Wednesday, April 16, 2008

Which TOP TEN Film Schools are the Best?

By: Brian Valilis

Do you want to make millions? Can you become the next Steven Spielburg? Do you have the right stuff?

It seems that with the advent of digital editing and youtube.com that almost everyone is ready to make a movie. While a two inch screen on youtube allows some creativity, it is not "THE BIG SCREEN". If you really want to make a living making movies you will probably end up going to film school.

Where Should You Go To Film School?

The answer seems simple, the best one that you can afford. Hollywood seems to be filled with film schools all within driving distance. The same is true of New York and parts of Florida. There are several hundred film schools in the USA alone. There are many more worldwide.

A few of the top schools are USC, NYU, UCLA, FSU, and many more. ( visit www.thebestfilmschool.com for a complete list with addresses and telephone numbers )

If money is no object such that you can afford the tuition where ever you might choose, and if your GPA is 4.5 or better you stil have a delima. Which school should you choose? I actually like to pose the question of WHERE do you want to spend four years of your life? Perhaps you want to mix international travel with your education. If that is the case then you should look abroad.

Your chances of success depend highly upon your happiness while attending university. If you love the snow and the four seasons then Hollywood is probably not for you. This does not mean that cinematography is not for you, just not Hollywood. There are some of the finest film schools in the North-East.

If you are the type that is comfortable in any weather, any location, and any city, then you have a much simpler task. Simply apply to the best film school. What is "the best film school" ? This is a question that is difficult to answer. While many simply like to point at famous alumnus, others are quick to point out that this is a rapidly changing field and what worked yesterday may not work tomorrow.

There is a rating system where the best schools are constantly voted upon. You can view the results to see who is currently in "The Top Ten Film Schools" at www.thebestfilmschool.com/topten . This is my personal favorite because the site allows students to discuss what they did and did not like about a particular university. Also, it changes. (There are several that have never left the top ten though.)

Taking the time to take a personal evaluation about where you would be happy, what you can afford, and then which film school matches your longterm goals is the only way to properly decide upon which film school is the best filmschool for you!

Good luck in your career.

Brian Vee writes for the best film school, This is a small company that will hopefully someday turn into a much bigger concept. If you are in search of writers contact us.

Article Source: http://www.ArticleBiz.com

It's Alive! How Flash Animation Revives the Dead

By: Miranda Larsen

Flash uses the same principle as Dr. Frankenstein, but without the awful smell and having to get your hands dirty. Instead of using body parts from the dead, flash uses mostly vector based graphics to bring your message to life. But, be careful. Too much flash and you can create a monster! Ardis can help you draw the line.

In today's market, it's becoming more and more important to catch people's attention quickly before they click away. Flash allows you to convey additional meanings to your message, more than just print or static images allow. Movement accentuates emotion, or can eliminate the need for emotion, depending on the purpose, allowing your message to be delivered to the consumer with less room for interpretation on their part. A mini-commercial for your website. If people read it, see it in action and hear it, they are more likely to remember it in the future.

People love entertainment. If you can entertain and educate people they will be more likely to desire your product and services. Consumers will be more likely to stay on your website to find out more if you can capture and intrigue them. Flash allows you to be funny, excited, determined and many other emotions, at the same time of showcasing what your company provides. This helps differentiate your business from all the others. Consumers are inundated with information that sounds and looks the same as the last guys. Flash gives you a chance to showcase what you do best, but you need a professional to do it.

Don't let Frankenstein scare your business off! There is a tendency for many inexperienced web designers to go flash crazy. Your audience can only look at one thing at a time. Too much flash confuses the consumer and makes your website difficult to navigate. If you overload them, or have flash that takes too long to upload, the consumer will click away and you may lose them for good. A professional graphic artist can design animation that accentuates the message, at the same time entertaining and educating the audience.

Miranda Larsen is a writer and editor for Ardis Creative, one of the leading web design agencies in South Florida. Miranda graduated with a degree in communications from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. She lives in Sunrise, Florida. http://www.ardis-creative.com

Article Source: http://www.ArticleBiz.com

Animation Techniques

By: Kundan Mishra

There are four basic techniques to be used in animation. These are:

* Drawn animation
* Cut-out animation
* Model animation or stop motion animation
* Computer animation or computer generated imagery (CGI)



1. Drawn animation-- Drawn animation, also termed as traditional animation and classical animation, is the oldest and historically the most prevalent form of animation. In a traditionally-animated cartoon, each frame is drawn by hand.This encloses any form, where one drawing is put back by another in a progression. Each drawing is somewhat unusual from the one which is placed before.

Animated films are made up of thousands of drawings, depicted on screen very rapidly one after the other. It works in the same manner as the flip book does.
2. Cut-out animation-- The world's earliest known animated feature film was cutout animations, made in Argentina by Quirino Cristiani. By using flat characters, such as—strings, stiff fabric, props and backgrounds cut from materials such as paper; and by using buttons, matchsticks or even photographs, you can create cut-out animation. It embraces any figure of animation where cut-out forms be in motion or substitute by the other cut-outs.
3. Model animation or stop motion animation-- Model animation is a form of stop motion animation designed to merge with live action footage to create the illusion of a real-world fantasy sequence.

By using materials, such as—clay, wire that can be bent or formed into another shape, you can create model animation. This engrosses the filming of puppets or any other form of three-dimensional models. Before moving slightly and screening, it is placed, filmed and than these shots are placed jointly as a section of the film and will give the hallucination of moving models.
4. Computer animation or Computer Generated Imagery (CGI)-- Computer animation is the skill of building the moving images by means of computers. This refers to the portrayal of three-dimensional models and locations on the computer. Images can be scanned into the computer via digital photography or made within the computer itself.

To produce the delusion of movement, an image is presented on the computer screen which is swiftly put back by the new image that is alike to the preceding image, but shifted to some extent. Computer animation is basically a digital successor to the art of stop motion animation of 3D models and frame-by-frame animation of 2D illustrations.

In a method known as—Tweening or Morphing, the variations in appearance between the key frames are automatically considered by the computer and finally Animation is rendered at the end.

http://www.itmatchonline.com/article/Animation_Techniques.php

Article Source: http://www.ArticleBiz.com

Saturday, January 19, 2008

Chat About Cinema: Now OPEN

Visit our website and interactive social network about cinema: Chat Up About Cinema. Members and participants can interact using our blogs, forums, groups, and audio-video chat room. Are you passionate about movies? What are you waiting for? Join us today - it's FREE.
http://www.chataboutcinema.com
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