FilmRebel Productions

Directing Reel

2011-10-14T00:27:00.000-04:00

I finally put together a demo reel of the films that I've written, directed, edited, etc. It includes shots from Ninja Zombies (2011), Underground Sonata (2010), Exposed (2008), and Saturday Night Underground (2005). It also features a little bit of motion graphics animation, color correction, and VFX

Commercial Reel

2011-10-12T11:43:00.000-04:00

Here is a commercial reel I put together that is made up of a few of my best TV spots. Hopefully it will make it easier for people to view examples of my work all in one go!

Hacienda Ford One Penny Down

2011-09-20T13:43:00.000-04:00

Here's another Hacienda Ford spot I did using mostly FCS Motion:

Hacienda Ford - EDINBURG

2011-09-09T18:54:00.000-04:00

I just added this new TV spot to the "commercials" section. The spots I've been doing for my regular clients have gotten to be pretty repetitive lately, so I jazzed this one up with some graphics effects I learned from videocopilot.net. I'm quite happy with the results! I also used some ground crack and debris elements from Action Essentials 2 (also from video copilot) in combination with a template from FCP Motion to create the "rock bottom" effect.

New Ninja Zombies Trailer!

2011-07-05T16:32:00.001-04:00

I recently made an all-new trailer for our feature film, Ninja Zombies! Check it out here:

This trailer focuses mostly on the action and special effects of Ninja Zombies and I drew most of my inspiration from the first Sucker Punch teaser. That teaser used jump cuts to great effect when timed to the music, so I did the same, hoping to make the action seem that much more intense! It's a style I might even try to work in to the film itself, during some of the martial arts action sequences.

Please help us spread this trailer around by sharing it with your friends! Post it facebook, tweet about it, whatever it takes!

Amazon Commercial

2011-05-06T14:09:00.001-04:00

I did this one a while back. It was a really fun shoot and it only took 1 day! Editing was a breeze, too. Best of all, no one gave us a hard time about shooting at the mall. That's the nice thing about shooting with a small camera like the HV-20. Most people don't even notice!

A CT Christmas

2011-01-11T02:18:00.005-05:00

I was invited to cover this great CT Christmas charity event by WTNH Channel 8 anchorwoman, Ann Nyberg, who was one of the event's organizers. As you can see there was a great turnout! Expect it to happen again bigger and better next year!

CT Christmas from noah cooper on Vimeo.

This was shot on my Canon HV20, a mini DV camcorder that you can get on ebay for $500 or less. It has all the manual settings you would need for filmmaking, plus a mic input for audio recording with a boom mic. It also shoots in full HD 1080i at 24fps and it's easy enough to convert to progressive.

To stabilize the camera I used a simple monopod. I prefer monopods to tripods when I'm on the move because they are faster to set up and give you more flexibility in moving the camera while still keeping the shot quite steady, even when zoomed in.

For color correction I simply used the Magic Bullet "Looks" plugin for Final Cut Pro. I prefer this to using Apple's Color application sometimes just because it saves a lot of time. The filter can quickly be copy/pasted to all your other shots and all right within FCP.

Guster - Come Downstairs and Say Hello

2011-01-07T02:03:00.010-05:00

I made this music video for the wedding of my friends Jean Huang and Peter Barrett. Thanks to Michal Trzaska for shooting half of this footage on his Canon 7D! I shot the other half with my Canon HV20 with a wide angle lens.

View on ExposureRoom

I made two versions. The other one was set to Arcade Fire's "No Cars Go." This version is to one of my favorite songs by Guster, "Come Downstairs and Say Hello"

A Mile In Their Shoes

2011-01-06T02:09:00.001-05:00

A short teaser for a documentary series I started working on with Chris Grosso of www.TheIndieSpiritualist.com.

A Mile In Their Shoes will follow people from all walks of life, in an attempt to establish a better understanding of the human experience as seen through the lives of others.

We're working on episodes featuring skateboarding legend & musician (McRad/Bad Brains) Chuck Treece. We'll follow Chuck around on the day his band McRad is headlining a benefit concert for Deftones bassist Chi Cheng who has been in a coma since Nov 4, 2008.

