GearPop Blog

Video Shooter, Second Edition: Storytelling with HD Cameras

Tired of the dry rudimentary guidebooks that ignore the art of telling compelling video stories? Video Shooter takes you to a new level of competence and expertise by presenting the camera as a potent storytelling tool. Sure, you will learn the basics of HD formats, the fundamentals of compression and color space, but only so much as these technical areas serve your craft, which includes more fundamentally camera placement and eyeline, choice of lens focal length and the power of the triangle in creating powerful compositions. Throughout the book you will come to understand the master shooter’s guiding principle, that story is the conduit through which all creative and technical decisions flow.

Humorous and opinionated, the author provides insightful anecdotes and tutorials that help you learn the video shooter’s craft. While the book focuses primarily on how to get the most out of your entry- and mid-level P2, XDCAM, and AVCHD camcorder, the principles and lessons covered such as shooting for green screen and understanding point of view apply just as well to video shooters and storytellers of any level.

As apprenticeships in the industry have largely disappeared, aspiring shooters and film students have had to seek alternative sources for training and guidance. In Video Shooter, you will find a master teacher offering perceptive lessons with a healthy dose of inspiration; these pages are as close to a living and breathing mentor as one can get in a printed form.

Hundreds of full-color photos and illustrations present the many lessons throughout the book.

Please visit the Companion Web site: http://booksite.focalpress.com/Braverman/ (registration code is located inside the book)

* Engaging and informative, veteran shooter Barry Braverman shares the ins and outs of crafting a story using DV cams.
* Extensively illustrated in full color, readers will see examples of good video shooting that will help them learn what to do (and what to avoid) in their own videos.
* Companion website offers tutorials, bonus illustrations, examples, demos, equipment reviews, craft tips, blogs, and an instructor’s corner complete with students’ work.

Read more Leave a comment

How to Shoot Video That Doesn’t Suck: Advice to Make Any Amateur Look Like a Pro

Video is everywhere. Over 90 percent of American homes have some form of video camera, we upload 24 hours of video to the Web every minute, and we watch videos two billion times a day on YouTube. Problem is, most of it is bad—but here’s how to make it not only better, but also great.

How to Shoot Video That Doesn’t Suck is all about the language of video. It’s about how to think like a director, regardless of equipment (amateurs think about the camera, pros think about communication).  It’s about the rules developed over a century of movie-making—which work
just as well when shooting a two-year-old’s birthday party. Written by Steve Stockman, the director of Two Weeks (2007), plus TV shows, music videos, and hundreds of commercials, How to Shoot Video That Doesn’t Suck explains in 74 short, pithy, insightful chapters how to tell a story and entertain your audience.

Here’s how to think in shots—how to move-point-shoot-stop-repeat, instead of planting yourself in one spot and pressing “Record” for five minutes. Why never to shoot until you see the whites of your subject’s eyes. Why to “zoom” with your feet and not the lens. How to create intrigue on camera. The book covers the basics of framing, lighting, sound (use an external mic), editing, special effects (turn them off), and gives specific advice on how to shoot a variety of specific situations: sporting events, parties and family gatherings, graduations and performances. Plus, how to make instructional and promotional videos, how to make a music video, how to capture stunts, and much more. At the end of every chapter is a suggestion of how to immediately put what you learned into practice, so the next time you’re shooting you’ll have begun to master the skill. Accompanying the book is a website with video clips to illustrate different rules, techniques, and situations.

Read more Leave a comment