An Introduction and the Beginning

Hello all who have stumbled across this blog! My name is Kevin Lin and I am Sophomore at Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University perusing a Bachelor's in Fine Arts for Digital Film making. I've always had a passion to entertain people and make a good time for everyone. In elementary school, I wanted to be a magician, learning new magic tricks. However that fell flat. My filmmaking experience goes back to the 9th grade with taking a film and tv production course in my high school. I felt at home when I was behind the camera and directing people what actions to do. I live to create and love to engage a reaction whether it be joy, sorrow or shock. I've entered five film competitions with my films(while unfortunately not getting first) were screened for an audience to enjoy. My greatest achievement so far was my film "A Droid's Life" screening at the 2016 Campus Movie Fest at Rutgers. This was made within a week and I am very proud of the end product. You can watch the video down bellow.

"But I don't have a fancy camera or editing software, what do I do?"
There is a quote by photographer, Chase Jarvis: "The best camera is the one that's with you". YES! That giant slab of glass and metal in your pocket is a little movie making machine. Smartphones have come a long way and cameras on them are getting so powerful they can even rival DSLRs. The movie "Tangerine", a film that was selected for Sundance Film Fest, was shot entirely on iPhone. "Ok, so I can use my iPhone to make film it, but what about lighting and everything else?". You don't "need" fancy lighting set ups, sets, or anything of the sort, at least not right now. It's important to think on the fly and be creative with what you have. Have a scene where the subject is at a desk but have no idea how to light it? Have the subject's face lit with a desk lamp and only the desk lamp. Sometimes the simplest set ups get the most dramatic looks and feel. Things like that, these limitation, are what can give your film flare.
I love the idea of creating something from nothing. Filmmaking isn't just about the equipment, there are many components to it that people overlook when they first start off and that's what I want to bring to the spotlight. My goal is to provide insight and to hopefully inspire you to think creatively and think on the fly. So come join me on this learning experience as I share with you my tips and techniques on how to make a micro-budget film!