Where did the year go? I'd gotten so wrapped up in trying to promote HIDE AND CREEP over the last couple of months that Christmas really snuck up on me. Which means I'm behind on my shopping.

For any of you out there in the same situation, who happen to be shopping for a filmmaker (or maybe even a film fan), I thought I'd pass along a few suggestions.

Blank DVDs (around 50 cents each, depending on quantity)

In this digital age, computers can be a big aid to filmmakers. But computers need something to store information on, and video files contain a LOT of information. A recordable DVD holds 4.7 gigabytes of data -- not too shabby for a 5" inch disc that costs 50 cents (even cheaper if you shop around).

Aside from data storage, you can obviously record a finished movie to a DVD, and the quality of the playback is bound to be better than a VHS dub.

There are quite a few brands of DVD-R available these days, and quality can vary. I've been having the best luck with Verbatim and Maxell discs.

CHRIS GORE'S ULTIMATE FILM FESTIVAL SURVIVAL GUIDE 3rd Edition ($22)

Chris Gore is the creator and editor of FILMTHREAT, probably the biggest site on the web devoted to the independent film scene. After spending years attending, writing about and partying at film festivals, he wrote a book about them, his ULTIMATE FILM FESTIVAL SURVIVAL GUIDE, now in its 3rd edition.

For someone who's interested in getting their films into a festival, or even just hanging out at one, Gore's book has tons of useful information, and Gore's writing style is casual, friendly and often humorous. The book also contains information on over a thousand specific fests, so it can come in handy when you've got a finished movie and are trying to decide where to send it. At $22, I really think Gore's GUIDE is a steal.

AMERICAN CINEMATOGRAPHER subscription ($29.95 for one year)

If you're shopping for someone who's interested in the minutia of shooting, he or she will love AMERICAN CINEMATOGRAPHER. The magazine features interviews with several cinematographers each issue, covering their work on particular films in great detail. The guys interviewed discuss film stocks, lighting setups, lens choices, camera speeds... the kind of stuff that can bore some people to tears but that hard-core shooters love to learn about.

OCEAN'S ELEVEN and BELOW on DVD ($35)

I'm sure you've heard of Steven Soderbergh's OCEAN'S ELEVEN, especially with all the hype surrounding the recently-released sequel, OCEAN'S TWELVE. You might not have heard of BELOW, director David Twohy's terrific World War II submarine suspense movie. Whether or not you like these movies as much as me, they're both worth watching as good examples of how to shoot and edit a feature.

OCEAN'S ELEVEN is mainly set in Las Vegas, giving Soderbergh all kinds of cool things to shoot and ways to shoot them. It's interesting to see the decisions Soderbergh made in choosing settings for the movie's scenes. The editing is often very stylized, with crazy transitions between scenes and the occasional use of split-screen. But it never gets so fancy as to get in the way of the story.

Most of BELOW takes place inside a submarine, which, as you might guess, is not the most accomodating place for a film crew. Twohy makes the most of it, though, doing a great job of keeping the movie visually interesting. The editing is very clean -- modern but never flashy.

Region-Code-Free DVD player (price varies, you can get the JVC model XV-N312S for $129)

Before the powers-that-be started marketing DVDs, they decided to encode most of them with a "region code." The region code on a disc marketed to America (region 1) keeps it from being played in a player sold in the UK (region 2). And vice versa. All the DVDs you get at your local store are formatted for whatever "region" you happen to live in.

But, thanks to the Internet, you can order a DVD from anywhere in the world. And, thanks to region-code-free DVD players, you can actually watch that DVD. There are a wide variety of these players available. Aside from region-code-free, make sure whatever model you choose also features PAL-to-NTSC and NTSC-to-PAL conversion, so you aren't hampered by broadcast-standards-incompatibility when you're watching discs from exotic places like Australia.

These players aren't as easy to find as region-specific players, but they do exist. A Google search for "region free dvd" should get you started.

Portable MP3 Player (from $225)

Aside from giving you something to listen to while making those long drives to a shooting location or the film lab, portable MP3 players with a built-in hard disk (like Apple's iPod) are great for carrying around those big digital video files I mentioned earlier. When we were working on HIDE AND CREEP, for example, I used my iPod to transport scenes from digital effects guy Robb Rugan's Mac to my own. At the time, I had over a thousand songs on the iPod and still had more than 20 gigabytes available for other files. All that storage, and you can carry it around in your pocket.

Canon XL-2 Camcorder ($6,499)

Until Panasonic came out with the first consumer-grade 24p camcorder a few years ago (their DVX100 model), Canon ruled the digital filmmaking roost with its XL-1 camera. Recently, Canon made their play to take over that market again when they released the XL-2.

Being a "shoot it on film" kind of guy, I haven't gotten around to trying out the XL-2. If the hype is any indication, it'll do everything the DVX100 will do and then some. Just based on the reputation of the XL-1, I'd say any digital shooter on your list would be pretty excited to find an XL-2 under the tree.

Monster Power Mac G5 Editing System (around $7,600)

Has a filmmaker on your list been good this year? I mean, REALLY good? Why not reward him or her with a pimped-out Apple non-linear editing system, including a Power Mac computer with dual G5 processors, massive 30" flat-panel display and Final Cut Pro editing software?

If that sounds a little steep, you can always go with a $999 G4 iBook laptop computer, which comes pre-loaded with Final Cut's baby brother, iMovie.

Well, kids, that's it -- the last "This Movie Ain't Gonna Shoot Itself" column of 2004. I hope you all enjoy the rest of this holiday season and have a safe and happy 2005.

Before I go, I'll mention that we have a new Crewless Productions Web site, if any of you are interested in checking it out. Not a lot of new content, but I think the layout is much cleaner and more effecient. If you have any feedback on the new site, please send it my way.

And please stop by next time, when we'll get back to business and try to figure out how to get a movie in front of an audience via film festivals and distributors. Until then...

E-MAIL THE AUTHOR | ARCHIVES