The authoritative guide to producing, directing, shooting, editing, and distributing your video or film
Widely acknowledged as the “bible” of video and film production, and used in courses around the world,The Filmmaker’s Handbookis now updated with the latest advances in HD and new digital formats. For students and teachers, professionals and novices, this indispensable handbook covers all aspects of movie making.
* Techniques for making dramatic features, documentaries, corporate, broadcast, and experimental videos and films
* Shooting with DSLRs, video, film, and digital cinema cameras
* Digital editing with the latest video editing systems
* In-depth coverage of lenses, lighting, sound recording, and mixing
* The business aspects of funding and producing your project
* Getting your movie shown in theaters, on TV, and on the Web
Author(s): Steven Ascher; Edward Pincus
Edition: Paperback
Publisher: Plume
Year: 2012
Language: English
Pages: 832
Title Page......Page 3
Copyright......Page 4
Dedication......Page 6
Contents......Page 7
Preface......Page 10
1. Introduction to Digital and Film Systems......Page 12
Digital Video Systems......Page 16
The Video Format......Page 18
What Is Compression?......Page 28
Comparing Video Formats......Page 29
High Definition Digital Formats......Page 31
Digital Cinematography Systems......Page 35
Standard Definition Digital Formats......Page 37
Recording to Memory Cards, Drives, and Discs......Page 39
Sound Recording for Video......Page 41
Video Editing......Page 42
Film Systems......Page 45
Comparing Film Formats......Page 48
Sound Recording for Film......Page 52
Film Editing......Page 53
Shooting Digital Versus Shooting Film......Page 56
Getting Your Movie Off the Ground......Page 59
Formats for the Big Screen and the Small(er) Screen......Page 64
The “Look” of the Movie......Page 69
The Impact of Sensor Size and Film Gauge......Page 70
Color and Sensitivity to Light......Page 71
Sharpness and Focus......Page 73
Aspect Ratio Choices......Page 76
Frame Rate and Scanning Choices......Page 83
Choosing a Camera......Page 88
Managing Data in Production and Post......Page 90
The Importance of Sound......Page 96
Coping with Technology......Page 98
3. The Video Camcorder......Page 101
Initial Settings......Page 102
Viewfinder and Monitor Setup......Page 103
Picture Controls......Page 106
Types of Media......Page 112
Managing Data on the Shoot......Page 114
Recording to Digital Tape......Page 117
Operating the Camcorder......Page 121
Batteries and Power Supplies......Page 122
Camera Sensitivity......Page 127
Other Camera Features......Page 133
Focal Length and Perspective......Page 135
The Light-Gathering Power of the Lens......Page 144
Focusing the Image......Page 145
Choosing a Zoom Lens......Page 153
Prime Lenses......Page 158
Close Focusing......Page 160
Lens Quality and Condition......Page 161
The Lens Mount......Page 165
Lens Seating Problems......Page 168
Care of the Lens......Page 171
The Digital Video Camera’s Response to Light......Page 174
Understanding and Controlling Contrast......Page 179
What Is Gamma?......Page 181
Gamma Options When Shooting......Page 182
Video Color Systems......Page 192
Some Image Manipulations and Artifacts......Page 196
Video Monitors and Projectors......Page 200
Timecode......Page 206
Digital Video Recording—How It Works......Page 209
Pixels and Resolution......Page 212
Working with Digital Data......Page 216
Digital Connections......Page 217
Hard Drive Storage......Page 219
RAIDs......Page 220
File Formats and Data Exchange......Page 222
Digital Compression......Page 224
Compression Methods......Page 225
A Few Common Codecs......Page 228
6. The Film Camera......Page 233
The Film Gate and Shutter......Page 234
Camera Speed and Motors......Page 236
The Reflex Viewfinder......Page 237
Camera Film Capacity......Page 240
Other Camera Features......Page 245
Camera Tests and Maintenance......Page 246
Properties of the Film Stock......Page 249
Contrast of the Image......Page 253
Sharpness......Page 255
Choosing a Raw Stock......Page 256
Packaging, Handling, and Purchasing......Page 257
The Light Meter and Exposure Control......Page 261
Light Meters......Page 262
Taking Readings......Page 265
Exposure and Film Stocks......Page 270
The Film Lab During Production......Page 272
Screening the Rushes......Page 273
Color......Page 277
Color Temperature......Page 281
Filters......Page 283
Matte Boxes and Lens Shades......Page 288
The Goals of Production......Page 292
Composition and Shot Selection......Page 293
The Moving Camera......Page 298
Dramatic Films......Page 301
Documentaries......Page 313
