Sight Sound Motion: Applied Media Aesthetics
by Herbert Zettl
1999, Wadsworth Publishing
ISBN: 0-534-52677-2
------------
Now in its 3rd edition, this book is a must-have for anyone who wants to understand the basic craft of shooting a visual story. This is not as much of an "how-to" book as it is a "why-to" primer. Zettl, a professor of media aesthetics at San Francisco State University and veteran of tv production, immediately gets our attention by illustrating how the information our brains interpret from images is heavily dependent on the image's context, our life experiences and the way that the elements of the image are structured in relation to each other.

Throughout the remainder of the book Zettl basically decomposes the basic elements of motion images (lighting, color, sound, dimensionality, et. al.) to illustrate how each contributes and, most importantly, how each can be used to achieve a specific result as part of a coordinated attack on the brain (my words ;-> ).

The book is clearly structured as a textbook but not in a distracting manner. In my opinion, what makes this book a worthwhile read is it's orientation toward understanding and managing the sensory experience of film/video presntation.

Unfortunately, although the book is not extremely thick (380+ pages) it is rather expensive at $85. BUT, fortunately, amazon.com generally features several used or like-new copies from other resellers at substantial discounts ($35-$68). In fact, that's how I purchased my copy which arrived promptly in mint condition.
------
At amazon: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0534526772/

by Des Lyver and Graham Swainson
Focal Press, second edition, 1999
144 pages, approx: $18
ISBN: 0-240-51559-5
amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0240515595/
------------
Like many of the Focal Press books this one is designed to cover a broad territory in relatively few pages. To do so the authors provide the reader with a solid body of how-to tips as well as a smattering of the theory and science behind lighting a scene. The mostly hand-drawn illustrations are, perhaps, the weakest link in the book but they generally get the job of exposition done.

This is an excellent, inexpensive book for beginners to lighting. It is not a compedium of lighting theory and knowledge but it will point you in the right direction towards getting your scenes lit properly.

I have that book, too. It is not bad, but what I really disliked about it were the drawings. How shall you see what a 3-point-lit face looks like when everything is pencil-drawn?

I rather liked Ross Lowel´s "Matters of light and depth" and Tom Letournaeu´s "Casting Shadows" both of them about twice expensive, but with real photgraphs and tons of invaluable information.

Cheers

Lighting for Television & Film (Third Edition)
by Gerald Millerson
Focal Press, 1999
ISBN 0-240-51582-X
amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/024051582X
---------
This is perhaps the most thorough book on lighting that I've seen. It is centered somewhat fixedly on studio/set lighting techniques. Nevertheless, it covers a tremendous amount of ground and detail on lighting principles and solutions. Unlike the smaller book I posted earlier, the illustrations in this book include a mixture of b&w halftone photos, sketches and technical diagrams.

This would be a very good addition to any videographer's library.

Does the book cover subjects like lighting for blue/ green screens, and interview setups?

All the best,

Ed Smith

Yes to both. Look at the amazon link, since it features a full table of contents and index.

Film Directing, Cinematic Motion: A Workshop for Staging Scenes
by Steven D. Katz
Michael Wiese Productions, 1992
ISBN: 0-941188-14-0
amazon: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0941188140
(features sample pages and table of contents)
----------
This inxpensive little book is a treasure trove of staging and blocking tips for amatuer / novice filmmakers. The book is filled with well-illustrated examples of how to plan and shoot a scene for maximum effectiveness. It's also sprinkled with interviews with several veteran cinematographers/producers/directors who give their thoughts on the planning and production process. Perhaps one of the most valuable aspects of the book is how it illustrates -how to illusratate- a staging plan and how to translate a storyboard to the choreography involved in shooting a scene.

My favorite section, titled "Estimated Schedule" (pg. 148), briefly chronicles a day's shooting. Starting at 8:00am and eventually ending at 8:35pm this scenario encompasses a garden variety of snafus from on-set rewrites to a large camera dolly running over an actor's foot. The point being, of course, that the best of intentions don't always proceed per plan. (As my first boss told me many years ago, "If it eats or sh*ts it's trouble.")

