Digital Cinema: The Hollywood Insiders Guide to the Evolution of Storytelling

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Summary: Must-have for digital filmmakers...
Review: As someone who approached DV as a novice, this book was excellent -- informative, thorough, and extremely readable. (I imagine a DV pro would find a lot of useful info here, too.) The book was also very well-rounded, and looked at DV from all angles, not just artistic ones. It's also nice to hear the persepctives of those that have been intimately involved with DV, and their experiences. Very much worth the purchase!

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Summary: An inspiring and encouraging book
Review: Digital Cinema is a must-read for anyone interested in filmmaking today. Actually, it is a must-read for anyone interested in telling stories because, as authors Taylor and Hsu convincingly argue, digital cinema is the cutting-edge medium for today's storytellers. "Going back to our cave-dwelling ancestors sitting around a fire," say the authors, "the human impulse to entertain, provoke, move, enlighten, and share has shaped our whole history of dramatic, written and visual work. There is a very basic human need for translating internal thoughts and emotions into a medium that can effectively and affectingly convey them to others...and digital technology promises a quantum leap in access to visual storytelling tools." Hsu and Taylor clearly know their field, and expertly guide the reader through a highly readable explanation of why digital cinema has "democratized the filmmaking process," making it much easier for individuals with stories to tell to reach their audiences. They acknowledge that simply owning an digital video camera is not enough, however, and carefully detail the often challenging realities involved in making even a digital picture. Still, if you read this book, you won't want to turn back. Incidentally, if you're in the vicinity of Santa Monica, California, on Wednesday, January 7, you can catch the authors signing their book at 7:30 p.m. at Barnes & Noble, 1201 Third Street Promenade.

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Summary: Fabulous Book!
Review: I appreciate a book like "Digital Cinema" that can clearly and thoroughly explain a subject, especially the technical aspects. A friend in the film business strongly recommended it to me, and her enthusiasm was certainly justified. A great read for filmmakers and anyone who loves movies.

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Summary: A must-have book for filmmakers
Review: I love this book. The writing is clear and clean, and while it covers basically *everything*, it's never either condescending or overly simplistic. If you want to make a digital movie, this nuts-and-bolts guide should be your first read.

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Summary: A must-have book for filmmakers
Review: I love this book. The writing is clear and clean, and while it covers basically *everything*, it's never either condescending or overly simplistic. If you want to make a digital movie, this nuts-and-bolts guide should be your first read.

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Summary: Fabulous Book!
Review: My involvement with a project shot entirely with a mini digital video camera began in mid-September of this year. My new client was very pleased that I identified the format correctly within a couple minutes of viewing the first episode, but other than that I was clueless regarding the issues involved with shooting in the digital format. DIGITAL CINEMA changed that immediately. The authors have provided me with invaluable insights into the use of digital video, and I was able to read (study) their book whenever I had a few minutes available. Wasting no time, Chapter One provided a detailed chart comparing the expense of shooting on film compared to shooting on digital video. While I'm involved with a television show, many of the issues translate directly to my situation. The rest of the book continued to enlighten me in the most cost-effective manner possible, and I now feel completely comfortable and confident whenever a conversation turns to this topic. The postproduction discussions were most personally relevant, but everything else is also extremely helpful. For instance, I wasn't even thinking in terms of digital video being a series of "ones and zeroes" instead of true video, but I'm aware of such issues - both large and small - now thanks to this book. I thank the authors for their work, and recommend it to all.

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Summary: Must-Read for young filmmakers
Review: The book covers vital issues, but at the time of the writing of this review, the book cover shown is incorrect. Hopefully someone at Amazon will read this and fix the the graphic.