Customer Reviews

Make Fantastic Home Videos: How Anyone Can Shoot Great Videos!

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

 

 

I was looking for a book that gave me the secrets of movie making that the pros use, without having to wade through a bunch of technical terms. I only wanted to make my home movies (shot on my camcorder) look more interesting and professional. This is the book! It is clear and concise with helpful illustrations. It is short enough to read in an afternoon and the tips are so practical that anyone with a camcorder can begin using them immediately. He tells you how to "pan" and "zoom" correctly as well as how to get the best shot. He also gives examples for how to shoot birthday parties, family picnics and vacations so that you can begin to put all of the "shots" you take together. I was especially intrigued with the idea of editing in the camcorder. He tells you how to make your home movies look like they've been edited while you're shooting them, so that you don't have to invest in all kinds of editing equipment or hook up vcr's to each other, etc. Overall, I found this book to be very easy to understand (especially with the illustrations) and practical. I will definitely keep it in my camcorder bag for future reference!

This book is written at a very basic level, and the subject matter is better covered by Deni Bown's book "101 Essential Tips on Video" at one-third the price. I was looking for advice on the best techniques for editing my videos using my camcorder and a VCR. Fuller dismisses the idea of editing, claiming that most people are too lazy to edit their work, so they end up with "2-hour videos of Junior's birthday party," etc., which gather dust in a drawer because they're "too long to watch." People who are that lazy aren't likely to have the discipline to learn and follow his methods, which amount to planning and shooting the finished product as you go "in the camcorder", without allowing for errors which could be edited out later when you make copies with the VCR.

This book is written at a very basic level, and the subject matter is better covered by Deni Bown's book "101 Essential Tips on Video" at one-third the price. I was looking for advice on the best techniques for editing my videos using my camcorder and a VCR. Fuller dismisses the idea of editing, claiming that most people are too lazy to edit their work, so they end up with "2-hour videos of Junior's birthday party," etc., which gather dust in a drawer because they're "too long to watch." People who are that lazy aren't likely to have the discipline to learn and follow his methods, which amount to planning and shooting the finished product as you go "in the camcorder", without allowing for errors which could be edited out later when you make copies with the VCR.

This is a terrific book that should be included with every new camcorder. A little of the information and the camcorders in the illustrations may be a little bit out of date, but the basic information is must know info. I have a new camcorder using tapes because of the high cost of digital recorders. It was difficult to find good books on using this type of camcorder. This one answered all my questions and problems in a simple straight forward non-technical easy to understand manner. The information would also be helpful for digital camcorder use. The illustrations were great. Mr. Fuller gives one of the most important rules for using the camcorder: "Let the subject do the moving, keep the camera still."
It is advice like this that make this the most valuable of all the camcorder books I've read.
Can not recommend this book highly enough for a new camcorder user.

Mis filmaciones han mejorado un 100% despues de leer los primeros 4 capítulos. Los consejos son claros y prácticos. El resto del libro tambien es muy bueno. Lo recomiendo como primer libro. Lo unico que necesita es una camara de video y el libro.

GREAT