Video Shooter, Second Edition: Storytelling with HD Cameras |  | Author: Barry Braverman
Publisher: Focal Press
Category: Book
List Price: $44.95
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Seller: rama_books
Rating:  25 reviews
Sales Rank: 12,587
Media: Paperback
Edition: 2
Pages: 300
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.4
Dimensions (in): 9.2 x 7.4 x 0.7
ISBN: 0240810880
Dewey Decimal Number: 384.558
EAN: 9780240810881
ASIN: 0240810880
Publication Date: October 19, 2009
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
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.
Please visit the Companion Web site: http://booksite.focalpress.com/Braverman/ (registration code is located inside 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.
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| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 25
Indispensable tool for filmmakers October 21, 2009
D. Benyaklef
6 out of 7 found this review helpful
"Video Shooter", 2nd edition, is an indispensable tool for filmmakers. Richly infused with feeling and experience as well as abundant information, tips, and procedures, it reads quickly, covering a wide ambit, a veritable film school in less than 300 pages with a consistent emphasis on what the author calls "the craft of ingenuity". As a production manager for feature films, I can see that this is one of a few books I'd like to keep carrying with me on the job.
On the surface, the book is a well thought-out and thorough professional manual, but it is also an entertainingly presented conversation with a seasoned master of the trade as he dispenses caring advice and lively support, fully cognizant of how swiftly changing technology challenges tomorrow's shooter, who is compelled to wear ever more hats.
It is clear that the author has his feet firmly planted in classic techniques and time tested theory, but he also evinces a great curiosity about and mastery of any and all camera tools that range from Christian Dior Diorissimo #4443 women's stockings (black color preferred) to the most recherché new digital tools that bombard gear magazines daily. I am looking forward to the companion websites to keep up with all the innovations through the author's accessible and clear reviews.
The reader travels not only the length and breadth of the craft of shooting and filmmaking but also across the world, vicariously experiencing everything from amusing anecdotal events to dramatic historical lessons and their impact on or from filmmaking.
You will be thankful for the balance between presenting a lot of trivia and technical facts while maintaining a good grasp of and eagle eye view of the fundamentals of becoming an accomplished shooter. The most important of which could be to connect and relate your story to all aspects of what you do in filmmaking.
The varied and interesting diagrams, concise and sometimes hilarious annotations, and film stills and photos from around the world are not your run-of-the-mill figures, and reflect a sense of humor that balances the ultra-technical and cutting-edge knowledge you are getting. The author seems to say, take your research seriously but don't take yourself too seriously.
When a master craftsman like the author shares their rich multi-decade experience; generously reveals itemized personal camera, lighting, and grip kit lists; enumerates helpful purchasing, maintenance, and care advisories; and shares a cornucopia of secrets and tips, the result is a treasure. But to make it all worthwhile, remember always the mantra: story, story, story!
YOU NEED THIS BOOK! December 21, 2009
Wayne L. Hess (San Fran, CA)
5 out of 6 found this review helpful
Do you practice video voodoo? Can you make people disappear by simply inserting your latest video creation into some kind of media player? YOU NEED THIS BOOK!
Are you a serious shooter struggling to develop a practical grasp of a gazillion technical concepts? YOU NEED THIS BOOK!
From script to screen, Barry takes the reader/explorer on an entertaining tour of the visual storyteller's world. He even brings his kids along as his assistants! Nothing academic about his style, he is somehow able to translate complex concepts into page after page of "Oh yeah! Now I get it!"
If you read the first edition, don't just dismiss this as just an update of the first. Completely re-written, the second edition of Video Shooter retains the value of the first edition and builds upon it significantly.
First Edition was the basic roadmap for my creative journey as a videographer and digital cinematographer. I used to re-read it a couple of times a year as a yardstick of my growth as a storyteller. The Second Edition is like the master class, and it is the new yardstick.
