Best cinematography books according to redditors

I've got some tips!

I went to film school at an expensive place and stopped going because the commute was a nightmare and the cost was unreal. I later enrolled in the state school in my town and found out that they were teaching much of the same stuff for a significantly lower cost. Moreover, everybody got director experience, not just the people who were "good enough".

Filmmaking is a tough career to get into, so consider what you want to do with it. I know lots of talented people working in news, sports, and documentary, but not a ton doing steady work for feature films. If that's the kind of work you're looking for, you'll need to live in a place where they are made on the regular. (LA, NYC, Vancouver, etc.) If you have a wanderlust, cool, but city living is expensive.

If you've got the bug and want to make movies, don't wait for school to start. Grab a book and your phone and start shooting. You'd be surprised how little it has to do with your equipment and how much it has to do with proper technique. (I was on a team that won a national award for covering an election. We used iPhones and Skype.)

Here's some helpful books:

How to Shoot Video That Doesn't Suck

Television Field Production and Reporting
This is an older edition of what they are using in schools to teach electronic news gathering.

Good luck!

/u/SquidLoaf - welcome to the world of filmmaking!

You might want to read a book or two before you start.

The book I recommend to everyone just starting out is "[How to Shoot Video That Doesn't Suck: Advice to Make any Amateur Look Like a Pro] (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0051NHJFU/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B0051NHJFU&linkCode=as2&tag=battleforthew-20)" [Referral Link] ($8.99 for Kindle).

This book was written by Hollywood writer/director [Steve Stockman] (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1870021/), who directed Sally Field in [Two Weeks] (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000TV1ST2/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B000TV1ST2&linkCode=as2&tag=battleforthew-20) [Referral Link]. It is a great introduction to visual storytelling for beginners.

Here is the book trailer: http://vimeo.com/24147165

Reading Steve's book will save you a lot of time and money - and make your videos better right out of the gate.

It won't really help with equipment selection, but it may help with something even more important - storytelling.

Once you've read the book, you can get started by shooting your first videos with your smartphone. If you have an iPhone, you can download FiLMiC Pro ([$9.99 from iTunes] (https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/filmic-pro/id436577167?mt=8&at=1000l8mT)) [Referral Link].

For Android, you can download [FiLMiC Pro] (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.filmic.filmicpro&hl=en) or [Cinema FV-5 for $2.49] (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.flavionet.android.cinema.pro&hl=en) on Google Play.

These apps will allow you to control aspect ratio, white balance, exposure, resolution and frame rates - turning your phone into a pretty good approximation of a camcorder.

For about $20, the price of a book and an app, you can get started on the road towards becoming a filmmaker.

Hope this is helpful, good luck and best of the holidays to you and yours!

When I was in film school 35 years ago, I had to read a bunch of expensive books - none of them taught me the answers to these questions. I had to figure it out for myself. Today, a few inexpensive Kindle books will save you a lot of time and headaches and give you a much better idea of what you actually have to do to make a movie.

Here's what I would read if I were starting out today - all from authors who have actually made movies, not just written about it (prices as of this post):

["11 Simple Steps to turn a Screenplay into a Marketable Movie" - 99 cents] (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B009YKJ5UI/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B009YKJ5UI&linkCode=as2&tag=battleforthew-20). This is a real world story of a guy who made a $10,000 movie that made money.

["How to Shoot Video That Doesn't Suck: Advice to Make Any Amateur Look Like a Pro" - $7.69] (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0051NHJFU/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B0051NHJFU&linkCode=as2&tag=battleforthew-20). You probably already have a firm foundation in the basics of storytelling, but here is a nice little summary of what it takes to make a movie watchable.

And, if you can afford it

["Raindance Producers' Lab Lo-To-No Budget Filmmaking" - $22.99] (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00GISSHO4/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00GISSHO4&linkCode=as2&tag=battleforthew-20). Soup to nuts for the low budget filmmaker.

The authors of these three books have actually made movies. Better to learn from their hard-won experience than to go out and reinvent the wheel.

Good luck!

