Setting Up Your Shots: Great Camera Moves Every Filmmaker Should Know

This book is by no means a bad book. It's nicely produced and the writing and illustrations are effective in describing different shots and their uses.

I am 24 and doing a practical film masters. This book is not suitable for me at this level. It's so simple and I feel like I already know this theory already. I think most cine-literate adults will be able to read this and know the information.

This book would be perfect for a younger reader (say 11 or 12 with a strong interest in cinema). The pictures illustrating the shot moves in storyboard fashion and the examples of the specific shots being discussed are very well thought out. However I simply found there wasn't enough substance contained in this book to justify me having bought it. I'm giving it to my film school for their library to use for their two-week course. Maybe it'll be more useful to the students doing the introductory course.

There's nothing in here you can't learn by watching films.

I hate to be too negative about something, but I bought this book expecting to find out about how to plan my shots to tell a greater visual story. What you get from this book is just a list of many types of shots.

I then found and ordered 'Cinematic Storytelling: The 100 Most Powerful Film Conventions Every Filmmaker' which was EXACTLY the book I was after. Which works for beginners and more experienced filmakers alike.
My opinion is whatever your level, you're far better off with Cinematic Storytelling.
Put your money towards that one.

If I was thinking of becoming a story board artist and was looking for idea's this book would be great, because it show's the techniques used to show the idea's given from the director/writer and how it would look on a storyboard.

If you wanted conceptual stuff to get the grey cells going then sorry this isn't for you.

The best thing about this book is the references to films because as a camera operator I want to see what the shots turn out like and how they are used in real time.Following the motion and the speed allows me to visualise the shots for myself in a particular situation. So for me this book has it's good points and bad points but it has it's place on my bookshelf.

This is a great book for anyone who is interested in filming techniques.

I bought this book because I wanted to learn more about the way films are made, and how directors use cinematography to convey particular concepts and emotions.
It does not do this (although the summary had led me to believe it would). All it does is provide brief descriptions of basic camera techniques (pan, zoom etc), along with sketch illustrations and indications of where you might see the techniques in use it well-known films.

This seems to me pretty pointless. We all know what zoom, pan etc are, and we are not likely to go rushing out to get a copy of 'Blade Runner', or whatever, to wait for the poorly described episode to come up so we can see a real example.

Don't bother!