Reddit Reddit reviews Film Directing Shot by Shot: Visualizing from Concept to Screen (Michael Wiese Productions)

We found 25 Reddit comments about Film Directing Shot by Shot: Visualizing from Concept to Screen (Michael Wiese Productions). Here are the top ones, ranked by their Reddit score.

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Film Directing Shot by Shot: Visualizing from Concept to Screen (Michael Wiese Productions)
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25 Reddit comments about Film Directing Shot by Shot: Visualizing from Concept to Screen (Michael Wiese Productions):

u/reesewho · 7 pointsr/Filmmakers

I'm not the best person to be giving advice, but I just dropped out of film school last year (I was only there for a year) and have begun making some progress on my own.

First of all, watch a lot of movies. Literally the only thing I miss about school was having access to so many classic films playing in the theater every weekend. Netflix can be just as good, however. But never stop going to the theater.

Secondly, read. Look up some textbooks that film classes use. I really enjoyed Shot By Shot and On Directing Film, since I want to be a director.

Thirdly, and most importantly. Make films. Try to work on projects all the time. Your projects, your friends projects, random web series that post on facebook asking for free crew members.... it doesn't matter. Stay surrounded by film, because that's another one of film school's biggest strengths. It can be difficult to stay motivated when you don't have a GPA looming over your head.

Again, I'm by no means a success so take my advice however you will. Good luck!

u/mycrayonbroke · 5 pointsr/Filmmakers

https://www.amazon.com/Film-Directing-Shot-Visualizing-Productions/dp/0941188108

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0054RVNTQ/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_hsch_vapi_tkin_p1_i1

Both of those will do you a world of good for learning a lot of the basics and ways to look at things. The Filmmaker's Handbook that someone else mentions is also great.

u/kissmyrobot · 3 pointsr/VideoEditing

Read as many books on directing as you can. As the editor, you imbue a second level of direction: you're picking the performances, fine tuning the timing, deciding what the audience sees - albeit all within the context of what the director did during filming and within the limits of their editorial control.

http://www.amazon.com/Film-Directing-Shot-Visualizing-Productions/dp/0941188108

http://www.amazon.com/Directing-Film-David-Mamet/dp/0140127224/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1368184441&sr=1-1&keywords=david+mamet+on+directing

are two that come to mind. I'd recommend more but I'm about to crash from an near all nighter.

u/skytomorrownow · 3 pointsr/gamedev

Check out books on cinematography and staging for some knowledge on lighting and staging. My wife is a film director so she has a library of books from film school. One I can recommend is Film Direction Shot by Shot. It shows many classic scene setups.

It's not just about lighting, staging the characters to fit in the camera view was a very import to film and film noir. A reminder that in those old movies, every movement of the actors was foreknowledge, and the actors have 'marks' on the floor to tell them where to stand. This is incredibly important for getting the right image in view, at the right angle. This is just something to consider, for a video game designer. A hallmark of video games is freedom of movement, but this could make a film noir scene problematic. So it's not just as simple as turn off the lights to save time making assets. It would take some care and thought to achieve. Overall though, I think it's an excellent idea.

u/phoenix_magnus · 3 pointsr/animationcareer

For beginners:

Film directing: shot by shot was passed around in college and was on our recommended reading list, but i don't know if it was the best book.

For advanced skills:

In college, my animation professors told me the best way to develop storyboarding skills was to watch films, with emphasis on older films. I was to storyboard a sequence that I thought was pretty good, then study the shots in sequence to understand why the shot choices were made. After that, try to see if could I make it read better /have more impact for the audience than the original one.

u/gadzookfilms · 3 pointsr/Filmmakers

You don't say what you want to do, so I'll assume you want to write/direct. Read Film Directing Shot by Shot. Either rent, borrow or buy a cheap camera and try out examples from the book.

Read Save the Cat! Write scripts in your spare time. Read them out loud with friends to get an idea of pacing, structure, and believability (would someone actually say that?).

I hesitate to add too much to your reading list as it really is more of a "doing" than a "reading" hobby. It's great to try to figure out FCP, but if you've never played with it it could get overwhelming fast. You can learn the basics with iMovie - again, pacing, editing for the cut, fluidity, etc.

Otherwise check out Craigslist and volunteer on any small film shoots, no matter how shitty. You'll learn a lot about what NOT to do. Invaluable! Good luck!

u/hoover900 · 3 pointsr/gamedev

K there are a couple of thing wrong here. First off, unless you licensed the visual rights to Pixar's Cars, I suggest you change your car models in the game as well as the trailer to the boxier car models you already have. You don't want your product to be confused with Disney, so this change will save you from having to deal with legal trouble with Disney. Second, you can also lose the first 20 seconds of the trailer. You're not showing anything important to the viewer. Does the user even care that the Car is performing in a circus? Is the car upset that he's performing in the circus? Why does he run away and the cops immediately chase him? I highly recommend picking up the The Illusion of Life: Disney Animation and Shot By Shot. Both of these books go over in detail the art of making something entertaining and interesting.

edit: grammar and spelling

u/arriflex · 3 pointsr/movies

I wouldn't discount going with an all-in-one loaf of bread camera for now. Built in lens, xlr ports for audio, zebras, waveform (probably).....lots of little tools most SLR's won't have. Sure, they dont have the large sensor so the DOF is not so striking- however in the real world you arent generally shooting WFO on a large sensor as the depth of field is too small to be practical without a crackerjack 1st AC.


