The DV Rebel's Guide: An All-Digital Approach to Making Killer Action Movies on the Cheap (Peachpit)

Book Description

Written by Stu Maschwitz, co-founder of the Orphanage (the legendary guerrilla visual effects studio responsible for amazing and award-winning effects in such movies as Sin City, The Day After Tomorrow, and Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire), this book is a must-have for all those budding filmmakers and students who want to produce action movies with visual effects but don't have Hollywood budgets. The Orphanage was created by three twenty-something visual effects veterans who wanted to make their own feature films and discovered they could do this by utilizing home computers, off the shelf software, and approaching things artistically. This guide details exactly how to do this: from planning and selecting the necessary cameras, software, and equipment, to creating specific special effects (including gunfire, Kung Fu fighting, car chases, dismemberment, and more) to editing and mixing sound and music. Its mantra is that the best, low-budget action moviemakers must visualize the end product first in order to reverse-engineer the least expensive way to get there. Readers will learn how to integrate visual effects into every aspect of filmmaking--before filming, during filming and with "in camera" shots, and with computers in postproduction. Throughout the book, the author makes specific references to and uses popular action movies (both low and big-budget) as detailed examples--including El Mariachi, La Femme Nikita, Die Hard, and Terminator 2.

Customer Reviews:

Essential Reading for Indie Filmmakers.......2007-10-03

The DV Rebel Guide, by Stu Maschwitz, formerly a member of Industrial Light And Magic, explains in easily understandable, yet highly technical language, exactly how to create astounding visual effects using the kinds of cameras, computers, and software available to ordinary people. A Spielbergian budget is NOT required. In addition to his information, he offers many links to other websites of technical expertise and training,

You may be making a little family drama, rather than a shoot-'em-up, but the techniques in this book will increase your palette of possibilities. In other words, every indie movie maker can benefit from this book. It's essential reading, period. No one else has published anything like it.

Maschwitz assumes throughout that you are not an idiot or a dummy. Scores of color photos show exactly how every technique is done. He also runs an on-line forum; he and other digital rebels (some of whom are exceedingly experienced and clearly top pros) will help you through the rough patches.

Get this book, go out and make movies better than anything you thought you could do.

This is got the TRICKS!!!.......2007-09-23

Awesome book. My friends and I make ugly videos as a hobby and we've tried many things... but this book has some balls to the wall tricks. The guy is not a scaredy cat about shooting videos with minimal resources and lets you know how to make the most with what you've got. Also has great instructions on how to build your own stuff and pull crazy stunts. Grease up your baby, this is gonna have you running to your video camera with ideas as soon as you open it up!

love it.......2007-08-27

I've done video production professionally for several years and picked up some of these tricks from simple trial and error. What I love is how well Stu connects the techniques in this referrence and compares them to equivalent effects on film. And its not just informative, its enjoyable to read.

I recommend this book to anyone interested in making their videos stand out or looking to up their production value without spending a lot of money.

Love this book.......2007-08-19

I have read a lot of film making books and this is easily the most useful and informative. Anyone trying to make a film on their own needs to have this book!

Best Book for Independent Digital Video Production Ever!!!.......2007-08-12

This is it!!! If you want to produce an Independeant Film this is THE book to read. Don't be fooled. You still need to know what you're doing go to school. Read the manuals, watch the best movies, by the best directors, then read this book and make your movies!!!!!

Making a Movie in Premiere Elements: Visual QuickProject Guide

Average customer rating:

Disappointing, Only Covers the Very Basics
Visual QuickProject Guide
Good add-on book
Information without confusion
Gift

Making a Movie in Premiere Elements: Visual QuickProject Guide
Jan Ozer
Manufacturer: Peachpit Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Similar Items:

Adobe Premiere Elements for Dummies
Hollywood Special Effects with Adobe Premiere Elements 3
Adobe Premiere Elements 2 in a Snap (Sams Teach Yourself)
Adobe Premiere Elements Classroom in a Book
Adobe Premiere Elements 3.0 [OLDER VERSION]

ASIN: 0321321200

Book Description

So you fancy yourself a filmmaker? Here to ensure that you truly are is a simple, to-the-point guide that leads you through the process of creating your very first digital video project with Adobe's brand-new consumer-level video editing software, Premiere Elements ($99). In these pages veteran author and PC Magazine contributing editor Jan Ozer gets right to the point: Rather than explore every option and feature of Premiere Elements, Jan uses project-based instruction and big, colorful screen shots to demonstrates the quickest, easiest, and smartest route to cinematic success. Each short lesson builds on the last as you learn how to capture and import video; add transitions, titles and effects; take advantage of the program's stunning templates; use the program with Photoshop Elements to edit and incorporate still images; and output your finished video to DVD. The book's small size and even smaller price ($12.99) make it the perfect entry point into the world of digital filmmaking as well as the ideal jumping-off point for further exploration.

