This guy is the host of the greatest webcast dedicated to filmmaking, now on 5min.com. Erik shows you how to create special effects the fun and cheap way, and then subjects his siblings, roommates, and puppets to his creations. In his legendary BFX segments, Erik shows how to create inexpensive special effects, costumes and makeup. Subjects covered by Backyard FX are chosen by popular demand via viewer requests, and produced for under $50, guided by the mysterious “Wheel of Prosperity”, a unique Jeopardy-inspired budgeting tool. In addition to the thrifty prop-making brought to you weekly on Backyard FX, Indy Mogul also serves up additional themed web segments focused on topics such as the filmmaking process, writing and improving scripts, casting, location-hunting and much more.

That’s right, you get three videocasts in one!

BFX, Otherwise known as Backyard FX is a show that will enlighten you with tips and tricks in creating homemade FX for your own film, videos like creating realistic wounds and stitches and making your own realistic death ray..

4 Minute Film School, is a cast that will provide you with the best film making tips like: dolly operation, and discusses concepts like film noir.

Q & Erik, which talks about everything under the sun that has to do with film making like Fake Blood, Cheap Cameras and Tripods .

Indy Mogul brings you filmmaking at its cheapest and most fun, always in an approachable and upbeat presentation. The blog is updated weekly so give them a chance to stun your RSS reader and check out their 5min studio here!

This is why websites like Petside.com bring a smile to my face.

Their helpful website along with the videos featured here on 5min provide valuable information to pet owners and animal lovers alike.

Simple tips like how to clean your dog’s ears or how to give your dog medicine can make your days as a pup owner simpler and much more enjoyable, knowing that you’re providing your special pet pal with all the TLC in the world.

So why not take some tips from Petside and go down to your local shelter? You might just save a life and walk away with an adorable new addition to your family.

With a encyclopedia of medical knowledge, and the bed-side manner of your very own mother, doctor mom has it all.

She dispenses good ol’ fashioned advice like nobody’s business, just listen how she tells you when you should see a doctor for cold treatment.

So go see her and other great medical advice from Illumistream.

With all those terrorists running around, one might get truly frightened by the experience. It can be horrible if you just get messed up and sick from the plane ride itself.

Luckily, Illumistreamhas given us some great tips on traveling well:
Put a stop to cabin pressure pain with one, soak up some general health travel guidelines with another and learn how to leave jet lag behind with another great video in this series.

Go ahead – travel well with Illumistream!

Please note that both the DJ and the Wrestler are animal lovers.

One, is Jonathan AKA DJ Ellaskins , a massive DJ from England, with over 20 years of experience in setting up raves, working the club scene and slicing up the dance floor with all types of equipment. In the two years since he has opened an account on Youtube, he has amassed a massive following. Gathering over 12,000 subscribers, half a million channel views and a library of over 1,200 videos all about his life on the road as a DJ, a nearly daily updated vlog and hundreds of tutorials in the art he has mastered.

The other is a young strapping lad, Richard Whirley, born and trained in Covington, Georgia. He has dedicated his life to the study of a variety of martial arts. Originally under the tutelage of Gary Brown and George Allen, he rose to high ranks receiving a 2nd Degree Brown Belt. The videos hosted on his 5min Studio are “dedicated solely to developing your game in Submission Grappling and Mixed Martial Arts competition”. He awfully likes the competitive sport of grappling, and hosts a treasure chest of combative moves like: The Turtle Leg Escape, the Turtle Roll, and the fearsome Turtle Twister.

So Richard and Jonathan, both champions of their respective fields, both dedicated competitors of an underground sport, have set up camp in the 5min corner of the webiverse. They are serving up hundreds of videos in each studio, spreading their knowledge to the world, all for you to learn from.

So maybe, in an alternate universe both would be close friends. Jonathan and Richard might have studied in the same school. Both united by their love for animals, fighting bullies who would attack small children on the playground.

But who knows?

The land of improvised fireworks, Piñatas, and people named Jesus.

Mexico is also a great place to score some generic brand medication without a prescription from your local doctor. Although 5min does not in any way support self-medication of any kind, as this practice is illegal and could lead to some serious health problems, we do believe that the public should be as informed as it can humanly be when dealing with these nasty mind-and-body-altering colorful pills.

5min cares about your health, which is why the newest pharmacy in town is accessible through your nearest web-enabled terminal:
Illumistream has produced a number highly-informative videos for prescription-curious.

Learn how much Valium you should take, how Prozac affects your brain or how Vicodin can help you get those extra ZZZs.
Take a tip from me, though: try to get a prescription before trying this stuff at home.