The Filmmaker's Eye - Easy to read book that I've fallen in love with. Not sure if it's what you're looking for, but definitely something to consider!

https://www.amazon.com/Filmmakers-Eye-Learning-Cinematic-Composition/dp/0240812174/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1502971148&sr=8-1&keywords=filmmaker%27s+eye

https://www.amazon.com/Visual-Story-Creating-Structure-Digital/dp/0240807790/ref=pd_sim_14_10?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=0240807790&pd_rd_r=C197QEE8EMEY1KGN3N2E&pd_rd_w=PKzWC&pd_rd_wg=vF29K&psc=1&refRID=C197QEE8EMEY1KGN3N2E

https://www.amazon.com/Cinematography-Directors-Guide-Creative-Collaboration/dp/1932907556/ref=sr_1_10?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1502971260&sr=1-10&keywords=cinematography

I'm a fan of this book, The Filmmakers Eye.

This book focuses more on the general process of video production, but it has a section on editing and is filled with various exercises to help you improve filming as well as editing. http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0761163239/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1456888590&sr=8-1&pi=SY200_QL40&keywords=how+to+shoot+video+that+doesn%27t+suck&dpPl=1&dpID=51MzH-YZtoL&ref=plSrch

This presupposes of course that you have at minimum a basic video camera but I don't think that assumption is too unreasonable. A phone camera should work in fact.

Additionally, an exercise I recommend is that you get someone to record dialogue for a fake (or parody) infomercial and then edit together a video to go with it using clips from YouTube (download with something like MP3 Rocket).

Most of all, it really helps to have someone else who also enjoys editing that you can form a constructive-competative relationship with. This is particularly beneficial when it comes to inspiration and getting notes as to what you've done well and what you need to improve.

https://www.amazon.com/Shoot-Video-That-Doesnt-Suck/dp/0761163239

That's fine. Those of us that notice the obvious patterns in price action will collect while protecting our downside. I'd recommend this book as a starting point if you become interested one day. https://www.amazon.com/Technical-Analysis-Stock-Trends-Tenth/dp/1439898189

A book that really helped me learn how to properly shoot was "How To Shoot Video That Doesn't Suck" by Steve Stockman. It's only like 12 bucks on amazon.

Really what you REALLY need is experience. Equipment is rented by the production, so your primary tool and area of expertise as a 1st AC is rarely going to actually be in your hands unless you're on the job! Start off as a camera intern, you don't need anything for that execpt for enthusiasm, hands to hold and feet to run. Fuck dry erase markers, that's not what ACing is about! :-p

(though in honest answer to your question the essentials are: 1 soft tape measure, 1 hard tape measure, at least three colors of 1 inch gaffers tape, ink pen, dry erase pen, lens cleaner, multiple colors of sharpie with doubles because people keep stealing them, dust can, lens brush, tweezers, mini-screw kit for those tiny camera screws, gloves that let your hands move but are made of a non conductive protector like leather, velcro tape, and a mini clipboard for camera log if logs are being done. And a belt holster to hold it all in, available at army surplus stores if you don't want to get an expensive la-di-da Setwear one.)

You can use this book to start out and then graduate to the bible

Note: Obviously this list is incomplete, if anyone has suggestions please add to this. Also this list is not specifically for kevleemur, but for anyone looking to learn about movie stuffs

Online material is nice, but there are many great and more reliable resources that come in these old fashioned book things.

General

Shot by Shot

MasterShots

The Visual Story


Directing

On Screen Directing
(may be hard to find)

On Directing Film by David Manet

Cinematography/ Lighting/ Camera/ On Set Learning

The ASC Manual (some earlier editions come in one volume which is nice)

Creative Control by Michael Hofstein

The Set Lighting Technicians Handbook

Painting With Light (John Alton's book. A little outdated but still a good read).

Reflections

The Bare Bones Camera Course for Film and Video by Tom Schroeppel (very simple, a good start)

The Grip Book

The Camera Assistant's Manual

Cinematography: Theory and Practice



Producing

Creative Producing From A to Z by Myrl A Schreibman

Scheduling and Budgeting Your Film by Paula Landry

Editing

In the Blink of an Eye by Walter Murch (Sound designer and editor from Apocalypse Now----EXCELLENT)



Screenwriting

Story

Screenplay the Foundations of Screenwriting






ONLINE RESOURCES:


http://www.rondexter.com/

http://cinematography.net/

http://www.rogerdeakins.com/

http://www.arri.com/

http://www.mole.com/

http://www.panavision.com/home

http://www.filmtools.com/

Aside from familiarizing yourself with knowledge and technique the best you can without being involved on set, one of the best things you can do is read up and become as knowledgeable as you can with gear that you will eventually encounter, which is why I listed the last four links. Even if you do plan on going into producing or directing, it is always helpful to understand lighting and camera and why the people working with you need the things they do.