Customer Reviews:

Disappointing, Only Covers the Very Basics.......2007-08-27

This book has several issues. The first is that it is not written for any specific version of Adobe Premiere Elements. You will note a clear avoidance of tying this book to any software release. Therefore the book deviates from reality with Adobe 3.0 in several areas. This alone would be a reason to avoid this book.

My second issue is that this book only covers the most basic of steps, which are repeated in tutorials that you get when you purchase Adobe 3.0. Therefore, I can so no reason to purchase this obsolete book.

Visual QuickProject Guide .......2007-08-14

Disappointed to find this was for the earlier version of Premiere Elements and it did not contain the new important features. The classroom training book by Adobe is far better.

Good add-on book.......2006-03-04

This book provides color visuals and is a good add-on to "Adobe Premiere Elements for Dummies". I will not recommend it an independent guide to Premier elements as it is a little sparse on details.

Information without confusion.......2006-02-25

Wanting to transfer my camcoder footage and Video tape footage of my family holidays to DVD I came across the Making a Movie in Premiere Elements a Visual QuickProject Guide book,the reviews looked very good,so I took a chance and bought it.I have not been dissapointed,in fact I was well impressed.Its explained to you simply and in pictures that make you understand what its all about.It gave me,a 49 year old newcomer to camcorder/video editing,the confidence to go ahead and use Premier Elements (also works for Premier Elements 2.)I have found this to be money wery well spent.I sincerely recommend this.

Gift.......2006-01-16

I got this as a gift for a friend, but I have always had great luck with the Visual Quickstart books and would recommend them to anyone who needs to learn an application.

Digital Video for Beginners: A Step-by-Step Guide to Making Great Home Movies (Lark Photography Book)

Average customer rating:

For anyone who wants to start using a video camera
So-so and a little dated
Nice Book...
Excellent for today's high quality digital video
Excellent book to learn Video Photography without the jargon

Digital Video for Beginners: A Step-by-Step Guide to Making Great Home Movies (Lark Photography Book)
Colin Barrett
Manufacturer: Lark Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Photography | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

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Similar Items:

The Complete Digital Video Guide: A Step-by-Step Handbook for Making Great Home Movies Using Your Digital Camcorder
Digital Video Handbook
Digital Video For Dummies (For Dummies (Computer/Tech))
The Little Digital Video Book
PC Magazine Guide to Digital Video

ASIN: 1579906680

Book Description

Digital video cameras have become more affordable and reliable than ever, and with the help of former television producer, editor, and cameraman Colin Barret, new owners of this hot technology can produce a memorable video right at home. Barret offers the fruits of his expertise in a thorough, practical introduction that covers it all. In addition to advice on choosing a camcorder and tips on getting the most out of its features, illustrated tutorials explain how to shoot creatively and master techniques such as point-of-view, close-ups, cutaway shots, and effective lighting. Spice up the sound by incorporating audio tracks, and find out how to create special effects. There's even a detailed description of how to set up a fully functional home editing suite.

Customer Reviews:

For anyone who wants to start using a video camera.......2007-09-13

I would recommend this book as a start here before anything else. Even though you'de have had a camera for months and years but just shoot movies where the ones you share it with are happy to get away from it. Buy it, it teaches you in very in an easy non jargon way how to do things looking good and impress the audence. It is good when people ask for a copy after they've seen the movie. And you hear they wantch it over and over. I love this book it is brilliant.

So-so and a little dated.......2007-08-05

I was assigned this book as the text for an intro to digital video grad class. The book was okay, but not especially impressive. It was redundant in some places and some of the information seemed dated. It's a very general book, so it's appropriate for a class where the instructor doesn't know what kinds of cameras or editing programs students will use.

However, if you're looking for a book to help you with the program and camera you have, you can probably find something more specific to your situation.

The title is a bit of a misnomer as well. There are no step-by-step guides or lessons in the book.

It's not a bad book, but it's not great either.

Nice Book..........2007-06-30

I liked the presentation, organization and the the printing of the book wich I consider is of the highest quality, It also has good color ilustrations and photos, I didn't find errors of any kind. But even when I'm a beginner videographer, I consider the information contained in the book is very general and the book is oriented to explain that "there are easy ways of making things..., that you can use several good applications available in the market for you..." But I would have liked the book explained: "ways of making... and the steps for finishing your projects.." I mean the book lacks of "How to...or the step by step for beginners". But in general is a good book. Please be aware of that...So you won't be disapointed.

