DIGITAL
FILMMAKING
HANDBOOK
LIMITED WARRANTY AND DISCLAIMER OF LIABILITY
CHARLES RIVER MEDIA, INC. (“CRM”) AND/OR ANYONE WHO HAS BEEN INVOLVED IN
THE WRITING, CREATION OR PRODUCTION OF THE ACCOMPANYING CODE (“THE
SOFTWARE”), OR THE THIRD PARTY PRODUCTS CONTAINED ON THIS CD, CANNOT
AND DO NOT WARRANT THE PERFORMANCE OR RESULTS THAT MAY BE OBTAINED BY
USING THE SOFTWARE. THE AUTHOR AND PUBLISHER HAVE USED THEIR BEST EF-
FORTS TO ENSURE THE ACCURACY AND FUNCTIONALITY OF THE TEXTUAL MATERIAL
AND PROGRAMS CONTAINED HEREIN; HOWEVER, WE MAKE NO WARRANTY OF ANY
KIND, EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED, REGARDING THE PERFORMANCE OF THESE PRO-
GRAMS.THE SOFTWARE IS SOLD “AS IS “ WITHOUT WARRANTY (EXCEPT FOR DEFECTIVE
MATERIALS USED IN MANUFACTURING THE DISK OR DUE TO FAULTY WORKMANSHIP);
THE SOLE REMEDY IN THE EVENT OF A DEFECT IS EXPRESSLY LIMITED TO REPLACE-
MENT OF THE DISK, AND ONLY AT THE DISCRETION OF CRM.
THE AUTHOR, THE PUBLISHER, DEVELOPERS OF THIRD PARTY SOFTWARE, AND ANY-
ONE INVOLVED IN THE PRODUCTION AND MANUFACTURING OF THIS WORK SHALL
NOT BE LIABLE FOR DAMAGES OF ANY KIND ARISING OUT OF THE USE OF(OR THE IN-
ABILITY TO USE) THE PROGRAMS, SOURCE CODE, OR TEXTUAL MATERIAL CONTAINED
IN THIS PUBLICATION. THIS INCLUDES , BUT IS NOT LIMITED TO, LOSS OF REVENUE OR
PROFIT, OR OTHER INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES ARISING OUT OF THE
USE OF THE PRODUCT.
THE CD WHICH ACCOMPANIES THIS BOOK MAY BE USED ON A SINGLE COMPUTER
ONLY. THE LICENSE DOES NOT PERMIT THE USE ON A NETWORK (OF ANY KIND). YOU
FURTHER AGREE THAT THIS LICENSE GRANTS PERMISSION TO USE THE PRODUCTS
CONTAINED HEREIN, BUT DOES NOT GIVE YOU RIGHT OF OWNERSHIP TO ANY OF THE
CONTENT OR PRODUCT CONTAINED ON THIS CD. USE OF THIRD PARTY SOFTWARE
CONTAINED ON THIS CD IS LIMITED TO AND SUBJECT TO LICENSING TERMS FOR THE
RESPECTIVE PRODUCTS. USE, DUPLICATION OR DISCLOSURE BY THE UNITED STATES
GOVERNMENT OR ITS AGENCIES ARE LIMITED BY FAR 52.227-7013 OR FAR 52.227-19, AS

APPROPRIATE.
THE USE OF “IMPLIED WARRANTY” AND CERTAIN “EXCLUSIONS” VARY FROM STATE TO
STATE, AND MAY NOT APPLY TO THE PURCHASER OF THIS PRODUCT.
DIGITAL
FILMMAKING
HANDBOOK
Ben Long and
Sonja Schenk
CHARLES RIVER MEDIA, INC.
Rockland, Massachusetts
Copyright © 2000 by CHARLES RIVER MEDIA, INC.
All rights reserved.
No part of this publication may be reproduced in any way, stored in
a retrieval system of any type , or transmitted by any means or
media, electronic or mechanical including, but not limited to,
photocopy, recording, or scanning, without prior written permission
from the publisher.
Publisher: Jenifer Niles
Production: Publishers’ Design and Production Services, Inc.
Cover Design: The Printed Image
CHARLES RIVER MEDIA, Inc.
P.O. Box 417
403 VFW Drive
Rockland, Massachusetts 02370
781-871-4184
781-871-4376(FAX)


