I was the dorky barrio kid in the old southern California neighborhood with the Super-8 movie camera. I've been into filmmaking and animation since elementary school. There is something really special about filmmaking. And as a lone filmmaker, I was blessed to find MovieStorm.

I hope that my movies encourage other "create at home" filmmakers to realize the true (serious) potential of MovieStorm. MovieStorm makes real filmmaking accessible to all who are willing to commit the time to learn the craft (making movies is both a science and an art).

Here are 6 things that have helped me the most (if you are new to filmmaking, maybe they can help you too):

1) Get LIFE experience. Listen to people talk. Pay attention to how people walk and interact with each other. Go to the mall and people watch. This will teach you a lot about realistic character creation, behavior, interaction, and dialogue.

2) Watch and study good films. Note how experienced filmmakers use time, color, shadow, framing, light, and sound. Pay attention to DETAIL and to the timing, flow, angle, and lens use of effective shots and scenes. I say again - take notes and study! I know this sounds trite … but it’s true: "you must learn the rules before you can break them".

3) Use a written script or outline. Do not begin creating shots or scenes until you have your story on paper. It does not have to be detailed or formatted a certain way. Just use what works best for you. And please try to use realistic dialogue and action as you write and create your story.

4) Learn the idiosyncrasies of your filmmaking tools. Take notes (because you will forget things). I bought one of those little leather bound journal type notebooks to record all my mistakes and MovieStorm/MorphVox tweaks, settings, and procedures. I am constantly referring to that little book during the filmmaking process. Trust me ... this will save you time and keep you from having to re-learn everything over and over again.

5) If you can help it, don't allow weird things to show up in your MovieStorm films (you know ... like hands going through clothes, head pops, awkward walks, turns, or movements, and other distracting and unrealistic things). Hopefully as MovieStorm continues to mature - character animation and options will continue to improve (they have already made several improvements over the last few months).

6) After you render each scene from MovieStorm (each scene should be saved as individual "movies"), use a multi-track filmmaking software program to put all your scenes together for the final render. Do your research and find the best post-production video software that you can afford (there are also freeware programs that you can use).

I can't thank the people at MovieStorm enough for creating such a useful and inspiring filmmaking and storytelling tool. I look forward to future MovieStorm updates and improvements ... but more importantly ... I hope to see YOUR film online soon too!