These are exciting times for everyone who wants to make films: You can learn pretty much everything online from how to write a script to how to color correct and export the final film. There are a lot of great and especially professional websites I visit every day. They are in no specific order so make sure to take a look at them, if you don’t already know them.
nofilmschool: www.nofilmschool.com
This is kind of a newspaper for filmmakers! It doesn’t matter if you are looking for a guide on screenwriting or how to raise money for your film; nofilmschool features everything that is valuable for the filmmaking community. They also feature technical news and due to the different bloggers the site stays objective.
Dave Dugdale: www.learningdslrvideo.com
Dave is just an honest guy who started back in 2010 with his Canon 550D (T2i) and showed the world his journey in becoming a better filmmaker. He doesn’t hold back if he makes a mistake because he knows that mistakes will only make you better in what you are doing. LearningDSLRVideo is the right site for everybody who is interested in DSLR video. He makes a lot of comparisons and tests and I think this is one of the best sites to get started with DSLR filmmaking.
Stu Maschwitz: www.prolost.com
Stu Maschwitz started his career in the VFX industry and is currently Creative Director at RED GIANT. His site has a nice mixture of everything that is going on in the filmmaking world. He features useful filmmaking apps, color correction videos and writes about his experiences when shooting something.
Philip Bloom: www.philipbloom.net
Is there anybody who doesn’t know this guy? Philip likes to shoot documentaries and is incidentally using new cameras. His blog is very personal and honest. But the greatest thing is that he doesn’t let some new technique changes how he tells his stories. He always says and writes that you shouldn’t just listen to one person – that makes me listen to him even more!
Vincent Laforet: blog.vincentlaforet.com
Vincent Laforet started the whole DSLR revolution back in 2008 but was originally a photographer at the NEW YORK TIMES. He still loves to shoot stills – with digital and analog cameras. He is known for his technically perfect films and his aesthetic. His blog features behind the scenes posts from commercial shoots, tutorials and also more creative post without any technical talk.
Shane Hurlbut: www.hurlbutvisuals.com/blog
Shane Hurlbut started his career in the movie business a while ago as a cinematographer and director of photography. He shot some very well-known films and he is also one of the few people who is working in Hollywood but is grounded to give great tips and insides on how he shot a movie or how to light a specific shot. If you know the basics of filmmaking this blog will help you getting more professional. The HurlBlog is one of the best sites if you want to learn from somebody who is shooting on big sets every day and is using all the gear you could only dream of (and knows how and when to use it).
newsshooter: www.newsshooter.com
“Making the real world look as good as cinema” says it all. Dan Chung and Matt Allard are two news shooters who also used and are still using DSLRs for a lot of their work because they are small and in some countries it’s just easier to not be spotted as somebody who is recording audio and video. The blog posts are mostly about different kind of shoots from documentary filmmakers all over the world.
Tom Guilmette: www.tomguilmette.com
Tom is a sports cameraman and has shot some crazy things. He used several high speed (slow motion) cameras on his shoots and gives you all the information about those shoots.
Written by Moritz Janisch
There are definitely other great websites and blogs on the web but these sites are just my favorites when it comes to filmmaking. What are your favorite blogs?