Movie FX Magazine has been around for a while, producing great original content on Hollywood effects in the form of a DVD magazine and some amazing training DVDs. Jeff Whitley (JW) caught up with the Executive Producer of Movie FX, Gary Barth (GB) and brought us this interview:

JW: What types of training do you offer?
GB: Movie FX started out as a DVD magazine back in 2000.  Besides having "behind the scenes" segments and movie trailers, I put a video lesson taught by a Hollywood effects artist in every issue.  Over time, these lessons became very popular and when we stopped production on the magazine around 2005, I decided to take the lessons from the first six issues and make a DVD compilation and called it "Master Class".  That sold so well, that I started shooting other lessons and putting out more DVDs.  We're now up to five DVDs, each one between two and three hours long with multiple lessons covering stuff like sculpting a maquette, making a gelatin appliance, making a silicone arm, creating fangs from scratch, latex prosthetics, etc.

JW: What can a novice expect to learn?
GB: Well, we have lessons of varying difficulty, so for some people it's a jumping off point and for others, they are just learning techniques created by other effects artists.  We are really about teaching different techniques that can be applied to different effects.  Once you learn how to make a gelatin bullet hole, you can use that to make a gelatin scar, or burn...it depends on how far you'd like to take it. Some people have started with my DVDs and gone on to formal training at some of the professional makeup schools like Blasco, Makeup Designery or Westmore Academy.  I use teachers that not only work on movies and TV shows, but in their spare time, they teach at many of the schools I just mentioned, so they're great on camera.  That was really important, because no one wants to watch a boring person drone on for three hours.

JW: What kind of the equipment you use to produce your videos?
GB: I shoot my DVDs in standard def for right now because not enough people have made the jump to Blu-ray and I'd rather not spend the time down-converting everything. I used to shoot everything with a Sony VX1000 and a Canon XL-1 years ago. I'm now using a Sony Z-1U as the main camera for the wide shot and audio, and a Sony PD100 for the CU. My teachers move around too much to boom them, so I usually use a Lectrosonics wireless lav. For lighting, we usually use an Arri kit, with a 1K or a 650w for the key and some 350s for the back and wall lights...it really just depends on what and where we're shooting.  Sometimes it's in a small studio...other times we're in a huge warehouse. Occasionally we use Kino-flo lighting, too.
 

JW: What about software?
GB: Even though I manage the Multimedia Group for Sony (PlayStation) as my day gig, I didn't get into editing until a couple years ago, so I had friends of mine edit the segments. One guy did it on a full Avid system and another on a Final Cut system...and I couldn't really tell the difference once the segments were on disc.  Once I made the decision to learn editing, I went with the Final Cut Pro system, since I could put together a setup for about $7K ...including a Sony DSR-40 deck which plays Mini DV and DVCAM. Once I start shooting in HDV, I'll have to upgrade to an HDV deck...another reason not to make the jump to HD yet.

Lighting is the most important part of shooting these segments. It means the difference between something looking amateur-ish or professional. - Gary Barth

JW: How involved do you get with the editing process of your videos?
GB: It's all me! Once I decided I'd imposed on my editing buddies enough, I bought the system, bought some of the Apple Pro training series books and never looked back.  I'm a decent editor, good enough to crank out these tutorials, but I wouldn't call myself a professional editor. I know every kid with a copy of Final Cut or Premiere who cranks out their viral videos on YouTube thinks they're an editor, but most are lacking the experience or "the eye"...which is why there's a ton of amateur-ish looking videos cluttering up Youtube. Just spend 15 minutes watching the pros that work for me at Sony and it's very humbling.

JW: How long does it take to produce a three hour session?
GB: Thank God most of my lessons stay in the 60-90 minute range, but occasionally they do go longer.  Lots of times, while the teacher is doing something repetitive (sculpting or painting something), he's telling other important bits of info or amusing stories or anecdotes...so it's either relative or entertaining.  Either way, I try to keep that stuff in there.  A lesson like the silicone hand requires two days of shooting because there are so many steps with the painting, punching hair and whatnot.  It's amazing how much tape you go through because we ended up shooting six or seven hours worth [of footage] times two cameras for that one lesson. Capturing the footage into Final Cut takes about a day or so and then I usually go through the wide footage first and cut out all the false starts and flubs and tighten it up.  After that, I bring in the closeup footage and match it up (we use a clapper on the shoot). I can edit a 60 minute segment in about 10 hours.

JW: How do you get the best results while shooting?
GB: I'm a producer by trade, so while I can set up a camera, set up a lav system, or edit a segment, I'm not the best at any of those things.  A producer is a jack of all trades who can step in to get the job done, but he (or she) usually relies on talented professionals in that particular field. Lighting is the most important part of shooting these segments. It means the difference between something looking amateur-ish or professional. Early on, when I couldn't afford a real DP, I shot everything myself, and it shows.  Sometimes I had no lights and I just turned the ND filter off, pumped the exposure and prayed. Once, I was shooting in a warehouse, had no lights and used the shop lights they had laying around. Now, I have a great cameraman named Scott Meyer who's got 20+ years of experience and he comes in with whatever he thinks is necessary and lights the set. Now, with that being said, some of your readers might not be able to hire a $600/day cameraman, so you have to do it yourself.  I've seen some really crappy videos and in terviews shot over the years and they all make very basic mistakes.  Here's a few:

• Put your subject in the center of the room, not up a against a wall.  It makes the frame look really flat. You can still have a wall or backdrop behind him in the distance, but you want to show some depth.
• Don't backlight him.  Unless you want him looking like he's giving testimony in a mob trial, don't put him in front  of an window with lots of light coming in unless you've got enough lights with you to compete from the other side.
• Stay away from anything that's going to moray...hanging blinds, tightly striped shirts, etc.
• Be aware of what's in frame...one time, early on in my career, I shot an interview in a small conference room and behind the subject, there was a hanger on a hook on the back of the door and the way it was framed, it looked like the hanger was coming out of his head.  Live and learn!
• Always bring headphones...don't rely on the audio levels to tell you how your audio is.  The lav might be rubbing on his shirt, there might be radio interference, the air conditioning might be louder than you thought, etc.
• Try to make your background interesting, but not busy.  I've shot a few segments now where we show the effects shop in the background, and while it's cool, it's starts to get distracting.
• Diffuse your key light with a chimera or something.  You don't want your subject blown out, or looking like you shot him with a sungun. Try to get a nice even light over them.
• Try to position the lav correctly by anticipating their head movement if this is for a tutorial.  In a standard interview, they will always be facing the camera.  However, in a tutorial, they may constantly turn they're head to work on a sculpt or a makeup so it will sound like the audio level is dropping. Sometimes there is no way around that (unless you're booming it on a second channel) and you just have to make adjustments in post.

JW: Any closing advice for those of us wanting to make movies?
GB: Try everything! Equipment and software is cheap these days and getting cheaper.  Granted, cheap is a relative term, but if this is what you're planning to do as a career, an $800 MiniDV camera, $2,500 Mac, and $1,000 Final Cut package is a small price to pay (and it's way cheaper than the Avid systems of yesteryear). Mess around with Photoshop, AfterEffects, Motion. Have fun with it. I learn alot more from playing around than I do from studying manuals. Have people evaluate your work and give you suggestions. They don't even have to be experts. I test every DVD on my wife, because she is in no way a special effects fan, but if she finds them interesting, I know I've done my job correctly. Most importantly, have fun! If you find playing around with this stuff a chore, find another gig.