We're also currently working on other episodes featuring Venger Satanis (High Priest of the Cult of Cthulu), Buddhist Monks, a Death Row inmate and many more.

Screenwriting 101: Part 3

2011-01-05T09:28:00.007-05:00

Write a plot outline that describes what happens in each important scene. Once you have this, you can start putting the scenes into your screenplay document, convert it into proper screenplay format, and then add your dialogue. Here is what I came up with on Jan 19, 2010:

Plot Outline:
1. A lone samurai, Tenshu, sleeps in the middle of the woods. A ninja creeps up to him. He suddenly snaps awake, draws his sword, and attacks the ninja. The two have a brief but intense fight until they lock swords and the ninja pulls off her mask. "Yuriko?" The samurai knows her. They kiss and embrace before he asks what she's doing here, and reminds her that her father would kill her if he found out. She explains that her father already found out that he is trying to hide the Hell Sword and has dispatched his deadliest ninjas to stop him. They have already killed Tenshu's master. She came all the way here, to America, to warn him and help him. The ninjas are not far behind her and are being led by the ruthless Shoju. We see the evil ninjas enter the forest, led by an especially menacing ninja.

2. Dameon snaps awake, revealing that it was all a dream. He goes out into the home office and joins his geeky friend Luke (think Joe Truglio's character in Role Models - Rub a dub dub!) as they start doing their geek podcast, an iCarly-esque webcam show where they discuss comics and such. Today they focus on reviewing "Marvel Zombies," and Dameon reveals that he hates zombies.

3.Cut to Later that day when Dameon and Luke head home with groceries. They unwittingly pass a zombie hiding behind a trash can as Dameon reveals to Luke that he feels like life is short and maybe they aren’t doing enough with their lives. An innocent bystander walks by also, and the zombie decides to go for her instead. It silently and swiftly kills her and pulls her into hiding, where it devours her flesh.

This is only part of the outline, as I don't want to give too much of the story away, but you get the idea. I must say, the final version of the film will be quite different from this and it's kind of funny looking back at these notes now. This is barely the tip of the iceberg here so please be sure to check out that film riot video and consult with your rebel filmmaking textbooks in the required reading section for more tips. And when you're done, consider using Final Draft's ScriptXpert service to get professional feedback!

Another good learning tool is of course to read as many professional screenplays as you can. These can be tricky to come by. One source that I can't completely vouch for is Drew's Script O'Rama. Not sure if these scripts are legit, but it might be worth a look!

Screenwriting 101: Part 2

2011-01-04T09:28:00.012-05:00

Funny, but NOT true! Explosions are expensive.

10. Start with a long synopsis, just a couple of paragraphs. Describe your basic idea and the main characters, the main conflict the characters face, and what they do to overcome it. Here's an example of what I wrote for Ninja Zombies, on Oct 3, 2009.

During the Meiji Restoration in Japan, swords were outlawed and confiscated or destroyed. A small clan, known for mysticism, was in possession of one particular sword that had the power to raise the dead. Before this sword could be discovered, they sent one of their own samurai to go hide it as far away as possible.

He brought the sword to America, all the while being hunted down by a horde of ninjas looking to use the sword’s power for their own purposes. He fought them off and managed to bring the sword to a secret location, where he sealed it away with a magic ritual. He vowed that if ever the sword were to be disturbed, he would return to seal it again.

Dameon, a 20-something slacker with no sense of direction, begins having nightmares -- flashes of scenes from the life of the samurai, and the sword that raised the dead. He also gets attacked randomly by undead ninjas, which he runs away from. He confesses his dreams to his friend, Claire, who researches them and finds out about the sword. His dreams also lead him to his great great grandfather’s sword, and upon finding it he discovers latent fighting skills within him.

Dameon and Claire then set out on a quest to find the Zombie Sword and to seal it away for good or destroy it.

