Apple Pro Training Series: Final Cut Express 4 (Apple Pro Training)
Description:
The only Apple-certified guide to Final Cut Express 4, this book delivers the techniques you need to make movie magic with DV, HDV, or AVCHD footage. Each chapter presents a complete lesson in an aspect of video editing and finishing, with hands-on projects to complete as you go. All the files you need are on the included DVD-ROM. You’ll learn how to make effective edits and adjust them precisely; create polished transitions and sophisticated composites; add audio tracks, titles, and speed and motion effects; then color-correct and finish your video for export to DVD or the Web. Whether you’re a student, a devoted amateur who’s serious about digital video, or a professional who needs a comprehensive editing program, you’ll find everything you need to learn Final Cut Express 4 within the pages of this book. DVD-ROM includes lesson and media files for over 20 hours of training.
Customer Review:
This is the 3rd FCE training book I brought. This book uses the same examples, pictures and footage as the first one. That is very disappointing. I had hoped it would go over some of the new features in FCE4. To my surprise it did not at all. I am about half way through the book and I am getting a strong deja vu feeling. If you don't have any of the other books, then this will be a good start. This book leaves you wanting more. Much more!!!
Customer Review:
This book is a truly rare thing - a primer for a complicated and rich application which cuts through the BS and gives you a real, practical working knowledge of the program in a series of easy, brilliantly designed lessons. If you are new to Final Cut Express, this book will have you up and running in no time. It also gives you a good foundation knowledge of basic film technique, so that when you start shooting in earnest, you'll have an idea of where to go. Bravo Diana Weynand!
Customer Review:
When I upgraded from my old PowerBook to a new MacBook I was dismayed to find that a new version of iMovie came with Leopard. After reading disparaging reviews of iMovie '08, I decided to upgrade to Final Cut Express even though my video editing needs are rather modest. After installing the software and seeing that the PDF user manual was over 1100 pages, I knew I wouldn't have the patience to go through it all and I wanted to order something simpler. With FCE4 being quite new, the only choice immediately available was Diana Weynand's book and I ordered it. Now that I've gone through the entire book, I can enthusiastically recommend it. At first I was dismissive of the DVD that came with it, thinking that it would just contain video demonstrations of various editing operations. It turns out, however, that the DVD contains the material for methodical exercises that take you through various lessons so that the book is really an instruction course, not just a guide. Going through the lessons with the book and DVD is actually fun even though I may never use some of the advanced functions FCE4 offers. I believe that for relative beginners like me this book is indispensable. I confess that I will now go through it again to clear up some of the material I didn't quite understand or have forgotten. Also, there are some questions Weynand's book left unanswered for me, but having the background I gained by studying the whole book made it easier for me to turn to the actual user's manual that came with the software. I'm very excited about FCE4, and I owe a lot to this book.
Setting Up Your Shots: Great Camera Moves Every Filmmaker Should Know
Description:
Over 100 storyboards with simple descriptions.
Customer Review:
I have been using this book in my Video class and it is passable, but should include useable films as examples rather than R-rated films I cannot use in the classroom. While most teens have seen most of these movies, I cannot show them as examples in a classroom setting, due to rating problems. If this is to remain a viable product in the future, the examples will have to be toned down.
Customer Review:
While Setting Up Your Shots covered all the common camera moves needed for DV filmmakers, the explanations on the moves were a little too brief for my liking. For a few dollars more, Film Directing, Cinematic Motion: A Workshop for Staging Scenes (paperback) by Steven D. Katz is a much better resource, one that the reader will use time-and-again. Best!
Customer Review:
Excellent layout of "1 page, 1 concept" and tells enough for you to get the point without 5 extra paragraphs of useless repetition. Leave this book on your desk and open to any page once a day and read it in 15 seconds...this will keep a wide array of shooting techniques in your head for the next time you are on set or planning a shoot.
Good stuff, easy to understand, and not an ounce of "fluffy-look at me i'm a filmmaker" pretentious crap.
