The BBC is reporting that the UK Film Council will be abolished. The Film Council’s John Woodward responds.

Scott posted a nice review of the recently updated color correction and grading plugin for Final Cut Pro. The new color selection tools for secondaries look like they alone are worth the price of admission.

Speaking personally, I’m not a huge fan of current 3D technology. The only film I’ve personally seen that really used it subtly and effectively was Avatar. For the most part I avoid it when possible and just watch movies in 2D due to the eye strain and my opinion that in most cases it’s implemented as a gimmick, not as a visual storytelling tool. That being said, I think there’s a place for the tech, and I think we will continue to see more and more creatives using the tool more effectively and subtly. And in my opinion, once we can figure out these brightness and headgear issues, 3D will be a lot less obnoxious and a more subtle way to enhance a story.

We saw some amazing tools for 3D at NAB 2009, and that trend continued in 2010. And with 3D’s rise, inevitably comes the backlash. There seems to be a growing sentiment among some circles that predict the demise of 3D tech. I’m of the opinion that these are not much more than an attempt to grab some eyeballs with a sensationalist headline. “3D is dead!” may get some attention for the short term, but I don’t think it’s a realistic conclusion. As always in life, the answers are more nuanced and less black and white. Frank Capria wrote an blog post on this recently, and I tend to agree with his point of view. You should head on over and check out his post, Rumors of 3D demise greatly exaggerated.

If you somehow missed this weeks barrage of Old Spice virals, here’s a quick recap and some words on how they put it together, basically live. The viral continues to evolve.

We talk about geeky techie things all the time here at FreshDV, so here’s a refreshing departure: a simply brilliant blog post on STORY. It methodically breaks down the story structure of one of the most compelling films of the year, Toy Story 3. Not to be missed! Set aside some time and read this thoroughly one if you care about story.

(Via @paulzadie)

Zooppa is running a short film contest in collaboration with Universal Studios to promote the new King Kong 360 3D attraction. There is $15,000 worth of prize money up for grabs.

These 1-3 minute shorts need to showcase “King Kong’s journey as he heads to Universal Studios Hollywood.” The hook? You can’t show King Kong in your video. You can show the aftermath, the destruction, people’s reactions, but no Kong. The contest is now open, and submissions are due by 06/07/10. Check out the contest details here.

Danny Santos has some advice on the subject of “locking” your script.

FreshDV recently had the chance to meet with a group of Los Angeles-based filmmakers that are at the forefront of the DSLR filmmaking revolution. In collaboration with Bandito Brothers (the creative group behind the amazing doc “Dust to Glory”), seasoned cinematographer Shane Hurlbut has been breaking new ground in DSLR filmmaking for some time now. Bandito is currently in post-production on the Navy Seals feature film that Shane lensed, shot largely on Canon DSLR cameras and due for release in late 2010.

We sat down at Bandito Brothers beautiful Culver City, CA facility to talk about their experience as filmmakers, working with DSLRs, and in particular the work they did on the Navy Seals feature, currently entitled “Act of Valor.”

In these two 20-minute videos, Cinematographer Shane Hurlbut, Bandito’s Jacob Rosenberg, and Hesh Rephun of Raging Artists candidly open up about the filmmaking process. It’s a fascinating and informative discussion, and we hope you enjoy it. Watch below.

Conversations with Filmmakers: Shane Hurlbut / Jacob Rosenberg / Hesh Rephun, Part I
Conversations - Bandito / Hurlbut 01

Conversations with Filmmakers: Shane Hurlbut / Jacob Rosenberg / Hesh Rephun, Part II
Conversations - Bandito / Hurlbut 02

If you enjoyed these videos, please tell a friend or give us a shout out on Twitter. You can watch Mouse McCoy’s BMW M3 spec “Living in the Lights” that is referenced in this interview here. There’s a nice behind the scenes article on the production of that video over at Raging Artists. I should also mention that Bandito’s Mike McCarthy maintains a blog on HD editing for the PC at www.hd4pc.com.

You may also be interested in a short film Shane recently shot at Bandito’s facility entitled “The Last 3 Minutes.” They’ve also posted The Making of “The Last 3 Minutes” and The Making of The Janitor Sequence From “The Last 3 Minutes”. Excellent resources for filmmakers!

