Ah yes, the New Year is here !

…And with the onset of 2012, I thought I’d do a little sharing of the bounty myself.  I’m a wee late on this for gift giving season, but so far, right on time for New Year’s…  almost.  Regardless, here we go-

The Good Stuff : Free Filmmaking eBooks from some  very knowledgeable folks. Much like a holiday fruitcake, the links below are a merry mélange of filmmaking know-how covering many facets of the process; pre- to post production and then some.

Before we hit the roof in a fit of film production ecstasy, let me clarify: these eBooks are not my own efforts.  Rather, I’m merely the friendly flag-waver, sharing helpful info I’ve unearthed plumbing the depths of the interwebs.  Okay!  That done, here’s a few of those filmmaking truffles I’ve uprooted in my sojourn;

The DSLR Cinematography Guide

Ryan Koo’s on my list of favourite folks to follow when it comes to Independent Filmmaking. He’s also got a great blog, nofilmschool.com where he shares an incredible amount of awesome via articles, links, etc. Koo’s blog is a veritable resource Must Have. To top it off, Koo’s recently dropped The DSLR Cinematography Guide online for we mere mortals to partake of. Got an inkling to hear the word on DSLR’s and filmmaking?  Koo’s DSLR Cinematography Guide is The Primer to have in hand, my friend. Koo spills on his ebook:

“Digital cinematography is changing so rapidly these days that a printed book on the subject will likely be outdated by the time it reaches store shelves; this is especially true when it comes to the rapid release cycle of DSLRs.

Up-to-date information can be found on online forums, but forums lack the organizing principles of a book, and as a result it can take a ludicrously long time to piece together reliable information (I spent months forum-surfing to assemble my own camera package). Thus, this guide: I hope it saves readers money they would’ve otherwise spent on an out-of-date book, and I hope it saves forums from so many newbie — sorry, “n00b” — questions.” 

Get your copy of The DSLR Cinematography Guide here–  For another eye-opening read, check out the  No Film School Manifesto.

Becoming The Reel Deal: Launching Your Career in the Camera Department

Evan Luzi has a great (GREAT) blog, The Black and Blue, covering tech stuff and camera work by way of the camera department.  Becoming the Reel Deal eBook is 145 pages in length–  that’s alot of work, and heaps of insight to hand around– and FREE!  I’ve only just started (way-laying several other books in my pile) and already, I’m a believer. Here’s Evan’s take;

“While I can’t promise you’ll instantly get a job when you finish reading it, if you follow my advice, I can guarantee you will put yourself in a better position for long-term success. This isn’t about getting one gig — it’s about launching a career. That’s why I don’t even try to sell you in this ebook on any magic bullet, undiscovered method, or secret ways to the top — it’s simply tried and true methods that worked for me and others.” 

Do yourself a favour;  grab a copy of Becoming the Reel Deal here or cut and paste your way to ebook nirvana with this link: http://www.theblackandblue.com/reel-deal/

Camera crew happiness will ensue.

Richard Harrington’s CS5 Creative Suite Tips & Tricks eBook

Richard Harrington has done the world some Great Big Huge Good with his release of a 100% FREE CS5 Creative Suite Tips & Tricks eBook (PDF) to help Get More Done with Adobe’s Creative Suite CS5.

So, you CAN haz cheezeburger.

EBook in hand, you’ll be primed to explore the creative possibilities of DSLR video editing with Adobe’s Creative Suite 5 bundle. Loaded with tips and tricks, Harrington’s guide is wired for navigating the mind-bending plethora of creative calamity that awaits in Adobe’s Creative Suite CS5. This wondrous gift, like happiness, is not something you can buy. Why not?     Because it’s Free.

…and  legal, too!  The goods under the hood:

• Working in the timeline of Adobe Premiere Pro
• Get more done with Adobe Photoshop
• Get organized with Adobe Bridge
• Working with audio
• Adobe After Effects Advanced techniques
• Good shooting practices and Production Techniques
• Sharing and publishing your video

Download a copy of Richard Harrington’s free CS5 eBook here.

The Modern Movie Making Movement

The MovieMaker Action Pack, a free (Free!) 100+ page tome of an eBook is online and for all to share in some filmmaking enlightenment. The Modern MovieMaking Movement taps a score of well informed folks in the Biz thru interviews in which said film  folks chat about the voodoo they do, so well.  Have a look at the list of contributors and co-conspirators in The Modern MovieMaking Movement:

• Uncover Successful, Modern Screenwriting Tips with Jurgen Wolff
• Find Out How To Make the Most of Movie Money with Norman C. Berns
• Discover Six Ways to Finance Your Feature Film with Gordon Firemark
• Bankroll Your Movie with Tom Malloy
• Get The Inside Scoop On Crowdfunding with Carole Dean
• Plan Your Production For Maximum Success with Peter D. Marshall
• Modern Guerrilla Filmmaking with Gary King
• Navigate Film Festivals and Do Them Right with Sheri Candler
• Sell Your Movie Without the Middle-Man with Jason Brubaker
• Find Out About The Producer of Marketing and Distribution and Utilize The New 50/50 with Jon Reiss

Every year, the fine folks of FCPUG Net drop a handsome bunch of resources in the form of the preposterously cool SUPERMAG. What the hell is this? SUPERMAG No. 4, (released in 2010) is 315 pg of eBook awesome!

Loaded and ready to go for the time it takes to drop your email is a batch of handy filmmaking ebooks (six in all) from the fine folks at the Film Funding Club.  What they’re about (from the site):

“This independent film site offers advice, tools, resources, guidance, networking and practical instruction for new and veteran filmmakers. It also offers a kind word and a shared vision for filmmakers who take a project from the first script, through full funding, to production and finally to distribution.”

Since I’m a big fan of all that’s Free in Filmmaking (and the folks sharing their experience/ insight/ know how), might I suggest a trip to the Film Funding Club to partake of the goodness that awaits?  In addition to free ebooks, Film Funding Club hosts a plethora of film articles, also free. Share and share alike everyone! Don’t forget to mention from whence all these treasures came. Nice people over there, so swing yourself over to MagicMirror, download some film production awesomeness, or copy and paste to your hearts content with this:  http://magicmirror.com/download-all-our-guides-free/6-free-ebooks/

There you have it–  Got some feedback, or additional ebook resources to peruse?  Drop a line below  and Happy 2012!

– M