open up when you are in the program. First, open up all the elements you will need in your media pool. After this, add in transitions from each of the different slides and add in music as well. Place the slides next to each other to easily create the transition without getting the different slides confused. Play the preview to the slides to see how they look as you are creating...
