Customer Reviews

The Digital Filmmaking Handbook

5 star:		(23)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

You know if those Blair Witch guys had read this book it may have helped avoid that horrible home-made look. But seriously this book takes you from the very beginning of filmmaking, those first shakey steps, and gives you all the info to make your own Blair Witch (only better). Although this book looks at the digital filmmaking process, there is tons of really useful info on all aspects of making a movie. The most useful bits have been the nitty gritty aspects of what formats to use for different jobs. NTSC, PAL and HDTV are all covered, along with the different types of tape formats. But the best thing about this book is that it has all the answers. You want to know how to present a script, pitch it, storyboard it, shoot it, edit it and release it, it is all here. It is a goldmine for any aspiring filmmaker, not just film-school hopefuls, but anybody.

This is not a typical book in its field. Two qualities of Long & Schenk's Digital Filmmaking Handbook make it stand out.

First, it takes the topic further than any other I have seen, all the way from low-budget production such as a small training department might engage in to theatrical release feature films. This breadth is not achieved at the expense of quality or thoroughness, as the book has exceptionally helpful content on all the topics it covers.

Second, the organization and style of the book are exceptionally clear, readable, and delightful. The authors kept the goal of communicating key information clearly in mind during the writing of this book to an unusual extent and effect. Unlike some technical books which are deadly dull and others which use attempted humor in such broad strokes as to be distracting, Long and Schenk's carefully used, precise and delicate wit adds meaning as well as interest.

I purchased this book as a reference in using my new Digital 8 camcorder. I was looking for something that would be an introduction to the theory of digital filmmaking and technical reference to make my home videos look good and maybe get me started in small MPEGs for use on the internet. The book has an engaging, easy to read style. It is a general overview of video/film production and editing. It makes clear that running the camera is a very small part of a very large and complex process. If you have a dream of writing and producing a screenplay, this book will lay out the reality of the situation. Additionally, the book offers other references that provide more in depth information on specific subjects. The website is a nice idea, but like most of the book/cd/website combinations, large parts are still under construction since 3-28-2001. I would recommend this book to anyone looking for information on how to make better quality home videos and/or anyone dreaming of writing a screenplay.

I'm impressed with this excellent reference book. I'm not an absolute beginner with video, but there is a lot I don't know, and I am new to digital. Technology changes so fast that you have to learn all the time or you can't keep up. This book seems to cover it all, from choosing a camera and NLE software through basic lighting, filming, audio, and editing, and on to compositing special effects and transfer to film. It's aimed primarily at high-end videographers and no/low budget filmmakers, and it's packed with information that is clearly presented and easy to understand. The book is great for just browsing, or for when you want to find specific information. The CD-rom contains demo versions of a variety of editing and effects applications and support files for the book's tutorials. The associated website is a bit meagre compared with the book, but does have some updates. (And, with the speed of technological advance, this copyright 2000 book is already going out of date...eg, some reviewed camera models are already being replaced...) If you're serious about digital filmmaking, and aren't already an expert, this book deserves a place on your shelf.

An excellent start to get you aquainted with the wonderful world of DV. This book did well in covering selection of equipment and software by the features they offer rather than brands or models. It also was careful to emphasize audio, where many DV books can be lacking. The under-devoped web site supporting it was a small dissapointment. The demos included in the CD are neat but instructions for related projects were too brisk and general for me. All in all it is an excellent book that I would reccomend to anyone getting into DV.

This book covers all aspects of digital film making and as such doesn't really have the space needed to go into in depth detail on every subject. Regardless, it is a great place to start. It's a very easy read, unlike a lot of film making books that assume you've already got a Masters degree in film. I wont talk much about content descriptions as other reviewers have done a good job of that already - infact, it was on the strength of such user reviews that I bought the book in the first place. I will say this though, if you haven't already bought a camera, buy this book before you do. Lack of funds may make your choices limited anyway, but you wont regret having read this book first.
I have given the book 4 stars instead of five simply because I found the tutorial sections to be a little out of place. The tutorials seem to make the assumption that you have equipment at your desposal - such as expensive lighting kits - and as I imagine that many readers wont, the significance of these tutorials will be slightly lost by the time you do actually have these items in front of you. Unfortunately I couldn't rate the book at 4.5 stars, but that is what I'd like to give it.
In closing, this shouldn't be, and if you're anything like me it wont be, the only book on digital film making that you buy, but it is definately the perfect place to start.

