Lessons from American Cinematographer

For nearly three decades, Jay Holben has a been a contributor for American Cinematographer magazine and has had the opportunity to sit down one-on-one with the top cinematographers in the world. As a cinematographer himself, Holben used this extraordinary privilege to not only discuss the ins-and-outs of a particular movie being covered, but to "pick the brains" of the best cinematographers on the planet. This rather selfish approach to his journalism afforded Holben the chance to fill his creative toolbox with tips and techniques from the true masters of the art. These treasures of movie magic were printed in the pages of American Cinematographer over the past 27 years, but they have now all been collected into a single volume. LESSONS FROM AMERICAN CINEMATOGRAPHER brings the reader back to every interview and AC story highlighting those special tips and techniques that Holben learned. It's like opening a vault to a secret collection of tips and techniques handed down from the artisans of motion picture photography in your hands. A perfect Companion to Holben's extremely popular SHOT CRAFT series, LESSONS FROM AMERICAN CINEMATOGRAPHER provides the reader a lifetime of masterclasses in a single volume.

LESSONS FROM AMERICAN CINEMATOGRAPHER: SHARING NEARLY THREE DECADES OF TIPS & TECHNIQUES LEARNED FROM THE WORLD'S TOP CINEMATOGRAPHERS (A SHOT CRAFT COMPANION) compiles excerpts from more than 60 American Cinematographer magazines authored by Jay Holben on films and television photographed by the master cinematographers of the world.

Each excerpt features a specific tip or technique learned from that cinematographer by the author and topics covered include: Lighting, Exposure, Camera, Locations, Visual Storytelling, Career / Business, Lenses, Filters, Relationships, Production Design, Visual Effects, Second Unit, Planning and more.

This book is like getting your own chance to sit down and learn from these Academy Award, ASC Award and Emmy Award winning cinematographers who are celebrated around the globe. Holben provides context and examples for each of the lessons. This is a unique book and an invaluable collection of insights that cannot be found in this kind of economical collection! Holben's true talents as a technical journalist lie in his ability to extract the tangible learn-today-use-tomorrow information and to break down the incredibly complex into the most simple and intuitive presentation. For any aspiring and veteran cinematographer, this will become an oft-referenced text to take your cinematography to the next level.