Good Editing Books? at DVinfo.net

Mark Reidy · October 24th, 2002, 03:43 PM

Hello,
I am looking for more info on the art of editing. More interested in documentary than feature. Not really interested in the mechanics of a particular software program.

Any ideas?

Paul Sedillo · October 24th, 2002, 03:52 PM

<<<-- Originally posted by mark_reidy : Hello,
I am looking for more info on the art of editing. More interested in documentary than feature. Not really interested in the mechanics of a particular software program.

Any ideas? -->>>

One of the tops on my list is called "In the Blink of an Eye" by Walter Murch. He was the editor on Apocalypse Now, English Patient, American Graffiti, just to name a few. It is a quick ready and offers a ton of insight.

Ken Tanaka · October 24th, 2002, 04:15 PM

"In the Blink of an Eye" at amazon.com:

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1879505622

Michael Wisniewski · December 12th, 2002, 11:54 AM

"Editing Digital Video"

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0071406352

Interestingly, Amazon is bundling it with another of my favorite books "The Little Digital Video Book".

Alex Taylor · December 14th, 2002, 02:54 PM

<<<-- Originally posted by Ken Tanaka : "In the Blink of an Eye" at amazon.com:

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1879505622 -->>>

If I don't get that for Christmas I'm buying it myself :)

I just read 'The Conversations' by Michael Oondajte, it's an interview with Walter Murch and is incredibly inspiring. Not only does he talk about his life and his views on the industry, there are some very helpful tips peppered throughout about the art of editing. It's a really interesting read!

Carl Slawinski · April 5th, 2003, 07:33 PM

Just got back from the book store and was looking at the section of books that included all the NLE titles.

There must have been like 30 titles or more on Premiere, 10 or so for FCP, and 4-5 for AVID. Didn't see any for Edition or Vegas.

Does these numbers mean anything?? Maybe nothing.

But, I couldn't help thinking...either there are so many Premiere books because of Adobe's market share or there are a hell of a lot of people out there who have serious learning needs on how to use it. Based on my previous experience with Adobe, I'm thinking the latter. 8-) However, I've got to think that if I needed an abundant choice of learning materials Premiere and FCP are definitely options.

Not trying to knock Adobe, but the products I have seen from them do have quite the learning curve.

Of course I don't want this thread to turn into the "my NLE is better than your NLE" as they won't help anyone.

So, I pose the question....

Have you bought any books on your NLE and have you found them more valuable than the included documentation and resources?

Thanks

Carl

Richard Alvarez · April 5th, 2003, 08:05 PM

I read recently, that the most widely used NLE is Premiere. They have bundled it and included it with so many products, that it has a huge share of the "consumer" market. No doubt this is why there are so many books on it.

Final Cut Pro of course, has a large share too, and is very popular with "indy" procos. Hence the large number of books on that NLE.

Avid dominates the professional/broadcasting market. Their "prosumer" NLE - Avid XpressDV, Avid XpressDVFree and the new AVID XpressPRO with DNA are relatively new to the consumer market compared to FCP and Premiere. (Even though they pretty much created the professional market) Most of the "books" and training manuals are written BY Avid for training courses. I am surprised you found four or five of them.

I use Avid XpressDV, and found the books written BY Avid for training to be an improvement over the "manual" that comes with the system. It's designed in a class structure, with review notes at the end of each chapter.

I would love it if someone would write one on AVID for the "Teach yourself visually" series. I love the ones I have on Photoshop and illustrator.

K. Forman · April 5th, 2003, 08:19 PM

This is just a personal thought on the subject-not endorsed by anyone- Premiere is extremely easy to use. Much easier than the books published to teach one make it out to be. As a matter of fact, most of the Premiere books I have read are pretty useless. They tell you how to do a simple project, but don't go into anything in depth.

Gints Klimanis · October 17th, 2003, 01:51 AM

Hi,

My video editing, titling and such generally feels quite rushed.
Can anyone recommend a book that may talk about timing
and editing styles?

Rob Lohman · October 17th, 2003, 05:08 AM

There is a thread about this here. I bought that book as
well and it is an interesting read. It doesn't include some sample
stuff to work with for example or tell you how to edit. It does
give a lot of insight into how one of the great editors mind works
and how edits come together for him. Interesting read.

There is another thread here with some more books.

Dennis Liu · December 15th, 2004, 02:57 AM

Hi,

I'm just wondering if anyone has read any REALLY GOOD editing books - and I'm not talking about Final Cut Pro books or Sony Vegas books or Avid books or any program-specific book.

I'm talking about books that deal with pacing, rhythm, professional editing procedures, working with directors, assembling different cuts, regardless of the program. Any of these 'timeless' books around?