Excellent for today's high quality digital video .......2007-06-25

I'm a semi-pro photographer of stills, based in film, now dSLR's and so I understand fairly well photographic considerations in acquiring good images! This book will easily help beginners and existing still photographers bridge the gap into Digital Video capture. Going beyond just understanding the latest advances in digital camcorders, the book guides you through actual processes of capturing good story-telling footage, things that we see in broadcast everyday, but probably don't give much of a thought as to how video was captures, sequenced and edited. I was really looking for such a guide as a starting place as i just purchased a Sony HDR-HC7 mini-DV camcorder ... and needed to know basic camera operation, as well as shooting techniques and video editing techniques. The book is VERY well laid out, simple to read and find headings and TIPS as needed - I think I'll pull from this volume a great deal of useful information and wish to thank the author!

Excellent book to learn Video Photography without the jargon.......2006-05-20

After an extensive research I tried my luck and bought this book (as I could not preview the content), and I am really impressed with it. This is the perfect book for someone who really wants to learn video photography, as opposed to just learning to buy the greatest gadget and press the right buttons, thereby capturing worthless video.

I am an advanced amateur photographer for the last 15 years, and I know that taking good photo is 90% work of the mind - finding out the perfect frame and the perfect moment to shoot a great photograph, and 10% work of the hand to use the camera. Most of the other Digital Video books focus mostly on the later 10% aspect. Not this book - It teaches you extensively what to look for in a good video and how to get them.

The book is divided into 5 sections:-
- What you need to know about your camcorder
- Step-by-step shooting techniques
- How to shoot great home movies
- Step-by-step digital video-editing techniques
- Showing and sharing your movies

The sections about "shooting techniques" and "great home movies" are the largest in this book, and that's what I liked. The author is a professional in this field (former television producer, editor and cameraman), unlike authors of other books who are either wannabe movie producers or small movie makers. The other books instruct you to write down a storyboard on paper which is not feasible in a vacation movie or capturing unpredictable activities of your newborn. Here you will learn how to think so that you can create a great story on the fly.

This book is filled with lots of tips used by professionals, one good example is: not to use the zoom during shooting. Most professional productions do not contain zooming sequence. They take a wide angle shot to show the background, then next shot they show a close up of the subject, the zooming being done off-camera. Lots of zooming sequence is the typical sign of a poor home video.

On the whole, this is a perfect book to study before diving into the world of serious video photography.

Photography Reborn: Image Making in the Digital Era (Abrams Studio)

Average customer rating:

A tour-de-force of What Can Be Done
The Digital Image

Photography Reborn: Image Making in the Digital Era (Abrams Studio)
Jonathan Lipkin
Manufacturer: "Harry N. Abrams, Inc."
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Art Photography Now
reGeneration: 50 Photographers of Tomorrow
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ASIN: 0810992442

Book Description

Not long ago photographers considered digital pictures apostasy-but now film is increasingly being replaced as a great alternative medium for professionals, artists, and everyday snapshooters. Photography Reborn is the first comprehensive survey of this exciting new medium of visual expression-it is an essential reference for anyone who wants to understand this revolution.

In this important companion to a new art form, author Jonathan Lipkin chronicles the rise of digital technology and explores its impact as well as the limits of its possibilities. Every kind of digital image from MRI scans to fine art is highlighted here, from an obscure scientific application, through its adaptation by pioneer computer artists, to its acceptance by the mainstream of the art world. This seminal text-coupled with fascinating images and examples by contemporary artists Andreas Gursky, Thomas Ruff, Pedro Meyer, Nancy Burson, and Loretta Lux-is uniquely appropriate for anyone interested in visual communications, photography, and culture.

Customer Reviews:

A tour-de-force of What Can Be Done.......2006-01-12

The one thing you can say about digital photography is that it is certainly changing fast. And in this book Mr. Lipkin shows what a series of what you might call photographer/artists have done using digital images and computer manipulation of those images.

In many cases, you might view these images as closer to paintings than photographs. In other cases, the images are of things that we cannot see ourselves, MRI images from inside the skull of a living person, mountains on the surface of Venus. Other images are from somewhere in the mind of the producer. These might be composite pictures of several people, these might be images that start with a photograph but which now are so distorted and colors so changed that their origin is difficult to see.

This is not a book of techniques, it is a book of results, of ideas from the minds of people who are carrying digital photography into new areas.

The Digital Image.......2005-12-21

It is truly amazing the rate at which technology moves! Four years ago, the author thought that film photography was here to stay for a long while because digital cameras were expensive, not so good, and anyway, people would need fancy computers and printers to make accessible photos. Now easy internet business is routinely conducted with digital images. But, as Lipkin points out, in PHOTOGRAPHY REBORN, it is not only that digital photography takes the place of film. It does, but it also is a genuine new medium. This book tells how and why digital images can outmanipulate experience and reality, be a new aesthetic medium and be more subversive than film photographs in which Trotsky's image was removed from Stalin's. In fact, the book tells not only how digital photography works, but also is a great guide to what it promises to do in the future.

