DCP 70: Imagine - Creativity on a Budget

Apr 26

In an abandoned beach house, a solitary girl finds a mysterious camera that reveals something unexpected. ------------------------ "Perfect in its simplicity, beautiful and haunting in its visuals, The Camera is a reminder that a great film is in everyone’s grasp, as long as he/she has the creative capacity and appropriate willpower to drop pretension, and quite simply, make something." —Short of the Week "From its delicate shot composition to an emotionally stirring score, Peter Lewis‘s The Camera is a crash course in great filmmaking." —Film School Rejects Short Film of the Day "A compelling example of what’s possible when perseverance and resourcefulness meet." —DirectorsNotes.com "Awesome ... 'The Camera' proves that beautiful movies can be made simply and makes you want to get out and make your own!" —Mitch Aunger, planet5D "Haunting" —FStoppers.com ------------------------ Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/TheCameraShortFilm Behance: http://bit.ly/Yhsthe Follow me on twitter: @thispeterlewis Listen to the original score here: https://soundcloud.com/peterlewismusic/the-camera-original-score-1 Aside from a few unfinished running-around-in-the-woods-with-guns experiments from my early teens, this is my first film. I made it because I love all the different aspects of filmmaking, because I was tired of my fear of failure, and because I wanted to see what would happen if I just finished one. Maybe this will lead to bigger and better films; maybe not. Either way I learned something. The story was largely born from its constraints. It had to be doable in my free time, and I had to be able to shoot it during my vacation in Nags Head, NC—with a budget of only $50, to cover the props (I'd previously owned the Canon T2i, lenses, and Logic Pro, and used the free 30-day trial of FCPX). I wanted it to be a simple story with a mysterious twist or two. I got lots of advice from fellow filmmakers—Andrew, Mitchell, Kyle, Brian, Shepherd, Drew, David, and others. If you like the film, thank you Andrew, Mitchell, Kyle, Brian, Shepherd, Drew, and David. If you thought it was rubbish, they only tried to make it better than it was. And thanks again to Abbie and Gabe, without whose talents I couldn't have made it. Some have asked about Emily; the film wasn't written about her (she passed away while it was in post-production), but she was a dear friend of my family and many others, and it was an honor to dedicate it to her memory. Many of you know far more about filmmaking than I do, so please feel free to offer any critique. The Lights Film School blog interviewed me about the making of the film and overcoming fear of failure: http://www.lightsfilmschool.com/blog/short-film-canon-t2i-low-budget/1780/ FILM FESTIVALS - HollyShorts - DC Shorts - Beloit International Film Festival - Fire Reel Film Festival - Blue Lab Creative Industries Symposium - Juggernaut Film Festival - Shortcutz International Short Film Exhibition - Rochester Museum of Fine Arts Short Film Series - Filmbooth International Short Film Screening (Gurgaon, India) - Surrey International Film Festival - Winner, Best of Fest, Fandana Film Festival - Festival du Film de Vacances - Low Country Indie Shorts - Choice Cuts (London) - Write.Shoot.Cut - MudasFest - Shortlisted for the Forster Film Festival - ClujShorts International Short Film Festival - Love Fest FEATURED - PBS Digital Studios Top 5 No Budget Short Films - Short of the Week - planet5D - Digital Convergence podcast (http://tinyurl.com/l3a5jxml) - PetaPixel - Impossible Project - FSTOPPERS - Film School Rejects - Directors Notes - Making the Movie - Charlotte Viewpoint - The Veda House - Movie Playoffs Favorite Shorts - New American Storytellers Screening Room - WriteShootCut - Independent Filmmakers Channel - 01SHORTFILM Channel - 200+ additional blogs Also used in Basic Cinematography and Reflexive Film classes at universities including Syracuse. ------------------------ Director / DP / Editor / Composer / Colorist / Sound Designer / Foley: PETER LEWIS Girl: ABBIE LEWIS Boy: GABE LEWIS ------------------------ Camera: Canon Rebel EOS 550D T2i Lenses: Canon 50mm 1.4, Tamron 28-200mm Editing / Color Grading: Final Cut Pro X Sound Design / Foley / Original Score: Logic Pro 9 Polaroid film: The Impossible Project

Creativity on a budget is the theme of this week's episode of the Digital Convergence podcast. We talk about two low budget films that prove to be a good antidote to the toxins of stratospherically high priced gear and software that have unfortunately dominated our conversations on this podcast for a while. Join Chris Fenwick, planetMitch, and I as we talk about how creativity does not need a gazillion dollars of gear and software.

The first film is titled The Camera by Peter Lewis. Peter says that this film was "largely born from its constraints. It had to be doable in my free time, and I had to be able to shoot it during my vacation... with a budget of only $50 to cover the props." The props included an old Polaroid camera that reveals more than is seen.

The second movie is called Copelandia by Luke Neuman. This movie is more than a test of the new Canon 5D Mark III. With just a little grading and a judicious bit of 35 film grain added, Luke has created an engaging movie full of twists and surprises. The film was shot with Nikor primes - something I like to do with my 5D Mark II. The Nikor lenses have a creamy, warmer look than the cooler L glass of Canon.

Until next week, that's a wrap!