ABSTRACT

Shooting Movies is the book for all those film enthusiasts who can't get on a professional set or can't undertake studies at an expensive film school. This book approaches the subject of cinematography from a 'hands-on, in the trenches' viewpoint, as though the reader were an apprentice on the set. It's a book about learning to shoot a film without making an idiot of yourself and wasting lots of time and money. It's a book about how to take artistic inspiration and make it a reality. A breezy writing style mixed with practical, interactive exercises geared for both film and video give filmmakers the experience they need to take their work to the next level. Beginning with fundamental techniques and concepts of cinematography, the author shares his many years of experience with the reader, imparting invaluable advice and guidance on how to avoid common pitfalls, and more importantly, learn from mistakes. This title provides a mentorship-in-a-book approach not found any of the other technical guides to cinematography, using both film and video exercises. It is written for filmmakers working on a budget. Unique exercises throughout the book provide the reader with an interactive experience that will give them a higher level of expertise and will improve the quality of their shooting, lighting, and reel - all on a budget. It helps you learn the realty of filmmaking from the cinematographer's perspective. Companion website showcases video samples, visual demonstrations of the exercises in the book, and further video explanations of the concepts that are better explained visually.

chapter |6 pages

Chapter 1 introduction

part |92 pages

Part 1 realities: preproduction

chapter |12 pages

Chapter 2 what's first?

chapter |6 pages

We're still reading the script

chapter |4 pages

A few more things to think about

chapter |5 pages

The shot list

chapter |4 pages

The crew

chapter |14 pages

The location

chapter |11 pages

Selecting a camera

chapter |10 pages

Selecting lenses

chapter |5 pages

Selecting film stock

chapter |6 pages

Chapter 11 selecting a tripod and head

chapter |2 pages

Chapter 13 the night before

part |121 pages

Part 2 realities: production

chapter |6 pages

Chapter 14 on time and ready to shoot

chapter |8 pages

Chapter 15 first day/first shot

chapter |7 pages

Chapter 16 shooting masters

chapter |16 pages

Chapter 17 close-ups and coverage

chapter |17 pages

Chapter 18 operating the camera

chapter |3 pages

Chapter 22 learning the hardware

chapter |5 pages

Chapter 23 why we light

chapter |20 pages

Chapter 24 exposure

part |10 pages

Part 3 realities: postproduction

part |75 pages

Part 4 technicalities

chapter |10 pages

Chapter 28 cameras: black boxes

chapter |16 pages

Chapter 29 lenses

chapter |3 pages

Chapter 30 the zen of focusing

chapter |6 pages

Chapter 31 the magic of filters

chapter |5 pages

Chapter 32 film

chapter |2 pages

Chapter 33 color temperature

chapter |4 pages

Chapter 34 using a tripod and head

chapter |1 pages

Chapter 36 the dolly grip