Average customer rating:

making movies with FCE
"It Rocks"
Excellent
Great for moving from iMovie to Express

Making Movies with Final Cut Express
Michael Rubin
Manufacturer: Peachpit Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Similar Items:

Final Cut Express Solutions
Final Cut Express for Mac OS X (Visual QuickStart Guide)
Final Cut Express HD for Mac OS X (Visual QuickStart Guide)
50 Fast Final Cut Express Techniques
Final Cut Express HD 3.5 Editing Workshop, Third Edition

ASIN: 0321197771

Book Description

If you're making the move to Final Cut Express (or thinking about why you should) and want an expert personal trainer--you're in luck. In Making Movies with Final Cut Express, Hollywood veteran and fun guy Michael Rubin—-a pioneer in the editing field—-comes to you!

In these 336 pages, Rubin lays out everything you need to know to start producing entertaining and informative videos with Apple's new Final Cut Express. Offering loads of illustrations and a friendly writing style, this handy book makes it easy for even complete novices to become skilled and comfortable at digital video editing. And if you're already editing home movies with Apple's iMovie software, you'll quickly learn the ways Final Cut Express can dramatically raise the sophistication of your projects.

Rubin carefully and methodically works through Final Cut Express's important tools and fancy features using specially prepared video that is included on the book's companion DVD. In no time you'll be using the timeline,inserting and adjusting shots, and working with picture and sound separately to create professional results. Once you've mastered the basics, Rubin goes on to explain how to add music, titles, and special effects to your video and encourages you to think of new ways you can apply this powerful software to your personal and business projects. It's the perfect first book for someone just getting into Final Cut Express.

Customer Reviews:

making movies with FCE.......2005-09-29

This book is a good start, its has a lot of dialog so its an easy read. If your looking for a reference book so to speak, this is not the book for you. If you want an introduction to FCE, this is the book for you. Be sure to check the version number of your software against what the book was written for.

"It Rocks".......2005-07-23

Although I am a highly technical person that works with computers and networks every day, I do not enjoy dry, technical books that bear a striking resemblance to user manuals.

From the moment I read:

"Why Work With Final Cut Express?
- Final Cut Express rocks."

on page xiii of the intro, I KNEW I was going to enjoy this author. This step by step guide with accompanying DVD of material for the lessons is simply outstanding.

It is far preferable to learn how to use FCE from a professional film editor than from a computer programmer than only offers an endless list of "...and it can do this and this and this and..." The author uses the material from the DVD that was specially selected to illustrate key elements of editing and how to use FCE to accomplish each task. You aren't going to get experience like this by taking your latest home movie and using a manual of features to edit it. You are going to both a better filmer and editor for learning these lessons.

I am bursting at the seams with enthusiasm for my first project in FCE now!

(And might I add my in my professional opinion: Macs rock too!)

Excellent.......2004-12-21

I threw in the Final Cut Express add-on when I bought my new iMac G5 - I didn't think I really had that great a need for it, but figured what the heck. At first I was disappointed as it wasn't as intuitive as iMovie (silly me). However, the more I played with it I realized all I needed was a guide book to help me along. This book filled that role perfectly.

It starts out explaining the basics of professional video editing, which cleared up about 50% of my confusion. It is easy to read and easy to jump around to pick and choose topics to explore. The text is structure as a start to finish tutorial, but I found it worked really well as a reference, too. I was able to quickly jump from the index to a topic when I got stuck or wanted to know how to do something.

Within half an hour, I was editing old footage of a Half Dome hike - not necessarily "like a pro". However, I was creating segments, adding text, importing Photoshop images (maps of Yosemite), and chopping out all the slow spots to put together a short "not quite as boring as before" video of the hike. =)

This book was perfect for me. I'd highly recommend it to anyone comfortable with iMovie who wants to move on to Final Cut - you won't need iMovie any more.

Great for moving from iMovie to Express.......2003-09-08

I have been playing around with iMovie for about a year or so, I finally made the move up to Final Cut Express to have more control over my editing. So I got the program and found that it had a very complex interface and no written manual! After reading through a few books at a local bookstore I decided on this book. Not only is the book a good price but it includes a DVD with footage that the author walks you through to teach how things are done in Final Cut Express. The author has a very relaxed writing style that is easy to read and enjoyable. I really believe Apple should have this book as a bundle option with the purchase of Final Cut Express, this is the written manual that should be in the box.

