Launch of REBEL Cinema site

After hearing that Canon were launching the Rebel T2i camera with all the video capabilities of the 7D I thought it was time to start this site. Rebel says it all. That is exactly what we as indie filmmakers must be to get our work created and out there.

No longer is the cost of equipment a massive issue, we can create great work, using cost-effective tools, giving us that ‘look’ that was much harder to achieve with previous video cameras like DV and HDV. More importantly, it’s not about the gear, but about the attitude.

There are many sites out there discussing HDSLRs, many of which I read. However, I am really interested in using these tools to make drama and tell a story, not to shoot test shots of cutaways edited together with some sexy music. It’s about the story.

As a filmmaker, I have not created anything for quite a while. I have spent the last few years building a web based business for short filmmakers, zzizzl.com where creators can sell their films online and audiences can download and watch on their phone or portable media player. Since our launch the whole world of online video has changed. Although it is relatively easy to create and put content online, making a living, or actually making any money from short films is still a problem. It’s not really happening. I think it’s a mixture of people not wanting to buy films they know nothing about or don’t have a ‘star’ involved as well as filmmakers being pretty crap at selling their work once it’s created. But that’s another story and discussion for another time.

However, as a filmmaker, it’s about ‘just doing it’. It’s like a muscle, without continual training and exercise it becomes weak and can even disappear. We need this muscle to be like a highly tuned athlete – practice, practice, practice.

I have a question for you – would you prefer to have a great idea and think about one day making that film, when everything is in place or would you like to be the one who creates something, gets it completed, even if it is not very good. The thing is, if you create something, even if it’s not great, you learn so much in the process that your next will be better and better and better. You can see your own progression. When it’s stuck in your brain, it actually means nothing, because it isn’t tangible, not real, just an idea. It’s been said that ideas are cheap and worth nothing – it’s making the idea into something real, that is where the real gold is. How many ideas do you have right now? How many are you actually working on? How many ideas of yours have been completed? How many ideas have you learnt from, simply by being in the process? These are the same questions I ask myself.

So, on my quest to get back to creating, and with all the options and questions surrounding this new era of filmmaking, I thought I would make a resource for all filmmakers and aspiring filmmakers interested in HDSLR cameras, equipment, storytelling and more. This is also a resource for me. I have so many bookmarks, things I read, ideas I have and after a while they seem to get lost. With this constant flow of more information each day, I wanted to create a site which can be search-able for anyone interested.

I have also added links to tutorials and more that are available around the web. This is our resource. I want to pick out all the things I find interesting, highlight blog posts others may have written last year, but will not be found by a newcomer, give all the latest relevant news as well as my POV (point of view) on various issues and topics.

It’s about getting back to

being a Guerrilla Filmmaker – being a Rebel Filmmaker.

Welcome to REBEL Cinema

Join me on our journey.