This book is printed on acid-free paper
All brand names and product names mentioned are trademarks or

service marks of their respective companies. Any omission or misuse
(of any kind) of service marks or trademarks should not be regarded
as intent to infringe on the property of others. The publisher
recognizes and respects all marks used by companies, manufacturers,
and developers as a means to distinguish their products.
Digital Filmmaking Handbook
by Ben Long and Sonja Schenk
ISBN: 1-58450-017-4
Printed in the United States of America
00 01 02 03 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
CHARLES RIVER MEDIA titles are available for site license or
bulk purchase by institutions, user groups, corporations, etc. For
additional information, please contact the Special Sales Department
at 781-871-4184.
CONTENTS
v
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xi
C
HAPTER 1INTRODUCTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
WHAT KIND OF EQUIPMENT DO I NEED? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
WHAT IS DIGITAL VIDEO? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
WHY DIGITAL VIDEO?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
WHAT THIS BOOK COVERS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
POP QUIZ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
CHAPTER 2PLANNING YOUR PROJECT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
BEFORE YOU START. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
WRITING FOR DV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
SCHEDULING YOUR PROJECT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
BUDGETING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
PAYING AS YOU GO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

BUDGETING CAN BE FUN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
CHAPTER 3PREVISUALIZATION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
STORYBOARDING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
SUMMARY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
CHAPTER 4CHOOSING A VIDEOTAPE FORMAT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
DELIVERY IS EVERYTHING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
VIDEO BASICS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
VIDEO FORMAT FEATURES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
VIDEOTAPE FORMATS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
SO WHICH ONE DO I CHOOSE? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
OR, MAYBE IT DOESN’T MATTER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
CHAPTER 5BUILDING A WORKSTATION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
FIRST THINGS FIRST. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
CHOOSING A PLATFORM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
CHOOSING A VIDEO INTERFACE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
CHOOSING A COMPUTER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
FORMATTING YOUR DRIVES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
MANAGING YOUR RAM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
CONCLUSION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
CHAPTER 6CHOOSING A CAMERA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
EVALUATING IMAGE QUALITY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
CAMERA FEATURES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108
ACCESSORIZING. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120
CAMERAS COMPARED . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122
CHAPTER 7NON-LINEAR EDITING SOFTWARE . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127
YOU SAY ON-LINE, I SAY OFF-LINE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128
WHAT’SINANNLE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130
GETTING MEDIA INTO YOUR PROJECT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139
AUDIO TOOLS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145
THE FINAL PRODUCT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148

NLES COMPARED . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150
SUMMARY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154
CHAPTER 8LIGHTING AND ART DIRECTING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155
LIGHTING BASICS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156
TYPES OF LIGHT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157
THE ART OF LIGHTING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164
TUTORIAL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167
INTERIOR LIGHTING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172
EXTERIOR LIGHTING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174
SPECIAL LIGHTING SITUATIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176
ART DIRECTING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179
ROLLING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182
vi CONTENTS
CHAPTER 9SHOOTING DIGITAL VIDEO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183
SHOOTING DIGITAL VIDEO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184
THE TOOL OF THE TRADE—THE CAMERA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190
DURING THE SHOOT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 208
SPECIAL SHOOTING SITUATIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 214
QUIET ON THE SET, PLEASE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215
CHAPTER 10 PRODUCTION SOUND . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 217
WHAT YOU WANT TO RECORD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 218
MICROPHONES. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 219
SETTING UP. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 234
RECORDING YOUR SOUND . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 243
A GOOD APPROACH . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 244
CHAPTER 11 EDITING HARDWARE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 245
HARDWARE AND PERIPHERALS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 246
DIGITAL VIDEO DECKS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 250
DIGITAL AUDIO EQUIPMENT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 256
VIDEO MONITORS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 257

