The Filmmaker's Handbook Quotes

“Art is edited truth . . . Art is skill in the service of passion. —STEPHEN SONDHEIM”
― Steven Ascher, The Filmmaker's Handbook: A Comprehensive Guide for the Digital Age: Fifth Edition

“(often you want keep the light on the actors and darken the upper part of the wall above them).”
― Steven Ascher, The Filmmaker's Handbook: A Comprehensive Guide for the Digital Age: Fifth Edition

“Low-key scenes, nighttime effects, and many outdoor sunlit scenes are shot at ratios much higher than 4:1.”
― Steven Ascher, The Filmmaker's Handbook: A Comprehensive Guide for the Digital Age: Fifth Edition

“In this shot, the light on the face (from a soft box with a daylight-balanced compact fluorescent bulb) is quite flat, but because the background is busy and bright, the light doesn’t seem dull.”
― Steven Ascher, The Filmmaker's Handbook: A Comprehensive Guide for the Digital Age: Fifth Edition

“The windows were covered to block out daylight (to create a darker feel and prevent any changes”
― Steven Ascher, The Filmmaker's Handbook: A Comprehensive Guide for the Digital Age: Fifth Edition

“In general, using a brighter, harder light from a greater distance away from the action will result in more even illumination than a softer unit closer to the subject.”
― Steven Ascher, The Filmmaker's Handbook: A Comprehensive Guide for the Digital Age: Fifth Edition

“Glints or kicks can be diminished by repositioning a shiny object or by applying washable dulling spray or even soap.”
― Steven Ascher, The Filmmaker's Handbook: A Comprehensive Guide for the Digital Age: Fifth Edition

“To minimize this, keep actors away from walls, place them against dark rather than light walls, position furniture or props to break up the shadows, and use diffusion to soften secondary lights.”
― Steven Ascher, The Filmmaker's Handbook: A Comprehensive Guide for the Digital Age: Fifth Edition

“The moving camera creates a feeling of depth in the space. The zoom tends to flatten space and can call attention to the act of filming itself.”
― Steven Ascher, The Filmmaker's Handbook: A Comprehensive Guide for the Digital Age: Fifth Edition

“scriptwriting program like Final Draft, a free app like Celtx,”
― Steven Ascher, The Filmmaker's Handbook: A Comprehensive Guide for the Digital Age: Fifth Edition

“Computer storyboarding programs, such as StoryBoard Quick and StoryBoard Artist,”
― Steven Ascher, The Filmmaker's Handbook: A Comprehensive Guide for the Digital Age: Fifth Edition

“imagine a line drawn through the main line of action—be it a moving car, a football field, or the eye line of a conversation.”
― Steven Ascher, The Filmmaker's Handbook: A Comprehensive Guide for the Digital Age: Fifth Edition

“When panning or tracking with a moving subject, it’s usually a good idea to let him walk out of frame at the end of the shot to provide more options in editing.”
― Steven Ascher, The Filmmaker's Handbook: A Comprehensive Guide for the Digital Age: Fifth Edition

“traditional” style of filming a two-person scene using four camera angles: a master shot, a two-shot, a close-up of one character, and a reverse of the other.”
― Steven Ascher, The Filmmaker's Handbook: A Comprehensive Guide for the Digital Age: Fifth Edition

“The standard series of f-stops, or f-numbers, is: 1, 1.4, 2, 2.8, 4, 5.6, 8, 11, 16, 22, 32”
― Steven Ascher, The Filmmaker's Handbook: A Comprehensive Guide for the Digital Age: Fifth Edition

“50mm is considered normal for 35mm SLR and full-frame DSLRs.”
― Steven Ascher, The Filmmaker's Handbook: A Comprehensive Guide for the Digital Age: Fifth Edition

“For each shot, the cinematographer decides how large the subject should be in the frame.”
― Steven Ascher, The Filmmaker's Handbook: A Comprehensive Guide for the Digital Age: Fifth Edition