Category: Videos

Posts that have videos on them.

Smelly Coat of Desperation

An inspiring talk from filmmaker Ava DuVernay during the Film Independent Forum about a revolutionary idea that pushed her towards success. One thing Ava said that struck was the term of “smelly coat of desperation”. I think her advise not only can work towards aspiring filmmakers but also to anyone looking to do something with their life. Basically to paraphrase what she said, her revolutionary idea is: Continue reading →

Carly Rae Jepsen meets NIN

After discovering the Taylor Swift-Nine Inch Nails mash-up, it then led me to this awesome mash-up. I can’t believe Nine Inch Nails can turn Carly Rae Jepsen’s “Call Me Maybe” into an awesome song. I can’t believe Nine Inch Nail songs can become super pop. I love it!

Rise and Shine!

Right now, I REALLY want to go back to working out again. I feel my body has had enough of the holidays and could not wait to return to “The Grind”. Then I saw this video on my FB News Feed and wondered if its fate or just a coincidence to how apropos this video is to my life.

I hope the video pumps you up, the way it has now pumped me up.

Transcription of the video:

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Teaser trailer to the Teaser trailer

This is just wrong; a teaser trailer for a teaser trailer to a movie. This is equally as wrong as countdowns to the release of a movie’s teaser trailer. Are people’s attention spans that short in this social media world that the marketing department has to try to hype up something that hypes up a movie? Basically it’s the hype that will hype up the hype.

Sound Mixer Hell

The video is funny but also very true. I experienced this BS so many times. This not only applies to Sound Mixers but also to every crew member who has worked/volunteered on low/no budget independent films who encountered Producers and Directors that think you don’t need money to make a movie and the glamour of working on a movie is enough for anyone to sign up.

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Babymetal

This is why I have a love-hate relationship with Facebook. I love Facebook because sometimes you get to discover awesome things that you would have never found out if it weren’t for social media.

This is the most awesome thing I have heard. It’s one of those crazy combinations that on paper looks like it would never work. But then when you do combine the two, it creates something totally new and awesometacular.

Only the Japanese are crazy enough to combine Japanese Teen Pop and mix it with Heavy Metal. But strangely it works. This may be the best metal song ever written about how awesome it is to eat chocolate. When I listen BABYMETAL‘s music, I can’t help imagine it playing on the soundtrack of “Blade” or on a sci-fi “Blade Runner” type of movie.

 

Kontrabida 101 by Bella Flores

Last May 29, 2013, the iconic Kontrabida (Villain) of Philippine Cinema, Bella Flores died. Today, Feb 27, would have been her 85th birthday. In remembrance of her, here’s a masterclass of how to act as a villain conducted by Bella Flores. Though this type of acting is aching to the 40s to 50s style of Hollywood villain acting which is very grand and larger than life which can still be seen in Philippine soap operas and even in Disney animation.

In the video she said 2 awesome things. The first one is, “Walang Bida, Kung walang kontrabida”. Roughly translated, “If it weren’t for the villains, there would be no heroes.”

The second, “Bidas, they come and go. Pero kaming mga kontrabida, we never fade away,” (Heroes come and go. But villains never fade away.)

 

Behind the Criterion Collection Process

For me the Criterion Collection is one of the best distributors and restorers of cinema. One time I ended up going crazy and buying a lot of Criterion Collection DVDs online which cost me an equivalent of one paycheck of the month. And that was when Criterion had a 50% off sale.

The perfectionist in me would love to have all of the Criterion Collection DVDs from Issue #1 all the way to the current released DVD. Unfortunately or maybe fortunately I have come to the realization that I don’t have the disposable income to afford a collection. I think it will cost thousands of dollars in order to have the complete Criterion Collection.

Anyway, the video is awesome in showing insight into Criterion Collection’s process of restoring films.

 

The Art of Editing in The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

A great video essay from Max Tohine breaking down the technical side of how Sergio Leone and the film’s editors Eugenio Alabiso and Nino Baragli created one of the greatest duels in cinema history. The video essay provides insight into the art of editing and also the genius of Sergio Leone.

In his essay, Max Tohine shows that editing is not just the art of creating relationships between shots. It can also be a lot of things.

– Editing as mathematical pattern.
– Editing as a way to express thought
– Editing as a pure musical rhythm

 

History of Aspect Ratio in Cinema

Have you ever wondered why movies look the way they are when projected in a cinema? Here’s a history of Aspect Ratio in cinema.

“It’s fascinating how aspect ratio have shifted and have practically defined our memories of these films. But it’s still only a shape. A canvas into which you draw your story. The canvas does matter; how you draw it makes all the difference. So use aspect ratio, you these tools to make something great.” (John Hess)

 

History of Philippine Cinema (1990-99)

If you can get past the electric fan muffling the microphone and the oddball presentation, it’s actually a very good lecture on the history of Philippine Cinema in the 90s.

The video reminded me of an episode from the documentary “The Story of Film: An Odyssey” by Mark Cousins wherein the presenter’s quirks and voice takes a little getting used to. But once you do get over it, you’ll end up learning a lot about Philippine cinema history.

