There is something so beautiful and terrifying about these GIFs, created by Gustaf Mantel. They really distill the genius of the worlds Kubrick created. Usually I hate animated GIFs, they are hyperactive and they hurt my eyes, but these are hypnotizing. You should also check out the work of Jamie Beck and Kevin Burg, their beautifully trapped and repetitive cinematic moments are much better described by the word “cinemagraph” than “animated GIF”! If you’d like to try making one of…

I’m a sucker for iPhone camera apps. These are some of my favorites. Any great ones I’ve missed? Hipstamatic – make your world look like 1972 ShakeItPhoto – shake it like a Polaroid picture OldCamera – make your world look like 1892 Andigraf – lots of great options for creating multiple frames Pencil Illusion – pretend you’re a great artist Instagram – kind of like Hipstamatic but Instagram makes it really easy for you to share your pics iTimeLapse –…

I’m part of a Shooting People team teaching a workshop on how filmmakers can best use the web at the Frontline Club in London on Saturday, July 4th. The workshop will include case studies on films that have harnessed the power of the web, tips on using social media, and online strategy and resources for filmmakers. If you’re looking for help distributing and marketing your film online then Digital Bootcamp is for you! I’m working on some lovely slides for…

I’m at the second and final day of The Conversation today. I’ve been too busy to blog but you can follow updates from me and other attendees on Twitter. I’ll post an update when footage from the panels is put online. Lots of good ideas coming up that should be shared.

I’m really excited to be heading to Berkeley, CA for The Conversation later this week. Partly because I love Berkeley and am always happy to have an excuse to visit the Bay Area, but mainly because The Conversation looks like it is going to be a brilliant couple of days of discussion about new ways of thinking about films, audiences, and platforms. The organizers are Ken Goldberg, Tiffany Shlain, Scott Kirsner and Lance Weiler and participants include Ted Hope, Peter…

Calling techynerdygeeky filmmakers! Today is your last chance to vote for your favorite SXSW Interactive panels. There’s some good stuff on there and a lot of it is very relevant to filmmakers. Have a look at all the panels listed under Digital Filmmaking for starters. But don’t stop there digital citizens! Filmmakers who go to non-filmmaking panels at SXSW always seem to learn the most and get really inspired so have a look at everything on offer and start getting…

Thanks to Agnes Varnum over at the Resources Blog for reminding me to watch the VPRO doc on Wikipedia. I heard about it via various tweets and blog posts from the Next Web conference in Amsterdam and finally got a chance to watch it earlier today. As a fan of documentaries I am fascinated by debates around the idea of “truth” and the endless unpacking of the nature and meaning of the word. But I am also aware that sometimes…

I’ve been thinking a lot about participatory culture recently as I’ve been desperately trying to get up to speed with all the exciting things happening online. Just watched the video below from a TED talk by Howard Rheingold. It’s fascinating to think about how so many of the new systems and sites use collaboration to work – in fact the more people that use them the better they work for everybody – from the folksonomy of tagging to the hive…

I discovered the Whole Earth Catalog when I was at college and working in a small independent bookstore in Brighton in the UK. The catalog was originally published in 1968 and contained a wealth of information from books to tools to classes and beyond. It had a joyful DIY, countercultural feel and every page contained huge amounts of amazing ideas. I discovered Buckminster Fuller through Whole Earth and immersed myself in his ideas about “whole systems.” Whole Earth had a…

I’ve moved Shooting From The Hip over to WordPress so the design might be a bit wonky while I iron out a few teething problems. We are also in the process of launching a brand new blog called TOOLS which will be live very soon. TOOLS will be full of great resources for DIY production and distribution and it is something I have wanted to do for a long time so I am very excited that it’s finally happening. Speaking…