KitPlus | Articles

Hungerford and the 10 rules of making a Microbuster

by Miles Bullough Issue 101 - May 2015 On April 27th 2015 Wildseed Studios\' debut feature film, \'Hungerford\', launched on iTunes and begins what we hope will be a digital voyage around the world to success. We coined the term \'Microbuster\' to describe movies made on micro budgets but with blockbuster ambitions - and it perfectly captures what...

Submitted by Miles Bullough

Published 01 June 2015

Cautionary notes from GTC Member number 001

by Dick Hibberd Issue 101 - May 2015 Recently I was invited to be on the panel of judges charged with selecting the winners of the 2014 \'Bill Vinten GTC University Awards\'. This was just the second year of this excellent scheme and, if the submissions from universities increase annually pro rata, then we will soon have a major logistics problem i...

Submitted by Dick Hibberd

Published 01 June 2015

REDucation - Real world RED camera training

by Ben Sherriff Issue 101 - May 2015 Saturday 28th and Sunday 29th March saw the REDucation training workshop arrive in London at the Met Film School in Ealing Studios West London. I\'ve used a Red One but have yet to work on a shoot where I can get my hands dirty with the newer cameras they manufacture (Epic-X, Scarlet, Dragon and now Weapon). Whe...

Submitted by Ben Sherriff

Published 01 June 2015

Rise of the drones

by Jeremy Braben Issue 100 - April 2015 Drones are taking TV and film productions where they have never gone before. But how can they be used to best effect, what challenges do they present and will they replace helicopters in aerial filming? Jeremy Braben of Helicopter Film Services (HFS) has some of the answers... The recent explosion of unmanned...

Submitted by Jeremy Braben

Published 01 May 2015

Training for media - who should do it?

by Martin Uren Issue 99 - March 2015 Simple enough to ask, but any possible answer to the question of who should train those working in the media industries, or more specifically the moving image industries, is complex and involves many interrelated factors. I would like to explore the issues, and maybe present some suggestions on how we might do a...

Submitted by Martin Uren

Published 01 April 2015

The changing face of film and TV

by George Olver Issue 99 - March 2015 With the convergence of technologies and blurring of lines between broadcast and other forms of media, the industry has undergone a seismic shift over recent years. In 2015 half of all UK ad spend will be spent on digital, in what has been described as a "seminal moment in the history of the ad industry". Clien...

Submitted by George Olver

Published 01 April 2015

How to charge premium prices

by Den Lennie Issue 98 - February 2015 How much should I charge? Is probably the most commonly asked question I receive here at F-Stop Academy. And the answer? As much as you can and your client is willing to pay. In business it is your duty to maximise your profit. If you are offering a premier boutique video production service then charge accordi...

Submitted by Den Lennie

Published 01 March 2015

Which camera is right for you?

by Beth Zarkhosh Issue 98 - February 2015 So January has been and gone and it\'s out with the old and in with the new. This applies to the freshest and upcoming cameras for video making on the market; it\'s now time to get rid of your old equipment. With CES behind us, new innovations have taken many by surprise and with BVE currently going on ther...

Submitted by Beth Zarkhosh

Published 01 March 2015

Ask the experts: Batteries

by Kieran Foster Issue 98 - February 2015 1. What steps has the battery industry taken to make their products more environmentally friendly? Is there any more that can be done? In our industry, the best way to tackle any environmental issues is to focus on the efficiency of the battery. Maximum product life is part of the design philosophy of Anton...

Submitted by Kieran Foster

Published 01 March 2015

Kit Protection - the professionals choice

Issue 98 - February 2015More than 30 years of product development has ensured Peli Cases are the market leader in essential protection for broadcast and photographic equipment. Offering watertight, dustproof and crushproof security, Peli cases are backed by legendary "You break it, we replace it\" lifetime guarantee. Professionals choose Peli cases...

Submitted by KitPlus

Published 01 March 2015

Walking into manufacturing with a Dedleg

by Paul Zanders Issue 98 - February 2015 I\'ve been a freelance recordist since 1999. I\'ve been lucky enough to be busy, working with many crews on some major shows like The Apprentice, Masterchef, X Factor, Top Gear, and many documentaries and corporate videos. I\'ve worked with some great cameramen and some fantastic sound recordists. I enjoy wh...

Submitted by Paul Zanders

Published 01 March 2015

Open Source for Film and TV Production

by Dan Mulligan Issue 98 - February 2015 There\'s nothing like a new project to make you feel excited about life, and excited is definitely how I\'ve been feeling since I adopted an Open Source policy to my companies\' camera and workflow divisions. My background is in cameras. I started out assisting and focus pulling before moving up the ranks to...

Submitted by Dan Mulligan

Published 01 March 2015

The road to Sundance Film Festival

with Kivu Ruhorahoza Issue 98 - February 2015 Things of the Aimless Wanderer, the latest feature from Rwandese filmmaker Kivu Ruhorahoza (Grey Matter) is a beautifully crafted narrative about paranoia, mistrust and misunderstandings. Premiering at this year\'s Sundance Film Festival, audiences can expect an arresting film that reveals a series of c...

Submitted by Kivu Ruhorahoza

Published 01 March 2015

Bring up the bodies

by Dick Hobbs Issue 98 - February 2015 If you have even once turned on BBC television in the last couple of months, you could not fail to learn that the big blockbuster drama this winter is Wolf Hall, a television adaptation of Hilary Mantel\'s two-thirds complete trilogy about the Tudors, and Thomas Cromwell in particular. I subscribe to what seem...

Submitted by Dick Hobbs.

Published 01 March 2015

What is the future of media creation, salaries and conten...

by Thomas Urbye Issue 97 - January 2015 Often this very question is debated by experts in our industry, but many have their own agenda, whether that be advertising creation, media buying, low budget film-making, publicly funded television, subscription based services and beyond. But what is the real future for our viewing habits, those of us workin...

Submitted by Thomas Urbye

Published 01 February 2015