If you're a novice shooter, get it and read it. Don't worry about the stuff you don't understand. Keep shooting. It'll make more sense the next time around. And, the voodoo will turn into magic as people start sticking around and genuinely appreciate your efforts. In time, they may even start asking you to shoot stuff for them (charge them).
Even if you've been at this for a while, get it and read it. You'll be glad you did (unless, of course, you already "know everything").
Thanks, Barry. It would be a much tougher journey without your help.
Mandatory for Your Video Production Library April 15, 2010
PD (Heartland)
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
Yet again, another book on my buy list shows up in Vine for review. I was really hoping this guide would be a well-written insider's view to many of the aspects of video production, and that's exactly what it is. I've gotten a few other books on the same subject and they were so wordy and technical, they now collect dust. Barry Braverman has assembled an excellent guide for amateurs and pros alike, but he's done it in such a way that can be easily read and understood even if you were reading it at a bus stop. His real-life experiences are priceless and quite interesting to read and learn from. But what makes this especially important is that there is a new emergence of video amateurs growing by leaps and bounds now that DSLRs are providing full HD video (that includes me!). I have a Canon 5D Mark II, and the video is so good on it that I have become overly interested in how to actually shoot the way real productions are shot, not just churning out home video. I wanted something to guide me on how to best plan and shoot with this new video marvel. THAT'S where this book shines, it's like a full year of film school in an understandable form!
If you have a video DSLR and the video bug has bitten, click the Buy Now button ASAP. You won't regret it. I'm about to read it through AGAIN, this time with a notebook on my lap.
Tons of sound, practical advice in a highly visual format February 1, 2010
Damodar Chetty (Minnesota, US [www.swengsol.com])
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
The first thing you'll notice about this book is its high production quality.
This is a very pleasant book right from the feel of its cover, to the richness of its full color images, and (at about 280 pages) to the right heft. Yes, I'm odd enough to enjoy the "tactile feel" of a good book :)
The second thing you'll notice is the almost equal distribution between its text and images. Every paragraph of text is balanced by an image or a photograph. The quality of these images is top rate, and even more importantly, very relevant. Unlike most books, the cool thing is that the images do not play second fiddle to the text. Instead, the images are first class citizens and often tell a more compelling story than the text.
The third thing you'll notice is that the book is a second edition. This often indicates that the first edition was well received - at least well enough to merit further attention. And on that count, this book doesn't disappoint.
What I liked:
#########
Chapter 2 is a definite must-read. It forms the soul of the book, and reads like a how-to manual of good techniques and hints. These rules feel like a distillation of the author's decades of experience, and cover things that when you read them feel mostly like commonsense ... as all good ideas tend to be.
This is also the first chapter that you see a very unique pedagogical device used by the author - that of reproducing paintings to show how many of these techniques are actually timeless (such as the Law of Thirds or the Golden Rectangle).
If you are a HD afficionado, this book is manna from heaven. Chapters 3 and 4 provide a one stop shop for all things High Definition.
You are introduced to concepts that are largely technical, and the explanations are usually done just right. Particularly worthy of note are the explanations on compression techniques, the difference between a film and video "look", and the differences between CCD (as found on camcorders such as the HV40) and CMOS imagers (as found on the EOS 5D).
You are also presented with very accessible explanations about resolutions, frame rates, why interlaced video may produce smoother action than would progressive mode video, how 2:3 pulldown works, and for those who like conversational trivia, that the word "flick" arises from the annoying flicker that was prevalent in early 20th century movies.
Each of the remaining chapters focus on a particular element of the videographer's craft. Image quality, noise, audio, lighting, tripods ... each is covered in loving detail.
What didn't quite work for me:
####################
There's absolutely no help provided on editing techniques. This is probably appropriate given that the book is titled "Video Shooter" and not "Video Post Production Engineer", but it still seems like a major miss given that good editing is often the key to good story telling.