11. Next, it helps to do a quick blurb on all your main characters. On Jan 12, I came up with this:

Dameon - a likeable, optimistic slacker (kind of like kung fu panda) who has recently lost his job. He spends his time recording a podcast called Hero Tales, where he reviews comic books.
wants: to feel worthwhile
needs: to ﬁnd a reason to respect himself

Luke – Dameon’s best friend and roommate. Very much a fantasy/ sci-ﬁ geek like in role models. Also loves video games and comics.
wants: to be needed
needs: to encourage Dameon

Claire – Totally emo, always dark. Keeps to herself. Has been depressed since the death of her boyfriend. She’s obsessed with anime and Japanese culture.
wants: to resurrect her boyfriend
needs: to move on

Trisha – Clair’s roommate. Self centered and superﬁcial, she annoys Claire on a daily basis and dismisses her as a total psycho. She’s also pretty slutty.

Greg and Larry (G and Lar-Dawg) – Attached at the hip, they were former frat boys. Still obsessed with sports, now they mostly just play sports video games and pound beers. They both
have the hots for Trisha.

Things changed a lot from these initial concepts, but you get the idea!

Screenwriting 101: Part 1

2011-01-03T21:22:00.009-05:00

The screenplay is your movie's blueprint. It also doesn't cost anything to make. You can't make a good movie out of a bad script, no matter what you do, so you should make sure to show your script to people, get feedback, and revise, revise, revise! On Ninja Zombies I wrote 9 drafts!

For a good head start on how to write a screenplay, check out this episode of Film Riot: http://revision3.com/filmriot/screenwriting

A few more things you need to know.
1. Format is important. A correctly formatted screenplay will translate to about 1 minute of film per page. The best way to make sure your screenplay is formatted correctly is to use professional screenwriting software. There's a few to choose from, but I personally use Final Draft. Here is a great article on Scriptologist.com with examples of how to format a screenplay properly. http://www.scriptologist.com/Magazine/Formatting/formatting.html

2. Write in the present tense and be efficient with your words. Don't use "there is / there are." Rather than writing "There are ninjas jumping out of the shadows," simply write "ninjas jump out of the shadows."

3. When you introduce any people, even extras, write their name in ALL CAPS. For instance:
TENSHU, mid-20's, Asian, wearing a samurai outfit, lies asleep under a tree. A sword wrapped in black cloth rests against his shoulder.

4. DO NOT write camera directions. These are for the director and DP to decide and it just wastes space in the screenplay.

5. Keep dialogue short and to the point. Unless you are Kevin Smith or Tarantino, your characters shouldn't speak in long monologues.

6. Create extensive backgrounds for your characters before you write your script. Make sure you know what their personality is like, including good traits as well as flaws like phobias, irresponsibility, substance abuse, etc. What are their interests? What are their wants and needs?

7. Relationships. Good stories are all about interesting characters and their relationships to each other. How do the characters grow over the course of the story? How do their relationships to each other change?

8. 3 Act Structure. If you're writing a feature-length screenplay, keep this model of pacing in mind. Almost all films follow if for a reason. If they don't, the film will feel slow or rushed. A great outline of the 3 Act Structure can be found here: http://www.cod.edu/people/faculty/pruter/film/threeact.htm

9. Show. Don't tell. Movies are a visual storytelling medium. Don't describe events with dialogue. Let us see the characters experience them. Dialogue is your last resort when it comes to getting information to the audience.

More to come...

Just Released! Ninja Zombies (2011) Official Trailer!

2010-12-17T13:06:00.002-05:00

Please check out the trailer for my first feature, Ninja Zombies! And don't forget to post it to your facebook or twitter. It only takes a few seconds and it makes a huge difference! Thanks!

Ninja Zombies (2011) Official Trailer HD from noah cooper on Vimeo.

Online Resources

2010-12-09T12:37:00.003-05:00

In addition to the required reading, there are some resources online that will prove invaluable along your path to guerrilla filmmaker badassery.

Video Co-Pilot
Presented by Andrew Kramer. Not only will he teach you After Effects for free, he will show you how to use it to create everything from cool movie trailer text to bolts of energy that disintegrate people. He also releases packages of effects for sale, including Action Essentials, which is full of gun, blood, and explosion effects. Essential is exactly right.

