Digital Video Secrets. Tony Levelle

      

      “Very clear and precise. A layman can take this book and eliminate massive amounts of mistakes and actually make good movies.”

      —Alan Siegel, California Teacher of the Year (2005), teaches at nationally recognized, award-winning Carle High School

      “You’ve written a real nuts and bolts, straightforward primer (and more) for anyone who wants to learn about the DV camera and how to use it. The reader can use Digital Video Secrets to shore up weaknesses and bolster strengths. It’s chock full of useful information. I’m writing a script at the moment and Tony Levelle’s book is already widening my options for setups as I come into each scene.”

      —Christopher Keane, author of Romancing the A List: How to Write the Script the Big Stars Want to Make

      “Tony Levelle has put between two covers everything you need to know about the best and brightest ways to use your digital camera, regardless of what you’re shooting — from wedding videos to the next big ground-breaking low-budget sensation.”

      —John Gaspard, author of Digital Filmmaking 101, Fast, Cheap and Under Control and Fast, Cheap and Written That Way

      “I only wish this book had been available years ago. The author illustrates his points with personal stories and he cuts to the chase on matters technical — which he seems to know and understand in depth. His section on camera angles is a ‘must read’ for anyone thinking about picking up a camera. I have no doubt that this book will find itself dirty and dog-eared in many a set bag of working filmmakers in the future — including myself.”

      —Richard La Motte, independent filmmaker, author of Costume

       Design 101

      “As someone who has been shooting digitally since the early days of 1997, after even the most cursory read I know that Digital Video Secrets is a volume that no beginning digital filmmaker should be without.”

      —Scott Essman, director of the acclaimed digital documentary A Tribute to John Chambers

      “Digital Video Secrets is not only a terrific introduction to the craft of visual language, it offers up many of the purest essentials that experienced filmmakers often neglect. Tony Levelle has, quite simply, assembled a wonderfully proficient guidebook.”

      —Richard D. Pepperman, author of Film School, The Eye Is Quicker, and Setting Up Your Scenes

      “From tackling such tricky topics as shooting in the rain to balancing your budget, Tony Levelle provides the foresight and expertise to assure that you won’t have to ‘re-invent the reel’ as you venture forth to capture your vision on film. He balances the stereoscopic view of what you as shooter will experience with how the resultant scenes will impact the audience: no small feat, one that could only be afforded by a pro of his caliber. This priceless primer will shave hours off your learning curve, for which your cast and crew will be eternally grateful!”

      —Mary Trainor-Brigham, author of Deep Cinema: Film as Shamanic Initiation

      “Amazingly complete guide to video production. Simple and easy to use. I recommend it to novices as well as pros.”

      —Paul Chitlik, author of Rewrite and professor at UCLA

      “Clear and concise, with hard-earned experiences interspersed throughout, this book will help you learn the rules of filmmaking and then how to break them. Filmmakers should keep this one in their back pocket as a reference.”

      —Devin Watson, producer, The Cursed

      DIGITAL VIDEO

      SECRETS

      What the Pros Know and the Manuals Don’t Tell You

      Tony Levelle

      MICHAEL WIESE PRODUCTIONS

      Published by Michael Wiese Productions

      3940 Laurel Canyon Blvd. – Suite 1111

      Studio City, CA 91604

      [phone], [phone] (FAX).

       [email protected]

       www.mwp.com

      Cover design by Kevin Capizzi

      Interior design by William Morosi

      Copyedited by Paul Norlen

      Printed by McNaughton & Gunn

      Manufactured in the United States of America

      Copyright 2008 Tony Levelle

      All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means without permission in writing from the author, except for the inclusion of brief quotations in a review.

      Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

      Levelle, Tony, 1944-

      Digital video secrets / Tony Levelle.

      p. cm.

      Includes bibliographical references and index.

      ISBN 978-1-932907-47-6 (alk. paper)

      1. Digital video. I. Title.

      TK6680.5.L48 2008

      778.59--dc22

      2008022849

      Printed on Recycled Stock

      TABLE OF CONTENTS

       Introduction

       Quick Start

       Make sure you have everything you need

       Set up the camera

       If you decide to shoot auto mode

       If you decide to shoot manual mode

       Shoot a short test

       CHAPTER l Shooting Fluently and Confidently

       Secret 1: Don’t be afraid of the camera

       Posting your movies online

       Secret 2: Learn to “see” with the camera

       Secret 3: Learn to shoot intuitively

       Secret 4: Learn to operate your camera by touch

       Secret 5: Learn to shoot with both eyes open

       Secret