Category Hollywood Know How

In this episode, Wayne asks the all important question: Do you think people like the X-men could exist in real life? Wayne thinks he can set things on fire with his mind if he concentrates hard enough and Dan dares him to prove it.

Pyrotechnics and fire are always a serious matter on set. Joe explains how to start a fire with a battery and matches which is a useful technique for indie filmmakers to be able to start a fire off camera, from a distance. With some household supplies, this DIY practical movie effect can be effective and looks better than any CGI fire effects you would otherwise have to use as a frugal filmmaker.

Keep in mind, anytime you’re working with fire, safety is important and we recommend supervision while attempting this practical fire effect at home.

Materials To Start a Fire For Your Movie

1. Matches
2. Plywood
3. Copper Wire
4. Speaker Wire
5. Lighter Fluid
6. Battery Powered Drill
7. Duct tape

How To Start a Fire with a Battery

1. Start by drilling a hole in the plywood and laying it over a hole in the table you’re using.
2. Strip the copper wire and leave the metal exposed.
3. Strip the ends of the speaker wire leaving the ends exposed.
4. Tape several matches together.
5. Wind the copper wire like a spring.  You can use a match stick as a guide.
6. Wrap the wire around the heads of the matches leaving room on each end.
7. Wrap one end of the speaker wire to the copper and secure with tape. Repeat on the other end.
8. Using your drill battery touch the end of the speaker wires to the leads on the battery.
9. This will light the matches from a distance.
10. Snake the wire through the hole and place the matches heads up in the hole.
11. Center your prop over the hole that you’re going to light on fire.
12. Douse in lighter fluid!

What is Hollywood Know How

Hollywood Know How is a resource for the frugal filmmaker to make cheap and easy to use practical effects for their indie films. If you’ve used one of our effects in your indie film, leave us a link to your work and we’ll share it!

Want us to figure out how to make an effect you’re struggling with? Tell us in the comments and we’ll get it done!

In this Hollywood Know How we teach you how to make a cheap homemade version of a blood squib. Film makers use a blood squib to create gunshot effects and blood splatter. In case you weren’t sure, a squib is a miniature explosive device used in a wide range of industries, from special effects to military applications. Add the blood and you have a blood squib that mimics what it would be like to get shot. The good news is our version doesn’t require any explosives and costs less than $1.

Blood spatter and gunshot special effects are as old as Hollywood. Blockbuster films use the latest technology to make it all seem real but there are plenty of ways for an indie film maker to pull of blood splatter and gunshot special effects on the cheap.

The best part about making your own effects and props is that you’re only limited by your imagination. If you film yourself using this tip, leave us a note in the comments with a link to your work! We’d love to see what you create.

To make your blood squib you’ll need a few items:

• 1 Ziploc Sandwich Bag
• String or fishing line
• Duct tape
• Fake Blood

Steps to making your cheap blood squib

1. Lay a strip of tape flat and then put a smaller piece of tape sticky side together in the middle
2. Attach the tape to your stomach and add extra pieces of tape for strength along the sides
   • This creates a guide for the string to slide through
3. Attach one end of the string to the zipper on your sandwich bag
   • Make sure the zipper still functions after the string is attached
4. Duct the empty bag to your body and make sure the bag is secure
   • Make sure the top of the bag is positioned at a downward angle
5. Run the string through the guide you made in Step 2
6. With the string on the floor, pin one side down with your foot
7. Sliding your other foot will now open the zipper on the bag
8. Fill the bag with blood and then….

MixKnowledgy is a unique social experience that combines elements of a mixer & a forum. This event in SOHO New York was run by Co-founders Erman Baradi & Brandon Waites. They invited Heckler Kane Creations to capture the event so everyone can share in the knowledge.

This event featured TV and film casting agents, publicists, actors, producers and directors. MixKnowledgy puts together events for film, TV and entertainment professionals coast to coast and now internationally. For more info on MixKnowledgy visit their twitter account at @MixKnowledgy

Executive Producer Matthew Penn

Matthew Penn is best known for his work on Law & Order. He is also the Executive Producer of Queen of the South and Director on Royal Pains. Moderated by Keren Robinson and Jade Voight, Matthew Penn shares wisdom from his journey in television and what it takes to make it in this business.

Law & Order Executive Producer Matthew Penn

Matthew Penn is best known as the Executive Producer of Law and Order. He was the first panelist at the MixKnowledgy event held in Soho New York on January 12, 2017.

His career didn’t happen over night and Matthew talks about the hard work that goes into producing a television series like Law and Order. He is also the Producer on Queen of the South and a Director for Royal Pains.

