The Shut Up and Shoot Documentary Guide: A Down & Dirty DV Production [With DVD]

by Anthony Q. Artis

Book Overview

So you want to make a documentary, but think you don't have a lot of time, money, or experience? It's time to get down and dirty Down and dirty is a filmmaking mindset. It's the mentality that forces... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0240809351
• ISBN13: 9780240809359
• Release Date: September 2007
• Publisher: Focal Press
• Length: 269 Pages
• Weight: 0.55 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 7.3" x 10.2"

Customer Reviews

"The back door to film school is now open!"

Anthony Q. Artis has lovingly placed a complete video production course between the covers of a book. Here are all the things a conscientious film teacher tells his students, plus a DVD that shows, among other things, examples of good and bad sound along with interviews with prominent documentarians. The book puts the focus on doing. Its tacit assumption is that everyone makes mistakes when they begin production, so you might as well get on with making them. Chapter one is titled Preproduction, and in fifty-two pages it covers everything from determining the goal of your documentary (What story do you want to tell and why?) to care and feeding of crew members (Don't skimp on food!). By chapter two we're on location, and the book offers a lot of good advice about making a film in someone else's backyard. From then on it's all about getting it shot, getting good information, good images and good sound, planning for and conducting interviews, and the key to every successful documentary: editing and postproduction. Do I love everything about this book? No. While it talks about guerilla filmmaking, in many ways it embraces a rather formal approach to making a documentary, which is to record interviews and shoot B-roll. While Artis says in chapter 6, "your B-roll is your A-roll," I find a bias here in favor of told evidence over visual evidence. That said, there is a lot to like about "The Shut Up and Shoot Documentary Guide." This book is so rich in so many ways that it is an excellent starting point for the beginning, wannabe documentary filmmaker as well as a handy resource for the rest of us who learned on the job, or learned our fundamentals so long ago that we can occasionally use a brush-up. Just as I carried the "American Cinematographer Manual" in my hip pocket when I was making documentaries on film, I'd keep this book on the reference shelf near my computer and stick it in my shoulder bag before going on a shoot. And, if I were still teaching, this would definitely be one of the books I'd use. [...]

A Must Read!

A Must Read!, February 17, 2008 By Keesha Monroe - See all my reviews I loved this book and would highly recommend it to any aspiring filmmakers. Now when I watch documentaries I see them so differently..with "new eyes" because of the knowledge I acquired from this book. I am a film student and I am anxious to begin work but I feel like the pace we are moving at school is too slow, I want to gain hands on experience. I want to have access to the basic information I need to get started, I do not want to wait for my degree or until I have "lots" of money to start my projects. I want to begin now while I have the passion. This book lays out how to do just that. No matter how much money, how much schooling, or what equipment you have, this book spells it out in plain English what to do and what not to do. It is an easy read and if you are a visual learner then you will love the photos, diagrams, and illustrations in this book. The DVD was an excellent added bonus. Most of all this book made my dreams of producing/directing documentaries seem obtainable in the near future. I will continue to use this as a reference book and place it right alongside my school books. If you are ready to stop dreaming about making films and ready to begin to make them then trust me get this book it will make your dream feel possible.

What a Great Book for DV Filmmakers

I have taken many DV filmmaking classes and this is a great book for those who can not attend hands on training. Great approach and great book ........ well worth it! I can't wait for the DVD training to be released.

Easily the most clear and useful guide to getting out there and making movies

Anthony Artis has created a very usable guide to making documentary films independently, which also happens to be the best guide I've encountered on what you really need to know to get started making independent films of any sort. The techniques he indicates that are designed for documentary filmmaking are essential skills for any independent filmmaker who wants things to stretch a limited budget without sacrificing filmmaking quality. The book is beautifully produced, well bound on high quality paper (as one might expect from Focal Press), and full of very useful illustrations and photos. It is also right on point -- this is designed as a usable guide and not as a book on history and theory -- though there are enough very quick tips and provocative pointers on the history and theory of documentary filmmaking to at least show that Mr. Artis knows his stuff -- this is not one of those books by someone who made a film or two that never made it anywhere and now pretends to be an expert on everything cinematic. Mr. Artis has made several documentary products for a wide range of venues and now works at NYU as an instructor and equipment manager -- he has the streed cred, the professional know-how and the academic training required to really pull of something like this tour-de-force of a usable guide. It reads quickly, with each minor topic covered in a few brief paragraphs with supplementary how-to guides, tips and pointers from professionals. It also covers everything, at least everything you could possibly digest until you have gotten some experience actually making a few films; at the same time he reminds budding filmmakers that there is always more to learn to supplement hands-on experience and points to a number of credible resources that would serve an amateur filmmaker very well. One of the most refreshing features of this guide is that it strikes a good balance between the "down and dirty" guerilla style independent filmmaking it encourages and the recognition that professionalism and "mainstream" approaches to documentary filmmaking developed for a reason. He doesn't diss Hollywood style filmmaking, and is obviously well versed in it, and gives pointers for how to make work professional; at the same time he recognizes that professional standards urged in several mainstream filmmaking guides can become hurdles that keep aspiring filmmakers from picking up a camera and just getting started as they need to in order to develop professionally. Sometimes the "down and dirty" approach that encourages innovation and problem-solving over spending top dollar on the best equipment is just the right approach both for a particular subject matter and a particular style. But the book as a whole covers it all: what to do when you are in a pinch and what to do when you can afford the time and money to give your project extra polish. He covers pre-production, including location scouting and getting releases, making budgets, raising money and se

The Best Book on the Market!

As a graduate of NYU Film School, I've had to read A LOT of books. Some were more interesting than others, but there were few that I would have sought out on my own merit. The Shut Up and Shoot Documentary Guide is one that I've been searching for. It provides great reference sheets and quick tips as well as practical explanations in layman terms of how to achieve a desired effect for your project. I've also used this book in courses I have taught and it's a hit. Whether novice or professional, there is something in this book for everyone. Now go ahead and click that link!