How to Shoot Video That Doesn't Suck: Advice to Make Any Amateur Look Like a Pro

Newly updated and revised, How to Shoot Video That Doesnt Suck is a quick and easy guide that will make your video better instantlywhether you read it cover to cover or just skim a few chapters. Its about the language of video and how to think like a director, regardless of equipment (amateurs think about the camera, pros think about communication). Its about the rules developed over a century of movie-makingwhich work just as well when shooting a two-year-olds 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 Doesnt 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. Heres how to think in shotshow 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 subjects 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 youve learned into practice, so the next time youre shooting youll have begun to master the skill. Steves website (stevestockman.com) provides video examples to illustrate different production ideas, techniques, and situations, and his latest thoughts on all things video.