Hey Ken,

Another good book from Steven Katz is "Shot by Shot"

Paperback: 325 pages
Publisher: Focal Press; ISBN: 0941188108; (July 1991)

This was Katz first book before "Cinematic Motion" and I feel it's the must have book for a visual breakdown of shooting a film.

It sure does look good. It's on its way to me. Thanks Justin!

Gosh, you guys... It's amazing... We all seem to have the same library! Well, I guess great minds really do... read alike. BTW Justin, I like your web site.

Best,
Mark

Yeah, that's for sure. It's kind of creepy. ;)

Thanks for complement!

The iFilm Digital Video Filmmaker's Handbook
by Maxie D. Collier
iFilm Publishing, 2001
ISBN: 1-58065-031-7
amazon: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1580650317
-------
First things first. If you're looking for a detailed compendium of technical information on making your next DV feature, you'll have to look elsewhere. This is not the book for you. While the book side-swipes nearly every imaginable topic from pre-production planning through post-production and screening it does so with such brevity and genericism that most of its treatments will only be of interest to someone who knows absolutely nothing about the subjects. So, to that end, titling this little book as a "handbook" is a publisher's fantasy.

What may make this book worth a look are some of the handy comparative tables buried in the text. Even more valuable are the resource references in the appendices. (The book's DVD features a few interesting pieces, too.) In an era of Google one might suppose that such lists are of limited value. But, even so, just discovering that something like "The Screenwriters' Homepage" exists might not be so Google-simple.

So this book is a mixed bag in my opinion. In other words, if my desk's legs suddenly became lop-sided I might consider using this book to prop it up.

The Little Digital Video Book
by Michael Rubin
Peachpit Press, 2002
ISBN: 0-201-75848-2
amazon: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0201758482
------------
This book is a real jewel for the vast majority of video camera owners who just want to shoot familiar subjects (family, friends) and edit that footage to achieve better-than-average results. As it's title implies, this is a relatively short book (172 pg). But it's filled with outstanding advice on using any consumer-grade equipment to shoot and edit like a pro. Rubin has organized the material very logically and his lively writing style makes this book a real page-turner (assuming, of course, the reader is interested in the subject).

I bought this book for my wife to help her get the geneal idea of shooting and editing video. But, honestly, I found myself reading this book nearly cover to cover.

If you're a professional cinematographer, videographer or editor who earns a living with your hard-learned skills you will probably not find this book worth your time. But if you're not in that group I'd bet that you'd find this book a very enjoyable and even enlightening read. OK, so if you're a "film school" person you may have to outfit it with a plain brown cover before reading it in public. Go ahead...we won't tell.

I agree with Ken, this book is filled with outstanding advice. It is clearly written and practical. You can probably read this entire book in an evening.

The author is experienced and you can feel it. He gets right to the point and covers what you need to finish your projects, no B.S. or non-essential theory.

I would recommend this book to people who want to go and start doing it. As Ken noted, professionals or film school people might not find it as useful, but I think everyone else who owns a camcorder will appreciate this book.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Who I am: I'm an amateur who makes shorts and home movies I'm also an avid amateur photographer.

I think you'll find even Pro's needing a suggestion, or asking advice from time to time. No single person has all of the answers. Ok, I do, but I make some of them up :)

I read all that I can, and read as many boards as I can, just to get different opinions on things in general. Even the Computer Videomaker's How To Book gave me some interesting ideas. Sure, I would look like a complete beginner reading it. So I just put a Playboy over top.
Keith

Aha!!! So now I know how to look like a real pro! :-p

> I would look like a complete beginner
> reading it. So I just put a Playboy over
> the top.

