Reddit reviews American Cinematographer Manual 10TH Edition
We found 5 Reddit comments about American Cinematographer Manual 10TH Edition. Here are the top ones, ranked by their Reddit score.
bathtub/trash barge going by my assumption it's all stock footage...
Are you familiar with American-Cinematographer Manual? A major portion of the book contains tables of data. Things like how fast to pan/move the camera to avoid certain unflattering artifacts.
Camera operators are familiar with what movements work and how fast to move the camera. So it's not a stretch to see very similar movements in stock footage that blend pretty damn well without having to do much. The VFX guy just needed to recognize similar movements and do some fine tuning.
It's also possible the tub is CG and they matched the movement with 3D tracking because that movement for stock footage of a tub is kinda odd... Then again there is some crazy ass stock footage out there.
In my opinion, cinematography is best defined as visual storytelling. A cinematographer uses light (grip and electric) and format (camera, film or digital) to communicate a narrative structure or idea to an audience.
While your video is an exercise with your camera, it did not communicate anything to me.
Maybe this is just a matter of semantics and definition. Cinematography is art, therefore subjective. It is young and still changing drastically. My definition maybe to ridged. What do you think?
As a beginner, I would recommend some things:
This book is dense and technical but knowing your tools and how they work will help you make better visual choices.
You do not need actors or a script. Maybe you can do something similar to this video. Chicago can still be your subject just think of an idea or story to show.
One if my favorites is Road to Perdition shot by Conrad Hall, ASC. Pick a part one of your favorite movies and see how the photography advances narrative or adds to character development
Hope this is informative. Maybe its just a bunch of bullshit or both.
https://www.amazon.com/American-Cinematographer-Manual-10TH-Michael/dp/1467568309
I don't think there is a digital copy.
I wish I knew where to point you other than to Kodak's website at the moment. Most of the best handouts I ever got during film school were these cryptic old packets that I wouldn't even know how to share with you practically. Personally, I'd look into taking a photography class that requires you to shoot on 35mm. That's pretty much how most people start, and what tends to get you hooked.
Some books worth looking into would be The Professional Cameraman's Handbook and The ASC Manual are both good resources, but namely deal more with cameras than the film itself. I'm going to leave this here, but I imagine you've already done this much.
I got you fam.
American Cinematographer Manual
Camera Assistants Handbook
Painting with Light
As for magazines, I'd recommend ICG.