So You Want To Be A Filmmaker

Film can be a very powerful medium, it combines both audio and visual, to tell a story. Watching movies can provide escape as well as excitement, while making a film yourself can be challenging, exciting and magical. Films have the power to affect emotions, they can make you see things from a different perspective, and discover new ideas, or simply create escape or fantasy. Film can make you laugh or cry and each film should have a purpose, whether it is to entertain or inform.

The important thing to remember about making a successful film is simple, it should tell a story.The best way to tell a story is with pictures. Film-making when broken into the components, is visual storytelling, in the shots that make up the scenes, and the scenes put together, make up the complete film.

There are so many different types of film and each serves it purpose.

Studio films are backed by film studios and usually have a hefty budget, averaging $70 million and as high as $300 million. Usually a major star will be featured. On the other end of the spectrum, are the independent films, which are often low-budget, because the money is raised by the filmmaker, without studio financing. Somewhere in between, there are independent divisions of the studio which is really a boutique, operating on smaller budgets but with backing of the studio.

There are advantages and disadvantages to both types. As an independent filmmaker, you have total control, and your film can be created exactly as you envision it, however you have no operating budget. A studio picture, with larger financial backing, and highly paid actors is determined by the studio for the best commercial success and creativity normally takes a back seat.

Your movie can be shot in many different formats. Filmmakers appreciate that the medium on which the story is set can elicit different audience reactions.Multiple choices include analog or digital video or high definition. The choice of film camera can go from super-8 which is an affordable format for beginners to 16mm which produces picture quality that may be adequate for television, or with studio production of 35mm motion picture quality, which is used for most television and feature films.

High definition usher in a new experience, with much sharper pictures, and in some instances it may seem closer to being live.

Great films are seldom made without a good story, and choosing the right material can be more important than anything else.Good ideas for films can come from almost anywhere, once allowed to germinate and blossom, a once nascent idea can develop into a full blown screenplay.

How to Make a Low Budget Movie - Bring Your Screenplay to Life

Feature length movies can be made for ten thousand dollars. However, they are more likely to be turn out better and be a success if you pay about five to ten times as much. There are exceptions of course, and some movies costing only 10 to 20 thousand dollars to make have made millions of dollars. If you want to make a movie on a low budget there are many things to consider besides just getting it made cheaply if you want to be a success. This article explains different ways that movies can be made at low cost, and the pros and cons to the different methods. It is primarily for someone with a screenplay or a movie idea who wants to see their idea come to life.

If you have a movie script or movie idea that you want made into a movie, it can be done, with difficulty, or with relative ease. And it can be completed under budget, or over budget.

To illustrate what I mean, imagine you have a house and you want to add two rooms to it and you have no building experience, but you know what you want. If you have enough money, you can explain what you want to an experienced builder, and have them do it all. If you want to save money, you may think about doing some of the work yourself. You might think, well I have a table saw and I can measure and I can pound nails, so I'll do the framing, and hire someone to finish it. When the finishing crew comes to finish it, they may find the rooms are a bit off square, and not quite level, and for them to finish it it will take lots of extra work because the basics were not done right. The total cost can then be more than if you had hired experts right from the start.

The same applies to making a movie. You have your screenplay, and maybe a camera and some of the equipment, and you know some people who will volunteer, and you have taken some workshops on operating the camera and practiced a bit. You shoot your movie, and then hand it to an editor to finish it. Like with the addition to the house, if the basics were not done right, the editor will have a lot more work to make it presentable, and may in fact not be able to make it totally professional looking because of errors that were made during shooting. It would have been cheaper to get expert help right at the start, and to only concentrate on directing and telling your story.

You might think well, what else can I do? I don't have the money to hire a big professional crew to make it. The answer is to find a very small professional crew, who are expert at shooting low-budget movies to do it. The cost will likely be less than if you tried to "save money" by doing jobs you were not expert at. You can still do a lot of the work yourself, but restrict yourself for the most part to doing the simple no brainer jobs, and let the experts do their thing. You can find filmmakers who have the experience and know how to bring your story to life, and all you have to do is find them. After all, what you really want is a nicely finished, professional looking movie that tells your story. Search, and you will find the people that you need, and be much happier in the long run.

