Film Maker Resources
Release Forms
Obtaining proper writer permissions Is the responsibility of each film maker. A video release form is also known as an Appearance Release form. It is a simple contract that gives you legal permission to use the image of the person or use the location.
A good video release form:
- Specifies what is being released (video images, audio, photographs).
- Specifies that the videographer may sell or assign the right to use the images or other materials to third parties.
- Specifies that the release is irrevocable. Otherwise, the release could be terminated by the person giving it at any time.
- Is signed and dated by the individual releasing his/her images. If the subject is a minor (under 18 years old), the release should be signed by a parent or legal guardian.
- Is in writing.
The following is an example of a simple video release form:
Copyright Information
You can learn more about copyright at the following links:
- The Ultimate Guide to Copyright wiht.link/copyright_guide
- Music Industry Piracy Investigations (MIPI) www.mipi.com.au
Useful Sites
- The Art of Storytelling
- Directing 101
- Copyright Material Resources
- Films that teach you about filmmaking
- Anatomy of a Film Crew
- The Frugal filmmaker - Film making Tips
- More Filmmaking Tips
- The DIY Filmmakers Toolkit
- 6 Film making Tips from Richard Linklater
- Video School
- Creating Special Effects
- On white balance and colour temperature
- The Fundamentals of exposure
- Quick Special Effects
- Low light tips
- Just interesting stuff
- Screen Australia
- For Historical Footage: Film Australia Collections Library
- Film Classification
- On the legal issues of filming on location or on public property. The Arts Law website offers some guidance
- Arts Law Legal Resources
- Australian Film Institute
- ACMI – Australian Centre for Moving Image
- Film Victoria
- OPEN Channel
- Filmink
- IF Media
- Urban Cinefile
- Free Movies Online
- On creating Stop Motion Films
- The Hero's Journey (Narration)
- On creating a 3 Act Structure
- On common Film Making mistakes
- Introduction to Filmmaking Craft "Les Miserables"
- Bell Labs promo for how to make films using a computer
- On using dissolves effectively
- Funding Your Film
- You dont need money to make a video!
- An explanation of ADR (and general sound engineering)
- Finding Actors and Extras
- Copyright (UK focussed but still useful)
- Story telling tips from the master of movie trailers
- Lighting: Lighting Like Leibovitz – The One Light Challenge
- Film Titles
- The Art of Film Title Design Throughout Cinema History
- Freeplay music links
- The Periodic Table of Story Telling
- Over 80 Scripts Free for download
- Copyright Resources: The Official Guide to Copyright issues for Australian Schools and TAFE
- Royalty free music
- To find artists similar to the one you like for music etc
- The 11 defining features of the summer blockbuster
- On movie making, resources for students
- Creative Collaborations & Why Copyright Counts
- DSLR Cinematography Guide
- Making Movies Teaching Resource 5
- Filmmaking Lifestyle
Editing Software
- The recommended film editing software used by many professionals include Adobe Premiere (or the lower cost Premiere Elements) and After Effects.
- Lightworks has also become very popular since the release of an open source (free version). Lightworks has been used to edit many Hollywood feature films. It does require a license fee to use some codecs that are the native format of current video cameras and the program also requires a fairly powerful computer and/or video card.
Learning Material
- Video Copilot: This website is great for begginers, they have hundreds of free tutorials on how to get the most out of your video. Everything from basic color grading to 3D explosions:- A must see!
- CreativeCow: If you cant find it on this website then chances are its not worth seeing. You can browse the tutorials by category of software authored by professionals from around the world:- Thousands of tutorials!