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Hello all, I’d like to get the word out about my book, which is coming out this month. I have been teaching lighting at Fairleigh Dickinson University for the past 12 years and while there are some excellent books on cinematography out there, such as Film Lighting and Reflections, I never found one on lighting that was directed towards film students and cinematographers who were lighting with limited resources. My students found those books inspiring but not immediately applicable to what they were doing on the films they were shooting. I started as an AC, then become a best boy, gaffer, video LD and indie cinematographer and worked on so many different kinds of productions with so many different budgets that I was able to developed a course that was a good foundation for young cinematographers to help guide and inspire them to do creative lighting on a budget. Two of my students have gone on to be accepted into the AFI cinematography program while other students of mine are now working as electrics, gaffers, ACs, camera operators and one is a great steadi-cam op. At a film teachers convention I was approached by an editor from Bloomsbury Press and asked if I would write my class into a craft book that could be used by other colleges and budding DPs. I said I would if she promised they could keep the price down to under $30 – as I know how expensive textbooks can be and how few students will actually buy the expensive ones. While this means I would get a tiny royalty, I didn’t really care, because I wasn’t doing it for money – but rather as a way to give back. I learned so much from so many, it is our obligation to pass on the art and craft that we learned and love. She agreed. The result is "Lighting for Cinematography: a practical guide to the art and craft of lighting for the moving image", now available from Bloomsbury Press and Amazon. Lighting for Cinematography, the first volume in the new CineTech Guides to the Film Crafts. Broken down into 14 chapters with exercises at the end of each, the book is designed to help the reader create lighting that supports the emotional moment of the scene and contributes to the atmosphere of the story. Chapters cover such things as lighting for movement, working with windows, night lighting, lighting the three plains of action and non-fiction lighting and include stills and lighting diagrams from indie budget productions. also my website www.lightingforcinematography.com

Hello All, I was wondering what resources I can use to learn about the massive amount of camera accessories and inputs and outputs for cameras and their accessories. I keep finding pictures of these huge camera rigs, where I cannot determine what some of the accessories may be. I want to learn as much as I can. Currently, I have been reading the Camera Assistant's Manual by David Elkins and working my way through Evan Luzi's blog, The Black And Blue. I also understand that much of this I will learn as I get more experience on sets, I have actually been able to learn a good (but small in perspective) amount of information about Red Epic cameras while 2nd ACing on an indie feature. As somebody determined to become an excellent 1st AC, any advice on where else I may look would be greatly appreciated and put to use. Best Regards, Joseph Robinson