Digital Filmmaking For Kids For Dummies

by Nick Willoughby

The easy way for kids to get started with filmmaking If you've been bitten by the filmmaking bug―even if you don't have a background in video or access to fancy equipment― Digital Filmmaking For Kids makes it easy to get up and running with digital filmmaking! This fun and friendly guide walks you through a ton of cool projects that introduce you to all stages of filmmaking. Packed with full-color photos, easy-to-follow instruction, and simple examples, it shows you how to write a script, create a storyboard, pick a set, light a scene, master top-quality sound, frame and shoot, edit, add special effects, and share your finished product with friends or a global audience. Anyone can take a selfie or upload a silly video to YouTube―but it takes practice and skill to shoot professional-looking frames and make your own short film. Written by a film and video professional who has taught hundreds of students, this kid-accessible guide provides you with hands-on projects that make it fun to learn all aspects of video production, from planning to scripting to filming to editing. Plus, it includes access to videos that highlight and demonstrate skills covered in the book, making learning even easier and less intimidating to grasp. If you're a student aged 7–16 with an interest in creating and sharing your self-made video, this friendly guide lights the way for your start in digital filmmaking.

336 pages, Paperback

First published April 22, 2015

About the author

Nick Willoughby was born in Berkshire, UK in 1981. He started his creative career as an actor and presenter, and then became more involved behind the scenes. Nick is the Creative Director at 7 Stream Media, where he writes, produces and directs.

Nick also heads Filmmaking For Kids and Film Future, a pair of programs designed to teach kids aged 7-16 the various aspects of filmmaking.

Nick's experience of directing and teaching children led to the creation of 'Digital Filmmaking For Kids For Dummies' and 'Making YouTube Videos', which have both received outstanding reviews around the world.

Reviews

[Stephen]

While I'm far from a kid these days, when I was a youngun I was given to wandering around the woods with a camcorder on my shoulder, trying to shoot nature documentaries. A book like this would have definitely fed my imagination as a kid. The title is well organized and generously illustrated, but approximately a third of the content is useful only to Apple users. These are the chapters on digital editing, which only utilize iMovie. The only obvious indicator of this book being written for kids is the fact that all of the actors in the example stills are children; there's no overt "Boys and girls, today we'll be learning about 3-point lighting! Isn't that COOOOL?" tone. Most of the content covers the basic concepts of filmmaking, a review of equipment from a basic cameraphone to more elaborate setups including mic booms, mobile camera tripods, and lighting systems, and film production organization, and techniques.

This strikes me as suitable for people of any age who want to learn the elements of film production.

[Colby]

It has helped me a lot with video making and many other things like editing, script writing, and just planning everything to direct and film and many others.

[Erik This Kid Reviews Books]

Synopsis- Have you ever wondered how to make your own movie, or mini-film? Have you ever tried to get a movie crew started with your friends but didn’t know how? Well, is this the book for you! Mr. Willoughby-filmmaker, teacher, and self-proclaimed film geek-gives you the step-by-step process of making your movie, from trailer to editing, all in one book! Are you up to the task? This book includes areas on learning the basics, making a film trailer, making a documentary, your first short narrative film, and much more!

What I Thought- Mr. Willoughby has written a pretty nifty book. It teaches you how to do all of the cool stuff mentioned in the summary. The book gives good sound advice (literally and figuratively ;) ). Mr. Willoughby put in several fun projects to try out and use as a starting point for your film-making career. There were easy-to-understand diagrams, and well-organized chapters. There was a wide assortment of topics covered so the reader gets a good understanding of the basics. There were a few parts of the book I thought could have been explained a bit more (remember the book is for “Dummies”). For example, Mr. Willoughby used iMovie to edit his film, and he mentioned, amongst others, Microsoft Movie Maker for an alternate program, but it didn’t explain benefits or drawbacks with either program. I would have liked even just a small photo of a Movie Maker screen, with labels for the important objects. The majority of the content was very helpful and interesting to read. I really liked this book. I would recommend this book to a kid in your life you wants to gt into movie/video making.
*NOTE I got a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

[Teresa Reads]

This book really isn't just for kids. It can be for any person interested in making a video. Willoughby offers easy to understand, step-by-step instructions to create a well-made film. Whether you are making a video just for fun, for a youtube entry, school project or more, this book is the place to go to get started.