DC Metro Final Cut Pros

“As long as I can remember, I wanted to be a filmmaker”, if this is your mantra, then you’ve got to see FilmFellas! Zacuto is excited to announce their new webisodic series, FilmFellas. A behind the scenes peek featuring influential and emerging new filmmakers who are making, creating and challenging the independent film scene and how we view entertainment.

Follow this continuing series, you won’t want to miss a webisode as the cast and topics change. Watch in full screen HD with new webisodes premiering every two weeks. Producers Steve Weiss, Jens Bogehegn & Scott Lynch sit down and dine with industry movers and shakers where talking film is their family business.

Keep up the good work, Steve… we’ll be watching and learning!

Watch the amazing artistry in motion in the works from the cast on their sites!!!!

Truly inspiring, awesome work…. Kevin, Patrick, and Ron !!

Rodney – DCFCPUG

Premiering August 17th, Zacuto Films presents a new webisodic series which brings together film/video veterans, Steve Weiss, Director of FilmFellas/critics, and Philip Bloom, a London based Cinematographer and Filmmaker. With the growing popularity of video content sharing forums and video-centric social networking sites such as Vimeo, the program is the first webisodic show which critiques exclusively-web based video content.

With an open review forum and a loosely base video selection process, Bloom and Weiss keep their reflective commentary fresh by randomly selecting the videos during the show’s taping by clicking on featured selections on a touch screen monitor. “We sort of toss all of the selected programs into a Vimeo album,” Steve Weiss says, “and then kind of randomly pick them live. You’ll see…it’s not a real science.”

In [ critics ], Weiss and Bloom candidly explore a wide range of video categories across many genres and artistic levels: short films, artistic videos, documentaries, music videos, animated shorts, and commercial video. “We’ll review anything,” says Bloom “and give the best advice we can.” As the web constantly evolves by offering a plethora of video content, such as; amateur DIY videos, guerilla street films, political or statement pieces, and short films & features, [ critics ] also mirrors the eclectic nature of open web content. Thus, Weiss and Bloom explore amateur videos, such as “GAY=SIN” by Matthew Bennett and then quickly jump over to acclaimed short films like “A Thousand Words” by Director Ted Chung. The beauty of it-everyone gets the same chance at selection and critique.

The international appeal of [ critics ] comes from the dynamic relationship of Weiss vs. Bloom, where these dueling hosts, who while living across the pond from one another, remain industry friends, avidly support the independent film industry, and bring over 40-years combined experience to the biz. “Watching stuff on your computer can be quite a solitary experience,” says Bloom, “with critics, it’s like we are watching it with you and hopefully not coming across like the two old men Statler and Waldorf from The Muppet Show. You know how much we are enjoying something when both Steve and I shut up!”

[ critics ] offering an eclectic mix of personalities, perspectives and laughter. “The personalities of Weiss and Bloom are electric.” [ critics ] a Zacuto Films production.

Enjoy this websisode and check out the behind the scenes links in critics.

Rodney – DCFCPUG

FilmFellas Webisode 12 from Steve Weiss, Zacuto USA on Vimeo.

Enjoy! DCFCPUG

Cast 3, Five in Series, 1 of 5

FilmFellas – webisode 10 from Steve Weiss, Zacuto USA on Vimeo.

The third FilmFellas series highlights three exceptional producers who have each founded their own company and business model to publish to make profits with video on the internet. Their varied backgrounds and fresh perspectives offer insight into new emerging business models for distribution on all platforms.

Steve Weiss, director and product designer at Zacuto is photographer for 33 years, video director since 1981 with 17 international award for his work, returns to the table along with three of the most diverse and fascinating FilmFellas cast members to date. Edward Seaton is a Columbia College graduate and accomplished filmmaker who started his own company, Recurve Media, to create online content. Anish Savjani is a two-time Independent Spirit Award nominee (and founder of the Film Science production company) who has produced some acclaimed American films, Old Joy and Wendy and Lucy. Mike Michaud is a Columbia College dropout who’s found success with his latest company, Channel Awesome, which produces the popular satirical website ThatGuyWithTheGlasses.com.

Jumping right into heavy debates each fella has a different approach to online media, but they do agree on one thing, media is changing and it’s changing fast. Steve opens with the classic and sometimes risky exercise of “say what you think of first”. Each cast member is hit with a variety of terms from web video to social networking and the responses may shock you. Conversation quickly turns to the idea of how physical media is shifting to online media.

Edward Seaton explains, “It depends on how quickly technology can catch up with the idea of online distribution and watching things in a different format.”

Taking that a step further, the cast discusses how advances in home entertainment have also affected the idea of physical media. Technology, again, needs to find a flawless way however, to connect this online content with the home theater equipment. The immediacy of online content creates a roadblock that other lines of media have yet to overcome. Each cast member has a different approach to online media, and their ensuing discussion promises to provoke minds, uncover insights, and illustrate the new standard for an ever-changing industry.

Enjoy!

FilmFellas – webisode 9 from Steve Weiss, Zacuto USA on Vimeo.

FilmFellas – webisode 8 from Steve Weiss, Zacuto USA on Vimeo.

FilmFellas – webisode 7 from Steve Weiss, Zacuto USA on Vimeo.