Customer Reviews

Digital Filmmaking, Second Edition: The Changing Art and Craft of Making Motion Pictures

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

 

 

I work in digital production, and bought this book to get some background info before my interview with Sony Imageworks. Unfortunately, it is just a jumble of too general info and gee-whiz diagrams, that wouldn't be useful to anybody. Production pipelines vary from studio to studio, and are constantly changing. There are interviews with some impressive names, but most of it is this starry-eyed look at the digital future. The stupidest thing is the quote from Francis Ford Coppola "I knew it would happen all along". Give me a break! Spend your cash on some magazines like Computer Graphics world for the effects info.

Written like a bad stereo manual and padded with self-serving industry interviews, this title was an in-house product of Avid Press, and an unabashed commercial for their system as it existed at the turn of the century. Just one chapter was devoted to HD, with nothing useful about how to actually shoot in this medium, and there was no coverage of DV moviemaking either. The book was targeted towards Hollywood industry types who planned to shoot on 35 mm film, digitize their footage, and rent an expensive Avid editing suite for all post-production. Even Avid has had to rethink their business model in the intervening years, as competitors have offered more affordable software for desktop computers. Unless you just want an historical journey through obsolete editing systems, don't waste half a c-note on this book...

I found the audience for this book to be elusive. It appears to be aimed at those currently working in major film industry centers on one hand and then at the enthusiast with a digital camcorder on the other. Someone currently working in film-in whatever capacity-probably knows considerably more than is presented in this book. The enthusiast with a camcorder will learn a little, but much of the material assumes a level of knowledge that he may not have.

My background is in sound, both production and video post, and running a recording studio the 70s. I then migrated into computers. About five years ago I started getting back into multimedia via web audio and video. I have some clients who want to produce movies using 24p for distribution via film and was hoping to get a view of current industry practice. This book only lightly touches on current technical practice and is incomplete in this area. I have shot some 24p and almost all of my experieence with cvamera work is digital. The information on digital technology is incomplete and in some cases inaccurate and the information on originating on video and finishing on film is trivial.

While a few of the interviews are good, most just occupy space and a few are fatuous. Much of the material is dated-such as the interview with Larry Blake, and the references to DNLE (today there are only digital Non Linear Editors). This second edition appears to be some minor material plastered onto the first edition. The first edition was aparently from some time in the middle 90s. The bright spot of the book is an excellent description and explanation of 3:2 pulldown.

Overall I found this book very disapointing.

This fabulous book is a must for anyone considering shooting a project on digital video or HDTV. Timely issues are addressed, such as what happens when you shoot video (approx. 30fps) and then transfer to film (24fps). One of the chapters is titled, "24p: Twenty-Four Frames, Progressively Scanned." 24p and video was a major issue at the NAB Convention (National Association of Broadcasters) last April.  The book describes the new digital frontier, and also takes time to review traditional film making process. Also, rather than just deal with digital cameras and nonlinear editing, Ohanian and Phillips also take a look at digital technology uses in other areas of film such as storyboard and costume design. There is even a section on the use of Storyboard Quick and an industry viewpoint with Storyboard Quick's co-developer, Paul Clatworthy writing about the future of digital previsualization. These highlighted areas, called "Industry Viewpoints" create compelling interest throughout each chapter where industry experts such as editor Pietro Scalia (JFK-Academy Award for best editing) contribute much insight.Will film editing and other traditional film methods become obsolete is a question the book addresses. The authors point out the many innovations that editors have achieved, moving from film to digital video editing, such as the method of "cheap telecine." Here, the editor uses the conventional flatbed film editor modified to include a CCD camera. Rather than spend thousands transferring at a facility, the editor simply transfers with his flatbed and then edits on an Avid or other nonlinear system. This is so much faster than film editing.Digital Consultant Van Ling points out that "like in many fields, it (digital technology) can be easy to fall into the temptation of the technological imperative it that if the technology is out there, you should be using it or you'll be behind the times." He continues, stating that filmmakers need to focus on "weaving a good yarn." The authors stress that "adoption of a new methodology or a new technology must take into account two issues: 1) does the new way decrease the cost of getting the film into distribution, or 2) is there a different benefit, such as increased creativity?" Any filmmaker who knows how to harness the digital technology with taste and creativity so the story telling is enhanced will be the successful storyteller.The second edition looks at industry standard programs such as Movie Magic Budgeting and unveils many unique features. Digital technology has influenced today's film making from script, budget, storyboarding, and costume design programs to the way the film or digital video is shot. The Director of Photography often has his laptop near the camera with storyboards loaded. Many camera operators now wear on their belt a BE Logger which is a wireless time code reader. The logger detects camera starts and stops for automatic logging of takes. The unit display indicates camera roll, scene, take, time code start, time code out, duration of take and other factors. After a days shooting, the unit is plugged into a master logging software program where all events and attributes are easily manipulated. For instance, it can tell an Avid editor where to cue to a particular scene. Many other digital aids to production are described in the book.What might be of most interest to film makers is the aspect of shooting on digital video or HDTV and transferring the final product to 35mm motion picture film for theatrical release. The authors cover this topic thoroughly by looking at many different avenues to shoot and methods of film transfer, including interviews with lab and sound professionals. The various aspects of conversion and quality of the sound track is expertly covered. This is now a very popular way for independents to produce features for about $100,000. Most theaters don't have digital projectors yet so this section of the book will be very valuable to a producer who is contemplating digital to film as a method of production.Included in the book is a lengthy discussion of the Association of Independent Commercial Editors (ACE) in June 1999.  A full transcript of the event with streaming audio is available at www.24p.com. This book should be required reading for those in the industry and will be an invaluable reference for upcoming productions.

While the writing sytle and the overall style of the book seems to ramble, there's actually a whole lot of very important technical information being covered in this book.
It's reassuring to me to have industry specialists writing a technical book as well as interview other working professionals. While the 1st edition might seem a little dated, the 2nd edition includes more information on 24P HD, among other things. The film information is very thorough and well-explained, and that's not usually the case! The same is true for the various audio issues to consider both in the field and in post. It's also one of the few books that provides information on the use of film timecode.

The Second Edition was published April 2000 and has a considerable amount of material about 24p and transferring DV or HDTV to 35mm motion picture footage. It is also an invaluable guide at gaining some insight into the changing world of film making.