We go over basic cinematic composition, rule of thirds, the importance of matching eyelines between two characters and how to build a short sequence. We show you all main shot types that most directors use when constructing a scene. We then go into a shot by shot breakdown of our latest short film My Bloody Valentine, explaining why we chose to use one shot type versus another based on the emotional tone of the scene – the latter being a crucial part of the story telling process.

Contest (Ends April 1st, 2011):
Win James Cameron’s Avatar 3 Disc Special Edition on Blu-Ray! We want you edit your own version of this short film and be as creative as you possibly can with it. We are providing you with a project file containing all the raw footage. Everything is of course properly categorized. This is a Final Cut Pro 7 project file, but if you use any other editing software you can still use the raw files (ProRes 422 files). Please note you will have to insert your own sound effects, background music and special effects. Like we said, be really creative!

Download All Raw Footage Here:
http://bit.ly/HBIncEp1Assets

Send us your submission as a video response, we will choose a winner after April 1st and of course feature the coolest ones on an upcoming video. Remember you need to rate, comment, favorite this video and subscribe to us in order to be eligible!

You can check out the original short here:

My Bloody Valentine:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ENHLPW…

Watch some great examples of shorts we’ve made that make use of all the tips we’ve given you:

Girl Meets Boy
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JS4RXovIgW0

When We Were Kids
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=05yAWjNmEyY

Check out all our other videos:
http://www.youtube.com/hollywoodbubbleinc

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http://www.twitter.com/hollywoodbubble

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http://www.youtube.com/thefast60

Thanks for checking us out, please consider subscribing if you haven’t already! One new video every week!

Even though today’s cameras have great imaging sensors that will let you shoot anything at low light conditions, there is nothing wrong with “fixing stuff in post”.

This quick article will teach you how to save the day and it will also introduce you to what is probably the plugin on Final Cut Pro that we make the most use of. Best part, it’s 100% free. Lyric Media came out with a plugin many, many years ago called “Shadow-Highlight”. It is still compatible with the latest version of Final Cut Pro (as of October 2010).

Let me show you a quick example of a before and after and what this plugin can do for you:

As you can, see, there is a subtle but noticeable difference between the before and after picture. He is clearly dark on the left side of his face on the before, and the shadow that is being casted on one side is very noticeable. After applying the plugin, his face is now more evenly lit which gives you a better look and feel overall.

Even though ours is definitely not the best example in the world, it should give you an idea of how well you can fix those dark videos you wish you would have shot differently. We want you to check the plugin out and start experimenting yourself. Again, the plugin is free and it’s one of our best friends. Good luck!

Download HERE. (Scroll all the way down).

Producers do this for several reasons. In the TV world, they want you to sit through the entire episode waiting for that storyline to unfold in the end because by then, you’ve sat through a bunch of commercials (ok, take that lightly, you’re smart and have figured out a way around that) which in turn is what they get from you. With movies, it’s just a common fact…you spend an hour and a half getting to know the characters, relating to them, rooting for them, loving them, hating them, and everything just comes together in the grand finale. Action movies, even though full of amazing sequences will always save the best for the end.

Introduce Youtube, or even websites that are heavy on video content. A web producer will tell you one thing about video for the web; it works in the exact opposite way of TV and Film. Why? Simply because people can’t give you their undivided attention for more than 60-90 seconds – the Internet is just too big and there’s just way too much other stuff they want to get to.

Therefore, when creating video content for the web, whether for your website or Youtube channel, follow these guidelines in order to retain a high attention meter:

1. Don’t make videos longer than 3 minutes (2 minutes would be perfect). Notice how famous Youtubers such as MysteryGuitarMan and FreddieW never make videos longer than that. They just know people won’t watch them otherwise.

2. Understand that web surfers are all about instant gratification. Give them the meat in the beginning, not towards the end, such as in TV or Film. Show the best stuff in the first 30 seconds, or keep it at an even pace.

3. The best videos that have gone viral tend to be the simplest ones. Don’t spend too much time cutting or making a video look pretty, hoping that will get you get more views, it won’t. If you have a good video, people will watch it, and share it. Period.

4. Understand the meaning of viral. You upload, one of your subscribers LOVE it, they show it to one friend who loves it to and they share it with their friends, and their friends share it with theirs, and so on, and so on. Therefore, produce content that will raise eyebrows. Nobody cares otherwise.

Good luck!