“The harder you practice the better you’ll be become; there are no secrets to the game.” – Sheila Masterson, soccer expert.

Coach Emmitt Carney steps up to the mound facing the plate, sweat on his brow, the sun reflecting its light in his opponents eyes. He prepares himself for the pitch. After years of preparation and perfecting his technique he begins the warm-up.

How To Play Football: All About Pass Blocking
Coach Scott Phelps forms a huddle, his teammates are, bound tightly together, listening to his every word as he describes the next play, he looks over his shoulder and his eyes meet those of the quarterback of the opposing team, grabbing the ball pigskin tightly in his hands, he yells one final encouragement for his team to get them ready for the next few moments.

How To Play Soccer: Master Juggling Begins Here!
Sheila Masterson is controlling the ball with enviable skill and speed. She briskly moves herself through each line of defense, dogging various attempts to get at her ball, she positions herself and the ball to align with the goal post and aims for the shot, it’s all clear and with full force and great ball handling she shoots for the goal. The ball flies over 30 yards before passing through the goalies outstretched hands, hitting the net.

All these sport heavy weights have something to offer us; they’ve got years of experience on the field, on the court and in the baseball diamond. Hundreds of games, years of studying technique and posture, drills developed through thousands of hours of practice. They’ve seen it all. These men and women have the skill the required to make it, but they have also opted to teach; to spread their personal knowledge about the sport that they know and love! Baseball, basketball, soccer, football, golf… Heck, they even covered Tee-ball!

5min is proud to present Sport America, a team of dedicated professionals who are here to teach, show and contribute to the 5min community and the world at large. Over 2,000 videos are now available on 5min, for you to learn from and enjoy. Practice with your very own private coach and you can learn from the best and become even greater!

Go ahead grab your weapon of choice, whether it’s a baseball bat, soccer ball, golf club or football, we’ve got it all for you to watch and benefit from!

This is just the tip of the many great studios Sport America has set up here on 5min – so come on, get down with your sporty side!

Game on,

Aron Joseph

We have decided to give you real-time updates of our best and favorite How-To videos using a terrific communication tool called Twitter.

This simple yet effective and fun tool allows you to keep your friends on your radar with minute-to-minute updates from anywhere with a keypad and internet access; whether it be your mobile, Sidekick, iPhone, PSP, desktop PC… or anything else, really!

It’s a pretty nifty tool to keep all your pals updated on your current whereabouts and the groovy things you’re up to lately.

Haven’t Twittered yet? Sign up and get on Twitter to keep up to date with all the fabulous fun at 5min.

After signing up, you’ll be able to stalk us from wherever you are, and receive updates directly to your Twitter account. Check us out here!

So join the hordes, click Follow (the little button right under our logo) and get updated with our latest and greatest every day!

Share, Twitter, spread the word!

- Aron Joseph

My name is Aron Joseph and I’m pretty new here at 5min headquarters. Actually, I joined the 5min wagon just over two weeks ago as a brand new Content Ninja – this basically means that I deal with anything that may be related to the awesome content that is placed on the website by you, the members of our community.

Let me tell you, it’s been an awfully exciting experience getting used to this wonderful world of how-to’s. Scores of new videos are uploaded on a daily basis from every corner of the globe! Together we are amassing a vast social library of combined knowledge. Together we are creating a community based on the freedom (and not to mention fun) of information and the simple and amazing right to pass on what you know to someone else.

I watch all the new incoming videos, and some of them are down-right amazing, inspiring almost! Every time I watch a well-made five-minute video, which shows the willingness to teach and experiment with different presentation styles, I get this big dopey smile on my face. So in other words, thank you all for coming together to make this site awesome and full of wonderful content – we couldn’t do it without you.

One of my personal favorite studios so far has been Growing Wisdom, a studio geared at turning even the greenest garden novice into a bona fide gardening guru. I know it might sound a little funny for a 21-year-old kid to get all excited over a how-to studio on gardening, seeding and mulching, but I have to say: I’m truly impressed, even though I have never nurtured a garden of my own. This guy has a lot of great insight about gardening and yard-care, stemming from what seems like decades of experience and a real love for all things growing. It’s a great idea and the videos are fantastically produced – really worth checking out if you have a flavor for well-made instructional videos and really want to learn the fundamentals of gardening. Personally, I have already sent this studio link to my mom, who is an avid gardener herself.

Well, I guess that’s all for now. I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend -
I can’t wait to log in next time and watch all the new videos that you guys and gals have created.

Until next time,
Aron Joseph