Last week, I saw Children of Men. Two nights ago, I saw it again. Rarely do I pay to see a film twice in the theater, but Children of Men almost demanded that I do so. Not only am I a big fan of intelligent sci-fi films (and books, especially of the dystopian variety), Children of Men represents a startling standout act in terms of actual production. Other than the tight plot, deliciously thoughtful political overtones, pitch-perfect acting, incredible art direction and locations, and superb pacing, this film features some of the most startling long takes I've ever experienced. In fact, it is the film's use of long takes that is the most inspiring and impressionable feature of the film.

In a time where superfluous CG effects and chop-chop editing plague so many Hollywood pictures, Children of Men stands in defiance of the hyper-real. In an early long take spanning at least a couple of minutes, a group of five drives down a road and sees a burning car quickly rolling down a hillside, blocking their path. A massive horde of thugs hoping to do the passengers in come out of the woods and run towards their car which is now forced to speed in reverse. Chaos ensues during the chase, and the camera never cuts away from the perspective inside of the vehicle during all of this. It's an incredibly planned shot, and only a precursor to a much bigger and more technically impressive long take later in the film.

The complete lack of editing during some of Children of Men's most emotionally heated and technically impressive scenes is a real filmmaking marvel. Ultimately, it gives the film a much bigger punch because we are able to experience these scenes uninterrupted, with no disruption to the sense of time. Yes, these long takes give the film an almost "realistic" quality. And that is what separates Children of Men from the rest. There is not only good entertainment to be had with Children of Men, but a valuable learning experience. So yes, long story short: see this movie.

Filmmaking is one of those careers that demands purchasing new stuff frequently. Often, this can be a lot of fun but it can also be miserable when you don't have the money. For those that have the money or have someone who has money and is willing to get you what you need, this buying guide is for you.

Unlike last year, I am not including anything above $700 because purchases in that category should be properly researched to meet the needs of the individual filmmaker.

Under $20: Stocking stuffers and gifts for people you barely know.

• DVDs, DV Tapes and any media in general is an excellent buy. Filmmakers always need media, you can't go wrong. If you don't know what they use, ask them.
• Mini-DV cleaner. Every camera owner needs one of these.
  
• Digital Video Books & magazine subscriptions also easy gift ideas. I plan to read more books this year whether it be film geekie stuff or general fiction.
  
• One of the writers we constantly quote is Scott Kirsner. He has a new book out titled The Future of Web Video. One of our bloggers is currently reading it and writing up a review. I am next in line to get the copy, woohoo!
• For fun, maybe you could get someone a DVD Rewinder!

$20-$100: The sweet spot of the gift prices unless you are really intimate close with that person. There are a lot of shareware softwares in this range, so if you don't like something here, check out VersionTracker for more ideas.

• B&H Photo Video gift certificate - If you are not sure what to get someone, you can't go wrong with this. B&H is one of the best and largest stores that service the Multimedia industry.
• Cheap Lavalier mics - Just a thought.
  
• Lineform - Illustrator replacement, it has been getting some excellent reviews. And is not as expensive as Adobe CS. ($79)
  
• Lynda.com Training CD's - If they are trying to pick up software skills, training CD's like Lynda.com series is a great and easy way.
• A couple of months of IMDB Pro service ($12.95 per month) could be very useful for Independent filmmakers. Namely, to get a script over to a Hollywood star!
• VisualHub - Excellent conversion software for the Mac Platform. It made Playlist magazine's Top Plays. ($24)
• You can always buy rolls of Super8 film!
  

$100 to $300: A price range that can really help a filmmaker. Everything I have listed is something that Filmmakers need but most times don't buy because of other considerations.

• Upgrades to Withoutabox.com Premium membership ($129-$139). I don't know what I would do without this site, it has made the painful task of submitting to film festivals wonderfully easy. The free version allows you to submit films but with the Premium memberships, you can get festival discounts. If you are submitting a film to more than 10 festivals, the membership is a very good move. The membership has other advantages, check here.
  
• Vidled on-camera LED lights - I am getting one of these, maybe not now but at some point.
  
• Conduit plug-in for Motion brings nodal compositing to FCP Studio. Great looking software. ($199)
• External Hard Drives - Like tapes, this is a no-brainer. Make sure it is fast. Firewire is better than USB, Firewire 800 is better than 400 (they need to have a FW800 connection), 7200 RPM is a must. 3.5 sized disks is another must. 160GB and more is good.
  
• REsizer for FCP Studio ($149) - If someone recently got a HDV camera, they will most likely need this. This software allows intermingling of HDV and DV footage.
• Pclix LT100 ($139) - If someone has a DSLR and plans to do some timelapse, make their lives easier with this purchase.
  
• Bogen/Manfrotto 560B Monopod ($149 at B&H) - Tripods and monopods, a great way to upgrade your home videos.
  
• Digital Juice SoundFX library (currently only $249, normally $599) - Though I don't work with sound or music, my SoundFX library has been slow expanding. The last thing you want to do in the middle of editing is go online to look for sound effects. Build a library beforehand.
  
• A Director's chair is a bulky but perfect gift for someone spending a lot of time on their feet.
  

$300-$700: If you considering buying in this range, make sure it's what they (or you) want. And kudos for being so generous.