An excellent one stop guide to getting started in digital filmmaking, realizing of course, that there is no film involved.

This book starts with selecting the things like the type of camera you need to make digital video. And for good work, a good camera is necessary, and expensive. IThe book is intended for the person who is just getting started. It explains the terms, the basic equipment you will need, and so on.

The concept of making a film, no, a video starts with a story. From here you need a script. Then you do a story board to plan your shoot. If this sounds a bit professional, it is. This book presumes that you are serious about making a video. This is a rough cut at what the pros do to make a film. ==From this book alone you probably won't get to the Academy Awards show, but reading and putting into practice what the book says might get you into a commercial or a local indistrial film production.

All in all a good summary of getting started in the digital AV business.

There are lots of guides to making movies out there - and it used to be that they all had to include some reference to the traditional equipment used to make movies with film. This book manages to be thorough and comprehensive, covering in some detail all the different aspects of making movies from pre-production to post (apart from fund-raising and marketing, which are nicely covered in other books like The Filmmaker's Handbook). It also manages to be up-to-date, describing these processes in ways that are likely to be relevant for independent and low-budget movie makers now - who will likely shoot on HD digital video cameras or DSLRs (and there's a useful chapter in here focused on the advantages and disadvantages and techniques associated with going the DSLR route) and are likely edit on their laptops. Having said that, it's not one of those "digital rebel" guides that aims to make the process of making movies seem like an anarchist art. It's focus is on outlining the stages of a shoot for professional crews, who happen to be shooting and editing and correcting digitally from start to finish. It's a worthwhile guide, though, as some others have noted it reads a bit like a textbook and unless you were using it in a class it wouldn't be something to read through from cover to cover but to focus on sections that detail steps of the process that aren't clear. Of course, because it tries to cover everything it doesn't cover anything in a huge amount of detail. The chapter on titles and effects, for example, is pretty spare, and if you really want to do anything along the lines they outline here you'd want to master a compositing and effects program such as After Effects. Still, each chapter offers a fair place to start for the subjects it covers. This would make a good textbook for a beginning movie production class and I expect that do-it-yourself filmmakers could pick it up and learn a lot about how to add "production values" to their projects.

I'm fairly techy, but new to digital filmmaking (except for the movies I make and edit on my point-and-shoot). The best thing about the book is that, for each aspect of digital filmmaking, it starts with the most basic information and progresses to more advanced info, in other words, it is appropriate for filmmakers at all levels.

The authors seem thorough and knowledgeable, though they tend to hold the reader's hand a bit too much, which makes me think it is intended as a textbook for a beginning digital filmmaking class. Sample excerpt: "If the previous descriptions of 720, 1080, and digital cinema leave you cross-eyed, don't worry. We'll explain what it all means in the next few pages." These passages just make the book take longer to read, but they are brief and not too obtrusive.

This is a book witch gives you the confidence that it stands beside you all the way in order to give you a clear, tested, working and in a professional level guidance of what and most important HOW someone has to deal with when digital filmmaking. Unlike many books, this one has not been written with any taboo most professionals have. On the contrary it gives you all the directions and secrets you need, in order to understand, to search or experimentise, or expertise yourself in order to make serious work with a digital camera. How to shoot your digital footage (camera choice, lighting, framing, scripting...), it guides you through the ways to import and manipulate this footage in a professional manner in your home PC (editing, synchronizing, special effects...), whether you are a low or high budget. Least but not last it ends in every detail with the different types of media your footage can end with (theatrical release, web, cd's and so on). It even gives you tip's on how one can promote his digital artwork. Those people have done a beautiful job.