The DSLR Filmmaker's Handbook: Real-World Production Techniques

The DSLR Filmmaker's Handbook: Real-World Production Techniques

Released January 2012
Publisher(s): Sybex
ISBN: 9780470876602

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Book description

A how-to guide for getting professional-quality video from your DSLR

Shooting HD Video with a video-enabled DSLR has many benefits and some tricky drawbacks that digital filmmakers and videographers can overcome to get professional results. The DSLR Filmmaker's Handbook helps filmmakers harness the HD video capabilities of their DSLRs to create professional-level video. Packed with professionally-tested techniques, this indispensible book serves as a training guide for the complex steps that must be taken before, during, and after filming.

  • Teaches you the key tools and techniques for using your DSLR to shoot high-quality, professional-level video

  • Distills dense information about filmmaking and filters it down to easily understood granules

  • Shows you what to expect and what to avoid with your DSLR and how to maximize the visual look of your film

  • Shares tools and techniques that have been used in real-world, independent movie-making environments

The DSLR Filmmaker's Handbook shows you how to overcome any tricky drawbacks that you may face while shooting HD video with your DSLR.

Table of contents

  1. Cover
  2. Title Page
  3. Copyright
  4. Publisher's Note
  5. Dedication
  6. Acknowledgments
  7. About the Authors
  8. Introduction
    1. Who Should Read This Book
    2. What Is Covered in This Book
    3. How to Contact the Authors
  9. Chapter 1: Fundamentals of DSLR Filmaking
    1. Features of DSLR Cameras
    2. Features of SLR Lenses
    3. How Sensor Size and Lenses Interact
  10. Chapter 2: Gear and Recommendations
    1. What Camera Is Right for You?
    2. Lenses and Accessories
    3. Lights
    4. Audio
    5. Tripod and Dollies
    6. Specialty Items and Miscellaneous
    7. Planning Your Gear Package
  11. Chapter 3: Testing and Custom Settings
    1. Camera-Specific Testing
    2. Testing Equipment Interactions
    3. Using In-camera Presets
    4. Changing the Camera Presets for Image Control
    5. Customizing Your Picture Style: Steps for Canon DSLR Cameras
  12. Chapter 4: Cameras and Lenses on Location
    1. Using Cameras on Location
    2. Using Lenses on Location
  13. Chapter 5: Camera Motion and Support
    1. Camera Motion
    2. Types of Camera Movement
    3. Planning the Motion
    4. Gear for Designing and Controlling Movement
    5. Stabilizing Your Camera Motion
    6. Motion, the Edit, and Cutting
  14. Chapter 6: Lighting on Location
    1. Planning the Lights
    2. Choosing Lights
    3. Principles for Setting Lighting
    4. Types of Lights by Position
    5. Lighting for Special Situations
    6. Managing Light
    7. Light Quality
    8. Picking Exposure
  15. Chapter 7: Sound on Location
    1. The Role of Sound
    2. Recording Sound with DSLR Cameras
    3. Microphones and Key Accessories
    4. Planning, Setting Up, and Recording a Shoot
  16. Chapter 8: Organizing and Storing Data in the Field
    1. Setting Up a File System
    2. Capture Formats
    3. Backing Up Your Footage on Set
    4. Organizing Data on Set
  17. Chapter 9: Troubleshooting
    1. Avoiding Problems: What to Do, What to Take
    2. Shooting Problems
    3. Hardware Problems
    4. Ways to Save the Shot
  18. Chapter 10: Converting and Editing Your Footage
    1. Setting the Foundation for Post-Production Workflow
    2. Choosing the Right Hard Drives
    3. Backing Up Data
    4. Choosing and Using an Editing Codec
    5. Editing Your Footage
  19. Chapter 11: Audio Crash Course
    1. Syncing Your Audio and Video
    2. Troubleshooting Out-of-Sync Sound
    3. Automated Dialogue Replacement (ADR)
  20. Chapter 12: Color Correction and Grading
    1. Color Theory and the Eye
    2. Color Correction on Set: Outside of the Camera
    3. Color Correction on Set: Inside of the Camera
    4. What Is This Camera Shooting Anyway and Why Do I Care?
    5. Post-Production Color Correction and Grading
  21. Chapter 13: Compression
    1. Understanding Compression
    2. Outputting Your Video
    3. One File Fits All
  22. Chapter 14: Fixing It in Post
    1. Primary Color Correction
    2. Micromanaging with Regional Color Corrections
    3. Secondary Color Correction
    4. Faux Lens Effects
    5. Behind-the-Lens Fakery
  23. Chapter 15: Workshops
    1. A Brief Guide to Underwater Cinematography
    2. Rigging a Car
    3. Achieving That Cinematic Look: Ramping and Changing Frames per Second
  24. Index

Product information

  • Title: The DSLR Filmmaker's Handbook: Real-World Production Techniques
  • Author(s):
  • Release date: January 2012
  • Publisher(s): Sybex
  • ISBN: 9780470876602