I am just entering the world of video from the world of still photography. I am trying to get my head around a lot of the technical stuff as well as basic techniques from planning a shoot all the way through to post production.

Can anyone recommend a book or two that gives a good overview for someone entering the field? Obviously there are good books on much more specific topics and I will be after those too, but for now I am just looking for a start to finish basic primer.

Thanks!

Drew

Welcome. You'll get lots of good advice here.

Books are great but some things are best learned hands on. If you can, consider investing in a workshop or seminar that will teach you the basics. I took one run by a cable network that covered shooting, story telling, and the basics of editing. It was worth the money for any one of those things. In three days I learned what would have taken me 3 months by reading because it was hands on and there were people there to coach me. More importantly, I had to produce projects each day, which I may not have done if I were just reading on my own. Dirk Halstead runs one as does the Travel Channel. I'm sure there are others, even ones specific to camera brands. No one says you have to shoot journalistic pieces but they teach you the basics.

Back to books. I like Ty Ford's book on audio (he's a member here) as well as Location Audio Simplified. I like them because audio is often neglected and there aren't many workshops out there. Both explain the basics very clearly.

I too came from still photography. Not that much different, but certainly some new things to learn. Good luck

Bob

Thanks Bob,
Since my post yesterday my plans have changed rather dramatically and we have brought a videograher on board for my project so it looks like I will be getting some hands on training as he is willing to teach as he goes. This will provide the best of both worlds but I am still very interested in learning more so thanks for the response.

Drew

Moved from Open DV to Read About It.

I prepared a sort of quick-list of the most commonly referred titles for our Amazon affiliate store, which you can browse at http://astore.amazon.com/din0a-20 -- if anybody has other suggestions for a core group of reading material, just say so.

Thanks Chris, totally missed the Read About It forum. I will take a look at the Amazon list.

Drew

HI Chris,

I got a brand spanking new copy of "The Filmmakers Handbook" for Christmas. I have the first edition, from 1984, and the new 'updated' 2008 edition is an absolute MUST for anyone's bookshelf. "A Comprehensive Guide for the Digital Age" which covers new HD formats, it still includes comprehensive sections of FILM making as well, which is handy for those young 'whippersnappers' who might not have a full grasp of the entire process. Its a true 'bible' at 800 plus pages, so there is something there for everybody.

I think its worth listing.

THE FILMMAKERS HANDBOOK - 2008 Edition by Steven Ascher and Edward Pincus.

"The authoritative guide to funding, preparing, shooting, lighting, editing, finishing and distributing your film or video."

Includes
- Techniques for making dramatic features, documentaries, corporate, broadcast and experiemental films.
- Working with high definition and standard definition digital video formats including DV, HD and HDV.
- Extensive coverage of video editing with the latest nonlinear editing systems.
- Thorough grounding in CAMERAS, lenses, sound recording, and mixing.
- The business aspects of financing and producing your project.

List price $25 US, $31 Can.

I found "Just Shoot It!" and "Film Production Technique" to be great books. Check them out on Amazon. I've read quite a few others but these two hit all the areas you need from start to finish.