Customer Reviews

Desktop Cinema: Feature Filmmaking On a Home Computer (Aspiring Filmmaker's Library)

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Serving as proof that even the most inauspicious of beginnings, i.e. the dreaded "viral video," can lead to great success (author Graham Robertson co-wrote and directed the hugely popular online spoof Superfriends Wassup!), Robertson's Desktop Cinema: Feature Filmmaking on a Home Computer is exactly the kind of user-friendly moviemaking guide that most directors strive to write (and read), yet rarely do.
The book is a pleasure to read and packed with all sorts of useful information (you never notice just how much you've actually learned until you've moved on to the next chapter).
Written from the perspective of someone who knows what it's like to struggle as an independent moviemaker, it's therefore chock-full of do-it-yourself tips and a handy CD-ROM that includes the first 17 minutes of Robertson's all-digital, sci-fi feature, Able Edwards, as well as storyboard templates and other forms that will definitely come in handy in your own moviemaking endeavors.

There are many "how to" books that claim to have found a short cut to subject mastery. What's amazing is that this book delivers on its promise. If you have the time and wherewithal, this book will actually teach you how to make a full length feature film using only your home computer and commerically available software. The fact that this book is a few years old only means that your home computer will likely have an even easier time handling digital film footage. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who would otherwise be too intimidated to try their hand and making their own movies. In the old days, you would need a super 8 camera, a pair of scissors, and scotch tape. Now you can do it all digitally, and much eaier than you would think!