Setting Up Your Shots: Great Camera Moves Every Filmmaker Should Know

by Jeremy Vineyard, José Cruz (Illustrator)

Over 100 storyboards with simple descriptions.

Genres: Film, Nonfiction, Art, Textbooks, Education, Reference, Animation

155 pages, Paperback

First published January 25, 2000

Reviews

[J.D.]

This is a good book for screenwriters to familiarize themselves with. When writing a screenplay, it helps to know what kind of shots might be best for each scene. It helps me visualize what I want to show on the screen, and how I want to show it.

[Natalie]

This book tends to oversimplify filming techniques, and it is extremely dated. The one good thing about it is the illustrations.

[Cathy]

Some terms I learned or now have a name for. It'll be a win if I can remember five of these.

Basic techniques
- Pan: left/right movement
- Tilt: up/down movement
- Pull focus: change the focus
- Whip zoom: fast zoom
- Dolly zoom (vmars s2 finale)

Composition techniques
- Camera height (on person's shoes vs legs vs torso vs head)
- Screen direction: direction the object is facing the screen
- Staging (deep, planar)
- Tilted horizon
- Lead the eye (long fence, winding road)
- 3s and 4s: making triangles with staging to lead eye to a vertex

Techniques of movement
- Character Dolly (push in)
- Discovery: shot begins away from action and camera reveals a scene
- Pull back retraction/reveal: doesn't reveal anything new but is for emotional impact

Editing techniques
- Jump cut
- Match cut (one shot of character looking at something, next shot of that thing)
- Cross cut: switching back and forth from different scenes occurring in diff places but at the same time
- Fill, reveal frame: can be used to hide cuts if object or wall blocks the camera and is dark enough

Misc
- Subjective pov: attaching camera to an actor (28 years 2 used this a lot)
- Rear projection (actors pretend to drive the car, fake images in background)

[Monqeth]

كتاب خفيف يعرض أساليب وتقنيات التصوير للسينما. يتم ذكر اسم الطريقة ثم شرح بسيط عنها ثم يذكر أسماء أفلام استخدمتها، والمهم هو الصور التي تسهل الفهم. كتاب ابتدائي مهم لصناع الأفلام ولليوتيوبرز كذلك.

تقرأ بعده الكتاب الذي يجمع الأساليب والتقنيات ضمن نظرية واحدة
The Visual Story, by Bruce Block

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[Scott Williams]

This is a very basic introduction to camera setups and techniques. Each type is illustrated by a storyboard or short series of boards. The author then mentions examples of films where the technique is used. The book would be stronger if they licensed stills from these films.

[Sam]

Good

[Ryan Guido]

Great textbook that visually explains elements of cinema. Great tool to reference back to

[Michael]

Great pictures showing a lot of different shots. Has lots of great shots. Definitely for the person who hasn't directed a lot.

[Gypsy Novela]

very descriptive camera shots via decent storyboarding.

[Teresa]

A fantastic book on all the different types of shots that a filmmaker should know.

[LMS]

A really good book on the types of shots in cinematography, as well as illustrations and descriptions of how they're done.

[Arthur]

Indispensable film book.

[Lyf]

Much better overall than the last one I read like it: Master Shots. This one is a better reference book for a wider range of ideas.

[Abdelrahman Mohamed]

great

[Avikal]

cineamtogrphy

[Ashar Waheed]

Best book ever

[Diane]

Great resource.