"Square Head" " Book Review" The personal story of Michael G. Uva. It's very funny. Loved it!

Mike was born with a plastic spoon in his mouth. It wasn’t new. Now he’s famous in the movie business with his statement written in stone in front of the Kodak Theater. He’s worked with Steven Spielberg &The Lone Ranger, So who is this guy?
By: Michael G. Uva
 
Jan. 31, 2010 - PRLog -- Mike was born with a plastic spoon in his mouth. It wasn’t new. Now he’s somewhat famous in the movie making business with a statement from his book written in stone in front of the Kodak Theater. He’s worked with Steven Spielberg, The Lone Ranger, and Mikhail Gorbachev the world over. So who is this guy?
Follow him from childhood through a US Marine. He was discharged after a freak motorcycle wreck that severely shortened his left leg. Finding himself down on his luck, without a job as a high school dropout, he had to reinvent himself. He became a licenced FAA aircraft mechanic. Then he set his sights on Hollywood. If that was not enough, he decided to become an author, writing three books. Now travel with him as he passes out receiving his first kiss. Follow his first solo flight off the roof of his garage in his home built aircraft. He is lucky he did not blow himself up when he made a grenade using water and dry ice, almost putting his eye out. Yea, a common kid!


What others are saying:

I laughed for hours:>) Jose S.

Mike's writings will bring you there!  It's as if he is speaking directly to you:>) Holly D.

If you have read "Angel's Ashes" or the "The Thunder Bolt Kid," you'll love this book :>) "PR Reviews"



Publisher:   Independent Cinema Technology and Video


Product Details
ISBN   978-0-9620813-4-7
Publisher   Independent Cinema Technology and Video
Copyright   ©2009 Independent Cinema Technology and Video (Standard Copyright License)
Language   English
Country   United States
Publication Date   August 16, 2009


Page Count   275 pages
Size   U.S. Letter
Binding   Perfect Bound
Interior Color   Black And White

http://www.lulu.com/content/paperback-book/square-head/71...]

Michael’s other books are: 


The Grip book (Fourth Edition.) (www.focalpress.com) 


Square Head, a memoir. (www.lulu.com) 


Uva’ Shorts, a collection of short stories. (www.lulu.com) 


Uva’s Guide to rigging on studios and locations. (www.focalpress.com)
Dollies, Cranes, and Camera Heads (www.lulu.com)
http://www.lulu.com/content/paperback-book/dollies-cranes...]

For more info: 
Michael G. Uva 
1536 W. 25 St. 
San Pedro, Ca. 90732
(310) 901-3287 
michaelguva@sbcglobal.net 
www.lulu.com 

Thank you, Michael G. Uva


Review by The American Cinematographers Magazine for Jan 2010 By Jim Hemphill
Dollies, Cranes & Camera Heads
by Michael G. Uva
Reviewed by Jim Hemphill

Michael G. Uva’s Dollies, Cranes & Camera Heads is the veteran key grip’s latest book, following his Focal Press tomes The Grip Book and Uva’s Rigging Guide for Studio & Location. Like those publications, it draws on the author’s decades of experience to pack a bounty of useful information into a relatively small package. The book’s 359 pages contain detailed specifications for more than 100 cranes, dollies, accessories and remote, fluid and gear heads, with photos, graphs and Web-site information for further research. Uva frames these entries with an introduction and a selection of valuable “tricks of the trade” taken from The Grip Book, making this a great one-stop source for grips, best boys and other members of the camera department.

The book opens with an introduction that provides a series of helpful definitions and some tips on the advantages and disadvantages of various pieces of equipment. Some of this information is fairly basic and designed more for students and amateur filmmakers than professionals. The work includes a brief glossary, an essay by filmmaker Ron Dexter on operating a camera using cranes and dollies and extended sections on specific types of camera stabilizers from sandbags to Steadicams. Uva wraps his introduction up with some theory on the ways stabilizing systems work and the ways to get the most out of them. Although this section of the book could have used another pass from an editor because there are more than a few spelling and grammatical errors, its core concepts will be helpful to beginning camera operators and directors of photography.

From the introduction, Uva moves on to the bulk of the book, presenting an invaluable reference guide to the market’s most prevalent cranes, dollies and heads, as well as myriad accessories. For each piece of equipment, the book lists elevation measurements, weight limits for flooring, the dimensions of the equipment, what the equipment can carry and at what weight, along with many other essential specifications. Uva also provides mailing addresses, phone numbers and Web sites for the companies that make and sell the equipment; this information is included in the entries themselves as well as in a handy separate reference section devoted to manufacturers. The book is exceptionally thorough and well illustrated, with multiple still photographs, sketches and tables for each entry, along with precise explanations of the reasons certain pieces of equipment are well suited to particular tasks.

The book presents its figures in both metric and standard measurements and includes sections on motion-control mounts and aerial-photography equipment. The information is straightforward and elegantly laid out on the page, making the book a handy tool for everyone from those who choose the equipment to those who purchase it to those who operate it. The organization of material occasionally seems haphazard, but the book’s table of contents and index make it relatively easy to access information quickly, and the collection of Web links and phone numbers is indispensable. Uva’s personal tips gleaned from years on set will be of service not only to novice operators and grips, but also to aspiring directors thinking about how to utilize dollies, cranes and other stabilizers to creatively frame their shots. More experienced filmmakers can skip the book’s more subjective sections and tips but will find the hundreds of pages on individual tools to be of immense value. In short, keeping a copy of Michael Uva’s Dollies, Cranes & Camera Heads close at hand during both prep and production is a good way to be sure of finding the correct tool for the needs of each shoot.    
Here is the link to the "American Cinematographer Magazine" that Jim Hemphill wrote his review about the Dollies, Cranes, and Camera Heads Book by Michael G. Uva.: http://www.theasc.com/book_reviews/January2010/index.php
 
Dollies, Cranes, and Camera Heads (www.lulu.com)
http://www.lulu.com/content/paperback-book/dollies-cranes-camera-heads/7596106


For more info: 
Michael G. Uva 
1536 W. 25 St. 
San Pedro, Ca. 90732
(310) 901-3287 
michaelguva@sbcglobal.net 
www.lulu.com 

Thank you, Michael G. Uva



 



Review by The American Cinematographers Magazine for Jan 2010 By Jim Hemphill

Here is the link to the "American Cinematographer Magazine"  that Jim Hemphill wrote his review about the Dollies, Cranes, and Camera Heads Book by Michael G. Uva.: http://www.theasc.com/book_reviews/January2010/index.php
End
Source:Michael G. Uva
Email:***@sbcglobal.net Email Verified
Zip:90732
Tags:Humor, Funny, Hollywood, Film, Grip, Cartoon, Funny Pictures, Comedy, Laughter, Amusement, Sad, Story, Images, Pics, Fun
Industry:Humor
Location:United States
Account Email Address Verified     Disclaimer     Report Abuse
Trending
Most Viewed
Daily News



Like PRLog?
9K2K1K
Click to Share