Make Funny Video

The Secret to Writing Comedy

2007-01-29T20:53:00.000-08:00

Larry David

I came across this article in the New Yorker, which includes a look at how Larry David weaves his plots together for his great show, Curb Your Enthusiasm.

See: http://www.newyorker.com/fact/content/articles/040119fa_fact?040119fa_fact

Referring to his tattered notebook:

He leafed through the notebook. “Most of the ideas stink,” he said. “But you’d be surprised. See, a lot of these I’ll use, not as a big story but like a little piece of filler. And then all of a sudden it somehow leads into something.”

When the time comes to begin writing the new season, David scans his notebook for possibilities. “He’ll go through the notebook and find three or four stories and extrapolate them to worst-case,” ... “He starts to weave them together. Sometimes you can brainstorm ideas with him—you can even pitch B stories to him. He’s used stories from Larry Charles and me. Cheryl got a story in there. And then he just sits down and sweats it out.”

There you go. That's the secret. Comedy writing is hard work.

Font Fanatics

2006-10-31T20:28:00.000-08:00

I've finally uploaded to YouTube my first ever clip using Camtasia.

This is what can happen to you when you choose a silly font:

The 4 items I used to make this clip were:

Techsmith's Camtasia software
A Logitech Web Camera
The Logitech face recognition software
A couple of royalty free sound clips

I used the Web camera to video me typing away at the keyboard and I used Camtasia to capture the screen shots in Microsoft Word, plus do the video and audio editing.

Given the pain and suffering I saw other students go through during the short filmmaking course, I was really glad I could make my clip in a relatively short time with a minimum of fuss.

NEWS ITEM - iStockphoto Stocks Up on Video

2006-10-02T17:28:00.000-07:00

By Nancy Davis Kho, Posted Sep 20, 2006

A picture may be worth a thousand words, but at iStockphoto.com, it's also worth between one and forty dollars. iStockphoto, a provider of royalty free stock photography, pioneered a micropayment model to bring affordable stock photographs to the masses and shook up the stock photo industry in the process. Now, following its acquisition by Getty Images earlier this year, iStockphoto is leveraging its parent company's expertise to add video clips and broaden the site's international appeal.

iStockphoto boasts that it was the first company to put the amateur photographer and customer in direct contact with stock photography. Photographers upload images to the site for free. Customers pay from $1 to $40 for an image, depending on its size, and the photographer is paid a commission instantly each time a customer downloads a photo. iStockphoto's royalty model means buyers can use photos multiple times and for multiple purposes.

The company, based in Calgary, Alberta, now hosts over one million images, contributed by 22,000 photographers around the world. Images are downloaded from www.iStockphoto.com at a rate of nearly one every three seconds. The iStockphoto member community is a loyal group, enhancing the site with user-generated content like image commentary and photography tips.

iStockphoto's success caught the attention of Getty Images, a market leader in traditional stock photography, and in February 2006, Getty purchased iStockphoto for $50 million. While some were concerned that iStockphoto would lose its democratic approach after the acquisition, Kelly Thompson, iStockphoto's VP of marketing, sees its affiliation with Getty as a substantial benefit to iStockphoto's members that will actually allow it to enhance its services. "Getty Images is the most experienced company in the stock industry, and their institutional knowledge just seeps out," he says.

According to Thompson, iStockphoto had been toying with the idea of adding video clips for customer download for some time, based on increasing customer demand for high quality video at an affordable price. "Before we launched, we were monitoring the availability of high-definition video cameras at a price that an amateur photographer could afford." He credits Getty with encouraging them to make the leap sooner rather later, and in July, iStockphoto began soliciting video clip submissions from its member base. The video collection launched in September, with prices starting at $5 for a 30 second clip.

Also in September, iStockphoto released a site upgrade that leverages Getty's indexing terminology to enhance usability for iStockphoto's international members, who comprise 40% of its user base. "Getty has taken ten years to perfect their controlled vocabulary, the tree structure that encompasses every possible keyword to describe an image. They have the ability to auto translate those terms into twelve languages besides English," Thompson says.

Now that same controlled vocabulary and auto-translation capability will be used on the iStockphoto site. Previously, photographers could only add the keyword terms describing their photos in English, which put non-English speaking photographers at a disadvantage. With the September release, photographers can also add keywords in any of twelve other languages, and global customers can search in those languages as well.

Additionally, the entire site is now translated into local languages for the French, German, and Spanish markets. In a new twist on user-generated content, Thompson says iStockphoto members from those countries participated in localizing the interface.

With the addition of video clips and localized search and user interfaces, iStockphoto continues to provide a new lens through which to see the stock photography industry.