Conversations with Filmmakers Production Credits: Camera - Daniel Boswell / Editor: Matt Jeppsen

 Conversations - Shane Hurlbut and Bandito Bros on DSLR Filmmaking (1 of 2) [23:01m]: Download
 Conversations - Shane Hurlbut and Bandito Bros on DSLR Filmmaking (2 of 2) [19:47m]: Download

Jem Schofield has posted some info on the upcoming Filmmakers Intensive coming up this June in Florida. The training even runs from June 20 through July 3. There’s a $500 discount if you sign up by May 1. More info here, press release info and a funny video announcement below.

The Filmmaker’s Intensive
June 20th - July 3rd, 2010

Jem Schofield from theC47.com has launched the official web site for The Filmmaker’s Intensive. The rigorous program runs for two full weeks and focuses on storytelling for both documentary-style and narrative filmmaking.

The Filmmaker’s Intensive includes nine hours of daily sessions, eight world class teachers from around the world (including Philip Bloom), and instruction on screenwriting, directing, shooting, lighting, sound recording, working directly with professional actors and post production (editing for narrative & docs).

The program will run from June 20th through July 3rd at Eckerd College in St. Petersburg Florida and there are only 30 spots for the program. There’s a $500 early bird discount if you sign up by May 1st.

For more information visit www.thefilmmakersintensive.com

Cinematographer Shane Hurlbut has shared a new short film called The Last Three Minutes. It’s a fantastic story, and perfectly executed with DSLR tech. Check it out below.

“The Last 3 Minutes” From Shane Hurlbut, ASC from Shane Hurlbut, ASC on Vimeo.

Recently Avid contacted us and asked if we’d participate in a Community Q&A with the post-production team behind Alice in Wonderland. We asked a couple questions about the how editing for a 3D release may have changed editing style, and what new tools and workflows have changed the director/editor relationship. You can read these questions and their answers here.

You already know this, but it’s worth repeating. Good gear often makes tasks simpler and easier to accomplish high-quality results. But even the weakest of tools in the hands of an artist can deliver stunning results. Case in point…in the following video clip, an artist hand paints a Bushmaster ACR weapon using Microsoft Paint. Once again, artistry and ingenuity trumps “pro-level” tools.

Tyler Ginter has posted a fantastic video called “Why We Fight,” it’s a documentary short that focuses on the Afghanistan Special Forces called Strike Force Lion, on why they are fighting for their own freedom and way of life in Afghanistan. It was shot on the Canon 5D MKII.

Coldplay’s video for the track “Strawberry Swing” is one of the most innovative uses of stop motion I’ve ever seen. They collaborated with the creative group Shynola to reinvent the genre, using perspective and live elements in new ways, and the results are simply stunning.

Those who have frequented DVXuser over the years will no doubt recognize the name Macgregor. He’s been creating and sharing hauntingly beautiful short films for years now, and has quite the following of fans. Back in 2006, he made a short film called SIMILO with the DVX100 and a pre-production Cinemek 35mm lens adapter. The idea was to create a short film concept, to help raise funds to make a longer version of the same story.

As of summer 2009, principal photography on SIMILO has wrapped. Now they just need $25,000 to finish post-production and VFX on this sci-fi story. And Macgregor and producer Mike Hedge chose to use Kickstarter to raise those funds. They’ve already raised over $14,000 from the community, and you’ve got less than 2 1/2 days to pledge cash if you wish to join them. You can check out their Kickstarter project here, contributions can be as little as $1. Those who contribute $40 or more get onscreen credit and access to an HD download version of the film, and there are rewards for higher pledges as well ($4000 gets you an IMDB producer credit).

Why are we sharing this Kickstarter project here when we have no vested interest in it? I’m glad you asked. Because it’s the first Kickstarter short film project that came across my inbox that I personally chose to back, and it’s a good example of how to effectively use the Kickstarter concept as an independent filmmaker. Not to mention that Macgregor’s films are always extremely visually engaging, and this is a project that I’d love to see finished. So if you agree, head on over to their project page and support your local filmmakers.

Not sure who Macgregor is? Check out the teaser of SIMILO, embedded below. Note: some NSFW nudity.

SIMILO teaser from Macgregor on Vimeo.