Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with video and film

A Two-Part Question About Italian Dialects and The Mechanics of Breaking Glass Windows

jason's_planet — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 09:51:50 -0800

This is a two-part question about a video on YouTube. The first part of the question is about the Sicilian dialect of the Italian language; the second part deals with the mechanics of breaking a glass window with a crowbar. (You don't have to watch the whole video if you don't want to; there are two sections I'm curious about and each one only runs for a few seconds.)

Here's the video: the opening sequence of the early-seventies Italian crimesploitation flick "Il Cittadino Si Ribella", featuring the song "Goodbye My Friend."

Now, at about :51, there are a group of hooligans trashing an apartment. One of them happens upon a poster on the wall with the words "Italiani Ribellatevi". He mutters something that sounds like "Italiani Ribel-ad" before he tears it off the wall. Is this meant to be Sicilian dialect? I ask because it reminds me of the bits of New York Italian slang I've heard here and there, with "Gallamad" for "Calamari" and so on and so forth.

From 1:50 to about 2:10, there's a scene where a guy smashes a shop window with a crowbar. Prior to doing so, he wraps the crowbar in newspaper. Now why would he do that? Is that for personal safety? Is the newsprint supposed to protect him from shards of broken glass flying back at him? Or is there some other reason?

So there you have it. A question involving the Italian language and breaking glass windows. And the song "Goodbye My Friend." I submit that this question is unique in the six-year history of Ask MetaFilter.

As always, many thanks in advance.

Best video rental stores?

davidriley — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 10:13:06 -0800

I make independent films and distribute them myself. I've started sending my movies to independent video rental stores around the country. I've sent my movies to I Luv Video in Austin, Scarecrow Video in Seattle, Video Underground and Hollywood Express in Boston, Acme Video in Providence, and others. What are the best independent video rental stores in your city? Don't say Netflix.

Why 24p? Is it intrinsically better than other frame rates?

afu — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 07:50:45 -0800

Why 24p? Is it intrinsically better than other frame rates? A few related questions:

As I understand it 24 frames per second was decided on becuase early film makers found out that it was the slowest frame rate that humans could watch with the film motion still appearing smooth. So shooting at 24fps would allow the most efficient use of film. Am I right about the history here?

Yet now every where I look in the digital video world, 24p is assumed to be superior to any other frame rate, but it seems to me that a higher frame rate would be even better at effectively capturing motion since 24fps was originally chosen as a reason to save film, not because it looked the best. Is there any reason besides tradition that people choose 24p over other frame rates?

Lastly, what is the highest frame rate that humans are still able to distinguish. For example, people can tell the difference between 24fps and 30fps, can they tell the difference between 1000fps and 10,000fps?

Have the video game rights to film: now what?!

mushroom_tattoo — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 20:26:41 -0800

I have a chance to acquire the proprietary rights to make games based on a popular Asian action film. Can I make money off this opportunity? The film has not yet been released in North America, but has done well across Asia. Sequels are in the works. It has recently been picked up for UK release and there will certainly be a North American release sometime in the future. I myself have no connections in the film industry but I know a few people in the console games industry, and a few independent mobile games developers. I certainly don't have the kind of capital it would take to finance the game myself. Is it worth it to just sit on the rights until the film gets released? So before I take the plunge, let me ask the hive mind: how can I make money off this opportunity?

Extracting MTS AVCHD audio

chefscotticus — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 05:26:55 -0800

What's the best way to extract audio from MTS (AVCHD) video file into CD-writable format (WAV or MP3) on a low-powered Windows XP laptop (netbook)? Free/cheap and simple software is preferable.

Seeking film projector for viewing recently discovered movie reels?

jeanmari — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 12:43:43 -0800

Is there anywhere within (or near) the city of Chicago to rent a 16mm film projector? Long story short, we bought a house six years ago from a world traveler family who were also hoarders. We're finally cleaning out the WHOLE basement (yeah, there has been that much stuff in here). I found a box of 16 mm film canisters with the film in them labeled intriguing things like "Florida, #2, 12-5-1937", "Europe, Dec 14, 1942", "The folks about 1945", "Yellowstone June 1941", "Europe re-edited 11-29-1942, 360 feet" and "Athletes - Michigan, Florida, Ohio". There are 12-15 films in here I'd like to see.

