I spent the first half of the summer finally completing the NEW Down and Dirty DV book. (And I spent the second half of the summer recovering from the effort, going on my very first trip to Europe and finally spending some quality summertime with the fam.)
I am now very excited to say that after more than 2 years of straight hustling, the first PUBLISHED Down and Dirty DV book is complete and finally ready for public consumption.
The Shut Up and Shoot Documentary Guide weighs in at 296 full-color pages, 500+ photos and illustrations, and features a Bonus DVD that I will dare to say is the absolute best free DVD included with any film book on the market.
Basically the new book is a greatly enhanced and expanded version of the first book, Down and Dirty DV – Vol.1: Documentaries. This new book is my best attempt to break down the filmmaking process into simple, illustrated, no-nonsense step-by-step tutorials and ultra-practical real-world advice based on all the things I wish someone had told me before I began my own filmmaking journey.
It could just have easily been titled, All the Things I’ve Done Wrong in Filmmaking and How You Can Avoid Them. (And I’ve done a lot of things wrong in filmmaking over the years, so there’s much to be learned, especially if you’re just starting out.) Although it's doc-specific, most of the info in this book can be applied to narrative filmmaking as well.Apart from my own advice the new book also features wisdom from Academy Award-winning and nominated docmakers such as Albert Maysles (Grey Gardens, Lalee’s Kin, Gimme Shelter, etc.), Sam Pollard (When the Levee’s Broke, 4 Little Girls, etc.), Adrian Belic (Genghis Blues, Beyond the Call), John Canemaker (The Moon and the Son), plus a bunch more notable and up and coming doc figures.
Anyway, if you’re down with this blog and our iTunes podcast, then you should definitely buy the book and support your favorite digital video pimp. It’ll be available in all the major book stores, but I'll have a more money to invest in the blog and podcast if you order it directly from the Down and Dirty DV website or this blog.
If you’re a filmmaker and you’re on the fence about buying this book, I just pose one question to you:
If I give you all the quality info in the blog and podcast for FREE, how much MORE quality info do you think I’ll give you if you actually PAY for it?
ANSWER: A Whole Helluva Lot More! With pictures, audio, and video.
Yes, Anthony, I’m down with Down and Dirty DV and I'm tired of talking about the movie I want to make and ready to shut up and shoot. I want to buy this book right now and finally EXECUTE the films in my head!
'Til next time y'all, Peace, Love, and Video,
-Ant.
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4 comments:
Hi...I just discovered you podcast and found your blog. Thanks for the excellent advice. If I may, I would like to ask a question that has me stumped. I just bought a panasonic GS 320 camcorder and want to get better audio performance than what I am getting directly through the camcorder. Unfortunately, the GS 320 does not have any mic inputs. What are my options? I want to shoot dramatic scenes for a web film I am making. I want to use a boom mic but I can't figure out a way to get the audio into the camera. Do you have any advice?
Joseph,
You can't get audio into the camera, but you can get it onto your finished soundtrack.
Unfortunately, while the GS-320 is a 3 CCD camera, it's lacking 2 very big features that I would consider a requirement for any serious filmmaking application- 1. A mic input and 2. Headphone Jack.
Not being able to use an external mic so that you can get as close as possible to your subject to get the best sound quality is a major obstacle. My best advice would be to use a camera that has an input for an external mic.
However, since Down and Dirty DV is all about helping you to maximize the resources you DO have, I do have a workaround your problem...
Try using an external digital recorder and importing the audio from the recorder into your editing program.
To do this, you will need to 1) Use a clap slate OR clap your hands and call out the take # as a visual/audio reference point to sync the audio with the video.
(*Note that, depending on the particular device you use, sync may slip slightly over long takes, but should be fine for average 1-3 min. takes. Of course, out of sync footage can be painstakingly corrected in editing.)
If you don't have a digital recorder, you could get you hands on a decent USB mic or other mic that will plug into your computer and use your computer as a recorder using a program such as Garage Band to capture audio.
Hope this helps. Let me how if it works outs for you.
-Ant.
Ant-- Thanks.
I went to the big Calumet Photo store here in Chicago and the rep there looked up the specs and discovered there were no audio inputs on the GS 320.
I can get at clap slate for $30 online at the Writer's Store but I am not sure what recorder to get that is "down and dirty", i.e., cheap but still gets the job done. Any recommendations? Also, is there a way to rig something to use as a boom mic instead of paying what the pros use? I am a new film maker. I have no budget and my girlfriend watches every penny I spend on my film making obsession!
Thank you very much. Thank you for helping us who are new to this!
Joseph,
I just put up a new post in response to your last comments. Peep it out.
-Ant.
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