GO LEARN THINGS!

I don't believe there are any Super8 cameras in production anymore. You might have to search archived Pop Photo magazines in Google Books, if you're looking for reviews.

https://books.google.com/books/about/Popular_Photography.html?id=rzH31j84pn8C

I think to a certain extent, you can get an idea of their sophistication by eyeballing them, and knowing their brand heritage. A Canon, Nikon, or Leica with a lot of knobbies is going to be a bit better than the Kodak and Keystones or Bell & Howells.

Also try googling around for "super 8 filmmaking guide":

https://nofilmschool.com/2016/08/this-guide-super-8-filmmaking-weve-been-waiting-for

https://www.amazon.com/Super-Filmmakers-Journal-Filmmaking-Internet/dp/1449551491

+1 for [Art and Science of Digital Compositing]
(https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004HHOC8I)


Heres a few more I can recommend:

Digital Compositing for Film and Video

[Production Pipeline Fundamentals for Film and Games]
(https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00IOPYVIU)

[Maya Python for Games and Film]
(https://www.amazon.com/dp/B005OI23OO)

[Introducing ZBrush 3rd Edition]
(https://www.amazon.com/dp/1118244826)

[Digital Modeling]
(https://www.amazon.com/dp/B006QRYPC0)

[The HDRI Handbook 2.0: High Dynamic Range Imaging for Photographers and CG Artists]
(https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00VB46ACG)

[Professional Photoshop: The Classic Guide to Color Correction, Fifth Edition]
(https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004USQQOC)

[Understanding Exposure, Fourth Edition]
(https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0104EOJSK)

I just this morning finished reading How to Shoot Video That Doesn't Suck and I'd suggest it as a good starting book, more for shooting your video but there is a little bit of general advice on editing.

It's written humorously, but also straight to the point and he doesn't skirt around issues. Each chapter is only a few pages long; makes for a good bathroom reader, hehe.

He also includes example videos on his website that directly relate to the material in the book.

I am currently reading The Filmmaker's Eye by Gustavo Mercado
I am enjoying it a lot

Hey man. I agree with you on the 'more meaningful way' bit. I definitely got heated. Might have something to do with sleep deprivation and the marathon of HIMYM I'm currently on.

Regardless, excuses aside. Sorry man, shouldn't have been that harsh.

I would LOVE to go into detail about every single one of your shots and what I would've done and what I thought needed work. But to be honest. It's all subjective. It's an art. You might like something that I hate.

THAT BEING SAID, there are some basics you should really avoid. And there are are things you need to learn in order to accurately pull that idea out of your head and successfully get it into film.

Instead of yelling at you. I'm gonna gather up some resources for you that I really hope you take the time to learn from.

Now, you asked to see some of my work. Linking you stuff would just throw away the point of the 'throwaway' account since my first comment was so god damn harsh and to the point. Now I stated that

"You wasted 2:45 seconds. A lot of short films can make a grown man weep in that time"

I would just like to show you an example of what 2:42 seconds can do.

Here's the list:

QUICK VIDEOZ UP IN DIS BITCH:

Hands on lecture about Cinematography


Get out of AUTO mode! Some quick tips on shooting with a DSLR. I assume you're using a DSLR because that's what I started with. Regardless of camera this is great advice to start with

Wise words from my man Kevin Smith on independent filmmaking

Intro lecture on pre-production, script writing, and filmmaking in general

More DSLR tips and tricks


READING MATERIALS YO, READ DIS SHIT:

http://www.amazon.ca/The-Filmmakers-Eye-Cinematic-Composition/dp/0240812174

http://www.amazon.ca/The-Filmmakers-Handbook-Comprehensive-Digital/dp/0452297281



Now I understand if you can't afford to buy the books. When I was in highschool I was lucky enough to be able to beg my friends to borrow their camcorders in order to film my shorts. It's how I got started.