HARDWARE CONNECTORS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 260
SUMMARY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 261
CHAPTER 12 PREPARING TO EDIT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 263
WORST CASE SCENARIO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 264
HOW TO ORGANIZE YOUR PROJECT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 265
LOGGING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 266
TUTORIAL: SETTING YOUR VIDEO LEVELS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 267
TUTORIAL: LOGGING AND CAPTURING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 274
TIPS FOR BETTER LOGGING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 277
CAPTURING ON-LINE QUALITY VIDEO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 279
TROUBLESHOOTING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 284
ADVANCED MEDIA MANAGEMENT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 287
SUMMARY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 289
CHAPTER 13 EDITING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 291
THE INVISIBLE ART. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 292
BUILDING BLOCKS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 292
CONTENTS vii
FINE-CUTTING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 307
LOCKING PICTURE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 309
CHAPTER 14 SOUND EDITING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 311
SOUNDING OFF . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 312
SETTING UP. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 314
DEDICATED SOUND EDITING APPS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 317
EDITING SOUND . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 322
EQUALIZING IS YOUR FRIEND . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 327
CHOOSING SOUND EFFECTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 331
MUSIC. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 332
FIX IT IN THE MIX?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 335
CHAPTER 15 COLOR CORRECTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 337
TO COMPRESS, OR NOT TO COMPRESS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 338

COLOR CORRECTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 343
TUTORIAL: CORRECTING WHITE BALANCE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 345
PUT A CLAMP ON IT. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 354
CORRECTING COLOR FOR FILM. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 356
CHAPTER 16 TITLING AND SIMPLE COMPOSITING . . . . . . . . . . . 357
TITLES AND SIMPLE GRAPHICS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 358
COMPOSITING 101 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 364
TUTORIAL: Creating a Luminance Key . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 367
TUTORIAL: Using a Chroma Key . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 372
TUTORIAL Creating a Title in Photoshop. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 385
TUTORIAL: Variable Transparency. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 391
MOVING PICTURES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 394
TUTORIAL: Creating a Credit Roll . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 396
TUTORIAL: Adding Camera Shake . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 400
SUMMARY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 406
CHAPTER 17 ROTOSCOPING AND MORE COMPOSITING . . . . . . . . 409
ROTOSCOPING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 410
TUTORIAL: Rotoscoping a Simple Image . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 414
TUTORIAL: Painting an Alpha Channel by Hand . . . . . . . . . 421
TUTORIAL: Color Correcting Part of an Image . . . . . . . . . . 429
TUTORIAL: Exploding Heads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 436
viii CONTENTS
SPECIAL EFFECTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 450
MAKING YOUR VIDEO LOOK LIKE FILM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 453
TUTORIAL: Creating Film Grain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 455
RENDERING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 461
CHAPTER 18 OUTPUTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 463
MASTERING YOUR OUTPUTS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 464
VIDEOTAPE MASTERS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 465
THE FINAL AUDIO MIX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 478

OUTPUTTING TO CD-ROM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 482
OUTPUTTING FOR THE WEB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 492
DVD AUTHORING. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 495
GETTING YOUR 35MM FILM RELEASE PRINT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 497
CONCLUSION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 504
APPENDIX ACALIBRATING YOUR NTSC MONITORS . . . . . . . . . 505
SETTING UP. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 506
APPENDIX BABOUT THE CD-ROM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 509
G
LOSSARY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 513
I
NDEX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 541
CONTENTS ix
Acknowledgments
xi
Sonja Schenk wishes to thank Hank Clay of in:sync, Rod Finley, Julie Gor-
don of Gordon Images and Communications, John Hanish, Jeff Kress, Ken
Musen, Jacob Nassim, Jane Perratt from DPS, Benoit Rossel from Swiss Ef-
fects, Gregg Rossen, Wes Sewell, Carl Stanza from 4MC, Pamela Soper,
Michael Wynses, Gibert Yablon from Film Out Xpress, and most of all,
Ralph Smith. Also thank you to DeeDee Halleck for starting me off on the
right foot as a video maker.
Ben Long would like to thank the many vendors who generously con-
tributed software and support, especially Susan Doering at Adobe; Andy
Baum, Keith Hatounian, Ralph Fairweather and Jean Grandy at Apple; Eric
Dohnlinger at Newer Technology; and Charles McConathy at ProMax. I
would also like to thank Larry Jordan and the users of
www.2-pop.com who
are a great resource for digital videographers of all skill levels. As always

