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Digital Filmmaking for Beginners A Practical Guide to Video Production

Digital Filmmaking for Beginners A Practical Guide to Video Production

by Michael K. Hughes
Publisher: McGraw-Hill Education TAB
Release Date: June 2012
ISBN: 9780071791373
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Book Description

Discover how to create professional-quality digital videos--faster than you can say "lights, camera, action"

Digital video cameras are everywhere--even on our phones! But cameras don't make great movies; filmmakers do. Written by a seasoned pro with 40 years of teaching experience, Digital Filmmaking for Beginners is your fully illustrated introduction to all technical aspects of digital filmmaking.

Featuring clear, concise instruction--accompanied by online video demonstrations--this comprehensive guide covers the best methods and techniques to plan and script projects; set up lighting, microphones, and cameras; and shoot, edit, and apply postproduction effects and other finishing touches. Whether you're an amateur film buff or an aspiring professional videographer, this is the source for everything you need to bring your ideas from the page to the screen.

Coverage includes:

  • Best practices to ensure smooth operations in all project phases, from planning to post production
  • Recommendations on selecting and purchasing cameras, filming gear, and the best editing and effects software to fit your budget and needs
  • Advice on planning, shooting, editing, and other technical elements
  • Fully illustrated tutorials on composition, framing, and other visual storytelling techniques
  • Exclusive bonus online content, including finished video demonstrations of key filmmaking techniques and informative articles

Table of Contents

  1. Cover 
  2. Title
  3. Copyright
  4. Contents at a Glance
  5. About the Author
  6. Contents 
  7. Preface
  8. Acknowledgements
  9. 1: Film and Video: History and Technical Aspects
    1. Film vs. Video: The Differences
      1. The Birth of Photography
      2. How Photography Works
    2. On to Video
      1. The History
      2. Enter the Videotape Recorder
    3. The Technical Bit
      1. A Word about Analog vs. Digital Video
      2. Enter Digital Video
      3. DVDs
      4. Plugs and Connectors
      5. High-Definition and Aspect Ratios
      6. Television Standards Around the World
      7. Video Formats
  10. 2: The Camera
    1. Camera Types, Functions, and Accessories
      1. Pricing
      2. Media Types
      3. Common Camera Functions
    2. Camera Mounts
      1. Tripods
      2. Dollies
      3. Jibs
      4. Camera Stabilization Systems.
      5. Other Considerations.
  11. 3: Picture Composition
    1. Framing and Composition
      1. Centering
      2. Screen Direction
      3. Head Room
      4. Periphery
      5. Fields of View
      6. CutOff
      7. The Moving Shot
      8. The Last Word.
  12. 4: Lenses, Light, and ‘Lectricity
    1. Capturing a Clear Image
      1. Lenses
      2. Fields of View
    2. Lighting
      1. Why Light?
      2. Three-point Lighting
      3. Broadcast Lighting
      4. Triangle Lighting
      5. Lighting Products and Objects
    3. Electrics
      1. Current Consumption
      2. A Lesson in Electrical Theory
      3. Important Safety Tips
  13. 5: Production Audio
    1. On-set Audio Recording
      1. Introduction
      2. Microphone Types
      3. Pick-up Patterns
      4. Microphone Placement
      5. Other Sound Equipment Accessories
      6. The Recording Process
      7. Recording Room Tone
  14. 6: The Three Stages of Production
    1. The Production Process
      1. The Three Stages
      2. Pre-production
      3. Production
      4. Post-production
      5. Graphics and Animations
    2. Preview Screening(s)
    3. Duplication and Packaging
      1. DVDs
      2. The Web
  15. 7: Pre-production—The Planning Stage
    1. Pre-production Planning
      1. The Planning Paperwork
    2. Definitions and Uses of the Various Documents
      1. The Proposal
      2. The Script
      3. The Shot List
      4. The Simple Sequence
      5. Master Scene Shooting
      6. The Shooting Schedule
      7. A Final Thought
  16. 8: Production
    1. Shooting Your Video
      1. Production Personnel
      2. Setting Up Your Shoot
      3. Set Etiquette
      4. Smaller Shoots
      5. Cover Shots
      6. Shooting Ratios
      7. Peripheral Shooting Equipment
      8. Last Word
  17. 9: Post-production
    1. Bringing It All Together
      1. Editing Your Project
      2. How to Edit
      3. Available Software
      4. A Short History
      5. The Basics of Editing
      6. Components of the Editing Environment
      7. Starting to Edit
      8. The Editor’s Mindset
  18. 10: That’s a Wrap
    1. Creative Thinking
      1. Where Do Good Ideas Come From?
    2. Tools of the Trade
      1. Stocking Your Digital Toolkit
      2. Other Software Suggestions
      3. It’s Trite, But”That’s a Wrap!”
  19. Index