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In this DVD, the experts at Videomaker go beyond the basics and teach you to refine your shooting skills and tell a better story.
Subjects include:
* Shot Sheets, Logs and Slates - How to use shot sheets, storyboards, logs and slates to effectively map your shots and boost the quality of your production.
* Lenses and Filters - Use filters to protect your camcorder's sensitive components, improve shot quality and create interesting effects.
* Exposure and Shutter - Charge Coupled Devices (CCDs), using your camcorder's iris to manipulate depth of field, using shutter speed to control exposure.
* Camera Moves - Learn the ins and outs of dollys, trucks, arcs and cranes. How to improvise on the cheap.
* Handheld Techniques - Using your body to make your shots smooth and stable. Image stabilization - optical, electronic and with a Steadycam.
* Composition - Get beyond the "Rule of 3rds." Converging lines, depth of frame, lens compression, using focus, the "Hitchcock Zoom," and how to shoot moving subjects.
(about 30 minutes)
This video was added to our catalog on December 07, 2005 in Film::Camerawork.
Product availability: available now, ships immediately!
For the most part, I liked the video. I did learn a few things about proper use of the iris and shutter settings on my XL1.
However, my motivation for renting the video was that the description said that "using a Steadicam" was covered in the dvd. The Steadicam was hardly mentioned at all. As a matter of fact, they only spent about 30 seconds on the subject. So in that regard, I felt mislead by the description, and was disappointed.
A decent introduction to camera operation, including camera moves, handheld techniques, framing&composition,
"Use your viewfinder as a canvas" I like that quote.
As the other reviewer wrote, the stabilizer demo was barely worth mentioning. I'd really like to see a video with more demonstration of the various stabilizers, from budget to pro.
The only odd thing is the mix of production quality. Some presenters are really smooth while others are stuttery. The presenters are lighted professionally but have an odd strobey look to their movements.
For a single tutorial disc, this was pretty good. Though, at 30 minutes, it's short.
Well, I just will say this...I expected so much more and was very dissapointed. SmartFlix is such a great company to offer videos that you cannot find at any local video rental company; they just do not specialize in "specialty" videos-what a Godsend!!
Now, back to this crummy video. I have subscribed to VideoMaker magazine I would've thought that they would be THE source for a dynamic training video-NOT! They just barely touched on videographic equipment and practices. It was as it they were showing a few people who excelled in their field (lighting, video movement, sounds, etc.), but nothing-nothing that was deep enough to show you something that you would never forget. And, it was very, very short-I guess it was best that way, huh? Why watch a movie with potential when you feel ripped-off and longer than you have too?!
It was a waste of money and if you were to offer me $50,000 to give you a really good summary of each "section" or the whole DVD, I would be broke-I just don't recall anything standing-out enough to stay in memory.
Sorry VideoMaker crew, but you should know better. If you REALLY want to learn about videography, rent the "Harnessing the Potential of Your Video Camera" DVD. Now THAT is an awesome video training/resource DVD-everything you've always wondered about camera shooting and more than you ever knew was possible to learn.
