Academy Originals is a treasure trove of film knowledge presented documentary-style through interviews with directors, cinematographers, producers, master craftsmen, set designers, consultants, actors – anyone playing a part in creating movie magic. The videos are grouped into categories like ‘Moments That Changed Movies’ or ‘Credited As’ – each exploring the movie-making process from a different perspective.

This is truly a rabbit hole to get lost in, if you have any interest in getting behind the scenes of some of the most groundbreaking films in modern history.

Here are some of my personal favorites.

As an online, full service licensing platform, Musicbed takes the confusing and daunting parts out of the licensing process. It even makes it somewhat fun to find music for your project. With a roster of about 650 indie artists spanning a wealth of genres, Musicbed promises to help you find the perfect score, license it at a very reasonable price, and make sure you’re covered legally without overpaying for uses you don’t really need. The process is smooth. And the website is pretty sleek, too.

You’ll still want to familiarize yourself with terms like Sync/Master Use licensing, perpetual use, single use, and commercial vs non-commercial works. A good place to start is Musicbed’s Knowledge Base, but be sure to also see our other posts on music licensing.

If you have questions about lighting, equipment, safety on set or any of the other 317.000 things a good cinematographer needs to consider, chances are Shane Hurlbut knows the answer. His credits include Terminator: Salvation, Act of Valor, Need For Speed, Fathers & Daughters, We Are Marshall and many more, but in this context our focus will be on his passion for sharing what he’s learned in his years on the job. His website, hurlbutvisuals.com, is a treasure trove of articles, How-To’s, product tests, and glimpses from behind the scenes of major Hollywood productions. If you want to dive even further, you’ll find Shane’s Inner Circle, which is a member’s only section of his website that offers premium content for a modest fee.

We highly recommend you spend some time getting to know Shane Hurlbut, whether you are an aspiring cinematographer or simply curious about how the pros work.

A few of our favorite posts are linked below. Get to it.

The Power of Shaping Hard Light

Turning Your GoPro Into A Cinematic Movie Making Machine

The Importance of Being Mobile

Photo credit: Shane Hurlbut

Since 2012 Simon Cade has been learning about filmmaking in one of the best ways possible – by teaching others. His DSLRGuide Youtube channel has amassed almost 150.000 subscribers and about 5 million views spread out over a treasure trove of tutorial videos on anything from lighting to storytelling to camera movement to DIY tricks to color grading and so on and so forth. His output frequency (a new video every week) and quality is really quite remarkable. His guide for shooting beautiful, cinematic video with a DLSR camera and low-to-no budget should be the first place you start your research, if you’re looking to do just that.

One of my favorite things about Simon’s videos is how directly relatable they are to my own trials and errors as an amateur filmmaker. Having trouble getting the right look for your film using whatever natural light you have available? Simon has an answer for you. Unsure about how to get started with color grading? Simon will walk you through it. Wondering why your shots feel flat? Simon’s got some suggestions on where to make changes.

All that and he seems like a nice bloke.

Here is but a small selection of his many videos. Be sure to check out his many videos here and to subscribe to his channel. For more in-depth information about the gear he uses and where he gets it, visit his website.

We’d like to introduce you – as part of our ‘Do You know?’ series – to The Bureau of Creative Works.

Created by Erica Hampton and Mike Ambs, The Bureau is a film collective with the valiant goal of bridging a gap between audience and filmmaker by getting the audience involved in the process at the earliest possible stage – assuming responsibility, but also taking credit. According to their mission statement, the idea materialized after realizing how ‘more and more digital media outlets are pushing to acquire short-films in exchange for only credit and recognition’ – a promise of legitimization through association, leaving filmmakers in an increasingly difficult and unsustainable situation.

The Bureau is set up to function is a year-long film grant supporting 12 filmmakers each year with funds for producing original short films, backed by the very audience the short films are made for. A kickstarter campaign is currently raising the funds for the first year of films – 10 of which has already been selected, leaving two spots open for you to apply for.

Please visit The Bureau of Creative Works for more info on this great project – and, if you can, please support the campaign on kickstarter.

Filmmaker meet Vimeo. Vimeo meet filmmaker. Oh, you already know each other? Of course you do. Vimeo is the go-to for high quality video hosting and has long been home to the most beautiful videos on the Internet – with a lot less distractions (oh look, KITTENS!) than on big brother YouTube. You’ve almost certainly also seen their Vimeo Staff Picks; a collection of short films and documentaries highlighting the best and the brightest among new filmmaking talent.

But do you know the Vimeo Video School?

Video School is a curated archive of videos on Vimeo that will help you learn about filmmaking through tutorials, lessons, advice, case studies and interviews with industry pros and creatives. All for the collective betterment of the visual medium and all of us who are trying to master it.

Need the scoop on how to compress video like a pro? Not a problem.

Just getting started with Final Cut Pro X? Check out the complete 17-episode tutorial.

Not sure how to go about shooting on your smartphone? There’s a lesson series for that, too.

And lots and lots of inspiration. Just dig deep.

First in the Do You Know? series is ISA. Well, do you know ISA? ISA is the International Screenwriters’ Association; an online portal that aims to support screenwriters of any level and background by providing writers with informational resources for career development and access to a growing, international community.  It can be absolutely exhausting to keep abreast of every new contest, writing job, or corner of the screenwriting world. This website tries to make it just a little bit easier.

While the interface could use a facelift (which I’ve been told is coming very soon, by the way), you shouldn’t let the grey surface deter you from exploring what’s underneath. The site has a list if free resources that might come in handy when you’re looking for inspiration, a section with available writing gigs, and then there’s the most interesting feature, in my opinion: their archive of teleconferences.

Now, these teleconferences are actually a lot less intimidating than they sound. The word teleconference, for me at least, brings about mental images of board rooms and suits and pressing questions. But really, they’re podcasts. Podcasts that span a wide range of topics, themes and formats, from audio lectures on storyline structure to interviews demystifying the processes behind closed studio doors. The common thread is that you will be smarter after listening. And that’s a good thing. Did we mention that the film industry is competitive? Be on top.

You can join ISA (for free) for a number of ‘Members Only’ offerings, or you can peruse their site at your leisure, pick and choose what’s useful to you, and simply bookmark it as a useful resource when needed.

You’re welcome.