Digital Guerrilla Video: A Grassroots Guide to the Revolution [Illustrated] [Paperback]

Avi Hoffer (Author)

Book Description

Series: DV Expert Series | Publication Date: January 26, 1999

Digital Guerrilla Video is the creative 'manifesto' for today's independent digital video producer-or 'diguerrillas.' It teaches the tactics for designing and producing creative digital images based on the guerrilla ethic: Use less money, less time, fewer

Here is the creative 'manifesto' for today's independent digital video producer. Learn the tactics for designing and producing creative digital images based on the guerrilla ethic: use less money, less time, fewer tools and new rules. The companion CD-ROM contains creative software, stock footage and sample projects.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Part of the DV Magazine Expert Series, and written by someone who's lost a lot of blood on the front lines of the digital video revolution, Digital Guerrilla Video describes the history, tools, and techniques you can use to make a professional, cutting-edge video.

The book covers the technical requirements like gathering source footage and images, learning to manage them as a resource, editing fundamentals, post-production effects, and audio post-production. It even provides avenues for the finished product, offering insight that draws upon experience and suggests the "shameless self-promotion" needed to make a name in the field.

If you are looking for a training manual on configuring a digital video system using an editing package, this is probably not the book you need. Short on system specifics, it describes the whole playing field and techniques to getting the production done, not how to do it using the latest version of VideoBlahBlahPro 5.3.

There is something special about witnessing the birth of a revolution, about being on the leading edge of a new media power shift. If nothing else, you can accumulate more experience and war stories than those who come after--if you survive the first transitional upheaval. Digital Guerrilla Video, written by one experienced survivor, comes just after the first wave in the digital video revolution: the weapons are cheap and accessible, and the revolutionaries are lining up.

Think of this book as boot camp, a training ground, a survival guide. To the independent filmmaker with little or no digital experience, don't go into the jungle without this book. --Mike Caputo

About the Author

Avi Hoffer ([e-mail]) is one of the earliest adopters of digital video technology. He established his own digital post-production studio in 1991, and is a frequent contributor to DV magazine.

Product Details

• Paperback: 362 pages
• Publisher: Focal Press (January 26, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0879305754
• ISBN-13: 978-0879305758
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 7.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,972,072 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

51 of 53 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent insider view of the digital video revolution, April 4, 2000

By 

Sarah Stegall "Munchkyn" (California USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Digital Guerrilla Video: A Grassroots Guide to the Revolution (Paperback)

Hoffer's attitude towards the digital video revolution is a combination independent film producer and midnight computer hacker. His gonzo attitude lends a breezy, hip tone to this compendium of tips and tricks of the trade. His approach is one of passionate artistry rather than pedantry, as his love of the medium shines through the sometimes overcaffeinated prose. He is at his best when describing dozens of workarounds for bad shots, cheaper ways to get the same effect as the big production houses, and how to recognize, capture and recycle good shots for your media library. Best of all, he imparts to his readers the same enthusiasm and wry attitude that keep you going during those long, long hours of rendering and rewinding. Extensive quotes from other pioneers in the DV world, time-management tips, advice on the quickly evolving world of digital delivery (CD versus Web), and survival skills in this highly competitive environment are the best features. Recommended for novice or expert alike.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Some great ideas, February 4, 2001

By 

Jason White (London, Ontario Canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Digital Guerrilla Video: A Grassroots Guide to the Revolution (Paperback)

Video is a creative medium, and this book is just meant to get you thinking, and exploring. For me, I never would have thought of covering my scanner with sand, or tinfoil to create backgrounds. He suggests using compositing tracker data to capture the motion of a natural object like a feather falling, and then applying that motion to your own animation -again I never would have thought of this. The book is full of creative tidbits. It's a "wow, if that's possible, than I could also do this" kind of book. It gets you thinking about all the possibilities and potential that exists for your videos.

The book is well formatted, short, and easy to read. Took me 4 days to read. Recommended.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Not Worth It, January 17, 2001

By 

W. Weylman (Winchester, MA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Digital Guerrilla Video: A Grassroots Guide to the Revolution (Paperback)

I was expecting the latest and greatest tips and techniques on how to get the best video with the lowest overhead. However, I was truly disappointed with the content as I felt it was so out of date that it was not very helpful in this digital age. Additionally, I felt the information was not layed out in the best format either. While I am an intermediate film-maker, I felt this book did not provide any new learning, value, or provide any usable take aways or action items to help the readers.