Assyrian Art and the Lamassu sculpture

Recently I lectured to a group of students on Ancient Near Eastern Art and since then have been thinking about a work of art that generated quite a large discussion: the Lamassu.  The Lamassu were human headed winged bulls, sometimes with the paws of a lion, which were considered guardian figures to the king.

The Lamassu figures are a very interesting example of Neo-Assyrian Art.  For several hundred years (934-609 BC) Assyria was the most important and influential empire in the Mesopotamian region.  The kings at this time used art as a way to make certain everyone knew of their importance.  The figures at the Metropolitan Museum of Art measure 122.5 x 24.5 x 109 in. (311.15 x 62.23 x 276.86 cm), which means they stand over 10 feet (3 meters) tall and would have been quite an imposing presence for visitors.  At the same time they were meant to protect the kingdom from demonic forces.

Neo-Assyrian Gateway Human Headed Winged Lions 'Lamassu' from the North West Palace of Ashurnasirpal II in Nimrud, (883-859 BC) British Museum

photo- © Mujtaba Chohan/ public domain, via Wikimedia Commons  

The Lamassu Guardian figures were sculpted in pairs so that they were flanking the entrance to the king's throne room.  There are many pairs of these sculptures that are still in existence including those in the British Museum (London), Louvre (Paris) and Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York) as well as several in Iraq.

Even though each of these come from different centuries in the Neo-Assyrian period, the style of these sculptures doesn't change much.  The examples seen here are either from the reign of Ashurnasirpal II (883-859 BC) or Sargon II (721-705 BC).   Let's first look at those from the British Museum from the reign of Ashurnasirpal II.
  
"These composite creatures combined the strength of the lion (or in this case, the bull), the   swiftness of birds indicated by the wings, and the intelligence of the human head. The helmet with horns indicates the creature's divinity."*


The sculptures were meant to be seen in one of two ways- from the front looking directly at the face, or from the side as the viewer entered the king's throne room.  Therefore the figures are sculpted with five legs- two that can be seen from the front view and four that can be seen from the side.  This would indicate that the figure was a four legged beast, but the extra leg was added so that the side view made visual sense.

Winged human-headed bull (Lamassu)

Neo-Assyrian Period, reign of Sargon II (721-705 BC)

Khorsabad, ancient Dur Sharrukin, Assyria, Iraq

photo- © Luidger/ public domain, via Wikimedia Commons  

This version of the Lamassu has the hooves of a bull rather than the paws of a lion.  Interestingly enough the pair from the Metropolitan Museum of Art (also from the reign of Ashurnasirpal II) each has a different set of feet, one with paws and one with hooves.


The figures were carved in relief, that is they were not free standing sculptures but rather only part of the figure was carved and they needed a wall to support them.  Stylistically they are a mix of realism (note the careful portrayal of the legs) and flattened abstraction (such as the stylized portrayal of the wings and the hair).


The Lamassu in the British Museum are followed by many relief panels of the king's lion hunts.  These relief panels were also a mix of realism (seen in the lions) and stylized art (usually seen in the human figures).




For more information I posted a link to the Smart History/Khan Academy website (Jan 6 blog posting) with a short and informative look at the Lamassu sculpture at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.  I recommend watching it, it is just over 4 minutes long and quite interesting.

*quote taken from the British Museum's website

Learning the Electronic Keyboard

There can never be a human who hates music. Each individual has his own tastes in music, and some individuals develop their taste into passion by trying to learn a musical instrument. However, they get confused when it comes to choosing an instrument. Today, we see a host of people selecting instruments such as the guitar, piano, flute, saxophone, drums and so on to fulfill their musical needs and undergo rigorous training to master their chosen instrument. In this article, a special emphasis is made on learning the most popular instrument, the electronic keyboard.

