The DV Rebel's Guide: An All-Digital Approach to Making Killer Action Movies on the Cheap

by Stu Maschwitz

Written by Stu Maschwitz, co-founder of the Orphanage (the legendary guerrilla visual effects studio responsible for amazing and award-winning effects in such movies as Sin City, The Day After Tomorrow, and Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire), this book is a must-have for all those budding filmmakers and students who want to produce action movies with visual effects but don't have Hollywood budgets. The Orphanage was created by three twenty-something visual effects veterans who wanted to make their own feature films and discovered they could do this by utilizing home computers, off the shelf software, and approaching things artistically. This guide details exactly how to do this: from planning and selecting the necessary cameras, software, and equipment, to creating specific special effects (including gunfire, Kung Fu fighting, car chases, dismemberment, and more) to editing and mixing sound and music. Its mantra is that the best, low-budget action moviemakers must visualize the end product first in order to reverse-engineer the least expensive way to get there. Readers will learn how to integrate visual effects into every aspect of filmmaking--before filming, during filming and with "in camera" shots, and with computers in postproduction. Throughout the book, the author makes specific references to and uses popular action movies (both low and big-budget) as detailed examples--including El Mariachi, La Femme Nikita, Die Hard, and Terminator 2. Note from the Publisher: If you have the 3rd printing of The DV Rebel’s Guide, your disc may be missing the data files that accompany the book. If this is the case, please send an email to Peachpit in order to obtain the files at ask@peachpit.com

Genres: Nonfiction, Film, How To

320 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2006

Reviews

[Ulee ☄︎ · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5

I almost didn't finish this book. Not because it is a bad book, ... maybe a little bit because of the jokes*, but because I felt a lot of the information that was given in the begining and middle of the book did not pertain to me (or I should say what I currently want to learn). The book goes over the whole process of making a film from start (staff, actors, locations) to creating a master. The book also goes into a long section/chapter(s) about using guns or replica guns. I am more interested in the visual fx and post processing aspect of filmmaking. I am glad I finished the book because the author did finally get to editing and onlining films. The sections/chapters are not as long as the chapters about choosing a camera and shooting technique, but they were very helpful and insightful. I feel I learned a lot from reading this book and would recommend it.

* Sometime, I feel like when books try too hard to be funny, it makes the content outdated and too annoying to read.

[Robbiemcqueeney · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really liked the book, it shows all the steps of making a film, mainly an action one. Much of it was very basic though, so since I read it to learn, I didn't really get that. It felt more like I was just talking to someone who also knows about this stuff then actually learning anything. Other then that though, its always nice to hear another persons opinion on a topic, since if film making was as easy as following one golden rule, why is every movie not good? Overall, I thought it was, enjoyable, I'd of aimed it more towards a newbie of film making, but I still learned a thing or two.

[Sean Dailey · Rating 4 out of 5]

i think maschwitz provides a lot of good advice here. it's worth it for the ae scripts and plugins for cc alone. but the short feature "the last birthday card" is so terrible that it actually undermines the author's credibility.

[Andrew Bauer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stu has done something wonderful with this fun, wonderfully readable, technical manifesto: fulfill all the hoopla of "The DV Revolution" by writing a book about what all DV filmmakers purport to be doing--making films (or videos that look and, more importantly, feel like movies). He does so by providing guidance, both technical and conceptual, and demanding discipline--as opposed to "run-and-gun, you-can-fix-it-in-post, shoot-as-much-as-you-want-'cause-tape-is-cheap!" advice. The result is a book that's never laden down with dry technical writing and, although it seems impossible from a "how to..." guide, is at times inspirational. If you have been toiling away trying to make your DV novel with either no results or barely watchable results, this is a very, very good book to pick up. Don't let the "Making Killer Action Movies..." subtitle deter you--the overarching theme is adding "production value" to your homespun creation. If you dig deeper, you will be introduced to an online world of creative distribution, brain-trusting and gadget-lusting which is every bit as helpful as the book, although the book helps ground the discussion in the larger theme of filmmaking.

[Todd · Rating 5 out of 5]

I saw Stu Maschwitz speak at NAB 2009, and promptly picked up this book and read it in a couple of days.

Here's the important distinction between Stu's book and a lot of the other D.I.Y. film books out there (i.e. Michael W. Dean's underwhelming $30 Film School): The DV Rebel's Guide actually shows you how to make a GOOD cheap movie. It's not just about shooting whatever you want and throwing it together, it's about getting great footage (on the cheap of course) and then using sophisticated, powerful desktop software to cut, create visual effects, and finish your film correctly and more importantly professionally.

In that regard, this book rises above the rest of it's ilk. Not to mention that they throw in some great after effects plugins and color correcting tools on the included DVD. A really great package and book all together. Well written and fun to read, this is an instant classic in the same vein as Robert Rodriguez's classic, "A Rebel Without a Crew".

[Daniel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stu Maschwitz's book is ostensibly for amateur filmmakers who want to make short action films. Its techniques, and general pilosophy, however, can be applied to any filmmaking/videomaking genre, because what he cares about is maximizing production value-- the sleek spectacle of big-budget movies-- with a lot of ingenuity and a low budget. If you're not afraid of graphics software like Photoshop, and if you can look at production from an alternate angle, then you can make some beautiful moving pictures. Plus, Maschwitz's writing style and humor are so much fun, it makes you want to run out and make a movie. HIghly recommended.

[Steven Gaskin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ignoring the focus on action films and action sequences, this is a fantastic crash course in low-budget dv film production. The money-saving approaches to achieving higher levels of production quality more than offset the cover price. It's also highly entertaining, and the scene analyses of famous films - by way of illustration - further enhance the value. The first book any aspiring indie film maker should read.

[Val O. Morris · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of my favorite filmmaking books. The author knows his stuff. For one, he's a creator of the Magic Bullet software and a superb photographer. Every time I read DV Rebel's Guide it makes me want to grab my camera and run out the door and shoot anything. Which I know isn't wise to do without a filmmaking plan (not to mention a script!), but that's what reading this will do to ya. It's exciting. It's informative. And with its conversational tone, it's inspiring.

[The Doctor · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best books I have read on moviemaking. "GO-GET IT" attitude, deconstruction of classics, it has taught me about photography, theory of color and how to have a good time doing what you like. Follow Stu at his blog www.prolost.com and get a taste of what the book is all about.
A must for any lover of films and movies.

[Belal Khan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stu is an inspiration in every way possible for aspiring filmmakers and visual effects artists. This is a must have book for anyone who is considering making videos, whether it's for just for YouTube or an actual film project.

Follow Stu on twitter @5tu and reach his blog: prolost.com

[Adam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, it's like someone made a book about how to do what I do!

[Mitch · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the best DIY/no-budget filmmaking book I have ever read. Read "Rebel Without a Crew" for pure inspiration, then follow it up with this book for technical know-how.

[Dan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is about everything I don't know about film making, and nothing I already know. It's not about how to make movies, it's about the next steps. How to decrease costs and increase quality.

[Nathan Benmargi · Rating 4 out of 5]

An awesomely simple and straight forward approach to achieving high production value on a low budget.

[Jason Craft · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome guide to created low-budget films from a professional in the business.

[Omar Manjouneh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Inspiration flutters through pages here..