A Digital Camcorder Obsession

My camcorder upgrade has been long overdue and while there are a variety of options to choose from, I'm totally into the Canon XL2. Great video images and and pictures that I can put into digital picture frames are not easy to get with consumer grade cameras and camcorders. Unfortunately, the widespread availability of these new consumer level camcorders, editing tools and the new Youtube clones that come out every week online has prompted everyone and their mom to start making "films". Oh wait, I mean "movies". So, it would be great to have a better camcorder to compete with amateurs and professionals. The ideal one would produce a good looking image and also have still image capabilities.

The Canon XL1 was very popular when it came out and now the Canon XL2 is available. These digital camcorders aren't cheap though, at an average $2000 price tag. It seems that the Canon XL2 camcorder doesn't have an option to capture still images. However, it may be that I just was not able to find that information. One great thing about the Canon XL2 is that it's way more professional that standard camcorders. There have been many movies made with this digital camcorder and they look great. In fact, they are a little more convincing to audience members even though it is still video.

My decision is not final on what will be chosen yet, but the Canon XL2 is definitely in the running. However, I have read some reviews that talk about the limited options offered with this digital camcorder. That is one big concern. However, there are so many options that can be used if you're shooting on Digital Video anyway. Therefore, it may not matter. The Canon XL2 is large in size, but not like a horse so it's easy to carry. Microphones can also be hooked up to it which will definitely be helpful in monitoring the audio for Madlab's online videos and movies.

There are also options to switch between full and widescreen, although I may not use that feature often. The audio monitoring issue is what's most important right now because those capabilities are limited with the current equipment that I use. The still image issue isn't a big option to worry about because some experts say that it's best to use a stand-alone digital camera anyway because the quality is much better. That makes sense, so it's time for me to consider some along the lines of that Canon PowerShot SD800. I'm not trying to be a professional photographer, so I don't really need a major SLR like the Nikon D40 or anything like that.

A simple point and shoot digital camera will be sufficient to log important scenes and anything else that needs to be done. I'm just a writer and director. I shouldn't be trying to shoot behind the scenes and publicity stills anyway. That’s what the on-set photographer is for. I guess this is what happens with low-budget, independent filmmaking or moviemaking. That’s a story for another day.

How PayPerPost may have saved Indie Films

Fundraising and saving out-of-pocket money to make films can be daunting at times. That is one of the reasons why I signed up for PayPerPost. I read about the company on many blogs that ranged from Work at Home Opportunities to Random Lifetsyle views and activities. However, I never had interest in working with the company until the last two months. Some view blogging as a waste of time, especially if you do not get paid from it. While there are lots of advertising opportunities available, many bloggers actually do not make much money if they make anything at all.

That is where I decided to try out PayPerPost. While I enjoy writing on the Madlab Post, it doesn't bring in as much revenue as I would prefer. Still, I don't mind blogging here because my main focus is gaining exposure for my films and video projects as well as the movies made by other filmmakers. It would be nice to be able to make an income from the movies, but they have to be made first. That is where PayPerPost comes in. Since most of my income is used for all of the expenses that come with the cost of living in this busy and high priced society, there is barely enough left over to make more films. PayPerPost is where I get paid to blog

Working with PayPerPost has allowed me to do two things. First, it has provided some revenue for my blog, which makes it so that blogging isn't a waste of time, like many women and men tend to think. Secondly, it provides the opportunity to build up enough money to make more films and purchase or rent editing equipment, studios, props, wardrobe food for cast and crew members and more. Film Festival entry fees tend to make it difficult to apply and thats just the beginning. It is even more epensive to travel to these film festivals where fun movies are showing.

There are opportunities to make anywhere from $5 up to $200 or more for a blog post on specific topics. This is why I am glad that I decided to try PayPerPost. I have recently found that other members are friendly and willing to help each other out no matter if it's related to PayPerPost of blogging in general. This company has made blogging more enjoyable and it has even influenced me to work on improving this blog as much as I can. PayPerPost is a great company to work with and can definitely be a helpful tool for independent filmmaking and other arts related projects.

A Blog Action Day champion for less Water Pollution on Film Sets

Photo: Wespionage of Flickr

Today is Blog Action Day, which brings us to the topic of discussing a better future for our environment. There are numerous human activities that have a negative affect on the environment. One of those activities is water pollution. Many companies add to water pollution either knowingly or inadvertently. The entertainment industry is no exception to such behavior, particularly in the area of movie production.