Hey... Most people see you with an XL1, and they think you're making Porns anyway. Or so I have heard...
Keith

<<<-- Originally posted by Capt Quirk : Hey... Most people see you with an XL1, and they think you're making Porns anyway. Or so I have heard...
Keith -->>>

That's always among the dozen comments I get from people who talk to me about my shooting DV. "When are you going to get into porn?"

My reply: "How much?"

It's funny- a fellow I know just bought a ton of DV stuff- Skycrane, Glidecam, XL1s, Varizoom controllers, MA200, batts etc....his intention is to promote his website via media- his remark was
"and if this doesn't work- at least I can make some awesome porn movies"....

XL's seem to be the weapon of choice in the porn industry- funny when you think of it....

Anyone see Mr. Deeds the movie?- in the opening scene there's a multi-billionaire being taped on his mountain climbing expedition- and the cam doing the video- you got it- an XL1S

The XL is a movie star in it's own right- the celebrity amongst DV cams!

My motto is- "You do it, I'll film it. No kids, no animals." Fortunately, I have only had decent proposals.. So far. It's tough making a buck these days.
Keith

Hi Ken-

You are right on about this text. It's beautiful and inspired. It reminds or reveals why so many of us got into visual work in the first place. It's just amazing to give language to things when you feel, 'they work' or are 'beautiful'.

christian calson
nebunule films llc
nebunule.com

This book is a real jewel for the vast majority of video camera owners who just want to shoot familiar subjects (family, friends) and edit that footage to achieve better-than-average results. As it's title implies, this is a relatively short book (172 pg). But it's filled with outstanding advice on using any consumer-grade equipment to shoot and edit like a pro. Rubin has organized the material very logically and his lively writing style makes this book a real page-turner (assuming, of course, the reader is interested in the subject).

I bought this book for my wife to help her get the geneal idea of shooting and editing video. But, honestly, I found myself reading this book nearly cover to cover.

If you're a professional cinematographer, videographer or editor who earns a living with your hard-learned skills you will probably not find this book worth your time. But if you're not in that group I'd bet that you'd find this book a very enjoyable and even enlightening read. OK, so if you're a "film school" person you may have to outfit it with a plain brown cover before reading it in public. Go ahead...we won't tell. -->>>

Ken, I finally found this book after looking for it since your review. You are absolutely spot on. For me, who has a bit of experience shooting both at home and on the road (but never professionally) it has given me a good deal of (for want of a better word) focus. I'm glad I finally found it.
Sandy

Delighted to hear it, Alexander! It really is a little gem.

Final Cut Pro 3 and the Art of Filmmaking
by Jason Cranford Teague and David Teague
Sybex Books, 2002
ISBN 0-7821-4027-0

@amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0782140270/
--------------------
This is an excellent reference for beginning and early-intermediate Final Cut Pro 3 users. In many ways it represents what a good "users' guide volume 1" for FCP should have been.

Several features make this book a winner for its audience.

* It's extremely well-written, presenting general editing concepts as well as dance-steps to accomplishing those goals with FCP3. Careful editing of the text also avoids the common show-stopping ambiguity found in so many other books of this genre.
* Skillful type design and layout draw you into topics and avoid fatigue by excellent use of type, leading, color and page layout. Although the usual "sidebar" tips are used frequently, they are not the usual grainy, hard-to-decipher black text on gray backgrounds.
* Liberal use of color screen shots and illustrations, often keyed and annotated, thoughout the book. What you see in the book is what you will see on the screen.
* Landscape orientation makes the book easier to prop open as you work through the examples.
* Excellent organization of content and progression of concepts. The book is divided into five color-keyed sections:

I. Getting Started
II. Editing Your Movie
III. Adding Special Effects
IV. Advanced Techniques
V. After The Editing Is Done

Also included are an index and an illustrated Glossary of Terms.

This is hands-down the finest book of its kind (and for the above-mentioned audience) that I've seen. If there's a down-side to this book it would have to be its price. Listed at US$60, but with a Web-price around US$42, it's a bit pricier than other works, probably due to it's extensive use of 4-color printing. But, viewed differently, it will be perhaps $20 cheaper than buying two other books (one to fill-in the blanks of the first).

