I was very dissapointed by this book. I bought it hoping for some inspiration or something fresh I could use in my next short film. I found nothing. It should be titled Great Camera Moves Every Filmmaker Already Knows (and some ordinary ones). I'm not normally someone to criticize other peoples work and put things down, but I honestly felt like I wasted my money on this book. It is clearly a book for absolute beginners in film and I think it should state this on the cover somewhere.

Give this one a miss unless you are a beginner.

Is this book too elementary? Is this book terrific? I can see both points. It's difficult trying to show the technique behind a moving shot with one or two storyboard frames. Still, for those of us who cannot always think of the options while we're thinking of other things (rewriting dialogue, pacing, budget), "Setting Up Your Shots" doles out lots of ideas, even if the descriptions are somewhat cursory. If you are cinematically oriented, if you already know how you want every shot, then you don't need this book. If you do not have a background in cinematography (especially those of us who basically have just watched lots of movies), then this book might help you with the "Oh, that's what they call it when they..." part. Someday I might think this book is too basic; right now, I'm happy to see a picture or two that jog my brain. They're not really "great camera moves," but they're good, basic camera moves. When you're done with your great camera moves, please share with us; I'd like to see them, too.

A great overall summary of the core shots available to filmakers with clear diagrams and good descriptions. Good for the beginner or the professional as a reference book.