(www.istockphoto.com)

Humor for a Specialized Audience

2006-08-31T04:39:00.000-07:00


This spoof music video appeals to me, and to anyone who has an interest in stock, futures and currency trading. It's a good example of a bit of humor and creativity being applied to a normally dusty-dry topic. It's a lesson for all web content creators. The music video was produced by Michael O'Rorke of Columbia Business School's Follies.

Budgetng and Scheduling a Film Shoot

2006-07-31T04:43:00.000-07:00

In this class Matthew talked about putting together a schedule for the shoot, no matter how small the production.

It was simply a table or spreadsheet that contained the following elements:
Rows that show the location and time with columns containing a description of the scene, cast required, wardrobe, art dept, audio & camera requirements. It was simple but comprehensive.

This is a fancy looking schedule with dazzling colors, but you can simply use a spreadsheet.

Matthew showed us an example from a current production of his and I was impressed by how utterly thorough it was. Nearly any question that a crew or cast member would have could be answered by looking at the schedule, e.g. what time do I need to be there and what should I bring, etc.

I could see how a schedule would be invaluable as a guide and FAQ for everyone involved.

We were also shown a sample short-film grant submission with all the items for the short-film costed out, this convinced me that shooting cheap video for the web for an interested audience was the way to go for me.

Matthew also mentioned that it's typical for there to be a 7 to 1 ratio of tape or video stock used for the estimated length of the production, e.g. 10 minute of video will take up approximately 70 minutes of video footage. This extra footage is largely used for extra takes at different angles so that there's a choice of material during the edit. This 'excess' should be factored into the cost of stock.

When it comes to using volunteers and friends on a flm shoot, Matthew also recommended that the producer/director provide the catering in recognition of the assistance that the volunteers were providing. It doesn't hurt to be generous and express gratitude this way (plus factor this into your budget!)

Video Camera Introduction

2006-06-14T03:25:00.000-07:00

Canon XM2

In this class we were introduced to video cameras, using the Canon XM2 as an example.

The most interesting part was learning about white balance, which practically is about making sure that colors are consistent from one take to another. White balance is affected by video electronics and the prevailing color temperature of the illuminating light. So if the color temperature is different in a new take, then the color will look different on video. To ensure an even-color look between takes, then you need to set the white balance of the camera before shooting.

Here's a brief article about white balance.

Comedy Film Festival

2006-06-04T17:47:00.000-07:00

I was looking at Diane Cilento's Web site Karnak Playhouse and there discovered a link to the Australian Over the Fence Comedy Film festival. This might be of interest to other students in my short filmmaking course.

They recieve submissions at the end of January. Here are the guidelines:

Guidelines for films submitted selection panel:
1 - any format; Hi 8 - S-VHS - Digital - 8mm - 35mm etc
2 - any length between 2 to 30 minutes
3 - any comic genre; black, slapstick, irreverent, romantic,political, subversive, absurd ... etc. And must have an excellent sense of humour.
4 - Prefer a 'product placements free zone' - like no smoking or featured product names - cool drinks etc (unless contexualized).

Web Camera

2006-05-30T21:36:00.000-07:00

The videos I'm likely to create for my Web site over the long term will be a combination of screen captures from my computer screen and a Webcam of me talking.

That's it. So I don't need to buy an expensive digital video camera. What I need is screen capture software and a decent Webcam.

I did some research and found that Logitech are probably the manufacturer of choice for Web cameras. I then narrowed down the models they currently have and decided on the Logitech Quickcam Fusion.
It was named PC Magazine's Editor's Choice in February 2006.

I picked it for its superior video quality, built-in microphone and its kooky but cool video effects, which might come in handy for enhancing a joke.

The Quickcam Fusion lets you stick a cartoon hat where it fits.

The camera can also fit on any computer monitor or laptop.

The best thing about this purchase is that I didn't go to a retail store to buy it. I got a new one off Ebay for half the retail price.

ABC - Short & Curly

2006-05-30T16:23:00.000-07:00

Anh Do

The Australian Broadcasting Corporation have a 13-part TV series of short films called Short & Curly. The program is hosted by comedian Anh Do and the shorts can be viewed from the ABC Web site. They include the early works of Jane Campion and Cate Shortland to name a couple.

Jane Campion, Director of The Piano (1993).

Cate Shortland, Director of Somersault (2004).

NEWS ITEM - Atomfilms Debuts Four Original Shorts on the Internet

2006-05-28T18:35:00.000-07:00

Atom Entertainment Inc., a broadband entertainment provider, has announced that four new short films developed by AtomFilms Studio are premiering simultaneously on the AtomFilms Web site and on mobile phones. Ranging in length from one to five minutes apiece, the new shorts provide comic perspectives on dating, classic video games, canine friendships, and even breast enhancements.

