Deal: 7" HDMI Monitor for $39
The Frugal Filmmaker
by Scott Eggleston
3y ago
 One of my videos that seems to get watched quite regularly is my $56 7" HDMI car monitor that I made work as a field monitor. It still works, and is one of my better finds. That same monitor (and this one) is now $39, and would be the lowest I had ever seen it, had I not seen it yesterday for $29! Of course, I wasn't able to post about it in time, but I couldn't believe how low that price was. Still, $39 is pretty darn good for this type of screen. Sure, you have to use some cable adapters and battery add-ons (watch the video for more info), but it works really well and I put it int ..read more
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Coming Up for Air
The Frugal Filmmaker
by Scott Eggleston
3y ago
It's been a long time since I last posted anything, and it feels even longer. It's only been six months, but in that time I've been able to step back from almost everything Frugal Filmmaker and attempt to re-assess what I am currently doing and what I want to do in the future. I've been on a self-imposed social media blackout of sorts, with no posts here and no new videos since last September. It wasn't my intention to go under the radar (and I have still posted to the Facebook Group, Twitter, and Instagram), but the more I didn't do it, the easier it became to just relax for a change. No d ..read more
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Tip: Endoscopic Camera Fun!
The Frugal Filmmaker
by Scott Eggleston
3y ago
I'm always on the lookout for weird, cheap stuff that can be used in interesting, filmmaking ways. My latest find was a $5 endoscopic USB camera on eBay. This small camera lives at the end of a USB cable that plugs into your computer. It's water-proof and has four tiny LEDs that flank the camera, and illuminate anything directly in front of the lens. Made for inspecting drains and other tight spaces, this thing has to have some good filmmaking applications, right? Now to be totally fair, this is a very cheap camera. It shoots grainy, soft, jittery, 4:3, standard definition video, that uses ..read more
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Where did I go?
The Frugal Filmmaker
by Scott Eggleston
3y ago
It's been over a month since I created a new video or posted on this blog. I've had a really hard time getting in front of my camera to create new content, and I can't really explain why. I don't think I've lost interest or am suffering from burnout. It actually feels closer to stage fright, or fear of creation. I think part of this is due to my waning numbers as of late. The channel and blog aren't as popular (relevant?) as they once seemed to be, and the amount of subscribers and views are way down. At my peak I was gaining 250 subscribers per day. Now I am down to 30-40 subs per day. Not ..read more
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Script Breakdown: Making a Frugal Short Film, Part 5
The Frugal Filmmaker
by Scott Eggleston
3y ago
In the fifth part of my series on Making a Frugal Short Film, we take the script we wrote last month and break it down. It ain't rocket science, but this is an important part of chopping your script into digestible nuggets. If you are going to produce your script, you need to understand how all the pieces fit together and plan accordingly. In the video I cover isolating (with colored pencils!) characters, props, locations and fx shots. Next up is writing camera shots in the margins, which is the inception of your storyboards and an eventual shot list. Finally, dividing your script into 1/8 ..read more
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Tip: How to Edit Faster
The Frugal Filmmaker
by Scott Eggleston
3y ago
When you have to crank out videos on a regular basis (or non-regular, as has been the case lately), you want to get it done as fast as possible, with as few errors as possible. I do have a process, but I've also learned a few tricks that have helped me to streamline my process even further and get finished with my edits, faster. This video mostly covers the idea of limiting your range of motion while you edit, saving time in the process. The basic concept is similar to that of typing by feel instead of sight. If you can give yourself single-keypress commands and keep your hands in the same ..read more
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Frugal Boom Tripod Clamp
The Frugal Filmmaker
by Scott Eggleston
3y ago
Ever had a shoot, but no boom operator to record sound? I had this issue recently, which would normally be solved by using a boom mic stand, but alas, mine is long gone. Since I had no time to order a replacement and no resources to by locally, I had to make something from existing parts. What I came up with actually worked pretty well. Dubbed the "Frugal Boom Clamp", I attached two friction arm clamps (which had 1/4-20" threads) on both ends of a straight, dual flash bracket. This would not only firmly hold a boom pole, but also had a threaded hole for a tripod quick release plate. Presto ..read more
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Sony A7II inside the Frugal Cage
The Frugal Filmmaker
by Scott Eggleston
3y ago
The Frugal Cage is an inexpensive camera cage made of flash brackets that can adjust to small or large interchangeable lens cameras. I really liked using it on my older camera (the Sony NEX 5n), and I was excited to try it out with my new cam, the Sony A7II. As I had predicted, it works pretty well. The adjustable nature of the Frugal Cage means it can expand to handle the larger size of the camera, but not be so huge that it dwarfs it. One complaint I've had about cheap camera cages is that one size does not fit all. Aesthetics are still important, even in DIY builds. As shown in the v ..read more
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Screenplay: How to make a frugal short film, part 4
The Frugal Filmmaker
by Scott Eggleston
3y ago
The quality of your screenplay can really make or break your film. Not only does this apply to the final product, but also in attracting people to work on the project in the first place. One thing I've always appreciated about Pixar's films (and one reason they constantly produce hits) is that they obviously spend time on the script. It's that important. So much has been written about screenwriting, that I'd be crazy to try to teach any kind of formal lesson in such as small space. What I can do is share some tips that have helped me bring a short outline to finished script. While I go int ..read more
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Q&A: Should I dump my SD cards to my laptop when shooting in the field?
The Frugal Filmmaker
by Scott Eggleston
3y ago
Today I answer questions about Sony Vegas Pro, memory card backups, reviewing shavers, a dynamic mic on the end of a boom pole, and a summer chromakey shot. Video4YouTube Sony A7II mirrorless digital camera ..read more
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