The Five Essential Steps in Digital Video [With DVD]

by Denise Ohio

This text helps the reader utilize all digital aspects of videography, productions, and distribution in a do-it-yourself manner. The DVD contains a short DV movie and the making of documentary, all... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0789726157
• ISBN13: 9780789726155
• Release Date: December 2001
• Publisher: Que
• Length: 848 Pages
• Weight: 3.10 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.9" x 7.4" x 9.1"

Customer Reviews

From soup to nuts--an excellent primer & reference

Eight-hundred pages divided by thirty bucks is less than 4 cents a page, and it's a rare page that doesn't return its value many times over in this top-notch tour through every major (and many minor) aspect(s) of the filmmaking process.The breadth of Denise Ohio's knowledge is astonishing--she's clearly had assistance and generously credits key sources--but her ability to boil information down and present it with effervescent wit makes "Five Essential Steps" an invaluable manual for videomakers at all levels who've heard the call to "put on a show."Whatever your budget or level of expertise (okay, I'd say the ideal reader would be at an intermediate level, with some production experience under the belt) this book provides an overview of the various phases (Development, Pre-Production, Production, Post-Production & Distribution), as well as an 'underview' chock-full of nuggets drawn from the experience of its remarkably versatile author. Even if you never intend to pitch the script, hang the lights, spot the audio, or negotiate the sync license yourself, any digital videomaker in the DIY era owes it to him/herself to understand how the process works from start to finish. For those who do intend to put on that multi-brimmed hat, consider this comprehensive primer/reference first money well-spent.

Exactly what I've been looking for

I just purchased this book and have read the first 8 chapters. It is exactly what I have been looking for. I've wanted to get involved in filmmaking for years, but have never really had a chance. I've done quite a bit of audio engineering and my job is in the computing field. After much soul searching I decided to go ahead and chase my dream. I've been looking for a way for a beginner like me to get a solid education that could give me the basics that I need to get going. This book is exactly what I've been looking for. It is easy to read but rich with practical information.

A superb reference for the seasoned producer

The inspiration for Five Essential Steps In Digital Video: The Do It Yourself Guide To Shooting And Producing Your Own Video sprang from a theme of five frequently asked questions posed to digital video expert Denise Ohio. The questions she typically receives are based on what she calls Five Steps: Development: Hunting and Gathering; Preproduction: People, Places, and Things; Production: Action!; Postproduction: Directing the Movie; and Selling: How to Keep Your Shirt Five Essential Steps In Digital Video is packed full of information for the novice and will serve as a superb reference for the seasoned producer. Denise Ohio covers the basics of DV technology and choosing the right equipment to planning your budget, digitizing your own music, and acquiring resources online. Selling a project has also been transformed by the Internet and Denise Ohio accessibly surveys and explains which means of distribution would be the best for the reader's project. Highly recommended with User Level classification of: Beginner to Intermediate. 800 pp.

Amazing Resource for Filmmakers!

Technical writing can be boring. Yet Denise Ohio has the very rare knack for imparting very thorough, detailed information in a downright entertaining and conversational style. This is an incredibly thorough resource for filmmakers. The appendix alone (full of template licensing agreements, release and budgeting forms, etc.) is worth its weight in gold.This book offers a bounty of up-to-date and practical advice on everything from mounting a mic to finding a distributor. The wide spectrum it covers makes it ideal for burgeoning DV filmmakers, yet the high degree of detail in every section makes it extremely useful for experienced professionals as well.Should be in every filmmaker's library. And it would make a GREAT gift for anyone who's caught the DV bug.

It's about darn time.

This remarkable book manages to deliver a lot of "meat" but in writing that's clear, straightforward, and even entertaining. I love the info on script analysis--finally one of these indie moviemaking books gives as much attention to SCRIPT QUALITY as it does to networking and how to get into festivals. Other books pay lip service to DV possibilities, but "5 Steps" unapologetically takes DV to heart and espouses a style, philosophy, and approach that truly exploits the DV potential. Buy it. Then get off your butt and make your movie.