(www.atomfilms.com)

NEWS ITEM - Brightcove and Limelight Networks to Deliver Internet TV

2006-05-28T18:33:00.000-07:00

Internet TV provider Brightcove and Limelight Networks, an Internet content delivery network for digital media, have announced a partnership to bring advanced services and business models to the Internet TV industry.

Brightcove will use Limelight's scalable, digital media content delivery network to distribute Internet TV content published through Brightcove to audiences worldwide. Using Brightcove, content owners of any size will automatically have access to Limelight's delivery infrastructure. Through the Limelight content delivery network, Brightcove will support distributing broadband video in a variety of formats (including Adobe Flash streaming video, Windows Media video, and MPEG-4) to Internet-connected devices, including PCs, handheld devices, and home-networked TV sets.

Limelight provides over 200 gigabits per second of Adobe Flash Media streaming delivery capacity online to enable Brightcove to meet the broadband publishing and distribution needs of its customer base of video content producers.

(www.brightcove.com; www.llnw.com)

NEWS ITEM - Motion Pictures: FrameFree Launches Studio

2006-05-28T18:28:00.000-07:00

Thomas Edison conceptualized the moving picture more than a century ago. Since then "we've been refining . . . but not innovating it," according to FrameFree Technologies president Tom Randolph. FrameFree Technologies plans to pick up where Edison left off with its May 15, 2006, launch of FrameFree Studio, digital imaging software that Randolph hopes will set new standards for ease of use, picture quality, and even bring motion to still images.

When you watch a movie, your eye is fooled into thinking that a reel of still images is actually moving. Rather than relying on an optical illusion to create motion, FrameFree Studio's software analyzes still images' pixels and predicts how the edges will change their position from one image to the next second. "All the detail is in the edges," explains FrameFree business director John North, and with FrameFree, those edges morph and move according to the mathematical algorithm underpinning the Studio software. Starting with two static images, the dynamic motion that FrameFree Studio creates can be incredibly subtle, like the way the wind moves two nearly identical pictures of leaves, or visually arresting, like a car melting into an apple. Depending on the designer, the motion can span a second or stretch into an entire movie.

The video files created by FrameFree Studio contain just the two images in addition to the mathematical code that creates the motion. Randolph describes them as being "obnoxiously small," squeezing a chunk of video into only a few kilobytes without compressing the file, and making them ideal for fast Web or mobile delivery. The animation process is largely automated, so the time that it normally takes to manufacture moving graphics frame by frame is dramatically reduced. An added bonus, according to North: "The images never lose their original resolution."

FrameFree Studio is releasing four different versions to target specific consumer and professional needs. The two high-end versions, HD and SD, create a higher-resolution image that can be used in broadcast and digital cinema, with image resolution up to 4096x4096 and ten layers of detail. The other two, Pro and Express, are more lightweight, intended for users working on the Web with resolutions up to 640x480 and up to four layers of detail (two layers maximum for Express). HD and SD are available for licensing via the FrameFree Web site, and Pro and Express can be downloaded from the site for a small monthly subscription fee.

Besides releasing the software, FrameFree has also announced the FrameFree United Network (FUN), which is equal parts global hosted server and collective distributor, allowing Studio users to search, store, and share their creations for a one-time certification fee. In addition to being fully hosted, FUN helps the content creators to keep track of licensing fees and distribution.
FrameFree Technologies is the result of a 2004 international joint venture between the UK's FrameFree International and Japan's Monolith Co., Ltd. Randolph and his crew have an ambitious slate of launches scheduled for the next few years, for which he claims Studio is "just a teaser." With a number of digital imagery products in development and testing, FrameFree is already looking ahead to rolling out the next four or five versions of Studio. FrameFree Studio is available for a free 14-day trial download. Try it for yourself and feel free to believe your eyes.

(www.framefree.us)

Storyboarding

2006-05-25T23:07:00.000-07:00

Simpsons Storyboard

This class I found particularly helpful. The story board is a blueprint for the director so that when on set, they know what shots they're trying to get and not waste time wondering what to do next.

Each picture on a storyboard is the planned camera angle and subject matter, including the likely width of the shot for that particular frame size.

For my long-term purpose of producing videos for the web, where there might be no script, the storyboard might be quite helpful for staying focused on the product I'm trying to create and not muck around experimenting and end up wasting time.

Casting Actors

2006-05-25T22:52:00.000-07:00

Matthew took us through the importance of selecting the right actors for our production and mentioned a number of local theater groups that we could approach for potential candidates. Modelling agencies are another option but real actors are to be preferred.

Apparantly actors like to be prepared for their roles so the onus is on us to do as much preparation as possible before the actors come on-board - the nerve!

I feel fortunate that I don't want other actors at the moment. I have already hired one bad-ass actor who's going to be a pain to work with - me!