I'm dying with curiosity here. Not only because there may be pictures of our house in here (which was pretty poorly muddled over three generations by these folks) but also Europe 1942? Come ON! That is so cool.

Most of the places I've found rent to commercial businesses only or are pretty expensive. Any mom and pop shops that rent this equipment to anyone's knowledge? I'm thinking of putting together a movie night for some friends who are interested in the history of this place.

recommend short story collections that would be good short film fodder

timsneezed — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 14:57:28 -0800

recommend short story collections that would be good short film fodder I'm a film student currently experiencing a bit of writer's block. I'm considering adapting a short story for my next short film, but I haven't found anything suitable in my preliminary bookstore/library searches. Part of the problem is I really don't know much about contemporary short fiction, so I'm lost about where to start looking.

More specifics on the type of stories I'm looking for:

1) It goes without saying that the story must have visual potential. That doesn't mean the writer's descriptions need be vivid. If the seed of a good visual idea is there, then I can flesh out the visuals myself.

2) The story should have a definite mood. I'm attracted to the strange, disturbing, dark, quietly moody and (sometimes) allegorical. A few film examples: "Woman in the Dunes," "The Vanishing" (Dutch version), "The Conversation," "Repulsion." I appreciate subtlety. I also enjoy character studies, as long as there is some overall mood or visual element.

3) It needs to have a discernible plot. A lot of contemporary short fiction isn't easily translatable to film because of the narrative looseness. Let me be clear: I can't stand typical Hollywood narrative. I'm looking for something more subtle and true to life, but there's got to be some sort of structure there.

4) While there can be humorous elements, I'm not looking for something incredibly tongue-in-cheek, self referential or po-mo. Content over style.

5) Probably looking to avoid anything that has a gimmicky O'Henry like twist.

Any good authors spring to mind?

Videos of plays?

prior — Tue, 19 May 2009 14:05:05 -0800

Is there an archive somewhere that has films of specific productions of plays? I'm not sure if most productions even get filmed, but it strikes me that some of the broadway plays must.

Specifically what I'm looking for is a video of the 1993 production of Angels in America in NYC, I think at the Kerr Theater (which does have a small archive of video clips from recent past productions). But really any pointers on where to look for films of plays in general would be helpful.

70s style character intro freeze-framey thingie?

drjimmy11 — Sat, 16 May 2009 13:32:24 -0800

70s style character intro freeze-framey thingie? I need some examples (ideally on Youtube) of a technique used in film to introduce characters. it's kind of like the intros from Trainspotting, where there's a freezeframe with the character's name printed on it.

Except that there's also colorization on the freezeframe. I'm thinking of this kind of 70s style where the background goes to a solid color, there's a thick, usually white border around the character, who himself stays in normal color (or is maybe colorized too). I want to say it's been used in martial arts films, but I could be off on that.

Does this make sense to anyone? I'm pretty sure this exists and I have not hallucinated it. Any links to video would be fantastic!

thanks!!

What is the best way of backing up video recorded on SDHC cards?

chefscotticus — Wed, 13 May 2009 07:26:13 -0800

What is the best way of backing up video recorded on SDHC cards? Is it possible to upload data from a SDHC card to an external hard drive without a computer? I am about to embark on a two month documentary project in Ethiopia, and I need help figuring out the most effective equipment set up.

My requirements are this: (1) I need to record 30 hours of footage, (2) I want everything I record to exist in two places, (3) my set up needs to remain small, portable, and inexpensive (sub $2000).

I am currently planning on using a Canon HF S100 to record on to several SDHC cards (I will have to reuse the cards, rather than archive them, as they are too expensive). I will then, using a card reader and a netbook computer, upload the SDHC cards to two separate 500GB external hard drives.

But this is a clumsy set up. Is there a better way of doing this? Is it possible to upload data from a SDHC card to an external hard drive without a computer?

I need a cheap telecine.

Awkward Philip — Sat, 11 Apr 2009 09:16:45 -0800

I'm looking for a super-cheap 16mm telecine in NYC. I need to make a reference copy of a 30-minute-long 16mm print. Quality, beyond a bare minimum of watchability, is not important. Shipping the print isn't an option, so it has to be somewhere in New York City. I know of plenty of professional labs that can do telecines, but I think they're probably out of my price range.

