The Filmmaker's Handbook: A Comprehensive Guide for the Digital Age (Paperback)

by Steven Ascher (Author), Edward Pincus (Author) "This book is about making movies, whether they be dramatic features, documentaries, corporate videos, multimedia projects, TV commercials or home movies..." (more)
Key Phrases: ink edge code, nondrop timecode, pulldown type, Carol Keller, United States, Robert Brun (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
If film has a language, The Filmmaker's Handbook is your translation guide, dictionary, and phrase book. In over 600 pages, 18 chapters, and nine appendices, the authors detail virtually everything you need to know about filmmaking.

There is probably more information here than anyone needs to know, from which lens to choose all the way through final editing and sound mixing. But too much information is not a bad thing. This is the kind of book that a blossoming filmmaker will surely grow into.

Much of the book focuses on gear and hardware, and rightly so since making a film or video is both dependent on and influenced by the gear that is used. This handbook describes the differences between the tools--film stock, lenses, lighting setups--and the impact of each on the look of the finished product.

This new edition has been updated to include information on digital cameras, the digital video format, nonlinear editing systems, and other contemporary tools. It's odd to see a picture of the Canon XL-1--a very popular and state-of-the-art digital video camera--in a book whose first edition came out in 1983.

The Filmmaker's Handbook is an indispensable guide for any filmmaker, or for anyone who wants a better understanding of the language of film. --Mike Caputo

Product Description
For the first time since its publication in 1984, The Filmmaker's Handbook--the classic volume highlighting the techniques and technologies needed for the creation and production of movies--has been completely revised and updated. Written by filmmakers for filmmakers, this essential text now includes the latest information on digital age filmmaking, where the shifting boundaries between film, video, and computer systems have introduced a wide range of methods and equipment every filmmaker must master to be competitive. This comprehensive reference guide addresses the techniques necessary to make feature, documentary, industrial, and experimental films while detailing the possibilities and limitations of various formats. New chapters spotlight video camera and video editing, essential information for modern film students and makers who focus on video production exclusively. The Filmmaker's Handbook is the perfect primer to guide novices and professionals alike into the twenty-first century of motion picture production.

Product Details

• Paperback: 624 pages
• Publisher: Plume; Rev Upd Su edition (March 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0452279577
• ISBN-13: 978-0452279575
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (27 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #167,822 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent overview of the business of filmmaking, December 24, 2004

By	Nathan Andersen "film lover, philosophy profe... (Florida) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

For those who love films but don't really know what's involved in their getting made, this is an excellent guide. Of course, it's even more indispensible for those who hope one day to make a film but aren't currently involved in the business. I emphasize "business" here because this isn't really a guide to the art of making films; you could imagine a similar book called "The Entrepeneur's Handbook: A comprehensive guide to establishing your own business in the age of the internet" and it would cover the same types of topics. For a guide to the art of filmmaking/directing, my favorite book is "Film Directing Fundamentals" by Nicholas Proferes. But for the practical and day to day and big picture of the business of filmmaking, "The Filmmaker's Handbook" is Indispensible: an excellent and thorough introduction and guide to the processes, the people, the arrangements, the contracts, the details that go into making films, especially independent films.

I required this book as one of the textbooks for my film history course on "American Independent Film" because it seemed to me there was no better way to indicate to students how much is involved in getting films made. It's a very helpful piece of the course and gives students a perspective that they wouldn't get from my own emphasis on film theory and criticism.

24 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars For the beginner and the proffesional, this book has it all!, April 30, 1999

By A Customer

As an aspiring young filmmaker, the first thing I was told to do was go out and get a copy of the Filmmaker's Handbook. Imagine my surprise when I found out that the book had been updated in March of 1999, and that now it included all kinds of information about the digital age. I have learned so much from this book. The book goes over the entire film process, and does it in a straight-forward manner. It is a great start for beginners, yet it includes a rich amount of information for the professional. Anyone who has ever thought about a career in film really needs to get a copy of this book. Written in a manner that neither patronizes nor confuses the reader, the Filmmaker's Handbook is the best book I have skimmed or read on film, and believe me, I've looked at a lot.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It gets my vote!, February 2, 2001

By	Franz von Habsburg "brightonfilmschool" (United Kingdom) - See all my reviews

This book doesn't need 1,000 words - it speaks for itself. We recommend it to all our students as the best value text book to have. An excellent primer before moving on to specialist books. I don't want to be responsible for our students spending a fortune on books, so I tell them that if they can't afford much, then this is the one to get. The problem with many film books is that you can spend a fortune on getting the wrong ones. There are lots of other good books but more expensive and this has all the basics you need to learn before you specialise.