So if you're a FCP beginner or an early intermediate FCP editor this would be an excellent choice for a basic how-to reference.

Ken, would you say this book is also good for general editing
with another editing application (I'm not on mac)? Or is it better
to look at another book then?

I'd have to say that this book is quite specific to the Mac platform and FCP.

Ken,

Yes this is an excellent reference book for beginners. It is a book that I look to when working with FCP. There was another thread that talked briefly about this book:

http://new.dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?s=&threadid=2433

Final Cut Pro 3 Editing Workshop
(Second Edition)
by Tom Wolsky
CMP Books, 2002
ISBN: 1-57820-118-7
@amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/1578201187/
----------
Tom Wolsky is a veteran film and video editor who has likely forgotten more about Final Cut Pro than most of us will ever learn about it. If you spend time at the 2-pop forums you've probably seen Tom offer thoughts and tips there since he frequently haunts that site.

The first edition of this work, published in 2001, represented a milestone in this genre because it was the first time such an experienced editor has taken up the mantle of writing a Final Cut Pro tutorial. Unlike other works at the time which offered little more than point-and-click dance-steps (ex: Lisa Brenneis' book) Wolsky's book offered its readers some insight into the film/video editing decision mindset in addition to process instruction.

Wolsky's second edition follows the same format and style of the first, adding new sections for FCP3's new features and the OS-X platform. To be sure, this is a thorough treatment of FCP3 thoughtfully collected and composed for the beginner and intermediate user. Like its predecessor it offers abundant insight into the editing thought process simultaneously with FCP3-specific instruction. I was delighted to see more space given to FCP3's advanced-intermediate features such as key-framing. The book's work-along exercises, included on a CD, are generally well-planned to be illustrative and instructive. Quality time invested with this book will certainly be rewarded by a better understanding of nearly all aspects of FCP3. Guaranteed.

Nevertheless, this book does have some weaknesses. One criticism I had of the first edition, which has carried over to the second, is that Wolsky spends too much space tutoring the reader on many of FCP's cheesy effects and transitions, most of which would never be used in a professional application and all of which can be quickly learned by self-exploration if needed.

My other criticisms are related principally to the book's publisher, CMP Books, rather than to Wolsky's content, per se. Quality of manuscript editing is my first barb. Many, if not most, sections of the book are written in what could only be described as a stream-of-consciousness style that no good book editor would ever let stand. It almost seems as though the publisher took the "workshop" concept to a literal extreme, letting the book read more like a transcript of a real workshop than like the instructional text that it should be.

Format and design constitute my other criticisms. Although the book features liberal screen-shot details as illustrations the low-resolution of the black-and-white format all but destroy the value of those which feature video snapshots. The new sections on keying and color correction are severely crippled by CMP's decision not to include 4-color pages for the accompanying illustrations. Additionally, the book's design is very, very visually busy. Many pages looks more like a scrapbook than a text, featuring body text, screen-shots, sidebars and "tip" boxes all in different fonts. Each page turn is a new and often unexpected experience for the reader, a distracting attribute for such a book.

In summary Tom Wolsky is to be commended for this second edition. He delivers what he promises to the reader. But as the popularity of Final Cut Pro has steadily increased so has the market for instructional texts on the subject. There is new competition for FCP readers' dollars today that didn't exist a year ago. The Teagues' "Final Cut Pro 3 and the Art of Filmmaking" (reviewed at http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?s=&threadid=4811) have set a new benchmark for this genre of text. While they probably do not have the professional experience that Wolsky has, they've managed to cover most of the same ground for the same audience in a much more attractive and, in my opinion, effective manner than Wolky's book. To be sure, both books are very good works. But the Teagues' book excels in its design and presentation.

hey ken,
nice post. do you have any suggestions for books completely dedicated to the more advanced features of final cut, such as keying and other forms of compositing?

