Product Description

Written by Stu Maschwitz, co-founder of the Orphanage (the legendary guerrilla visual effects studio responsible for amazing and award-winning effects in such movies as Sin City, The Day After Tomorrow, and Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire), this book is a must-have for all those budding filmmakers and students who want to produce action movies with visual effects but don't have Hollywood budgets. The Orphanage was created by three twenty-something visual effects veterans who wanted to make their own feature films and discovered they could do this by utilizing home computers, off the shelf software, and approaching things artistically. This guide details exactly how to do this: from planning and selecting the necessary cameras, software, and equipment, to creating specific special effects (including gunfire, Kung Fu fighting, car chases, dismemberment, and more) to editing and mixing sound and music. Its mantra is that the best, low-budget action moviemakers must visualize the end product first in order to reverse-engineer the least expensive way to get there. Readers will learn how to integrate visual effects into every aspect of filmmaking--before filming, during filming and with "in camera" shots, and with computers in postproduction. Throughout the book, the author makes specific references to and uses popular action movies (both low and big-budget) as detailed examples--including El Mariachi, La Femme Nikita, Die Hard, and Terminator 2. Note from the Publisher: If you have the 3rd printing of The DV Rebel’s Guide, your disc may be missing the data files that accompany the book. If this is the case, please send an email to Peachpit in order to obtain the files at ask@peachpit.com

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A Must Have        Rating:

I have already completed one truly independent feature film, and I overlooked this book. After being turned away by festival after festival, I picked up THE DV REBEL GUIDE and realized many errors I made that could have changed the overall production value of my feature. As if this wasn't insight enough, Stu Maschiwitz gave me new ways to fix my work, and perhaps turn it into a proper money-making product. This book also offers so many insights into an overall one-man production process that anyone who that wants to buck the system and make their own movie ought to read. If you are Final Cut Pro or After Effects user, you will be relieved to find application specific workarounds and hints that bring your hard fought work into the professional world. Stu has mapped out a strong, clear and effective production pipeline from preproduction through to final render. THE DV REBEL's GUIDE is worth every cent, and shouldn't be ignored.

A must read!        Rating:

Very informative, a mmust read for anybody doing video work. Many valuable tips and info to help you start and finish your production.

Simply Essential        Rating:

Simply an essential part of the aspiring film-makers arsenal. Stu not only goes into a decent amount of depth on the art of film-making (and compositing), but injects it all with a great sense of humour (which really helps to keep it easy to read).

Don't Leave Home without it!        Rating:

I haven't even finished reading it and I don't know how I ever lived without it.

thank you stu!        Rating:

this book was a very welcome change to all the theory books i've been reading on directing & cinematography.

the author writes in a very direct, concise, and clear manner... he's even got a real sense of humor. he knows his target audience, and he communicates very effectively to us, because he's really not that different than us.

he has tons of examples, pics, practical explanations, tables, reference material, and even a DVD-ROM that came with the book loaded with more writing, project files, media files, and so on.

this is the most practical and accessible book on indie filmmaking i've ever read.

definitely recommend!

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