That's not going to be a popular opinion with the DSLR revolution thing, but it's not about the camera. Learning good composition and how to light comes from experience. Just as important is learning to shoot for the cut and previsualization so you dont waste a bunch of time on set.


A few things you should be ready to invest in outside of the camera:


-ShotPut Pro or Double Data. These tools are invaluable for making sure the footage coming off the cards is intact and not corrupted.


-A good fluid head. There are plenty of great ones you an get used, watch DVX User's marketplace. Vinten and Sachtler make some great entry level heads these days and you can save a bundle buying used.


-Extra batteries. You will need them. 3 is a good place to start, one in your pocket, one on the brownie, one on the charger.


-A couple books to get you started: Film Directing: Shot by Shot and Cinematic Motion are both great. I know you will have curriculum books, but I would buy these anyway.


And now some general advice.


-Go PA. Find time, but go PA. Leave your film school knowledge (and ego) at the door, keep your eyes and ears open, keep your mouth shut unless you are asking a question to learn something. You will learn so much by working on real sets and you can bring that experience back to school for even greater success. There is no replacement for time on real jobs.


-Learn the names of the tools and the phrases and verbal tools of the set. It's a part of set etiquette. All the grip/electric gear has names and you will get respect if you know what someone means when they ask for a lowboy combo, a lollipop, a onkybonk, and a show card. How long before something is done? "We're moments away." Do you run on set? Not unless something is on fire. New deal, watch your eyes, coming up, coming at ya, flying in, it's hot, stinger, 10-1, 10-4, up 1 (radio brevity), call sheet, walking breakfast, having had.......there is so much stuff to learn.....PA, PA, PA!


-Learn to budget and run P&L spreadsheets. Pick apart every scene in a script and figure out what gear you need, what personnel, location, how much time then add up the cost. Group the scenes for shooting by location and talent availability and get day by day estimates. The sooner you learn this stuff the better. Again, it will help you in school.


-Make to-do lists and stay organized! Keep your receipts (even if you dont have to turn them in), its a habit you always need to have for this business. I use a combination of Any.Do, Evernote, and BaseCamp to keep everything organized.


-Share your knowledge and listen to others. Even the death march nightmare pilots/films/industrials/whatever donkey fucks offer something to learn. Find it. Always find something to learn.


-Don't waste your time shooting dog shit. If the shot sucks ask your self what you can do to make it better. If it's still dog shit, move on.


-Always, always ask yourself what you can do to make your shot better. Always.


-Work on everything- reality/commercial/film/doc/industrial/whatever. Be versatile.


-Learn to shoot for the cut. Did I say that already? I'm saying it again. Watch TV and Movies and pick the scenes apart to see how they cut. #1 problem for new cameramen/directors/dp is not having footage that cuts in edit.


TL,DR Shit i have learned over the years that is off topic but useful for newbies coming into our business.

u/OZYMNDX · 2 pointsr/cinematography

Might be more for director's but maybe Shot By Shot

u/fetusl · 2 pointsr/AskReddit

I agree with ancientworldnow. Get on set. This is essential, just being on set you'll learn more than you would any place else. This will teach you how sets function. Sometimes it will be backbreaking tiresome work, but you will learn who plays the different roles on sets.

The other thing you should do is get a camera and produce content. It will be crappy at first, but just get out there with a camera and make stuff. It doesn't matter what, and it doesn't matter that you're not getting paid for it. Look for online contests for commercials, music videos, and short films. You may not be interested in the products or content you'll be film, but these will provide opportunities to create content. When you finish such projects, analyze what you've done well, and where you've failed.

You don't need a $5000 camera to produce quality content, learn to work with something less expensive, even a flip camera. The concepts you learn about blocking and setting up shots will teach you a whole lot that can be applied to any equipment you get later on.

Read Shot by shot. It's a solid filmmaking textbook that goes through some of the basics.

But mostly, get yourself on a set. Go on craigslist and find free PA gigs, they wont pay, but you'll meet others like you. Finally, when you're on set, don't push your own projects, everyone has a project that they're working on, you're not there to pitch, you're there to pitch in. If you make yourself known as a hard worker, you'll be called back and back and pay will come your way.

u/kohrtoons · 2 pointsr/AnimationCrit

Wow, that dog really wants to bite him! It's hard to guess how to critique not knowing your experience so ill keep it broad...