Idea Pitching

2006-05-22T23:24:00.000-07:00

In the next class Matthew showed us how the world of film is sold on the pitch - the art of making people excited about your film idea and to be aware of how different things appeal to different people, such as producers speaking with investors and grant bodies who are interested in how the project will make its money back, and how a director might appeal to crew members for the experience they will gain by using new equipment, etc. Eventually for most, it will come down to money.

Everyone in the class pitched their idea to the rest of the class, some were very simple and seemed achievable, while others had great ideas but I wondered how they would have the time and money to make their film for this course.

This discussion convinced me that my approach of keeping it as simple as possible is what's best for my purposes: to promote a Web site with a minimum of fuss, and especially for humor, everything is subordinate to the joke, so I don't have worry much about elaborate sets, costumes, etc. For me, the joke is king.

First Draft

2006-05-22T23:09:00.000-07:00

I tapped out the first draft of my script pretty quickly. I had in mind what I wanted so it was easy to get down on paper.

The tricky thing will be finding the still images, video footage and sound/music that will add to the humor of the piece and whether I am allowed to use those items with or without permission.

I have all that to look forward to as I turn my script into something people will see for themselves.

One thing I learned is that even if I get a character to point at something, e.g. the Sydney Opera House, and it flashes up on the screen for 3 seconds, that still counts as a new scene as it is written in the script. I can see how a script is really needed if other people are working on the project, but if it's just me, all I really need is an outline so I can get on with making the video.

Script Writing

2006-05-22T18:54:00.000-07:00

In this class Matthew discussed the importance of a script to a film project and and gave us an example layout that he'd like us to follow for our own script.

Here's an example of a script layout.

Larry David

Probably my favorite scriptwriter these days is Larry David, creator of the TV Comedy Curb Your Enthusiasm. People might be more familiar with his work on Seinfeld, the best episodes of Seinfeld have his distinguished touch.

The reason why Larry David is so good is that he is able to create great comic endings to his stories, which is frequently the downfall of most comedies. They often have great beginnings or funny scenes, but usually fall flat at the end. Larry David overcomes this common problem by structuring the elements of his stories in such a way that they explode together for the climax. His stories are very satisfying to watch.

Matthew wants us to write our own 3-minute script, and because I'm promoting my own Web site, I want to keep it as simple as possible and have no other actors apart from myself and a simple monologue with cuts to other scenes and pictures. I suspect my little first attempt at a Web video will be post-production heavy.

Introduction to short film

2006-05-22T18:12:00.000-07:00

Matthew Fallon, our course convener from EOR Media, began by breaking down the process of our film projects into three phases: pre-production, production and post-production. He also showed us a few Australian short-films so that we could get an appreciation of the different ways short films are produced and funded.

I've decided that my own project will not be a typical short-film narrative, but will be a promotional video for a Web site that I've been wanting to develop, so I'm using this course as a way of motivating me to create content for my new Web site, in addition to creating a short video.

Now all I need is a camera...

Got a light mister?

2006-05-17T20:37:00.000-07:00

A few days later when I was back home in Numbtown, I followed a link in someone's e-mail to the Tuggeranong Arts Centre Web site and discovered that a Short Filmmaking course was starting in May.

This seemed like an ideal opportunity to learn the mechanics of filming since I've never owned a video camera nor even used a simple Web camera, even after all these years on the net.

Here's the blurb about the course that caught my eye:

Short Filmmaking 1 - This is the first part of a two-term journey into short filmmaking that will allow participants to create their own masterpiece from concept to premiere. You'll learn skills in script writing, pitching, directing, camera operation, shot composition and editing. We'll look at examples of recent short films so that students can develop their critical facilities as well as their technical competencies. Tutor Matthew Fallon has an impressive record of film making in Canberra and has worked on short films, music videos and television commercials. He is currently the director of the Canberra Short Film Festival, the Short::Seasons Film Festival and runs increasingly popular Lights! Canberra! Action! event.

What got me interested

2006-05-17T18:28:00.000-07:00

I recently attended an Internet Marketing seminar held in Sydney, Australia run by the Canadian mob called the Internet Marketing Center. The focus of this seminar was on promoting Web sites with traditional sales copy and direct marketing techniques.

Using video on Web sites didn't really occur to me as something I could try until I was hanging out at Coogee Beach after the seminar and met a bunch of German students filming a short video for their blog called Swap TV.

They were having a lot of fun and I was reminded that I should have fun when making Web sites too. That's when I thought making online videos would be good for a laugh.

Video Project

2006-05-16T23:48:00.000-07:00

I've never made a video and decided to learn how. This blog is a resource for anyone who's interested in the mechanics of making a video and publishing it on the Web.