Friday, May 30, 2014

Best 80's Films



Alright, this is a bit off topic, but I recently made an off-the-cuff comment about Do The Right Thing being one of the best 80's films and a colleague replied, "Are there good 80's films?" This set me off on a less-than-wise use of my time to compile the best 80's films and here is the list. Agree? Disagree? Did I leave any out? The top ten are in order. The top thirty are loosely in order. The rest are random.

Download Morgan's Best 80's Films as a .pdf HERE

Morgan’s Top Ten 80’s Films
Betty Blue (1986)
Wings of Desire (1987)
Blade Runner (1882)
Down By Law (1986)
The Shining (1980)         
Do the Right Thing (1989)
Brazil (1985)
The Blues Brothers (1980)
Scarface (1983)
Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior (1981)

Top Twenty 80’s Films (because I can’t just live with 10)
Ragging Bull (1980)
Pink Floyd: The Wall (1982)
Akira (1988)
Caddyshack (1980)
Excalibur (1981)
Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982)
Raising Arizona (1987)
Stranger Than Paradise (1984)
Fletch (1985)
The Breakfast  Club (1985)

Top Thirty 80’s Films (would include these)
Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986)
Full Metal Jacket (1987)
Gandhi (1982)
Cinema Paradiso (1988)
Dead Poets Society (1989)
Babette's Feast (1987)
Airplane! (1980)
My Neighbor Totoro (1988)
Platoon (1986)
Drugstore Cowboy (1989)

Honorable Mentions 80’s Films
The Princess Bride (1987)
Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi (1983)
Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
Ghost Busters (1984)
An American Werewolf in London (1981)
Broadcast News (1987)
After Hours (1985)
Poltergeist (1982)
Blood Simple (1984)
Aliens (1986)
Coming to America (1988)
Stand By Me (1986)
Back to the Future (1985)
Blue Velvet (1986)
E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial (1982)
The Dark Crystal (1981)
Highlander (1986)
Amadeus (1984)
Rain Man (1988)
Once Upon a Time in America (1984)
Clash of the Titans (1981)
Airplane 2: The Sequel (1982)
Mommie Dearest (1981)
Heathers (1989)
Ordinary People (1980)
The Elephant Man (1980)
Fanny and Alexander (1982)
The Killing Fields (1984)
Ran (1985)
Mississippi Burning (1988)
My Left Foot (1989)
Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (1984)
Castle in the Sky (1986)
Dangerous Liaisons (1988)
Chariots of Fire (1981)
Grave of the Fireflies (1988)
Witness (1985)
Field of Dreams (1989)
The Color Purple (1985)
Paris, Texas (1984)
A Christmas Story (1983)
Tootsie (1982)
Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown (1988)
The Mission (1986)
A Fish Called Wanda (1988)
Sophie's Choice (1982)
Red Dawn (1984)
Purple Rain (1984)
The Karate Kid (1984)
Desperately Seeking Susan (1985)
Robocop (1987)
Good Morning, Vietnam (1987)
Pee Wee's Big Adventure (1985)
National Lampoons Vacation (1983)
Labyrinth (1986)
Beetlejuice (1988)
No Lost Boys 1987
Neverending Story 1984
Say Anything... (1989)
Police Academy (1984)
The Outsiders (1983)
The Terminator (1984)
The Goonies (1985)

80’s Films I have not seen but are probably really good
Near Dark (1987)
Manhunter (1986)
Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer (1986)
The King of Comedy (1983)
Crimes and Misdemeanors (1989)
Hannah and Her Sisters (1986)
The Last Emperor (1987)
Das Boot (1981)
Au Revoir Les Enfants (1987)
Terms of Endearment (1983)
The Official Story (1985)
Salaam Bombay! (1988)
Kagemusha (1980)
A Room with a View (1985)
Time of the Gypsies (1988)
A Passage to India (1984)
Reds (1981)
The Running Man (1987)
Some Kind of Wonderful (1987)
Mephisto (1981)

80’s Films that will not make my list but my friends will be unhappy with my choices
Flashdance (1983)
Footloose (1983)
First Blood (1982)
Tron (1982)
The Untouchables (1987)
Big (1988)
Gremlins (1984)
Who Framed Roger Rabbit? (1988)
Mannequin (1987)
The Little Mermaid (1989)
The Right Stuff (1983)
Die Hard (1988)
The Untouchables (1987)
Kiss of the Spider Woman (1985)


Thursday, April 3, 2014

A Quick Overview of Camera Stabilization



Morgan teaches video production and post production at Downtown Community Television (DCTV) in New York City. A student recently asked me about Steadicams®. I thought I would post some information here for her to retrieve.

From Wikipedia:

Steadicam is a brand of camera stabilizer mount for motion picture cameras that mechanically isolates it from the operator's movement. It allows for a smooth shot, even when moving quickly over an uneven surface. The Steadicam was invented by cameraman Garrett Brownand was introduced in 1975.



The Steadicam® website has sixteen different configurations for videocameras alone. A page to help you pick which model is best for you based on the camera's weight is HERE.

If you go to the B&H Photo/Video webpage you'd find many choices for DSLR camera stabilization:

Support Type
    • Hand-Held (107)
    • Shoulder (266)
    • Cage System (200)
    • Tripod-Based System (230)
    • Body Brace Support (38)

Not all of these are steadicam systems but I think you're starting to see there are many options.

Beyond the typical steadicam support systems, gimbal systems are getting popular and affordable.



Here is a cool behind the scenes peak into a gimbal being used.



But they are not cheap. HERE is the least expensive model from Defy.

Finally, on Steadicam workshops: 2-day workshops cost $600. The workshop includes breakfast and lunch and attendees receive a Certificate of Completion and a Steadicam t-shirt. Learn more HERE.



Thursday, March 20, 2014

Videomaker Interview's Final Resting Place


The 40-minute Videomaker interview with Nomadic Frames' Morgan Paar has found a permanent home. It should be able to be viewed here for all of eternity!

View it HERE.

Friday, March 14, 2014

Morgan's Interview Appears in Filmmaking Journal (without permission)


Morgan's interview in the Videomaker webcast was included in the most recent issue of The #Filmmaking Journal (Friday, March 14, 2014), without permission. I guess we don't own the content but I doubt very much Videomaker gave them permission to repost. Guess this is the way the world works in the Digital Age. More exposure I guess. It's all good with us.

HERE is a link to the issue of The #Filmmaking Journal

scroll down to "EDUCATION" to view.

Or just click HERE to see the webcast interview. Morgan comes in at 17 minutes.

Thursday, March 6, 2014

Blog Post On Videomaker.com By Morgan


I wrote a blog post for Videomaker.com about a Panasonic press event I attended last Thursday. The press briefing showcased three new Panasonic professional cameras and a 4K production monitor that the company will unveil next month at NAB, the National Association of Broadcasters in Las Vegas.

Check out the posting HERE.

Monday, March 3, 2014

The New York Times Travel Show


Our first New York Times Travel Show was a great success. We meet so many tour operators, tourism bureaus and other travel professionals over three days. We also ran into fellow travel colleagues such as Bare Feet with Mickela Mallozzi who helped us with your pitch.  Now we need to weed through piles of business cards, fliers and pamphlets and contact all the organizations we pressed flesh with.