Magazine recommendations
 

As a DV newbie I have been spending a great deal of time absorbing info on th eweb. I am also interested in any DV and video making oriented mags. Would be interested in any suggestions and what you feel their strengths are? Do they cater to or help the newbie oout, etc. Thanks!

Hi,
I subscripte to Videography, Videomaker and DV magazine. I find Videomaker to be more oriented towards teh newcommer, DVMagazine to be a step up from that, and Videography to be aimed at the more experienced.

Enjoy

Bill

Thanks I'll check them out.

Don't overlook my favorite, Video Systems:

http://www.videosystems.com/

I have a subscription to Scr(i)pt magazine: http://www.scriptmag.com/
Haven't read much others yet...

is vidoemaker geared more toward serious newbies or just people with an interest in playing around with thier new camcorder? Which one would you suggest for a newbie who is looking to go pro?

lastwatcher, I've found videomaker to a great source for down to earth pratical advice on how to save money on set design, lighting, sound management.... . Info any no/low budget independent film maker can use.

I would advise to not waste your money on Camcorder & Computer video mag.(odd months, it calls itself Computer Video and Camcorder magazine) It's 'reviews' seem to be nothing more than filler between advertising. Not worth the paper IMHO.

Videography is definitely geared toward broadcast pros, but worth reading for people at any level. The pros are who we learn from.

DV mag doesn't need any help from me. They are the best as far as US based zines.

I'll second that opinion regarding Videomaker. "Professionals" with corporate budgets may sniff at Videomaker but it does indeed contain many practical tips and explanations for hobbyists and low-budget shooters. I keep a "tips" notebook of article clippings from magazines. Clippings from Videomaker outnumber all other sources by 5 to 1.

alright, well thank you guys very much. I can get copies of videomaker here at Rowan, so Im gonna look into that.
Thanks again for your help.

You can read all Videomaker articles on line. The current password is:

movies

Opps. Maybe I shouldn't have mentioned this! At least you can go there now, and check it out for yourself.

www.videomaker.com

one magazine that no one has mentioned is DIGIT

It's a british mag and costs a bit more then other mags but
it has alot of good info in there

DIGET. I'll have to look for that one. I already buy 2 other Brit cam mags. But they are not always available here in Vancouver, and they are not always good. Personally, I find all magazines very good, depending on which writers have written articles in them. That's what I go by before I buy the mag. I look at the table of contents (and the subject matter). I try to avoid the pretty pictures, unless I'm going for an issue of Playboy. Actually, I buy Playboy for its short stories and articles. (It's the truth, honestly.)

Frank, I stopped reading Playboy when the models started packing more silicon than in Intel chip plant. Better flat than
phony.

<<<-- Originally posted by jojolimited : Frank, I stopped reading Playboy when the models started packing more silicon than in Intel chip plant. Better flat than
phony. -->>>

I stopped reading Playboy when I found that ladies with large mammary glands did not also have a staple in their navel. Yet another does of reality.
Sandy

Free Subscription To Dv Magazine
 

In a post elsewhere on this bbs, reference is made to DV Magazine. Yes, you can buy it on newstands, but you can also subscribe free of charge. On the inside of the magazine there is a full-size page (card stock) that you tear out, fill in, then mail or fax to them.

How easy can it get?

Are you sure about this? I am looking through my copy of DV, and can't find anything like that. I do know that you can get a "Free" subscription to VIDEOGRAPHY magazine, by filling out the card.

Basically, they review your card info to see if you are "professional" level - that is, are you likely to spend enough money on equipment each year to warrant giving you a free subscription? Then they sell your info to their commercial clients. (Watch your mailbox for ad campaigns from digital equipment manufacturers.) I knew this going in, so no problems.
Bill

Even if you pay for a subscription to DV, it's not much money and well worth the expense. Hope this helps,

I am positive. Chances are someone took the "Free Subscritpion Application" out and used it.

Free? I like it. Hook me up, or direct me to the hookup. I will lie on this "card" you mention. Yes, I am Josh Bass, master of the digi-Beta world. Why just last week I used a 35mm prime lens as a doorstop, and AGDVX100 to prop up the wobbly leg of my kitchen table.

Josh,

I am in Houston too. Drop me an email and ...

"Let's do lunch"

Ciao


PierrotFilms@yahoo.com

XL1S Used in AMERICAN CINEMATOGRAPHER
 

FYI

A picture of a cameraman documenting behind the scenes schtuff ("DREAMCATCHER"), it looks like, with the Canon XL1S or XL1. (Page 68, April 2003, With Nightshade (X2) on the cover).

Nourishment for the soul...

Cheers!

Derrick

Does the article discuss or feature the XL1s? Is it just a picture of an XL1s?

-Ken Tanaka-

BTW, please don't use "**" to set your headings off.

Ken,

Right on with the latter question. Nothing...

Its a picture of the XL1/XL1S... The 16x Lense Pocking out of the right hand edge of the photograph. Nothing said.

I've been hearing a lot about behind the scene documentaries using the XL1/XL1S.

Its a good reference magazine...

Cheers!

Derrick

What Magazines do you read and why do you think they are worth your time??
 

With Ken bringing up the latest issue of DV Magazine it got me to thinking about the assortment of magazines I infrequently buy at newsstands and probably should just subscribe to and get it over with... so I thought I'd ask here.