Craig Lyn generously answered loads of special effects-related questions
while Sean Safreed expertly fielded countless video-related questions. I also
wish to thank Mike, Gary, Fred and Byron, my first (and best) production
teachers.
Also, special thanks to Sean Wagstaff, and Rick LePage for getting us
started and supporting us during this whole writing “thing.”
CHAPTER
1
Introduction
1
S
everal years ago, actor/monologist Spalding Gray was sent with a small
video crew to Los Angeles to conduct an interesting experiment. While
spending a day in the city, he chose random people—cab drivers,
clerks, waiters, people on the street—and asked them a simple question:
“Hi,” he said. “I was hoping you’d talk to me about your screenplay.” In-
variably, each person responded the same way: “How did you know I was
writing a screenplay?”
It seems that just about everyone these days has an interest in making
movies. But, as everyone knows, movie-making is colossally expensive, and
Hollywood is something of a closed community. Since getting that “big
break” isn’t easy, more and more filmmakers are going independent and pro-
ducing movies on their own.
“Indie” films are nothing new, but the number of independent produc-
tions has increased dramatically since the 70s and 80s when people like John
Cassavettes, John Sayles, and Spike Lee scraped together shoestring budgets
and begged and borrowed equipment and talent to produce their films. In
1998, more than 1,000 films were submitted to the famed Sundance film
festival, and four of 1997’s Best Picture Oscar nominees were independent

productions.
Though independent filmmaking is cheap by Hollywood standards, the
independent filmmaker still has to come up with tens or hundreds of thou-
sands of dollars to pay for sets, actors, locations, and, most of all, equipment.
In the past, cameras, lights, film-stock, editing facilities, special effects, and
post-production were the most expensive items in an indie film budget. But
with new digital video technology, that is starting to change. New standards
and tape formats ranging from MiniDV to DVCPro allow filmmakers to
shoot high-quality footage for far less money.
With DV technology, it’s possible to get a polished, edited feature “in the
can” for substantially less than if you were shooting on film. Once your fea-
ture is finished, you can use your final, edited digital videotape to shop
around for a distributor who will pay for a transfer to film.
Even if you’re not interested in becoming a movie mogul, you may find
yourself facing more and more of a demand for video production. With new
Web-based streaming technologies and faster desktop computers, more and
more businesses are finding corporate and industrial applications for high-
quality video production tools. Whether it’s live webcasting or producing a
CD-ROM-based annual report, you might have recently found yourself
needing to wear the video producer hat.
DIGITAL FILMMAKING HANDBOOK
2
CHAPTER 1INTRODUCTION
While there has been plenty written about how famous, monied produc-
ers like George Lucas use high-end proprietary equipment to create digital
special effects, there has been very little about how non-famous, less-monied
individuals can use inexpensive new DV technology, their desktop com-
puter, and off-the-shelf software to create fully-realized, marketable feature
films.
The Digital Filmmaking Handbook is targeted at anyone who wants to

use their desktop computer and DV camera to create professional-quality
productions (Figure 1.1).
3
Using a small, DV-equipped film crew doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice
quality. Modern DV equipment can deliver results that are a good substitute for
expensive analog video or film.
FIGURE
1.1
Although this book covers everything the independent filmmaker needs
to know to get a feature-length film made, it’s also ideal for industrial and
corporate producers who need to create training videos or trade show pre-
sentations. Multimedia developers, meanwhile, will find answers to all of
their video-production questions, ranging from how to shoot special effects
to how to optimize video for distribution via CD-ROM or the Web.
This book is meant to be both a start-to-finish production guide and a ref-
erence for learning more about particular tasks. While we can’t spend too
much time covering the artistry of writing, shooting, and editing, we will give
you some suggestions of where to learn more about such non-technical issues.
For more experienced users, we’ve included details on the latest technologies,
tips and guidelines for transitioning from older video or film technology, and
suggestions and strategies for using digital equipment and digital workflow to
reduce your production costs. From sophisticated titles to complex com-
positing,
The Digital Filmmaking Handbook will show you how to create
shots and effects that are rarely associated with low-budget production.
This book assumes you will be using a Macintosh or Windows-compatible
computer. Some familiarity with your operating system of choice will be re-
quired, as well as a video camera of some kind. Guidelines for selecting
equipment are provided in Chapters 5, 6, 10, and 11 (Figure 1.2).
We also assume that you are familiar with some basic computer terms—