Learning this instrument requires a great deal of patience, as finger dexterity is a prerequisite. Although the electronic keyboard resembles a piano,it is not a piano in reality. It offers a host of other features such as playing with accompaniment, a repertoire of in-built styles and instruments and many more. Anyone who wants to learn this instrument has to get himself enrolled with a tutor who has vast experience in the same. Learning through various 'easy to learn' books may be only of little help, as only a tutor can teach the nuances of handling the instrument. Initially, one has to start with understanding the instrument's structure and the various techniques as to how to handle. Remember that the instrument must be handled softly, as harsh handling could cause the instrument to malfunction. Another important thing in learning is practising what you learn. To master any instrument, practice is absolutely necessary. Practising your lessons with the help of your tutor will show great results. Once you practise the exercises (scales and arpeggios) taught by your tutor to improve your finger dexterity, you can very well start learning and playing solos and songs on your own, as you get familiar with the different styles and techniques. Learning the electronic keyboard is also fun, as one gets to enjoy and explore various sounds and instruments. A keyboardist is sometimes referred to as a 'one-man band'. One can also use the instrument to connect it to their personal computer and record their solos for future listening, and this would always bring a huge feeling of happiness.

We all know that learning is a continuous process and does not stop abrupt. Therefore, to take their learning to the next level, one can also enroll, under the guidance of their tutors, with various musical exam boards such as Trinity Guildhall, Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music, Rockschool and many more to hone their skills and to get an accreditation. This gives a sense of achievement. To conclude, learning this instrument is more of fun and not difficult at all. Anyone, be it a kid or a grown-up, can learn and improvise based on what they learn. There is no age bar no special skills required. The only thing that is necessary is the passion and will to learn.

Escort London Goes Online

If you have always wanted to have an escort in London, you need not bother! Even though you reside far away from London, with the internet facilities you can now hire an escort London before you come. So, if you have to look for an escort in London, go ahead and look into the websites of any London escort agency on the World Wide Web. Using the Internet, you can not only browse through escort London websites but you can as well view a wide selections of photos and gather all the necessary information about the escorts and the London escort agency that has grabbed your attention. Finally, you can make a booking too.

There are a large number of reputable London escort agency and service provider websites that provides all the necessary details you require before booking an escort. Most of these websites contain gallery pages so that you can see the escorts for yourself and also have all the necessary information.

It is very important to consider the reputation of the company when you are searching an escort London. There have been many cases of falsification in the past and that makes it increasingly important for clients to be very careful about the London escort agency they have chosen. Some agencies often display gorgeous pictures but when the real escort stands in front of you, you will find a totally different person. That's just not wanted!

New laws have been implemented in UK that states that booking an escort is illegal and is equal to trafficking. It is important for customers as well as escorts to know that. Ignorance will not be considered as an alibi anymore. Hence, you must only deal with a London escort agency that have legal license for escort services.

Escort London has the training and the required attitude and personality to become the pride of any event. As you search online, you will definitely find a wide range of attractive and gorgeous escorts in London, whether you want an escort London for a dinner party or a date or you are consider a night stay, you will surely find a perfect date for every occasion.

Booking an escort in London also has number of options, but the most preferred option today is definitely the Internet. Before you finalize your choice, you will have to browse through different selections of escort London, such as blonde escorts, busty escorts, brunette escorts and Latina escorts. Once you have decided the type, it's your turn to choose your London escort. That might also take some time as you will have to run through a long list of escort directory where you can see one girl after the other and finally decide on one.

A London escort agency can definitely help you with all these odd jobs. However, you will have to be very careful about the service provider as it will effect your reputation as well as your stay in the city. Do not compromise while choosing an escort in London. You have too many choices, so go ahead and take your pick.

Learn to Make Your Own Dubstep Music

There have been huge advancements in both technology and recognition when it comes to music that happens to be engineered digitally. Dubstep music has exploded and is turning out to be more popular as the recording industry is reacting to what plenty of people are dancing to in night clubs around the globe. Dubstep performers such as Skrillex and Deadmau5 are even performing at and winning Grammy Awards. What is huge about this music is that you can generate it in the enjoyment of your house with just a computer.