Help me promote my baby!

mhp — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 15:42:53 -0800

We have a great opportunity to promote our fledgling video production company with a booth at a large concert. But we're not sure exactly what to do with it. We don't have much footage to show at this point, but we have a short film written, and a full length in development. We were trying to think of ideas in order to promote it.

The main problem we have is that we'll actually not really be able to hang around the booth, because we will have our hands full with actually filming the concert. We are filming a documentary documenting the project, from execution to promotion, so anything we do will have to speak on it's own.

We have a short spoken word audio piece that we were considering leaving looping with headphones on, with a little bit of info on it for people to read, along with a link to the website.

Some other ideas we were considering include:
Setting up a photobooth, complete with email capabilities, and an option to set up to subscribe to our newsletter. Our concern at this point is mainly getting awareness out there, so the fact that it doesn't directly relate to video is not such a huge problem.

Another option would be something along the lines of You Move You Interact, an interactive video piece developed using Processing. Basically, just a little something to catch people's eye, and get our name into their head.

But most of our ideas we really cannot execute properly because we won't be able to be physically present. So that, in essence, is my question: How can we best promote ourselves without being physically present in a memorable and relevant way?

Any ideas would be very much appreciated, but keep in mind we're trying to keep it relatively low budget, say $250 max

Thank you very much

Strange uses of Moving Pictures

phrontist — Sat, 07 Feb 2009 11:49:09 -0800

I'm looking for film recommendations. Films (of any length) that use approach their subject matter in abstract or otherwise unusual ways. Some of my favorites in that vein are Koyaanisqatsi and Baraka, Outside In, Powers of 10, Gantz Graf, Der Lauf Der Dinge, C'etait un Rendezvous, Fast, Cheap, and out of Control, and The Fourth Dimension. Things like this that, in their own weird way, impart some understanding. Bonus points for no dialog.

Many video formats: success or desperation?

TheManChild2000 — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 06:39:26 -0800

Does a movie studio releasing many, many different video formats (multiple SDVDs, HD DVD, UMD, VOD) of a particular movie indicate that this movie performs well at retail? Or is it more likely a desperate attempt to recoup from a disastrous theatrical run?

Looking for ultra short films

ilike — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 14:11:51 -0800

Looking for short films with a narrative structure and extremely short running time, no more than 90 seconds that I can watch online on vimeo or some other video site. I have tried to look at the big video sharing sites but most shorts I have find are more like a moving picture of something without a story or animations that while often beutiful doesn't tell a story either.

The reason is that i got myself a super 8 camera and a roll of film and need some inspiratation on how to handle the ultra short format. The film is only enough for roughly three minutes of filming and I might want to do a retake so I aim for the final product to be about a minute.

Thank you in advance!

I want to hear great commentary from directors or other people

0xFCAF — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 03:20:17 -0800

What movies have great director's commentary? I've listened to Joss Whedon's director's commentary of Serenity (and Objects in Space and The Train Job) over and over and over again. I could listen to these again, but what other movies have commentary that speaks interestingly about either film-as-art or film-as-moviemaking? Kurt Wimmer's commentary on Equilibrium was also enjoyable just from the down-and-dirty aspect of making an actual movie. Conversely, Brad Anderson's commentary of The Machinist and Aronofsky's commentary of The Fountain were excruciatingly boring and uninteresting commentaries of otherwise interesting and thematic films.

A good book for Final Cut Pro 5

philip-random — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 15:02:51 -0800

What's the best handbook for guiding my Final Cut Pro 5.1 learning curve? I've done a little non-linear editing in the past (Adobe Premiere) but am about to make a more committed leap into the land of Final Cut Pro. An editor friend suggested I pick up a good book to aid me in my learning curve.

Any suggestions? I'm not concerned with editing theory and the like, just the nuts and bolts of actually working with Final Cut Pro 5.1.

What's Pre-Roll?

Ironmouth — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 08:53:28 -0800

What Does Pre-Roll Mean? A friend is filming an event for a producer with his high-end video camera. The producer is asking for 5 minutes of "pre-roll" on each tape. What does that mean?

Easiest way to set up a 'fake' torrent tracker?

JMB1138 — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 11:38:06 -0800

I need to create a website for a fake invite-only torrent community to feature in a short movie centering around said community. What's the easiest way to set up a customizable tracker? It's important to note that there will be no actual torrents shared, this is just for the purposes of the movie. I just need the colors and graphics to be customizable so it looks pretty on screen, and so I can 'update' it with fake accounts posting fake torrents as needed for the story. I already have a domain and a webhost with MySQL access. Do I need to go through all the trouble of setting up a real tracker script? Or you think I can just get away with a customizable BBS system?