The Complete Digital Video Guide: A Step-by-Step Handbook for Making Great Home Movies Using Your Digital Camcorder

Average customer rating:

Strunk & White for Digital Video

The Complete Digital Video Guide: A Step-by-Step Handbook for Making Great Home Movies Using Your Digital Camcorder
Bob Brandon
Manufacturer: Readers Digest
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Cinematography | Photography | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

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Digital Photography | Photography | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

Digital Photography | Digital Photography & Video | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books

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Similar Items:

Digital Video for Beginners: A Step-by-Step Guide to Making Great Home Movies (Lark Photography Book)
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How to Do Everything with Your Digital Video Camcorder
PC Magazine Guide to Digital Video

ASIN: 0762106565

Customer Reviews:

Strunk & White for Digital Video.......2005-12-25

Don't end up like me-time wasted at camera store book racks;
fatigue from endless internet book searches. Eliminate the grief. Buy "The Complete Digital Video Guide" by Bob Brandon.

Chapters include: choosing a camera; using your camera; your camera and light; composition; telling a story; capturing sound and pictures; building your story; shooting a personal profile; editing your video.

A professional videographer's lifetime of experience distilled into an essential book. Strunk & White for digital video.

Start Here: Movie-Making with iMovie 2 (Movie-Making With Imovie)

Average customer rating:

The Best iMovie Book
Excellent 'get started' guide...

Start Here: Movie-Making with iMovie 2 (Movie-Making With Imovie)
Muir , and Rory O'Neill
Manufacturer: OnWord Press (Acquired Titles)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Photography | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

Digital Photography | Photography | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

Digital Photography | Digital Photography & Video | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books

General | Graphic Design | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books

Graphics, Animation & Illustration | Apple | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books

iMovie + iDVD | Apple | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books

Audio & Video Editing | Digital Music | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0766845850

Book Description

Apple's iMovie is revolutionizing the home movie market, bringing professional quality digital video (DV) editing into the American household. Learning how to creatively edit digital video footage, and combine it with soundtracks, titles, and special effects, has never been easier! Movie-Making with iMovie 2 shows beginners how simple it is to create their own fun short films to document events, including birthdays, vacations, parties and more. An excellent introduction to digital film making, this book provides opportunities to gain firsthand experience in every aspect of the movie-making process - from purchasing equipment and gaining a working knowledge of photography and film basics through sketching a storyboard and developing an original movie idea. Starting with tutorials designed to guide readers through the steps required to produce movies, readers are then given instructions for transforming their own unedited home movie footage into entertaining and enjoyable movies. Fun and extraordinarily easy to use, this book inspires creativity while providing the technical know-how needed to launch into a rewarding new hobby or to take the first steps toward a professional digital film making career.

Customer Reviews:

The Best iMovie Book.......2001-11-20

I just got this book and it's the best of all the iMovie books I've used/read. Like "iMovies2 For Dummies," this book includes a very good DVD that includes visual/iMovie examples of the techniques and strategies that it explains in the book. For me, this the DVD is the selling point of the book--even though it is somewhat expensive.

I've always felt that a book talking about video/film production must have an accompanying CD or DVD. It's not just about visual learning, but moreso about providing effective examples of what is being explained about visual techniques. I mean...it only makes sense to talk about video technigues by using actual video examples. It really doesn't make sense to keep using a traditional form of communication (writing) to talk about an emerging and developing form of communication (digital video).

Besides the DVD, I also appreciate how the writers of this book provide strategies for different types of video productions--instructional video, music video, documentary video, home video, and short fictional movies. It's the only book I know of that talks about these types of video productions using iMovie. Thus this book (along with another one titled "The Little Digital Video Book, by Micheal Rubin) to me is for the serious/intermediate digital camera and iMovie users.

Finally, I would just like recommend another new book for those like me who want to one day move beyond iMovie to something more professional: Micheal Wohl's "Editing Technqiues with Final Cut Pro" (Peachpit Press) is a very good book on video editing--no matter what editing software you're using. All three of these books should be on your library reference shelf.

Excellent 'get started' guide..........2001-10-18

Eden and Rory have provided us beginners with an excellent introduction into learning to use our Macs to keep those home movies and vacation videos from rotting on the shelf. The dialogue is clear with just enough technical information to give the 'newbie' a comprehensive picture of how to edit video on the computer with confidence. Most notable are their tutorials, which unlike most books of this nature, go beyond covering the use of the computer and provide excellent pointers on movie-making in general. After reading the book, not only have I been able to make entertaining videos through the editing techniques they describe, but my original footage has improved as well through their guidance on how to use my DV camera to get the best results. Thanks guys!!