There are many software platforms which can be purchased and downloaded that enable you produce the best Dubstep music of all. Your very own. Never before has it been so easy to create the kinds of music which you love. Much of the best Dubstep can be made without any of the fancy computerized gear you find in a recording studio.

DubTurbo 2.0 is the best Dubstep software available for the starting music maker. It contains all the comprehensive music making attributes currently available on the big Digital Audio Workstations (DAW's) for a small fraction of the cost. You can design your own personal beats and multi-layered tracks in minutes of getting the software because of the simple to use and intuitive interface.

If you have been wondering in precisely what the best software for Dubstep is, then look no more. You will be amazed at the type of sounds you can develop and what a great artist you can transform into. The music that you've been following and love can be crafted by you tonight. Imagine the feeling of composing your genuine tunes and coming up with your own different sound. You can also produce re-mix's of some of your very own favorite songs.

You are in a nutshell only restrained by your imagination. This Dubstep making software makes possible you to add together a number of tracks and sounds into a single track and then export it in the most advanced file forms to ensure that you don't lose sound quality. You can easily import your own personal sounds using free 3rd party recording tools to really get the customised sound you desire to have.

It is a very cool time if you desire to generate your own music. By no means has it been a great deal easier to generate higher level music for such a discounted price tag. I would recommend any person that is a supporter of Dubstep to have a look at the dubstep software that is available on the market today. It is obvious that the best Dubstep software is DubTurbo 2.0.

Law Firm Marketing 101

Law firm marketing is comprised of many different elements. The analysis of your firm in law practice management can be complex, however, lets begin with a key success variable - your current client base. Managing your client base is the most important aspect of your law firm marketing efforts. I suggest you begin with grading your clients.

The ABCD Solution

In looking at your client base for law firm marketing purposes, you can use a time-tested method of analysis. This is the key concept of "ABCD clients". Service professionals of many types use this method to accurately rate and organize their client base. And for effective marketing for law firms, this method is priceless. By the way it is not just about marketing. It is also about serving your clients better than ever.

As you certainly know in schools we use the letter grading system to rank the students in order of how well they perform on papers, tests, quizzes, etc. Similarly we will "grade" our clients. So think of your client grading system for law firm marketing as summing up all the aspects of a good client.

A client who gets an "A" would be one who has reasonable expectations, follows your instructions, is grateful for the work you do as well as courteous and professional in their demeanor with both you and in particular your staff. In fact if you are ever wondering if someone is an "A" client or a "D" client just ask your staff. The "A" client sends you referrals that turn into "A" clients as well. The "A" client is never concerned with the fees you charge since they know your services are worth the cost. They pay their bills on time all the time. And finally, their cases are interesting and substantial matters. Now isn't this the kind of client you are aiming for in your law firm marketing in the first place? Additionally, have you ever heard the old saying "birds of a feather flock together"? This means your "A" clients know a lot of other "A" clients who they can refer to you if you play your cards right.

Of course a client with a "B" grade would have many of the same qualities of the "A" client, but not all. A client with a "C" grade would be closer to a "D" client. A client with a "D" grade is the complete opposite of all the characteristics of an "A" client. They don't have reasonable expectations, they pay their bills late (some not at all), try to negotiate lower fees or retainers, don't follow your instructions (may even think they know better than you do), are rude or unprofessional, they do not send referrals (or if they do they are also "C or D" clients), their matters are not substantial and interesting, and they often complain about normal fees. Not a pretty picture these "D" clients. Let your competitors have them!

In targeting your law firm marketing, "C & D" clients are not the kind of client you want to attract. Most firms find that "C & D" clients take up between sixty to eighty percent of their time and efforts, while only bringing in twenty to forty percent of the firm's revenue. Does it make sense to cultivate this type "C & D" business? Of course not. You need to stop taking "C & D" business and "fire" (ethically of course) any "C & D" business that you can. Even if you only begin with the "Ds" it is a beginning. Quite liberating as well my clients report to fire these folks.

