Publisher: Focal Press
Authors: Blain Brown
List Price: $44.95
Amazon Price: $29.67
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Reviews:
Summary: The jury is out... this filmmaker likes it
Obviously people have mixed opinions of this book. I liked the in-depth info, the readability and the color plates. I'm a director who is interested in learning more about cinematography from that angle. The Filmmaker's Handbook on Plume, or Bordwell and Thompson's Film Art will cover a lot of the same info for a cheaper price, but I like this book's illustrations and more advanced technical info, especially on video. Ultimately you gotta go out and do it, a book will only go so far. But as books go I find this one pretty great.
Summary: Great Student Book
As a film student myself, I've found this book incredible helpful. Not only is it a great window into understanding how lighting and shot composition work, but it explains clearly and in detail many technical aspects of cinematography. Of course it's not perfect, but it's a great beginners guide.
Summary: Best of the bunch
I have read most of the books Amazon sells about cinematography and there is not question in my mind that this is the best of all of them. It's really comprehensive and covers all sides of camerawork, both technical things like lens and color and exposure etc, but also composition (which he calls visual language) and maintaining continuity, coverage and what he calls "the language of the lens."
Bottom line: there is a wide range of things you have to learn about if you want to become a professional cinematographer and this book covers all of them. I also read his book on lightingm, which is also very thorough.
The chapter on storytelling with lighting is a really interesting look at how you tell stories with visual images, which is really the job we are doing as filmmakers.
Finally he has really in-depth chapters on techinical things like various formats and HD and doing special effects and operations on the set.
No doubt in my mind I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn about cinematography.
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