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The DV Rebel's Guide
Michael Flynn writes "The DV Rebel's Guide is broken down into chapters that follow the basic timeline of a
film's production. The first chapter covering the overall philosophy of the authors
approach and the rest focused on the making of your film: Pre-production,
Production and Post production. A great deal of the book is focused, to
very good effect, on post production."
Read on for the rest of Michael's review
The DV Rebel's Guide
author
Stu Maschwitz
pages
320
publisher
Peachpit Press
rating
9
reviewer
Michael Flynn
ISBN
0321413644
summary
A` step by step guide to making your own film
Stu Maschwitz is one of the founders of The Orphanage. A
visual effects house with credits in such films as Sin City, The Day After
Tomorrow, and Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. Prior to founding The
Orphanage, Stu had a stint at ILM.
Stu's writing style is very easygoing and at times irreverent. Regarding his short film that he includes on the DVD, he points out "The Last Birthday Card was made on an Apple G3 and took over two days to render. I chose to take these enforced breaks from working on my film as opportunities to strike up a new hobby, one that I still practice today: staring at my After Effects progress bar".
In each chapter, a number of Hollywood action films is referenced. At the end of each chapter, the films that are mentioned are listed so that the reader can put them onto their NetFlix list or run over to the local video store and rent them to see first hand, the techniques that are referenced.
His pragmatic approach to getting the job done and using whatever tools are at hand or that you can build is highly effective. My only complaint is that there are a number of specifics regarding After Effects that are not covered in Stu's book. To his defense, this is not an After Effects tutorial. You are expected to know how to use AE before your dive into Stu's methods.
His suggestions for examining the area around you to utilize as much of what you have at hand is unique and effective. Suggesting the use of glass elevators for simulating crane master shots as well as people movers in airports for dolly shots is exemplary of the approach. Additionally, for the wood working inclined filmmaker, a very nice design is included for building a hand-holding rig for your DV camera (Stu eschews hand holding a DV camera due to the light weight that generally translates to a very shaky image).
The book details adding effects that Stu used in his short film "The Last Birthday Card". The film illustrates a number of useful techniques such as compositing a helicopter into a scene, practical bullet hits and squib simulations. He also includes high quality squib footage on the DVD for the rebel filmmaker to use in his/her own projects.
The last section of the book covers color correction in great detail. It provides techniques for using the color correction tools in After Effects as well as using a layered approach to this process. To illustrate the approaches that he suggests, he provides a number of After Effects projects on the DVD that the reader can use to follow along with the examples.
Stu also, wisely, includes one of the chapters of the book on the DVD in PDF format. This is the camera chapter. With DV cameras changing at such a rapid pace, this allowed him to provide very up to date information on DV cameras that might have been obsolete by the time the book had come back from the printer.
He provides a number of very nice scripts and presets on the DVD for a variety of effects as well as tools for color correcting. The film strip script that allows you to compare a number of shots at once for color/look management is particularly nice.
Finally,Stu maintains a lively message board devoted to the book where folks can ask questions and Stu is very prompt about providing answers. Having read over 200 books on film making, this book is the only one that will end up on the set of my next film.
You can purchase The DV Rebel's Guide: An All-Digital Approach to Making Killer Action Movies on the Cheap from amazon.com. Slashdot welcomes readers' book reviews -- to see your own review here, read the book review guidelines, then visit the submission page.
Stu's writing style is very easygoing and at times irreverent. Regarding his short film that he includes on the DVD, he points out "The Last Birthday Card was made on an Apple G3 and took over two days to render. I chose to take these enforced breaks from working on my film as opportunities to strike up a new hobby, one that I still practice today: staring at my After Effects progress bar".
In each chapter, a number of Hollywood action films is referenced. At the end of each chapter, the films that are mentioned are listed so that the reader can put them onto their NetFlix list or run over to the local video store and rent them to see first hand, the techniques that are referenced.
His pragmatic approach to getting the job done and using whatever tools are at hand or that you can build is highly effective. My only complaint is that there are a number of specifics regarding After Effects that are not covered in Stu's book. To his defense, this is not an After Effects tutorial. You are expected to know how to use AE before your dive into Stu's methods.
His suggestions for examining the area around you to utilize as much of what you have at hand is unique and effective. Suggesting the use of glass elevators for simulating crane master shots as well as people movers in airports for dolly shots is exemplary of the approach. Additionally, for the wood working inclined filmmaker, a very nice design is included for building a hand-holding rig for your DV camera (Stu eschews hand holding a DV camera due to the light weight that generally translates to a very shaky image).
The book details adding effects that Stu used in his short film "The Last Birthday Card". The film illustrates a number of useful techniques such as compositing a helicopter into a scene, practical bullet hits and squib simulations. He also includes high quality squib footage on the DVD for the rebel filmmaker to use in his/her own projects.
The last section of the book covers color correction in great detail. It provides techniques for using the color correction tools in After Effects as well as using a layered approach to this process. To illustrate the approaches that he suggests, he provides a number of After Effects projects on the DVD that the reader can use to follow along with the examples.
