The Vision Thing

Today's electronic devices are packing more and more features in smaller and smaller sizes. In fact, the gap between what we the consumers can do is closing with what they the professionals in Hollywood can do. Just go to YOUTUBE and see that consumers can collect digital imagery at the same clarity and megapixels and edit them as the pros can. Consider the short film, Toy Tanks

Before this you had to go to Hollywood to see anything beyond a fuzzy home movie.

CONsumers----------------------------------------------------->Imagery Technology PROfessionals only

However, today a friend or two with $400 mini-DV digital cameras creates multiple angles capturing the same scene simultaneously in high definition suitable to show to an audience.

CONsumers-------->Imagery Technology<---------------PROfessionals

So the gap is really down to the CONTENT of the movie or stills except for 3 major areas:

Actors
Lighting
Unusual Reality Staging

Its possible for any of us to act on camera like say the recent Michael Clayton film if we try enough. Here, the gap between pros and cons can be closed with effort. Do we have the star power of trained actors? No, but that's just a matter of time and effort.

The real secret between what you see in a Hollywood movie and what you and I make is LIGHTING. Regular life is not lit well enough to be filmed as a Hollywood movie. Can you buy some lights and reflectors and equal the pros?

Yes you can for small scenes but the movie project will no longer be "fun" but will become very hard WORK. Watch the sequel Charlie Angel's: Full Throttle to see a movie that is way overlit; it hurts your eyes to watch! The video Toy Tanks would be no different than a Hollywood movie of toys coming to life if it had been better lit.

The last obstacle is one of scale--can you blow up cars, demolish buildings do stunt man violence for the camera? If you are with the U.S. Army making your documentary movie, you can:

The answer otherwise is no, not at the size and scale of multi-million dollar Hollywood films. However, if your story isn't too violent, it can be made by you the consumer at the same level as a Hollywood production as the film, the Lowry Brothers' The Wicksboro Incident proves this--click on the video cover to see the TRAILER and get a taste of this powerful thriller:

In 1953 the entire population of Wicksboro, Texas vanishes. Forty-five years later a witness comes out of hiding to tell the story. Wicksboro, Texas doesn't exist. But to hear Lloyd Pearsall tell it, the town should be known for precisely that fact. According to Pearsall, this small community and its 75 residents vanished overnight in 1953. New zoning has been implemented and all written records of the town have been destroyed in an attempt to completely erase Wicksboro from human memory. When Pearsall told his story to two filmmakers, he claimed to be the only survivor from this now forgotten town. As unreliable as his story was, certain facts were able to be checked and mysteries of lost truths were indeed at the heart of Mr. Pearsall's tale. This documentary introduces Pearsall to viewers and assembles evidence that the filmmakers uncovered researching the outrageous claim.

The actor playing Lloyd Pearsall, Bobby Harwell should have gotten an Academy Award for his portrayal of the rightly afraid government operative coming out of years of hiding. Watch the movie.

Therefore, "INDY" or independent films are now possible rivaling Hollywood corporate concoctions....

The last question is AUDIENCE.

How do you get these films to be seen by the general public? And how to get your money back?

It seems clear that if ADVERTISING can be secured, the small INDY video/film could be broadcast for FREE on places like google or YOUTUBE.

Dreams to Reality

If you don't have a full story to tell but want to bring ideas to life, you can use digital cameras to show existing equipment like we do in our Field eXpedient (Fx) videos

or using scale models with our ModelVISION series

Making the Most of Your Camera Equipment

Since cameras are getting more and more complicated you almost have to go to a college class to learn all their capabilities. Reading the manual is a must but how will you have it on hand for ready reference in the field? In our latest Fx video we show how to shrink the camera manual to fit inside your belt carry case, laminate it and take it to the field with you!

Prepare your Digital Camera for Combat Operations

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