Actors Tanya Wright, Geoffrey Cantor & Chris Frazier

Moderated by Gary Jenkins of NY Film Loft, these three seasoned actors candidly discuss their journey and longevity in this business . From auditions to being on set, we get a glimpse of what its like to work on major productions.

Tanya Wright is best known for her work on Orange is the New Black. Geoffrey Cantor has a fantastic resume and is best known for his work on Daredevil as Mitchell Ellison. From Gotham we hear from Christian Frazier.

Casting Associate Bess Fifer of Stranger Things

Bess Fifer is the casting associate known for her work on Daredevil as well as the award winning Stranger Things on Netflix. Bess gave actors the scoop on what it takes to make an impact on an audition at the Mixknowledgy Soho event in New York on January 12, 2017.

Publicist Ashton Fontana & Talent Manager Michelle Kittrell

Ashton Fontana is a publicist at 42West and has managed campaigns for Meryl Streep, Daniel Day Lewis, Matt Reeves, Tom McCarthy’s Spotlight and Martin Scorcese’s Silence. Don’t miss her words of wisdom on what it takes to get the word out.

Michelle Kittrell is a talent manager that also joined this panel at the MixKnowledgy event in New York on January 12, 2017.

1800POPCORN Founder David Blackstone

David Blackstone is a serial entrepreneur and the founder of New York’s first popcorn truck. He dropped in to the MixKnowledgy Soho event on January 12, 2017 at the WeWork in Soho. David wanted to share his story and of course bring everyone some of his amazing popcorn! What we learned was that being in the indie film industry isn’t so different from being an entrepreneur

Why You Need a Camera Dolly

A camera dolly is essential for getting a smooth shot while moving the camera in any direction. The dolly allows the camera man to get a steady shot without actually touching the camera with his shaky hands.

Unfortunately, not every film maker can afford an expensive camera dolly to achieve cinematic greatness. A pro rig could run you over $5,000! What’s an indie film maker to do?!

Can a homemade camera dolly really get you those cinematic shots you want? We’ll leave that up to your film making creativity. Here are three easy ways to make a camera dolly at home with some supplies you may already have or are inexpensive to buy.

Have a creative idea for making your own DIY camera dolly? Leave us a note in the comments.

Getting Started

Before you shoot anything with your DIY camera dolly, a smooth surface is necessary. It’s the only way ensure a good dolly roll. We used a linoleum strip with foam on the back. You can also use a piece of Masonite or anything that is flat. Any bumps will ruin your shot.

The DIY Stroller Dolly

A stroller dolly is as simple as it sounds. Using an old stroller, fold a towel and place it on the seat for support and to help aim the camera.

Next, lock the wheel in a straight position. The key here is to go slow and steady as you push or pull your stroller dolly.

Whenever you’re doing any type of dolly shoot you need to make sure you move steadily.

Mini DIY Tripod Dolly

First visit your local hardware and pick up a little set of wheels in a tripod shape. Typically they are used for moving furniture. They should have soft pads on top that actually help protect the camera.

Next you’ll need a dowel and an old rag. Placing the wheels down on a flat surface you can position the camera on top. To achieve different angles, you can use the rag to position the camera lens at the angle you want to get your shot.

Using the dowel, you can now guide the camera in any direction. The dowel will keep your hands off the camera. This setup is also great for use on a table or counter top to grab a closeup.

DIY Office Chair Camera Dolly

A rolling office chair is easy to find whether you’re on the set or at home. First place the chair on a flat surface and seat the camera man or in our case, camera kid in the chair. Attach the camera to a folded tripod to keep your shaky hands off the camera. Next, place the base of the tripod into the seat for further stability.

You could have the steadiest hands on the planet but as long as you’re touching the camera it shakes. It’s human nature.

We hope you found these DIY Camera Dolly tips useful. We’d love to hear what you’ve used to make a homemade dolly. Leave us a comment or just say hi!

Hollywood Know How is an educational division of Heckler Kane Creations and the Imperfect Podcast.

Joe tells us all about the Mackie PROFX16V2 16-Channel 4-Bus Compact Mixer with USB and Effects and why you need one! Whether you’re looking to step up your podcast or on set this mixing board can get the job done!

5 Highlights of the Mackie PROFX16V2 Mixing Board

• 10 low-noise Mackie Vita mic preamps add life to any input
• ReadyFX effects engine with 16 effects including reverbs, delays, and choruses
• 7-band graphic EQ for tuning mains or monitors
• 3-band EQ with sweep able mids and 100Hz low-cut filter on all channels
• Aux output for monitor mixes, venue 70-volt systems, and more

Best Price: Mackie PROFX16V2 Mixing

Here’s a pro-tip. The Mackie PROFX16V2 mixing board retails for $449.99 almost everywhere including Amazon.