Good question. Unfortunately, no, I don't. Ask again this time next year and I'd bet I'll have a different answer. Final Cut Pro is still a relative newcomer on the editing scene. But it's making rapid in-roads into the professional post-production world. Right now the demand seems to be for the novice/intermediate FCP book market. But it won't be long before today's "FCP intermediate" becomes tomorrow's "FCP chop-meister" and begins demanding more advanced treatments. (This is especially true of experienced Avid users who are picking-up FCP savvy to expand their toolset capabilities.)

I predict that we'll begin seeing "advanced" FCP books within the next 12-14 months dealing deeply with subjects such as color correction, video-to-film preparation and possibly uncompressed/HD handling. We might even see some similar Avid Express works.

For now, the best books on keying and compositing (of which I am aware) are the Trish and Chris Meyers' books on the Adobe's AfterEffects product. While it's not FCP, the concepts and some of their techniques transfer well to FCP if you don't have AE.

FWIW, the most extensive general discussion of digital compositing I've ever seen is "The Art and Science of Digital Compositing" by Ron Brinkman. (@amazon: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0121339602/) I've not (yet) reviewed it here but it's a hard-cover goodie if you're really interested in the subject.

Lighting for Digital Video & Television
by John Jackman
CMP Books, 2002
ISBN: 1-57820-115-2
@amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1578201152/
--------
I probably have ten books on the subject of lighting for video and/or film work. But among them, John Jackman's new (at this writing) book probably represents the best overall primer to the subject for the amateur and semi-professional. Why?

For starters Jackman is a good technical writer who uses words carefully and knows how to construct a paragraph properly, somewhat uncommon attributes to be found in this genre of books. He uses these skills to cover an impressive variety of topics in a relatively short (187 pages + appendices) book. Each chapter and topic is treated in sufficient depth to give the reader a firm handle on its subject but not so exhaustively that the reader will nod off.

For example, in an early chapter Jackman discusses the nature of human sight ("Human Vision, the Camera and Exposure") by comparing the eye to capabilities of film and video cameras, effectively setting the context and goals for the overall undertaking of lighting for video. This is followed by a chapter on basic electrical principles, calculations and considerations fundamental to the subject of lighting. Not too much, not too little. Each successive chapter maintains tight focus and topical treatment on practical issues and methods. This disciplined approach produces a book that moves forward smoothly and deliberately.

That's not to say that the book is monotonously predictable. Quite the contrary. Several later chapters present topics you might not expect to find in such an introductory text. For example, a topic titled "Lighting Darkness" discusses the tricky subject of how to light scenes that are supposed to be dark. Another topic titled "Flat Lighting" discusses studio-style shadowless lighting. There are even sections devoted to food and product lighting and to "fire" lighting techniques. All within 187 pages! The book also features a excellent 15 page illustrated glossary which readers will find very helpful for decoding such a union jargon-laden subject.

The book's liberal sprinkling of diagrams, tables and product photos greatly helps to illustrate the text. Higher-quality halftone b&w photographs would have been a welcome design feature for this book, as would the use of color pages for the color temperature management topic section. But, as we've learned with other CMP books, this seems to be a concept too innovative and extravagant for this publisher.

In summary, I would have no reluctance or reservations recommending Lighting for Digital Video & Television to anyone looking for a good overview on the subject. It's inexpensive, it's an easy read for even a moderately motivated reader, and it's very informative in practical matters. What more could you ask of such a book?

I'll second Ken's recommendation as I've just finished reading the book myself. I am new to the field of video and this book gave me a lot of solid, fundamental knowledge. Both creative and technical, this book is a good start for those new to anything video, be it interviewing or dramatic movie making.

Crafting Short Screenplays that Connect
by Claudia Hunter Johnson
Focal Press, 2000
ISBN: 0-240-80378-7
At amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0240803787/
______________
Many of us aspire to, or already do, produce short dramatic pieces. But relatively few of us have probably had any training on writing screenplays for such work...and it usually shows in the final product. Our visual images and sound may be technically good but the story just seems lifeless or silly.