Microsoft Windows Movie Maker 2 (Visual QuickStart Guide)
Description:
Just because you have the built-in software to transform your homemade videos into compelling, creative content doesn't necessarily mean you have the know-how to do so. For that you need this no-nonsense task-based guide. In these pages video guru Jan Ozer uses simple, step-by-step instructions peppered with plenty of visual aids and loads of time-saving tips to show you how to use Microsoft's Movie Maker 2 video-editing software (which is included with Windows XP) to edit your videos and share them with family and friends. Providing a visual approach to a visual product, Jan shows you how to start making movie magic instantly and effortlessly with the transitions, title options, and 2-D special effects included in Movie Maker 2. You'll learn how to create wipes, dissolves, freeze frames, and more in the process of producing a finished product that you'll be proud to email to friends, post on your Web site, or copy to CD or DVD.
Customer Review:
Movie Maker2 by Jan Ozer is An Excellent Book. I,like most people,have Windows Movie Maker on my computer so I wanted a book that would help me do good book promotion video's and understand the program better. This book does everything I hoped for and I am glad I purchased this book and every since I purchased it I use it at least once a week to make sure I am doing things right and also to see if the book suggests doing something different that will result in a better video. My video can be seen on my web-sites and places like Google and Yahoo. Look for ErvHarmon
Video's
Thank you Jan Ozer for writing this book as it has helped me very much and I gladly recommend it to anyone that wants good results from Windows Movie Maker2
Customer Review:
I wanted to know how I could take video from my camera, edit it, create a video and store it on a CD. This book did exactly that in a no-brainer manner. The book showed the Window's screens and what you had to do at each screen. The only minor problem is that the screens are different for different versions of Windows.
Customer Review:
I didn't know - and this book showed me how to use it. It is so easy to create a narrated powerpoint presentation, and give you the ability to distribute as needed.
I cannot believe how easy it is to create movies using my video camera, and even better, the softare is FREE (Look in your "START <ALL PROGRAMS>" to find it.
This book could NOT make it easier to take full use of the program.
I lead a business unit and now pre-record and narrate all of my powerpoint presentations, which has eliminated the need to give multiple presentations on the same topic. This has reduced my travel, time needed to present multiple times, etc.
I looked at a number of other books on the Microsoft software package, and this one is the easiest to use by far. YOU WILL BE AN EXPERT AT CREATING VIDEO BLOGS OR NARRATED POWERPOINT PRESENTATIONS IN LESS THAN A FEW HOURS using this book.
Adobe Photoshop CS2 One-on-One (One-On-One)
Description:
If you work with Adobe Photoshop, you've already tasted how powerful a graphics tool it can be. Universally recognized as the standard for image editing and production, Photoshop is used by close to 20 million people worldwide. But how many can say they've fully tapped its vast functionality?
Whether you're a first-timer looking to learn Photoshop, or a seasoned Photoshopper interested in the cool new features of CS2, Deke McClelland's Adobe Photoshop CS2 One on One will have you completing rewarding projects in no time at all. A Photoshop expert, sought-after computer graphics and design lecturer and author of over 70 books, Deke brings his passion and easy, conversational style to the new edition of his bestselling Photoshop tutorial, updated for CS2.
A straightforward, step-by-step guide to the features and functions of Photoshop-with plenty of real-world projects and insider tips applied along the way-Adobe Photoshop CS2 One on One also covers the new features of CS2 in depth, including Adobe Bridge, the new file browser that makes it possible to process multiple images at once. Learn how to use new workflow and file handling features, how to batch process digital camera raw files, search metadata, quickly review images in Slideshow mode, and much more.
If that sounds like Greek to you, don't worry. Deke uses highly effective One-on-One teaching methods and creates a classroom environment that combines written instruction with more than two hours of video training (provided on DVD). As host of the "Best of Photoshop" disk that ships with every Photoshop order, he's uniquely qualified to present the material in this dynamic, interactive format. Whatever your skill level, Adobe Photoshop CS2 One on One will soon have you speaking fluent Photoshop CS2.