Effective marketing for law firms includes a realistic look at what will bring the best benefit for the best clients. Ridding yourself of clients who are graded a "C or D" is one of the best things you can do for your "A & B" clients. Without spending all your time on the "C & D" problems and concerns, you can pour your attention into your "A & B" clients (moving their matters to conclusion faster thus you can do more of them). Thus the "A & B" clients will be even more satisfied, resulting in more referrals and more business from them. Clearly a "win/win" for all.

Another big, big advantage of spending less or no time on your "C & D" business is you can focus more time on developing your "A & B" referral network. Your increased marketing time and more focused law firm marketing will result in more quality "A & B" business.

What I have found working individually with over 500 attorneys is most of you will need to limit your practice areas to one, two or maybe (and I do mean maybe) three practice areas in order to drop your "C & D" cases. Too many attorneys are practicing "threshold law" that is defined as taking anything that comes across the threshold of your office. In selecting your practice areas try to incorporate cross-salable areas, such as wills and trusts, real estate, and/or estate planning for example. Select the most lucrative practice areas you have and then pour your law firm marketing efforts into those targeted practice areas while focusing on "A & B" clients and referral sources. This may be a bit frightening at first and in the long run you will be extremely glad you did.

The Violin - How To Set Up The Bridge

I recently had a friend call me saying that he had bought his daughter a violin, and it had arrived through the post with the bridge not set-up. He had looked on the web, but the information was a bit confused and he was still not sure how to do it. This post deals with a seemingly easy topic, but as you will agree, something that is essential for the novice violinist.

Here are the steps to follow to set up your bridge.

If you already have strings on the violin, loosen them so they don't have any tension, and are slack enough for the bridge to fit under. Pull the strings into the centre of the finger board and check that there is enough space to fit the bridge. The violin has two "F" holes and if you look carefully at them you will see a small notch cut into each one. The bridge should sit between these two notches to give it the perfect distance for optimum sound. Please note that the bridge of your violin does the same as the bridge of most other stringed instruments such as the guitar or cello; It raises the strings from the resonating chamber and also transfers the energy of the strings to give you the sound. If you bow the violin close to the bridge, it will give you a different sound to what you will get if you bow further away.

The bridge has two distinct sides to it. It has a straight side, and a side with a slight curve to it. The straight side must be facing the tailpiece, and the curved side facing the finger board.

Place the bridge flat against the surface of the violin, making sure that the bottom is aligned with the "F" Hole notches, and that the curved side is face down on the wood.

Very gently lift the bridge up until it is vertical. Adjust the position so that it is straight and exactly between the two notches.

You will notice that at the curved top of the bridge there are four notches, and you must now place the loosened strings into each of the four notches.

Very gently begin to tighten the strings. Do not fully tighten one, but put a little tension on each, until your bridge is held in place by the tension with the strings. Tighten again each string until you are close to being in tune, and then if you have fine tuners, use them to complete the task.

Electrical Services London

If you need to find electrical services London to carry out electrical work for you then there are many electricians and large electrical services London companies that will be able to carry out work for you. You will be able to find electricians that provide a 24 hour call out service in case of electrical emergencies. You may be looking for an electrician in Surrey and if you aren’t sure where to find contact numbers for one then you can use the internet to search for electrical services London or electrician Surrey and you will be given a list of appropriate contact details.

Electrical services London will be able to carry out a wide range of electrical tasks including re-wires and fuse boards, sockets and lights, fault finding and alternations, socket and switch installation, new build installations, emergency lighting, exterior power sockets and lighting, electrical surveys and safety tests and PAT testing.

If you are planning to carry out building work in your home such as renovations or adding an extension then you are likely to require electrical services London or an electrician Surrey to carry out work for you. Most electrical work by law must be carried out by a qualified electrician. You should aim to find an electrical service London company that offers a full guarantee with all work they carry out.  

If you need electrical work carrying out on commercial premises then there are many electrical services London companies or an Electrician Surrey company that will specialise in commercial work.  Commercial electricians will provide services such as shop fitting electrical work, fire alarm and security system installations, emergency lighting, PAT testing, landlord inspections, electrical safety test reports for buildings, re-wires, sockets and lights, fault finding and electrical alternations.

These all need to be carried out by qualified and approved electrical services London companies.