Claudia Johnson's book takes dead aim at how to craft better screenplays for short pieces. In a nutshell, she emphasizes that screenplays, particularly those under 30 mins., must make a deep connection with viewers through the introduction of conflict and other common-denominator devices. As anyone who has taken a dramatic writing class will know, this is hardly a new concept. But in a relatively short book (261 pg) she skillfully weaves these points through numerous examples to present a thoroughly enjoyable and enlightening crash-course on screen writing.

This is well worth your time and expense if you've any interest in writing your own screenplays or if you would just like to gain better insight into viewing films.

In The Blink of An Eye
by Walter Murch
Silman-James Press, 2001 (2nd edition)
At amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/1879505622/
_______________
Last October my colleague Paul Sedillo noted this little book in another thread and it caught my eye. As a multiple Academy Award-winning film and sound editor, and as a close colleague of Francis Ford Coppola, Walter Murch has many features to his credit. (Ex: The Conversation, American Graffiti, Julia, Apocalypse Now, The Godfather (parts II and III), The Unbearable Lightness of Being, Ghost, Crumb, Romeo Is Bleeding, First Knight, The English Patient, and The Talented Mr. Ripley) This book, basically an expanded transcript of a lecture he gave at the UCLA Film School, presents a mixture of film history, Murch's philosophy and his perspective on the digital future of movie-making in an engaging and easy-to-read package.

If you're looking for an instructional book filled with dance-steps on how to make edit decisions (as, apparently, a few misguided amazon reviewers were) you should look elsewhere. That's not the point of this work. Rather, "In The Blink of An Eye" is more like spending an afternoon with a senior family member...who just happens to have spent more time looking at, and successfully cutting, feature films than you'll probably see in your life. Murch has spent enough time analyzing the process to vividly express complex concepts in famliar terms (as with the concept behind the title itself).

What makes this book such a gem is that Murch devotes nearly half of the book to a prospective look at film's digital present and future. Somewhat surprisingly, his views are not the sclerotic, film-or-nothing views you might expect from someone with his background and credentials. Quite the contrary. Murch sees a very interesting and bright future for the inevitable (his word) digital transformation of the medium.

All in all, this book is certainly worth the small cost to spend an afternoon with a man like Walter Murch.

Hi Ken,

What is it that you like about this title? What did you learn from it?

I like Walter Murch's sound design and film restoration resume, but I've paged through this book and didn't find it stocked with useful insights or hints'n'tips as a young editor might expect an old one to offer in a book such as this. I recall a smattering of stock anecdotes and some brief commentary on the most rudimentary aspects of editing, but nothing so informative as an in-depth examination of particular editing challenges or innovations Murch pioneered. Murch's thoughts on digital editing are by now antique.

Like I said, I didn't give it a thorough read, and I don't have a better book to suggest over it, so I won't rail against it, but I am curious what those who like the book found intriguing about it, other than the fact that it's by Walter Murch.

There were numerous things that I took away from this little gem.

His comments on "The Rule of Six" was something that I had not really considered before and was the one of the things that really stands out. "The Rule of Six" is a set of criteria that Mr. Murch uses to determine the best possible cut. Each point needs to satisfy the following (with each criteria being weighted):

1) Emotion 50%
2) Story 23%
3) Rhythm 10%
4) Eye-Trace 7%
5) Two-dimensional plane of screen 5%
6) Three-dimensional space of action 4%

He stated that Emotion "is the thing that you should preserve at all costs." If you have seen Apocalypse Now, The English Patient, or Ghost (just to name a few of the movies he edited) you see how Emotion drove his edit decisions.

This one chapter made it worth the price of admission. Considering that you can get this book used on Amazon.com for $9.27, I think it is a bargain.

As Mr. Tanaka stated:

"In The Blink of An Eye" is more like spending an afternoon with a senior family member...who just happens to have spent more time looking at, and successfully cutting, feature films than you'll probably see in your life."