Customer Review:
Adobe Photoshop CS2 One-on-One (One-On-One) This is not a book for any digital photographer who wants to increase his or her understanding and proficiency in essential "finishing" techniques of digital images. It barely addresses or doesn't address at all the necessary skills of adjustment levels, working with curves, and so on. He recommends too using auto fixes and variations which ruin the integrity of a digital image, and concentrates instead on creating slick finished products. It reminds me in a way of a class I took that was supposed to educate a student in approaching an image with CS2, but instead dealt with all the whacky things you could do to a picture with distortion filters and so. You come away thinking you can torture an image any number of ways without effecting the integrity of the pixels. The parts of the DVD I was able to watch were sketchy and too brief. I would recommend instead anything by Scott Kelby, Bruce Fraser, and David Blatner.
Customer Review:
Bought this for my son, who found it helpful while taking classes for his graphic design classes.
Customer Review:
Third photoshop book (slow learner) I have purchased and is as good or better than others. Easy to follow if you follow the precise directions. Video on disc that comes with it really helps as it previews the lessons in the book.
Digital Video Production Cookbook: 100 Professional Techniques for Independent and Amateur Filmmakers (Cookbooks (O'Reilly))
Description:
Have you ever watched a big-budget Hollywood movie and wondered "How did they do that?" or, perhaps, "How can I do that?" While digital technology greatly simplifies the filmmaking process, there are many tried-and-true production tricks that only those lucky enough to work in the world of high-budget professional film production get to know. The truth is that setting up a car chase, making a realistic-looking alien, staging a fistfight, creating atmospheric lighting, and using special effects are often not as difficult to master as you might think.
Digital Video Production Cookbook will show you how to create sophisticated-looking visual effects, dramatic shots, and powerful sequences using low-cost methods adapted from high-end professional techniques. Author and award-winning filmmaker Chris Kenworthy explains how you can use a digital video camera and basic editing software, to create high-end production values with household equipment and a little imagination.
The book includes easy-to-follow recipes for:
- Creating bluescreen effects
- Simulating rain, snow, and other natural phenomena
- Working with backlighting, simulated candlelight, and special lighting effects
- Shooting day for night
- Staging safe stunts, chase scenes, and fistfights
- Makeup techniques for aging, bruises, and serious injuries
- Shooting at night
- Working with camera movement
- Adding special effects such as laser bolts, holograms, and explosions
Packed with full-color, step-by-step instructions, inspirational examples, and authoritative information and advice, this book is the ultimate, no-nonsense cookbook for every aspiring digital filmmaker.
Customer Review:
Not bad, but I have read better. It does have a lot of good pictures of the effects they are teaching and all in all this book is not bad, there are just so many others that I feel are better. Check out The "DV Rebel Guide" by Stu something or other or "101 Digital Video hacks", both I feel are better than this.
Enjoy!
Customer Review:
I read through the book which was very informative, form ohh so thats how and TV never really was the same after. I have also tested out good part of it and got good resuslts. I would recommend it highly
Customer Review:
There are a view techniques described in this book that might come in handy someday, but the descriptions are not particularly thorough. The bottom line: this will make a good coffee table book but don't expect to learn too much.
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind: The Shooting Script (Newmarket Shooting Script Series)
Description:
The newest original screenplay from the Oscar®-nominated writer of Adaptation and Being John Malkovich—the only book on his new film starring Jim Carrey, Kate Winslet, Kirsten Dunst, Tom Wilkinson, Elijah Wood, and Mark Ruffalo. In the new Charlie Kaufman film directed by Michel Gondry, Joel (Jim Carrey) is stunned to discover that his girlfriend Clementine (Kate Winslet) has had her memories of their tumultuous relationship erased. Out of desperation, he contacts the inventor of the process, Dr. Howard Mierzwiak (Tom Wilkinson), to have Clementine removed from his own memory. But as Joel's memories progressively disappear, he begins to rediscover their earlier passion. From deep within the recesses of his brain, Joel attempts to escape the procedure. As Dr. Mierzwiak and his crew (Kirsten Dunst, Mark Ruffalo, Elijah Wood) chase him through the maze of his memories, it's clear that Joel just can't get her out of his head.
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind: The Shooting Script includes the complete screenplay, a selection of black-and-white movie stills, selected production notes, and complete cast and crew credits. 20 b/w photos.