Many Hollywood and independent entertainment companies are causing water pollution on film sets. This is occurring with lots of municipal solid waste. There are ways that many of us, especially independent filmmakers can change this to create a better future for out environment. It must all begin now, on and after Blog Action Day. Municipal solid waste is a contributor to water pollution. The inappropriate disposal of solid waste is one source of water pollution that can be decreased significantly on film sets. It includes many forms, some of which will be discussed below.

Biodegradable waste: Food and Kitchen waste, green waste and paper.
While film sets may not involve extended use of green waste, the other two are used frequently:

Photo: uberzombie of Flickr

Food and Kitchen Waste
This contains any waste that is derived from food materials such as scraps of meat, vegetable peelings, excess food, spoiled food and other discards from the kitchen. While most film sets do not include residential or commercial kitchens, they do usually provide craft services. This department is where food and kitchen waste can be located. The waste is usually dumped. However, it can be incinerated and used for fuel or fed to animals. When we throw food and kitchen waste in the trash, it is usually picked up by the sanitation department and sent to a landfill.

Landfills are one of the unhealthiest forms of waste management when it comes to protecting our environment. If that was not bad enough, our nation is running out of room. It seems that the solution to that has been to add more landfill sites, loading more pollution into our surroundings. Incineration and animal feeding is one great way that we can support the preservation of a clean and healthy environment. Some may be reading this and thinking “My cat does not like pizza” or “My dog does not eat macaroni and cheese”. These are not good excuses to just dump food and kitchen waste after filming and go on to the next item listed on your call sheet.

Food and kitchen waste can be fed to pigs and other animals. Movie companies and filmmakers who are producing films during the summer can definitely use these tactics as an alternative to dumping it. Hot weather makes food and kitchen waste rot and smell bad, attracting insects that can breed and cause a major disturbance.

Paper
We use tons of paper during the entire movie production process. Every film starts with a script that includes over 100 pages. Multiply that by the number of cast members, staff and others who use the script and that comes out to tons of paper for just one part of production. Paper is also used for budgeting, scheduling, contracts, post-production notes, storyboarding and many other tasks. It is not unusual for one movie production to utilize hundreds of pounds of paper for a film. This is where it helps to reuse paper and recycle more during the movie production process.

Recycling paper will support 35% less water pollution according to Wikipedia’s statistics obtained from the United States Environmental Protection Agency. Film companies can recycle paper to make new paper or reuse the paper for insulation, wrapping or other arts related projects. Much like we use paper for administrative purposes on film sets, it is also the way food is distributed to cast and crew members that contributes to water pollution. Some filmmakers and movie producers use Styrofoam cups and plates when serving food on their film sets. These items are made of expanded polystyrene beads. Expanded polystyrene cannot be recycled easily and takes a very long time to decompose in the environment. In fact, the use of polystyrene (or Styrofoam) for food packaging has even been banned in many U.S. Cities. Therefore, it is much better to use paper cups and paper plates when serving food to cast and crew members on a film set.

Movie producers operating on a larger scale budget may not be directly involved with food handling. Still, it is important to notify craft services and make sure that more environment-friendly items are being used.

Littering also contributes to water pollution. A lot of movie production companies are careful to keep littering at a minimum on film sets. This behavior is especially suggested for independent film productions, as the atmosphere on indie sets tend to be less restrictive among cast, crew and staff members. However, we could be littering carelessly and not even know it. That is because the most common forms of littering involve items that many cast and crew members do not pay much attention to.

Cigarette butts are the most littered items around the world, which is a form of inappropriate disposal of solid waste. Beverage containers are the largest element of litter. These items are used heavily on film sets around the country. Actors, Movie directors, cinematographers, Grips, Production Assistants and other smoke on film sets as well. While there may be ash trays available, many cigarette butts are tossed out during the production of some independent films. This is something that can be changed and placed under control to decrease water pollution for a better environment. The entertainment industry is not exempt from responsibilities and accountability for water pollution. Just because we are focused on making movies does not mean we should ignore how the environment is being treated.

This post in support of Blog Action Day has brought on the development of future posts this month on other forms of municipal solid waste and how we can improve the activities on movie sets in order to decrease water pollution and ensure a better future for the environment. Stay tuned!

All are welcome to post comments below including thoughts about your experiences on movie sets or by observing (by watching special behind the scenes features on TV or DVDs) behavior on movie sets that can be changed to help the environment and prevent water pollution.

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