Richard Kinkade

I guess this might be a little bias, but I would recommend the University of Montana. It's not really recognized country wide yet, but the film program has received good funding lately. I can't remember what the tuition is exactly, but being a Montana school it will be low. It's an art school, so it's the place to go for a fine arts degree. Montana State University in Bozeman has been rated high in the country, but I didn't like the program myself. It focuses more on the technichal side of filmmaking, instead of the artistic side, which I think is more important. A lot of the projects in the classes were pointless. i didn't feel like I was learning anything. I learned more at U of M in Missoula in one semester than I did two years at MSU in Bozeman. So that's my pitch for U of M in Missoula, MT. Good luck, Rick

I'm not in school right now. I am going to buy it myself. One of my buddies and I are going to work on some sketch comedy for fun for the next year. Whe I get home I plan to return to school, possibly.

Sweet thanks, Dylan. I'll take a look at those. Rick

User error doesn't sound too far off. So if that's the case, do you have any personal preferences in a specific peice of equipment? I won't need a lot of high speed features, but I would like to film in HD. And I would like a camera with a hard drive. Thanks for the info. Rick

As a novice, I don't have much to add from the above comments, which are all very usefull. I'd just like to say that camera movement should be motivated by feeling. Most times the audience doesn't consiously register the fact that the camera is moving (if it's done right). When the movement is used well, the intended emotion for the scene is stronger. If you watch Stanley Kubrick's Paths of Glory focus on the scene when he is walking through the formation of troops. The camera is pulling back and Kirk is walking toward the camera. The audience can see his face, which shows very little emotion. Kubrick's shot choice, pulling the camera back, creates the emotion of the scene. If you imagine the camera in a stationary position, with Kirk walking toward the camera, all the magic of the moment would be lost. That's the best that I can explain it. It's all about the emotion. When something hits you emotioinally, a moment that just hits you hard, go back and analyze it. See how it's done. Practice. Also, the movement should not be noticed by the audience (fellow filmmakers excluded, since they would see it anyway.) If you shoot a scene with movement, you should be able to see if the movement is too jarring. If it is, it looks cheesy. That's all there is to it. in my opinion. Examples of this might be found in a Michael Bay film. Good luck Rick

I think you have a start with a script. I would let somebody you know and trust, preferably a good writer, help you with your script. A good script will go through many drafts. You want to tell your story, but be aware of the fact that it still needs to sell to an audience. I have limited experience, but I think screenwriting is one of my stronger suits. If you wanted I could take a look at it and give you notes. I wouldn't try to revise your story, but I would help with any ideas I had about it, plus formatting into a usable screenplay. Rick

I think Non-alcoholic beer should look enough like real beer. I guess since Non-alcoholic beer has a little bit of alcohol in it, then maybe applejuice would work. Shaking it up and pouring it might give it a good beer-like head.

Hello, I am a student, but I can't continue school right now. In the mean time, I'm going to work on some projects with some friends. I am getting a Macbook Pro with Final Cut Studio. In the past I had a Sony camcorder (not a professional camera) and I had some problems loading the footage onto my computer. Is there a preferred brand of camera that is compatible with Mac ( I'm looking for professional camcorders and still cameras.) Thank you. Rick K.