Tagged books

“Action!” is Awesome!

September 08, 2012 — by Jeff Hayes

I wish every book was like this. I opened this book when it first came in, here at Microcosm, and started skimming through the first page to check it out. Before I knew it I had read the whole thing! The delightful fluency of the text and the cute illustrations just kept me enthralled.

Now I know things about making movies that I never thought I would. I always thought it would take some sort of classes and textbooks to learn about the different kinds of “old-school” film, all the types of lenses and what they’re used for, the different ways of lighting a scene, or ways of exposing video.

film

Though I still have much more to learn, I now have a general understanding of these things. Learning about “film grains” and “depth of field” got me thinking about things I enjoy in movies that I’d never really thought about before.

depth-of-field

I’ve recently been given the opportunity to score a documentary and it has started opening my eyes to the movie making world, but I never considered making my own movies. I’m a musician that enjoys all things audio, but this book forces me to consider taking up this art-form as well. After all, anyone can make movies with this book.

easy

I especially enjoyed the audio section. Despite knowing most of the stuff in that particular section, It was a really great refresher. Even movie making professionals should read this to get their feet back on the ground and get them in touch with why they might have wanted to make movies in the first place.

audio

Bill Brown certainly has a way of making even the most complicated matters seam feasible. There’s something about this book that tugs at me to try new things. You can feel his enthusiasm jump out of the pages. This book is great for anyone of almost any age.

fun

It will be on my bookshelf for the foreseeable future, awaiting any day I might need a refresher on the numerous subjects this book covers. Thanks Bill!

—get it here!—

Out Now! Raleigh Briggs’ (Make Your Place) New Zine!

July 19, 2012

Raleigh Briggs (Make Your Place) takes us on a mending journey through stocking your supplies, quick fixes, types of knots and stitches (like the classic punk whipstitch!), buttons, mending seams, patching holes, darning holes, hemming, fixing zippers, waterproofing canvas, leather, and nylon, resources, and so much more! As always Raleigh’s style is simple, playful, friendly, fun, and builds your confidence. You can do it! Order here.

Building a Cookie Tin Banjo with How & Why!

December 22, 2010 — by Rio / Microcosm Publishing

I’m a banjo enthusiast. That’s something I’ve made peace with. But building a banjo? I never thought I’d be capable of managing a hacksaw while keeping my jugular intact, let alone make a scrappy instrument that sounds rad! While editing How & Why, our latest DIY guide for the next apocalypse, Matte Resist’s instructions for building musical instruments gave me the push to try it out myself—and build a fretless banjo from a cookie tin.

Cookies plus banjos. It wasn’t a hard sell for me.

I bought an old cookie tin with a 9” diameter for $1. It provides a sturdy base to hold the neck (along with the tension of the strings) while being a good carrier of sweet tunes. Bigger equals louder. Then I cut a slot for the neck with a box cutter (see below) on what would be at the bottom of the tin’s side—that way, I can still take off the lid when the banjo’s done!

Want to learn to construct your own banjo f or just a few bucks? Pick up your own copy of How and Why!

Hey pals! Help us Publish the New Scam Anthology!

May 29, 2010 — by Microcosm

Dear awesome pals,

Always looking for new ways to keep print media alive, we at the Microcosm Publishing clubhouse have teamed up with the super sweet Kickstarter.com, a new fundraising website that allows artists and small companies to appeal for donations for upcoming projects. Recently profiled on Pitchfork Media and in the New York Times, Kickstarter works on a time-based system; you set the amount you want to raise for your project; family, friends, and fans can donate via the site; and if the amount isn’t raised by the specified date, no money is given over to the project. Rad.

Our Kickstarter project is publishing an anthology of the beloved long-running zine Scam which will cost over $11,000 to print. Scam is a hard look at finding a better way to live, about pushing for ultimate freedom, and discovering the alternative histories of America. As said A People’s History of America author Howard Zinn about Scam editor Erick Lyle, “Forget the statistics and pretentious analysis of urban society. Take a walk through the city with Erick Lyle and discover the reality of how people live in an American city.” The Scam anthology will collect Lyle’s long out-of-print work and give it a deserved platform for all to read.

Everyone who donates something will receive a gift in return–with increasingly larger gifts as the donation amount goes up! (The gifts are listed below the press release.)

To read more about Microcosm’s Kickstarter campaign and watch a video describing the whole shebang, go to http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/897079804/scam-the-first-four-issues

For questions email joe@microcosmpublishing.com

Your friends,

Joe Biel, Jessie Duquette, Rio Safari, E. Chris Lynch, Steven Stoddard, Sparky Taylor, Matt Gauck, Adam Gnade, and Wade the Cat.

Pledge $5 or more

You will receive updates about this project and we’ll give you a shout out for making it all happen on our website and in our newsletter.

Pledge $10 or more

In addition to the above, you will receive a copy of 13 Years of Goodluck.

Pledge $15 or more

In addition to the above, you will get a copy of the Scam Anthology and we’ll add your name to the Special Thanks section on the website and in our newsletter.

Pledge $25 or more

In addition to the above, you also get a copy of the Zine Yearbook #9

Pledge $30 or more

In addition to the above, you also get a copy of Xtra Tuf #5 by Moe Bowstern

Pledge $35 or more

In addition to the above, you also get a copy of Xerography Debt #25 and #26

Pledge $45 or more

In addition to the above, you also get a copy of Cantankerous Titles DVD

Pledge $50 or more

In addition to the above, you also get a copy of Sounds of Your Name by Nate Powell

Pledge $60 or more

In addition to the above, you also get a copy of Dreamwhip 14 by Bill Brown

Pledge $65 or more

In addition to the above, you also get a copy of Constant Rider by Kate Lopresti

Pledge $75 or more

In addition to the above, you also get a copy of the Best of Intentions by Keith Rosson

Pledge $85 or more

In addition to the above, you also get a copy of Things Are Meaning Less by Al Burian

Pledge $100 or more

In addition to the above, you also get an original edition $100 & T-shirt DVD

Pledge $200 or more

In addition to the above, you also get a six-month BFF subscription (we will send you all of our new published titles each month)

Pledge $300 or more

In addition to the above, you get all of those plus a copies of Brainfag Forever by Nate Beaty, Chainbreaker Bike Book, CIA Makes Science Fiction Unexciting #5, Distance Makes The Heart Grow Sick by Cristy Road, DIY Screenprinting by John Isaacson, Dwelling Portably ’80-89, I Hate This Part of Texas/Keep Loving, Keep Fighting, Invincible Summer Volumne I and II by Nicole Georges, Mostly True by Bill Daniel, My Brain Hurts Vol. 1 by Liz Baille, Rough Guide to Bicycle Maintenance, Snakepit 2007 by Ben Snakepit, Still We Ride DVD, Welcome to the Dahl House by Ken Dahl, X Ray Visions DVD (and soundtrack CD), and Zinester’s Guide to Portland

Pledge $400 or more

In addition to the above, you also get copies of The CIA Makes Science Fiction Unexciting #1-4, On Subbing by Dave Roche, Doris Anthology by Cindy Crabb, Hot Damn & Hell Yeah / The Dirty South Cookbook by Vanessa Doe and Ryan Splint, Best of Intentions: The Avow Anthology by Keith Rossen, Coffeeshop Crushes, Homeland Insecurity DVD, and a Microcosm T-shirt