Video Shooter, Second Edition: Storytelling with HD Cameras Feature
- ISBN13: 9780240810881
- Condition: NEW
- Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
Video Shooter, Second Edition: Storytelling with HD Cameras Overview
Tired of the dry rudimentary guidebooks that ignore the art of telling compelling video stories? Video Shooter takes you to a new level of competence and expertise by presenting the camera as a potent storytelling tool. Sure, you will learn the basics of HD formats, the fundamentals of compression and color space, but only so much as these technical areas serve your craft, which includes more fundamentally camera placement and eyeline, choice of lens focal length and the power of the triangle in creating powerful compositions. Throughout the book you will come to understand the master shooter's guiding principle, that story is the conduit through which all creative and technical decisions flow.
Humorous and opinionated, the author provides insightful anecdotes and tutorials that help you learn the video shooter's craft. While the book focuses primarily on how to get the most out of your entry- and mid-level P2, XDCAM, and AVCHD camcorder, the principles and lessons covered such as shooting for green screen and understanding point of view apply just as well to video shooters and storytellers of any level.
As apprenticeships in the industry have largely disappeared, aspiring shooters and film students have had to seek alternative sources for training and guidance. In Video Shooter, you will find a master teacher offering perceptive lessons with a healthy dose of inspiration; these pages are as close to a living and breathing mentor as one can get in a printed form.
Hundreds of full-color photos and illustrations present the many lessons throughout the book.
* Engaging and informative, veteran shooter Barry Braverman shares the ins and outs of crafting a story using DV cams.
* Extensively illustrated in full color, readers will see examples of good video shooting that will help them learn what to do (and what to avoid) in their own videos.
* Companion website offers tutorials, bonus illustrations, examples, demos, equipment reviews, craft tips, blogs, and an instructor's corner complete with students' work.
Customer Reviews
First, you really get to know how he feels about the new crop of amateur (and even pro) moviemakers - he laments the lack of classical skills and the impact of cheap video cameras on the talent pool and on the market. He then proceeds to teach us, the amateur, the elements of his craft which will hopefully turn us into better storytellers.
You'll learn about such basics as framing and composition, what to exclude, the trap of "keeping the tape running", lighting, how to shoot flattering shots of your subjects, and pretty much all you should consider to create the best video possible. Along the way you'll get to know him, his career, and his views on some topics. It's eye-opening to see him "confess" how some shots in documentaries are staged to give false impressions, such as making a languid stock trading company appear busy and frantic. This is a warning to those who depend on TV - even "educational" TV - for their view of the world! (Also google "fauxtography" for more.) There is also a lot of information about the history of filmmaking and the tools used. You'll read about the basics of creating a movie and see a scene from "Citizen Kane" dissected to reveal the thought behind the shots. Fascinating stuff.
His main focus, though, is on storytelling, and all this advice is the means to this end.
The pages are full of photos used to illustrate the various points. Although I found the color a bit saturated and the fonts used for captioning a bit yucky, the photos are a great way to skim the material to see what the page is about. This is good because some of us might find the book a bit wordy.
Anyone who wants to become a better videographer could use this book.
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