WHAT IS FILMNEXUS™?

Filmnexus™ is a revolutionary web-based filmmaking software suite designed for traditional and digital filmmakers, as well as the corporate and new media industries. The software empowers creators of film and digital media, enabling new techniques that streamline production, cut costs, and offer aesthetic alternatives.

Filmnexus™ offers an innovative collaborative model for film production that uses "Collaborative Cubes" -- online sessions and workgroups that allow producers, actors, and artists to meet and brainstorm ideas, write scripts, edit scenes, and interact in real time.

In addition, integrated into Filmnexus™ is a business-to-business exchange (Filmnexus™ - The Exchange) where producers and filmmakers can locate goods and services in a timely, cost-effective way.

 

[Go here to see highlights from Filmnexus™]

 

FILMNEXUS™ COMPONENTS INCLUDE:

IDEA MANAGEMENT - Storyboarding and conceptualizing the project.

PROJECT MANAGEMENT - Managing the production process from front to back, including script breakdown, budgeting and scheduling.

CONTENT MANAGEMENT - Storing and archiving media files on the Internet.

COLLABORATIVE TOOLS - Providing a collaborative environment to create and manage your project.

DIGITAL FILM SCHOOL - An online film school that will teach you everything you need to become a filmmaker and set up your own digital production facility - anywhere in the world.

This exciting collection of integrated components will be available in beta beginning mid-2001 and on a subscription basis in the fall of 2001.

Filmnexus™ provides and supports the ability to budget, produce, schedule and manage the content of digital media and film projects over the Internet. While supporting traditional production techniques, Filmnexus™ can also be used in conjunction with low-cost DV cameras and editing software to enable innovative new production models.

Some of these include:

  • Location Independence
  • Real Time Cinema
  • Hybrid/Production Fusion Techniques
  • Parallel Production

LOCATION INDEPENDENCE

Location independence is the ability to collaborate on film production over the Internet in such a way that the various craftpersons and departments can be geographically dispersed. For example, a director could hypothetically direct an entire production from a different location than the crew via a remote, real time DV conference link over the Internet. The director could see multiple DV camera views within a single computer workspace and make editing choices on the fly or after all the source material is compiled.

Location independence also means that it is easier for collaborating artists to communicate over the Internet; scripts can be discussed collaboratively online. Edits can be sent for review and acceptance over the Web and Digital Video "dailies" can be uploaded and downloaded from the Internet.

REAL TIME CINEMA

Real Time Cinema takes inspiration from the French concept of Cinema Vérité. With Digital Video, it has evolved into a revolutionary new form that allows production schedules to be compressed from weeks to days or even hours.

DV productions allow for Real Time Cinema because longer take times are possible using DV cameras. Hypothetically a take can last for the entire length of the film. This allows for films that either have minimal or no edits. Real Time Cinema can be shot quickly and rely heavily on improvisation.

HYBRID/PRODUCTION FUSION TECHNIQUES

Hybrid/Production Fusion Techniques combine elements of television and film production with the use of multiple cameras for narrative feature film production. For a variety of reasons, films are usually shot using a single camera. As the cost of DV continues to lower, it provides the opportunity for extensive use of multiple cameras on location. For example, a shot/reverse-shot can be done in one take, as done in television. Also, multiple cameras allow for more latitude in terms of aesthetic choices. An editor has more material to work with, thus increasing options for the final quality of the film.

PARALLEL PRODUCTION

A parallel production is one where several sequences, scenes or even entire films are shot simultaneously. This is accomplished by using multiple digital video camera technology, often linked through wireless communications, that pipe the image back to a central workspace. This workspace can consists of remote monitors or a computer screen or screens that display the visual information from the remote cameras.

A parallel production is distinct from traditional television "three camera" set ups in the following ways:

  • The multiple DV camera set ups can occur on location, not just on a television soundstage
  • The cameras do not necessarily focus on the same action
  • The cameras do not necessarily focus on the same story or narrative

New narrative forms can potentially arise within a parallel production. Characters can interweave from one plot point in one film to another. There are elements of conjunction, interaction and improvisation that can arise within a parallel production that haven't been seen in traditional multiple camera techniques.

WHITE PAPER SERIES

Please see the first in our series of [POV's] on digital production techniques. We will continue to update our site with new ideas and insights into how Filmnexus™ and other digital technologies will revolutionize the way filmmakers work and create.

If you're interested in becoming a beta site for the software, please [contact us].