That being said I don't want to break rule #2 of this subreddit that I fucking love.

THAT BEING SAID.

LET'S JUST SAY.... THAT A CERTAIN BEARDED PIRATE.... IS CHILLING AT A CERTAIN BAY... AND IF YOU JUST GO TO HIM AND SAY THE WORDS "The Filmmaker" I'M SURE HE COULD HOOK A BROTHA UP WITH SOME OF DEM KNOWLEDGE PAPERS YA DIG?


Anyways brother/sister. I'm sorry about being harsh on your film. I wish you the best of luck in the future. All the stuff I've thrown your way you don't have to go through it all in one sitting. Just delve into some of them on your freetime every now and then.

Peace bitch. (I mean bitch in the nicestest most Aaron Paul way possible)

Those mics ain't gonna cut it. If you are fond of Rode, look into their NTG-2. These aren't specifically designed to be mounted on camera, as they work best boomed over (or scooped under) talent. For the best audio possible, you want to have the boom mic just outside of frame. If you plan on shooting interview style setups, I suggest you go the wireless lav mic route, so you can run two or more mics right on talent, and not have to worry about having a boom operator (or two) . I suggest this one from Saramonic set. I have used this in everything from weddings to legal depositions, and it has never let me down.

But you also may need a mixer recorder. This is so you can adjust the levels for each person separately, as everyone doesn't talk the same loudness. I use the Tascam DR-60D, they are cheap, but they have a glaring problem, that they won't recognize over a 16GB SD card. For that reason alone, I recommend getting a DR-70D or a competing mixer/recorder from Zoom. The reason why I recommend these instead of ones that are cheaper, is that these have dedicated physical gain buttons for each channel, so you can "ride the pots" to keep your levels where they need to be.

Lastly, since you're a Noobie, I don't want you to suck, so I picked out some great, cheap, Kindle books that I've bought and read cover to cover, and they really helped BIG TIME! I recommend this book called How to Shoot Video that Doesn't Suck and The Angry Filmmakers Survival Guide - Part One (this is more about indie film production, but damn near everything can be applied to your use case).

I spent several years getting my lighting chops doing portraiture photography. I knew how to do what I needed with soft and hard light from studio strobes. But dealing with "hot lights" (continuous lighting) for multiple people or a whole room is something else altogether! The most expensive book I'll recommend (around $22.00 USD) is Lighting for Cinematography Please buy this book!! It is fascinating the amount of information you learn from this publication, as it's chock full of pictures from on sets of lighting setups.

​

I hope this helps!

Hi /u/fynnz0r - here's a ten year old article from Videomaker with the basics: http://www.videomaker.com/article/9254-how-to-use-a-camcorder-buttons-and-contols

Once you have the basic terminology down, you may find it useful to read something like: "[How to Shoot Video That Doesn't Suck] (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0051NHJFU/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B0051NHJFU&linkCode=as2&tag=battleforthew-20)". The Kindle version is only $3, and it will be a good grounding in the fundamentals of videography.

Then, I would look at some of the basic how-to videos on the Internet - I like the approach over at [Wistia] (http://wistia.com/learning/diy-office-video-studio).

After that, you'll be ready to look at some of the resources other people have recommended (such as IndyMogul, FilmRiot and No Film School). I also like Dave Dugdale's [Learning DSLR Video] (http://www.learningdslrvideo.com/).

Hope this is helpful!

Bill

Cinematography is a very nuanced art, but if you're looking for a entry level way in to understanding its principles I'd recommend The Filmmaker's Eye. It's a great book in that it's visually oriented, and though the writing is philosophical in nature it's basic enough that a beginner/hobbyist can understand it and begin to learn why cinematic composition differs from photographic composition.

If you can find a copy of a book called Barebones, it's actually pretty good at explaining a lot of complex ideas in a minimal amount of pages and for an incredibly inexpensive price.

Admire the initiative and effort of making your short film, must've taken some work!