The Independent Filmmaker's Law and Business Guide: Financing, Shooting, and Distributing Independent and Digital Films

Average customer rating:

Great Resource for Starting a No Budget Film Company
Amazing!
Excellent Resource

The Independent Filmmaker's Law and Business Guide: Financing, Shooting, and Distributing Independent and Digital Films
Jon M. Garon
Manufacturer: Chicago Review Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Direction & Production | Movies | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

Industry | Movies | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

Movie Tie-Ins | Genre Fiction | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

General | Law | Subjects | Books

Non-US Legal Systems | Perspectives on Law | Law | Subjects | Books

General | Foreign Languages | Reference | Subjects | Books

General | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Performing Arts | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

Performing Arts | Industries & Professions | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

The Independent Film Producer's Survival Guide: A Business and Legal Sourcebook
Dealmaking in the Film and Television Industry From Negotiations Through Final Contracts: 2nd Edition Expanded and Updated
Independent Feature Film Production: A Complete Guide from Concept Through Distribution
Filmmakers and Financing, Fifth Edition: Business Plans for Independents
Producing, Financing, and Distributing Film: A Comprehensive Legal and Business Guide

ASIN: 1556524722

Book Description

Today's explosion of independent and digital filmmaking demands a brass-tacks guide to the business and legal aspects of the process. What fundraising options are available to a filmmaker? When should a filmmaker establish a corporation or limited liability company? How do screenwriters protect their work? What are a director's legal obligations to the producer, cast, and crew-and what are their obligations in return? This indispensable guide answers the legal, financial, and organizational questions that an independent or guerrilla filmmaker must face, problems that will doom a project if left unanswered. It chronologically demystifies issues such as founding a film company, securing locations, casting, shooting, granting screen credits, distributing, exhibiting, and marketing a film. It even anticipates the "problems" generated by a blockbuster hit: sound tracks, merchandizing, and licensing.

Customer Reviews:

Great Resource for Starting a No Budget Film Company.......2006-02-28

Filmmaking is a leap of faith. A lot of people assume someone else will solve all the paperwork problems when distributions is locked. Unfortunately, if your paperwork is not in order and you can't furnish deliverables, you run the risk of losing the distro deal. Deliverables- what you provide to a distributor so they can do their job of marketing your movie- begin at the screenwriting stage.

If you are totally do it yourself and willing to make investments on yourself, why would you leave legalities to the VERY end when you have no choice (at least at the start you have the option of NOT hiring someone if they won't sign an actors release, avoiding a location if the owner won't sign. There's no "getting away" with anything.) This is stuff you hear about in film school, but it doesn't sink in until you experience the limitations caused by putting off the paperwork.

Author Jon Garon provides a legal book that is inclusive of all filmmakers, including no budget guerilla filmmakers. Even books that deal with guerilla filmmaking tend to gloss over the pertinent details that relate to Do-it-yourself-ers. He has some beautiful words of respect for guerilla filmmakers, too. That this is a law and business guide makes it a must have for anyone thinking about making a movie, be it for no money or millions.

This is the first book I've read that goes indepth as to the protections of a sole-proprietor vs. sole-Proprietor LLC (if your state allows it). I set up the LLC today, following his instructions. Took 10 minutes, online. Even went to the irs.gov for the employer id Number. He explains the risks of partnerships, and how you can unwittingly enter a partnership if you and your pals don't set forth an agreement at the start.

Financing is everyone's biggest complaint. This book explores the conventional and alternative financing models (investors vs. disposable income vs. debt financing/credit cards), and goes one better as to compare the risks and rewards of each. The golden quote is "I have never heard of anyone who has gambled her house on a film and won."

He even breaks down setting up your company and chain of command, running your company, working out deferrals and how those are paid back, and all sorts of issues you need to know but otherwise wouldn't think of. This book also includes info on contracts, actor and location releases, and music permissions.

Granted, this doesn't include a lot of boiler plate. But Mark Litwak has books for that. However, this book bests Litwak in the realm of detail and why certain provisions really matter. This book empowers the filmmaker to understand business and contracts, what to ask for, what to avoid, and so much more. This is a critical book to own. Particularly if you're broke. So get it!

Amazing!.......2003-03-10

I read this book, and it totaly helped me! I started my film, and learned so much from this book.

The author must be some sort of g-d! He anwered nearly everyone of my questions. It actually changed the way i've been shooting.

Thanks! If only you'll write some more books!

Excellent Resource.......2002-10-30

I found Mr Garon's book to be direct, informative and easy to read without losing any of the details. This had all the information of a definitive text while being an easy read. I was eagerly awaiting his book, it did not disappoint.