Very well put sir.

Robert,
Basically, what Paul said. I had never heard of Walter Murch. Like most people outside the cloisters of the film trade or academia, I'd not paid any attention whatsoever to the names that roll past after a movie's ended. So I didn't approach this book like the tablets passed down the mountain from Moses. As far as I was concerned it was just another book by some schmuck trying to make an extra buck.

As I noted, it's not a dance-step book. It's mostly an introspective work. Perhaps the most prominent "tip" I took away from the book was never to lose the emotional level of a scene. I also enjoyed reading his thoughts on the future of editing.

So would I pay $30 for that tip, a few others, and being entertained by an afternoon with Walter Murch? You betcha. I've spent tens of thousands for much worse advice and experiences.

I finished reading this book recently and am now reading "The Conversations. Walter Murch and the Art of Editing Film" This book is a transcript of a conversation Murch had over the course of a year with Michael Ondaatje, the author of "The English Patient."

This book is more of a discussion on particular editing discussions and his techniques, which maybe what most people are looking for in an "editing" book. Nevertheless, I found "In the Blink of an Eye" most interesting, in fact I would say it is more a book on Murch's philosophy of editing than on his editing technique. And I fully agree with Paul on "The Rule of Six" section, quite profound.

I've been a fan of Walter Murch's work for many years now so for me these books were a must, yet I still would recommend them as there's any things one can learn from them.

An interesting page on, about, and from Mr. Murch

http://www.filmsound.org/murch/murch.htm

Great find! Thanks for posting the link.

Help is on the way for folks diving into FCE. Peachpit Press is planning to release the above title March 31, 2003. The book will be authored by Lisa Brenneis, who also wrote PP's FCP Quickstart Guide.

For more information see the Peachpit Press site (http://www.peachpit.com/books/product.asp?product_id=%7BDEF5FB13-68C3-4193-A77C-502524BC81BD%7D&session_id=%7B853715B4-B858-498A-92EF-2606F4265AF7%7D).

I must agree. I finished this suprisingly readable volume in one sitting which is astonishing considering that I have the attention span of a three year old on a sugar rush.

:-)

I just checked it out of the local campus library. I can't believe they actually had this book here but they do. Too bad it's finals week... I'll have to wait awhile to read it, but I can't wait.

Book is not bad. It's nice to have when a question comes up since FCX doesn't come with a printed manuel.

Just curious if anyone has used "final cut express for dummies" as an alternative to the above mentioned book. From my experience the "for dummies" books can be great or abysmal as well as anything in between

I have this book too, and I agree, there isn't much in there that isn't generalized. THe thing that really turned me off was the DVD that came with the book and the included short film "Final Grace" or whatever it was called. That was awful!

A google search came up with multiple screenwriters' homepages.
Which one is it?

Even though I like the book for some reason, I have not found it that useful. I lke technical manual type books when I what to get things done. Now, I also have Shot by Shot, this I am using and will for a long time to come.

<<<-- Originally posted by Brad Simmons : I have this book too, and I agree, there isn't much in there that isn't generalized. THe thing that really turned me off was the DVD that came with the book and the included short film "Final Grace" or whatever it was called. That was awful! -->>>

Whoa! Final Grace was absolutely awful. PLEASE, if you decide to buy this book, read it FIRST and then if your curiosity takes hold, watch the movie. If you do the reverse, you'll probably end up hating the book.

My First Movie: Twenty Celebrated Directors Talk About Their First Film
by Stephen Lowenstein
ISBN: 0375420819
At amazon.com (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0375420819/qid=1064027882/)

If you've ever produced or directed a movie with actors and crew this book is guaranteed to keep you entertained. Stephen Lowenstein, a director himself, got the idea to compile the first-movie recollections of many now-experienced directors (Oliver Stone, Ang Lee, Barry Levinson, et.al.). The result is a fascinating, sometimes educational, and often hilarious read for anyone who makes, or just loves, movies.

I highly recommend giving this book a whirl.