Digital Filmmaking 101: An Essential Guide to Producing Low-Budget Movies

Customer Reviews

Average Customer Review




From Start to finish, a very good outline..., August 4, 2008
By Unknown311 (Silver Spring, MD)
So i read this book in a few days and basically what it helped me with is to have a good picture of what it would take for an overall production from start to finish. It went into detail in some areas more than others but it gave a good general view that could be followed if you wanted to make movies.

It gave me exactly what i was looking for, which was a basic introduction on the process of movie making from start (concept and screenwriting) to finish (post production and distribution). This helped me assess what needed to be done to ... make a movie!



The best!, October 31, 2007
By Charles Henry Blackledge
For the ultra-low budget filmmaker, there is no better book to read than digital filmmaking 101. This book tells you everything you will need to know to make a quality feature length movie on a shoestring budget.

Every filmmaker dreams of being at the helm of a 20 million dollar movie. However, there are only 7 studios in the U.S. that have that kind of capital and they aren't going to give you 20 million dollars to make a movie until you first make a 2 million dollar movie. How many people have 2 million dollars lying around? Not many. So how do you get people to give you 2 million dollars for a movie? You make a 200,000 dollar movie. How many people have $200,000 lying around? Some do but most don't. So how do you get people to give you $200,000 for a movie? You make a $20,000 movie. $20,000 is a little more within reach for a lot of people but for many others it is still an insurmountable obstacle. How do you raise $20,000 to make a movie? You make an $8000 ultra-low budget movie. This is what Digital Filmamking 101 teaches you how to do. $8000 is well within reach for most people. That's a part-time job for a year or so. As a first time filmmaker, which is more within reach? The $20 million film or the $8,000 film. Start with the $ 8000 movie and save the $20,000, $200,000 and $2 million films for your 2nd, third and fourth films respectively. The big studios will then be more likely to give you $20 million to make a movie because you have already demonstrated that you know what you know what you're doing. You will have made a movie for $8000, $20,000, $200,000 and $2 million.



Worth a look, October 24, 2007
By J. Demedici
I disagree with the comments from others who trash this book. It isn't a great book but it is a very good one that is appropriately titled "101" because its an introduction to digital filmmaking. It includes most of the information you need to know to put an ultra low-budget digital feature together. The authors (wisely) avoided too many references to technical equipment or how to operate them because, as we all know, by the time the book is published, whatever technology they referred to would be outdated. If you're looking for a book that goes into production details like lighting, camera angles, setting up shots, and directing actors you won't find that in this book.

On the other hand, the book has a lot of information about how to get started, how to set up a small production company, equipment you'll need, creating and working within a tight budget, planning and working within a production schedule, finding and auditioning actors and crew, sourcing equipment, post production, distribution, and a lot of other useful stuff. I recommend it as a good place for any aspiring indie filmmaker to start.



Digital Filmmaking 101, June 1, 2007
By Jack Rivers (East Texas)
Has lots of information and tips on "how-to-" do many things. But I wouldn't try to make a movie of it. It just didn't hit me.



Where is the digital?, April 4, 2007
By Michael D. Mullen (adelanto, CA United States)
I bought this book thinking it would help in a film project utilizing a good camera and a few volunteers. Unfortunately it does not even have much to say about the possibilities of digital filmmaking, but rather gives a disorganized (how about some editing?) depiction of their experience in making two films. I am not sure they even used the digital format.... The true focus is how to produce a film with little budget, and little experience. Not a bad topic, but not what I was expecting from the title. Three stars for the appendix, the chapter on working with the crew, and budget.