The Essential Digital Video Handbook: A Comprehensive Guide to Making Videos That Make Money

Average customer rating:

Nice guide for beginners, with some info for experienced DV'ers
Good Guide
Comprehensive
A very good book but with printing defects
Watch out for printing defects

The Essential Digital Video Handbook: A Comprehensive Guide to Making Videos That Make Money
Pete May
Manufacturer: Focal Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Graphic Design | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books

Cinematography | Movies | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

Direction & Production | Movies | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

General Broadcasting | Radio | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

General | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Performing Arts | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

Look Inside Computer Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

Look Inside Entertainment Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
Similar Items:

Videomaker Guide to Digital Video and DVD Production, Third Edition
How to Make Real Money With Your Video Camera
Making Videos for Money: Planning and Producing Information Videos, Commercials, and Infomercials
Digital Video Hacks: Tips & Tools for Shooting, Editing, and Sharing (O'Reilly's Hacks Series)
Final Cut Pro HD for Dummies

ASIN: 0240807812
Release Date: 2005-06-01

Book Description

The digital video revolution has blurred the lines between professional and amateur equipment, with some Hollywood movies being shot and edited using the same technology that families use for their vacation footage. With sales of digital video cameras and computer-based editing systems skyrocketing, more and more people are seeing the potential and are anxious to advance their own personal video production skills to a higher level. The Essential Digital Video Handbook will help you, the beginner and budding professional become a better writer, producer, director, photographer, and editor. Author Pete Mays sound advice and no-nonsense approach will help you achieve results that will wow audiences whether theyre gathered in the family room or the corporate boardroom.

The Essential Digital Video Handbook takes the you through every step of the process, from buying the right equipment to editing footage. This book shares tips on achieving professional quality results by understanding and exploiting visual language, both by initially following the rules and then by breaking them with style and confidence. Videographers will also learn to sound like professionals by understanding and speaking the language of the business.

Instead of narrowly focusing on just the latest equipment and technology, May uses lessons he learned during twenty-five years in the television business to drill down to the most important stuff: the principles that dont change, and the tricks behind making videos that document, entertain, train, motivate, persuade, satisfy, and even have the ability to make money.

* Contains over 300 full-color footage stills, photographs, and samples
* Helps you, the amateur or budding professional videographer, create quality footage and make a profit
* Shows you how to learn and have fun at the same time in a casual, friendly, down-to-earth, yet effective tone

Customer Reviews:

Nice guide for beginners, with some info for experienced DV'ers.......2006-03-14

All things considered this book was just barely worth the price for anyone with some basic background knowledge of the subject, however it was very poorly edited/published exactly as other reviews were quick and clear to state.
Fortunately, I read these reviews and was prepared, but some of the publishing and editing errors were well beyond expectations and reasonability. Paragraphs ending in mid-stream on one page, with new subjects and wording starting on the subsequent page....with no hint of the remainder of the unfinished paragraphs anywhere in the book.
I considered sending it back for a refund (before and after I read the entire book), just because the problem is so glaring!

Good Guide.......2006-03-09

This book is a recommended for beginners and intermidiate videographers.
The book although suffer some printing problems (i.e. duplicate info).

Comprehensive.......2004-12-15

Covers everyting you need to know to start working in digital video. The author provides good career advice for those that want to make money. I recommend it.

A very good book but with printing defects.......2004-11-05

I've read several other video how-to books and this is one of the best. The book provides a lot of detail about common video issues that other books gloss over. For example, the author, Pete May, offers insights about choosing cameras that no one else does. I might have given this book 5 stars if not for the printing defects. As another reviewer noted, some text is repeated and some is obviously missing. I'm going to return the book just so I can read the missing text. I don't want to miss any of the author's advice.

Watch out for printing defects.......2004-07-28

From the few pages I read, the book showed a lot of promise. It was enticing and pulled the reader to read on to the end.

However, disappointment quickly set in due to defects in printing. The opening pages had text missing (sentences that stopped at the end of the page didn't continue on the next page), and there were several paragraphs of repeated text from one page to several pages later.

Sounds like the software used to put this book together had a couple drinks before printing. I would assume that a batch of books would have this problem as other reviewers here have praised the book without any problems like this.

Check the book out as soon as you receive it (to avoid the 30day return policy). I had to return mine from Australia.

Making Movies, Photos, Music & DVDs on Your Mac: Using Apple's Digital Hub

Average customer rating:

Bad choice
mymac.com book review:
A STAR IS BORN!
Great book!

Making Movies, Photos, Music & DVDs on Your Mac: Using Apple's Digital Hub
Jesse Feiler
Manufacturer: McGraw-Hill Osborne Media
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

MacOS | Operating Systems | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books

Digital Photography | Digital Photography & Video | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books

General | Graphic Design | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books

General | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books

Audio & Video Editing | Digital Music | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books

General | Digital Music | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books

jp-unknown1 | Specialty Stores | Books
ASIN: 0072225548

Book Description

Get full coverage of Apple's hot new suite of fun, creative tools for making movies, photos, dvds and custom music in one volume! Now you can see how easy it is to make your own customized digital creations using iMovie, iPhoto, iDVD, and iTunes with help from this detailed, results-oriented guide.