RAM, kilobytes, megabytes, clock speeds, etc. A glossary is included in Ap-
pendix A.
Finally, though we assume no formal training in video or film production,
we might—on occasion—use production-related terms. These are also in-
cluded in the glossary. You might be surprised to learn how much you already
know about video production. Watching movies is the best way to learn the vi-
sual literacy required of a good filmmaker, and most people have seen a lot of
movies. At times, we may illustrate a concept by referencing movies available
at your local video store. Careful study of these materials is a great way to learn.
The phrase digital video is very confusing because there are many things that
are, technically, “digital video.” A QuickTime movie downloaded from the
Web is digital video, as is an animation generated by a computer graphics
program. A video hobbiest may use an inexpensive digitizing board to pour
What Is Digital
Video?
What Kind of
Equipment Do I
Need?
DIGITAL FILMMAKING HANDBOOK
4
CHAPTER 1INTRODUCTION
video from her home video camera into her computer, while a big film stu-
dio may use special scanners to transfer 35mm motion picture film into
high-end graphics workstations. The results are all “digital video.”
Things get even more complicated when you consider that some people
use the term “digital video” to refer to very specific pieces of equipment (a
“DV camera,” for example), while others use “digital video” as a broader
term that encompasses any type of digitized video or film.
If your computer has a
Firewire interface built into it, your computer sales-

man may have said something like “with this Firewire interface, this computer
is a great ‘digital video’ machine.” But what does this really mean? Can you
plug any old camera into it? Is the machine ready to create a great new digi-
tal video feature-length movie? Unfortunately, the answer to both of those
questions is no. However, such a computer can be used as one component of
a system that can take video from a video source, edit it, add special effects
and graphics, and then output the results to a video or film recorder. In some
cases, your source video will be a special digital video camera or tape deck. In
other instances, it might be a traditional analog camera or deck. The main
difference between a digital and an analog camera is that a digital camera dig-
5
Typical editing setup showing a Macintosh computer with a computer monitor,
an NTSC monitor, speakers, and video camera connected to the computer
through a Firewire cable.
FIGURE
1.2
itizes video while you shoot, and stores it on tape in a digital format, while an
analog camera stores video and audio on tape as analog waves.
For the most part, when we say “digital video,” we’re referring to the
broadest definition: a process wherein your source video is “digitized” at
some point so that it can be manipulated and edited on the computer.
WHAT IS DIGITIZING?
A digital video camera is a lot like a flatbed scanner, in that both devices “dig-
itize” an image. A flatbed scanner, for example, divides a page into a grid of
tiny pixels and then
samples each pixel. Each sample is analyzed and assigned
a numeric value—a digit, or series of digits—that represents the pixel’s color.
A frame of video can be digitized using the same process. However, since
one video frame is composed of an average of 720
× 480 pixels (or 345,600

pixels), and each second of video requires 30 frames, you need a fast com-
puter with a lot of storage.
A digital video camera digitizes video on-board and simply stores the re-
sulting numbers on a tape. Consequently, if you use a Firewire connection to
transfer video from a DV camera into your computer, you don’t technically
“digitize” the video, because the camera has already done that for you.
Rather, you simply copy the numbers (which represent the digitized images)
from the tape into your computer.
On the other hand, if you’re using an analog video camera, the digitizing
process will happen inside your computer, rather than inside your camera.
You will need special hardware in your computer that can change the analog
video signal from your camera into digital information and store it on your
computer’s hard drive. These “video capture boards” also compress the video
before storing it and decompress it when you’re ready for playback. Video
capture boards can be expensive and require a fast processor and very fast
hard drives (Figure 1.3).
We’ll discuss the details and merits of both systems later in this book.
Obviously, video technology has been around for a while and has been work-
ing just fine, so what’s all the fuss about all this new digital video stuff? Dig-
ital video technology has three advantages over traditional video editing and
production equipment: quality, function, and price.
Why Digital
Video?
DIGITAL FILMMAKING HANDBOOK
6
CHAPTER 1INTRODUCTION
7
Video is digitized
by the DV camera
G4