I also sorely missed finding a list of recommended equipment at different budget levels. Given the author's experience, buying advice would have been worth a lot to me.
As an electrical engineer, I was also at the receiving end of several well-placed jabs by the author. One quote: "We must never hand our craft off to a machine or the whimsy of artless number crunchers." - zing! (And, yes, like he says, I am definitely better at numbers than at story telling - so no offense taken).
While the quality of the writing and editing is simply a pleasure to behold, there are also minor distracting errors that force you to re-read a sentence.
Finally - the book is written in the vein of "You kids have it too easy. Back in my day, I went to school barefoot in the snow, and it was uphill both ways". The stories of how the "medium and business [of videography] has gone decidedly downscale", tend to get old very quickly.
However, these are merely scuff marks on, and should in no way detract from, what is otherwise a very interesting read.
Conclusion:
########
The most important thing that I personally learned from this book?
It challenged my view that "more is good". As the author points out shooting too much footage of any event is a major detriment to good storytelling as you must now wade through a lot of noise to get at the heart of the story.
The second most important thing?
That I should stop focusing on the capabilities of my equipment and on technical purity/excellence, and instead focus on telling a story.
Given that I'm currently trying to edit over 2 hours of meandering home movie footage of a recent vacation, into a tight watchable 20 minute movie - I've come to realize just how desperately I needed to internalize this advice. Well, maybe next time :*)
I highly recommended this book.
Happy Reading!
~Damodar
the video shooting book I needed February 3, 2010
Jim
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
If I could take a workshop with Barry Braverman without having to drive more than two hours from where I live (in the sticks, kind of far from civilization), I'd do it in a heartbeat, because it is obvious from the 2nd edition of his book Video Shooter that his knowledge and ability to inspire is a good match for me. To me, the book is the next best thing, and may be even better because I can refer to it again and again.
The book, or I should say Barry (who I don't know but whose style makes me feel comfortable referring to him by his first name), really speaks to me, to where I'm at as an amateur videographer, as well as to who I am in terms of my sensibilities as a human being. For example, in a footnote on page 163, Barry writes, "The business of life and video storytelling is all about overcoming our fears." This is one of many passages in the book that just click with me - no pun intended.
Just a few random examples of things I find helpful in the book: Barry's discussion of "AUTOEVERYTHING: WHO NEEDS IT?" His discussion in Chapter 4 of the overwhelming number of choices facing those who choose to shoot in high definition. His reminding readers more than once that "audiences don't care which format or HD camera you use" as long as your story is engaging "and the technical snafus not too egregious." His discussion of how the human brain works in relation to moving analog and digital imagery. His discussion of improvised lighting when on assignment shooting scenes of Ugandan families in dark apartments. His discussion of the principle of "exclusion," i.e., that what the video shooter excludes in her shots is no less important than what she includes. The story that opens the book of two Polish videographers who secretly shot footage documenting events surrounding a government attempt to crush a worker's strike and how that footage played a role in bringing down the totalitarian regime. That story pulled me right into the book and I couldn't stop reading.
Video Shooter is about shooting video with HD (high definition) cameras, whether they are consumer, prosumer, or professional models. It is not about editing HD video, nor is it about screenwriting, or producing and directing horror movies or thrillers. But while there is a lean in the direction of documentary videography, the information Barry provides, and the inspiration, can be applied to any kind of video shooting - horror movie, thriller, music video, family gathering, etc.
As promised on the book's back cover, there is a companion website to the book (a password to which is provided in the book), that includes videos of Barry discussing tips, tricks, and shortcuts; video demos and samples; a bonus chapter of the book; and more. (The companion site includes videos featuring Barry's beautiful daughter, as do a number of still images within the book.)
Video Shooter is a user friendly book that I will turn to often both for information (and reminders) and inspiration. It has helped me feel less intimidated by the modest HD video cameras I own, and more confident about experimenting and taking risks with them.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 25
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