I have just begun creating a new project. Titled the dictionary of film, it will be an amazing resource for filmmakers of all abilities. Primarily aimed at student filmmakers, the site will include a wiki for how-tos and definitions, a blog for more opinionated articles about filmmaking and a fantastic forum for questions to be answered. The site will be up and running in a couple of weeks. An update will of course be posted! [Mar 25]

What is guerrilla filmmaking? Guerrilla filmmaking refers to a form of independent filmmaking characterized by low budgets, skeleton crews, and simple props using whatever is available. Often scenes are shot quickly in real locations without any warning, and without obtaining permission from the owners of the locations. Guerrilla filmmaking is usually done by independent filmmakers because they don't have the budget to get permits, rent out locations, or build expansive sets. Also studios tend not to use guerrilla filmmaking tactics because they could be sued, fined, or get their reputation... [Nov 06]

JD Pictures will be producing only the highest quality films from now on thanks to the amazingly powerful DVX100BE! This camera really does produce beautiful footage that looks uncannily like it was shot on film! The DVX100BE is a big beast, no point trying to deny it. Its certainly a bit of a different beast to the dinky Sony that I used previously. It has a fairly intuitive layout - all the buttons are where you would expect to find them! Looking at the camera from the front, you can see the huge lens shade which protects the lens from unwanted reflections. Quite a lens it is too. Its... [May 25]

Digital Cinema hits the UK! I was very excited to learn that my local independent cinema now has a digital projector. The Brewery Arts Centre in Kendal showed Pirates of the Caribbean 2: Dead Man's Chest in digital. Needless to say, the quality and definition was really fantastic, and as to be expected, there was no degradation, dust or scratches anywhere in the film. I decided to investigate the technologies behind digital cinema a little further. The Brewery Arts Centre is one of 150 cinemas in the UK to be fitted with digital projectors. The UK Film Council has awarded a contract worth... [May 25]

Well, the gang have returned from India and we have got 13hrs of footage to edit - should be fun! The plan is to dump it to hard disk this weekend so until then I won't be sure what we've got to edit! We will be using Macs with Final Cut Express for the first time so I guess there will be a bit of a learning curve involved! I might set up a new section on the site or perhaps on the YETI sub site giving further details on our progress. I will keep you up to date and once edited, teasers and trailers will appear on this site and the YETI sub site! Further more, the YETI site should recieve a... [May 25]

I have come across a fantastic piece of free software called Celtx which makes writing and formating scripts really easy. It is powerful, easy to use, easy to colaberate and even better, its free! - Perfect for the low budget filmmaker. The software is available for download from celtx.com and is availible for Mac, Windows and Linux - a trully impressive feat. It gets better. Not only is this software simple and easy to use, you can share projects over celtx's network, meaning that different people in your company can work on the script from anywhere in the world, on any system. You can... [May 09]

This article is for those of you lucky enough to be studying at the University of Southampton. The filmmaking society here is called Wessex Films and is one of the premiere student filmmaking societies in the UK. For those of you who are members of Wessex Films, Hello! I am Jacob, welcome to my website. I know its a little bit sad that I pretend to be running my own production company but I do try my best to satarise the larger, better known 'Hollywood' Production companies... Anyway, welcome to JD Pictures. This site contains all of the short films I have so far produced, mostly on my own.... [May 09]

We are now the proud owners of a Panasonic DVX100BE, probably the best Mini DV camcorder available. Its superb film-like footage and incredible manual features set this camera apart from the rest. Why did we get one instead of the hyped Sony FX1e? Read on and find out! Previous readers of JD Pictures will know just how tempted I was to get a Sony FX1e. I was really up for sampling the delights of the High Definition (HD)world. That is until I used one. Don't get me wrong, its a fantastic camera. The sharpness of the footage is trully amazing and its really logical to use, just like any other... [May 03]

I have finally got my microphone having spent nearly two weeks in the custody of my halls reception, and after much pestering, it has now been properly delivered to me! It is a rode microphone, the NTG1 to be precise. It is a directional condenser microphone which means it is designed to pick up sound in only one direction. It comes with a black foam wind shield, but I have also purchased a larger fluffy wind shield which is amusingly named a 'dead cat'. It seems to be able to eliminate wind noise completely in all wind conditions shy of a hurricane and preliminary results seem to be fairly... [Nov 01]