Customer Review:
"Eternal sunshine of the spotless mind!/Each pray'r accepted, and each wish resign'd... Desires compos'd, affections ever ev'n,/Tears that delight, and sighs that waft to Heav'n." The original Alexander Pope poem suits the movie whose title it inspired, "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind," a unique, surreal film about memories, love and sorrow.
"Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" deals with timid, conservative Joel, who bumps into ex-girlfriend Clementine at a store -- and finds she doesn't remember him. He finds a notice in his mail that she has had him erased from her memories, and angrily decides to have the same done. But during the procedure, Joel revisits the good times they had together, and finds that he doesn't want to lose his memories with Clementine.
This movie, by Michel Gondry and Charlie Kaufman, was one of the best of 2004, and one that isn't quickly forgotten. The screenplay is an excellent accompaniment; if there is a line or an image that didn't seem to make sense, it might make more sense here. "Eternal Sunshine" fans will also like the scenes that never made it to the final cut, and one scene got shuffled around.
Additionally, there is an interview at the end with Kaufman. In it, he describes his writing background, his collaborations with Gondry, clashes with Ben Affleck's horrific "Paycheck," memory, and that wonderful "Velveteen Rabbit" scene. Although, it could have used more of Kaufman's thoughts on the final product and the actors.
The stumbling blocks? Don't try reading the screenplay BEFORE seeing the movie, or you will be hopelessly lost. The script cuts wildly from the past, the present, inside and outside the characters' heads. It works wonderfully on the screen, but on paper it's hard to visualize just by the words alone. That, and this richly visual film is only represented by some murky black-and-white photos.
"Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" is a wonderful script, which spawned a wonderful film. And for fans of that film, this is an excellent accompaniment and resource.
Customer Review:
This is a truly beautiful movie. I seriously think it is one of Jim Carey's best films. The cinematography is provocative and intelligent. The acting is flawless. And the plot is a well devised mesh of fantastical conception and blatant realism mixed with subtle humor. It should have one an award. It was certaintly better than Million Dollar Baby.
Customer Review:
This was a movie I didn't expect to like. I hadn't heard that much about it and wasn't all that enthusiastic about seeing another Jim Carey movie. Boy, was I pleasantly surprised.
First of all, this movie is truly original. That's rare these days. It revolves around the premise that you can erase someone from your memories. In this case, the "someone" to be erased is Kate Winslet's character of Clementine. She is wacky and artsy, and plays against Carey's straightlaced character Joel perfectly. I had just seen an interview with Winslet before this movie and was amazed at her accurate American accent. Very well done.
And Carey is brilliant. His toned down, not over the top portrayal of Joel was delightful and wonderful. This is the first time I actually thought of Carey as a very good actor. Both Carey and Winslet deserve an Oscar for this film.
In addition, the film is beautifully shot as well. This could have been a very goofy movie, with a premise that was hard to actually get into and believe, but this film worked perfectly on all accounts: writing, cinematography, acting. I would recommend this film to anyone that wants to see a thoroughly enjoyable, funny, sweet, interesting, wonderful film that is unlike any you've seen before.
From the author of The Difference Now, A New Dish, and At the Coffee Shop. (www.thedifferencenow.com).High Definition Cinematography, Second Edition
Description:
High definition is here to stay.
HD changes the whole shooting and editing process in film and television production and this book is to satisfy your hunger for information. Whether you are a cinematographer, producer, or working in film/TV production, High Definition Cinematography, 2nd edition will demystitify the new technology, help you select the right cameras and equipment, and explain how high definition affects the shooting process and budgets. Filled with practical advice for tackling everyday decisions and choices, this is a necessity for you if you are using or considering using high definition technology.
* One of the few books available on the very hot topic of high definition
* Filled with practical advice for tackling everyday decisions and choices
* Demystifies HD technology, equipment, and workflow to help filmmakers shoot gorgeous footageColor and Mastering for Digital Cinema (Digital Cinema Industry Handbook Series)
Description:
Color and Mastering for Digital Cinema explores the implications for motion picture post production processes and changes required to the supporting equipment and software. While a new concept to the motion picture community, the selection of the wide gamut, output-referred XYZ color space for digital cinema distribution is based on decades of color science and experience in other industries. The rationale for choosing XYZ and the other color encoding parameters is explained and the book also provides a full case study of the development of DLP Cinema® projectors by Texas Instruments. Finally, this book explores how the XYZ color encoding concept can be extended to support enhanced display technologies in the future.
