Master Shots Vol 1, 1st edition: 100 Advanced Camera Techniques to Get an Expensive Look on Your Low-Budget Movie [Paperback]

Christopher Kenworthy is a writer, director, producer, and screenwriter and has a real eye for setting up various film sequences. This book is a table top curiosity and also something an average movie maker might take to heart. There are some amazing insights on how certain scene shots are made.

Kenworthy describes (very effectively with computer diagrams, real photo shots and camera angles with arrows) exactly 100 different shots. Some are impressive. The `long lens' shot explains simply how fight scenes are filmed to look so real. `Suspense' is created by the positioning of the camera with the subject, whether walking, running or turning around. Ever wonder how they film people having a conversation in a car? It's amazingly simple. Filming shots to frighten or shock is explained by using the camera angle in various close-ups and angled maneuvers. Ever wonder how several people in a conversation get `air-time' by having the camera focus in on the character speaking and then focusing out to the next character? These are just a few ways that Kenworthy shows through `storyboard-like' setups in the book, so you can understand how important the placement of the camera is.

Each `shot' is shown with a computer generated flat screen with the characters and the camera shown with arrows for character vs. camera movement. Real movie shots are also shown with them repeated as computer generated clips. Close-ups, background shot emphasis, angles `up or down' on a character or placing a running character in the frame just right, so it appears that you are part of the flight. It's certainly interesting to see just how important camera work is in revealing moods, atmosphere, special effects and more, just by simple clever use of the camera.

I can see how this can be used with the everyday video maker if they put there mind into something worth writing, setting-up and filming. There is a clear understanding how much time it takes to make even the simplest of scenes look convincing and real. If you're even slightly interested in how films are really directed, you'll truly enjoy this book and it 100 techniques to make any film look professional. It's presented in a way that anyone from the beginner to the serous filmmaker can benefit. To think that these are only 100 used techniques is mind boggling when these are the most basic and there are no limits to your imagination. This book will make anyone appreciate the hard work and true `magic' that can be achieved through set-up of a scene and camera techniques

This book will show you the mechanics of shots that work and move the story along. I'm watching movies differently now that I've read this book. Useful pix and sketches for each type of shots and camera moves.

Grab a camera, try out some of these techniques with your friends, you won't be disappointed. The instructions are easy to follow, great illustrations and film reference photos. However, some of the shots are impossible to copy exactly if you have a camera with lenses that are not interchangeable, or a focus that you can not rack manually. All in all a great buy.