The Camera Assistant by Doug Hart

[J Costantini]

Hi

I would like to hear some opinions about this book:

 

The Camera Assistant: A Complete Professional Handbook

by Douglas C. Hart

 

seems to be an interesting book. but is it worth 60 dollars?

 

Thanks

[Mike Panczenko]

I think it is a great book- very much worth the money. It is written in a conversational tone, and doesn't try to speak above you. It is very detailed, and, considering that all camera books cost around the same, I would buy this.

[J Costantini]

thanks

 

the `conversational tone, and doesn't try to speak above you´ part is what I´m looking for...

 

Mpanc1,

any recommendations on books about lighting?

 

thanks

[Mike Panczenko]

No idea, Nillo. Sorry ;)

[Leon Rodriguez]

I think it's a terriffic book. I taught an adult continuing education class on Camera Assisting and I chose that book for my textbook. The David Elkins book is also very good. Consider that a single shot on film in a production is worth much more than $60. This professional reference handbook will live in your ditty bag for many years.

 

Additionally, if you learn everything in that book, you're skills will be in demand for several hundred dollars per day. So yeah, buy it and start studying it. It will serve you well.

[Morgan Peline]

>any recommendations on books about lighting?

 

Reflections by Benjamin Bergery

Film Lighting by Kris Malkiewicz

Painting with Light by John Alton

Lighting for TV and Film by Gerald Millerson

Lighting for Film and Electronic Cinematography by Dave Viera

[Jack Anderson]

By far the best book on camera assisting is David Elkins's "The Camera Assistant's Manual." Dave was a great assistant (he's now an operator and DP), he knows all the routines and pitfalls, he writes clearly, and he updates the book regularly (a new edition is coming out in Jan 2005).

 

For information about lighting, Blain Brown's "Motion Picture and Video Lighting" is clearly written and starts from a very basic level, proceeding to the point where the reader will have a good book knowledge of most lighting practices.

 

"Reflections" by Benjamin Bergery is great. It's not comprehensive, but the examples it gives are from great cinematographers, completely explained and diagrammed to facilitate your reproducing them.

 

"Painting with Light" by John Alton is fun but it's 50-60 years out of date, so it's best as general inspirationand a historic overview.

 

Lighting for TV and Film by Gerald Millerson is great as a reference--lots of tables--more for the pro than anyone trying to learn from scratch.

[Guy Meachin]

Painting with Light is still a very highly respected book despite it's age! It seems to me the only things that have changed since is the technology. All the principles of lighting are the same today as they were then. Does anyone know if there is and updated version planned?

[David Mullen ASC]

Since the author is dead and the book is historical, I doubt someone would want to write a modern lighting book, call it an update of someone else's book, and pay that estate half of their royalties. Personally, I'd just start from scratch. It would be different if the book were only twenty years old and just needed some tweaking to update it.

[Nate Yolles]

Alton's book is great. It's fun to see which of his predictions were right on and which one's just never materialized.

Edited November 1, 2004 by Nate Yolles