60 second film school

 Actually, maybe even shorter than that depending on how quickly you read.

I took a drone shot I pictured being able to use as an establishing shot the other day.  It's slow decent from over main street down to the street sign.  Trouble is, I didn't have a specific project in mind when I shot it. I just used the available light, which was pretty lousy because it was an overcast day in spots, and grabbed the footage while I had the time and a Visual Observer to help me fly safely.

What I would up with was a pretty generic piece of footage.  So generic in fact it's possibilities are "endless".  Or, at least there are two or three ways it can be used.

Here is a video in which I decided to try to two of the ways out.  A happy, family T.V. show kind of shot.  The type that would be used during the opening of the show or to establish where they are after a commercial break.  And then, a decidedly darker shot.  Something suggesting horror or suspense.  The same shot, but with music and colors that will cause a sense of foreboding.

Watch for yourself and see what you think.

Pexels - A Great Free Resource !

 By now it's no secret that I love FREE resources.  In fact, I have begun to build my own set of free images and videos, including armored soldiers and laser blasts, for the indie sci-fi filmmakers among you.  You can find those resources on my YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/HocusFocusProductions or my
Facebook page: Indie Streams | Facebook

But, I want to let you know about a resource I have recently discovered.  I was searching for public domain images of maps last night on my go to resource, the Internet Archives.  The Prelinger Archives have supplied more than a few seconds of footage in my productions, including my recent short epic, "Space Chase".  This particular visit,  however, they did not have what I needed.  So I searched on.

My search brought me to Pexels.  This site is AMAZING.  It has a licensing set-up very similar to my own.  Simple, with attribution and/or tipping appreciated, but not required.  From what I have read, it seems everything that is free to download is free to use under that agreement.  If you need things which can be more fully immersed into your project and come on green screen or with more abstract backgrounds they have a paid sponsor, iStock.  Those clips seem to run about $60 each. Cheap for that quality, but probably pricey if your budget is chips and snacks like my often are.

That said, with a bit of searching and creativity, if you don't  have the budget for the $60 clips, you can probably make due with the images and videos available on the free site.  
You know my obsession with CG sci-fi corridors and hallways?  Well they've got live backgrounds that fit the bill. 

This hallway from a creator named Serinus is just fantastic.

To be honest, I haven't signed up because I hate having so many passwords and such floating around, but I may need to.  With a resource and creator list this size, I don't know how I'll keep track.  The suggested search terms are helpful in broadening or tightening what you're looking for and they even have images and video featuring people.

The one fear I do have is some of the images seem to be taken at parks and such.  Without release forms "in hand" you have to wonder if the artists aren't sometimes giving away rights they don't actually have.  I can tell you it's fine to use photos I've taken in my backyard or from a public street.  Photos of Mickey Mouse I shoot at Disney can be a bit more of a quagmire.  So, use the images with care and take the releases with a grain of salt, but overall, it's a great resource.

They even have EXPLOSIONS!  And I've gotten a lot of those free or affordably from Detonation Films, but it's nice to have more than the same options over and over again when you're doing space battles as often as I do.

And I don't want you to think they're only for sci-fi.  While they have a lot of resources for sci-fi artists, the database seems endless.  Whatever movie you're making, they should be among one of your first stops for free resources.

Here is a quick clip put together with visual elements entirely available for free from Pexles and my Indie Streams page.
The sound F/X are from Fresh Music Library  and a company called Network Music I purchased a collection from long ago.  

Have fun making films!