Customer Reviews:

Bad choice.......2003-11-28

There are so many better choices. Much of the information is sketchy, redundant, or just wrong. Steer clear of this one.

mymac.com book review:.......2002-10-24

Book Review: Making Movies, Photos, Music and DVDs on Your Mac
Chris Seibold
Columnist/Cartoonist

Making Movies, Photos, Music and DVDs on Your Mac
By Jesse Feiler
Publisher: McGraw Hill/ Osborne
SBN: 0072225548
...

Imagine for a moment that you have a spiffy new iMac and further suppose that you want to use it to make all kinds of multimedia. Heck if you have a newish Mac you know it comes pre loaded with iTunes for music, iPhoto for pictures, iMovie for making your own movies and iDVD for cramming that newly made movie on a DVD disc. Thatýs a lot of programs to take in all at once and if you have a new Mac you know that the manuals are nonexistent. So are you left running out to buy a book for each program? Maybe not, perhaps Jesse Feilerýs book "Making Movies, Photos, Music and DVDs on Your Mac" can answer your specific needs for a fraction of the price of four individual tomes and with a good deal more depth than an all-encompassing Mac reference.

The first problem with the "Making Movies, Photos, Music and DVDs on Your Mac" is the title. It might trick you. Jesse Feilerýs book is not about making music or photos on your Mac, itýs about organizing and manipulating said multimedia. I suppose that objection is a minor quibble, after all it is the stuff between the covers that counts. "Making Movies, Photos, Music and DVDs on Your Mac", from now on referred to as MMPMD, starts out fairly basic. On page five Jesse Feiler covers the importance of "thinking digital" noting that today's computers are digital. Computers (the kind Jesse is thinking of) have been digital since 1937 but other media has been heading steadily towards the land of 1 and 0ýs for the last few years. The progression of media to the digital realm is what makes the Mac a digital hub and what makes MMPMD worth reading as long as you ignore anything that doesnýt pertain directly to computers or digital equipment.

Just what am I talking about? An example resides on page 21 where Jesse Feiler is chatting about visual perception. Sure this topic may seem a bit extraneous to some (and I would agree) but if youýre going to jam this kind of information in you should at least get it right. After noting that you need your brain to see (who knew?) we are treated to the following:

"Light, like all other electromagnetic radiation, consists of waves. All electromagnetic waves behave in the same way. This is why sound, light, infrared, X-rays, and gamma rays all exhibit similar behavior"

This is not some quibble about wave/photon duality or some other obscure quantum mechanical complaint my beef is a bit more basic: Just when did sound become an electromagnetic wave? Itýs been a couple of years since my class in classical mechanics but way back in ý97 science was pretty sure that sound waves were mechanical.

Once we get the first chapter out of the way we can begin to actually eye the book for the intended purpose of using our Mac to the fullest in the increasingly digital world. So how do the remaining 24 chapters hold up? Generally pretty well, the prose is easily understandable and the book is full of useful iMovie tips I havenýt seen elsewhere. The iPhoto information is quite thorough and useful and the iTunes chapters are more than passable. The last few chapters are "case studies" which are fairly useful to help the reader realize just what the "hub" can do.

While mostly solid (say 85%) MMPMD also has more than itýs fair share of "why the hell is this here?" spots where you are left wondering what the point was of the last few pages. A prime example of this can be found in the chapter on Applescript. The reader is treated to a couple pages full of Applescript terms and lines of Applescript code but not enough info to write a useful Applescript. The point of the chapter seems to involve a wish to get the reader to learn Applescript elsewhere and noting that there are quite a few useful downloadable scripts. My question remains: why did I wade through all that Applescript stuff just to find out I need to get a different book to actually write an Applescript?

Bottom Line: When MMPMD is going well itýs full of tricks and solid tips. When MMPMD is going bad it can be quite a time waster. My advice to those who buy this book: Make frequent use of the index to avoid the tangential information scattered throughout MMPMD.

MacMice Rating: 2 out of 5

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chris Seibold

A STAR IS BORN!.......2002-09-26

At last, a book that is understandable, compelling and
practical! As a teacher of film at USC, I found this
book enormously helpful. I will make it required reading
for my students.

Great book!.......2002-09-10

This book is so much fun! I am now totally hooked on digital cameras! I've been looking for help with digital photography and this book is the best I've seen---informative, well-written, great photos. If you aren't already interested in digital cameras, you will be after you read this book.

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