"Ready, Steady, Shoot": How to think like a filmmaker and make better home movies (Book Review)

We’ve all had to do it: sit bored to tears through those painfully long home videos at family get-togethers, feeling jolted by the shaky, out of focus, and poorly framed images and wondering when they are going to end.  Under these conditions, the videographer is bound to lose her audience, even if it includes her spouse, parent, or child.  The result is often glazed eyes and poorly concealed yawns.

Enter renowned Oscar-nominated filmmaker and cinematographer Roger Sherman with The Guide to Great Home Video: Ready, Steady, Shoot, a brilliant new pocket guide for helping makers of home movies think like professional filmmakers, whether documenting a sporting event, family vacation, or ballet recital. Written in a style that is both funny and accessible, Sherman's manual teaches how to avoid the common mistakes amateur videographers make. Never again miss those magic moments worthy of being caught on camera due to poor sound or the wrong camera location in relation to the action.  

Sherman emphasizes that his techniques can be applied regardless of the device used, whether an iPhone, a camcorder, a Flip cam, or a professional video camera.  Suggestions such as avoiding zooming in at all costs will revolutionize thinking about making home movies. Best of all, his approach requires no editing.

With a little planning, even the most inexperienced videographer can create home movies that are fun to watch and pleasant to look at, complete with engaging storytelling and techniques used by the pros.

Parents, this book is for you.  Read it as soon as possible, and the next time you hit “record,” you’ll be documenting a memory in a style that your family will want to watch again and again for years to come.  


More details and a video blog introduction to the manual can be found on Roger's website: readysteadyshoot.com.  The book can be purchased for $7.99 on Amazon.com by clicking here.  The e-book version is available here.

Oscar-nominated filmmaker and cinematographer Roger Sherman shares his filmmaking secrets in Ready, Steady, Shoot

Watch for my interview with Roger next week!  We'll learn more about his movies, his company Florentine Films, and partnership with renowned documentarian Ken Burns.  He might even share a few helpful hints for making great films!