What I’m going to show you now is probably the most comprehensive GoPro professional guide for filmmaking that you will find on the internet.
Probably one of the reasons why I purchased my first GoPro was because I have seen all those cool GoPro ads with videos of surfers, and snowboarders that are shot with amazing points of view.
Those videos that look like they were shot by professional filmmakers.
I’m sure it was the same for you as well, wasn’t it?
If it was, then I’m sure that you will love this guide.
How did I find out about the GoPro Handbook?
After years of owning and experimenting with GoPro cameras and creating a lot of videos, I was now really eager to take my skills to the next level and create a video that both looks professional and tells the viewer a story.
It took me some time to understand how to properly use a GoPro, for example: what each of the settings does, and how to combine those settings to create a good video that can be shared online.
But..
No matter what I did, I simply couldn’t replicate what I have seen in those GoPro video ads.
So it then hit me that what I lacked was a guide, a guide that can take me through the process of creating the best footage a GoPro can produce.
That’s when I started researching and looking for a complete guide that can take me through the complete process step by step. And this is where I stumbled upon the GoPro Handbook.
I don’t want to exaggerate here, but when I found this guide, I was like wow! I have never seen a guide that explains each GoPro setting, then breaks down the process of making a GoPro video into this much detail.
Who wrote the guide?
The approach used by the author Andrea who is, by the way, a professional filmmaker, and the way that he has written this e-book is what attracted me to it the most.
He took a somewhat complex process, broke it down into mini processes then put it together into a simplified guide.
He will help you understand the potential of this powerful little camera, the many things you can do with it, and how is the best way to do it.
He also teaches you about the best time and location to shoot a specific scene, then how to edit the video in a way where you are telling a story to your viewers.
How does it compare with other guides?
Now, you might have already come across a few guides that talk about certain GoPro cameras, maybe a review post or a YouTube video.
But most of those guides are about a specific model or are too broad that they don’t really provide you with all the information you need about how to use your GoPro, understand the settings, how to use them in different scenes, and then how to use the footage you took to make the most awesome video possible.
The GoPro Handbook combines all these into one e-book, it has 130+ pages of valuable information for a very very cheap price.
It’s obvious that the author has put a lot of effort into writing this guide, and it shows the knowledge he has about GoPro cameras and filmmaking.
What does this e-book cover?
Here’s what you get:
- Digital eBook – PDF (readable on your phone too)
- For all GoPro Cameras (up to Hero8)
- 137 pages of valuable filming tips & techniques
- 100+ color images and illustrations
- Instant digital download
This is also a screenshot of the table of content that I took from my copy of the e-book.
Chapter 1: GoPro Basics
As you see in the above table of content, and as I said earlier, the author goes over all the basics that a GoPro owner must know about his camera in chapter 1.
It is actually more than basics, it is a detailed explanation about each and every setting you have in your GoPro, what does the setting do and when to use it.
Once you read and understand chapter 1, you will be ready to move to chapter 2 which talks about building a story with your GoPro.
Chapter 2: Story Telling
Chapter 2 focuses on teaching you how to capture videos that can be later put together into a beautiful video.
There is a recommended structure to follow that is broken down into three components (introduction, climax, and conclusion). Each of these components is explained in detail using examples.
The next step is actually building your storyboard by following a few steps. And to further explain how to build a proper storyboard, the author provides a breakdown of the three of the most shot activities with a GoPro: Travel, Sports, and Nature.
He then proceeds to give an example of how to build a storyline for each of these activities. Each storyline’s activity is broken down into 4 or 5 steps with examples of what POVs, and settings to use to achieve the best results.
Chapter 3: Filmmaking
Next is filmmaking, or as Andrea explains it, it’s your story’s flow from point A to point B, getting to “The END”.
This chapter is divided into three main sections: Mindset, Camera Gear, and Production.
Then each section is broken down into smaller sections which I will talk about now.
Mindset
Here you will learn how to prepare your mindset for creating your video, stuff like creating value, thinking ahead, picking a genre, sending a message, and capturing emotion are the most important aspects for building an awesome video.
The author focuses on these points because they can make or break your video.
Camera Gear
This section talks about recommended gear and accessories that can be used to help take your video shoots to the next level.
Stuff like recommended micro SD cards, underwater accessories (anti-fog inserts, color correction lenses, lights, housing), getting steady shots, mounting your GoPro, battery life, audio gear, etc..
Production
This section talks about the technical aspects of production and how to use visual elements to create a compelling GoPro film.
This section is very detailed and divided into 10 sub-sections that contains a LOT of interesting tips and tricks to use when shooting videos.
Things like how to compose a shot, how to use light, when are the best times of the day to shoot videos also called golden hours, how to shoot in low-light and set up the shutter speed and ISO, shot types with different FOVs, static and dynamic shots, and a lot more tips and examples.
Chapter 4: Shooting Techniques
In this chapter, the author goes over the shooting techniques used to make perfect slow-motion, time lapse, and hyper lapse (called TimeWarp in GoPro) videos.
This chapter is divided into three sections: Slow-motion, Time Lapse, and Hyper Lapse.
Slow Motion
In this section, slow motion is explained in detail, how is slow-motion achieved, what are the common scenes that would look amazing with slow-motion, how slow can you go on each scene, and an explanation of the frame rates with advice on which frame rate to use with which activity.
Then he jumps to talk about the collateral effects of shooting in slow motion, and things that should be taken into consideration like light levels, aliasing, and battery life.
Time Lapse
As you know, on most GoPro cameras, there are two time lapse modes, photo and video. Both modes are explained in detail here with recommendations on which mode to use depending on many factors like light and exposure.
Setting up the camera for a time lapse is also explained, how to calculate and determine the best interval and number of frames.
Finally, some additional tips are given for capturing the best time lapse.
Hyper Lapse or TimeWarp
What I liked about this section is the explanation of how to create a hyper lapse even if you GoPro doesn’t support it. Apparently, it is possible to create one manually.
So if you have an old GoPro that doesn’t have TimeWarp, do not skip this section, because you will learn how to create one in detail.
In this section, you will learn how to plan the video sequence, things like how to set up the camera, how to draw a grid, how to set the FOV (Field of View), and how to frame the shot, will be covered under this subsection.
Next is how to actually shoot the hyper lapse with steps to follow to achieve the perfect result.
Then finally how to stabilize your hyper lapse. This is not always required, but if needed, there are some tips that are provided to help with stabilizing the shots.
Chapter 5: Introduction to Editing
This is the last chapter of the e-book and is the finishing touch for your GoPro video creation journey.
As the name says, it is an introduction to video editing. It covers the basics of what to look for when working on post-production.
The e-book provides tips on importing the content to your computer, choosing the right video editor, creating a new project, choosing background music, adding titles and transitions, adjusting colors, and finally exporting and sharing.
To Conclude
The reason why I decided to write this review is because the GoPro Handbook was very beneficial to me and helped me take my video creation process to the next level.
So I wanted to introduce you to this guide because I’m sure you will benefit from it a lot as well.
It has all the needed information to build unique and engaging videos.
It is being offered at an amazingly discounted price of only 29$, but believe me, it is worth MUCH more.
They also offer a 30-day money-back guarantee in case you are not happy or didn’t like the e-book.
But with all the rich information you get from the e-book, I’m sure you will love it.
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