(( The reason I posted this in this Area and not the Open DV area was that my interest is mostly in filmmaking with DV ))

Currently I read:

FilmMaker which doesn't always have any viable DV related stories but it's a good Indy Film magazine.

American Cinematographer I don't care if you are shooting with a Super 8 film camera, a 1987 K-Mart special VHS videocamera or the latest million dollar DV set-up, you can ALWAYS learn something from each and ever issue.

DV Didn't subscribe just did on-line a little while ago.

Videography sometimes it's good and sometimes it's not... is it just me??



I buy an assortment of other film, video and screenwriting magazines based on their articles... and I"m sure I'm forgetting some too.

Which ones do you think are worth the effort and time to subscribe to?

The only two I subscribe to are Computer Arts and Computer Arts Specials. The first is a pretty good general read, but leans heavily towards Photoshop (good) and 3D (bad...IMO!) CAS covers one subject in great depth. Although the subject changes from issue to issue, it leans a lot towards 3D and Flash...both of which are of such low interest to me that I really should hang up my subscription. Both CA and CAS occasionally cover DV, but it's rare and usually insubstantial.

The same publisher used to publish DV World, which I was about to subscribeto when it was cancelled after 8 or 9 issues... :-(

Perhaps I should have a look at DV.

Video magazines
 

I was at my local paper pusher recently and they had a new magazine - Digital Video. This is an import (for me at least) from the UK.

After looking through it I have to wonder why the U.S. can't seem to have a magazine like this. It's not just this field either, I've seen a similar disparity of quality of content in outdoor photography and birdwatching magazines.

It's not that Digital Video is more advanced. The first issue covers a lot of the basics that you might expect to see covered in Videomaker, for example. It's just that the coverage seems to be much more in depth than you see in U.S. mags. The reviews seem to be more thorough as well. On top of all of that, it came with a DVD-ROM (PC and Mac) that showed examples of what they were talking about in their 'how to' section and clips from each of the camcorders they were testing. I've seen books with less information.

Has anyone else seen this magazine? Is the disparity in content quality between U.S. and U.K. magazines all in my imagination?

I pick up Videography from time to time if there are a few good articles. Same with American Photography (I think thas the name).
FWIW, I find I learn more from some of the photo magazines than the video production 'zines.

Although I haven't checked out any UK video or media magazines
I do have read several (and still do) magazines from the UK
for my profession -> programming/computers. Those mags are
far superior then anything that is written in my native language
here in Holland.

So perhaps they do put more in them generally?

Last year I had a subscription to Scr(i)pt which
I liked pretty much. Had some good solid advice on scriptwriting
and writers talked about how they came up with ideas, transformed
them into (spec) scripts and finally how some of those turned into
(well known sometimes) movies. It is primarely targeted for
writers that want to write for Hollywood. So no indie work, but
still interesting (in my opinion).

Yeah, I got a copy of Digital Video ( the European one ) from chapters for like $6. I is the best video magazine I've ever read.

I'm down with Jack and Jill, but I swear I read it for the articles.

Kevin, all the magazines are good. It just depends on the articles and their authors. That's what I go by---subjective, I know. But I do lean toward DV Magazine, so I buy each issue blindly. If I don't find anything interesting, there's always the Broadway ads. :)

Personally I like Video Systems magazine, just wish it wasn't so thin.

Similar comments have come from US readers of a couple of UK mags that I subscribe to, Computer Arts and Computer Arts Specials...how-tos, walk-throughs, in-depth reviews, CD-ROMs with tutorials/demos/freebies.

Computer Arts is pretty nice indeed. Anyone reads the computer
mag. PC Pro?

I haven't seen Video Systems I'll have to look for it. I do occasionally look at Videography and DV to see equipment I can only dream about (if I win the lottery).

I asked a friend of mine (an ex-pat Scot) about the disparity and he thinks it has to do with what he calls the obsessive nature of the Brits and their hobbies. I'd accept that if it were just the hobby magazines but it sounds like the professional computer mags are the same.

The odd thing is that the cost doesn't seem to be that much higher (minus the import costs the store tacks on). I can't believe the production costs are lower so I still wonder why the U.S. mags seem to strive for such mediocrity (in comparison)?

Actually, the content on this board is higher than many of the magazines.....

I've always enjoyed Res myself. Nice mix of ideas and tech.

Film Comment
 

I don't read any technical magazines. For technical information this board is about as useful as keeping around stacks of magazines that aren't searchable.

The only related magazine I read is Film Comment, the film review magazine put out by the Film Society of Lincoln Center. It helps me keep up on indie and foreign films, especially as very few make it to Vancouver outside of the Vancouver International Film Festival. It comes out bimonthly (?) and has a nice blend of features and review articles. The only thing I can't stand about it is that it includes fiction. I really don't see the point. Otherwise, it's a useful overview of obscure and lesser known works.

<<<-- Originally posted by Martin Munthe : I've always enjoyed Res myself. Nice mix of ideas and tech. -->>>

Res is an excellent magazine. I like the blend of music and video. This and FilmMaker are the only two that I subscribe to. Every once and a while I will pick up American Cinematographer.

RES rocks....buy it every month...need to take the plunge and subscribe so i can get the miniDVD