When you start researching all the different types of cameras out there to choose your first video camera, it can get pretty overwhelming. We live in a world filled with fantastic technology, where people are creating award-winning films with an iPhone or a top-of-the-range cinema camera th

Until recently, if you asked about “manual focus vs. autofocus” you would always be told that manual focus is superior and that’s what you should use, whether for photography or filmmaking. However, there have been considerable improvements in autofocus technology, which m

What is a corporate video? It’s simple, really. Corporate videos are videos made for a business. There are many types of corporate videos and many reasons to make them, produced by small independent video production companies as well as large agencies. In addition, many companies now

Today, I’m writing about the 3-act structure. To me, this is the number 1 most important thing in filmmaking. Not necessarily the 3-act structure itself, but what it represents. It represents the art of storytelling. Before you can pick up the fancy, expensive cameras, before you get

Want to know the best camera to use? It’s easy. The best camera is the one you’re carrying, meaning the one you have ready to capture the action in mobile video in a split second. That being said, the debate over smartphone cameras vs. digital cameras is a valid one. Can a mobile camera be

If you’re a self-taught filmmaker (or just a filmmaker in general, actually), then chances are you know who Ryan Connolly is. Recently, we broke down the reasons why his brilliant YouTube channel, Film Riot, is so popular and successful. Now, we’ve managed to grab some time with

If you’ve ever shot a video and your subjects looked as if they belonged in an alien movie or have a nasty case of jaundice, or the entire thing just has an odd color cast, the chances are that your white balance was, well, unbalanced. Knowing what white balance is and how to get perf

Celebrating its 50th anniversary this month, critical opinion on William Friedkin’s The French Connection was divided at its release, but it also won 5 Academy Awards, including Best Film, Best Director, Best Actor in a Lead Role (Gene Hackman), Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Editin

The point and shoot camera has been around since 1888, beginning with Kodak Company’s box film camera, which cost a hefty $25. By 1900, Kodak introduced the $1 Brownie camera. Wouldn’t life be easy if the same price applied to today’s point-and-shoot cameras? In any case, if your goal is to

When you feel that you’ve pushed yourself as far as you can with your kit lens, what should be your next purchase? While the versatility of a higher-quality zoom lens might be appealing, a prime lens is absolutely worthy of your consideration. Here we look at what prime lenses are, ho

Quiz question for you: What links lighthouses, theaters and film sets? Got it yet? It’s the Fresnel light, sometimes known as the Fresnel lantern or Fresnel lamp. While the Fresnel light was initially developed in the 1820s by French engineer Augustin Jean Fresnel to improve lighthous

Here at Artlist, we use an assortment of gear to bring our videos to life. Today, we’re going to talk about our favorite filmmaking gear to create our cinematic videos. Whether cameras, lenses, lights or gimbals, we’re grateful that these tools are at our disposal to make our vi

If you’re an aspiring filmmaker, there’s no reason you can’t get up and running with a cheap DSLR camera. However, cheap doesn’t mean lacking in features! Choosing your first camera is momentous and you will want to take into consideration the best types of video cameras and cinema cameras,

When you go to buy replacement LED bulbs for, say, your kitchen, have you noticed that they come in “warm white,” “daylight” or “bright white” varieties? These are examples of different color temperatures. Color temperature is fundamental to both photography and filmmaking, as well as being

Polarizing filters can dramatically impact your images, especially if you shoot in natural light a lot. So getting to know how they work and investing in one could certainly be worth your time and money. What is a polarizing filter? A polarizing filter, or polarizer, is used to intensify bl

Interviews are standard in documentaries, branded content videos, commercials or video portraits, so better to be ready. Interview videos look more simple than they are. In the end, it’s a person talking, telling a story or answering questions. Easy, right? Well, different factors wil

If you’re planning your next film shoot, you’ll want to ensure you have every available tool to make it go as seamlessly as possible. Assuming you have your script breakdown and your digital storyboard, it’s now time to communicate your vision to the DP and 1st AD. This is

You’ve decided that you really need to take the plunge and buy yourself some lights. Excellent! This means that your filmmaking is going up a notch, and you’re growing in confidence and capability. But where is best to put our money? Will softbox lighting work best for you? Or w

Last week, I saw a ring light on sale in my local supermarket for £22.50 (that’s about $30 US). Whether or not it is any good, I couldn’t possibly tell you, but the fact that I could pick one up along with my groceries demonstrates how a lighting unit that was originally devised

Introduction A wide-angle lens is a lens that has a smaller focal length than a standard lens. This fact will allow us to include more elements of a scene in the shot than we could do with a normal lens. For this reason, they are perfect for architecture filming, tight locations or travel v