After Effects Tutorials

Video Copilot, a maker of stock footage and training videos, has a bunch of free AE video tutorials. Topics include simulated light effects (like muzzle flashes or explosions), "iPod Nano" light streaks, and simulating depth of field.

Boing Boing mentions a review by David McKnight of the Spiderbrace Shoulder Support. It's for small cameras like the PD-150 or the Sony HVR-FX1 and is only $70. The review calls it a stabilizer, but Spiderbrace calls it a shoulder support, which is more accurate. I don't think it looks too stable, but it does get a favorable review. The article is from the Cool Tools newsletter and apparently isn't online, so here is Boing Boing's quote from the review:

This stabilizer fits most any video camera and makes all handheld shots steadier, as the weight of the camera is distributed across your body. It is made out of lightweight PVC and the handles are covered with a thick foam cushion, so it's very comfortable. The unit is also machined, as the tubing is strategically bent and shaped at the correct angles. Some devices advertised online are cobbled together 100% from the Home Depot plumbing aisle -- and they look it. This sharp-looking device doesn't draw any attention to itself. It also costs less than any other comparable unit I've seen, and works just as well. While there are many plans on the Internet for making your own stabilizers and mounts, this one is manufactured well enough and at a cheap enough price to not have to build something that looks, well, like I built it. My wife and I run a small video company doing mostly weddings and other events and about half of our shooting time is spent in less-than-ideal conditions. Using the Spiderbrace 2 really helps keep the camera steady for long periods of time, and you are not burdened with a tripod or other unwieldy device should you need to move positions.

A Boing Boing reader added this link to a homemade stabilizer in the comments.

Plotbot

Plotbot is a free on-line collaborative screenwriting tool:

As film school graduates who both work on the web, we thought it would be a lot of fun to have a site where people could write a screenplay together. At first, this was going to be a small, simple application. And then it got out of hand.

We do think that we're on the way toward making a great collaborative screenwriting tool. The public projects are a lot of fun, and the private projects allow people to write together more productively than traditional screenwriting tools.

I don't write with other people, so I haven't tried it yet, but I can see where it could be very useful.