Allow me to recommend the book "How to shoot video that doesn't suck" by Steve Stockman. It basically details every basic rule to help your viewers suspend disbelief, and how to look at cutting out any little thing that doesn't progress the story. If you do anything else, get this book. You're already on track to grow if you keep making films, the book will only expedite it and give you a strong foundation. Cheers!

https://www.amazon.com/Shoot-Video-That-Doesnt-Suck/dp/0761163239

As I understand it, the probes are taken of the real city, and they positioned these by having accurate GPS assisted position data.

You can find mirror ball around in home accent or garden supply stores, I got mine at walmart for like 15 bucks a few years ago. Basically, you take something like that out and shoot it HDR, and you can build those 3d spheres using those images. Typically, this is used for a radiance lighting rig of some sort, or for a reflection map, not for texturing, since the image will drop of in resolution in places.

It's an enormous amount of work to do the number of HDR probes that they did. My guess is that they cut the sphere maps along the hard edges of the buildings so they wouldn't have to contend with the blending issue, but I have no idea if that's the case.

Here's a comprehensive resource on shooting HDRs and HDR probes.

http://www.amazon.com/The-HDRI-Handbook-2-0-Photographers/dp/1937538168

If you are looking for something to get college credit for, I'm not sure. But YouTube has some awesome resources for learning about these things.
A couple of my favorite channels that I subscribe to are Digital Rev TV (has lots of good info about how to shoot certain subject matter and different cameras and lenses) and Karl Taylor's Channel (he's more of my "bare bones guide" for a lot of things, I've learned a lot about photography through his videos). Karl Taylor also has DVDs that supposedly have much more content, but I've never tried them.
Since you are interested more in video production The Bare Bones Camera Course for Film and Video is a great place to start learning the basics and the dos and don'ts of film and video production, don't get it on amazon though, I'm sure you can get it for less somewhere else.

Hope that helps a little! I don't do a lot of video stuff, so I don't have too many recommendations there.

I'd really recommend The Digital Filmmaking Handbook by Mark Brindle. It's divided into two sections, one for beginners and one somewhat more advanced. Some of the material might feel trivial, but most of it is really useful. I especially like Brindle's one-picture guide to framing sizes, as well as the checklist in preparation for a day of shooting.

Another good thing about the book is that it's fairly new, making things such as camera and software suggestions somewhat relevant.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Digital-Filmmaking-Handbook-Mark-Brindle/dp/1780878133

Cool. If you'd like my 2 cents, a few of my favorite film books from school were:

• The Bare Bones Camera Course for Film and Video (Basic camera guide that I found helpful and checked back on every once in a while)
  
  
• Set Lighting Technician's Handbook: a great book on lighting with tons of information on the properties of light, the choices a gaffer makes, and different equipment.
  
  
• Film Form by Eisenstein: You've probably had to read at least some of this for class. Even if you don't read the whole thing, Eisenstein had some interesting ideas on how film should work.

http://www.amazon.com/Shoot-Video-That-Doesnt-Suck/dp/0761163239/ref=sr_1_1

Sorry for the lenghty post, I just rambled away a bit. The last paragraph isn't really that relevant.

I mean... from the technical analysis standpoint, all the stuff that people are saying now is the same stuff you can find in books that are several decades old (for example this one http://www.amazon.com/Technical-Analysis-Stock-Trends-Edition/dp/1439898189/ref=pd_sim_14_3?ie=UTF8&dpID=515wOX3jMzL&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL160_SR108%2C160_&refRID=14W13T8GE200TSE8CB95 ).

For general technical analysis, if you pick any book that is reasonably well acknowledged, you will be fine. For more "specialty" things like Fibo and Eliott, it varies from person to person, I don't use them so I can't help you here.

For trading psychology, I personally liked the Market Wizards books, some of the people interviewed in those books busted their funds and what not, but others are functioning until now just fine. My main take from that book wasn't the advice given by people, but the fact that there were so many different traders and all of their diverse trading styles were working shows that there isn't just one right way to do it imho. Mark Douglas is good aswell, www.chatwithtraders.com is similar to Market Wizards,

As for tutors and various websites, I can't name any I'd trust, I think it's just waste of money. Better spend that on a good book, stare at charts and try with a small account until it clicks. Most of the courses just sell you the basic technical analysis stuff for a huge price and to be honest, I don't believe there is one hidden trick that will suddenly make me a profitable trader. If there was and the guy selling the course knew it, why would he bother selling it to peasants and wasting time? Either put it online somewhere in a forum and enjoy the money or keep it to yourself and.. enjoy the money I guess. If somebody had a trading system to make boatloads of money, why would he bother selling it for €2000? The time simply wouldn't be worth it, if you could make 10x that in a single trade. But then again, I really think that trading in the end is about 20% strategy and money management and 80% psychology, so take my opinion with a pinch of salt.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0960371818/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1368197587&sr=8-1&pi=SL75

Get your hands on that and you'll learn a lot of the basics quickly an easily.

