Digital Moviemaking: The Filmmaker's Guide to the 21st Century [Paperback]

Scott Billups (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 2000

In this hip and irreverent book, you'll learn exactly what you need to make your own digital movie and become the hot young filmmaker of tomorrow.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Scott Billups, who lives in Los Angeles, is an award-winning director/producer who has produced, directed, and written countless feautre films, television programs, and commercials.

Product Details

• Paperback: 200 pages
• Publisher: Michael Wiese Productions; 2nd edition (December 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0941188302
• ISBN-13: 978-0941188302
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,453,920 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great reference for video-to-film, January 1, 2002

By 

Jamie R. Wilson (New York, New York) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Digital Moviemaking: The Filmmaker's Guide to the 21st Century (Paperback)

Scott Billups draws up his extensive experience in the film industry and in using cutting edge technology in the film industry.

This book is an excellent reference for digital filmmakers who want to produce industry-quality films using digital equipment. Billups primary goal with the book is to help filmmakers produce high-quality video that can be converted to film without looking like it was shot on video. Experienced filmmakers will understand that this is not a simple process. Even if your goal is not to go from video to film, the techniques Billups shares in this book will undoubtedly help you improve the quality of your films.

Billups pulls no punches when it comes to his thoughts on Hollywood, the movie industry in general, technology and what you should and should not be doing or using in the production of your films. High quality filmmaking is technical and though Billups attempts to make it understandable, individuals not familar with basic filmmaking methods and equipment may find themselves lost from time to time.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who uses or plans to use video for filmmaking. Without a doubt, Billups knows from experience what he's talking about -- he shot the entire first day of filming of "Barb Wire" using a MiniDV camcorder. And that's just a fragment of his experience in this arena.

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I resisted, but he was right., April 26, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Digital Moviemaking: The Filmmaker's Guide to the 21st Century (Paperback)

I'm a right-brainer, and not usually that fond of technical discussions, but I bought this book out of sheer necessity, and read every word. Billups laid it on the line: turn off the auto-everything features, and just use the camera. My footage sucked for a while, and then started to look professional once I actually learned what was going on.

He also would have saved me a FORTUNE if I had read this book first, since he has great recommendations for used equipment. I didn't need to spend thousands on the camera. Oh well. This book has an occasionally world- weary tone, and the layout is quirky (the best info comes late in the book), but once you go with it and get used to his style, he'll save you money, time, and headaches. I'd put it in the must-read list *before* you go equipment shopping.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Experience Counts, February 10, 2001

By 

"homerjaysimpson" (Los Angeles, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Digital Moviemaking: The Filmmaker's Guide to the 21st Century (Paperback)

Working in the world of film & tv editing and post-production, I pride myself on being a bit of a techno-geek. However, this book goes into areas and ideas that, frankly, never even crossed my mind. Billups is like a favorite uncle recounting his experiences in the trenches, making the book very hard to put down. His enthusiasm definitely comes across, and the information stays with you because of the way it is presented. This is not a simple regurgitation of facts and technical specs. There's even a website where you can download charts and other goods for your foray into the digital film world. Definitely check it out.