Being able to manipulate light might sound like something complicated that has to be done in a lab, but the truth is, you manipulate light all the time. Putting a lampshade over a light in your living room is an example–you prevent the light from the bulb bouncing all around the room and se

Whether or not you do free work is a very controversial topic. Get paid what you’re worth, that’s what most professional creatives believe (including myself). If you earn a living as a professional creative, you put way too much time, energy, heart and soul into what you do just to give it

With the explosion in digital cinema and gear becoming more affordable, making short films has never been more possible. However, just because a movie is short doesn’t mean it’s necessarily easier. Since the basis for every film is its story, learning how to write a short film is probably t

Whether you’re making photographs or videos, doing it digitally or on film, the foundation of the process is the exposure: how long you expose your film or sensor to light. Very simply, the longer the period of exposure, the more light will reach your film or sensor. In photography, your ex

Want that cinematic look all with the ease of use a smartphone provides? Consider adding accessories to your Apple or Android device to enhance your filmmaking quality. It worked for director Sean Baker when he made an entire narrative, Tangerine, on an iPhone 5S and won a bunch of awards f

If you earn a living as a video creator or producer, you know that it is hard work. You have to market your services, meet with potential clients, go through multiple rounds of emails with them as they make a decision to hire you or not, create a proposal or estimate, draw up a contract, th

Video is the most engaging form of content. Every major social media platform has enhanced its design to support video content. Developers are finding creative ways to share and experience video with features like ads, stories and lives. When creating branded content, it’s tempting to produ

Shooting in natural light might be something you do out of financial necessity, or because you want the challenge, or because you want to make a film that looks and feels natural. These are all sound reasons for shooting in natural or available light. But it definitely helps if you’re well

When producing video, audio is important. Very important. If you’re just starting out, make sure to spend as much time learning about how to create great sounding videos. To that end, I wanted to offer five audio-related facts that I think every video creator should know. These aren’t neces

So you’ve got a great story, a talented DP, a ready crew and lots of enthusiasm, but no storyboard for your screenplay? Not so fast. Storyboards are critical for communicating the story, framing and camera direction. And, if you have complex or expensive sequences where every beat counts, s

As a video creator, light is one of the most important tools that you have available. At its most basic, you cannot make a film without light, but by manipulating how it falls, its color, intensity and quality, you can change the look and feel of your work in an instant. When you hear peopl

It’s in everything–music videos, blockbuster films, TV shows, wedding videos, and commercials. Yes, we are talking about B-Roll. It may seem like the easiest part of the production, but shooting awesome B-Roll doesn’t happen by accident. Artlist recognizes the talent it takes to produ

Setting yourself up to be a livestreaming gamer is probably easier than ever. While game streaming is highly democratized given all of the consumer technologies available to people, doing it well is not just as simple as owning a console or PC, signing up for Twitch, and using a webcam and

Choosing and using the right camera movements in your videos is a skill that will enhance and elevate your filmmaking. How you introduce your scenes, reveal your subjects and follow them through the story will establish a connection with your viewers. Here are the essential camera movements

Shooting night scenes might feel like an enormous undertaking, but there’s no reason why you can’t do it. It might require a little planning, but it’s definitely doable. We’ve put together this guide to help you with your night videography, which will add some extra

What’s the difference between high key and low key lighting? What do these lighting techniques bring to your filmmaking? When should you use high key vs. low key lighting? And how do you create them? If you’ve ever wondered anything about high key or low key lighting, we’re here for you. We

As Martin Scorsese’s ‘Taxi Driver’ turns 45, let’s look at the look and feel of what is widely considered one of the greatest American films of all time. To help you achieve this classic film’s look in your video, we’re giving away a ‘Taxi Driver

Slow-motion video can accomplish different things for a filmmaker. Slo-mo is often used to dramatize emotion and set a mood, but it’s also used in action films and nature videos. For example, there’s a huge visual impact in slow-motion of an explosion’s pyrotechnics or the wingb

Frame rate, which you will also hear referred to as ‘frames per second’ or ‘fps’ and maybe even ‘framerate’, means how many frames your camera records each second to create a motion picture. After all, a moving picture is just a series of still images played quickly in succession. When a vi

The mirrorless vs. DSLR debate has raged on for many years, twisting and turning from one to the other, never failing to confuse first-time buyers. At one point, the argument was fairly clear: If you were a professional photographer or you were aiming for this career path, you needed the be