How to Shoot Video That Doesn't Suck

Trade Paperback

Advice to Make Any Amateur Look Like a Pro

Newly updated and revised, How to Shoot Video That Doesn t Suck is a quick and easy guide that will make your video better instantly whether you read it cover to cover or just skim a few chapters. It s about the language of video and how to think like a director, regardless of equipment (amateurs think about the camera, pros think about communication). It s about the rules developed over a century of movie-making which work just as well when shooting a two-year-old s birthday party on your phone. Written by Steve Stockman, the director of the award-winning feature Two Weeks, plus TV shows, music videos, and hundreds of commercials, How to Shoot Video That Doesn t Suck explains in 74 short, pithy, insightful chapters how to tell a story and entertain your audience. In other words, how to shoot video people will want to watch. Here s how to think in shots how to move-point-shoot-stop-repeat, instead of planting yourself in one spot and pressing Record for five minutes. Why never to shoot until you see the whites of your subject s eyes. Why to zoom with your feet and not the lens. How to create intrigue on camera. The book covers the basics of video production: framing, lighting, sound (use an external mic), editing, special effects (turn them off!), and gives advice on shooting a variety of specific situations: sporting events, parties and family gatherings, graduations and performances. Plus, how to make instructional and promotional videos, how to make a music video, how to capture stunts, and much more. At the end of every chapter is a suggestion of how to immediately put what you ve learned into practice, so the next time you re shooting you ll have begun to master the skill. Steve s website (stevestockman.com) provides video examples to illustrate different production ideas, techniques, and situations, and his latest thoughts on all things video.