For composition and filmmaking read this:Film Directing, Shot by Shot

For Animation Read this:Animation Survival Kit

Once you read both of these books you will be able and critique this and make your next piece much better.

Good Luck!

u/Danger_duck · 2 pointsr/Filmmakers

http://www.amazon.com/Film-Directing-Shot-Visualizing-Productions/dp/0941188108

This book covers storyboarding very thoroughly, down to different techniques for drawing arrows to indicate movement, but also covers staging and all aspects of choosing shots, angles, mantaining visual flow etc.

It's a heavy read though, very in-depth and technical - which of course is a good thing if you have the patience.

u/secamTO · 1 pointr/Filmmakers

French reverses are often dictated by the schedule, or the geography of a pracitcal location.

To save the time expense of a regular reverse (for instance during a conversation), in a french reverse involves shooting the actors on the same background, being sure to give them the opposite eyeline direction, so when the shots are edited together the actors appear to be across from each other, looking at each other.

It can also be done in a practical location when there's only an interesting background in one direction. For instance, on a TV series last year, we shot a french reverse in a scene shot at night on the roof of a parkade in a canyon of highrises. One direction gave an appealing background of glass towers lit up at night. In the other direction, we had the parkade's concrete walls. So, having shot a master favouring the highrise background, we shot coverage looking the same direction to give the appearance that the parkade was surrounded by glass towers.

Film Directing Shot by Shot (http://www.amazon.ca/Film-Directing-Shot-Visualizing-Concept/dp/0941188108/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1376630391&sr=1-1&keywords=film+directing+shot+by+shot) and Directing by Michael Rabinger (http://www.amazon.ca/Directing-Techniques-Aesthetics-Michael-Rabiger/dp/0240818458/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1376630444&sr=1-1) both have, as I recall, info on the french reverse.

u/helirabbits · 1 pointr/animation

I'm in the same place as you (sorta), working successfully in a job outside of animation, but wanting to make the leap over. Here's what I've learned so far (in an obligatory wall of text):

A strong foundation is really important. Learning and practicing how to draw may take time, but luckily for both of us, there's an incredibly large number of resources both online and offline to take advantage of. Live drawing classes can help you figure out proper proportion and gesture. So can taking a sketchbook to a coffeeshop or zoo. This book in particular was very helpful in figuring sketching out:
http://www.drawingforce.com/

Learning to create strong compositions is important in any visual medium, animated or not. You could probably benefit from doing film studies, with a focus on understanding why characters are positioned a certain way within a frame. Failing to do this, you end up working uphill, trying to animate something that was flawed from the start. In this regard, this book is a great resource: http://www.amazon.com/Film-Directing-Shot-Visualizing-Productions/dp/0941188108

Finally, you'll probably have a lot of fun figuring out the tools synonymous with the animation industry. For 2D, Flash is still a big player, as is Harmony and TVPaint. Lots of resources online geared towards learning how to use these tools. At the core though, good animation hasn't really changed too much... make stuff until your stuff is believable. It's time consuming as hell, so I wouldn't invest in a huge, overly ambitious project from the start. Short, simple ideas that let you test your abilities would probably be a good idea.

Other than that, I don't know! Work hard, work smart.

u/redhairing · 1 pointr/filmmaking

Make a shot list. No matter what you're shooting, a shot list will make it easier to wrap your head around. Go through your script, (or treatment for music video) and visualize everything. Make a list of every shot you want, get as specific as possible. Along with this you can put story boards, or camera plots, but really you just need to organize what you see in your head and put it on paper.

From there, just go through each shot and decided what order to shoot in that will maximize time. For example, get all the shots for a location at one time, and then move to the next. Or get all the hand held shots done first, then move to static shots. Or if you have equipment that takes a long time to set up, plan to shoot that first. Simple stuff like that.

I recommend the book Shot by Shot, awesome book that trains your filmmaker brain.

u/11_25_13_TheEdge · 1 pointr/Filmmakers

https://www.amazon.com/Film-Directing-Shot-Visualizing-Productions/dp/0941188108

Directing is not something you learn in a book, of course, but I know what you mean. This book is going to explain what techniques to take into production. I really enjoyed it.

u/lazygenius777 · 1 pointr/Filmmakers

Is there any particular area he is interested in?

Film Directing Shot by Shot is pretty good general purpose book on shot design.
https://www.amazon.com/Film-Directing-Shot-Visualizing-Productions/dp/0941188108/ref=sr_1_sc_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1486578814&sr=8-2-spell&keywords=film+direcing

u/[deleted] · 1 pointr/videos

No, I once read a book about film directing though. But thats all.

u/ajmanx · 1 pointr/Filmmakers

Film Directing Shot by Shot: Visualizing from Concept to Screen (Michael Wiese Productions) by Steven D. Katz http://www.amazon.com/dp/0941188108/ref=cm_sw_r_udp_awd_uqcutb0F34D39

PM me for more resources. I teach too.