Amatuer filming for dummies

To modify a line from my old pal Shakespeare (he and I go way back), I’d like to begin my little piece here with a personal quote (we writers can do that) “All the world’s a studio and all the men and wo

This little quote is becoming more and more of a reality in our lives, thanks to such modern phenomena as YouTube; pocket sized, High-Def video cameras and Taco Bell’s late night “Fourth Meal” option. (Filmmakers have got to eat too you know.)

From teenage boys lip syncing Miley Cyrus songs (as well as performing the accompanying dance moves) to backyard BMX stunts, thousands of new videos flood the internet daily and that little Steven Spielberg in all of us (or, for those whom I offended with my Spielberg comment — that little Quentin Tarantino in all of us) has a much larger voice for the world to hear.

Contrast with me now this surge in filmmaking to the amateur filmmaking of the past: the only way people could possibly gain home video fame was to send in their videos to AFV and hope for the best. (Struggling with the acronym AFV? Think of a show with a thousand lousy puns and jokes from Bob Saget. And I’m not talking about Full House. Still struggling? It rhymes with Jamerica’s Moneyist Foam Hideos.)

Fortunately for us, the realm of expression via amateur video making has changed dramatically within the last decade. With today’s technology, each and every one of us has the ability to create videos that represent our personal ambitions, opinions and desires to change what we see wrong with the world (as well as to let the naysayers know of that time where we chugged 12 cans of Root Beer in 2 minutes flat.)

Using the resources we’re fortunate to have, let’s utilize life as the studio it is. Happy Filming!