DSLR Cinema: Crafting the Film Look with Video [ペーパーバック]

The book seems ambitious in its scope -- HDSLR gear, camera techniques, sound, lighting, editing, software, etc. -- however the knowledgeable author, Kurt Lancaster, succeeds in providing a well-developed conceptual framework AND pragmatic specifics to help his readers to understand and achieve success with the complexities of HDSLR filmmaking.

Lancaster offers VERY specific advice about essential gear for a range of budgets. He dissects techniques used in specific examples, citing HDSLR videos for readers to watch at Vimeo and other sites.

I drank the KoolAid some time ago and do share the author's delight at how enjoyable it is to watch well-produced DLSR footage. Although I recall feeling impressed by Vicent Laforet's very clean, professional "Reverie" about two years ago:
vimeo (dot) com / 7151244

But it was the intensity and immediacy of one short piece about the 2010 Nashville flood, shot by Michael Deppisch using a handheld Canon 5D Mark II that really made a deep impression and triggered my deeper interest in learning HDSLR filmmaking:
youtube (dot) com / watch?v=vwCGz1vSh_M

To distinguish the image texture of "conventional/normal video" from "digital film", Lancaster explains in his introduction that the "film look" is a result of the overall image quality and "cinematic approach", not a particular technical spec on the camera or sensor. He also further distinguishes the look of cinema film from the "HDSLR cinema aesthetic".

I'm very new to digital filmmaking (fiction or documentary), but have worked with video for art and for marketing for over 20 years. Over the past four months, I've invested a good deal of time researching everything I could find online about shooting DSLR HD video from:
cinema5d (dot) com
vimeo (dot) com
cheesycam (dot) com
nextwavedv (dot) com
philipbloom (dot) net
blog (dot) vincentlaforet (dot) com / mygear

Lancaster links to some of those same sites from his blog at
kurtlancaster (dot) com / dslr-cinema

Lancaster continues to regularly add blog posts, which I've found helpful as I learn how to get professional sound and video from a Canon 60D.

"DSLR Cinema" covers most of the practical advice I was able to find in those several months of research, and he adds a great deal more applied knowledge which I doubt I could have ever found online, even after many more months of effort. The author seems to genuinely desire that his readers would be successful with these tools and it seems important to him to share both his delight and the wisdom gathered from his and others' experiences.

Because DSLR represents a convergence of video, film and photographic techniques, this book may not be helpful to every type of HDSLR video filmmaker (beginner to pro), but it does exactly meet my needs as I develop a list of gear to pack for my own journey into this exciting, new territory of DLSR film making.

Of course, pro DSLR photographers (like Laforet) are NOT the first to discover the landscape of cinema, much of which was settled long ago by highly-experienced filmmakers, directors, and cinematographers -- it has been over a hundred years since the Lumière brothers began to explore the realm of moving images:
youtube (dot) com / watch?v=4nj0vEO4Q6s

Lancaster works hard at being a native guide in this land and I'm grateful for his experience as I begin to learn how to shoot efficiently and effectively with these new tools.

[My apologies for the spelled out URLs. Amazon strips any URLs from the review, but oddly not from the Comments. I've added the complete review again as a Comment, below. Thanks to Pablo for the suggestion! - Jonathan]

In the past 3 months, I have purchased close to 24 different books on DSLR camera HD recording. This is an exceptional book with direct hands on recommendations for how to craft that mystic "35mm film look". It is packed with excellent insight and practical information that will immediately improve your skills. I have actually read some of the chapters a number of times and keep finding additional "golden nuggets". Love the executive summaries at the end of each chapter and the tips and techniques spread throughout the book. The equipment configuration discussions are excellent and I hope they keep the book current with new versions as more support equipment becomes available. At the moment, this is one of the top three DSLR books available and a must have book at that!!!

Kurt Lancaster has put together a comprehensive review of how to use your DSLR to create video with a definite film look. In fact, he sets the standard of DSLR filming. I like the many check-lists that prepare the reader for most eventualities when using a DSLR instead of a Prosumer Camcorder. He systematically addresses all aspects of production and post-production and gives some great examples of shorts filmed on DSLRs which can be viewed on the Publisher's Website. The detailed analysis of the making of these shorts is very helpful in understanding planning, design and other production issues when shooting with a DSLR. He also includes lists of equipment packages one might want to consider.
Not everyone is as excited about DSLR cinema as Kurt, and several camera manufacturers are already developing Prosumer Camcorders with substantially larger sensors that should be able to give the same "filmic" look as DSLRs. True, these camcorders will be much more expensive than DSLRs. However, the great advantage of a DSLR is its small size that allows one to record video in point-and-shoot style. By the time you have added a JuicedLink pre-amp that allows you to add a mic or two and/or lavalieres and suppress the automatic gain control of the DSLR, and after you've added a matte box for your filters, you got a substantial rig. Talent often prefers DSLRs because they are less intimidating. The future will show whether the DSLR develops into a shooting style of its own, or whether the DSLR will be useful in addition to a souped-up camcorder.
What I found most helpful was the discussion of the colorspace in the DSLR and the rationale for its adjustment both before shooting and in post production.
This is a very thorough and knowledgeable discussion of DSLR filming.