I’m in the process of upgrading from my Nikon D90 to the Canon 5D Mark II. I love the look of the 5D MkII for it’s pictures and of course for it’s video. Knowing that the 5D has limitations, I decided to purchase Philip Blooms new tutorial DVD, Learn Canon 5D Mark II Cinematography with Philip Bloom. I’ve followed Philip’s work a lot. I’m a fan of his style and have tried to replicate it on many of my projects while still maintaining my own originality. I trusted what Philip had to say and figured the price was right to take the chance.

Production Value:

The DVD is very well produced. It doesn’t feel like something that was slapped together by a novice or someone trying to make a quick buck. It is enjoyable to watch and learn from. Audio is clean, video is high quality, and menu is easy to navigate.

Content:

Philip starts off by showing us what he does in a shoot. I personally love this approach to learning. It’s what I do when I make instructional videos. Giving someone a huge list of potential options is both overwhelming and limiting. That isn’t to say that he only limits you to one style of shooting. On the contrary, Phillip shows you different lens options, audio recording options, etc.

The DVD is not an instructional book of every function the 5D MkII has. It shows you how to make quality videos with the 5D. Philip barely talks about the picture functions beyond saying that he’s used it for a few shots for a client once.

There is also an extras section that shows you how to work with 5D footage in post. This is also full good advice.

Conclusion:

Did I learn something? Yes. Did I learn something in every chapter? Not really. Someone like myself who has used a decent amount of video equipment may know a good 50%-75% of what Philip says, but there is still that 25%-50% that will help me in my productions for the future.

Value:

Is it worth $175 (right now, on sale for $120 at their site)? Depends on the person. I’ll watch it several more times and use most, if not all of the things I’ve learned in shoots. And that can easily translate into cash in my pocket. If you are someone who spends hours online and has been doing video production and filmmaking for 20+, you may not gain a ton from this. But if you are new to cinematography or don’t feel fully confident behind a video camera, this will be a huge tool for you.