In a typical DV editing workflow, video is digitized by the camera, and the
resulting digital file is sent to the computer. When editing, the computer
transmits a compressed digital signal back to the camera, where it is decoded for
playback on an NTSC monitor.
FIGURE
1.3a
Video is digitized by
special hardware in
the computer
G4
In a typical analog editing workflow, analog video is sent to the computer,
where it is digitized for editing and converted back to analog for final output to
tape. The computer also takes care of sending an analog signal to an NTSC
monitor for playback.
FIGURE
1.3b
DIGITAL FILMMAKING HANDBOOK
8
Price Check
The following chart shows two rough price comparisons (circa January,
2000) between feature production using analog video, digital video, and
film. In the first chart, we present a rough “ideal” situation: analog pro-
duction using high-quality BetaSP, digital production using MiniDV format
and a three-chip camera, and 16mm film production.
In the second chart, we present a more affordable comparison: analog
video production using a single-chip Hi8 camera, digital video production
using a single-chip MiniDV camera, and film production using a pre-
owned 16mm camera. Note that although there may be changes in qual-
ity from system to system, all of these are suitable for feature-film or
documentary work.

Rough Production Hardware Costs
Ideal
Analog Digital Film
Computer $4,000* $2,800** $4,000***
Analog digitizing card $1,000–$5,000 N/A $1,000
Camera $30,000 $4,000 $6,000
Analog deck $12,000 $1,000 $2,000
Speakers, NTSC $500–up $500–up $500-up
monitor, cables
Editing software $400–$1,000 $400–$1,000 $2,000
Stock $700 $300 $10,700 ?
Telecine transfers N/A N/A $5,000
Total: $48,600+ $9,000+ $31,200+
*Macintosh 350 MHz G4 computer with 128MB RAM, 36GB Ultra2 SCSI with in-
terface, 17″ Apple monitor, Zip drive, DVD-ROM drive, 56K modem, three built-in
Firewire ports.
**Same as analog system, but with a 27GB Ultra ATA hard drive instead of a SCSI
drive.
***Figures based on film projects using analog-based editing systems as described
in * with the lowest quality digitizing card and additional film matchback software.
CHAPTER 1INTRODUCTION
Though “inexpensive” may not be the first word you’d use to describe the
thousands of dollars you’ll need for a computer and digital video equip-
ment, trust us, it’s
much cheaper than what you’d spend on traditional video
or film. With digital video, you don’t have the film stock and processing
costs that you’d face if you were shooting film, and your computer can take
the place of whole racks of equipment you’d need if you were shooting tra-
ditional analog video. And, digital video formats can potentially deliver
much higher quality than traditional analog formats, and can be edited and

copied with no loss in quality from generation to generation.
In addition to being less expensive than film or video, your desktop com-
puter can perform functions that are normally not possible using traditional
technology (or only possible with very expensive dedicated equipment and
teams of skilled craftsmen). The difference between digital and analog video
production is as profound as the difference between using a typewriter and
using a word processor.
Finally, with digital video, you no longer have to think in terms of pre-
and post-production. With laptop computer-based editing systems, for ex-
9
Really Low Budget
Analog Digital Film
Computer $4,000* $1,300** $1,300***
Analog digitizing card $1,000–$5,000 N/A N/A
Camera $750 $1,300 $2,000
Analog deck $2,000 N/A $1,000
Speakers, NTSC $500–up $500–up $500–up
monitor, cables
Editing software $2,300 $400 $1,400
Stock $300 $300 $10,700
Telecine transfers N/A N/A $4,000
Total: $10,850–up $3,800–up $19,900-up
*Macintosh 350 MHz G4 with 128MB RAM, 18GB Ultra2 SCSI with interface, 17″
Apple monitor, DVD-ROM drive, three built-in Firewire ports.
**iMac DV with 400 MHz G3 processor, 64MB of RAM, 56K modem, 10GB drive,
two Firewire ports, DVD.
***Figures based on a film project using a DV-based editing system as described in
**, a used 16mm camera, and additional film matchback software.
ample, you can edit as you shoot, trying out rough edits on-set, making it
easier to ensure that you’ve shot what you need.

