Customer Reviews

Video Shooter: Storytelling with DV, HD, and HDV Cameras; DV Expert Series

5 star:		(22)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

To give you a hint of the level of this book, the first sentence on the back cover reads: 'It's now possible to make a high-quality movie or television program using a camera that costs under $5,000. While the book then says it's aimed at the Novice to Intermediate user, a $5,000 camera sorta says to me that this isn't a complete beginner who got a camera for Christmas.

Inside the book is relatively little about the camera. Instead the book is about shooting video. It's lighting, framing, capturing the action that's important. He talks about features of the camera, but from a sense of what that feature means to the shooter, it's not a 'camera a has this, camera b has that.'

Mr. Braverman, above all emphasizes that the idea in shooting video is to tell a story. Much of his commentary goes beyond the technical details into how to capture the story. He talks about what the camera sees, and relates this to what the audience gets from the story. Here are the tricks of the trade from a master.

Barry Braverman brought me back to the days when the lust object of every aspiring filmnaker was their own Arriflex, Eclair, Beaulieu or Bolex. Braverman pines for those days, in a way, when he writes: "I hate DV [Digital Video]. I hate everything about it . . . Today I'm no longer that special [film] person as almost anyone can afford a decent camera and be a Video Shooter . . . " and he adds "[t]he issue now is who owns the storytelling craft - and that is a much tougher commodity to come by."

And with those opening words Braverman launches into a thorough exploration of both traditional filmmaking and digital video. It's literally a pair of high level courses in a single book and it is exceptionally well done.

Braverman knows film. Braverman knows digital video. Braverman knows the differences between the two. And Braverman knows not only how to tell a story in film or video, but how to write about it.

For anyone contemplating any serious work in video, this book is a must-have. Those aspiring to a career in video absolutely need it. But Braverman's book is equally useful to the serious hobbyist as well.

The book is lavishly illustrated with lots of how-to and "why you shouldn't" pictures. The writing is concise and natural, without any pretense toward preachiness. Braverman is very adept at mixing the very technical with explaining the art of visual storytelling. Lighting, camera selection sound, operation and shooting techniques. He covers it all. (I really do hope that Braverman authors a new edition every year or so just to keep apace of the changes in the technology.)

The man himself is worth the price of admission. Definitely a book anyone with an interest in telling stories through video will want to have.

Jerry

This book far exceeded my expectations, even after reading all the five star reviews. The text is both engaging and informative - a rare combination for what might be termed a "how-to" type book. Braverman's book actually stands as an interesting read aside from the technical and artistic information it imparts. His style is refreshingly candid and his guidance practical.

Braverman provides an overview of all the fundamentals necessary to maximizing the quality of DV and HDV productions, including issues related to the equally critical areas of compression and burning to DVD. There are certain limitations inherent in the DV and HDV format, including excessive depth of field and a propensity to burn out detail in high light situations. Braverman helps the video shooter address and compensate for those deficiencies - even where the productions are limited to shooting video of the family. After all, if video isn't well shot, it's not going to be watched.

Looking forward to Braverman's next book.

The subtitle of this book is Storytelling with DV, HD, and HDV Cameras. What I saw, when I read that, was the word Storytelling. I thought it would be a book about how to tell a story with images and sound to get across a "message". I should have read further along the sentence. This book is not about storytelling. It's about DV, HD, and HDV Cameras and their supporting equipment. The book is aimed at amateur videographers who have aspirations of turning professional and think that professional equipment will make that happen. And who have a 5 or 6 figure bank account. There are equipment recommendations on all sorts of things that make a professional shoot. All of the equipment ranges from slightly expensive to horrifically expensive. Of course this tight focus on the latest equipment means that the book will soon be out of date. If you need some equipment, have a healthy bank account, and want to buy now, this book is a good choice. If you want to learn how to tell a story with video, keep looking.

I work for a film studio in Los Angeles and while I am not a production person per se, part of my job is to have an understanding of the production and post production worlds. Barry Braverman's book helps me to make sense of an industry based on technology that changes so fast it can make your head spin. I would recommend this book, first to aspiring film makers. But this book goes to great lengths to take a lot of the mystery out of all the "tech speak", so I would also highly recommend it to anyone conected to the film industry in any form, from marketing to distribution.

What I like most about Mr. Braverman's book is how it speaks not only to the technical side but more so to the creative side. His insights are geared toward using talent and instinct within the given parameters of the tools and medium. The book was a fun and easy read with a humorous, conversational style and lots of pictures (which makes perfect sense given it's a book involving a visual medium). I highly recommend this book to anyone wanting to shoot a story (emphasis on STORY) without getting lost in the wonder of technology yet using that very technology only to free up the story. Hats off to Mr. Braverman for a handy how-to guide to get that story shot and out on screens.

I've been out of college with my degree for 14 years now, and have been working in the video field the last 10 steadily. I was convinced I knew it all and didn't need any advice from anyone, this book proved me wrong.

This book is a great refresher on all the basics, plus many advanced shooting and lighting techniques. It gives everyone a moment to remember all those great things we've forgotten, and kicks you to be a better shooter (or producer, or director) with solid advice and technical jargon demystified so even the layman can digest it.

Barry has seen and done more in the video field than some of us could ever hope to in their lifetimes, and since I picked up a video camera in 1989 (an old VHS Panasonic) I've been learning the craft ever since as well.

A perfect book for reading cover to cover, or jumping from section to section as a reference guide. Great stuff cover to cover, from snoots to camera selection it will help you have the right tools for the job, and avoid buying equipment that is sub-par. Plus a DVD included has many valuable tools for your "contingency case".

Whether you are a pro in the field interviewing Edward Norton or just shooting weddings, this book will help you hone your skills and is invaluable to even the non-pro for making better home movies.

-zen

Overview: Serious material presented with a sense of humor. Highlights many details critical to successful video production that are hard to find elsewhere. Blends technical knowledge with artistic sensibilities. Answers the questions you wouldn't otherwise even know to ask. Easy to read, easy to understand, easy to translate into practice. Good exposure (pun intended) to the many issues facing the DV storyteller.

Too many "How To" books are a dry compilation of techno babble as if written by a machine, to emphasize and confirm the readers ignorance of, and ineptitude in relation to the subject. Not this one, "Video Shooter" is written by a real person who laments the replacement of his beloved Bolex 16mm by the ubiquitous and souless electronic sealed boxes. I too had a Bolex (although only 8mm) and still marvel at it's feel, it's solidity and obvious craftsmanship.
Nevertheless Barry Braverman accepts the inevitable new technology and gives the reader an easy to read and understand course in storytelling which is appropriate to any type of visual media. One can delve into the degree of technical sophistication one wishes in this well written and imminently readable book. Bravo Braverman
Neil Jonas

This is one of the best comprehensive video books I've read.
Equipment, points and pretty much everything is well-illustrated. I would recommend this book to everyone.