Stu also, wisely, includes one of the chapters of the book on the DVD in PDF format. This is the camera chapter. With DV cameras changing at such a rapid pace, this allowed him to provide very up to date information on DV cameras that might have been obsolete by the time the book had come back from the printer.
He provides a number of very nice scripts and presets on the DVD for a variety of effects as well as tools for color correcting. The film strip script that allows you to compare a number of shots at once for color/look management is particularly nice.
Finally,Stu maintains a lively message board devoted to the book where folks can ask questions and Stu is very prompt about providing answers. Having read over 200 books on film making, this book is the only one that will end up on the set of my next film.
You can purchase The DV Rebel's Guide: An All-Digital Approach to Making Killer Action Movies on the Cheap from amazon.com. Slashdot welcomes readers' book reviews -- to see your own review here, read the book review guidelines, then visit the submission page.
Were's the chapter on "talent"?
In People's Republic of California, Movies make YOU!
Ok, I'm kidding, but...
If I were a DV Rebel, wouldn't I go all analog?
If Nalgene water bottles are outlawed, only outlaws will have Nalgene water bottles.
1. Get video camera.
2. Find willing amateur teen.
3. ????
4. Profit!
I've always tinkered with the idea of making a low-budget film. Anyone seen Clerks? I wonder what Kevin Smiths take on it is, or it would be nice if he would write a book like this. I'd buy it in a heartbeat :)
Unless there are pickup lines in there that work on improving the beauty of the "beautiful girl" you cast, I suspect you'd better get really good at CGI boob effects!
stuff |
What can I learn from this book to make that look even better than it is?
Don't cast yourself in the film?
BWAH HA HA HA HA! :)
Aaahh, I crack me up.
There is an excellent section on digitally removing C-section scars.
SJW: Someone who has run out of real oppression, and has to fake it.
Another great reference, if you're interested, is $30 Film School by Michael Dean. I bought it a couple years ago when I was going to make a short film (I still am; it's just on the back-burner right now).
This is the best way I can think of to stick it to the MPAA, though: Go make your OWN movie! You won't make any money, but DIY stuff always makes you feel good.
"Oh boy! Are we going to try something dangerous?"
... whether it is worth buying if you are not an After Effects user.
Hello Ms modeling agency, I'd like to book Charlene Boobalicious for next Saturday, how much will that cost me?
This space is intentionally staring blankly at you
Most books have a "foreword".
Is this a book on post-production or filmmaking? There is a huge, huge difference. If this is a book mainly focused on technical details of production, and you're looking for something about how to *make a film,* please look elsewhere. Filmmaking is a state of mind. It requires loads of thought, introspection and *creativity.*
The only way to make a film is to have an idea. Anything else is just a waste of time.
Limina.Log
Too bad IBM trademarked PC and the population went to sleep. Next thing I knew the PC was lost in the corporate dungeons and the tubes of the internets.
There was a brief moment, when Babylon 5 was using the Amiga to create it's Computer Graphics, that I thought the breakout could still occur. New sound cards were coming out, and I thought musicians would take advantage of this new power.
Unfortunately only Rap musicians seemed to take note. Suddenly I saw all these independant Rap CDs being sold on the streets. But they were the only ones. Oh, well, maybe it's just going to take a little longer than I thought. Maybe the PC will free our minds and our data and unleash a wave of creativity never seen before.
Or maybe not. :(
FREE YOUR MINDS FROM THE INFLUENCE OF THE MAFIAA! CREATE ON YOUR OWN TERMS!
We have always been at war with Eurasia!
Don't forget to send them to your local film festival.
http://www.bangshortfilmfestival.com/
Actually, you can make quite a bit of money on an indie film that is freely distributed. If the film is relatively popular, an embedded advertisement such as a scene in a local restaurant, or someone using the advertised product can bring a film maker a lot of revenue (especially if he is the seller of the advertised product). You also stick it to the MPAA. The media cartel hates competition, but they can no longer do any thing about it. The garage studio is going to put the media cartel out of business. It is now only a matter of time. The RIAA not only goes after innocent people, they also go after their children just to add fuel to the fire. An article on p2pnet.net shows just how much hatred the media cartel has generated for itself. The article is pretty informative, however, the comments are really telling!!!
http://p2pnet.net/story/11878
If I were to buy a camera this year, what format should it be? I read widely that miniDV is being phased out.
The book is really a-z from acquisition to delivery. If you're looking to shoot on prosumer cameras and edit on prosumer gear, there's something in here for you.
If you're not using After effects, what are you using? The book concentrates on getting professional level finishing and effects out of prosumer level tools. Basically, with the finishing chapter, he's showing you how to replace a Smoke with AE and some elbow grease. If you're using something higher end (Flame/Nitris/Nuke/etc), it probably got stuff you already know how to do in your app, but you'll pick up some handy tips and the book may still be worth picking up.
The scripts alone are worth the price of the book. The color correction thumbnail script is genius.
I'd also look at Colorista - his GPU assisted color correction plugin that evolved out of one of the included scripts. Also super cool.
