Customer Reviews

Motion Picture and Video Lighting, Second Edition

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

After a long lifetime as a practicing director of photography, I now also teach graduate film and video lighting at the San Francisco Academy of Art University. In a quest for the best book for my students, one that provides background and needed information to the hands-on work we do, I searched through most of the available texts and found Blain Brown's to be by far the best book out there for aspiring directors of photography. Until this semester, I used his previous edition. I am delighted by this new edition, which brings many out-of-date issues up to date.

For a purely technical book, a gaffer's "bible," see Harry Box's Set Lighting Technician's Handbook, Third Edition: Film Lighting Equipment, Practice, and Electrical Distribution

I don't read a lot of books, but this one is definitely worth the time. It's extremely detailed and in-depth. If you're a beginner, this book will give you the complete knowledge you're looking for without going over your head. If you're a seasoned pro, you'll find this helpful as a reference, or to fill in the gaps of things you might have missed.

At any rate, HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

its a good book, handles lotsa topics well. but seemed slightly outta date for the newer digital cinema and DSLR cinema.
But repeated readings can give you strong lighting knowledge + included DVD is helpful. Only wish it would have included more scenario lighting situations and more situation for the indie filmmaker or the amateur who only had very basic lighting to work with.

This is a fantastic book. As someone who has shot a limited amount of both film and video, I wanted to learn more specifics about lighting, exposure theory, color theory, and so on. Brown's book is PACKED with highly useful, very practical information, and comes at a much better price than some competing books which are not nearly as good. Plus, it includes a DVD with lighting demonstrations, technical tests, and short scenes illustrating the lighting principles covered in the book. Also, I really like the section of Brown's book that lists all the major types of lights used on professional shoots (from Fresnels and HMIs to PARs, Dino's, MaxiBrutes, FAYs, Soft Lights, Space Lights, fluorescents, and so on). Yes, Brown's book is a bit more technical than some, but he also covers the basics very well.

A solid introduction to film lighting, with plenty of illustrations and photos of real world, on-set lighting examples (most of the production stills are contemporary, but there are some fabulous historic ones as well). The book touches on the theory and art of lighting, but the scope is mostly technical, thoroughly covering hardware, lighting crew roles, color temperature and exposure, and different scene setups. Highly recommended to anyone who wants to learn movie lighting fundamentals.

Book covers all the elements in lighting. I found myself ready to skip a few chapters, electricity for example, but read through the chapters. Glad I did, I learned something new in every single chapter. So don't skip a page, no matter how skilled you may believe you are.

I did wish I had a little more detail or examples on creating and shaping light as another review suggested, or at least on the DVD. Either way, this book is a must for every anyone serious about putting out a quality video production.

Some of the images and info direction was a little clumsy, but you will figure it out as you continue to read through.

Well worth the value. I just began reading Blain Brown's other book "Cinematography" and also loving it.

I felt it was helpful, this is the first book on lighting that I am reading so I don't have anything to compare it against. Some of the chapters I skipped reading because it was too much into the electrical side (i.e. electrical power distribution) but that may be what someone else needs to know, I just wanted a ground floor introduction on How to light for film making. The DvD was useful.

This lighting book is amazing. It offers exactly what you need if you are trying Robert Rodriquez's 10-minute film school approach. Blain Brown's Lighting book explains proper techniques and terminology which the film industry relies heavily on. He also has a Cinematography book that offers great insight into framing and awesome methods of camerawork. I have paired this book up with Steven Katz's book Shot by Shot.

Very comprehensive coverage - initial chapter on the history of lighting may not interest many, though it is necessary to have an understanding of how lighting evolved. As the book progresses into subsequent chapters there are pearls of wisdom that capture the author's life experience in this profession.

It's quite simply written..easy to understand..and even has a DVD which is most usefull..BUY IT