Thanks,
Dennis

Rob Lohman · December 15th, 2004, 05:36 AM

Most people will probably direct you to books from Walter Murch
or written about him.

The big one everybody talks about: In the blink of an eye:
http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthrea...&threadid=5501

There is also a book called The Conversations : Walter Murch
and the Art of Editing Film which is not written by himself but
by a friend of his who talks to Murch.

Both books are a great read. The latter can be found here:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0375413863/

And another book:
http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthrea...&threadid=4566

Bob Costa · December 15th, 2004, 09:00 AM

Encore is now running a show called the Cutting Edge, which is a great 100 minutes of interviews with Oscar winning editors, talks about the history of editing, the director/editor relationship, various styles, etc. I think it is scheduled to show again this week sometime, if you can get it down under..

Dennis Liu · December 15th, 2004, 04:15 PM

Hi,

Thanks for the recommendations, I'll check them out. What about, 'the eye is quicker' by Pepperman:

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg...=UTF8&v=glance

Anyone read this book? It looks like it's pretty good...

I'll be getting a couple of books, probably the ones by Murch you mentioned.

As for the Cutting Edge, that sounds like a great show, I dunno if I can get it on Sky here or not. Hmm...

Thanks,
Dennis

Bob Costa · December 16th, 2004, 10:22 AM

This just arrived yesterday form Amazon.

Digital Video Editing by Goodman & McGrath. Copyright 2003

The preface was good, and it may be what you are looking for. Check with me in a week and I can tell you about the whole book.

October 24th, 2002, 03:43 PM	#1
Mark Reidy New Boot Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Colo Spgs, CO Posts: 12	Books on editing? Hello, I am looking for more info on the art of editing. More interested in documentary than feature. Not really interested in the mechanics of a particular software program. Any ideas?

October 24th, 2002, 03:52 PM	#2
Paul Sedillo Major Player Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Houston, TX Posts: 607	Re: Books on editing? <<<-- Originally posted by mark_reidy : Hello, I am looking for more info on the art of editing. More interested in documentary than feature. Not really interested in the mechanics of a particular software program. Any ideas? -->>> One of the tops on my list is called "In the Blink of an Eye" by Walter Murch. He was the editor on Apocalypse Now, English Patient, American Graffiti, just to name a few. It is a quick ready and offers a ton of insight. __________________ Paul Sedillo Image::Studio http://www.image-studio.com Houston, Texas

October 24th, 2002, 04:15 PM	#3
Ken Tanaka Retired DV Info Net Almunus Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Chicago, IL Posts: 6,943	"In the Blink of an Eye" at amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1879505622 __________________ Lady X Films: A lady with a boring wardrobe...and a global mission. Hey, you don't have enough stuff! Buy with confidence from our sponsors. Hand-picked as the best in the business...Really! See some of my work one frame at a time: www.KenTanaka.com

December 14th, 2002, 02:54 PM	#5
Alex Taylor Major Player Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Vancouver, BC Posts: 390	<<<-- Originally posted by Ken Tanaka : "In the Blink of an Eye" at amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1879505622 -->>> If I don't get that for Christmas I'm buying it myself :) I just read 'The Conversations' by Michael Oondajte, it's an interview with Walter Murch and is incredibly inspiring. Not only does he talk about his life and his views on the industry, there are some very helpful tips peppered throughout about the art of editing. It's a really interesting read! __________________ alextaylor.org

April 5th, 2003, 07:33 PM	#6
Carl Slawinski Regular Crew Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Mount Prospect, IL Posts: 67	Have Read any Good Books on your NLE Just got back from the book store and was looking at the section of books that included all the NLE titles. There must have been like 30 titles or more on Premiere, 10 or so for FCP, and 4-5 for AVID. Didn't see any for Edition or Vegas. Does these numbers mean anything?? Maybe nothing. But, I couldn't help thinking...either there are so many Premiere books because of Adobe's market share or there are a hell of a lot of people out there who have serious learning needs on how to use it. Based on my previous experience with Adobe, I'm thinking the latter. 8-) However, I've got to think that if I needed an abundant choice of learning materials Premiere and FCP are definitely options. Not trying to knock Adobe, but the products I have seen from them do have quite the learning curve. Of course I don't want this thread to turn into the "my NLE is better than your NLE" as they won't help anyone. So, I pose the question.... Have you bought any books on your NLE and have you found them more valuable than the included documentation and resources? Thanks Carl

December 12th, 2002, 11:54 AM	#4
Michael Wisniewski Wrangler Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Makati, Metro Manila Posts: 2,706 Images: 32	"Editing Digital Video" http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0071406352 Interestingly, Amazon is bundling it with another of my favorite books "The Little Digital Video Book".