Film Riot

Film Riot is a how-to trip through filmmaking from the hyper-active mind of Ryan Connolly. It's a web series that features hilarious sketches with special effects, and then shows you exactly how to do those effects. Again, most of the effects are created in After Effects, but it covers many other areas of filmmaking, such as writing a screenplay and color correction.

Ninja Zombies Teaser 2

2010-12-03T13:58:00.000-05:00

Ever wonder how badass an undead Ninja would be? Check out this teaser for the upcoming indie flick, Ninja Zombies!

And check the official site for more info: www.ninjazombiesfilm.com

Exposed (2008) Trailer HD

2010-12-03T13:09:00.000-05:00

Reporter Frank Hahn is on the run from the cops for writing an exposé that reveals their corruption. The good news is he has hard evidence to take them down. The bad news is he can't remember anything from the last 2 weeks, including the location of the evidence! Premiered at the New Haven Underground FIlm Festival 2008

Commercials

2010-12-02T12:59:00.000-05:00

Here are a few of the hundreds of TV commercials I've edited for various small businesses around the country.

Typically I'm given a script and an audio track to follow and I add running footage from manufacturers or footage from the clients themselves, based on the client's directions. I also design motion graphics for most spots using either Final Cut Studio's Motion, or Adobe After Effects.

My specialty is super-fast turnaround. I put most of these together in just a few hours.

Underground Sonata (2010) Trailer

2010-11-30T23:47:00.000-05:00

The trailer for my most recent short film, winner of the Best Crime Drama Short award at the 2010 Indie Gathering Film Festival!

Required Reading

2010-11-28T23:10:00.001-05:00

What is a film rebel? In my mind, a film rebel is an independent, no-budget, guerrilla filmmaker who doesn't let a lack of resources stop them from telling a story the way they want to. Film rebels may lack the resources of Hollywood but this gives them their greatest advantage: the freedom to work outside the Hollywood system. A film rebel can be more flexible, more creative, and more capable of making their movies fast, cheap, and in their control.

For this class there are two required textbooks that can be considered your Bibles of rebellious filmmaking:

1. Rebel Without a Crew
written by the original film rebel himself, Robert Rodriguez, it documents the making of his first feature film, "El Mariachi," and gives you an inside look at how one 23 year old filmmaker with no crew and bare-bones equipment was able to make a $7,000 film and launch a career that includes such film credits as "Sin City," "Desperado," "Once Upon a Time in Mexico," and "Machete."

2. The DV Rebel's Guide
written by Stu Maschwitz, a veteran of Industrial Light and Magic, this book goes through the entire process of filmmaking from pre-production through post, explaining how to make killer action movies on the cheap using the latest in digital technology. Note that he references Adobe After Effects a lot when talking about post production, so you'll benefit the most if you have a working knowledge of the software and I can guarantee that you'll want to use it in your films.

Color Correction on Ninja Zombies

2010-11-23T13:23:00.001-05:00

To start things off, here is a post I made on the official Ninja Zombies site about the impact of color correction.

So now that we've got some Ninja Zombies scenes shot and in the can, I've started doing some post-production work to give the cast and crew an example of what the end-product will look like. Cutting a scene together is good, but the rough cut is still far from finished. Visually speaking, what makes a video look like a film is all in the color correction. Here are a few examples:

Tenshu and Yuriko

G and Lar-Dawg

Trish

Dameon

Notice the difference? There are many ways you can do color correction, from within Final Cut Pro using built-in filters like brightness/contrast, 3-way Color Corrector, and Gamma, or third party filters like Magic Bullet Looks or Mojo, which simplifies the process and gives you plenty of presets to choose from. My weapon of choice is Apple's "Color," which comes packaged with Final Cut Studio. It gives you the most control and the output just has a nicer image quality, though it takes a bit longer and uses up a bit more space because it creates color corrected copies of all your video files.

No matter what application you use, the basic principles are the same. You want to up the contrast first and foremost... bring the darks even darker and you'd be surprised at what a difference that makes already. After that, it's up to style and what kind of emotion you want to portray. The best part is that you can be really creative and get instant gratification when you see the results, which are immediately apparent. That's why color correcting is one of my very favorite parts of post-production!