I highly recommend you to read this book: https://www.amazon.com/Shoot-Video-That-Doesnt-Suck-ebook/dp/B0051NHJFU/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1484194715&sr=1-1&keywords=how+to+shoot+video+that+doesn%27t+suck

That's also a book-- I have it! Great tips for all levels. https://www.amazon.com/Shoot-Video-That-Doesnt-Suck/dp/0761163239/r

For less messy amazon links you can extract the part after "/dp/" in

https://www.amazon.com/Shoot-Video-That-Doesnt-Suck-ebook/dp/B0051NHJFU/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1484194715&sr=1-1&keywords=how+to+shoot+video+that+doesn%27t+suck

and make it:

https://amzn.com/B0051NHJFU

BEEP BOP

Plz send any recommendations via PM

the filmmakers eye
http://www.amazon.ca/The-Filmmakers-Eye-Cinematic-Composition/dp/0240812174

The Filmmaker's Eye is a brilliant basic starting point. Very easy to read quickly.

If you are shooting with a dslr this is the best book I've ever purchased. It covers all the mundane aspects of filmmaking at the beginning that I am sure you already know all about but once you get into it gives some fantastic advice!

http://www.amazon.com/The-DSLR-Filmmakers-Handbook-Real-World/dp/0470876603/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1332334359&sr=8-2

A couple ideas

https://www.amazon.com/Shoot-Video-That-Doesnt-Suck/dp/0761163239/ref=mt_paperback?_encoding=UTF8&me=

https://www.amazon.com/YouTube-Channels-Dummies-Rob-Ciampa/dp/1118958179/ref=mt_paperback?_encoding=UTF8&me=

My favorites:

The Visual Story


In the Blink of an Eye

How to Read a Film (personally bored by it but a lot of film classes I took in uni versity used it)

The Filmmaker's Eye (huge fan of this book)

The rest of this post is just general advice on how to gain a deeper knowledge of film.

If you want to learn the grammar of film, read about film history (it will help introduce you to editing/camera movement/directing techniques and the filmmakers/films that influenced your favorite directors).

Read criticism from Pauline Kael, Andrew Sarris, David Bordwell (his blog is a fantastic resource), Jonathan Rosenbaum, and older critics such as Bazin/Eisenstein. There are more out there, but this is a good start.

Read reviews after you watch a film instead of beforehand--those reviews will hopefully give you a deeper view of the film. That being said, you really have to look around to figure out who you like, stylistically speaking. There are a lot of critics that have no idea what they're talking about from a technical standpoint. If you're bored with short reviews without substance you might like FILMCRITHULK.

Watch YouTube tutorials and video essays on filmmaking. Video essays are particularly helpful at illustrating and pointing out things that you might not have noticed otherwise. It's also a hell of a lot more entertaining than reading criticism that was written in 1962 in another language.

From a practical standpoint, pick up a camera and shoot something. Edit it. Read books on composition--I've found that photography composition books are pretty helpful. Read scripts from films you love and films you haven't seen to get an idea of how a film exists before the first day of shooting takes place.

Keep watching films, and watch them actively. Don't text during films, and try to watch them in one sitting. The goal is to immerse yourself in the image and analyze the shots/cuts/etc. as they happen. Watch films with commentaries, watch them with the sound off, and branch out into different genres and time periods so that you can attain a more concise view of film.

Above all else, watch as many films as you can. You'll find that the watchlist keeps growing, no matter how many films you see.

this is the book we are using in my cinematography class. I really like it.

Don't want to make any assumptions, but the right gear is pretty low on the list if you are new to filmmaking or taking video. In photography here everyone will tell you knowing what ISO/Aperature/Shutter speed mean and how to work with them will make a MUCH bigger difference then if you don't learn that and just buy nicer gear.