April 5th, 2003, 08:05 PM	#7
Richard Alvarez Inner Circle Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: San Mateo, CA Posts: 3,840	I read recently, that the most widely used NLE is Premiere. They have bundled it and included it with so many products, that it has a huge share of the "consumer" market. No doubt this is why there are so many books on it. Final Cut Pro of course, has a large share too, and is very popular with "indy" procos. Hence the large number of books on that NLE. Avid dominates the professional/broadcasting market. Their "prosumer" NLE - Avid XpressDV, Avid XpressDVFree and the new AVID XpressPRO with DNA are relatively new to the consumer market compared to FCP and Premiere. (Even though they pretty much created the professional market) Most of the "books" and training manuals are written BY Avid for training courses. I am surprised you found four or five of them. I use Avid XpressDV, and found the books written BY Avid for training to be an improvement over the "manual" that comes with the system. It's designed in a class structure, with review notes at the end of each chapter. I would love it if someone would write one on AVID for the "Teach yourself visually" series. I love the ones I have on Photoshop and illustrator.

April 5th, 2003, 08:19 PM	#8
K. Forman Capt. Quirk Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Middle of the woods in Georgia Posts: 3,596	This is just a personal thought on the subject-not endorsed by anyone- Premiere is extremely easy to use. Much easier than the books published to teach one make it out to be. As a matter of fact, most of the Premiere books I have read are pretty useless. They tell you how to do a simple project, but don't go into anything in depth.

October 17th, 2003, 01:51 AM	#9
Gints Klimanis Inner Circle Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: San Jose, CA Posts: 2,222	Books on editing ? Hi, My video editing, titling and such generally feels quite rushed. Can anyone recommend a book that may talk about timing and editing styles?

October 17th, 2003, 05:08 AM	#10
Rob Lohman RED Code Chef Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: Holland Posts: 12,514	There is a thread about this here. I bought that book as well and it is an interesting read. It doesn't include some sample stuff to work with for example or tell you how to edit. It does give a lot of insight into how one of the great editors mind works and how edits come together for him. Interesting read. There is another thread here with some more books. __________________ Rob Lohman, visuar@iname.com DV Info Wrangler & RED Code Chef Join the DV Challenge \| Lady X Search DVinfo.net for quick answers \| Buy from the best: DVinfo.net sponsors

December 15th, 2004, 02:57 AM	#11
Dennis Liu Regular Crew Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Auckland, New Zealand Posts: 136	Good Editing Books? Hi, I'm just wondering if anyone has read any REALLY GOOD editing books - and I'm not talking about Final Cut Pro books or Sony Vegas books or Avid books or any program-specific book. I'm talking about books that deal with pacing, rhythm, professional editing procedures, working with directors, assembling different cuts, regardless of the program. Any of these 'timeless' books around? Thanks, Dennis

December 15th, 2004, 05:36 AM	#12
Rob Lohman RED Code Chef Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: Holland Posts: 12,514	Most people will probably direct you to books from Walter Murch or written about him. The big one everybody talks about: In the blink of an eye: http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthrea...&threadid=5501 There is also a book called The Conversations : Walter Murch and the Art of Editing Film which is not written by himself but by a friend of his who talks to Murch. Both books are a great read. The latter can be found here: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0375413863/ And another book: http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthrea...&threadid=4566 __________________ Rob Lohman, visuar@iname.com DV Info Wrangler & RED Code Chef Join the DV Challenge \| Lady X Search DVinfo.net for quick answers \| Buy from the best: DVinfo.net sponsors

December 15th, 2004, 09:00 AM	#13
Bob Costa Major Player Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Venice, FL Posts: 850	Encore is now running a show called the Cutting Edge, which is a great 100 minutes of interviews with Oscar winning editors, talks about the history of editing, the director/editor relationship, various styles, etc. I think it is scheduled to show again this week sometime, if you can get it down under..

December 15th, 2004, 04:15 PM	#14
Dennis Liu Regular Crew Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Auckland, New Zealand Posts: 136	Hi, Thanks for the recommendations, I'll check them out. What about, 'the eye is quicker' by Pepperman: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg...=UTF8&v=glance Anyone read this book? It looks like it's pretty good... I'll be getting a couple of books, probably the ones by Murch you mentioned. As for the Cutting Edge, that sounds like a great show, I dunno if I can get it on Sky here or not. Hmm... Thanks, Dennis

December 16th, 2004, 10:22 AM	#15
Bob Costa Major Player Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Venice, FL Posts: 850	This just arrived yesterday form Amazon. Digital Video Editing by Goodman & McGrath. Copyright 2003 The preface was good, and it may be what you are looking for. Check with me in a week and I can tell you about the whole book.