Waiting 2B Scene

Tag: Top Ten

  • Top 10: Best Built in Effects in After Effects (SonDuckFilm)

    Okay, I realise that these top tens are always incredibly subjective – and I understand that not everyone will agree with this particular list… in fact, I’m not even 100% convinced that I agree with it. Nevertheless, I love the concept.

    I have been an Adobe aficionado for many, many years (since like, Adobe Premiere… yeah, you read that correctly. Not Adobe Premiere Pro. Just Adobe Premiere!). The years progressed, and I increased my capacity as a run and gun/guerrilla style videographer. That meant having to branch into the widening avenues available in the Adobe Creative Suite. This included upskilling into the world of motion graphics – the wheelhouse of After Effects.

    I guess that is why this list is cool for me. After Effects has something of a special place in my heart: I’m reminded of the countless hours watching tutorials by guys like Video Co-Pilot … being amazed that I was able to make those motion graphics… as well as having a good ol’ laugh at myself for using Trapcode Shine WAY too much in those early works, hahaha.

    Thus this is not only a top ten list of the free in-built effects we currently have access to – but it is also a nostalgic moment of self-reflection. I hope you enjoy! And please free free to like or comment below – let me know what you think!

  • Top Ten: Best Character Reveals

    It’s time to indulge in a guilty pleasure… a little top ten action! To be fair, this list has been very cleverly done and you will find it quite informative. So it is not nearly as guilty watching some of the stuff you can get over at WatchMojo.

    We have all seen them play out in our favourite films haven’t we? The director teases out the introduction of one of the protagonists: a glance here, and hint there. Until finally, boom – there they are, larger than life.

    Well the team at CineFix recently released a pretty great top ten collection of the best movie character reveals, and it’s 15-minutes you won’t be disappointed you watched.

  • Interview: Kevin Spacey Does Impersonations (ITAS)

    It seems like celebrities are doing impersonations all the time. Co-actors try to mimic each other, vocalists mimic other singers. Such is its popularity right now, that just last month the top-ten-list juggernaut WatchMojo even gave us a top ten list dedicated to this very phenomenon. [Spoiler alert if you haven’t seen it yet].

    At the top of that particular list sits the indomitable Kevin Spacey. Now I don’t know if you realise it or not… but Spacey has actually been impersonating other celebrities for a good while now! As such, today I would love to share with you a kind of ‘from the vault’ moment from the television programme, Inside the Actors Studio.

    I quite enjoy the show – and I think that the key to its 21-year success (as at 2015) is that it offers viewers a genuine interview: all of the guests (actors, directors, writers, and such) have the opportunity to actually discuss their craft and their particular approach to it. Thus was the case in an episode with Kevin Spacey that aired in July 2000.

    In the middle of this particular interview, however, host James Lipton throws in an unexpected twist. With zero lead-time, he calls on Spacey to do some of his impersonations – and what came next was truly amazing. I hope you enjoy.

  • Top Ten: Wilhelm Scream (WatchMojo)

    Since the 1950’s, there hasn’t been a cinematic sound cliché quite like the wilhelm scream. It has made an appearance as a sound-bite in over 300 movies and television programmes. Today, I want to pay a humorous homage to the scream with this fun top ten list by the great team at WatchMojo.

  • Comedy: One of Your Top Ten Comedy Moments?

    Okay today I would love to hear from you: of all the comedy sequences you have ever seen in film (and/or television), what would be one of your favourites? I know it’s a touch call – but I’m sure you can work something out. Let’s say it is something that would make it into your top ten?

    I have been pondering on this for a few days now, and honestly – I would be hard-pressed to leave this scene out of my list: it is Evan Baxter’s first day as news anchor in Bruce Almighty – and things go awry at he hands of Bruce.. There is so much to enjoy about Steve Carell’s performance! Sure, there’s more that could be spoken of – but this one was certainly a top ten moment for me.

  • Top Ten: TED Talks on Storytelling and FilmMaking

    Alright, you ought to know that I am not a big fan of TED talks. It’s not because they are bad talks per se, it’s just that when a multi-million dollar organisation has pretty much zero internet presence in an internet age (as is the case with the owners of TED – that is the Sapling Foundation), it makes me wonder what agenda is being hidden in the background.

    But I digress!

    In today’s post, I actually want to share an article which was originally published in April 2014 by the team at Screencraft. It’s one of those guilty pleasure posts, you know. <insert voice of Matt Smith as Dr Who> Top 10 lists are cool! </insert> So check out what constitutes their “10 favorite TED Talks that all filmmakers, screenwriters and storytellers should watch” right here.

    If you think it’ll be TLDR, then for brevities sake, their list looks a lot like this (links included):

    10. Kevin Alloca: Why Videos Go Viral
    09. Elizabeth Gilbert: Your Elusive Creative Genius
    08. Rob Legato: The Art of Creating Awe
    07. Julian Friedmann: The Mystery of Storytelling
    06. Julie Burstein: Four Lessons in Creativity
    05. Don Levy: A Cinematic Journey Through Visual Effects
    04. Joe Sabia: The Technology of Storytelling
    03. James Cameron: Before Avatar … A Curious Boy
    02. JJ Abrams: The Mystery Box

    And their number one TED talk is…

    01. Andrew Stanton: The Clues to a Great Story

  • Top Ten: Films About Nostalgia

    Today I wanted to hit pause on my resource posts so that I could indulge in a staple of trashy tabloid journalism and YouTube videos – a Top Ten List!

    This is a list I stumbled upon over at Hollywood.com: Back in the Good Old Days — Films About Nostalgia. What a great idea for a top ten! Now if you click on the link, you’ll get the full breakdown – but for those who think it will be a case of TLDR, then fear not – I have the short version right here for you!

    10. The World’s End.
    9. Midnight In Paris.
    8. Dazed and Confused.
    7. Pleasantville.
    6. Sunset Boulevard.
    5. High Fidelity.
    4. Citizen Kane.
    3. The Sandlot.
    2. The Artist.
    1. Hugo.

    So, what do you think – do you agree with their list? Is there a case for other nostalgic films to bust a move, or is it as unassailable as MC Hammer?