Preparing for Production......Page 319
Preparing the Script and Approach......Page 320
Scheduling and Planning......Page 323
Organizing the Production......Page 325
The Equipment Package......Page 330
In Production......Page 332
Logging......Page 338
Supporting the Camera......Page 341
Slow Motion......Page 352
Fast Motion......Page 354
Judder or Strobing......Page 355
Shooting TVs and Video Monitors......Page 356
Shooting in 3D......Page 357
Sound......Page 363
Analog Audio Recording......Page 365
Digital Audio Recording......Page 366
Digital Audio Recorders......Page 369
Audio in the Video Camera......Page 375
The Analog Tape Recorder......Page 377
The Microphone......Page 378
Audio Connections......Page 388
Gathering Gear......Page 393
The Sound Recordist’s Role......Page 398
Recording Technique......Page 399
Setting the Recording Level......Page 403
Music, Narration, and Effects......Page 410
Other Recording Issues......Page 413
Recording Double System for Video and Film......Page 418
Syncing Audio and Picture......Page 419
Operating a Double-System Recorder......Page 422
12. Lighting......Page 424
Light......Page 425
Lighting Equipment......Page 431
Bulbs......Page 432
Types of Lighting Instruments......Page 437
Lighting Styles......Page 448
Positioning Lights......Page 449
Controlling Lighting Contrast......Page 460
Lighting and Color......Page 462
Special Lighting Effects......Page 464
Location Lighting......Page 465
Some Film Theory......Page 468
Approaches to Editing......Page 470
Dialogue Editing......Page 476
The Editing Process......Page 478
Titles......Page 485
14. Editing Digital Video......Page 488
Components of a Nonlinear Editing System......Page 489
How the NLE Plays and Edits Media......Page 495
Postproduction Workflow......Page 496
What Format or Resolution to Edit In?......Page 499
Importing and Organizing Your Material......Page 504
Importing Files......Page 507
Capturing from Tape......Page 509
Creating and Editing Sequences......Page 511
Basic Sound Editing......Page 522
Working with Double-System Sound......Page 526
Basic Video Effects......Page 527
Titles, Graphics, and Stills......Page 530
Mixing and Converting Formats......Page 533
Working with 24p and Pulldown......Page 536
Editing 24p Footage......Page 540
Finishing and Output......Page 541
Managing Media......Page 543
Exporting a File......Page 548
Output to Tape......Page 552
Creating a DVD or Blu-ray......Page 555
Creating a Digital Cinema Package......Page 557
Color Correction......Page 558
Tape Editing......Page 562
The EDL and Online Editing......Page 563
15. Sound Editing and Mixing......Page 567
The Sound Editing Process......Page 569
Sound Editing Tools......Page 571
Sound Editing Technique......Page 573
Music......Page 576
Some Sound Editing Issues......Page 579
Preparing for the Mix......Page 580
The Sound Mix......Page 587
Level and Dynamic Range......Page 588
Frequency Range and EQ......Page 593
Other Sound Processing......Page 594
Mix Formats......Page 596
Deliverables......Page 599
Overview of Film-Video Transfers......Page 603
Some Film-Digital Workflows......Page 605
Film-to-Digital Transfer Devices......Page 610
Recording Format and Scanning Options......Page 612
Image Control......Page 613
Audio Options......Page 615
Film Transfer Data......Page 616
Booking a Transfer......Page 619
Editing Film Digitally......Page 621
Preparing to Edit......Page 622
Editing Considerations for Traditional Film Finish......Page 624
When You’re Done with the Offline Edit......Page 625
From Digital to Film......Page 626
Preparing for the Digital-to-Film Transfer......Page 627
Traditional Film Conforming and Blowups......Page 629
Preparing the Original for Printing......Page 630
Blowups......Page 631
Printing Basics......Page 632
Intermediates......Page 633
Release Prints......Page 634
Analog Optical Tracks......Page 635
Digital Sound Tracks......Page 637
Film Projection......Page 638
Developing the Project......Page 640
Funding Sources......Page 644
Budgets......Page 647
Business Arrangements......Page 652
Legal and Copyright Issues......Page 656
Protecting Your Work......Page 657
Releases for Real People, Places, and Things......Page 659
Using Copyrighted Material......Page 661
Distribution and Marketing......Page 666
A Last Word......Page 681
A. Adjusting a Video Monitor......Page 683
B. Data Rates and Storage Needs for Various Digital Formats......Page 690
C. Depth of Field Tables......Page 697
D. Hyperfocal Distance Table......Page 700
E. Angle of View in Different Formats......Page 701
Bibliography......Page 703
Websites......Page 706
Index......Page 709
