The Digital Filmmaking Handbook - Softcover

Long, Ben; Schenk, Sonja

3.88

68 ratings by Goodreads

9781584500988: The Digital Filmmaking Handbook

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1584500980 ISBN 13: 9781584500988

Publisher: Charles River Media, 2002

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Digital movie making has gone Hollywood! Though digital video has been long-embraced by independent movie makers, with recent releases like Star Wars: Episode II being shot with digital equipment, it's clear that digital is here to stay. Fortunately, even if you don't have access to the higher-end tools used by the major studios, you can still create professional-quality productions with a reasonably priced DV camera and your computer. With The Digital Filmmaking Handbook, Second Edition, you'll learn everything you need to know to produce your own projects. Whether your goal is a feature-length production for theatrical release or film festival, or a short production for corporate or industrial use, this book will explain every step of the production process, from writing and planning, to shooting, editing and post-production effects. This new edition has been completely updated and reorganized to better reflect a typical DV production workflow. Extensive new material on writing is included, and expanded coverage of budgeting and financing can be found on the companion DVD. There is also detailed information on all the latest software and hardware, comprehensive new editing tutorials, and a new chapter on video technology basics. Whether you're a film student, advertising professional, instructor, or hobbyist, this book will explain everything you need to know to get the job done. If you're already an experienced filmmaker or videographer, The Digital Filmmaking Handbook, 2nd Edition will help you make the transition to the latest digital technologies.

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Review:

The Digital Filmmaking Handbook's title is something of an oxymoron, since this very thorough book covers everything you ever needed to know about filmmaking production, from concept to screening. The only missing element is film itself.

Film and video production is in transition. Film and analog videotape are rapidly approaching the end of their technological life, being replaced by digital videotape and digital cameras. You can buy computers that connect to DV cameras and edit DV tape just about anywhere, and they cost only slightly more than an entry-level computer. So The Digital Filmmaking Handbook is for anyone buying into the DV revolution who wants to do more than shoot home movies of the kids. It's for filmmakers young and old, pro and hobbyist, who want to learn to shoot, edit and make great movies.

Unlike traditional filmmaking books, in which only the camera and some audio and editing equipment are addressed, part of this book approaches the medium from a computer hardware and software perspective. Numerous hardware issues such as choosing the components for an editing workstation, the kind of digital video camera to use, selecting editing and audio software, and various output formats are discussed. Also, there are chapters on effects, making video look like film and digital titling.

The book never strays from speaking to filmmakers rather than filmmaking gear buyers. Everything from preproduction tasks such as scripting, storyboarding and budgeting, to production tasks such as set preparation, lighting, filming (sans film) and sound recording, through final editing, colour correction, titles and output is explained. Filmmaking is heavily dependent on technology, and each of these subjects is well covered. Chapters on audio, for example, include selecting microphone types, the differences between mic types, how to connect them to a DV camera or synchronise the audio in post production, how to control sound levels and so on.

The chapter on editing reflects the experience of the authors. Films are understood through their own language, and how scenes are edited determines the dialect of that language. Techniques such as matching screen position, matching emotion and tone, matching action, when to use pauses and overlapping edits, and the effect of pauses and pull-ups (shortening a scene) are defined and justified.

If you can't get into NYU's film school, or even if you can, The Digital Filmmaking Handbook is a worthy reference to keep at your fingertips. --Mike Caputo, Amazon.com

About the Author:

Ben Long (San Francisco, CA) is a writer, producer, videographer, and the author of the best-selling title Complete Digital Photography, Third Edition as well as the first two editions of The Digital Filmmaking Handbook. Sonja Schenk (Venice, CA) is a freelance producer and film video editor who has worked on a number of popular television shows and movies. She is also the co-author of both earlier editions of The Digital Filmmaking Handbook.

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