It's not a question of corporate dungeons etc. etc. I know people who were doing computer generated music 30 years ago when that idea was really new and you had to have access to a really serious machine (for its day) to do anything... problem is most people didn't really want to listen to it. Most people still don't want to listen to anything drastically different than what they were exposed to growing up. Take Sitar music or Gamelan... age old music, very popular from whence it came, but most North Americans wouldn't enjoy listening to it.
And a lot of the things people did when sound cards showed up cheap enough to be ubiquitous... well... it was just harsh.
I think the single thing most likely to encourage creativity and diversity is pirating. The economics are shifting and the profit will be gone which in turn means the days of "supergroups" and "superstars" is ending... the money just isn't there. That in turn will open things up to a lot of people. It's pretty much the case now that anyone with a few bucks will be able to make as much music, with as much complexity, as they want and be able to distribute it to as many people as want to listen to it. Music critics will become much more important. I think will live performances, something computer generated music tends to fall down on, will become much more common as well.
The same is true of movies and TV... the money is disappearing and soon it just won't be viable to have big production costs. Synthetic actors are getting better and better and processing power for special effects is getting cheaper and cheaper. Look at TV and how many reality (read: cheap to make) shows occupy the schedule. Soon enough the money won't be there to keep large interests in the game and then small independents will have more and more opportunity to obtain audience share.
I think we are witnessing the death of entertainment as we know it. Kids being born now will have difficulty relating to the idea of "network tv" and so on... it will be like describing the day before TV to today's kids. And the replacement will in many ways resemble entertainment from a century ago or more.
The tyrant will always find a pretext for his tyranny - Aesop
In the movies I'd like to make the guy introduces a beautiful girl, what follows is groping, fellating, cunniliting, copulatin and ejaculating. What can I learn from this book to make that look even better than it is?
Um, maybe the book talks about what will happen when you turn 14 next year?
"I'd rather be a lightning rod than a seismometer." -Ken Kesey
If you think rap musicians are the only ones who took to the computer to create music, you could not be more wrong.
You are welcome on my lawn.
I think one of the most overlooked tools for an amateur filmmaker is Martin Hash's Animation Master. $300 (cheaper for students). True, it's sold as an animation product, but you can load up your video as a rotoscope and animate (or just plain tinker) over the top of it. People sell "titling" software for more than that, and you can assuredly do the most whizbang titling you can imagine with this feature-jammed package, plus a whole lot more.
On the downside, any full-featured animation software is darn complex, so you need some geek attitude to get into A:M. OTOH, there's plenty of amateur talent that uses the package, so if you have any budget at all, you might be able buy the work you need.
Disclaimer: I sound like I own stock in the company, but they actually cost me money, since I tend to buy a new upgrade every year. All I get in return is that the relatives actually ask to see my home movies instead of fleeing the room when the DVD goes in :-).
Get what you like and what you can afford. For my home stuff, I use the video functionality of my Canon Powershot still camera way more than I ever used my miniDV camera.
If you're really planning on making a movie, or need to shoot long form stuff,, get an HDV camera. The new cameras (like the canon HV20) are around $1100, small and have HDMI ports , so you can plug 'em right into your plasma/whatever, but of more interest to pro video folk (and most likely nerds) you can capture right off the sensor via HDMI, skipping HDMI compression. So, if you need to do greenscreen or need a REALLY nice image, that will come in handy.
For general purpose use? Make sure the still cameras dont do what you need. Save the extra $500-$4500, and rent a Z1U or a XLH1 for the big violin recital....
Nothing, but i can tell you that you need background music going "Bow Chica Wow Wow"
What is...?
D. B. Gilles' The Portable Film School is both more accessible and more insightful. Michael Dean's $30 Film School has a better look at pre-production. Richard Pepperman's The Eye iS Quicker is better for post.
I believe you, I just don't see much evidence here. What are you seeing and in what locations?
We have always been at war with Eurasia!
I think you're right on a lot of points. For instance I was reading a few weeks ago that the top CDs sold 30,000 copies recently. A few years ago that wouldn't have been enough to land a CD in the top 30. So sales, and the money, are dropping. Like you, I see hope in this for an independant future.
The computer is such a powerful tool and its cost is steadily dropping. I think of characters like Gollum from Lord Of The Rings and the backgrounds from Sky Captain and wonder what a small group of people could do if they had the distribution.
We may see this soon. I've noticed over the years that media is getting smaller. Have you noticed how people are actually starting to watch those small images on YouTube? How about all those people who actually watch content on PSPs, or Video iPods. MP3s actually have less content than CDs yet the guy that sits in the cube across from me SOLD all of his CDs after converting them to MP3s. He seems to be happy.
If the content of the future is in such small packages, the costs to produce it will go down, and the computer power needed to generate it will also decline. :)
There is hope in the future.
We have always been at war with Eurasia!
Here's another short review but with handy links to related topics:
/ DVRebelsreview.html
http://msp.sfsu.edu/Instructors/rey/aepage/extras
Rich