 

Lino Brocka Mini-doc

A talking heads documentary about Lino Brocka where people who have worked with him and are fans of him talk about his life and legacy as a filmmaker, as an activist and as their friend. We get some insight into Lino Brocka’s films and their impact and influence to Philippine Cinema and also insight into Lino Brocka’s working methods and his management and leadership skills and also some conspiracy theory on his sudden death and the reaction afterwards.

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Nothing Is Free On Facebook

Veritasium, a science video blog posted something interesting about what is currently happening in Facebook.

Veritasium created a video highlighting how Facebook has started monetizing the access and distribution of information and content. Content creators and basically anyone who posts something on Facebook are being encouraged to pay to get their message out. But the problem is the underhanded way Facebook is going about to make you avail of the service not to mention the service Facebook is offering is not delivering as advertised.

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Remembering Tado

Tado

Photo courtesy of Dakila

Arvin Jimenez, more popularly known as “Tado” passed away on the morning of February 7, 2014 in a bus crash in Bontoc, Mountain Province. The first time I saw Tado was on Word of the Lourd’s satire “How to make an Indie”. I thought nothing of him other than found his performance funny.

But then last week, I finally got to watch Brillante Mendoza’s “Captive” and as I was watching the movie, I instantly recognized Tado with his long hair and thick black-rimmed over sized glasses playing one of the Abu Sayaf bandits. I said to myself, “Hey that’s the guy from ‘How to make an Indie’.” Knowing nothing about who was in the movie “Captive” other than it being a Brillante Mendoza film; I was surprised to see the movie full of who’s who of character actors from Philippine indie and mainstream cinema. Some where even very brief in and out cameos, that you would not notice them unless you are familiar with the actor.

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The Awesome Lego Movie

I’m loving “The Lego Movie“. It reminds me of “Wreck It Ralph“. It’s the kind of movie that hits the inner child in me. Plus it’s the first time in a long time where I watched the movie with a cinema full of kids. It was a special experience when a hardcore cinephile gets to feel like a kid again enjoying a movie. And you know a movie is awesome when you overhear kids say “This is the best movie I have ever seen”.
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Denim Psycho

Whoever thought about this jeans advertisement is a mad genius. It may be a parody but it eerily captures the pathetic truth on the absurd lengths “some” hipsters will go just to maintain their image.

The Broken Circle Breakdown

The soundtrack to one of my favorite films of 2013. “The Broken Circle Breakdown” is one of those rare films where the music is so interconnected with the story to the point where the music and story become one. The story cannot exist without the music and the music cannot exist without the story. Together they elevate the film and the emotions to a powerful level.

I have never really got hooked on country music but after watching the movie it made me reevaluate my opinion about country music. I have never really given country music a fair assessment. But after the movie, I’m now a fan of the genre.

 

Nuclear pissing contest

This is the most scary, mind boggling and strangely cool video that I have seen. Japanese artist Isao Hashimoto has created a beautiful, undeniably scary time-lapse map of the 2053 nuclear explosions which have taken place between 1945 and 1998, beginning with the Manhattan Project’s “Trinity” test near Los Alamos and concluding with Pakistan’s nuclear tests in May of 1998. This leaves out North Korea’s two alleged nuclear tests in this past decade (the legitimacy of both of which is not 100% clear).
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Jeremy Jahns

2 things I like about Jeremy Jahns‘ movie reviews is the tone of his reviews. When you watch his reviews, it feels like listening to a friend telling me his thoughts about a movie he just saw or what he thinks about something.

And the 2nd reason I like watching Jeremy’s reviews is to see the random impressions he does during his reviews. Whether I agree or disagree with his opinion about a movie, one thing is for certain, his reviews almost always makes me laugh.

Wildlife Cinematography

I don’t know why but as a filmmaker watching this video gave me a rush. It would have been awesome to film a Black Rhino in its natural habitat. I don’t know though if I would go so far and put myself in the danger zone to get a shot. What I found the biggest mistake the cameraman did was to immediately crouch down when he got near the rhino. Seriously, he looked like a lion suddenly crouching to prepare for an attack.

The last thing a wildlife cameraman/cinematographer wants is to be part of the story. The focus should be all about the animals in their natural habitat and not about someone trying to get the shot. The only reason the cameraman walked away and had a good story to tell was because of how cool and composed he was with his response to the rhino. Kim is the James Hunt version of wildlife cameramen.

Luzon Lingerie

An interesting movie that is supposedly THE first movie made in the Philippines. There are deferring accounts to the exact date on when the movie was made; some say 1905, while on IMDB it says it was made on 1920. Whatever the exact date is, it is undeniable that the movie provides invaluable insight on the history of Philippine Cinema and also the history of the Philippines during the early 1900s.

“Luzon Lingerie”
Black and White (Silent)
Burton Holmes Library Film

“Luzon Lingerie” is a silent movie but the video I posted is accompanied with a soundtrack. I think it’s easier to watch the movie with sound rather than watching it completely silent.

 

Guillermo del Toro’s Bleak House

Oh My God! I want a house just like that. Total geekgasm!!!

Guillermo del Toro: “[The man cave or “Bleak House” was designed to be sort of a compression chamber where we can create a stimulating environment] that provokes a shock to the system and gets circulating the lifeblood of imagination which I think is curiosity. When we lose curiosity, I think we lose entirely inventiveness and we start becoming old.”

Amen Guilermo, AMEN!