In video this applies DOUBLE at least. Because now when you edit it all together you will need specific shots. My wife is an excellent photographer and spent a few weeks this summer doing photography and some video work for a nonprofit working in Africa and came back with some footage that was pretty tough to use, not for the sake that she didn't have the gear or equipment. Almost unusable just because the shots were not there, not the right length, not the right distances, etc.

Focus on the video aspect, the storytelling aspect, how to take and "think in shots" first and foremost. Don't worry about the gear yet.

This is incredible and concise and I cannot recommend it enough: "How to Shoot Video that Doesn't Suck"

But not to come across smug or anything and blow off your question, some gear recommendations:

A cheap, battery powered lapel mic with extra batteries. If you do any interviews on site (you should try!) this can improve your audio dramatically for dirt cheap.

Tripods make a difference in panning and zooming and whatnot, but honestly the MAJORITY of your shots should NOT be panning and zooming shots (this was the problem with all of my wifes footage). So don't worry too much about this.

SD cards obviously you'll need very fast cards, but even on top of that some are better than others with different cameras I have no idea why. I can put a "90m/s" SD card in my 60D that works fine, and another that runs out of buffer in 5 seconds, even when trying to reduce quality or other issues. Both are the same "speed" cards! I recommend checking your specific camera or some forums where people have discussed that.

Some of those editing tips:

• Stop, point, shoot for a bit, MOVE. Try to take a particular action or subject that is happening, and get an overview of what is going on, then get a little closer and get a good focused idea of what is happening, then get REALLY close and get a nice close up of the eyes, emotion, face, or specific action. Do this for each subject, event or specific action you're filming. (EDIT: Like what this guy is getting at, don't worry so much about the order, just getting multiple shots for every one action).
  
  
• Pan and zoom sparingly. While motion seems to be the pinnacle of "film" over still photography, it is not workable to have EVERY shot panning or zooming around (I just saw a buddy of mine shoot an engagement video like this, with great equipment, that just looked so awkward). Watch videos, it is more often than not quick cuts between different stable shots that give the 'looking around' feel of video. Not actually moving the camera around and following things or pointing the camera at things while they move around.
  
  
• Things like avoiding cheesy effects, transitions and fonts and whatnot. Did you end up wanting to edit this yourself or the same friend that did the promo?
  
  What it is going to boil down to is if you sent some professional video crews out with iPhones they would come back and put something much more watchable, interesting, and engaging than a group of beginners with the best equipment. This is sort of true in photography as well to some degree, but absolutely a fact in video. So focus on the important part.
  
  Anyway tl;dr, focus on learning the language of video, filmmaking, and that kind of stuff before worrying too much about gear.
  
  (But really let me if you have any more specific questions or need any other help, I am not professional at all, but have been doing a lot of amateur video work and editing perhaps a dozen small projects and stuff over the last few years, I can show you some specific examples of stuff too. Do a lot of overseas work and deal with portability issues and stuff. Have even been teaching a beginners crash course "media" class with the disaster relief organization I work with, mostly focuses on ethics and stuff. We send teams with a very low end but user friendly video setup I put together to use for the work we do).

If you want fundamentals this is the book:

The Bare Bones Camera Course for Film and Video

https://www.amazon.com/Bare-Bones-Camera-Course-Video/dp/1621535266/ref=asc_df_1621535266_nodl/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=312057344057&hvpos=1o1&hvnetw=g&hvrand=16607398353638976432&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9030955&hvtargid=pla-564471839673&psc=1

I got the book for one of my USC cinema courses. It’s really really great.

I've recently gotten into film making myself and found the book Shoot Video That Doesn't Suck! as a great introduction. It's an easy read and covers a lot of basics.

https://www.amazon.com/Shoot-Video-That-Doesnt-Suck/dp/0761163239 a good read

Right. And you don't need one right now, either.

In fact, before you do anything, read this: http://www.amazon.com/Bare-Bones-Camera-Course-Video/dp/0960371818

I liked The Filmmaker's Eye

American Cinematographer Handbook.

Costs bucks but totally worth it.

http://www.amazon.com/American-Cinematographer-Manual-Ninth-Edition/dp/0935578242