The Mackie PROFX16V2 is available at Musician’s Friend and Swagbucks members can get 4% cashback. That will save you $18. It’s FREE to join!
Sign Up Here and get a $5 Bonus!

Unboxing the Mackie PROFX16V2 Full transcript:

I’m Joe Kane and this is Hollywood Know How. On today’s episode what we’re doing is we are unboxing the Mackie PROFX16V2 and we’ll give you a good look at what’s inside the box.

So let’s get started, Mackie PROFX16V2 comes in a stylish box with a green and brown…but who cares. Let’s get inside.

We cut this puppy open and obviously it’s well packed with foam and plastic. The first thing I notice is the solidness of the unit…

Did I interrupt?

You may be asking why a film maker needs a mixing board. They need a mixing board for multiple reasons. We personally need a mixing boards because we do a podcast and we have multiple people talking at the same time so you need to mix them together.

So thats number one.

On set you can also use a mixing board to mic multiple people. There are plenty of reasons for someone to need a mixing board and I’m hoping that helps you out for that question of why would a hollywood know how person need a mixing board.

Back to your regularly scheduled unboxing.

It’s built with a steel chassis and an ABS side protection and built like a tank.

In the box is the instruction manual, a USB cable and the power cable.

The back of the unit is simple with a power chord and USB input and the power switch.

There are 10 of the new low noise Mackie Vita mic pre amps. The board features 4 stereo inputs as well.

The board has a balanced XLR and balanced, unbalanced 1/4 inch main outputs which gives you the capability to run your system in different configurations.

This unit has a 7 band graphic EQ for tuning mains or monitors.
It has an EQ bypass switch, main mix to monitor mix and a 48 volt phantom power.

The ready FX effects engine comes with 16 effects including reverb, delays and choruses and a mute switch for the effects. Here we have the headphone volume control and all channel break or mute.

A separate level to your output and the selector switch for the tape or USB. The USB can be for playback music and for recording right to your laptop.

Each channel features its own individual 3 band EQ with sweep-able mid frequencies and 100hz low cut filter. 2 Auxiliary controls for monitor mixes and an effects knob for individual channel control. Oh and of course the pan left and right.

Individual channel mutes and overload indication. Smooth sliders, a solo PFL switch, left right assign and 4 flexible sub groups for the mix management.

This is the Mackie PROFX16V2 and we like it!

I’m Joe Kane and this was Hollywood Know How. Please don’t forget to check us out on http://hecklerkane.com and all of our social media and subscribe to our channel.

How to Make a Lavalier Microphone Transcript

On today’s episode we’re going to be talking about lavalier mics and we’re going to show you how to make your very own homemade version of one.

Aren’t you excited? I am.

What we’re going to be talking about today are the practical uses for the lavalier as opposed to the boom mic. I have a lavalier mic on right now but we also have in the room a boom mic. And this is the sound that’s coming from the boom mic. So you can hear a little bit of a difference.

For a presenter a boom mic is not as good of an option as having the clip right on your shirt.

Building Your Own Lavalier Microphone

The first thing you’ll need for this build is an old pair of headphones. The type that comes with your smartphone. You’ll need a small black binder clip and a pair of regular old wire clippers. This little rectangular piece is actually a microphone. You’ll need to snip off the ear bud that then snip off the ear bud from the Y section further down the wire. Make sure you snip the correct one.

The binder clip is a simple way to attach the mic to your shirt. You can also just use a small piece of medical tape.

We found a free app called Rode Rec LE. It works 1000 times better than the onboard recorder in the phone. First step is to setup a new recording and then hit record and this becomes your lavalier mic. It’s a very high quality sound for no money whatsoever. Just costs you a pair of old headphones.

You can drop the phone right in your pocket and just attach the new lav to your lapel.

Testing Your Homemade Lavalier Microphone

For this test I’ll be wearing the homemade lav and Danny will be wearing a lav that we got from Radio Shack for $40.

“Hey Dan”
“Yeah”
“Can you give me the sports section?”
“You and sports? Since when?”
“Since always, whats the difference? Can I have the sports section?”

“When’s the last time you payed attention to sports at all?”

“Just cause I don’t normally pay attention to sports doesn’t mean that I don’t want to read up on the sports section”

“You want it? Come get it”

“You’re not gonna give me the sports page? You’re really going to sit there and not hand me the sports page?”

“Well I’m definitely not now.”

“You know what….Thank you”

Buy a Lavalier Microphone

I’m Joe Kane and this was Hollywood Know How.
If you like what you saw please don’t forget to subscribe to our channel.