Cinematography texts

[Dajan Bozanic]

Hi trying to learn, can anyone recommend any decent books that can teach me the ropes...?? Any for sale on the net?

 

also i would prefer ones that deal specifically with film

 

thanks heaps

[Alex Wuijts]

there's a pinned topic on this forum that sums up most of the books on the subject. I've read Cinematography by Blain Brown, Matters of Light and Depth by Lowell and Cinematography by Malkiewicz and they have been very helpful. Other typical titles are 'Painting with Light by John Alton and The Five C's of Cinematography by Joseph Mascelli. Don't know how good they are, but Painting with Light is sort of a classic text.

Make sure you spend more time making shooting film than reading them! good luck!

[Dajan Bozanic]

thank you

[Tim O'Connor]

Film Lighting by Malkiwiecz (I'll check spelling -book not with me) is great if you can get it. Lots of

information from great cinematographers and gaffers on everything.

[Arnaud M. St Martin de Veyran]

I've read many of them and i'm still reading some of them.

 

My favorite to begin with is certainely Motion Picture and Video Lighting by Blain Brown.

 

You have all the basics and also some lighting situation where the author explain how to handle them with some drawing and explanation.

[Jacqueline Donaldson]

Hi there,

 

I also think Cinematography by Blain Brown is really great - covers alot of different aspects of cinematography, conceptual as well as technical. I also invested in "The Set Lighting technicians handbook" I think it's invaluable as a guide to learn about different types of lighting/diffusion/supports availible and their characteristics, I keep it close by when I'm concieving ideas for a new project and have been trying out as many different types of lights and light sources as I can.

 

Jacqueline

[Dajan Bozanic]

thanks for all the help, I've already ordered some from the link on this site so i guess I'll just wait on them.

[Alan Duckworth]

May I add a couple more? One old, one new(ish).

 

"The Book of Movie Photography" by David Cheshire, published by Knopf, N.Y., 1987 - covers all film fomats, Regular 8, Super 8, 16 and 35. Targeting beginning filmmakers in the immediate pre-video era, very nice. Look for it used.

 

For pure inspiration you should read "Rebel without a Crew" by Robert Rodriguez (published by Penguin in 1996, but still to be found sitting on the shelf at your favorite coffeshop/bookstore!), which is an autobiographical account of the making of "El Mariachi". Gut-wrenching indie blood, sweat and tears filmmaking at its finest.

 

Good Luck.