This book contains:
* Brilliant 4-color illustrations that compliment the color science explanations
* Never before published industry information from author Glenn Kennel, a world leader in digital cinema color technology
* Descriptions of key issues and background on decisions that were made in the standardization process
By Glenn Kennel, Glenn Kennel is VP/GM of Feature Film Services at Laser Pacific Media Corporation, a leading provider of a full range of post production services for television and feature film. Recently, he worked for the DLP Cinema group of Texas Instruments in a role that included technology and business development. Previously, in a twenty year career with Kodak, he led the development of the Cineon digital film scanners and laser recorders and the prototype HDTV telecine that became the Spirit Datacine. As a consultant, he helped DCI draft the technical specifications for digital cinema. Kennel also chairs the SMPTE DC28 Color ad hoc group and the DC28.20 Distribution working group. He is a SMPTE Fellow and has received the SMPTE Journal Award. He is also a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
* Brilliant 4-color illustrations compliment the color science explanations
* Never before published industry information from author Glenn Kennel, a world leader in digital cinema color technology
* This book describes the key issues and provides background on decisions that were made in the standardization process
Customer Review:
This book is an interesting mix of quite technically (and mathematically) detailed chapters and lighter, more readable text. Certainly not a good choice for anyone totally new to color theory or digital cinema but a very concise account of the current state of the industry with some very interesting historical perspective.
Concise is a very good word to describe this text. By textbook standards it is short - I was able to read it cover to cover on a five hour flight. In places it is too concise - I found the color theory difficult to follow in places and a slightly more long winded, descriptive style might not have gone wrong in those sections. I'm planning to go back and re-read those chapters and they will hopefully beging to be a little more clear second time around!
Overall this is a good choice for anyone with a professional interest in digital cinema and digital intermediate workflow. Those outside the industry or who are looking for a more introductory text should probably look elsewhere.Lights, Camera, Action: A Guide to Video Instruction and Production in the Classroom
Description:
As teachers we are all looking for new teaching methods that will give the students a learning experience they will carry with them throughout their lives. Creating video productions is a good teaching method that works, and, in fact, will give the student a learning experience that he or she will never forget.
This comprehensive guide will make you and your students video masters! Imagine your students writing and producing documentaries about historical events, movies that portray short stories they are reading, or commercials that demonstrate persuasive techniques. Lights, Camera, Action! offers practical ideas for incorporating video production into the traditional content of any classroom. The author covers simple projects for first-timers, in-depth documentary projects, community service videos, and much more. Examples of video project ideas for several subject areas are provided.
Video projects give students hands-on learning experiences that can be shared with others. News programs can make your students "campus celebrities" while they learn to incorporate problem solving, research, and reasoning.
For addition information on video projects see Creating History Documentaries.
Educational Resource
Customer Review:
This book appears simple and also shows a multitude of sall activities that students who are beginners in the world of video production (and range from 15-20 yrs) can cover easily. It makes Video production look fun and easy and also has nice large lettering to read and simple projects to do.Magical Reels: A History of Cinema in Latin America, New Edition
Description:
Still the finest comprehensive analysis of the subject to have appeared in English, Magical Reels charts the development of Latin American film industries in a world increasingly dominated by the advanced technology and massive distribution budgets of the North American mainstream. John King sets up a historical framework to unfold the overlapping histories of cinema in the continent: the itinerant film-makers of the silent era who projected their films in cafes and village halls, the inventive use of vernacular music and local comedy in the early sound pictures, the 'golden age' of 1940s Mexican cinema, and the 'new cinema'--oppositional cinema made 'with an idea in the head and a camera in the hand'--of the late 1950s and beyond. A new chapter written for this edition examines Latin American cinema in the previous decade.
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