Any thoughts appreciated!

What are some great examples of slow motion in film and video?

serial_consign — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 13:30:32 -0800

What are some examples of great slow motion in narrative cinema and experimental video? I'm doing a video project later this summer and I'm planning on slowing down archival footage (not mine, I'm using existing footage since it would be impossible to shoot my content). In terms of inspiration, can the metacrowd suggest some great film & art slow motion pieces? While I am interested in stuff like Douglas Gordon's 24 Hour Psycho, this project IS NOT about recontextualizing a narrative film! I'd love to get some suggestions about stunning slow motion material that I could check out for inspiration.

Origins of red blur in MiniDV video?

limeonaire — Sat, 24 May 2008 11:08:36 -0800

Question for my roommate about red blur in shooting MiniDV video. Here's his question:

I've noticed in my work shooting MiniDV video that often, areas of intense red will blur at the edges. If I turn down the exposure when shooting, however, this effect can be minimized. Why do certain reds blur like this on MiniDV?

Due diligence: I've heard that this is not specific to my camera or MiniDV, but rather to video in general. Is that the case?

Also, in case it's relevant, I shoot on a Sony TRV900, though I've experienced the red blur problem with other cameras as well.

Some people I've talked to have suggested that it's a CCD issue, that perhaps the "red" light sensor is more sensitive than the other two. Others have suggested that it's a question of how red is specified in PAL. One site I found suggested that it's a YUV issue, since in the YUV color space, one green pixel's matched with half a red pixel and half a blue pixel, leading to noticeable red blurs and less noticeable (but still somewhat apparent) blue blurs. I don't know which of these claims is correct, though.

How do I best submit my short film to as many festivals as possible?

Elle Vator — Wed, 07 May 2008 13:45:27 -0800

A comprehensive short-film festival submission calender: Does such a thing exist? I am in post production on a non-verbal short film. It could be considered a dance film (it involves dancers), an experimental film (in involves a woman going through a series of effect-driven physical transformations, breaking apart into many people and then coming back, whole and powerful) or a music video (it is the length of a song and the song is amazing) but I consider it to be a non-verbal dramatic narrative short about becoming who you are. It could be considered to be the story of any immigrant, anyone who has gone through adolescence or experienced a spiritual/physical transformation.

It is the best thing I have ever made in terms of production values and I want to submit it to all the festivals I can. It is the type of film that may garner awards in the right forums. Is there a resource - a website, perhaps - that lists all the festivals looking for short content and their deadlines?

I would also be interested if anyone has any tips as to how I could seek out international distribution. The lyrics of the song are not in English or French (Portuguese, in fact), though the production is based in Canada. You don't need to understand the words in order to get the meaning of the piece. What that means to me is that this film has global distribution potential.

Thoughts?

Where can I find film footage of Richard Nixon bowling?

Tlogmer — Sat, 19 Apr 2008 02:41:52 -0800

Where can I find film footage of Richard Nixon bowling? According to ESPN (about 1:05), he was an "avid, if awkward bowler", and they play 2 awesome seconds of footage. I want more.

video showing larks flying?

allterrainbrain — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 14:43:34 -0800

Where can I see video of larks flying? (Preferably online and free, but commercial movies/videos are also fine if you're sure the birds pictured are larks.) So far on YouTube, I've only found them walking or still, not flying.

Emergency with an HVX200. Need help immediately!

tweebiscuit — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 10:52:57 -0800

Anyone here work on the Panasonic HVX200 camera? We're having a footage emergency and need advice immediately -- seriously, epic karma points to the piler who can help us out. Details inside. Last night we did a music video shoot on a friend's HVX. We shot on P2 cards, at 720p, and shot at two different variable frame rates -- 30p and 60p, so that we could get two different levels of slo-mo. When we imported the footage into Final Cut, though, the 30p footage (and only the 30p footage) won't play back properly -- it stutters, loses audio sync (in that the audio finished halfway before the video does), and seems to be missing large chunks of the clip. However, the footage in question play back fine in-camera. We have another shoot today, and need to figure out what's going on ASAP so we can safely wipe the footage off the card. Any thoughts?