DIGITAL FILMMAKING HANDBOOK
10
Linear versus Non-Linear
The non-linear editing that computers make possible is a great boon, but
don’t get confused by the linear and non-linear nature of different media.
The digital media that you “digitize” or “capture” into your computer is
non-linear, which means you have random access to any part of it. Digital
videotape is a different story. Because it’s on a piece of tape, it’s linear. To
access a given point in your digital videotape, you have to roll forward or
backward through the tape, just like you do on analog VHS tape.
This book follows the traditional filmmaking stages of pre-production, pro-
duction, and post-production. Throughout the book, we’ll show you how to
throw out the traditional approach and begin to mix and match the differ-
ent stages of production to take advantage of DV technologies.
Chapters 2–7 cover the traditional stage of “pre-production,” the part of
the process where you make all the decisions necessary to start shooting:
writing, planning, financing, budgeting, scheduling, storyboarding, and
choosing basic equipment.
Chapters 8–10 cover the traditional stage of “production,” the principal
shoot of your project: lighting, set design, shooting and recording produc-
tion sound, including tips for special shooting situations such as blue-screen
photography.
Chapters 11–18 cover the traditional stage of “post-production”: editing
room equipment, advanced editing techniques, sound design, special effects,
and delivery of the finished product—everything from streaming video for
the Web to getting your 35mm release print.
If you’re seriously thinking of embarking on a video production, you’re about
to begin a very complicated process. The more you know before you start,
the more smoothly things will go for you. Before you dive in, you should
know the answers to these questions:

Pop Quiz
What this Book
Covers
CHAPTER 1INTRODUCTION
• What is your final product? Projected 35mm film? Home video?
Broadcast television? DVD? Live Webcast? CD-ROM? Foreign re-
lease? Corporate/educational use? (Chapters 4 and 18 can help you
understand the technical specifications for these different formats).
• What peripheral products will you be creating? Work-in-progress VHS
copies, trailers, press kits? Outputting different formats requires more
planning than a project that sticks to one type of output.
• What equipment do you already own or have access to that you can
use to produce your project? Consider this question carefully, as some
older equipment might be more of a hindrance than a help.
• How much time and money do you want to spend in post-produc-
tion?
If you take the time to make some hard decisions before you shoot, you’ll
save time and money throughout the process. You don’t have to know all the
answers, but you should at least know the questions that will come up dur-
ing the course of your production.
11
CHAPTER
2
Planning Your
Project
13
IN THIS CHAPTER
• Before you start
• Writing for DV Projects
• Scheduling Your Project

• Budgeting
• Paying As You Go
• Budgeting Can Be Fun
All video productions begin, of course, with a well-written script and a lot of
planning. Good planning involves everything from pitching your idea and
scheduling your shoot to budgeting your production. Because pre-production
is where you’ll determine much of the look and quality of your project, good
planning weighs heavily on your production and post-production success.
Fortunately, there are a number of digital tools available to help with all aspects
of pre-production.
This chapter is divided into three sections: writing, scheduling, and bud-
geting. In the writing section, we’ll cover some basics of preparing your script.
In the scheduling section, we’ll go over the all-important schedule, the anchor
that keeps your production from getting out of hand. Finally, we’ll help you
understand some of the basic issues around budgeting your project.
Unfortunately, the “writing-scheduling-budgeting” model is a drastic over-
simplification of the pre-production process. In reality, each of these processes
affects the others, and all three are intertwined and interrelated. Our goal is to
help you understand what questions you need to ask yourself, and where you
might be able to find some answers before you dive in.
No matter what your finished product will be—feature film, documentary,
corporate training video—you have to start with a written script. A script is
more than just a description of what people will say and do during your shoot.
Your script is also a description of what locations and props you’ll need, as well
as what special effects, graphics, and sets you’ll have to create. A finished script
is required to start pre-production budgeting and scheduling and will serve as
a reference point that you will follow all the way through post-production.
Writing for DV
Before You Start
DIGITAL FILMMAKING HANDBOOK

14