Filmmaking DVDs?

um, not much.

Hollywood Camera Work is the only one that stands out, and I own or have owned a few. Most of them aren't that helpful. Much better to spend that money on equipment you need and practice, you'll leanr so much more that way.
 
This is probably debatable but try picking up the Project Greenlight DVD's. They are a little dramatic but overall an interesting look into a first time directors trials.

I've only seen the first season and I really liked it.
 
on a side note does anyone know when the "VFX for directors" (by the hollywood camera work mob) is coming out?
 
the Prject greenlight dvds are awesome. Of coarse they're meant to be entertaining, not really educational, butyou'll probably get something out of it and have lots of fun on the way
 
I recomend watching the directors commentary on almost any Robert Rodrigez film. He seems to target it to folmmakers rather than the general blah blah on most commentarys. Also, your Fightscenes DVD is on the way. Enjoy.
 
escozooz said:
This is probably debatable but try picking up the Project Greenlight DVD's. They are a little dramatic but overall an interesting look into a first time directors trials.

I've only seen the first season and I really liked it.
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What I learned from watching Project Greenlight, is that I want to make Independent films without a bunch of studio heads intefering. :)

Chris
 
Finally got through the Fight Scenes DVD and really liked it.

It's mainly an introduction to doing martial art stunts on camera, with a focus on keeping everyone safe while making the fight scenes believable.

When you're done, you will have some good basic knowledge on how to make your own Jackie Chan / Kung Fu movies safely and effectively. And while you're not going to make the next "Crouching Tiger" with this DVD, it is a good way to start. If you already know a martial art, this DVD will be very valuable for applying your skills to the camera.

One nice thing is that you can adapt the techniques to all kinds of special effects where people get hit, slapped, thrown, fall etc. and not necessarily in a fight scene. The first thing I did was get some skateboarders and we did a skateboard brawl/slapstick short with the info from the DVD. And though it was an amateur production, the stunts came out looking very good - and painful.

It's worth the $20 to learn how to do effective on camera stunts and it's also a nice gentle introduction to stunt work in general. Martial artists will find that the info on the DVD will give them a good framework for taking their skills on camera.

For those of you who also got or are getting the Hollywood Camera Work DVDs, you can consider the Fight Scenes DVD a shorter but very useful addendum to the massive encyclopedia of the Hollywood Camera Work DVDs.
 
Michael, Thanks for the review. We really tried to give a good overview of the basics of stunt fighting for the camera. I'm glad to hear that you were able to use some of the info in your skateboarder short.
 
Michael are you interested in selling the hollywood camera work dvds? I'm definitely interested in buying them if so :)
 
Naw sorry, the Hollywood Camera Work DVDs are a keeper. I could see letting them go in a couple of years, after I've absorbed it all, but in the meantime, they're the only references I have sitting on my shelf.
 
Michael, I'd love some feedback on the 'ADVANCED BROADCAST CAMERA TECHNIQUES', as I read elsewhere that it was well worth the money, your comments would be appreciated.
 
I recomend watching the directors commentary on almost any Robert Rodrigez film.
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I definitely second that -- and also his "Film School" segments on the first 2 of his trilogy! (The last one was more of an explanation how cool DV is, which we already know and agree with <G>.)

I also got a LOT from the expert commentary from Michael Jeck on the Criterion Collection DVD for Kurosawa's "Seven Samurai". It offers terrific insight to Kurosawa's technique and gives you a lot to think about for directing and cinematography techniques in general. (It's amazing how differently you see movies once you've heard that commentary.) It's over 3 hours long and every minute is filled with valuable insight.
 
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