American Cinematographer Special Offer

[Tim Sewell]

American Cinematographer (the magazine of the American Society of Cinematographers) has a great offer on at the moment - 1 year's subscription to the digital version, plus full access to their archive (which goes back to 1920!) for USD19.95. I just grabbed one - perfect for filling those long lockdown evenings, I'd say.

https://store.ascmag.com/collections/subscriptions/products/american-cinematographer-digital-subscription-1-year

[Emanuel]

That's absolutely irresistible! WOW One of the most appealing no-brainer offers I've ever seen... Mate, if your posts were one of my favs before, guess now ; ) Your life is already duplicated per se for this sharing, mark my words! : D This is what makes this community a unique case worldwide @Andrew Reid :- )

[zerocool22]

Good deal! thx for the link. Havent got a long lockdown evening yet though, I have not gotten 5 minutes of boredom since the corona outbreak. (I do have 2 busy kids, which might have a lot to do with it)

[zerocool22]

If this was the print version, that would have been even more amazing. I must be really getting old as I prefer reading things written on paper. (allthough I find print obsolete and a waste of good resources) 

[kye]

I'm tempted, but not really sure what their style and content is..  are there sample issues or articles around that best showcase what you're buying?

[kye]

6 minutes ago, zerocool22 said:

If this was the print version, that would have been even more amazing. I must be really getting old as I prefer reading things written on paper. (allthough I find print obsolete and a waste of good resources) 

Lots of them seem to be around on Ebay..  they're not cheap though.

[zerocool22]

1 minute ago, kye said:

I'm tempted, but not really sure what their style and content is..  are there sample issues or articles around that best showcase what you're buying?

I got a couple printed ones here at home from camera shows. And there is some great content in there of various blockbuster hollywood films. Allthough the mag is kinda infected with a lot of ads. But the best cine mag I have ever read though. (allthough a lot of stuff may not apply to your shooting style, as they do break out expensive hollywood gear)

[Emanuel]

I still have the ones kept somewhere else (but not in digital version) I didn't help myself to end investing with my student pocket money along those old 90s back to my law school years, when I was used to spend a couple of hours literally, reading at book store (not the library : D) once arrived and my few bucks were too short to afford it every single month then.

This sounds dreamlike now, by consequence. I think it's not easy to young people in digital age to have a picture what this means.

- E.

[Tim Sewell]

The cost for the print version outside the USA is fairly stiff, unless you're really keen to hold it in your hand.

35 minutes ago, kye said:

I'm tempted, but not really sure what their style and content is..  are there sample issues or articles around that best showcase what you're buying?

I think you'll find quite a lot of features from recent issues on the website.

[docmoore]

Wonderful deal ... signed on today.

Thanks!

[kye]

8 hours ago, zerocool22 said:

(allthough a lot of stuff may not apply to your shooting style, as they do break out expensive hollywood gear)

I guess this is really my question.  I am in a strange place where I know that most of YT film-making 'knowledge' is actually BS and that the techniques the pros use for things like exposure and post-production is really the way to go, and also that I am interested in learning more about shooting, specifically when I find myself out shooting how to look at a situation, where to put the camera, how to move it, and in editing which shots to use and in what sequence.
However, I shoot in a more observational style where I shoot real events, I (almost) never direct, I shoot in only available light, and am often given very limited options as I have to participate in what is happening ("you must remain seated when the bus is moving!").  So I have no use for discussions about how to direct, or how to build a set, or how to choose lights, or what the historical context is in the 14th century Ottoman Empire, or how some actor stood on their head for 20 hours a day to prepare for their role as a lamp-post, but I am very interested in everything to do with the camera, camera equipment, and how to use it both technically and creatively, as that's the part I do have control and options.
I'm also not particularly interested in hearing about what people do just because they're famous.

8 hours ago, Tim Sewell said:

I think you'll find quite a lot of features from recent issues on the website.

Once I found that I was stuck on the STORE.ascmag.com website and went to the normal one must more things made sense!  I was thinking "man, this website really sucks" lol

[Tim Sewell]

I've read quite a bit of stuff on there in the past, but this was the piece I read just prior to subscribing:

https://ascmag.com/articles/clockers-lee-sayeed?fbclid=IwAR13fMTIFuI_YENtrEBVtJQPvN3e-JUFv-61QmfazqxfDKWNWIhBY-0xdmk

'I'm also not particularly interested in hearing about what people do just because they're famous.'

Well sure, but what's compelling, I find, is reading about how people at the very top of their game choose what they're going to do and how they're going to do it. The stuff in the piece referenced about the DoP's film stock choices, for instance, has relevance to how we (me and @kye, for instance) as enthusiasts, can approach our shooting and grading to achieve different effects and moods.

Will reading stuff like this make us better film makers? Maybe. Is it worth learning how committed, creative professionals go about their work - I'd say definitely twenty bucks' worth, probably more.

[Jay60p]

I dug up my two dozen issues from the 1980’s, and they are a real blast from the past for me.

I’ve signed on and have been downloading full pdf editions from the past 60 years with

articles and photos I’ve never seen before.

Another magazine I liked in the 80’s is CINEFEX.

Sadly, they have just put out their final issue, about The Mandalorian.

My few 1980’s issues had about 80 pages with no advertisements, and

great behind the scenes color photos of shot set-ups. That mag was also too expensive

for me to keep up a subscription at the time.

If they had the same offer as American Cinematographer, I’d grab that even faster.