• Samson Zoom H-4 - Most DV cameras have adequate sound (HDV sound is less than adequate). This budget field recorder is perfect companion for your shoots.
  
• Nikon D40 - This DSLR is what I want for Christmas. Perfect for timelapse photography and other stuff. And it is a steal at $599.
  
• Mac Mini - Perfect for iMovie filmmakers. Get an extra drive and you should be good to go. Maybe the LaCie companion drive. I know a iMovie filmmaker (my neighbor) very happy with this combination.
  
• Shake is available for $499. This is one of the best software deals you will find anywhere. After all, the effects from Lord of the Rings & King Kong were done in this program.
• If you know anyone who has the HVX200, they can always use more P2 cards.
  

If you are thinking of buying a video camera, I'd suggest you look at these articles:

• Videomaker's Camcorder guide for 2006
  
• Camcorder Info selects for 2006
  
• Camcorders for the Holidays by Richard Baguley
• Macworld's Picking the Perfect camcorder (also by Baguley!)

Happy Shopping!

(Thanks to other DVguru's for their suggestions)

Scott Kirsner from Cinematech brings up a very good discussion point for this online-video world that we live in. There seems to be a one-minute barrier when it comes to people watching online content. Why is it that people have a hard time getting past that one minute point? Scott has 4 points:

• Most are bad and worth abandoning
• Poorly described (not the video you thought it was going to be)
• No way to link within a video (you can do it with Flash, but it takes a lot of extra work) so people lose patience searching for what they are looking for
• People don't have time

Now if viewers are seeking out your video specifically then you will probably get more of their attention as they expect you to help them with their problem. Think instructional videos. But when it comes to entertainment, people are extremely fickle with what they will put up with. It's no wonder when there is so much free content out there competing for attention that a viewer can easily skip over your video if they aren't hooked within the first 30 seconds. And where do people watch video longer? In the living room on the TV.

The web has two big mindsets attached to it: 1) Everything is free and 2) the faster the better. Alex Lindsay from This Week in Media frequently talks about how iTunes was successful because they broke away from the web browser, releasing the mentality that everything is free. How well do you think iTunes would do if it were merely a website? Do you think they would sell 1 billion songs? And we are always craving more speed on the web from faster broadband access to the way sites are designed -- all to optimize the efficiency of the delivery of information. That is why YouTube was such a big hit. Flash video takes no time load and there are no pre-roll ads to get in the way of the video you want to see. This get-it-quick mentality combined with the ease of use are what make YouTube such a positive experience causing others to gravitate to the site is substantial numbers.

Now how can you break the one minute barrier?

• Accurately describe your video so people will know if it is what they are looking for when they arrive.
• If you are into making your own Flash player and you have a pretty long video add in chapter points or merely break it up into parts.
• Charge for it.

I know many of you won't like that last one but if a viewer gives up something of value (like money) than they will be more committed to watching it all the way through. Until there is a simple way to send video to another device, like a TV in the living room, the one-minute barrier is something we will just have to learn to live with.

As we reported earlier, Xbox Live will be offering movie downloads. Apple previewed their iTV product two months ago but Microsoft came in and beat Apple to the punch as the battle for your living room continues. Another thing Microsoft did that Apple seems to have trouble doing is getting studio support for downloading from movie studios (Disney excluded). Finally, the idea of Internet delivered content on TV will become a reality. But I have been enjoying this for over a year.

Last week I listed 10 reasons you shouldn't go to film school, figuring the anti-establishment argument would be the more controversial of the two (thus posting it first). Many who took exception to my points didn't seem to understand that I was also planning on posting a follow-up article exploring the flip side of the argument (although, in my mind, the reasons to go seem a lot more obvious). Hopefully these points will give a prospective film schooler some food for thought.

Every aspiring filmmaker asks the age-old question at some point: should I go to film school? Will I be a better filmmaker for it, or will I spend a lot of money on education only to end up taking a job as a waiter to pay off my debt, wishing I'd spent the money on a guerrilla DV short instead? It's a tough question, but unfortunately no one can make the decision for you; the only universal piece of advice anyone can give you is, "it depends." And while I've made my own choice--indeed, my personal site is located at nofilmschool.com--I can see it both ways. Thus this week I'll look at 10 reasons why you should skip the .edu; next week I'll throw out 10 justifications for sending in your application.

There's no denying the success of YouTube... Alexa puts it as the 10th most visited website on the internet. [in case you're wondering, DV Guru is about 13,000]. With all that success, many pundits around the web said YouTube was Web2.0 Napster and would likely see the same fate, but they've come through and proved all the naysayers wrong. Now that they're nearly legit, with only a regulatory hurdle away, the $1.65 Billion company isn't being sued into oblivion, but instead striking content deals with big media companies.

While the site was worth $1.6 Billion to Google, and the big media companies feel like they've got a place to distribute their content online to the masses, what does the deal mean for indies? The impending sale doesn't affect independent content creators as much as it does big media, but there are defininite advantages for the independent content producer. Read on after the break for a breakdown of today's transaction.

RED's greatest promise is that it will irreversibly change the landscape of filmmaking technology. But what if it ends up being a huge piece of vaporware? Or what if it's not even a camera, and it turns out to be founder Jim Jannard's top-secret project to build the ultimate rocket launcher? Here's how RED has already succeeded in blowing up the video camera market--no rockets required.